MMA-URLS

Here's an interesting documentary called 'Legendary: The Rise Of MMA In Asia', which provides an inside look at Legend FC, a promotion which hosts shows mostly in Macau and Hong Kong. Filmed around Legend Fighting Championship 7 at Macau's City of Dreams, "Legendary" takes a look at the rise of MMA in the Asia-Pacific against the backdrop of the February 2012 Legend Welterweight Championship fight between Bae Myung Ho and Li Jingliang. Filmmakers Euan McKirdy and James Wong interview some of the fighters, coaches, organizers, journalists, and other people who are hard at work developing the Asia-Pacific into MMA's newest frontier and largest potential market. From the exhaustion of the weigh-in to the tension of pre-fight preparations to the fights themselves, McKirdy and Wong give fans a new level of access and insight into the rise of MMA in Asia. The video is well made, and I highly suggest watching it: Legend FC's next event is on June 16th, and it will have Li Jingliang who was featured on this video, taking on top prospect, Dan Pauling as the co-headliner. Also on the card is a 4-man bantamweight tournament, and a title eliminator for Jadamba Narantungalag's belt. Check out the current fight card here, and a promo for the event after the jump. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena

Posted in: mma, legend, video, rise, fc

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36 days, 4 hours, 42 minutes and 39 seconds left until ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors goes down in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on June 23rd at Stadium Negara. By the time you read this, that countdown number won't be accurate. It's not my fault, blame it on time. It never stops moving, just like the blinking cursor you're probably looking at on your computer. MiddleEasy also never stops moving with our buds at ONE FC, and in their upcoming event, 'ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors,' we're raising the bar once again with The Ultimate T-Shirt Design Contest. Contest Rules: Create your very own t-shirt incorporating ONE FC and their theme of 'Destiny of Warriors.' Creatively, the contest is pretty open so there are as little restrictions as possible. Refrain from using nudity, brash political statements or racist innuendo (in other words, don't be an [expletive]). Stay away from using copyrighted material in your design (don't put a Burger King logo on your ONE FC shirt). Be sure to create your design in the highest quality possible (don't start your t-shirt on a dinky 300x500 pixel canvas). It's hard to give specifics on the required dimensions since every design will be different, but the best thing to do is dig in your friend's tool box and grab a ruler, take out that shirt you spilled beer on last night, measure how big you would like your design to be, and just create a new file size in Photoshop, Illustrator, Gimp -- whatever program you illegally downloaded off the net (you pirate). Simple as that. Be sure your design is created in 300 DPI and is in CMYK colors. A winner will be selected based on sheer jaw-dropping rawesomeness. ONE FC will then work with the winner to get their t-shirt design slapped on a shirt and winners will receive two shirts with their unique design along with a ONE FC prize package. Five runner-ups will receive a ONE FC prize package. You will also forever be mentioned on MiddleEasy as 'That guy who designed that amazing shirt'. Submission Rules: Submit your ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors shirt design as just a jpeg/gif not measuring more than 620px wide. If it's a winner, we'll ask for the actual production files. Feel free to place whatever watermark you would like on your design if think someone out there is going to steal it and build their entire clothing company around your t-shirt concept. All designs must be submitted to ONEFC@middleeasy.com. Utilities: Don't worry, we got you. The ONE FC logo can be downloaded right here. Deadline: Contest ends June 21st 2012. Winners will be announced on June 23rd 2012. If you have a question or concerns, contact ONEFC@middleeasy.com.

Posted in: contest, fc, shirt, tshirt, design

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Legacy Fighting Championship 12 now has a main event.

Posted in: fc, legacy, campuzano, steve garcia, flyweight belt

Read the full article at Sherdog

Renato "Babalu" Sobral has not fought since 2010 and he is angry. In an interview with MMA Prime (Aaron Tru), Babalu opens up about the exasperating tumult that the the fight game has brought him in the past few months alone. First, Babalu talks about a scheduled fight for Instinct MMA in Canada in late December that has been postponed four separate times due to opponent injury and lack of a replacement fighter. As of right now, Sobral says that the early June fight will not happen due to another opponent injury and wishes his opponent the best of luck with the recovery before going on to verbally lambast the promoter. Babalu calls the promoter "unprofessional", "piece of crap" and that "they shouldn't be allowed to promote MMA again." More juicy quotes and details after the jump. In the midst of that rant, Babalu states that his job as a fighter is to train and prepare for a fight and the job of a promoter is to make sure a fight goes on and to promote the event. Both have costs, but for the fighter, it is harder to sustain a true training regimen all these months without a payday of some kind. Continuing the emotional talk, Sobral talks about being scheduled to fight Ikuhisa Minowa at ONE FC 3 last March 31. However, when he arrived in Singapore weeks earlier to promote the fight, ONE FC suddenly changed his opponent AND weightclass without notice or explanation. From fighting Minowa at 205 lbs, Sobral was being asked to fight Melvin Manhoef at 185 lbs. Sobral makes it a point of emphasis to highlight his 15 year career of fighting anyone put before him at this point. Sobral says that ONE FC responded to his refusal to sign the contract by calling it "TUF Brazil obligations". Further clouding the issue is the fact that Minowa fought a week after the scheduled ONE FC bout on April 7 for Super Fight League against Alexander Shlemenko. The timing of this video is Interesting as Babalu is scheduled to headline ONE FC 4 against Tatsuya Mizuno. Within the video, Sobral also says that he is not going to fly in to promote the fight and ends with the reminder to promoters out there that if things like this happen, he can stay at home with his gym and teach instead of fighting for unstable or unreliable organizations. The video ends with the catchy "No money, no Babalu." quote. Babalu has always been a highly emotional fighter and his 36-9 record is filled with legends of the game. His IFC battles on September 6, 2003 will forever stand in MMA history as the night Babalu could not lose. Too bad we couldn't get a Seraldo Babalu moment from Tito in there to put it over the top...

Posted in: fight, babalu, sobral, fc, promoter

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The first four fights for ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors, a show taking place in Kuala Lumpur on June 23, were announce this week; Renato Sobral vs. Tatsuya Mizuno, Masakazu Imanari  vs. Leandro Issa, Arnaud Lepont vs. Eddie Ng, and Adam Kayoom vs. Gregor Gracie. Sobral is a former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and fought Chuck Liddell for the UFC title on two separate occasions. He will be looking to bounce back from his most recent loss to Dan Henderson when he takes on Mizuno in the main event. The Japanese fighter, who is has notched back-to-back wins in his last two outings, has faced more than his fair share of world class opponents like Mirko Filipovic and Melvin Manhoef. The co-main event is also a battle between Brazil and Japan with leg lock wizard Imanari taking on BJJ world champion Issa. Both men are coming off ONE FC wins and the winner will be a strong contender to challenge for the bantamweight belt when it is introduced. Meanwhile, Ng is one of the most famous fighters in South East Asia and has had a remarkable twelve months in which he has won two fights for ONE FC and seen his reputation soar. He will be up against France’s Lepont, a highly aggressive fighter who recently made a name for himself fighting for DARE Championship in Thailand. Finally, the fourth fight announced is the one which will be of most interest to Malaysians because it features one of their own, Kayoom, going up against BJJ legend Gracie. Kayoom might not be as well known internationally as his opponent but he has a black belt in BJJ and is a former Muay Thai world champion who will have the overwhelming support of the crowd in the 10,200 capacity Stadium Negara behind him. Fighters such as Phil Baroni, Yoshiyuki Yoshida,  Rolles Gracie, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and Manhoef have all appeared on recent shows meaning a card of this caliber can only cement ONE FC’s status as Asia’s leading MMA promotion. More fights are expected to be announced over the course of the next week. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: fight, fighter, vs, fc, bantamweight belt

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ONE FC 4 is set for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on June 23, and it will be headlined by Renato Sobral vs. Tatsuya Mizuno and Masakazu Imanari vs. Leandro Issa. Three more fights have been added to card recently: Gregor Gracie (6-1), who was victorious at ONE FC 1 last September, will be stepping in hostile territory as he takes on Malaysia's top star, Adam Kayoom (2-1), who is a BJJ Blackbelt and Muay Thai champion with black belts in multiple traditional martial arts such as Aikido, Taekwondo and Karate. Evolve MMA's Eddie Ng (5-1), who has been nothing short of spectacular on his two outings with the promotion, will be taking a big step up in competition. Ng only needed 88 seconds to dispatch of two opponents, including Malaysian kickboxing champ, Jian Kai Chee at ONE FC 3. His next opponent will be Jian's head coach from MuayFit, Arnaud Lepont (9-1), who will try to avenge his teammate's loss in front of his adopted home country of Malaysia. Lastly, sources close to the situation have informed BloodyElbow.com about a third match that is yet to be announced by the promotion. 20-year-old Malaysian rising star, Allamurad Karayev (9-0), has been signed and he will be taking on Team Lakay's Roldan Sangcha-an, a Wushu fighter making his professional MMA debut after making his rounds in the Philippine amateur scene.On paper it looks like a bad mismatch having a 9-0 face a guy making his pro debut, but to be honest I wouldn't just count out a Team Lakay fighter. Check out the current rumored fight card after the jump. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena ONE Fighting Championship 4: Destiny of WarriorsJune 23, 2012 -- Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Renato Sobral vs. Tatsuya Mizuno- Masakazu Imanari vs. Leandro Issa- Vuyisile Colossa vs. Rustam Khabilov- Mitch Chilson- Eddie Ng vs. Arnaud Lepont- Gregor Gracie vs. Adam Kayoom- Allamurad Karayev vs. Roldan Sangcha-an

Posted in: vs, fc, ng, adam, malaysia

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Somehow the subtle ONE FC fight announcement made on Twitter evaded the grasp of everyone at MiddleEasy late yesterday. We're not sure what quite happened, perhaps it was a temporarily flux in the time-space continuum that forced us to not see it. It pains everyone at MiddleEasy whenever we're not the first (or at least one of the first) sites to break MMA news from Singapore (and beyond), so to make it up to you, here's a picture of my Masakazu Imanari in his underwear with a helmet on top of his head. I hope it all makes sense now. Along with the organization announcing Evolve MMA's Leandro Issa vs. Masakazu Imanari will take place at bantamweight for ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors in Malaysia, Babalu Sobral will also be taking on Tatsuya Mizuno at light heavyweight on the same card, which will go down on June 23rd. Some of you may remember Imanari from my on-going bromance that has developed over the years on MiddleEasy. However, if you're not into undying appreciations for other men, then you undoubtedly remember the stellar performance Masakazu dropped on Kevin Belingon at ONE FC: War of the Lions, catching the URCC champion with a reverse heel hook in just over a minute in the first round, giving him his first lost of his entire career. When it comes to grabbing legs and rendering them unusable for weeks, there's Rousimar Palhares -- and then high in the stratosphere resides Imanari, amongst a throne made entirely of ankles. ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors goes down June 23rd on an internet stream near you (or Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia if you feel like using those frequent flyer miles) and be sure to check back on MiddleEasy for a plethora of amazing ONE FC related items leading up to the event.

Posted in: fc, imanari, masakazu, masakazu imanari, fc destiny

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Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral is booked to fight DREAM light heavyweight grand prix finalist Tatsuya Mizuno at the main event of ONE FC 4: Destiny of the Warriors, promotion officials announced over the weekend. Additionally, ONE FC veterans Masakazu Imanari and Leandro Issa will meet in a bantamweight tilt in the night's co-main event, slated for June 23 at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Sobral (36-9) returns to action for the first time since suffering a first-round knockout at the legendary hands of Dan Henderson in late 2010. Prior to the setback, the 36-year-old Brazilian rattled off six wins in seven contests, including resounding finishes over Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Bobby Southworth and David Heath. "Babalu" initially signed with ONE Fighting Championship in December and was slotted opposite Melvin Manhoef for ONE FC 3 on March 31. However the bout was ultimately scrapped due to scheduling conflicts. His opponent, Mizuno (11-7), strides into the headlining match riding a two-fight win streak after earning quick finishes of Ilima Maiava and Trevor Prangley. A 30-year-old decorated Judoka fighting out of Japan, Mizuno has competed against an impressive hit-list of MMA names, including Thiago Silva, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Melvin Manhoef, Gegard Mousasi and Sergei Kharitonov. Meanwhile, feared leglock specialist Imanari (25-10-2) looks to capitalize on momentum gained from his last performance, when the 36-year-old needed just 68 seconds to catch Kevin Belingon in a nasty inverted heel hook at ONE FC 3. The victory was Imanari's tenth via leglock, and sixteenth submission finish overall. He'll face Issa (9-2), a 28-year-old grappling specialist sporting a six-fight win streak, five of which ended via first-round submission.

Posted in: fc, imanari, yearold, issa, mizuno

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Rising Asian promotion ONE FC positioned itself for another show featuring a respectable blend of area talent and well-known fighters after announcing two fights slated for their June 23 card. Most notable in the quartet of competitors was Renato “Babalu” Sobral, a light heavyweight with roots in the UFC who also held the Strikeforce title during his stint in the promotion. The 36-9 veteran will face DREAM stand-out Tatsuya Mizuno who has won his last two fights and holds past victories over Melvin Manhoef as well as Trevor Prangley. Also revealed for ONE FC 4: Destiny of Warriors, 25-10-2 Masakazu Imanari will look to build on his ONE FC 3 tap-out of Kevin Belingon when he takes on fellow master of the mat Leandro Issa. Issa is currently on a six-fight winning streak and owes seven of his nine total triumphs to submission stoppages. More fights are expected to surface in the coming weeks. The show will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at Stadium Negara. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE/FEG

Posted in: light heavyweight, fc, trevor prangley, melvin manhoef, asian promotion

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

The first two fights to be announced for ONE FC 'Destiny of Warriors' which is taking place at Stadium Negara on June 23rd will see Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) experts Renato Sobral and Leandro Issa take take on Japanese veterans Tatsuya Mizuno and Masakazu Imanari. The main event will feature two fighters who have been on the scene for a long time. Babalu made his debut back in 1997 and has faced the likes of Chuck Liddell, Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson and fought for the UFC title twice, while Mizuno is the number one light heavyweight in Japan and holds stoppage wins over both Melvin Manhoef and Yoshiyuki Nakanishi. Issa and Imanari are both coming off wins at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, the Brazilian battled his way to a unanimous decision over Soo Chul Kim in September while the Japanese leg lock specialist did what he did best against Kevin Imanari in March, forcing him to tap to an inverted heel hook early in their fight. Stadium Negara has a capacity of 10,200 and, after two shows in Singapore and one in Jakarta, this will be the first time that ONE FC has put on a card in Kuala Lumpur. It is an enormous venue which routinely plays host to concerts by the likes of Bon Jovi, Kanye West and Kylie Minogue so it is no surprise to see ONE FC rolling out some of the big guns on its roster. In 18 fights Mizuno has only been the distance once and that was at the end of a two round affair. Five of his wins are by knockout and the other six by submission although he has also been stopped seven times himself meaning that this fight is highly unlikely to go to a decision. 'Babalu' is a living legend who once defeated Jeremy Horn, Mauricio Rua and Trevor Prangley in a single night to win the IFC Light Heavyweight Tournament, and is a former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion who has fought for the UFC Light Heavyweight title not once but twice. The only reason he was released from the UFC is that he failed to release an anaconda choke promptly enough after submitting David Heath and is 6-2 in his last eight fights. Exactly half of his 36 wins are by way of submission and he has a second degree black belt in BJJ. The fight between Issa and Imanari will be interesting because although the Japanese fighter is one of the foremost submission specialists in the bantamweight division his opponent is a BJJ world champion who is riding a six fight win streak. Issa trains everyday with the Muay Thai world champions at Evolve MMA, has rapidly improving stand up and his key to victory will be to avoid his opponent's brutal leg locks. The rest of the card is supposedly going to be announced soon and is likely to feature some of the top Malaysian fighters like Adam Kayoom, Melvin Yeoh and Peter Davis along with some of the more established ONE FC stars. www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: fight, fc, imanari, issa, fc destiny

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As first reported here earlier, Renato Sobral or 'Babalu' and Leandro Issa will be competing at ONE FC 4 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Today, the promotion announced their opponents, and that both bouts will serve as the headliner and co-headliner of the event respectively. The former Strikeforce champion in Sobral will be making his debut at ONE Fighting Championship against DREAM Light Heavyweight GP Finalist, Tatsuya Mizuno (11-7). As for the co-main event, it's going to be a battle between top grapplers as Leandro Issa (9-2), a BJJ champion from Evolve MMA will be facing leg lock master, Masakazu Imanari (25-10-2). The Ashikan Judan is fresh off an impressive inverted heel hook victory at ONE FC 3, while Issa was a stand out from ONE FC 1, showing a well rounded game to compliment his BJJ skills. Related: Judo Chop: Masakazu Imanari Scares Kevin Belingon With A Nasty Inverted Heel Hook | Babalu Sobral Re-Booked For ONE FC 4 Check out the current rumored fight card after the jump. ONE Fighting Championship 4: Destiny of WarriorsJune 23, 2012 -- Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Renato Sobral vs. Tatsuya Mizuno- Masakazu Imanari vs. Leandro Issa- Vuyisile Colossa vs. Rustam Khabilov- Mitch Chilson- Eddie Ng (Rumored)

Posted in: vs, sobral, fc, imanari, issa

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Apex Sports Agency (ASA) today announced that a partnership with top Asian fight organization ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) has been agreed to. With this pact, ASA will now exclusively handle all North American sponsorship and media negotiations for ONE FC.  ONE FC is one of the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotions. They recently consummated an unprecedented ten-year deal with ESPN STAR Sports, the number one leader in sports content, which will bring ONE FC content to 500 million homes across 24 countries in Asia. Now, ONE FC and ASA have joined forces.  CEO and Owner of ONE Fighting Championship Mr. Victor Cui said, “ONE Fighting Championship has completely changed the game for the sport of MMA in Asia, a region that has been the birthplace and home to martial arts for the last 5,000 years. This is a result of the synergistic efforts and outstanding support from our partners. We are the biggest and best MMA organization in Asia because we work with only the best fighters, promotions, gyms, sponsors, and media companies. I am happy to be working with another world-class agency in ASA as we expand our reach to work with new sponsors and partners.”  “Though less than a year old, ONE FC has done some amazing things already in the sport of MMA,” explained ASA CEO Jason Chambers. “They have a huge reach…it’s unreal to see what they are accomplishing. With the growth they’re experiencing, it’s only natural that they want to expand their presence here in North America. ASA can help ONE FC achieve that, and that is our goal.” ONE Fighting Championship is Asia’s largest mixed martial arts event. While ONE FC is dedicated to featuring the best Asian fighters in the world, the promotion also aims to reach the North American fight faithful as well. Events thus far have featured well-known fighters such as Phil Baroni, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Melvin Manhoef, Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Andy Wang, and Rolles Gracie, while also introducing talented combatants such as Zorobabel Moreira, Ole Laursen, Fabricio Monteiro, and rising star Eduard Folayang. ASA has quickly garnered a strong reputation in the MMA world, working with stars on the rise such as UFC fighters Chris Clements, Clifford Starks, Carlo Prater, and Matt Lucas, as well as established fighters like Karo Parisyan, Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm, Drew Fickett, Jorge Gurgel, and Zoila Gurgel. However, ASA is more than just another management firm. The company offers a wide array of services, including brand-building. The partnership with ONE FC came about as a result, and proves that ASA is a company to keep an eye on. Payout Perspective: Though less than a year old, you have to be impressed with the moves One FC has made so far.  From signing a TV deal with ESPN STAR Sports to now slowly creeping into the North American market, it appears that all the right moves are being made.  The Japanese and Asian MMA scene has yet to recover to the levels of when PRIDE Fighting Championship ruled the region. Since the  purchase and dismantling of the Japanese promotion years ago by Zuffa, several promotions have tried to fill it’s void (Sengoku, DREAM, etc0 but none have been able to do so. One FC took an interesting approach and focused on developing Asian talent and concentrating on the Asian market before further expanding.  The signing with ASA is just another step in the direction of growth for the budding promotion who is based out of Singapore.

Posted in: mma, promotion, sport, fc, asa

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Did you miss the debut of the Invicta Fighting Championships promotion this past weekend? Well you're in luck, because the all-female fight league is putting its fights up for free on its YouTube channel. They've started with the main event between Marloes Coenen and Romy Ruyssen and are currently working their way down the fight card. If things keep up, that means the barnburner of a bout between Kaitlin Young and Leslie Smith which won "Fight of the Night" will be next in line. In the meantime, enjoy the top three bouts from the evening and keep your fingers crossed that there are more to come. After the jump, we've got the first three big fights from the evening, with the standout being the co-main event between atomweights (105 pounds) Jessica Penne and Lisa Ellis, which featured a very fun technical scrap that got violent in a hurry. Invicta FC 1 Jessica Penne vs Lisa Ellis-Ward (via InvictaFC) Invicta FC 1 Marloes Coenen vs Romy Ruyssen (via InvictaFC) Invicta FC 1 Ashleigh Curry vs Liz Carmouche (via InvictaFC) What are your thoughts on women's MMA, Maniacs? Will you be tuning in to the next Invicta FC show later this summer? Sound off!

Posted in: fight, fc, comain event, invicta, invictafc

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Former Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen returned to action this past weekend at Invicta FC’s inaugural event for the first time since her stunning release from Strikeforce. [SPOILER]Coenen earned an unanimous decision victory over Romy Ruyssen in their headlining bout.[/SPOILER] Check out the fight in it’s entirety above. More fights from the Invicta FC 1 card [...]

Posted in: fight, fc, decision victory, invicta, boutspoiler check

Read the full article at MMA Convert

ONE FC 4 will be happening this June, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but a lot of Asian MMA fans are already anticipating the promotion's first event in the Philippines. WhenInManila.com is a very popular Filipino website that covers everything from fashion, lifestyle, tech, and events. Since ONE Fighting Championship's Philippine event has already been set for September, the crew behind the site has asked me to give a few inputs for a top 10 list of fighters who deserve a slot on the card. The top two spots on the list belonged to the two most popular Filipino fighters in Eduard Folayang and Ole Laursen. Both men are good friends, but when they were asked to do battle on ONE FC 3 in Singapore, they delivered an all out war in what was the best fight in the promotion's short history. (Video and Analysis here) There were some talk about booking a rematch, which was an an issue addressed by the website. While some people want to see them battle again, I didn't. Well not right now anyway: 1-2. Eduard Folayang and Ole Laursen for ONE FC Philippines As far as the obvious is concerned, Eduard Folayang and Ole Laursen took the top spots of our survey. Almost all writers had either Folayang or Laursen at the top of their lists. The question begs, should ONE FC Philippines be the battleground for the much-awaited rematch or not? ... Bloody Elbow’s Anton Tabuena thinks otherwise. "Folayang vs. Laursen was the most entertaining ONE FC fight to date, so I would be lying if I said that I’m completely opposed to an immediate rematch. It became an instant classic with the best possible outcome as both men came out as winners that night. That being said, you know what they say about sequels, and I don’t think there’s a need to potentially ruin what they achieved by rushing in and impulsively re-booking that fight. Both of their careers are suddenly on the upswing, and interest in both men are at an all-time high. So I think it would be best for these two friends and Filipinos to have separate fights. If down the road the stars align and the timing makes more sense, only then do you try and recreate that classic." Apparently, Laursen also agrees with my sentiment. "I was never really interested in fighting Eduard and I'm still not interested in fighting him," Ole Laursen said when asked about a rematch with the fellow Filipino, "I will fight him though if that's what One FC wants." After the jump, check out the rest of the top 10 which includes the wild card and surprise pick I made on who I think Victor Cui should book for ONE FC Philippines. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena ONE FC always adds multiple guys from the US scene to every card, so I decided to put a wrench into things by making a surprise pick as part of the guys who I wanted to see on the card. My pick made it to #7 of their list, and here's my rationale: 10. Roy Docyogen9. Rolles Gracie Jr.8. Froilan Sarenas 7. Justin Buccholz Having a UFC fighter in ONE FC Philippines will knock the socks off any Filipino MMA fan. While current UFC fighters cannot be tapped because of their exclusive contracts to Zuffa, [Note by Anton Tabuena: Buccholz isn't under-contract with the UFC], "a perfect wild card pick for the upcoming Philippine event would be a quality free agent in Justin Buccholz." Anton Tabuena adds, "He’s a half-Filipino UFC veteran, who is one of the coaches in Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha Male in The Ultimate Fighter. He’s a great striker and has a very fan-friendly style, guaranteeing that he would fit in nicely in the Asian MMA scene." "He’s itching to get back to his roots, and I think ONE FC Philippines would be the perfect time for his homecoming," Tabuena concludes. Enough said, let’s bring him to the Philippines! 6. Shinya Aoki5. Mark Striegl4. Eric Kelly3. Eddie Ng1-2. Eduard Folayang and Ole Laursen Roughly about a year ago, Justin Buccholz told me that he was supposed to go back to the Philippines to have a Muay Thai bout, but when his opponent got pulled, the fight, and his trip to the country got cancelled. It's truly a wild card pick, but I do want to see this homecoming as I believe his style would be an excellent fit for the card. Don't take my word for it, here's Buchholz with a perfect front kick KO that would make Steven Seagal blush:

Posted in: philippine, card, fc, laursen, fc philippines

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Marloes Coenen couldn’t get another submission over France’s Romy Ruyssen, but the former Strikeforce champion was never in danger, cruising to a unanimous decision in the headliner of Invicta FC’s inaugural outing Saturday night at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan.

Posted in: strikeforce champion, fc, memorial hall, coenen, ruyssen

Read the full article at Sherdog

Tonight marks the dawning of a new era in American MMA with the unveiling of Invicta FC 1, a show built around pushing female fighters including some of the top names in the sport such as Jessica Penne, Liz Carmouche, and crown jewel Marloes Coenen. The former Strikeforce champion will serve as one part of this evening’s headlining tilt with Romy Ruyssen attempting to play spoiler. Other match-ups on the card include Carmouche vs. Ashleigh Curry and Penne vs. Lisa Ellis-Ward. Kaitlin Young, Sarah D’Alelio, and debuting Olympic wrestler Randi Miller are also set for action at the event. Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp Discusses the Importance of Giving Back to Fans The curtain drops at 8:00 PM EST with the entire lineup being show live through the Invicta FC website for FREE no less! Fighters.com will be watching from start to finish, relaying real time results back to readers as things unfold from the arena. A complete list of Invicta FC winners/losers can be found below: Cassie Rodish vs. Meghan Wright Ashley Cummins vs. Sofia Bagherdai Randi Miller vs. Mollie Estes Michele Gutierrez vs. Sarah Maloy Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc vs. Amy Davis Sally Krumdiack vs. Sarah Schneider Sarah D’Alelio vs. Vanessa Mariscal Kaitlin Young vs. Leslie Smith Liz Carmouche vs. Ashleigh Curry Jessica Penne vs. Lisa Ellis-Ward Marloes Coenen vs. Romy Ruyssen Tweet

Posted in: vs, fc, sarah, invicta, carmouche

Read the full article at Fighters.com

It may not be the first event of its kind but tonight’s Invicta FC 1 lineup is certainly the strongest collective gathering of female competitors in Mixed Martial Arts making it unique in its own right. The card, headlined by former Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen looking to come back strong in her first fight since the title-loss with submission-specialist Romy Ruyssen standing in her way, also features bouts including the likes of Liz Carmouche, Kaitlin Young, Jessica Penne, Lisa Ellis-Ward, Michele Gutierrez, and Sarah D’Alelio, as well as the professional debut of Olympic bronze medalist wrestler Randi Miller. Things kick off for FREE on the Invicta FC website at 8:00 PM EST and Five Ounces of Pain will be tuned in, relaying live results back to readers who aren’t able to tune in to watch history in the making. Read below for a full list of Invicta FC 1 outcomes: Cassie Rodish vs. Meghan Wright Ashley Cummins vs. Sofia Bagherdai Randi Miller vs. Mollie Estes Michele Gutierrez vs. Sarah Maloy Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc vs. Amy Davis Sally Krumdiack vs. Sarah Schneider Sarah D’Alelio vs. Vanessa Mariscal Kaitlin Young vs. Leslie Smith Liz Carmouche vs. Ashley Curry Jessica Penne vs. Lisa Ellis-Ward Marloes Coenen vs. Romy Ruyssen PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: vs, fc, sarah, invicta, features bouts

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Since moving to Singapore it has all happened for Eddie Ng. He has registered two emphatic first round stoppages, made an army of new fans and finished high on a list of the most eligible bachelors in the country. The word 'superstar' is often bandied about a bit too easily but in Ng's case it is rapidly becoming applicable. He has the looks and his back to back ONE FC wins are testament to the fact that he also has the ability. At 26 years old time is also very much on his side and he doesn't seem to be in any danger of letting the attention he has received since arriving at Evolve MMA in Singapore less than a year ago go to his head, "I try to not think or care too much about any attention. What I do think and care about though is making sure that every day I am improving myself as a martial artist and as a person. I have to continuously train and improve my skills in order to continue finding success in competition. Any sort of recognition or attention is just a by product of being successful in competition." Ng, whose roots are in Hong Kong, has rapidly developed a fan following in Singapore and was also shortlisted as one of the most desirable men in the entire country by girl's magazine Cleo. At ONE FC 'War of the Lions' this support was evident with his fans bringing banners and even painting their faces much to his amazement, "I find it all very surprising and I really appreciate the support that everyone has shown towards me. Fans send me messages through Facebook and Twitter and I try to reply to them all as much as I can. I consider the fans to be very important, not just those that are a fan of myself but of MMA in general." After blowing away Malaysian Muay Thai champion Jian Kai Chee to extend his record to 5-1 Ng's most recent assignment was cornering his Evolve MMA team mate Shinya Aoki at Bellator 66. Although that evening did not go entirely according to plan he is relishing the opportunity to train alongside one of the top fighters in the world at his weight, "Before I met Shinya Aoki I had watched many of his fights and admired his skills but I honestly thought that he was crazy and a bit of a bad boy! This is certainly not the case as Shinya is actually a very quiet and humble individual. We train together very often, he has taught me and really opened my eyes to a lot of MMA specific philosophy. He has really helped me mature in my overall MMA game." ONE FC War Of The Lions: Eddie Ng vs Jian Kai Chee (via OneFCMMA) Aoki is only two years his senior but has had 30 more fights. However Ng, who went to school in England and took up martial arts after being bullied due to his Asian appearance, feels that there is no rush because he is in the perfect place to develop as a mixed martial artist, "All of the striking coaches at Evolve MMA are World Champions in either Muay Thai or Boxing, they work diligently and have invested many hours with myself and the rest of the Evolve Fight Team. It is very rewarding to be able to showcase the teaching from all coaches in my fights and my team mate Zoro Moreira also got to show off his ever improving Muay Thai skills in the main event at One FC recently." Regarded by many as the most sophisticated MMA academy in the world Evolve MMA has been linked with a host of fighters recently but while owner Chatri Sityodtong is notoriously selective about who he invites onto the fight team the likes of Riki Fukuda, Ben Askren and Rich Franklin are all set to spend time training there this year. Matt Hume, Greg Jackson and Renzo Gracie have also visited Evolve MMA to either teach or give seminars and Ng feels fortunate to be spending time with such a rich diversity of coaches and training partners, "I am very lucky and grateful to have the opportunity to work with so many different elite level fighters. Each fighter has their own style and techniques that they like to use, it is very educational for me when working with them to see all the different things that different fighters do and whether I can take those things to implement in my own game." ONE FC is already by far the biggest promotion in Asia and nowhere has that been more noticeable than in Singapore where 8,000 people packing into a sold out stadium for the most recent show. Ng has seen with his own eyes how rapidly the sport of MMA has developed in the 10 months or so he has spent there, "Since the second One FC event in Singapore, I have definitely seen a huge increase in interest in MMA. I've especially noticed that there is a lot more female interest now which I believe is a very positive thing." He is currently competing in the most stacked division which ONE FC has and there is no shortage of potential opponents at 155 lbs. Ng enjoyed Eduard Folayang's fight of the night with Ole Laursen at the last ONE FC show and would relish the opportunity to face either fighter, "Man that was one hell of a fight! It was action packed from the first sound of the bell until the last! I understand that there has been some controversy surrounding the decision but I would rather just appreciate the fight for how it was than debate who won and why. Stylistically I think a matchup between me and either fighter would make for a very entertaining fight for the fans!" The ONE FC matchmakers are rumoured to feel that Ng is ready for a step up in opposition after stopping both Yuan Chun Bo and Kai Chee with strikes very early in the first round of his two fights to date. A headlining slot in Hong Kong might also await him when ONE FC put on a show there and he admits it is something which has been discussed, "Although no date has been set I know that One FC have plans to hold an event there. The prospect of there being a One FC event held there and having an opportunity to compete there excites me very much, to headline an event in Hong Kong would truly be a huge honour for me." Although he doesn't currently have a fight scheduled Ng is not going to be taking too much time off and has already returned to training at Evolve MMA after last month's victory. He says he would like to compete in MMA 'three or four' times this year but will also be exploring other avenues as he looks to continue to improve as an all round martial artist, "I fought Muay Thai for the first time last year in Thailand and it was a lot of fun for me and I would like to compete again in the future. Fighting professional Muay Thai is very important for developing confidence in striking situations. One of the biggest factors in becoming a competent striker is the element of timing and fighting Muay Thai really allows me to work on my timing as well as gain some extra ring time which I consider to be very valuable." Those improvements were there for all to see when Ng, who has a reputation for being more of a grappler, dropped an opponent who had outstanding Muay Thai credentials with a hook in his most recent MMA fight. He has very heavy hands and can do damage with them from absolutely anywhere, winning his first fight for ONE FC with a knock out punch from within his opponent's guard. Ng's popularity is rising at a rate which no-one could have possibly predicted but there is substance behind the style and he has the skill set to live up to even the loftiest of expectations. His training partners and coaches at Evolve MMA believe that the softly spoken, hard hitting fighter from Hong Kong will be a world beater and with so much talent in ONE FC's lightweight division there will be plenty more opportunity to prove them right. www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: fight, mma, fighter, fc, ng

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All 22 Invicta FC participants stepped on the scales as part of the official weigh-in ceremony ahead of tonight's fight card. The event is headlined by the Bantamweight clash between Marloes Coenen and Romy Ruyssen, only that Ruyssen missed weight by 4.4lbs, and will now forfeit 10% of her fighting purse. But she was not the only one, three other fighters missed weight as well; Ashleigh Curry (later made weight), Randi Miller, and Sofia Bagherdai, were all off the mark. Invicta FC has a unique weigh-in

Posted in: fc, weighin, invicta, ruyssen, sofia bagherdai

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In her first fight back since her loss to Miesha Tate and her subsequent Strikeforce release, Marloes Coenen headlines the inaugural Invicta FC 1. Invicta FC preview and predictions for ‘Coenen vs Ruyssen’ on April 28 in Kansas City | MMA Mania Marloes Coenen talks Alistair Overeem and Golden Glory | LowKick Ronda Rousey Taught [...]

Posted in: fc, miesha tate, marloe, invicta, coenen

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Even at 38, and with little ring time, Vanessa Mariscal believes she's got what it takes to be a force at Invicta FC. Retweet this Share on Facebook • Email • StumbleUpon • Reddit • Digg • Technorati • Instapaper • Tumblr • Google Reader • LinkedIn

Posted in: fc, vanessa, bull, invicta fc, mariscal

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Junior Assuncao was as surprised as fans after his release from the UFC earlier this year. Now, Assuncao officially has a new home after signing a multi-fight deal with Texas’ Legacy FC. Assuncao (13-5) will make his debut with the company on July 13 at Legacy FC 12 though no opponent has been announced for him. MMAJunkie was the first to report the 30-year old Brazilian featherweight’s signing. Assuncao went 1-2 after debuting inside the Octagon in 2006 as a lightweight and was let go. He returned to regional action, compiling a solid 7-1 mark and earning another shot in the UFC. He returned to the organization as featherweight, defeating Eddie Yagin but losing a decision loss to Ross Pearson which ultimately led to his release. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC/TATAME

Posted in: ufc, assuncao, featherweight, fc, legacy

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With her career back on track following improved training and back-to-back victories, Kaitlin Young looking to keep building at Invicta FC 1 on Saturday night. Retweet this Share on Facebook • Email • StumbleUpon • Reddit • Digg • Technorati • Instapaper • Tumblr • Google Reader • LinkedIn

Posted in: fc, bull, backtoback successes, kaitlin, backtoback

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Shannon Knapp, the CEO of the new all-female promotion Invicta FC which debuts Saturday, discusses the new venture for women's MMA.

Posted in: mma, fc, ceo, invicta, allfemale

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Shannon Knapp, the CEO of the new all-female promotion Invicta FC which debuts Saturday, discusses the new venture for women's MMA.

Posted in: mma, fc, ceo, invicta, allfemale

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Sally Krumdiack is all business when it comes to her fight with Sarah Schneider at Invicta FC 1 on Saturday night. Retweet this Share on Facebook • Email • StumbleUpon • Reddit • Digg • Technorati • Instapaper • Tumblr • Google Reader • LinkedIn

Posted in: fc, bull, invicta fc, sarah schneider, krumdiack

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Posted in: fight, mma, saturday, fc, pmet

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Posted in: pride, fc, pride fc, elryanoo link, elryanoo

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As always, here are the top news coming out of the Asian MMA scene: According to sources close to the promotion, former Strikeforce champion, Renato Sobral who was supposed to fight at ONE Fighting Championship's third show in Singapore, has been re-booked for the promotion's fourth show in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. No word yet on Babalu's opponent, but stay tuned for more updates. ONE FC 4 will be on June 23, 2012. While fights haven't been officially announced yet for Legend FC 9 in Macau, a possible title eliminator for Jadamba Narantungalag's strap has already been booked for the June 16 event. Sources close to the fighters have informed BloodyElbow.com that former Legend champ, Adrian Pang (19-8) is set to take on Koji Ando (6-3) in a lightweight scrap, in what could determine their next lightweight title contender.The Japanese fighter in Ando is coming off an impressive submission win over Damien Brown on Legend 7, while Pang on the other hand, lost his title in a split decision against Jadamba last October. The biggest Asian MMA event this weekend would be URCC 21: Warpath, which is headlined by a Super-Fight between Middleweight Champion Froilan Sarenas, and Light Heavyweight Champion, Nicholas Mann. Andrew Benibe sustained a cut and had to be pulled out on the last minute, but after an interesting turn of events, the URCC still managed to get a top notch replacement. Rising featherweight star, Mark Striegl (9-0) got in on the card, and will be stepping in on very short notice against Alcer Lozada.Also on the card, Striegl's teammate, Will Chope, will take on former URCC lightweight champion, Angelito Manguray, and local fan favorite Alvin Ramirez will be taking on Roy Doliguez. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena

Posted in: legend, urcc, champion, fc, asian mma

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Quek Kim Hock had 8,000 Singaporean fans cheering for him when he made his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) debut at ONE Fighting Championship 'War of the Lions.' It was a lot of support but it brought with it a lot of pressure for the 22 year old who was up against a very late replacement in the shape of Japanese American submission specialist Major Overall. As well as an accomplished opponent who made a successful MMA debut of his own at DARE 1/12 earlier this year Hock also had to deal with the weight of expectation which comes with having a passionate hometown crowd behind you. When he won the Singapore Indoor Stadium absolutely erupted but had he lost you would probably have been able to hear a pin drop. The victory was particularly well received because Hock had to escape from a leg lock attempt early in the first round which had the crowd holding its collective breath but for the fighter himself it was all in a day's work. "I can't really remember the leg lock because it all happened in a flash. All I could recall is that he grabbed my leg and I went for the counter instinctively. Of course I was feeling a little nervous as it was my first ever professional fight and there was such a huge crowd but I guess I still enjoyed the attention." It was a highly entertaining affair because, despite only taking the fight at a week's notice, Overall was aggressive and unpredictable using some unorthodox techniques. Hock had originally been slated to face another fighter until injury forced a last minute change of plans which left a lot of his painstaking preparation redundant. "When my opponent was changed one week prior to the fight I did face some difficulties trying to adapt and adjust to the difference in styles they both had but I guess my team and coaches at Juggernaut Fight Club did their best to prepare me and to bring the best out of me for the fight. He did some moves that really caught me by surprise with an examples the Tae-Kwan-Do head kick but i guess I managed to handle it successfully and keep my calm." Hock has a background in both wrestling and boxing but Overall came into the fight with a reputation as being a good grappler. This made the manner of victory particularly satisfactory because he was able to put the BJJ blue belt to sleep with a second round rear naked choke. "Of course I was happy about that! I only started BJJ and wrestling when Juggernaut Fight Club started about 10 months before the fight and submitting him made me feel that my effort in training Jiu-Jitsu relentlessly wasn't in vain." ONE FC War Of The Lions: Quek Kim Hock vs Major Overall (via OneFCMMA) As a Singaporean Hock is perfectly positioned to have witnessed first hand the dramatic development of the sport since ONE Fighting Championship arrived on the scene late last year. Having Asia's biggest and most prestigious MMA promotion on their doorstep has certainly opened people's eyes to the world's fastest growing sport. "I personally think One FC has definitely had a huge impact because everyone is taking about it. Nowadays more people seems to be interested in MMA and when MMA is mentioned at least people now know that it actually stands for Mixed Martial Arts!" After originally being slated to face a fellow Singaporean the change of opponent at least guaranteed Hock would have plenty of support but he says that this was not something he was particularly aware of during the actual fight. "I wouldn't say facing a foreigner helped because when I looked out of the cage I couldn't really see the crowd so i didn't pay much attention, my focus was 100% on my opponent. The crowd and the environment at home in Singapore did definitely helped in boosting me morally and spiritually." ONE FC won't be back in Hock's hometown until October when the Singapore Indoor Stadium will reportedly be opened up to it's full 12,000 capacity due to the sell out success of the most recent show. However he doesn't want to wait another six months for his second fight and is hoping he will be back in action as soon as possible. "Of course I want to fight again for ONE FC, it's every fighter in Singapore's dream, and hopefully I will be given the chance to fight for them again soon." www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: fight, mma, fc, course i, hock

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Through two fights thus far under the One FC banner, Eddie Ng has been nothing short of impressive, finishing both fights in less than 2 minutes time.

Posted in: fight, eddie, nothing, fc, ng

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Eduard Folayang is the most popular fighter in the Philippines and one of the fastest rising stars in all of South East Asia but he suffered a surprise setback when he was beaten for only the second time in his career by Ole Laursen at ONE FC 'War of the Lions' last month. It was as controversial as it was surprising, most felt before that Folayang's superior fitness would make the difference while many who watched the fight believed that the Filipino had done enough to deserve to be on the right end of a split decision after 15 minutes of all out action. It was a difficult fight to score, although Folayang fans will point to the much more visible damage done to Laursen's face at the end as evidence that their man should have won. You can judge for yourselves: ONE FC War Of The Lions: Ole Laursen vs Eduard Folayang (via OneFCMMA) One person who is not complaining is Folayang himself, who saw a six fight win streak snapped by the decision loss, "I believe I had given my best for that fight and the decision is up on the judges hands. Losing is just part of growing and becoming a better person and I learned a lot of things from this experience which I think will help me to be a better fighter in the future." In Folayang's previous fight for ONE FC he showed tremendous stamina to bounce back from a broken nose against Korean A Sol Kwon and dominate the final two rounds. This time around he seemed to tire down the stretch and he credits this entirely to Laursen, who he thinks was a much more formidable foe than the Korean who was 17-6 when they fought, "I did get more tired than in my last fight for One FC and there's a lot of factors for that. One reason is that Ole is more well rounded fighter than Kwon. Ole really prepared for that fight and showed a good improvement on his cardio." Given that Laursen came into the cage with outstanding Muay Thai and K-1 credentials Folayang could have been forgiven for assuming he would attempt to keep the fight standing. Instead the Boracay based fighter completed a series of successful takedowns which might have made all the difference to the decision and Folayang admits this strategy took him by surprise "I didn't expect that he would be attempting for takedowns and I overlooked my training in that area. One FC has already talked about another fight between us and next time I will be sure to prepare properly and be ready for anything, not just his striking." A rematch is widely anticipated to take place in Manila on September 1st. It is the city where Laursen was born as well as the capital of the country where Folayang is a hero and he would welcome the chance to avenge his most recent loss, "I have no fight scheduled now and I'm taking a break while we are still planning the next move in my career. I would be happy to fight Ole again, we didn't talk yet about it but I'm open for any plans that the ONE FC is preparing." There are plenty of other potential opponents in the lightweight division including Eddie Ng. Rustam Khabilov and Zorobabel Moreira but all signs point to an immediate rematch with Laursen. It is an enticing option for ONE FC matchmakers for two reasons, firstly the result of the first fight was not clear cut and secondly it was an entertaining affair which won fight of the night honours. Initially they were reluctant to face each other because both are Filipino, although Laursen grew up in Denmark while Folayang has spent all his life in Boracay, and are on good terms. The friendship will have to go on hold for a little longer because the two are likely to fight at least one more time but for Folayang it is strictly business, "We will still be friends no matter what happens when we fight on the ring. It is our job to put on a good show for the fans, it's nothing personal." www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: fight, folayang, fc, laursen, fc war

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There's a ton of news revolving around ONE Fighting Championship's fourth event, so this edition of our Asian MMA Update will be focused on those recent news bits: ONE Fighting Championship has a large group of promotions, gyms, broadcast partners, and other organizations working together for what they call the ONE FC Network. On June 1-3, and they will be bringing all the leaders of these different organizations for an "Asian MMA Summit" to be held in the prestigious Marina Bay Sands hotel and casino.Here's how Victor Cui talked about the event on the press release:"My vision is to create the best MMA network in Asia by choosing strategic partnerships made up of only the best promotions, gyms, sponsors, and media companies in the region. The ONE Asia MMA Summit 2012 is an opportunity for us to come together to share ideas, harness the phenomenal growth of MMA in Asia and create opportunities for all" Also on the press-release was the announcement that the next ONE FC show, which will be held in Malaysia, has been moved to the Stadium Negara, and will happen on June 23 instead of the earlier announced May 26 date. No fights have been officially announced for the card dubbed as "ONE FC 4: Destiny of Warriors", but there is one fight that is reportedly set, a lightweight match up between Muay Thai champion, Vuyisile Colossa and Sambo champion, Rustam Khabilov.Khabilov (13-1) is a product of Greg Jackson's team, and made his impressive ONE FC debut in Jakarta, as he dominated a BJJ world champ from Evolve MMA, in Rodrigo Ribeiro. The combat sambo expert will be dropping down to the promotion's already stacked lightweight division for this event.Colossa (4-2), on the other hand, is a vicious striker, and although he has improved since he started his career, he has still shown a weakness with his ground game. The Muay Thai expert has since switched training camps and is now working in the new 'Epic MMA Club' in Hong Kong to round out his MMA game with the likes of BJJ champs Rodrigo Medeiros, Silvio Braga, and Marcus Cacella among others. Also news about the card, Phuket Top Team product Andrew Leone (4-1) has called out the URCC Pinweight (119 lbs.) champion from Team Lakay in Roy Docyogen (10-0) for a flyweight bout in ONE FC. Leone has already faced one of Docyogen's teammates, losing by submission to Jazor Ablasi in Martial Combat. Related: ONE FC 3: War of The Lions Fight Videos and Analysis | ONE FC 3 Exclusive Photo Gallery PART 1 -- PART 2 -- PART 3 Video of the Thailand-based American calling out Folayang and Belingon's teammate, after the jump. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena

Posted in: mma, fc, fc network, flyweight bout, thailandbased american

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ONE Fighting Championship today announced the formation of the ONE Asia MMA Summit 2012, a historic invitation-only gathering of the most influential figures in Eastern mixed martial arts, scheduled for June 1, 2012 through June 3, 2012 at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Leaders from Asia's most prominent MMA promotions, gyms, international sponsors, government partners, and media outlets will be attendance to plot a blueprint for future expansion and discuss the dramatic growth of Asian MMA since the inception of the ONE FC Network. "In the last six months we have completely changed the game for the sport of mixed martial arts in Asia," stated ONE FC Owner and CEO Victor Cui. "My vision is to create the best MMA network in Asia by choosing strategic partnerships made up of only the best promotions, gyms, sponsors, and media companies in the region. The ONE Asia MMA Summit 2012 is an opportunity for us to come together to share ideas, harness the phenomenal growth of MMA in Asia and create opportunities for all." In addition, officials confirmed a shift in date and venue for the promotion's upcoming summer show, ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors. Due to surging ticket demands, the event has been relocated to Kuala Lumpur's 8.000-seat Stadium Negara and rescheduled for June 23, 2012. A fight card has yet to be revealed.

Posted in: mma, fc, asia, june, summit

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As One FC continues to grow and expand throughout Asia, the fledgling promotion has now scheduled a MMA summit to take place in Singapore in early June to benefit the growth and expansion of the sport.

Posted in: mma summit, fledgling promotion, june, fc, mma

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ONE Fighting Championship‘s incredible upward trajectory continued today with two announcements showing the rapid progress of Asia’s most prestigious MMA promotion is set to continue unabated. In early June, the ONE Asia Summit will take place at the world’s most expensive casino resort in Singapore with ONE FC footing the entire bill for the 150 participants. Later that month ONE FC’s fourth show will be held at the 10,000-seat capacity Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur. ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors was originally set for a smaller venue but after selling out the Singapore Indoor Stadium for their recent show it was decided to switch the event from May to June 23 in order to allow a greater number of people to attend. Stadium Negara has hosted concerts by Bon Jovi and Kylie Minogue in the past and, after selling almost 8,000 tickets to their March 31 show, the organization is confident the first show in Malaysia will also be a sell out. The ONE Asia Summit is taking place during the first three days of June at the Marina Bay Sands Casino and Resort which cost a cool eight billion SGD to build, making it the most expensive development of its type anywhere in the world. Invitations will be sent out to partners across the ONE FC Network which currently includes DREAM, Deep, URCC, Road FC, Cage Fighting Championship, Dare Championship, Full Contact Championship and Malaysia Fighting Championship, Evolve MMA, Tiger Muay Thai, Muayfit, Team Lakay, Legacy Gym, and many more throughout Asia and beyond. ONE FC Signs Major Deal with ESPN Anyone fortunate to be a part of the ONE FC Network will not just get an all expenses paid trip to Singapore’s swankiest resort but will also spend three days with prospective business partners including sponsors, fighters, and broadcasters. The idea is that if resources are shared between all the key players in Asian MMA the entire sport will be able to progress more rapidly as a result. The  agenda for ONE Asia MMA Summit 2012 will feature presentations by industry leaders, TV broadcasters, international sponsors, leading gym owners, MMA media influencers and international MMA stars and CEO and Owner of ONE FC Victor Cui had the following message, “In the last six months we have completely changed the game for the sport of mixed martial arts in Asia. This is a result of the synergistic efforts within the ONE FC Network and the outstanding support from the network’s exclusive partners. My vision is to create the best MMA network in Asia by choosing strategic partnerships made up of only the best promotions, gyms, sponsors, and media companies in the region. The ONE Asia MMA Summit 2012 is an opportunity for us to come together to share ideas, harness the phenomenal growth of MMA in Asia and create opportunities for all.” It will be a groundbreaking idea which could have serious long term implications for the future of MMA in Asia and this possibility has persuaded ONE FC to shell out somewhere in the region of $300,000 to finance the entire ONE Asia Summit. During the course of the three days deals are likely to be struck on both the sporting and commercial side and it will be very interesting to see what comes out of this exciting initiative. Tweet

Posted in: mma, championship, fc, asia, summit

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ONE Fighting Championship today announced details of the 'ONE Asia Summit' which will be held in Singapore from June 1st to 3rd and will be the largest event of its type in the history of Asian MMA. According to the press release, 150 of the most influential people in Asian MMA are invited for an all expenses paid trip to Singapore at the luxurious S$8 billion Marina Bay Sands, the world’s most expensive resort and casino, to join forces for the benefit of Asian MMA. The other major announcement was that, after the success of the last ONE FC show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium which was an 8,000 sell out, the decision has been made to alter the date of the Malaysia show in order to switch to a bigger venue. It had initially been scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur on May 25th with a couple of arenas with capacities of 2-3,000 under consideration. The strong ticket sales at ONE FC 'War of the Lions', as well as the overwhelmingly positive reaction from the fans in attendance encouraged ONE FC to move to book the biggest venue available, Stadium Negara. It is an indoor stadium which has played host to concerts by the likes of Kylie Minogue and Bon Jovi and has a capacity of 10200. MMA is growing rapidly in Malaysia with new camps and promotions springing up almost every month and it is likely that a few local fighters such as Adam Kayoom and Pete Davis will be on the card at ONE FC 'Destiny of Warriors' which is set for June 23rd. The 'ONE FC Network' was founded last October and is an 'exclusive partnership' between multiple MMA promotions including Dream, Deep, Road FC, URCC, Cage Fighting Championships, Malaysia Fighting Championships and Full Contact Championships as well as other partners such as sponsors, broadcasters, officials and MMA camps. It has been a cornerstone of ONE FC's success and the most recent show prominently featured fighters from Dream, Deep and the URCC. The presence of the likes of Tatsuya Kawajiri and Masakuze Imanari on the card at the Singapore Indoor Stadium was a good example of the potential benefits to fighters and fans of the ONE FC Network. This will be the first time that the entire ONE FC Network has gathered together and CEO / Owner Victor Cui was quoted in the press release as follows: In the last six months we have completely changed the game for the sport of mixed martial arts in Asia. This is a result of the synergistic efforts within the ONE FC Network and the outstanding support from the network’s exclusive partners. My vision is to create the best MMA network in Asia by choosing strategic partnerships made up of only the best promotions, gyms, sponsors, and media companies in the region. The ONE Asia MMA Summit 2012 is an opportunity for us to come together to share ideas, harness the phenomenal growth of MMA in Asia and create opportunities for all The agenda for ONE Asia MMA Summit 2012 will include presentations by industry leaders, TV broadcasters, international sponsors, leading gym owners, MMA media influencers and international MMA stars all within the luxurious surroundings of the most expensive casino resort in the world. It will be an opportunity for all the major players in the region to come together for the very first time with all their costs covered by ONE FC. When ONE FC was launched the budget was described as being the biggest ever seen in Asian MMA and it appears that a chunk of this cash is being dedicated to building long term relationships with all the various stakeholders in the region. I would estimate the cost of paying for 150 people to spend three nights at the Marina Bay Sands as being in the region of 150,000 USD and the flights will push the price considerably higher.. ONE FC signed a ten year media partnership with ESPN Star Sports earlier this year which guarantees that the sports broadcaster will air its content in 24 Asian countries. There will be numerous media partners present at the summit and it is possible other promotions will be able to use the opportunity to broker TV deals. Road FC has already benefited from being part of the ONE FC Network by booking Brian Choi, Vuyisile Colossa and Andrew Leone to appear in Korea and with so many matchmakers spending time together we could see more of this type of inter-promotional movement after the summit There will be representatives from almost every sphere of Asian MMA present, ranging from promoters to sponsors to (hopefully!) the media. It is probably the most ambitious and expensive summit in MMA history and nothing like this has ever been organized in Asia before. There will always competition between fighters, between camps and even between promotions but if the sport of MMA grows then everyone will benefit and putting so many influential people in one place could greatly accelerate the already remarkable rate of this growth in Asia. With the change of date for the Kuala Lumpur card the ONE FC schedule for the remainder of 2012 now looks like this: June 1st-3rd 'ONE Asia Summit' Marina Bay Sands, Singapore June 23rd, ONE FC 'Destiny of Warriors Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur September 1st ONE FC 3 Philippines (venue TBA) October 6th ONE FC 4 Singapore Indoor Stadium * negotiations are underway for additional events www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: mma, fc, asia, asian mma, summit

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One of the best kept secrets in the world of international combat sports is the Muay Thai scene in Australia. Outside of Thailand, Australia features the most competitive and entertaining Muay Thai action you'll find. One of the leading figures in that scene is long-time veteran John Wayne Parr. The kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter has been one of the key figureheads of the Australian scene for years, combining world class skills in the ring with an ambassador's style outside the ring. Now, Parr is promoting a new venture in Australia, and it's one that has generated a lot of talk. On June 23, Parr will present the Boonchu Cup, the first event in a new fighting style he's dubbed the Caged Muay Thai Series. Fights will be full Muay Thai rules, but instead of taking place in a ring as is traditional, they will be in a cage, and fighters will be wearing MMA sized 4 oz gloves. It's an interesting idea that has people talking. Parr has already received public support from UFC fighters Kenny Florian, Dongi Yang, The Korean Zombie Chan Sung Jung, and Dong Hyun Kim. But it also is drawing some detractors who argue that it's not true Muay Thai. I had a chance to speak with Parr to clarify exactly what fans can expect at the Boonchu Cup, plus how he feels about the criticism, and what he thinks of the state of striking in the UFC and MMA today. Fraser Coffeen: First off, can you explain the rules for this event? John Wayne Parr: Rules are the same as Muay Thai, nothing changes there. Fights will either be 3x3 or 5x3 with 2 min break. Everyone must wear MMA gloves, but not all fights will be with elbows. There will still be a 3 knock down rule in effect, but no standing 8 count, if you can't protect yourself or are not fighting back it's over. If you get taken down in a Thai grapple, fight stop, back to the feet then start again. FC: What is the current line-up? JWP: For a Australian show this is a A-grade undercard. Lot's of 50-50 matches so it's very very exciting. Even though I am promoting I don't want a easy fight, Jordan Tai is one of the strongest middleweights to come out of New Zealand. Jordan has heavy hands like myself so the little gloves are going to make things interesting. John Wayne Parr (boonchu) vs Jordan Tai (new zealand)Flip Street (boonchu) vs Chris Wells (new zealand)Thor Hoopmann (boonchu) vs TBAAaron TS2 (strike force) vs Brodie Stradler (joe hilton)Beniah Douma (mad x) vs Matt McTavish (strike force)Mark Lucchiari (strike Force) vs Tainui Crouch (corp box)Jun Lee (boonchu) vs Michael Badato (full force) FC: How did you get the idea for this? JWP: I am a massive fan of UFC, I get all the pay per views and respect all the fighters so much. I was thinking of learning the ground, just so one day in my dreams that I could fight UFC. I am just about to turn 36 so I know my time is running out and could never compete with the elite, so I thought what better way to fight in the cage is if I do it myself. I have had 113 fights in a ring and it has become pretty normal, being locked in a cage with no corners is going to be a rush I haven't felt since I started the sport. With the mma gloves I watch guys like Alistair Overeem, Brock Lesnar, Mark Hunt and think if they can use them, I feel like a pussy wearing boxing gloves now. If we want respect from mma fighters and the fans, Muay Thai fighters have to show we are just as tough as they are, we are no longer playing tag for points, now we are going to play a game called knocked out. More from Parr in the complete article. What do you say Bloody Elbow readers - is this an idea that interests you? FC: Has this same rule set has been used before? JWP: I have seen a few K-1 and Muay Thai fights on youtube [in a cage], but no MMA gloves. I believe with the small gloves we are just about to change the game forever. FC: How do you think it will change things during the fight? JWP: No one can be lazy, you will need new foot work to spring in and out with attacks, combos are going to have to be explosive as you might get caught standing in the pocket too long. If you're a smart fighter, you will get the kicking and knee strikes as your main weapons to keep your opponent at bay. Grappling with open gloves will open the door to good grapplers, you can hold the head and arms a lot easier and make it easier to move the guard to deliver elbows. Because you're not worried about being taken down people are going to have more confidence when striking. FC: So how are you preparing differently than you normally would? JWP: We are still 11 weeks away, right now I am working on getting my fitness up and keeping the eye in. I have started hitting the pads with the little gloves to get an idea of what it feels like. My friend has a cage so I will be working a lot in there getting fimilier with the surroundings. Besides that just doing everything the same. FC: How do you respond to the criticism that this is not real Muay Thai? JWP: I was surprised there was a little bit of a backlash, but all good. I am not doing this for any other reason than for myself, if it takes off I am happy to keep promoting them, if it doesn't then at least I had a crack and have memories to show for it. I read somewhere that when you think of mma you think cage, but mma was a ring sport long before the cage come along. Since I put the poster on the net the feedback has been 95% positive, people are excited and there is a buzz about the sport again. FC: Do you have any concerns over fighter safety with these rules? JWP: On the night I will have 2 doctors and a paramedic so I hope to have my bases covered. There will be cuts and swelling, plus knock outs I guarantee, but that's the same reason I pay $45 every weekend when UFC is on. FC: Will the show be broadcast or streamed? JWP: At this stage I am just getting the show recorded to see what sort of package we can put together. Because it's such a new idea I think people want to see if it works first. Open to tv deals in the future, if Fox in the states wants to buy it for 900 million like UFC, then give them my email. FC: One last question, since you keep up on MMA and the UFC I am curious to know - what is your opinion on the quality of striking we currently see in MMA? Who do you see in the UFC that has particularly strong Muay Thai technique? JWP: Anderson Silva has amazing striking. GSP is also someone I respect, he has a great jab like a pro boxer. The foot work and hand combos by Frankie Edgar, the kicking skills of Ben Henderson, the punching power of Mark Hunt and Junior dos Santos. I could go on and on. So many of the UFC guys are my heroes and I get excited to hear when they are fighting.

Posted in: mma, muay, fc, thai, glove

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Here's the third and final part of BloodyElbow.com's ONE FC 3: War of the Lions Photo Gallery. If you missed the first two parts, you can check them out here. [Part 1 -- Part 2]. This last iteration of the series will feature photos from the last two fights, the co-headlining bout between DREAM star, Tatsuya Kawajiri and KOTC Champ Donald Sanchez, and the main event bout between BJJ World Champion, Zorobabel Moreira and Felipe Enomoto. Check after the jump for more photos. -- Follow me on twitter. Related: ONE FC 3 Gallery PART 1 -- ONE FC 3 Gallery Part 2 Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Donald Sanchez It's a bit awkward how the angle makes it look like he's trying to bite something..... Kawajiri finished the fight with a triangle in the first round. Yes, it is... Zorobabel Moreira vs. Felipe Enomoto Felipe Enomoto with his brother Yasubey in-between rounds. Evolve MMA founder Chatri Sityodtong and Rodrigo Ribeiro cornering Zoro. Zoro showcased his much improved stand up skills for majority of the fight His teammates at Evolve MMA celebrating as the BJJ world champ improved his MMA record to 6-1 Korean Ring Girl, Kim Ha Yul All photos by Anton Tabuena ONE FC 3: War of the Lions Photo GalleryPART 1 -- PART 2 -- PART 3

Posted in: part, event bout, photo, gallery, fc

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Here's the 2nd part of our exclusive photo gallery from ONE FC 3: War of the Lions. If you missed Part 1, don't forget to check them out here. Pictured above is Eduard Folayang on his trademark red shorts, taking on Ole Laursen in what became an instant classic that won them Fight of the Night honors. Much more photos after the jump. Don't forget to follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena Related: ONE FC 3: War Of The Lions Behind The Scenes And Event Photo Gallery - Part 1 | ONE FC 3 Videos And Analysis: Folayang And Laursen Go To War, Zoro Deserves Title Shot Eddie Ng, addressing the crowd after his dominant performance over Jiang Kai Chee Melvin Manhoef, throwing the kick that caused bad cuts for both fighters Yoshiyuki Nakanishi sustained a cut on his knee, which prompted the referee to call the doctors in, not knowing that Melvin's cut was even worse. Manhoef's gruesome cut on his shin. Both guys still wanted to get it on, but the fight was waived and it was turned into a no-contest Evolve MMA's Fabricio Monteiro vs. DEEP Champion Yuya Shirai Heath Sims and Rodrigo Ribeiro of Evolve MMA on the corner of Monteiro Monteiro's cornermen shouting out instructions. Monteiro eventually won a unanimous decision Eduard Folayang vs. Ole Laursen: Eduard Folayang throwing one of those unorthodox Wushu side kicks. Folayang, about to throw a knee to Laursen's head. One of the things I love about this ruleset in Asia A disappointed Eduard Folayang, after it was announced that he had lost a very close split decision. Ole Laursen speaking with Jason Chambers after his exciting victory The Ring Girls Kim Ha Yul and Park Si Hyun strutting their stuff in-between rounds. Click the images to view the full size... All photos taken by Anton Tabuena Click Here for Part 1 of our ONE FC 3 Gallery, and stay tuned for third (and last) part coming soon..

Posted in: part, folayang, photo, fc, laursen

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Before I go on with this article, I just want to announce that something bit me just below my left elbow when I was in Singapore for ONE FC: War of the Lions. This could mean I will harness a superpower from whatever insect bit me only under the condition that the insect was gamma radioactive upon the time in gnawed into my skin. Seriously, throw away your biology books. Marvel Comics has all the scientific education you need for the rest of your life. The second outcome would mean that I will die from some incurable infection and MiddleEasy will cease to exist. Your mornings will become incredibly dull and you will be forced to leave the sport of MMA and focus on something drastically different -- like competitive cheerleading. If I do kick the bucket from this mysterious wound that is exponentially growing in size, take note that this ONE FC: War of the Lions video will be the site's final feature. You better enjoy it while it lasts and check out our ONE FC: War of the Lions wrap-up video from this past weekend's stacked card in Singapore. If you're enamored with this video, be sure to follow Cynthia Vance on Twitter.

Posted in: video, war, fc, lion, fc war

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As you might already know, BloodyElbow.com was in Singapore this past weekend for ONE FC 3: War of the Lions. Here's the first part of our exclusive gallery filled with behind the scenes and event photos. Pictured above, is the ONE FC Cage, hours before the event when the production team were doing their rehearsals. Related: ONE FC 3 Videos And Analysis: Folayang And Laursen Go To War, Zoro Deserves Title Shot | Photos: Melvin Manhoef's Nasty Cut From ONE FC Fight Against Nakanishi All photos were taken by Anton Tabuena. Check out much more pictures after the jump, and follow me on twitter. WEIGH-INS: The Ring Girls pose for the cameras right before the ONE FC weigh-ins started Melvin Manhoef weighs in. Ole Laursen had trouble making 155, but he eventually made weight after stripping down. The Ring Girls giggled every time a 'good looking' fighter dropped down to their trousers Tatsuya Kawajiri, putting on his socks, and re-hydrating after making weight. Felipe Enomoto wearing his mask, walking down to the scale with his opponent Zorobabel Moreira and his coach Heath Sims following behind. After the weigh-ins, the ring girls posed for photos again. You can spot Tracy Lee on the crowd as well. FIGHT NIGHT Afternoon before the event, the ONE FC cage during the production rehearsals. The Ring Girls during the rehearsals Richie Whitson, Heath Sims, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and the rest of the guys during the fighter briefing. Jiang Long Yun during the fighter intros Jiang was also sporting the most interesting footwear during those intros. Singapore's first professional female fighter, Nicole Chua, drew the most cheers during the fighter intro. Danny Van Bergen ecstatic after winning by armbar against Richie Whitson Jiang Long Yun after scoring an upset against former boxing champ, Yodsanan Sityodtong Singapore's Kim Hock Quek, celebrating with the guys from Juggernaut fight team Nicole Chua addressing the home town crowd who went wild after she defeated Jeet Toshi. Masakazu Imanari transitioning from several different submission attempts until finally catching Kevin Belingon in a reverse heel hook. Shinya Aoki who came as part of Evolve MMA, was also supporting and cornering his friend and long-time training partner Stay tuned for part 2.... follow me on twitter.

Posted in: fighter, photo, fc, girl, ring girls

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ONE FC have uploaded videos of six of the 11 fights from its 'War of the Lions' event, which took place last Saturday (March 31, 2012) at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Including the controversial split decision win for Ole Laursen over Eduard Folayang. Do you think Laursen deserved to get the nod from the judges or should it have gone to Folayang, or even been scored a draw? Watch the full video below and decide for yourselves. Remember ONE FC fights are scored overall and not round-by-round. Alright, in we go. Ole Laursen vs Eduard Folayang Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Donald Sanchez Masakazu Imanari vs Kevin Belingon Eddie Ng vs Jian Kai Chee Quek Kim Hock vs Major Overall Jeet Toshi vs Nicole Chua For full results and recap from ONE FC: "War of the Lions" click here. www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: vs, folayang, fc, laursen, lions event

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ONE Fighting Championship: "War of the Lions" was always going to be a career defining moment for Ole Laursen. The K-1 and Muay Thai veteran was coming off his first mixed martial arts (MMA) loss in eight years and desperately needed to get back to winning ways against fellow Filipino Eduard Folayang. The odds seemed stacked against him, Folayang had only lost once in 12 fights and had won six in a row coming into this contest. He is also seven years younger. And most pundits predicted that Laursen would be unable to live with the relentless pace he sets. They could not have been more wrong. Laursen might have tired too early when he fought Felipe Enomoto at ONE FC: "Battle of Heroes" last month, but this time he played his part in an all action 15-minute war that was deservedly named as the "Fight of the Night" in Singapore on Saturday (March 31, 2012). Folayang has fought five times in Singapore and has a huge fan following and the boos echoed around the stadium when the split decision was announced in Laursen's favor, although in the media section the general consensus was that it was simply too close to call. Afterward, Laursen -- whose face was badly bruised -- admitted that even he didn't know which way the judges would lean. "I was nervous because I think it could have gone either way, I was just hoping it was going to be me and it was my day today. I wanted a war and Eduard gave it to me like I knew he would, he is a true warrior." He was dismissive of the notion that a loss to Folayang would have proved fatal for his fighting career and, win or lose, was not about to contemplate retirement. "You can say it was do or die for me, but I don't even know what that means really because it's not like I was just going to retire if I lost. I love to fight and I don't know what else I would do if I stopped." One of the most surprising aspects of the fight was that Laursen consistently looked for trips and takedowns. And once the fight went to the floor showed no inclination to get to his feet where he could utilize the sort of striking with which he enjoyed considerable success during his K-1 career. It proved a point which he has been trying to make for quite some time, that he is much more than just a stand up fighter. "I still like the fact that people think I'm all stand up because I love the ground, that's the truth. I train on the ground every day and I'm always working on my submission skills, that's what we're about, we're not one dimensional at Legacy Gym, we are full on MMA fighters and we have everything incorporated." The owner of Legacy Gym in Ubon Ratchatani, Thailand, Laursen recently returned to the Philippines to set up a second camp in the holiday resort of Boracay. He trained there in preparation for both his recent ONE FC fights, but believes that there were too many distractions in the build up to his match with Enomoto, "It was a better camp because before the last fight I had some stuff to deal with. This time around I trained good and I had some good guys with me like Kristoff Persson, who just beat a BJJ champion in Bangkok, and both Vaughn Anderson and Froilan Sarenas were with me in Boracay. I had a whole team of good guys with me, everyone at Legacy Gym helps me out." Laursen and teammates training on the beach in Boracay Laursen won his first world title back in 2001, fighting at 155 pounds and is still competing in the same category, but the cut is not getting any easier. He says he took this into consideration coming into this fight and came up with a game plan which would be smarter than the aggressive strategy he employed against Enomoto, "I tried to be more strategical this time because I knew I had some weaknesses with my stamina so I listened to my corner and played my cards right." The debate will rage on as to whether the decision was the right one, but there is no doubt that this was a highly entertaining fight which was extremely fun for the fans. A rematch is already reported to be in the works and Laursen vs Folayang II could well take place on September 1st when ONE FC put on its first card in the Philippines. Laursen was born in Manila and this would be the first time in his career he has ever fought there. He did not want to start speculating about future opponents so soon after emerging from such a brutal war of attrition, but had the following message for the ONE FC matchmakers, "I'll fight anyone, anywhere. I'm a prize fighter, bring forth the prize and I will throw down." Follow James Goyder on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder.

Posted in: fight, time, folayang, fc, laursen

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M-1's Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan attended last night's (March 31, 2012) ONE FC show as a special guest of CEO / Owner Victor Cui, fueling rumors that a cross promotion between the two organizations headlined by Fedor Emelianenko might be in the works. When Emelianenko was at the height of his success and negotiations were underway with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the biggest issue was M-1's insistence that any deal should involve a cross promotion, something that Dana White and company were totally unwilling to countenance. This is where ONE FC and the UFC differ. Whereas the UFC refuses to work with other mixed martial arts (MMA) organizations, ONE FC has embraced the concept of cross promotion and has even formed a network to allow fighters to move freely between Dream, Deep, Road FC, URCC, CFC (in Australia) and various others. In fact, the Sept. 1, 2012, event in Manila will be a cross promotion between ONE FC and URCC and a show in Korea in conjunction with Road FC is also believed to be in the works. ONE FC is focused exclusively on Asia and unlikely to be interested in putting on an event in Russia, so if it did join forces to put on an event with M-1, it seems most likely it would be in Singapore. M-1's most valuable bargaining chip in these negotiations will, of course, be a 35-year-old heavyweight who goes by the name of Fedor Emelianenko. Numerous rumors have been doing the rounds recently, linking him with fights in India, Brazil, Monaco and even a UFC contract. None of these have come to fruition and the presence of M-1 head honcho Evgeni Kogan would seem to indicate that perhaps he was leaning toward allowing his most prized asset to fight for ONE FC. Shinya Aoki is already penciled in to headline the Sept. 3, 2012, event and the prospect of a card with Aoki and Emelianenko fighting on it is one which fight fans in Singapore will relish. M-1 Head of Operations Evgeni Kogan, ONE FC CEO / Owner Victor Cui and Boyd Clarke owner of Phuket Top Team at the Singapore Indoor Stadium ONE FC already have a couple of prospective opponents on the roster in Brazilians Renato Sobral and Rolles Gracie. "Babalu" has fought Emelianenko once before, losing by decision in 2001, and a catchweight rematch between the two would have appeal. Gracie is coming off a quickfire win over Bob Sapp and has won his last three fights after a disappointing loss to Joey Beltran in his UFC debut. A fight with Emelianenko might be too much too soon for someone with only seven professional fights, but it would be an opportunity for Gracie to well and truly erase the memory of his defeat to Beltran with a big performance. There are a few heavyweight free agents out there and Mirko Filipovic might be an intriguing option as he seemed a little less sure about his retirement from MMA after beating Ray Sefo in a kickboxing match last month. His fight with Emelianenko at Pride: "Final Conflict" in 2005 is still talked about to this day and even though both men are coming towards the end of their careers a rematch could prove very popular. Follow James Goyder on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder.

Posted in: ufc, fight, promotion, fc, emelianenko

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Did you miss the free broadcast of One FC 3: War of the Lions on YouTube? Watch the full event right now on MMAWeekly.com.

Posted in: event, fc, lion, event right, event video

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ONE FC has successfully conducted their third ever mixed martial arts (MMA) event as ONE FC 3: "War of Lions" just finished up, LIVE today (March 31, 2012) from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. The event was a joint venture of sorts between ONE FC and DREAM, which included using several DREAM fighters, as well as the ever-popular (at least in Asia) Lenne Hardt to perform the crazy screaming cageside announcing duties. For the most part, the card really hit the mark, containing several very exciting fights and plenty of finishes. The only real criticisms fans may end up having will be in relation to a couple of controversial endings, as well as the quality of the YouTube stream. (The stream buffered quite a bit at the outset. Also, the card was promised to be in HD, yet it was shown in 480p -- a stark different between the 720p most people were hoping for.) In the main event, Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) specialist Zorobabel Moreira used his length and leg kicks to keep his opponent, Felipe Enomoto, on his heels for the majority of the fight. In the third round, Moreira used a massive, sweeping cut kick to slice Enomoto's legs out from under him and send him toppling to the mat. Moreira wasted no time in pouncing on his staggered adversary and was able to secure an armbar that left Enomoto no option other than to tap out. Here's a recap of the rest of the main card from ONE FC 3: "War of Lions:" The co-main event saw highly ranked featherweight Tatsuya Kawajiri taking on former King of the Cage (KOTC) champion Donald Sanchez. It really was just "one of those fights." Everyone watching had a good idea of what was goind to go down, and everyone was right. After about a minute of exchanging on the feet, "Crusher" was able to sweep Sanchez and bring him down to his world, where he has now finished his last three opponents. Kawajiri really looks great as a featherweight. It's honestly a shame he didn't make the move sooner. In what was easily the most exciting fight of the night, hometown heroes Eduard Folayang and Ole Laursen threw down in a very fast paced lightweight battle that ended up having to be decided by the judges. For three brutal rounds, both fighters gave and received an overwhelming amount of punishment. By the end of the fight, both Folayang and Laursen were seen hunched over with their hands on their hips, totally exhausted from the marathon fight they'd just endured. It was an absolute pleasure to watch. In the end, the judges ruled the split decision in favor of Laursen, much to the dismay of the Singapore crowd who believed Folayang to have done enough to notch the victory (and they were probably correct). The fantastic fight and the controversial decision both probably point to a rematch being on the not-too-distant horizon. DEEP veteran Yuya Shirai took on Brazilian fighter Fabricio Monteiro, who was looking to right his own ship after having lost five of his last six appearances. The contest started off in Shirai's favor, as he used his superior striking to create space and keep Monteiro guessing as to what would come next. However, things changed in the second round as Monteiro came out more aggressive and looked to make use of the clinch to wear down his opponent and take Shirai out of his element. The strategy worked and, ultimately, led to Monteiro earning a unanimous decision victory. In a controversial (and somewhat disgusting) fight conclusion, Melvin Manhoef was forced to withdraw during the first round of his his fight versus Yoshiyuki Nakanishi, due to a very nasty injury to his shin. (Click here to see a picture of the injury, but, caution -- this is not for the faint of heart or stomach.) The stoppage was very disappointing for Manhoef and his fans, as he was certainly ahead on the scorecard and probably working his way towards a finish. The opening fight of the main card featured a fairly quick contest between Eddie Ng and Jian Kai Chee. Truth be told, Chee was incredibly overmatched in this fight. From the get-go, Ng was all over him. Within the opening seconds, Ng landed a big right hand that sent Chee spiraling to the canvas. It was not long before Ng was on top of him in full mount, raining down some vicious ground-and-pound that left the referee no choice but to mercifully save Chee from further damage. Big win for Ng, who continues to improve with each fight and show that he is a top prospect in the sport of MMA. For an entire results recap of the ONE FC 3: "War of Lions" full card, top to bottom, click here.

Posted in: fight, card, fc, ng, monteiro

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I have a feeling ONE FC 3 is going to be remembered for a long time. It feels like the promotion came into it's own with style today, and it's only been a year since ONE FC's debut. Man, this show...I'm exhausted. Fight after fight of amazing action to wake up at the crack of dawn to is a great thing to experience. ONE FC mornings now set a new standard for any early day routine of a fight fan, and it gives UK fans a nice mid-day activity. ONE FC: War of the Lions was so action packed that we already put up 5 fight recaps and thought the coverage was solid until we remembered Imanari. How could we forget Imanari? The fact that we didn't put up the performance of one of MiddleEasy's favorite fighters speaks volumes of how amazing ONE FC 3 was. I'm seriously considering getting a passport and heading to Singapore for the next event. And this is coming from a guy who doesn't even like to cross state lines. Watch Imanari stare deep into Kenvin Belingon's eyes as he reverse heelhooks him into oblivion. Glorious. If you missed the show, you can watch the entire event right here! [Source]

Posted in: fight, fc, imanari, event right, style today

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If you haven't been watching ONE FC then you have missed some amazing fights, some free ONE FC tshirts and you also missed out on Jason Chambers giving MiddleEasy.com a live shoutout. More importantly, you also missed out on the ONE FC debut of Tatsuya Kawajiri in which he faced off against another figfhter making his first appearance in ONE FC, Donald Sanchez. In the cage, Kawajiri and Sanchez traded strikes, with Kawajiri backing the American up against the fence and eventually taking the fight to the ground. The fight ended around a minute from the end of the first round with Kawajiri's legs wrapped around Sanchez's neck in a triangle choke. With his gold shorts, heavy metal entrance music and menacing 1000 yard stare, Tatsuya Kawajiri picked up his 32nd MMA victory. You've missed all of this if you haven't been watching live but luckily for you, we have the from IronForgesIron video here.  

Posted in: fight, kawajiri, sanchez, fc, tatsuya kawajiri

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ONE FC 3: War of the Lions takes place this morning, Saturday March 31st at 8pm ET on the ONE FC Youtube page. In the main event, Zorobabel Moreira takes on Felipe Enomoto. Tatsuya Kawajiri makes his ONE FC debut against Donald Sanchez. Melvin Manhoef looks to score a big knockout against Yoshiyuki Nakanishi Results and recap after the jump. Results Zorobabel Moreira vs. Felipe Enomoto Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Donald Sanchez Eduard Folayang vs. Ole Laursen Yuya Shirai vs. Fabricio Monteiro Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi Eddie Ng vs. Jian Kai Chee Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon Jeet Toshi vs. Nicole Chua Quek Kim Hock vs. Major Overall Yodsanan Sityodtong vs. Jiang Long Yun Danny van Bergen def. Richie Whitson via Submission (Armbar) at 3:44 of Round 1 Recap Zorobabel Moreira vs. Felipe Enomoto: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Donald Sanchez: Eduard Folayang vs. Ole Laursen: Yuya Shirai vs. Fabricio Monteiro: Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi: Eddie Ng vs. Jian Kai Chee: Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon: Jeet Toshi vs. Nicole Chua: Quek Kim Hock vs. Major Overall: Yodsanan Sityodtong vs. Jiang Long Yun: Danny van Bergen vs. Richie Whitson: The two fighters got off to a quick start and exchanged heavy leg kicks and punches. Whitman showed proved he trains with Team Quest as he scored a solid takedown early on, but unfortunately for him, he found himself stuck in an armbar, and although he was close to escaping, he ultimately was forced to tap at 3:44 of Round 1. Tweet

Posted in: vs, sanchez, fc, felipe, punches whitman

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As with every major show, Bloody Elbow will be here to bring you live results for ONE FC 3: War of The Lions. You can catch the event as it will be streamed live and free on YouTube starting at 8 a.m. ET. I will be in the Singapore Indoor Arena, so you can also follow me on twitter for a few photos, thoughts from the venue. The event will be headlined by a lightweight bout between BJJ World Champion Zorobabel Moreira and Felipe Enomoto, along with popular fighters such as Tatsuya Kawajiri, Melvin Manhoef, Masakazu Imanari, Eduard Folayang and several other champions and stars from Asia. As always, make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event. Related: 5 Things To Look Out For At ONE FC 3 - An In-Depth and Complete Guide to War of the Lions Here's the complete fight card: ONE FC 3: War of the LionsMarch 31, 2012 -- Singapore Indoor Arena, Singapore - Zorobabel Moreira vs. Felipe Enomoto- Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Donald Sanchez- Eduard Folayang vs. Ole Laursen - Yuya Shirai vs. Fabricio Monteiro- Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi- Eddie Ng vs. Jian Kai Chee- Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon- Nicole Chua vs. Jeet Toshi- Quek Kim Hock vs. Major Overall- Yodsanan Sityodtong vs. Jiang Long Yun- Danny Van Bergen vs. Richie Whitson Live stream after the jump.

Posted in: fight card, vs, war, fc, lions heres

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ONE FC “War of Lions” will air live today at 8AM ET on the promotion’s YouTube channel. ONE FC’s CEO Victor Cui released a promotional video for the card earlier in the week where he announced his decision to air the card for free on YouTube. The card will take place in Singapore. Click this link to be redirected to where you can see the fight.    

Posted in: card, fc, youtube, lions ”, singapore click

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It's time to watch some Asian MMA imported directly to your computer monitor free of charge. ONE FC: War of the Lions is about to drop on your MMA deprived brains and it will all air on MiddleEasy.com at 8:00 am EST / 5:00 am PST. In additional to providing ONE FC: War of the Lions on MiddleEasy, we will be handing out 20 free ONE FC shirts to our avid readers that participant in our coveted MiddleEasy Chatroom. Yes, it's back -- and yes, you should take part in a little MMA chatroom history. Enjoy. {loadposition onefc3}

Posted in: middleeasy, fc, lion, fc war, fc shirts

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Yuya Shirai, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Imanari are in Singapore and ready to give ONE FC a healthy dose of Japanese MMA that according to Kawajiri, will hopefully include our daily required allotment of soccer kicks. That right there makes the wait for ONE FC: War of the Lions that much more excruciating. Zeus and Cynthia Vance caught up with the DREAM and DEEP vets to get their thoughts and feelings on their rapidly approaching invasion of the ONE FC cage. Of course, the trio plans on repping the Land of the Rising Sun to the fullest extent tomorrow morning at 8am EST. So in the meantime, be a good Japanese MMA fan and watch the video below and pump your fist out of sheer Japanese MMA fandom.

Posted in: mma, japanese, fc, cynthia vance, fc cage

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One Fighting Championship is all set to kick off its third mixed martial arts (MMA) event this Saturday (March 31, 2012) LIVE from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. While Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has been teasing an International expansion, ONE FC has quietly locked up the combat sports scene in Asia behind CEO Victor Cui and Evolve MMA. So how can fans watch "War of the Lions?" It will stream LIVE and FREE OF CHARGE this Saturday on YouTube (click here) at 8:00 a.m. ET, which means west coast fight fans will have to get up a wee bit early (5 a.m. PT) while our friends across the pond (London) have until 1 p.m. to tune in. The complete ONE FC 3: "War of the Lions" fight card and line-up after the jump. 155 lbs.: Zorobabel Moreira vs. Felipe Enomoto145 lbs.: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Donald Sanchez155 lbs.: Eduard Folayang vs. Ole Laursen170 lbs.: Yuya Shirai vs. Fabricio Monteiro195 lbs.: Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi155 lbs.: Eddie Ng vs. Jian Kai Chee135 lbs.: Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon095 lbs.: Jeet Toshi vs. Nicole Chua155 lbs.: Quek Kim Hock vs. Major Overall135 lbs.: Yodsanan Sityodtong vs. Jiang Long Yun155 lbs.: Danny van Bergen vs. Richie Whitson For more details on how to watch ONE FC 3: "War of the Lions" click here and here.

Posted in: vs, lb, war, fc, lion

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Singapore is a cool place, but it's filled with far too many chicks that have an obsession with rocking extremely short jean shorts. The shorts these kids are wearing are a downright disgrace to the morals that have been ingrained in society for years. Our entire culture is being ripped away from us by this obscene fashion trend. It's about time we revert to the old days of sexually deprived women garbed in as many clothing items as possible. How dare these women excite men with their bare skin. That's what I would write if MiddleEasy was aggressively purchased by FOX News. There would be no more Wu-Tang references or jokes about the fashion sense of the entire cast from Voltron. Not at all. MiddleEasy would be a breeding ground for the most bizarrely ignorant stuff one could ever imagine -- with a slight twist of conservatism. Oh, and that Street MMA stuff? Forget about it. Luckily, we're free to bounce around this planet like hyperactive kids on a playground. That's probably why we've been in Singapore for the past week covering ONE FC: War of the Lions. Earlier today, the ONE FC weigh-ins occurred and MiddleEasy's Cynthia Vance manifested another gem of cinematic excellence. Check out our ONE FC: War of the Lions weigh-in video and don't forget it all goes down March 31st at 5:00 am PST / 8:00 EST.

Posted in: war, middleeasy, fc, lion, fc war

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Don’t forget tomorrow at 8am ET, ONE FC: War of the Lions takes place live and streams for free on the ONE FC Youtube page. Post-PRIDE five years later: What happened to the main players? | Fight Opinion ONE Fighting Championship: A Preview of the Stacked Main Card | Bleacher Report Invicta FC making debut in style with free live stream on April 28 | Five Ounces of Pain Dana White Has No Interest In Signing Fedor | FightLine Sadly, Lee Murray’s Days of Impregnating Women in Prison May Be Over | Cage Potato Dana White: Nick Diaz Would be Insane to Retire | 5thRound Canadian Prime Minster gives counterpart GSP gloves | MMA Payout King Mo Says He Did Not Play the Race Card Against NSAC | TheFightNerd Rafael Cordeiro gives us his thoughts on TUF: Brasil and Shogun heading back to the top | MiddleEasy Dana White: Dan Henderson will get next title shot at Light Heavyweight or Middleweight | MMA Mania Vadim Finkelstein: We are ready to have Fedor fighting in the UFC | LowKick

Posted in: dana, fc, tuf brasil, impregnating women, middleeasy dana

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It wasn't long ago that the UFC was in second place. Back when the giants of PRIDE were the name of the game and Japan's Saitama Super Arena was the center of the world, the west was almost an afterthought. That time is gone now. The decline of Asian MMA happened quickly, with a whimper, not a bang. But remnants of a generation raised on the myths of Fedor Emelianenko and Kazushi Sakuraba are still here. Those who witnessed the spectacle of PRIDE first-hand understand the viability of eastern martial arts. It's hard to forget. Now the race has changed. The sprint has become a marathon, to revive a scene left for dead and revitalize the spirit of the mid-2000's. It's here that the Singapore-based ONE Fighting Championships has abruptly emerged as the odds-on favorite, and it was all because of a 40-year-old Canadian businessman. "My dream is to build the best MMA organization in Asia," ONE FC founder Victor Cui says simply. "I will never be satisfied until every single person in Asia is an MMA fan." Cui's goals may seem lofty, but since ONE FC debuted in mid-2011, the organization has made unprecedented international strides, stunning skeptics by inking a 10-year broadcast partnership with ESPN Star Sports, Asia's largest sport content provider, in a contract unmatched in both its length and scope. "This deal is a giant step forward," Cui explains. "Combined with our other broadcast deals, we now have over 500 million viewers who have access to (ONE FC). "(ESPN) has realized the potential growth MMA has in the Asian region. No sport in Asia has a 10-year deal, not tennis, not golf, no basketball and this is just the beginning." In the race for eastern eyeballs, Cui's savvy wheeling and dealing has ONE FC marathon ready. With two shows already in the books, and a third set for this Saturday, the ONE FC brand has more or less become MMA's ambassador to Singapore, India, the Philippines, Thailand and various other regions throughout Asia. And as an added incentive to western audiences, Saturday's entire fight card will be streamed free of charge on YouTube. "The response from the fans has been insane," Cui says. Eduard Folayang (left) battles A Sol Kwon in the main event of ONE FC's 2011 debut.(Photo via ONE FC) "This allows fighters the chance to fight more times than ever before, which means more experience, more exposure and higher pay-days." Nostalgia can a major seller in all walks of life, and ONE FC embraces that fact in a way rarely seen in today's MMA. The promotion's special brand of violence, which Cui labels "a blend of the very best from the west and the east," embraces a bloody mish-mash of the unified rules and PRIDE rules, allowing for not only head stomps and soccer kicks, but also knee and elbow strikes to the head of a downed opponent, providing for an explosive, potentially gruesome form of combat. "What we try to do is give the fans what they want," Cui proclaims. "Our promise is to bring our audience the best Asian fighters and put on the best world class MMA show they have ever seen." However all the attention in the world is irrelevant without a roster that can raise eyebrows. To that extent, Cui knew he needed help. So using the immense personal network he collected in his past life in public relations, Cui embarked on an exasperating chase to end the dog-eat-dog mantra of fight promotion and unite Asia's top organizations under one roof. In any industry driven by human ego and selfish competing interests, the idea of large scale collaboration seems laughable. But somehow Cui sold it the right way, the end result being the ONE FC Network, a fascinating collective alliance between top gyms and promotions throughout the eastern hemisphere, including Japan's DREAM and DEEP, the Philippines' URCC, Australia's CFC, Korea's ROAD FC and Thailand's DARE Championship. Now, seemingly overnight, Cui holds one of the world's largest talent pools at his disposal. "Asia is a region where the MMA talent is largely untapped," he explains. "The ONE FC Network is based on trust, support and friendship, but most importantly, it is a network that clearly benefits everyone. Other promotions get to work together and avoid conflicting plans and have their champions fight other champions on ONE FC, gyms get greater opportunities for their fighters, and fighters get more pay days. We have greater opportunities for TV deals, sponsors, and endless business benefits. Everyone wins." The first indication of ONE FC's blended new world will come this Saturday, as Cui pilfered top-ranked Japanese featherweight Tatsuya Kawajiri from DREAM to meet American-born Donald Sanchez at ONE FC 3: War of the Lions, on a card that also features DEEP champions Masakazu Imanari, Yuya Shirai, and Yoshiyuki Nakanishi, URCC champion Eduard Folayang, and DREAM veteran Melvin Manhoef. Of course, as the network adapts to its new web of relationships, Cui also has his eyes on several other primetime targets, chief among them being perennial top-ten lightweight and reigning DREAM champion Shinya Aoki. Ultimately, ONE FC's remarkable rise is still far from a finished product. But with a full plate of 2012 shows lined up across Asia, including stops in Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, the promotion that continues to defy expectations has inched its way closer to becoming the new face of Asian mixed martial arts. "It's been nothing but a positive growth and I am so blown away by that," Cui humbly admits. "I credit the wonderful people I work with, the team we have driving ONE FC and of course our partners. This is only the beginning and it is just going to get better from here."

Posted in: world, mma, fc, asia, cui

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'Welcome to Asia' Japanese fighter Tatsuya Kawajiri stares down Donald Sanchez The official weigh in event for ONE Fighting Championship 3: 'War of the Lions' went down earlier today in front of a large crowd of journalists, photographers and fans at Chevron House In Singapore. All the fighters made weight at the first time of asking although Ole Laursen had to remove all his clothes in order to get down to the lightweight limit. ONE FC 'War of the Lions' gets underway on Saturday night at 7pm local time (8am ET) and will be being streamed completely free of charge on the ONE FC YouTube channel here. Full weigh in results and photos gallery after the jump. Official Results: Richie Whitson 70.3Danny Van Bergen 70Jiang Long Yun 60.8Yodsanan Sityodtong 61.5Quek Kim Hock 69.9Major Overall 70.5Jeet Toshi 45 Nicole Chua 43.6Masakazu Imanari 61.5Kevin Belingon 61.2Jian Kai Chee 70.8Eddie Ng 70.8Yoshiyuki Nakanishi 88.7Melvin Manhoef 88.8Yuya Shirai 77.2Fabricio Monteiro 77.4Ole Laursen 70.8Eduard Folayang 70.2Tatsuya Kawajiri 66.0Donald Sanchez 65.9Felipe Enomoto 70.6Zorobabel Moreira 70.6 MAIN EVENT Zorobabel Moreira vs Felipe Enomoto Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Donald Sanchez Ole Laursen vs Eduard Folayang (Ole had to get naked to make weight) Yuya Shirai vs Fabricio Monteiro Yoshiyuki Nakanishi vs Melvin Manhoef Jian Kai Chee vs Eddie Ng Masakazu Imanari vs Kevin Belingon Nicole Chua vs Jeet Toshi Quek Kim Hock vs Major Overall Jiang Long Yun vs Yodsanan Sityodtong Richie Whitson vs Danny Van Bergen MMA fans from anywhere in the world* can catch the action via live streaming free-of-charge on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/ONEFCmma.Live streaming commences:8:00 PM – Kuala Lumpur1:00 PM – London8:00 AM – New York City5:00 AM – San Francisco* Free live streaming is geo-blocked in Singapore and Japan www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: vs, ndash, photos gallery, fc, singapore

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Donald Sanchez (25-12) is the King of the Cage 145-pound champion and has won ten out of his last twelve fights. Still, in his mind that success is only the beginning. At 27-years of age he feels that he has yet to reach his potential but that when he does he will be one of the best featherweights in the world. Adding to his background, he is from Albuquerque which has produced some top MMA fighters including Carlos Condit and Diego Sanchez and has been fighting since 2005 when the rising star made his debut as a last minute replacement despite never having done any MMA training. Sanchez has a huge fight coming up this Saturday at ONE FC: War of the Lions when he takes on Tatsuya Kawajiri at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.  It will be the biggest show he has ever fought on in his career with at least 7,000 people in attendance and hundreds of thousands more watching around the world on a free stream. He caught up with Fighters.com to talk about how MMA saved him from jail and his thoughts in general on the opportunity at hand this weekend when he fights for ONE FC: Fighters: I heard a rumour you were Diego Sanchez’s brother and you guys look similar. Is that true? Sanchez: I’m not Diego’s brother. We are good friends and we are both from Albuquerque but we’re not brothers. I train just down the street from him though. Why do you think there are so many good MMA fighters from Albuquerque such as yourself, Diego and Carlos Condit? Sanchez: Albuquerque is a rough town so all of us grew up fighting all the time. We live a mile high so it’s good training. There’s a lot of violence there. It’s in the water I guess. I was in a lot of trouble growing up, fighting all the time. It was either go to jail or straighten my life up and I started training and ever since I haven’t been in trouble again. When did you first start learning martial arts and why? Sanchez: I was 21 when I first started doing MMA. I started training just after I had my first daughter. I thought I was a badass and I went to a show to watch a friend fight and they asked me to fight and I just jumped in and I won. It was pro too. I did no training at all. I didn’t even know that at the time it was pro and I don’t have an amateur background. That’s why I have so many pro fights. I won my first few fights. I started training after the first fight but not with the team I am with now. Basically, I just did my own thing, I didn’t have my own trainer I just had friends and we worked out together in a garage but after I got some bigger fights and found I had potential I started training with Tom Vaughn at Fit NHB and I’ve been there ever since How much did winning your KOTC belt back a couple of weeks ago help your confidence? Sanchez: I had my KOTC title fight booked before I got the offer from ONE FC and my mind was set on that fight but there was no way I was going to turn this fight down so I went in there, took care of business, finished it fast. I got the belt and now I have this fight. That fight only lasted about two minutes and I ended up knocking him out so it worked out perfect, I’m always pretty confident but I had lost that belt in the same venue so to get it back by knock out was good. I train my ass off all the time and I have no lack of confidence. Do you think Kawajiri is the best opponent you have ever faced? Sanchez: Hatsu Hioki is probably the best opponent I have faced but Kawajiri is obviously on this level. It’s a coin toss between those two. Kawajiri’s no joke and it’s an honor to fight him and I can’t wait. Are you excited to be fighting for ONE FC for the first time? Sanchez: This is a huge fight. Everyone thinks he is one of the best 145-pounders in the world and I believe I am too so this is my time to prove it.  I want to fight the best in the world because I want to be the best in the world.  Hopefully it will be an exciting fight and I will come out on top, I think my cardio is better than his so I am going to push the pace. I want fans in Asia to see me fight. The more fans I have the better. I’m an exciting fighter and I’m sure that fans will be excited to watch me and hopefully ONE FC will have me back. What are your ambitions as a fighter, are you hoping to fight a few times for ONE FC? Sanchez: I’ve only been training for five or six years, real training anyways, so I may have a lot of fights but I am still learning every day and progressing. I believe I can fight with the top fighters. I only signed for one fight with ONE FC but hopefully I can win and put in a good performance and get more fights. ONE FC: War of the Lions is being streamed live on YouTube completely free of charge. Other featured bouts include those with Melvin Manhoef and Masakazu Imanari. Click here to view the ONE FC YouTube channel. Live streaming commences: 8:00 PM – Kuala Lumpur 1:00 PM – London 8:00 AM – New York City 5:00 AM – San Francisco (Free live streaming is geo-blocked in Singapore and Japan)  PHOTO CREDIT – KOTC Tweet

Posted in: fight, time, sanchez, training, fc

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One FC: War of the Lions will feature two Lightweights clashing in the main event who have already had success in the One FC cage. Zorobabel Moreira used his superior height and his muay thai skills at One FC: Champion vs. Champion in September to stop Andy Wang in his One FC debut, while in February at One FC: Battle of Heroes, Felipe Enomoto submitted Ole Laursen in the second round in his debut. In the short history of One FC, having both men square off against each other seems not only logical, but natural, as each man is looking to prove themselves as the ace of One FC’s Lightweight division. Felipe Enomoto is a Swiss native with an interesting heritage of Swiss and Japanese Peruvian, bridging multiple gaps across the world. Enomoto was an interesting inclusion for One FC as he fights out of Switzerland but has fought all over the globe in his ten fight MMA career so far. He is the very definition of a prospect in MMA, as he has impressive wins and a few disappointing losses, but shows no signs of slowing down in his career. One FC saw the potential in Enomoto and scooped him up, with Enomoto delivering big in his debut against another prospect, Ole Laursen. Enomoto showed off his grappling skills against Laursen, with his rear naked choke victory against the well-seasoned kickboxer. Now, just over a month and a half later, Enomoto will take on a giant of a man in Moreira, giving up almost half of a foot to him. Enomoto will have to break out his muay thai skills for this fight and bring the fight in close against Moreira where his reach advantage will be a disadvantage, and if it gets to the ground he has to be aware of Moreira’s long legs. Zorobabel Moreira, known as “Zoro” to much of the world has, in a rather short MMA career to date, spanned three weight classes, starting out as a Middleweight and now finding his home at Lightweight. The Brazilian is best known for his brazilian jiu jitsu skills, which earned him his first two victories before Chatri Sityodtong of Evolve MMA invited Zoro to join the Evolve MMA team in Singapore. Since joining Evolve in 2009 his skills has flourished, with him looking to earn his second victory at One FC in the Lightweight division. Zoro stands at an amazing 6’3” for a Lightweight fighter, giving him a height and reach advantage against just about everyone within the division. One FC fights gets to realize their proof of concept here, as two fighters who could be considered as “home grown” will clash against each other after scoring impressive wins in their respective One FC debuts. One has to assume that somewhere shortly down the line that One FC will be introducing their own championships, and when they do, a win here for either man will put them into that title picture almost immediately. So, for both Filipe Enomoto and Zorobabel Moreira there is a lot on the line at One FC: War of the Lions, with one man moving up the ladder in One FC and making an argument for being the top Lightweight in One FC. Editor's note: Felipe Enomoto speaks like he craftily hid the bodies of every one of his opponents inside of his basement. Check out this video we shot directly from Singapore of the two fighters talking about their upcoming match-up.

Posted in: mma, fc, enomoto, moreira, fc war

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Fight card, rumored bouts, and start times for One FC 3: War of the Lions on March 31, 2012, in Kallang, Singapore.

Posted in: fight, time, war, fc, lion

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Press Release 26 March 2012 – Singapore: ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC) is excited to announce that CEO Victor Cui has decided to extend a gift of appreciation to all MMA fans around the world by broadcasting the entire, star-studded fight card for ONE FC: War of the Lions on March 31 free-of-charge on the ONE FC YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/ONEFCmma. CEO of ONE Fighting Championship™, Victor Cui said, “As a gift of appreciation to all MMA fans around the world, I have decided to make the broadcast of the entire fight card for ONE FC: War of the Lions on March 31 completely free-of-charge in HD quality on our YouTube Channel. I want the world to see that Asian MMA is back bigger and better than ever! ONE Fighting Championship is Asia’s largest MMA organization with the biggest pan-Asian media broadcast to a potential 500 million viewers across 24 countries. We are here to lead the way in Asia!” Victor Cui also added, “On this fight card, you will see some of the biggest stars and rising stars in Asia from most of the major Asian MMA organizations like ONE FC, DREAM, URCC, DEEP, etc as well as from the top Asian MMA gyms like Evolve MMA, Team Lakay, Team MAD, Juggernaut, Muayfit, etc. Tatsuya Kawajiri, Eduard Folayang, Eddie Ng, Kevin Belingon, Zorobabel Moreira, Masakazu Imanari, Ole Laursen, Melvin Manhoef, Yuya Shirai, Yoshiyuki Nakanishi and the rest of the fighters on the card will set Asia on fire on March 31. For this event, we are anticipating record attendance for ONE FC. Several thousand tickets have already been sold for ONE FC: War of the Lions at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. We are expecting a sold-out show.” MMA fans from anywhere in the world* can catch the action via live streaming free-of-charge on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/ONEFCmma. Live streaming commences: 8:00 PM – Kuala Lumpur 1:00 PM – London 8:00 AM – New York City 5:00 AM – San Francisco * Free live streaming is geo-blocked in Singapore and Japan.

Posted in: mma, fight card, fc, youtube, fc war

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It's closing time for our ONE FC: War of the Lions poster design contest. This world is filled with an enormous amount of talented individuals that are absolutely nasty with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop -- and I'm now convinced they all read MiddleEasy.com. We had an enormous amount of entries, but we had to select the top fifteen submissions to give you guys a little eye candy. To everyone that entered this ONE FC x MiddleEasy contest, you're awesome. Words can't express how highly we think of you. Seriously, you guys should have some monument built in your honor. We're going to look at these entries and select one winner to receive the grand prize package along with five other winners to receive runner-up packages, which will be filled with things that you don't want to share with your friends. We will announce the winners of the contest on March 30th, before the ONE FC: War of the Lions weigh-ins. In the meantime, let us know which poster you guys like in the comment section.

Posted in: contest, fc, fc war, lions weighins, adobe illustrator

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I've discussed dietary nutrition with Melvin Manhoef, interviewed Kawajiri, ate breakfast with Imanari, discussed MMA politics with Felipe Enomoto, taken pictures of Shinya Aoki's massive feet and attempted to speak Portuguese with Zorobabel Moreira all before you guys even woke up this morning. Since I've been out here in Singapore for ONE FC: War of the Lions, I've literally been living in the future. I already know what you're going to do tonight before you guys even think about it. For example, I absolutely know someone will put a 'Dan Henderson KO Bisping' .gif in the comment section of this article for no apparent reason -- yet it will be appreciated by the masses. That's the advantage of temporarily living in Asia, clairvoyance. Here's another thing you're going to do; watch our video of the ONE FC: War of the Lions open workout at Evolve MMA created by Cynthia Vance. See, I told you.

Posted in: mma, fc, example i, fc war, cynthia vance

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Invicta FC's inaugural all-women's event is set to stream free, online on the promotion's website.

Posted in: stream, fc, invicta, invicta fcs, allwomens event

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Fans outside of the Kansas City area wondering how to take in next month’s Invicta FC debut now have an answer, at it appears the all-female promotion will stream their much-anticipated first event live through their website with the added bonus of being free! Invicta FC 1 features many of MMA’s top women in action including Marloes Coenen, Jessica Penne, Sarah D’Alelio, Lisa Ellis-Ward, and Liz Carmouche. Things start on InvictaFC.com this April 28 at 8:00 PM EST with twelve total bouts planned for the evening’s action. “The live stream is the best way to give fans, no matter where they are located, the opportunity to participate and take in the action as it unfolds and, at the same time, establish the forthcoming Invicta website as an online destination for women’s MMA content,” explained promotional President Shannon Knapp in a press release. Coenen, a former Strikeforce bantamweight champ, will face 5-1 French submission specialist Romy Ruyssen in the evening’s main event. The 19-5 Coenen is also extremely familiar with high-level groundwork, racking up fourteen of her overall victories by way of tap-out. Read below for the Invicta FC 1 lineup as it stands right now: Jessica Philippus vs. Meghan Wright Ashley Cummins vs. Sofia Bagherdai Mollie Estes vs. Randi Miller Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc vs. Amy Davis Sally Krumdiack vs. Sarah Schneider Sarah Maloy vs. Michele Gutierrez Kaitlin Young vs. Leslie Smith Sarah D’Alelio vs. Shana Nelson Cat Zingano vs. Anita Rodriguez Jessica Penne vs. Lisa Ellis-Ward Liz Carmouche vs. Ashleigh Curry Marloes Coenen vs. Romy Ruyssen PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: vs, fc, sarah, invicta, coenen

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Melvin Manhoef is perhaps the hardest hitting fighter in the entire MMA world, win or lose he always comes out swinging and aged 35 he has no intention whatsoever of altering the style which has brought him 23 KO / TKO wins in his MMA career. He is preparing for a huge fight against Yoshiyuki Nakanishi at ONE Fighting Championship 'War of the Lions' on Saturday night but the gameplan is going to be the same as it ever was, he is looking to finish the fight in fast and brutal fashion, "There are people who criticize my ground game and I cannot say that is not true because my ground game is not as good as some other guys who are fighting but my striking is much better. My record is like 24 wins and 23 KOs so I think that I can strike and if I am training striking and other guys are training grappling maybe I should put more time in my ground game but I have been doing it for 12 years and I am still beating people up with striking so why change?" This attitude might cost Manhoef the occasional fight, although he still wins a lot more than he loses, but it has made him plenty of fans. He has a chance to win a few more at a show this Saturday which will be witnessed by 7,000 people at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and hundreds of thousands more watching around the world on a free internet stream. Manhoef admits he hasn't seen much footage on his next opponent, Nakanishi, but doesn't believe the Japanese fighter has any intention of staying standing for longer than he has to, "I couldn’t find a lot of footage on him but I heard he has striking and submissions and is a complete fighter. I don’t know whether he is a south paw or not, I couldn’t find nothing but I am a professional and a fight is a fight. I am prepared for everything .Everybody says they want to stand and trade with me but when the bell goes and they get the first punch or the first kick they think ‘oh shit’ and then immediately try to take me down. I don’t know if this will happen on Saturday but I don’t mind because my takedown defence is proper so he can try." Manhoef believes that if he can execute his stand up based game plan he will win regardless of what Nakanishi, who is the Deep Light Heavyweight Champion and has an 11-2 MMA record, brings to the table, "My strategy for Nakanishi is not about Nakanishi, it’s about Melvin Manhoef, if I am in top shape I will perform very well and if I do that people will get a nice fight. We did our homework and I trained hard, we didn’t leave anything to chance. We did everything to win and in my opinion I have to win this fight." In 35 MMA fights Manhoef has only been the distance once, in a two round fight with Rodney Glundr back in 1999. Nakanishi has a few decision wins and it is probably safe to assume that the longer the fight lasts the less likely it is that the Dutch K-1 veteran will prevail but he says he has no doubts in his endurance, "I went the distance once so I am sure I could do it again! Although in that fight they had standing eight counts and Rodney Glunder got an eight count and they stopped the fight and then someone threw a table in the ring so he had a chance to recover, otherwise I think I would have knocked him out." Manhoef regularly fights against heavyweights in both K-1 and MMA and is used to being asked to take on opponents who are 50 lbs heavier than him. He is happy to continue to do this if he has to but is also seriously considering a surprise drop down to 170 lbs, "I’m gonna try and drop down to 170 lbs because I want to make some more fighters miserable! First we are going to try it and if I feel strong I will do it but I am 94 kgs now so it’s a lot of weight cutting. I always fight at my normal weight which is 88 kgs and even if I am asked to fight heavyweights I still stay at this weight. I can’t make myself taller so if I have to fight against those heavy guys I will do it at 88 kgs." One heavy guy who Manhoef has already beaten is Mark Hunt who is currently close to contention for a shot at the UFC heavyweight title. He knocked him out in 17 seconds and is hoping to see the New Zealander do well in the Octagon because it makes that win seem all the more impressive, "Seeing Mark Hunt win fights in the UFC gives me confidence but I am not signed with them I am signed with One FC and if he is champion it will be even better because then we can say One FC has the better fighters! He is fighting Stefan Struve next who is also a cool guy but still it will be great if Mark Hun wins that fight." Manhoef plans to fight at least three times for ONE FC this year and has also signed a contract with K-1 which will see him fight for them in May. He is happy to fight absolutely anyone although he would very much like one more shot at Remy Bonjasky. He will not be sporting his trademark leather skirt on Saturday night, not due to sudden change of direction in his fashion sense but because it somehow got lost in transit. Regardless of what he wears you know that Manhoef is going to be throwing strikes with seriously bad intentions and that the chances of this fight making it out of the opening round are extremely slim, "I forgot my fight skirts so I don’t know what I am going to be wearing, I will have to find something else. It’s not about what I’m wearing, it’s about how I perform. Nakanishi is in for a surprise because has never been in there with anyone who hits as hard as I do, it doesn't matter how hard he has trained, nothing can prepare you for that sort of power." ONE FC 'War of the Lions' will be streamed completely free of charge on youtube. You can view the event in its entirety on the ONE FC youtube channel here. www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: fight, fighter, fc, manhoef, nakanishi

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In perhaps one of One FC’s most interesting bouts to date, Wushu Sanshou expert Eduard Folayang will be squaring off against the Kickboxer Ole Laursen at One FC: War of the Lions in one of One FC’s Lightweight divisions most hotly-anticipated bouts. This bout was originally slated for the inaugural One FC event, Champion vs. Champion in September of 2011 before Laursen suffered a knee injury and had to pull out, being replaced by A Sol Kwon. Folayang earned a hard-fought victory over Kwon and Laursen made his One FC debut at Battle of Heroes in February, losing via submission to Felipe Enomoto. The loss, though, does not take away from the intrigue behind the bout, which is at its core a very interesting clash of styles. Eduard Folayang is one of Asia’s most promising prospects in any weight class, fighting at Lightweight and touting an impressive 11-1 record, with seven of those wins coming by way of knockout or submission. Folayang, who fights out of Team Lakay Wushu in the Philippines, brings the unique style of Wushu Sanshou into the ring with him, but do not be confused by that, he also has a well-rounded grappling game to go with his striking acumen. This is not the first time where Folayang has faced a world class striker, as his bout with Vuyisile Colossa proved. Colossa is a world-renowned Kickboxer from South Africa who has translated his skills into Mixed Martial Arts rather well, but Folayang’s tactics included working multiple takedowns and out-grappling Colossa, earning him the victory. Going into the fight with Laursen, a similar tactic would appear to be a smart move, as there is no doubt that Folayang could hold his own on his feet, but working against Laursen’s weakness could ensure him a clear path to victory. Ole Laursen is a product of the Kickboxing world and has fought all over the world against some of the toughest opponents known to man. His Kickboxing career in K-1 was dotted with victories and losses, but the losses came to some of the best and brightest like Buakaw Por. Pramuk, Masato and Andy Souwer. While under contract to K-1, he was led into the MMA ring where he was sent like a lamb to the slaughter against two highly-accomplished grapplers in Genki Sudo and Caol Uno. Since then, Laursen has worked on rounding out his MMA game, even picking up a win via rear naked choke along the way. Do not doubt for a second, though, that his striking is not his strong suit, because it is. Fighting out of the Legacy gym in Thailand, he is always improving his Muay Thai and will look to meet Folayang’s Sanshou head on at One FC: War of the Lions. It will be a classic clash of stand up styles at One FC: War of the Lions, with Muay Thai taking on Wushu Sanshou, but the question arises of if the “mixed” aspects of Mixed Martial Arts will really be the deciding factor in this bout. Fans will finally get to see the showdown that they were supposed to get in September, and One FC’s Lightweight division will see yet another exciting bout between two men who could reign on top of the division for years to come.

Posted in: bout, folayang, fc, laursen, fc war

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Event: ONE FC 3: "War of the Lions"Date: Sat., March 31, 2012, at 8 a.m. ET on YouTubeLocation: Singapore Indoor Stadium, Kallang, Singapore Finalized fight card and line up (YouTube): 155 lbs.: Zorobabel Moreira vs. Felipe Enomoto145 lbs.: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Donald Sanchez155 lbs.: Eduard Folayang vs. Ole Laursen170 lbs.: Yuya Shirai vs. Fabricio Monteiro195 lbs.: Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi155 lbs.: Eddie Ng vs. Jian Kai Chee135 lbs.: Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon095 lbs.: Jeet Toshi vs. Nicole Chua155 lbs.: Quek Kim Hock vs. Major Overall135 lbs.: Yodsanan Sityodtong vs. Jiang Long Yun155 lbs.: Danny van Bergen vs. Richie Whitson Remember that ONE FC 3: "War of the Lions" will stream LIVE and FREE OF CHARGE via YouTube on fight day (Sat., March 31, 2012). For all the details on how to watch click here and here.

Posted in: fight, fight card, vs, lb, fc

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ONE Fighting Championship released news sending shockwaves through the MMA world when it announced this weekend’s star-studded show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 31 would be streamed online totally free of charge. CEO/Owner Victor Cui described it as a “gift for MMA fans” because the card, which features Melvin Manhoef, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and Eduard Folayang had originally been set to cost $24.99. All eleven fights from ONE FC: War of the Lions will be streamed in high definition on YouTube across the world to view with the exceptions of Japan and Singapore. The event will also be broadcast to 24 Asian countries by ESPN Star Sports. With so many people able to watch it either live or at a later date, the show could well become one of the most viewed MMA events ever. Kawajiri Focused on Featherweight Future, not Lightweight Past Read below for the full lineup of bouts: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Donald Sanchez Eduard Folayang vs Ole Laursen Yuya Shirai vs Fabricio Monteiro Melvin Manhoef vs Yoshiyuki Nakanishi Masakazu Imanari vs Kevin Belingon Felipe Enomoto vs Zorobabel Moreira Eddie Ng vs Jian Kai Chee Jeet Toshi vs Nicole Chua Quek Kim Hock vs Juan Wen Jie Jiang Long Yun vs Yodsanan Sityodtong Danny van Bergen vs Richie Whitson For more information about how to watch read the official announcement on the ONE FC website. Tweet

Posted in: mma, vs, kawajiri, fc, fc war

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If you have watched Japanese MMA within the past ten years, there is a very good chance that you know Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri, and that you know him well. Kawajiri was long seen as one of the top Lightweights in the world before dropping to Featherweight last year. Kawajiri makes his One FC debut at One FC: War of the Lions, in one of One FC’s most exciting debuts to date, a product of an agreement between One FC and DREAM. The only problem for Kawajiri is that he’ll be stepping into the ring with a very competent Donald Sanchez who is looking for a big win himself. Kawajiri is a veteran in every sense of the word, his career dating back to 2000 when he stepped into a SHOOTO ring for the first time. Since then his career has spanned from SHOOTO to PRIDE to DREAM, even a trip to America to challenge Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez. When talking starpower in Japan, Kawajiri has it, one of the best known Japanese MMA fighters of this generation who has seen a lot of success. His move to Featherweight came after his loss to Gilbert Melendez, and realizing that Melendez was bigger than him, and to compete with the big international names, weight-cutting was necessary to be competitive. As a Featherweight, Kawajiri is an impressive 2-0, with wins against Joachim Hansen and Kazuyuki Miyata, two incredibly formidable opponents. Kawajiri the Featherweight making his debut for One FC is exciting in many ways, because for Kawajiri it marks only the second time in a thirty nine fight career where Kawajiri has left Japan to fight. It also shows One FC thinking to the future by booking Kawajiri, a rare example of a Japanese fighter looking to become a name internationally and utilizing weight-cutting like so many of the top name American fighters do. Crusher Kawajiri is looking to evolve as a fighter, and he is choosing One FC to be where he continues that growth. His opponent, though, is no slouch at all. Donald Sanchez of the United States is the current kingpin in regional promotion King of the Cage’s Bantamweight (145lbs) division. Sanchez has held that Bantamweight Championship twice now, with him being the current, reigning champion. Sanchez has fought in many promotions as well and taken on all comers, fighting in Bellator, MFC, SHOOTO and King of the Cage. There are even some parallels with Kawajiri, such as only fighting away from home once in his career so far and formerly fighting up in weight before dropping to Featherweight. For Sanchez, this is the biggest fight of his career without a doubt. Sanchez will actually be a unique challenge for Kawajiri, coming from a wrestling background, with Kawajiri being a competent wrestler, but has struggled against American wrestlers, as we saw against Melendez and Eddie Alvarez. For Sanchez, a win over Kawajiri at One FC could help him achieve international acclaim for the first time in his seven-year career. It could also help him break a bit of a curse that he has going for him, where the last two promotions he debuted in, he suffered a loss; once in Bellator to Johnny Eduardo and once in SHOOTO to current UFC-fighter Hatsu Hioki. Both fighters will look to make a splash in One FC at One FC: War of the Lions on March 31st in Singapore. To many, the scales are tipped in the direction of Tatsuya Kawajiri, but for Donald Sanchez, this is a huge opportunity that doesn’t always knock twice.

Posted in: kawajiri, career, sanchez, fc, donald sanchez

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At one stage Tatsuya Kawajiri was considered to be the #1 lightweight in the world and he is unbeaten since dropping down to 145 pounds late last year. He is also a former Shooto welterweight champ and has fought for titles at Strikeforce and DREAM, coming up short on both occasions. While Kawajiri has already faced many of the best fighters in the word including Shinya Aoki, Gilbert Melendez, Eddie Alvarez, and Takanori Gomi, even as a seasoned veteran he still has plenty of time to win a world title as a featherweight. That feat is something he is determined to do starting with ONE FC where he is fighting King of the Cage champion Donald Sanchez at ONE FC: War of the Lions on March 31. Their bout will be an opportunity for Kawajiri to remind people why he has been consistently ranked as one of the top fighters in the world for an entire decade and continue to show he’s a force to be reckoned with at featherweight. The 33-year old fan-favorite spoke exclusively to Fighters.com about the move down from 155 pounds as well his first fight for ONE FC where he had plenty of interesting insight to offer. Kawajiri Continues to Look Sharp at Featherweight You only ever lose to the best fighters in the world, do you think Donald Sanchez will be good enough to beat you? Kawajiri: There’s no security that you can win in MMA. You could lose any match against any opponent if you are careless. You did not fight for a year after losing your first MMA fight, why was that? Kawajiri: I felt I was immature at the time and also felt that I could only be mediocre fighter if I kept on fighting like that. Do you think you will be fighting many times for ONE FC? Kawajiri: If possible I would like to keep fighting for ONE FC. Would you like to win the ONE FC featherweight belt? Kawajiri: Yes! Do you think you will ever fight at lightweight again or are you more comfortable fighting at 145 lbs? Kawajiri: I’m not thinking about it right now as I haven’t achieved anything yet in this division. But generally speaking, you’ll never know about the future. Shinya Aoki is rumored to have signed with ONE FC. Would you be interested in a rematch with him? Kawajiri: We are currently in different division, so I’m not interested in a rematch. You have consistently been ranked in the top five fighters in your weight class but have not held a title since you left Shooto in 2006. Is winning titles important to you? Kawajiri: I’m interested in title as a proof for what’ I’ve done. Most of all, it would make people around me happy. Your losses have almost all been to great fighters like Shinya Aoki, Gilbert Melendez, Eddie Alvarez and Takanori Gomi. Would you like a rematch with any of these fighters? Kawajiri: I’d like to revenge all the losses but as I’m in different division now, it won’t be realistic. What is your favorite memory from your MMA career? Kawajiri: When I won Shooto title. Who is the toughest opponent you have ever faced? Kawajiri: Gomi, Aoki, Melendez and Alvarez. They were all in their prime and tough. Are you excited about fighting in Singapore? Kawajiri: It is important for my career to fight in different environment. So I’m looking forward to it and want to feel the heat of Asian MMA Have you seen any footage of Donald Sanchez and if so what are you expecting from him? Kawajiri: He’s tall and has long reach. I’d have to be careful about the punch. “The Crusher” holds an overall record 30-7 with numerous notable wins to his credit including those over Yves Edwards, Gesias Cavalcante, Joachim Hansen, and Josh Thomson. Twenty of his victories have involved some form of stoppage including thirteen TKOs. PHOTO CREDIT – FEG Tweet

Posted in: title, fighter, kawajiri, featherweight, fc

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One Fighting Championship on Monday announced that One FC: War of the Lions on March 31 will stream in its entirety for free on the One FC YouTube channel.

Posted in: fc, youtube, lion, fc war, lions streams

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ONE Fighting Championship 'War of the Lions' was always set to be a seminal moment for Asian MMA because it featured the highest calibre card in the promotion's history. This event gained even more momentum and significance with the surprise announcement this afternoon that it would be made available in its entirety completely free of charge on YouTube. ONE FC CEO / Victor Cui had the following message for fans, who had initially been told that they would have to splash out 24.95 USD to view the 11 fight card: "As a gift of appreciation to all MMA fans around the world, I have decided to make the broadcast of the entire fight card for ONE FC: War of the Lions on March 31 completely free-of-charge in HD quality on our YouTube Channel. I want the world to see that Asian MMA is back bigger and better than ever! ONE Fighting Championship is Asia’s largest MMA organization with the biggest pan-Asian media broadcast to a potential 500 million viewers across 24 countries. We are here to lead the way in Asia!" Formed in July 2011 ONE FC has already firmly established itself as the most prestigious promotion in Asia by continually looking to expand it's viewership. A ten year partnership with ESPN Star Sports came into effect recently which means that both the first two shows are being broadcast on regular rotation to 24 countries across the continent. At present that partnership is only for a delayed broadcast but by streaming the next event free of charge ONE FC is effectively guaranteeing that hundreds of thousands of people across the world get to experience one of the best MMA cards of the year anywhere live. It might mean a cut in pay per view revenue but the audience for the broadcast will be massively increased which means more exposure for fighters and better value for sponsors. Only this morning ONE FC announced potentially lucrative partnerships with Sony and True Fitness which would indicate that this approach is already paying dividends. Dana White has gone on record as stating that he does not believe that pay per view is a part of the long term future of the UFC and Victor Cui would appear to agree with him. ONE FC's stated ambition is to introduce MMA to the entire continent of Asia and allowing people to view the next show for free, as opposed to only making it available to the minority of MMA fans willing to pay a one off fee, is a fantastic way of doing this. ONE FC has already held events in Singapore and Indonesia with further cards booked in Kuala Lumpur and Manila and more destinations close to being confirmed. The ascension of this organization has been remarkably rapid and with delayed broadcasts of old shows on ESPN Star Sports almost every night and this Saturday's show likely to attract a record breaking online audience Asia's largest MMA organization is certainly living up to the hype. For more information about the exact broadcast time in your region visit: www.onefc.com. ONE Fighting Championship 'War of the Lions' Singapore Indoor Stadium 31st March, 2012 Felipe Enomoto vs. Zorobabel MoreiraTatsuya Kawajiri vs. Donald Sanchez Eduard Folayang vs. Ole LaursenYuya Shirai vs. Fabricio MonteiroMelvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki NakanishiEddie Ng vs. Jian Kai CheeMasakazu Imanari vs. Kevin BelingonJeet Toshi vs. Nicole ChuaQuek Kim Hock vs. Juan Wen JieJiang Long Yun vs. Yodsanan SityodtongDanny van Bergen vs. Richie Whitson www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: mma, vs, fc, broadcast, championship war

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When you hear the words 'top prospects in MMA' you don't have to look too far down the upcoming One FC card to find a fighter that defines that role in Asian MMA.

Posted in: mma, eduard folayang, fc, fc card, fc ’s

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ONE Fighting Championship have just announced that their entire event on March 31, will be streamed live and free on their YouTube channel. Here's what their CEO, Victor Cui said: "As a gift of appreciation to all MMA fans around the world, I have decided to make the broadcast of the entire fight card for ONE FC: War of the Lions on March 31 completely free-of-charge in HD quality on our YouTube Channel. I want the world to see that Asian MMA is back bigger and better than ever!" This comes from an apparent change of plans from their earlier announcement of having it as an online PPV stream much like they did for their 2nd event in Jakarta. The stream will start at around 8 a.m. ET this Saturday, and will be available worldwide except for Japan and Singapore. Make sure to make BloodyElbow.com your home for the event as we will be providing our usual live coverage for the event. Related: Asian MMA: ONE FC 3 - Eduard Folayang Vs. Ole Laursen Trailer | Asian MMA: Breaking Down The Official ONE FC 3 Fight Card | Interview: Imanari Loves Leg Locks 'Because It Hurts The Opponent', Says Belingon Can Be MMA's Manny Pacquiao Check out the fight card below: ONE FC 3: War of the LionsMarch 31, 2012 -- Singapore Indoor Arena, Singapore - Zorobabel Moreira vs. Felipe Enomoto- Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Donald Sanchez- Yuya Shirai vs. Fabricio Monteiro- Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi- Eddie Ng vs. Jian Kai Chee- Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon- Nicole Chua vs. Jeet Toshi- Quek Kim Hock vs. Juan Wen Jie- Yodsanan Sityodtong vs. Jiang Long Yun- Danny Van Bergen vs. Richie Whitson More Asian MMA News after the jump. Don't forget to follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena Here's a quick round up for the recent MMA News: Donald Sanchez defeated Jamie Steichen on March 17th to regain the KOTC bantamweight (145 lbs) championship. He will have a quick turn around and will be fighting on ONE FC exactly two weeks after that title fight against the biggest test of his career in Tatsuya Kawajiri. Speaking of quick turn-arounds, top Chinese featherweight prospect, Ji Xian (5-0) defeated Guobin Xue in RUFF 3 last weekend on March 24th. On Legend FC 8, which is less than a week after his fight, Xian will be taking on Yusuke Kawanago in a featherweight championship match. Also on that RUFF 3 event in China, Legend FC bantamweight champion and China's top fighter, Jumabieke Tuerxun (12-0) remained undefeated as he defeated rising prospect and ONE FC vet, Irshaad Sayed (4-2). This was the 2nd meeting between the two fighters, and 'Bieke' once again defeating him by decision, dealing the Muay Thai champion his 2 blemishes on the record. Rodrigo Carporal pulled off a split decision victory against Zhang Lipeng as the headliner of that card. Korea's top promotion, Road FC, hosted their 7th event this past weekend as well. The event was for the promotion's bantamweight tournament it produced interesting results. Kyung Ho Kang dominated Andrew Leone on their last event but was deducted points for missing weight. This cost him a decision, but he was given another chance at Road FC 7. He made the most of this chance and advanced to the semis of their bantamweight tournament where he can have a chance to face Leone once again. Jae Hoon Moon decisioned the young prospect in Soo Chul Kim to advance to the semis as well. Kim is only 20 years old and he obviously has the skills to make it big. Unfortunately for him, he hasn't exactly been matched up well, and has took on top tier guys and experienced BJJ champs which proved to be too soon for his young MMA career. He started out 3-1 and seemed to be a very promising teenage phenom. He still has a lot of time to regroup, but Kim has now lost 4 of his last five and has dropped to 4-4 overall. Min Jung Song picked up the final slot for the Road FC bantamweight tournament semi-final, by out-pointing Jae Hyun So. Check out the full results for both Road FC 7 and RUFF 3 here.

Posted in: mma, vs, event, fc, asian mma

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Before we tell you how to watch ONE FC: War of the Lions for free this Saturday, we must all mutually agree that ONE FC's next show in Malaysia should be entitled 'ONE FC: Wrath of the Lava Gods.' A title for an MMA card doesn't get any better than that. You could plug your fingers away on your keyboard for the next century and still not manifest a title that's more epic than 'Wrath of the Lava Gods.' Go ahead, try. I'll be right here eating this sugar-free snack. It's a sugar-free snack because I don't want to anger the hyperglycemic gods. That could be the name of the next show, 'ONE FC: Anger of the Hyperglycemic Gods. Diabetics will get in for free that night. Just minutes ago, ONE FC press released that ONE FC: War of the Lions going down March 31st will be aired on YouTube in HD for absolutely free. Apparently ONE FC understands that a lot of you guys are irresponsible with your finances and can't afford whatever nominal fee the organization was going to charge for the event. The CEO of ONE FC, Victor Cui, just wants you to see guys like Kawajiri, Melvin Manhoef, Imanari and Felipe Enomoto smash body parts live from Singapore -- so they're delivering it directly to your orbital sockets free of charge. You guys already know what I'm about to tell you. The MiddleEasy chatroom will be back for ONE FC: War of the Lions, and prizes will be given away (again). Also, you guys have two more days to enter our ONE FC: War of the Lions poster design contest, and the entries are already looking slick. There's your good news for this Monday morning, it's all downhill from now. Go back to bed, you've earned it.

Posted in: guy, war, fc, lion, fc war

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When One FC announced the signing of Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef, the world took notice, heads were turned and the chatter immediately began. One FC is without a doubt dedicated to the growth of Asian Mixed Martial Arts, which includes booking the biggest names as well as the hottest prospects in Asia to compete and grow under the One FC banner. As dedicated as they are to growing Asian MMA, they also understand that to facilitate this growth, they need to be able to bring in the big guns from around the world and have the best fighters competing against each other. Melvin Manhoef is just that; one of the best in the world. If you are inclined to look at records, Melvin’s MMA record is 24 wins with 9 losses in an astonishing range from Middleweight all the way up to Heavyweight. To say that Melvin Manhoef fears no man is an understatement, as one of his biggest wins in his career came in 2008 when he was thrown into the fire by DREAM, competing at Heavyweight against Mark Hunt. Mark Hunt, who is currently on an incredible three-fight win streak in the UFC is a natural Heavyweight or even Super Heavyweight and one of the hardest hitters in the world of combat sports. The only problem for Hunt was that Melvin Manhoef might be a Middleweight, but he hits like a Heavyweight. Melvin is a fighter who fought in K-1 against Heavyweights and Super Heavyweights and he did really well. Hunt suffered his first loss via Knockout in MMA, ever, and it was against a Middleweight. It was against Melvin. That is the kind of firepower that Melvin Manhoef brings to a fight. Manhoef has been in some of the most memorable brawls in MMA history, including legendary wars with Cyborg Santos and Robbie Lawler. He also has some of the most incredible knockouts in MMA history, like his wins over Mark Hunt, Kazushi Sakuraba, Kazuo Misaki and many, many more. It is safe to say that Melvin Manhoef brings a lot of history and a lot of firepower into his bout with Yoshiyuki Nakanishi at One FC: War of the Lions, but does he have the right tools to put Nakanishi on his ever-growing hit list? If anyone has a weakness, it is Manhoef and the armbar, which for a fighter like Yoshiyuki Nakanishi should be a clear opening for him. Nakanishi won the All-Japan Sambo Championship at -100kg a staggering four years in a row, from 2005 to 2008, before he decided to take his MMA career seriously as a full-time affair. Sambo, much like Judo, focuses on throws and submission holds with a focus on effective striking, as well. So there should be no doubt in your mind that when push comes to shove, if Nakanishi sees an opening for the armbar, that he’ll take that arm and crank on it until Melvin is forced to tap out. For those of you who have never seen Nakanishi, he is the current DEEP Light Heavyweight Champion and for a fighter with a background in Sambo, he holds an amazing six of his eleven wins via Knockout. It is safe to say that he is no slouch as a stand up fighter, and while he is not on the level of Melvin Manhoef, as long as he can fight his way to the ground he should be able to not only hold his own, but look great. A win for Nakanishi over Manhoef would be huge for his career, as he steps into the One FC cage for the first time and faces his toughest challenge on the biggest stage yet. Manhoef’s original opponent of Renato “Babalu” Sobral had to drop out, and while that would have been an amazing fight, introducing a talent like Yoshiyuki Nakanishi to One FC in a high profile fight like this is a great idea, possibly even making for a better fight. Nakanishi is a young prospect and could be an incredible asset for One FC in the future, so a chance against a name like Manhoef could be a great springboard for his career. At One FC: War of the Lions the fans are being treated to a fight between a great prospect and one of the premier knockout artists in the combat sports world. The fight shows both sides of the sword that One FC brings to the table; the best international talent and the best Asian prospects.

Posted in: melvin, fc, manhoef, melvin manhoef, nakanishi

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Zeus is somewhere hurtling through the air in a big metal tube en route to Singapore for ONE FC: War of the Lions as I type this, and around the planet the tides are changing, the moons are aligning, and the Evolve Fight Team is preparing for battle at ONE FC. Watch Zorobabel Moreira, Fabricio Monteiro, Eddie Ng (on the cusp of Frate Trane status), Nicole Chua, and Yodsanan Sityodtong as they train and break down their opponents at War of the Lions in the latest Evolve video blog. Man, I haven't been this excited to wake up at 5am since the last ONE FC. They better have that cool, futuristic ring announcer again. They need to get that dude a hoverboard and a chain wallet immediately. [Source]

Posted in: war, fc, fight team, yodsanan sityodtong, chain wallet

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The question of who former UFC stand-out Anthony Johnson will face in his debut outside of the Octagon has been answered thanks to a press release from Titan FC stating fellow UFC veteran Dave Branch would answer the call. The bout will take place at Titan FC 22, an event set for Kansas City on May 25. The card will be broadcast live on HDNet. “I have a lot of respect for Branch for taking this fight, but it doesn’t really matter who’s in the cage with me, because the fight’s going to end the same way – with him on the floor and me standing up,” explained Johnson. Equally interesting as the forthcoming fracas will be Johnson’s stand-off with the scale after failing to make weight a number of times in the past including in an ill-fated bout against Vitor Belfort this past January that ultimately cost him his job with the UFC. “Rumble” holds an overall record of 10-4 with notable wins over Luigi Fioravanti, Charlie Brenneman, and Dan Hardy. A Look at Johnson’s Signing with Titan FC Branch has won both his fights since parting ways with the UFC where he racked up 2-2 mark. The 10-2 Branch has won four of his last five outings including those against Jeremy May, Tomasz Drwal, and Rich Attonito. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, johnson, titan, fc, branch

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When One FC announced a partnership with Japan’s biggest MMA promotion, DREAM, speculation began to spread like wildfire of the potential fighters from DREAM who could participate in One FC events. At One FC: War of the Lions, this partnership will finally come to fruition and in a big way, as Masakazu Imanari from Japan will make his One FC debut against undefeated URCC Flyweight Champion Kevin Belingon. The two men will meet at Bantamweight at War of the Lions in a battle between the Philippines and Japan, as well as the MMA’s “old guard” against new blood. If you follow Japanese MMA, you will know who Masakazu Imanari is, and if you don’t, then you are in for a lot of thrilling leg lock attempts. Imanari is known as the “Ashikan Judan” -- or Master of Leglocks, and for very good reason -- the man knows his leg locks. Over the span of a twelve year professional fighting career, Imanari has a staggering fifteen of twenty four wins by way of submission. Eight of those submissions are a variation of the leg lock, and in any given fight you are bound to see numerous attempts at leg locks from Imanari. To get an idea of how deadly his leg locks are, former WEC Champion Mike Brown met Imanari in the ring in 2005 and Brown’s knee was dislocated, to the extent that his leg was pulled out of the joint and was resting next to the knee joint. If you know Mike Brown, you know that he is as tough as nails and one of the best in the world. Imanari is also known for his unique fighting stance and his composure in the ring. Don’t look for Imanari to be checking a lot of leg kicks, look for him to be diving for Belingon’s legs to not only put him on his back, but to rip his leg off in the process. Imanari comes with a lot of experience, thirty six fights worth of experience at that, spanning from the minor leagues in Japan such as ZST and DEEP all the way up to DREAM and PRIDE. Imanari has held championships at Featherweight and Bantamweight and fought in PRIDE as a Lightweight, so it is safe to say that he has fought the best in the world at the lighter weight classes and that there isn’t much that he hasn’t seen at this point. For Kevin Belingon, there can be no doubt that at One FC: War of the Lions he is facing his stiffest challenge to date. Masakazu Imanari is a living, competing legend in Asian MMA, well known as a folk hero for his leg locks and unorthodox fighting style. Belingon himself brings an unorthodox style to the ring, as he is an expert in Wushu, training with Team Lakay Wushu alongside Eduard Folayang and a slew of other talents. Belingon brings explosive stand up into the ring with him, but is also comfortable when it goes to the ground as well, actually holding three submissions of his own compared to only two knockouts in his nine fight-long career. Did I mention that he comes into this fight with Imanari undefeated? Because he does. He is the URCC Flyweight Champion who has gotten a lot of buzz internationally, even seen as one of the top ten prospects at Flyweight by Leland Roling of Bloody Elbow fame. This is his biggest challenge to date, but Belingon should be ready to go to war and to protect his legs at all cost. A win here for Belingon could not only continue his win streak, but put him on a new level of competition and international acclaim. Both men have a lot to prove at One FC: War of the Lions, with the thirty six year old Imanari looking to prove that he is still one of the top submission specialists at Bantamweight in Asia and Belingon looking to prove that he can live up to his hype. Either way, we all win.

Posted in: leg, fc, imanari, belingon, leg locks

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Dennis and Tommy Kang working out in the official Road FC gym. Road FC 7 'Recharged' is taking place at the Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul this Saturday (March 24, 2012) and Denis Kang's brother Tommy will be making his professional mixed martial arts (MMA debut) on a 12-fight card. The main event sees Kyung Ho Kang take on Japan's Shoko Sato in the quarterfinal of the bantamweight tournament. Kyung has already been eliminated once after failing to make weight before his fight with Andrew Leone and being penalized a point per round which contributed towards a decision loss. Road FC decided to give him a second chance and reinstate him in the tournament where he will be joined be ONE FC veteran Soo Chul Kim who takes on Jae Hoon Moon in another quarter final. Soo was one of the rising stars of Asian MMA but his career has stalled a little after being beaten by experienced Brazilians Leandro Issa and Gustavo Falciroli in 2011, as well as suffering a submission loss at the hands of Leone. He is still only 20 years old and will be looking to get back on track by beating Moon. Competing for the fourth and final spot in the semi finals will be Min Jung Song and Jae Hyun So. The card also features the international debut of Roan Carneiro who had a stint in the UFC from 2007-8, going 2-3 with wins over Rich Clementi and Tony DeSouze and losses to Jon Fitch, Kevin Burns and Ryo Chonan. The Brazilian will be up against experienced Korean Jung Hwan Cha who holds a 2010 win over Ryo Chonan but has been relatively inactive of late, fighting only twice in the last two years. Another interesting match up sees Korean submission specialist Chang Hyun Kim take on Japan's Takasuku Kume. Tommy Kang does not appear to have been given an easy ride despite his brother's reputation. He is up against Eun Soo Kim who only made his debut last year but has a 2-1 professional record and has faced some tough opponents. If Kang can win this fight there will be no questioning his legitimacy as a fighter. Road FC was formed in 2010 by multimillionaire businessman Moon Hong Jung who was also a very successful kickboxer and is a long term MMA student. It is currently the only professional promotion in Korea and this Saturday's card will be the seventh in total and the third to take place in the 7,000 capacity Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul. Road FC 7 'Recharged' Jangchung Gymnasium, Seoul 24th March, 2012 Shoko Sato vs Kyung Ho Kang Soo Chul Kim vs Jae Hoon Moon Roan Carneiro vs Jung Hwan Cha Takasuke Kume vs Chang Hyun Kim Min Jung Song vs Jae Hyun So Tommy Kang vs Eun Soo Kim Nae Chul Kim vs Jae Hyun Kim Seok Mo Kim vs Hyeon Yeol Kim Gi Young Kim vs Sang Jin Hong Hyung Seok Lee vs Gyo Pyung Hwang Gyu Hwa Kim vs Sa Muel Yong Jae Lee vs Dong Sun Choi www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: vs, fc, kim, kang, jae

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Despite an 11-2 record which Richie Whitson has acquired fighting in promotions in the US, Canada, Europe and Australia, he is still best known for a brief stint on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). The 26 year-old was extremely unfortunate to suffer an infection during TUF 9 and was unable to train properly before being beaten by eventual winner Ross Pearson. Since that setback, Whitson has been on good form as he has fought all over the world and more often than not come away with the win. The UFC has yet to come calling but the long time Team Quest member has instead signed a multi-fight deal with ONE FC, courtesy of his manager Heath Sims. Sims recently joined Evolve MMA to head the wrestling program there and his student and protege has been training with him in Singapore as he prepares to take on experienced Dutchman Danny Van Bergen at ONE FC 'Battle of Heroes' on March 31. Whitson chatted to MMAmania.com about life after TUF and fighting for the first time in Asia. How did the chance to fight for One FC come about? One FC is a great organization and one that I had heard great things about so when my manager Heath Sims told me the he could possibly set up a fight for me in the One FC I was all for it. There will be 7,000+ people in the Singapore Indoor Stadium and the show will be broadcast on ESPN Star Sports. Have you ever fought on an event on this scale before? I have fought on some big shows before, but this may be the biggest. I'm very excited for my Asian MMA debut to be in such a big show. Did you enjoy TUF and do you think it helped you to improve as a fighter? TUF was a great experience. I definitely did not enjoy living in a house with 15 other men for 6 weeks, but other than that the experience was a good one. I learned a lot from it and got a lot of exposure which has helped my career as fighter. Were you disappointed not to get a chance to fight on the TUF finale? Yeah I was disappointed. I felt I had a very good fight to get into the house but then had some bad luck by getting impetigo which is a bacterial infection. That forced me out of any training up until I fought the eventual winner Ross Pearson. I figured knowing my story and how well I did the first fight I would get a shot in the finale, but it didn't turn out that way. In the end I'm just happy I got a shot to be on The Ultimate Fighter Are you hoping to get back in the UFC one day? Some day it would be nice to be back in the UFC, but for now I’m extremely happy to be fighting for One FC. I think Asian MMA is going to blow up with One FC and I’m happy to be here when it does. Do you have a multi-fight deal with One FC or is this just a one off? I do. I believe it’s a five fight contract? You have spent a few weeks at Evolve MMA with Heath Sims, how have you found that experience? It's been a very good experience. The trainers and fighter here are great and Singapore is a awesome city. What are your thoughts on your opponent Danny van Bergen? I think he is a tough opponent, but I think I'm better than him everywhere. Does knowing that so many people in Asia are going to be watching put more pressure on you or do you feel more relaxed because you are fighting away from the US? No I don't feel more pressure. I'm from a small town called Sitka, Alaska and a lot of people in that town follow my career. I always feel the most pressure knowing that all my friends and family from Sitka are watching. I know it’s important to impress the Asian fans, but no I don't feel more pressure How do you feel about being the first fight of the night, are you hoping to get to watch the rest of the show? This is actually the first time in my whole career that I'm the first fight of the night. I think after this fight they will definitely have me higher up on the card, but it will be cool to get the fight done and be able to have a few beers and watch the rest of the fights. www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: fight, fighter, tuf, fc, im

Read the full article at MMA Mania

One FC's aggressive takeover of the MMA scene in Asia continues in 2012 as the promotion has announced their next series of shows taking place in several new locations.

Posted in: location, fc, mma scene, fc schedules, takeover

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

As you can see from our background takeover all around this article, ONE FC and MiddleEasy have struck a partnership that actually goes back to their second event in Indonesia, ONE FC: Battle of Heroes. During last month's event, we cut a slick weigh-in video (sampling a little bit of Jeru the Damaja), sliced two interviews with Ole Laursen vs. Felipe Enomoto and Bob Sapp vs. Rolles Gracie (liberally using as much Wu-Tang Clan as possible), and made a ONE FC: Battle of Heroes highlight video that should have far more views on YouTube. While we were a little bit hip-hop heavy with our coverage of ONE FC: Battle of Heroes last month, we thought we would change it up this time around. You guys know how much fun you had last month slamming down energy drinks at 4:00 am just to watch fighters go at it under the Pride FC rule set (with elbows included). We're all going to have a great time with ONE FC: War of the Lions. The fight card has been set, the obligatory kick-ass poster design contest is in full effect -- now just sit back and absorb everything that we will be throwing at you in the days leading up to ONE FC: War of the Lions on March 31st -- starting with this trailer we created. Props to Esther Lin for the banner picture.

Posted in: esther lin, fc, hero, fc battle, fc war

Read the full article at Middle Easy

ONE Fighting Championship has announced a trio of new events slated across Asia. As part of a newly confirmed broadcast deal with Malaysian sports network Astro ARENA, ONE FC officials have targeted an event in Malaysia for May 26, 2012. A fight card has yet to be finalized. "Malaysia's sports fan base has always been enthusiastic about new and exciting events," ONE FC CEO Victor Cui stated. "From the World Cup to Formula 1, the discerning sports fans in this country have been very supportive of only the best. We are very happy to bring the largest MMA event in Asia with world class content to Malaysians with Astro." In addition, ONE FC has confirmed events for September 1, 2012 in the Philippines and October 6, 2012 in Singapore. Venues will be announced at a later date. ONE FC is Asia's most prominent mixed martial arts promotion and spearheaded the formation of the ONE FC network, a coalition of fight camps and promotions throughout Asia and Australia including DREAM, Cage Fighting Championship and Evolve Mixed Martial Arts.

Posted in: event, fc, asia, fight camps, malaysia philippines

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

ONE Fighting Championship today announced three more dates for upcoming mixed martial arts (MMA) events, in addition to the show which is already booked for the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 31. Here's how the 2012 calendar is shaping up: ONE FC 3: Singapore, March 31 (see the full card here) ONE FC 4: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 26* ONE FC 5: Manila, Philippines, September 1* ONE FC 6: Singapore, October 6* *Negotiations are underway for additional events to be scheduled between May and September According to a statement which was released today, ONE FC has also signed a television deal with Malaysian broadcast network Astro which will see all events broadcast on local 24 hour sports channel 'Astro Arena.' ONE FC Owner / CEO Victor Cui was recently voted the most powerful man in Asian MMA and as well as securing a 10 year media partnership between ESPN Star Sports and his promotion, he has also signed deals with local networks in countries such as Singapore and Indonesia. The following is from the ONE FC website: Malaysia’s first local sports channel Astro ARENA has bought the exclusive rights to air content from Asia’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC). Astro ARENA reaches out to millions of viewers across Malaysia and has become the preferred channel by Malaysians for sports content. Viewers in Malaysia will now be able to enjoy ONE FC events as Asia’s best professional MMA fighters compete in different countries all over Asia. Henry Tan, Astro COO said, "Astro offers Malaysians the best of international and local live sports from football to F1, tennis, golf and badminton through its 11 sports channels. Through Astro ARENA, Malaysia’s number one local sports channel, we will bring ONE Fighting Championship™ to martial arts fans in Malaysia by showcasing the best of the region’s professional fight athletes competing in the most prestigious series of MMA events." Victor Cui, CEO/Owner of ONE Fighting Championship™ said, "Malaysia’s sports fan base has always been enthusiastic about new and exciting events. From the World Cup to Formula 1, the discerning sports fans in this country have been very supportive of only the best. We are very happy to bring the largest MMA event in Asia with world class content to Malaysians with Astro." The KL card is likely to include a number of Malaysian and Malaysian based fighters. Muay Thai world champion and BJJ black belt Adam Kayoom is virtually guaranteed to feature. He has an MMA record of 2-1 with his only defeat being a decision loss to tough Korean Myung Ho Bae who was able to outwrestle him. Since then he has worked intensively on his wrestling with New York State Champion Andrew Leone and has added that skill set to his already world class Muay Thai and BJJ. In Kayoom's last fight at DARE Championship 2/11 he submitted Seok Mo Kim, who went the full 15 minutes with Gregor Gracie at ONE FC 1, in the opening round: SHOGUN vs KIM - DARE MMA - Bangkok, Thailand (via Darechampionship) As well as Kayoom ONE FC are likely to use a number of fighters who are based in Kuala Lumpur on the card such as BJJ black belt Marcos Escobar who runs the Leverage MMA academy. Muayfit's Eric Kelly could finally get a fight if he can sort out his managerial issues while his team mates Arnaud Lepont and Mark Striegl, both coming off big wins at DARE Championship 2/12, are rumored to be close to signing. ONE FC will be spoiled for choice when it comes to picking Filipinos to star on the September 1st card with URCC Champions Eduard Folayang, Honorio Banario, Kevin Belingon and Rey Docyogen all likely to get a look in. DREAM Lightweight champion Shinya Aoki has already signed to fight for ONE FC this year and the Evolve MMA fighter is likely to headline the Singapore show on October 6. More news is likely to follow as between the Malaysia event on 26 May and the Philippines event on 1 September, additional events have been planned and will be announced as venues are confirmed. Countries believed to be on the ONE FC radar include Thailand, Macau, Hong Kong, Korea and China with a second Jakarta show close to being confirmed. www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: mma, sport, event, fc, astro

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Yes that really is the new ONE FC ring girl and her name is Park Si Hyun. I'm sure if you use your expert Google abilities, you can undoubtedly find a plethora of appealing pictures of her -- but we're not here to talk about incredibly attractive chicks (or are we...). Nah, not at all (wait, are we?). Right now, you're living in an age in which the official MiddleEasy ONE FC: War of the Lions poster design contest is taking place. Consider yourself fortunate. Last week we invited the world to come up with their very own ONE FC: War of the Lions posters, and our inbox is getting saturated with some stellar entries. If you would like to take part in the fun, be sure to check out the official contest page. Here are a handful of the ONE FC: War of the Lions poster designs we received over the past week. Remember, you have until March 28th to submit your entry.

Posted in: war, poster, fc, lion, fc war

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Asian MMA has been developing at a rapid rate with multiple new organizations such as ONE FC, Legend FC, DARE Championships and Ruff being formed in the last couple of years. While such rapid growth is great for the fans it has not been without problems as rival promotions compete to sign the same fighters or to put on shows on the same patch of turf. Trouble erupted yesterday when the Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC) issued an extremely strong-worded statement regarding three complaints which have been filed with the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) in the Philippines concerning Legend FC. The statement is available on the URCC website here or can be read in its entirety after the jump. URCC Founder Alvin Aguilar, founder of one of Asia’s longest running MMA promotions filed three cases with the Games and Amusement Board against Michael Haskamp and his promotion Legend FC. The cases being filed are regarding: 1.) Illegal and unethical hiring of fighters under contract with the URCC. (It was also noted that they overmatched a poor Filipino fighter from the province who didn’t know any better, to make his own veteran fighters look good.) 2.) Bringing legally registered Professional fighters outside the country without complying with any of the GAB’s requirements. Totally disregarding all of its rules and regulations 3.) Hiring trainers who are blacklisted and unlicensed by the GAB. One trainer he enlisted, Marciano Basas, was denied a fighter and trainer license as he has Hepatitis and a series of other sicknesses that may be passed on. When asked for comment URCC Founder Alvin Aguilar said: "These foreigners think they can just come in and disregard the rules of our country and take advantage of our countrymen, and our efforts to promote Filipino MMA fighters around the world. Now that Philippine MMA is mainstream because of the URCC’s efforts, all sorts of foreigners are trying to make a quick buck off the efforts of OUR COUNTRYMEN. They even blatantly said that everyone is for sale here in our country. Well I’m sorry to say that we are not and this commission definitely is not for sale. I have personally dealt with them for ten years and they never asked me for a dime! They will learn to respect the rules here, all of the so-called Filipinos that supposedly support them (if any) should be hung up on a tree alongside these foreigners. As the founder of professional mixed martial arts in the Philippines, I am duty bound to protect my fighters and ensure that all the laws regarding and protecting them are followed. We will not standby and let these foreigners take advantage of anyone here. If ever I do meet them they will also learn the true meaning of BAKBAKAN NA!!!!" If you want to learn more about the role of the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) and its jurisdiction and authority you should visit the website here. To summarize it is a government organization which is is charged with the supervision and regulation of professional sports in the Philippines so the URCC is not, at present, taking Legend FC to court as has been incorrectly reported elsewhere. The fighter in question is believed to be Augustin Delarmino who Legend FC signed in January (read the announcement here) and had previously fought five times for the URCC. He currently has a 5-1 record, has fought once for Legend FC and was scheduled to fight on the March 30th Legend FC show which was recently moved from Jakarta to Hong Kong. The missmatch in question is believed to be the fight between Ereneo Galindez from the Philippines and Michael Mortimer from Australia at Legend FC 6 last October. It was Galindez's professional debut and Mortimer, who won by first round submission, had a record of 14-4 at the time. I would urge anyone to consider the following points when reading and discussing this story: 1 - A person (or organization) is innocent until proven guilty, just because a complaint is made does not necessarily mean it will be upheld. 2 - Legend FC have not had a chance to respond officially to this accusation so only one side of the story has been presented. Well known Filipino journalist Karlo Silverio III Sevilla did obtain the following quote from Mike Haskamp for his article which you can read here: 'We're actually waiting to see what the actual allegations are before we respond. I assume that GAB will be following up with us, and Legend will issue a statement once we've had a chance to review them. For now, I can only say that we're disappointed that Mr. Aguilar has decided to take this action without speaking with us directly. Legend’s top priorities are fighter safety, fairness, and promoting MMA across the Asia-Pacific region. We have had and always will have fighter well-being and the integrity of the sport as our top priorities.' 3 - The complaint has been filed with the GAB, which is a regulatory body, but it is possible legal action might follow. Please bear this in mind and exercise common sense and caution if you choose to comment on this article. Background: The URCC was founded in 2002 and has to date put on 41 events, all in the Philippines. It is owned by Alvin Aguilar and Bubbles Aguilar and is headquartered in Manila. Legend FC was founded in 2010 and has to date put on seven events, all in either Hong Kong or Macau. It is owned by Mike Haskamp and Chris Pollack and is headquartered in Hong Kong. www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: fighter, legend, urcc, fc, legend fc

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Despite several reports saying otherwise, Legend Fighting Championship's 8th event will be pushing through, but it will be on a different venue and country. The show was supposed to be headlined by a featherweight title fight with Fransino Tirta fighting in front of his home town fans, but late last week, the Indonesian star ruptured his appendix and was forced to have surgery. Tirta, while recovering from a successful appendectomy and had to be pulled from the card, forcing the promotion to reconsider their plans for a show that was marketed and hinged on his return. Fast forward to today, and amidst all the 'cancellation' rumors, officials have announced that that they will be keeping the date and moving their event to their home-base of Hong Kong. Lightweight champion Jadamba Narantungalag will be headlining the event as he defends his title against top Korean prospect, Nam Yui Chul. On the co-main event, undefeated Chinese prospect, Ji Xian will be stepping in to face Tirta's original opponent in Yusuke Kawanago, and it will be for their vacant featherweight title. It's still a good card considering the situation, with 2 title fights along with the Legend FC debut of Sengoku Champion, Keita "K-Taro" Nakamura, but it will be a tough task trying to market and sell a card to the Hong Kong fans in just a little over 2 weeks. The release also mentioned that the Legend FC 10 on July would be the planned Jakarta card which would probably host Fransino Tirta against the winner of the featherweight championship bout on this card. And as I'm writing this, more news breaks out, as the URCC released a statement saying that they have filed 3 cases against Legend FC and Mike Haskamp. Looks like they might be a legal battle between these two Asian promotions soon. Check out the release after the jump. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena Here's the URCC's release with a statement against Mike Haskamp and Legend FC: URCC Founder Alvin Aguilar, founder of one of Asia’s longest running MMA promotions filed three cases with the Games and Amusement Board against Michael Haskamp and his promotion Legend FC. The cases being filed are regarding: 1.) Illegal and unethical hiring of fighters under contract with the URCC. (It was also noted that they overmatched a poor Filipino fighter from the province who didn’t know any better, to make his own veteran fighters look good.) 2.) Bringing legally registered Professional fighters outside the country without complying with any of the GAB’s requirements. Totally disregarding all of its rules and regulations 3.) Hiring trainers who are blacklisted and unlicensed by the GAB. One trainer he enlisted, Marciano Basas, was denied a fighter and trainer license as he has Hepatitis and a series of other sicknesses that may be passed on. When asked for comment URCC Founder Alvin Aguilar said: "These foreigners think they can just come in and disregard the rules of our country and take advantage of our countrymen, and our efforts to promote Filipino MMA fighters around the world. Now that Philippine MMA is mainstream because of the URCC’s efforts, all sorts of foreigners are trying to make a quick buck off the efforts of OUR COUNTRYMEN. They even blatantly said that everyone is for sale here in our country. Well I’m sorry to say that we are not and this commission definitely is not for sale. I have personally dealt with them for ten years and they never asked me for a dime! They will learn to respect the rules here, all of the so-called Filipinos that supposedly support them (if any) should be hung up on a tree alongside these foreigners. As the founder of professional mixed martial arts in the Philippines, I am duty bound to protect my fighters and ensure that all the laws regarding and protecting them are followed. We will not standby and let these foreigners take advantage of anyone here. If ever I do meet them they will also learn the true meaning of BAKBAKAN NA!!!!" Just a few notes for those who might not understand the situation: - The Philippines' Games and Amusement Board, or GAB, is very similar to the Athletic Commissions in the US, which handles the sanctioning and licensing of fighters, testing, etc. - No one should hire a guy in MMA who has hepatitis, that is obviously very dangerous. - The fighter(s) referred to as allegedly being illegally hired is Augustin Delarmino Jr. (5-1). He has fought for the URCC since 2009 winning a provincial title from the promotion, and last competed at Legend FC 7 last February, when he knocked out Sung Ming Yen in 44 seconds (video). - While it is unclear at this point if he is included in the legal complaint, Augustin's brother, Leonard Delarmino (3-2) was also with the URCC starting from 2009, and last competed at the same Legend FC 7 card (video), losing by submission to Ji Xian (who will be fighting for the title at LFC 8). - Both brothers Augustin and Leonard are currently scheduled to compete at LFC 8 on March 30. - The URCC didn't mention who was the over-matched "Filipino fighter from the province who didn’t know any better", but here is the list of all Filipinos who have fought for Legend FC: Legend FC 1: Vicente Pajaro (2-1 when they fought) lost to Zilong Zhao (3-2 when they fought) by TKO. R1 3:20 Legend FC 2: Kevin Belingon (6-0 when they fought) def. Jo Nam Jin (5-1 when they fought) by Decision. Legend FC 3: Kevin Belingon (7-0 when they fought) def. Dalai Bayin (1-0 when they fought) by Submission. R1 4:26 Legend FC 4: Mark Eddiva (0-0 when they fought) def. Alex Lee (0-0 when they fought) by Submission R1 4:22 Legend FC 5: Mark Striegl (4-0 when they fought) def. Yusuke Kawanago (10-2 when they fought) by Decision. Legend FC 6: Ereneo Galindez (0-0 when they fought) lost to Michael Mortimer (14-4 when they fought) by Submission R1 4:24 Legend FC 7: Augustin Delarmino Jr. (4-1 when they fought) def. Sung Ming Yen (2-0 when they fought) by KO. R1 0:44 Legend FC 7: Leonard Delarmino (3-1 when they fought) lost to Ji Xian (3-0 when they fought) by Submission. R1 4:52 Legend FC 7: Mark Striegl (6-0 when they fought) def. Ev Ting (3-0 when they fought) by Submission. R1 3:51 Note that these professional records were all obtained from Sherdog, so it is possible that some fights might not have been recorded. - All in all Filipinos did pretty well, going 6-3 in the Legend FC banner. Looking closer at these three records though, there is one that stands out as a possible candidate for that over-matched Filipino fighter, which is Ereneo Galindez. He hasn't competed at the URCC or any major MMA promotion in the Philippines, and he appears to have made his pro-debut against a 14-4 fighter in Michael Mortimer, so if there's a case for anyone being involved in a big mismatch, it is Galindez, who frankly, looked and performed like he had no business being in the ring against Mortimer. So there you have it. I'm not going to give much opinion as I'm not really a lawyer, nor do I have all the details from both sides, so just to reiterate, I'm just basing things mostly on the release given, so if I did get anything wrong, the people from either side are free to contact me with the corrections. As always, I'll try to keep everyone updated on the situation as it develops, but hopefully this all gets resolved soon.

Posted in: fighter, legend, urcc, filipino, fc

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Yoshiyuki Nakanishi is only 24 years-old, but the four-time national Sambo champion already has a mixed martial arts (MMA) record of 11-2 and is the reigning DEEP Light Heavyweight titleholder. He is in for the highest profile fight of his entire career when he takes on the heavy-hitting Melvin Manhoef at ONE FC 3 later this month. Nakanishi holds a win over reigning Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Christian M'Pumbu and despite having such a strong Sambo background, he has been known to knock opponents out cold with either punches or head kicks. His last win came by stoppage due to soccer strikes so he will relish fighting under the ONE FC ruleset which allows kicks to the head of a grounded opponent. After spending virtually his entire career competing in Japan, with a 2009 excursion into the Netherlands the sole exception, fighting in front of 7,000 fans at the Singapore Indoor Stadium will be a brand new experience for him and he has every reason to fear the explosive power of his opponent, a K-1 veteran and legendary knock out artist. However Nakanishi is far from overawed by Manhoef, in fact he feels his stand up will be more than a match for the man who once knocked out UFC heavyweight contender Mark Hunt in less than 30 seconds. "Not only am I confident that I will be good enough to stand with Manhoef, I think I can KO him. He is a very famous fighter in Japan and I have always loved watching him fight. I’m very happy and honored to fight against the fighter who I admire." Nakanishi's base is Sambo which stylistically could make him a dangerous opponent for Manhoef whose devastating leg kicks and lightning fast punches are often undermined by a slightly suspect takedown defense and ground game. Nakanishi claims to be very comfortable fighting on his feet but if he can use his Sambo skills to take the fight to the ground he will be a strong favorite to defeat the experienced Dutchman. He has been studying the stand up game for several years though and says he is much more than just a wrestler. "Anyone who has seen me fight will tell you that I am not just a Sambo fighter anymore because I have been learning the stand up since the age of 21. You can not win MMA fights with only grappling techniques although I do prefer taking the fight to the ground." Nakanishi is also 11 years younger and feels this is another factor which could play into his favour against a fighter who in 34 MMA fights has never experienced a third round. "I feel that the longer the fight goes on the more I will be at an advantage but I have finished fights in the first round myself seven times so why should I wait? I can definitely knock him out in round one and if he thinks that I would need a takedown to do it maybe he will be surprised. I want to strike and grapple because I can win with both." The fight will be taking place at a catchweight of 88 kgs (193.6 lbs) and although Nakanishi won the Deep Light Heavyweight tournament at 205 lbs and holds the title at that weight he has been as low as 185 lbs in the past. Many feel that his long term future is in the middleweight division but for the time being he is happy competing at 205 lbs. "I’d like to defend my Deep title and keep fighting at light heavyweight division but I want the ONE FC light heavyweight belt too. I'm really excited to be fighting for ONE FC, it's an honor to fight on such a big stage against such a great fighter." ONE FC is taking place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 31st and is available worldwide on pay per view for $24.99 USD. For more information visit: www.onefc.com.

Posted in: fight, heavyweight, light, fc, nakanishi

Read the full article at MMA Mania

ONE Fighting Championship just released a trailer for their upcoming event on March 31, and it's pretty interesting that they apparently even got God Morgan Freeman to do the voice over for it. Related: Asian MMA: ONE FC 3 - Eduard Folayang Vs. Ole Laursen Trailer | Asian MMA: Breaking Down The Official ONE FC 3 Fight Card | Interview: Imanari Loves Leg Locks 'Because It Hurts The Opponent', Says Belingon Can Be MMA's Manny Pacquiao Full fight card, which will be available as an online PPV at $24.99, can be found after the jump. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena ONE FC 3: War of the LionsMarch 31, 2012 -- Singapore Indoor Arena, Singapore - Zorobabel Moreira vs. Felipe Enomoto- Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Donald Sanchez- Yuya Shirai vs. Fabricio Monteiro- Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi- Eddie Ng vs. Jian Kai Chee- Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon- Nicole Chua vs. Jeet Toshi- Quek Kim Hock vs. Juan Wen Jie- Yodsanan Sityodtong vs. Jiang Long Yun- Danny Van Bergen vs. Richie Whitson

Posted in: mma, vs, fc, asian mma, lions trailer

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

This week, ONE Fighting Championship will be broadcast all over Asia for the very first time as its ESPN Star Sports era begins in earnest. The two organizations have signed a partnership deal which guarantees that Asia's biggest sports network will broadcast mixed martial arts (MMA) for at least the next decade. On Thursday and Friday night, the first ONE FC event will be broadcast in its entirety at around 9pm, with times varying slightly from country to country. It will then be repeated on rotation giving the event regular exposure in 24 Asian countries. Existing MMA fans will have already viewed the fights, either live on an internet stream or on YouTube and people in Singapore have already had a chance to watch ONE FC 1 on domestic television there. However, the challenge for a show as ambitious as ONE FC is not to appeal to existing MMA fans, it is to introduce an entire new audience to the sport. This is why the 10 year ESPN Star deal is so significant because not only does it guarantee ONE FC a decade's worth of income, but it also ensures that the show will have a high level of international exposure until at least the year 2022. The ESPN Star Sports channels are generally included in even the most basic cable and satellite packages in Asia meaning that they reach a lot of households, a potential 350 million according to official estimates. The highest ever viewership for an event broadcast by the network was 67.6 million for last year's Cricket World Cup final. ONE FC will be sharing air time with high caliber sporting events such as the English Premier League, Major League Baseball, Formula One Racing, Olympic Games and NBA. The frustration for existing MMA fans is that ESPN Star will not show events live, at least to begin with, but it is the potential of the TV network to introduce the sport to uninitiated audiences all across Asia which makes this such a seminal moment for Asian MMA. Pay per view might bring in a little bit of revenue but it makes a broadcast much less accessible to the casual spectator. It is more difficult to increase viewership when depending on a PPV model because no-one is going to commit money to watching a television program unless they are passionate about the content. By partnering with a broadcaster which has such a strong presence in 24 Asian countries ONE FC is helping to raise the profile of MMA in places from the Maldives to Malaysia to Myanmar to Macau. It will also be available in multiple languages including Cantonese, Hindi, Korean and Mandarin. ONE FC CEO / Owner Victor Cui worked as a senior director at ESPN Star Sports for several years before leaving to set up Asia's most ambitious MMA promotion. This is his quote from today's press release, "Tomorrow marks the first broadcast of our 10-year partnership with ESPN STAR Sports. ONE FC content will reach an incredible 350 million viewers in 24 countries throughout the region. It is the largest sports media deal in Asian history and we are proud to showcase the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions. Viewers across Asia will now get to witness why mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the world." MMA Mania readers who are in Asia can look up when ONE FC will be shown in their region here. ONE FC also today released a video promo for their March 31st card at the Singapore Indoor Stadium which will feature Tatsuya Kawajiri, Melvin Manhoef, Eduard Folayang and Masakazu Imanari and will be available on PPV for $24.99 USD. ONE FC Trailer: War of the Lions (via OneFCMMA)

Posted in: mma, star, sport, fc, asia

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In such a terrible economy, you pretty much have to take any job that comes along. We have chemistry graduates cleaning toilets, qualified teachers face painting and making balloon animals and Bob Sapp fighting every other weekend just to pay the bills. The only way to get any kind of job is to have a name and a reputation. Unless your name is “Jon” and you have a reputation for wearing a ski mask and running from the Russian mafia in which case the only job you can get is at Rage Cage. Clearly I’ve been watching too much Delocated but don’t let that detract you from the fact that Anthony Johnson has signed with Titan FC and will debut in the promotion at 185 lbs in Titan FC 22 on May 25th. As he said on the Titan FC website: "I'm back, and I'm fighting May 25 with Titan Fighting Championship, and I couldn't be more thrilled to headline this event for all the fans in Kansas City and watching that night live on HDNet," said Johnson. "I am so pumped to be fighting again, and I'm ready to take on whatever 185 pounder they put in front of me... I received offers from all over the world, and after a lot of consideration, my manager Glenn Robinson and I settled on Titan because it's a good promotion, but more importantly it's run by really good people.” So, how many of you just assumed he would move to Strikeforce then? I’ll be the first to raise my hand.

Posted in: job, titan, fc, im, titan fc

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After a period of speculation regarding where former UFC middleweight Anthony Johnson would fight next the MMA community now has an answer – Titan FC. The 28-year old powerhouse’s signing was confirmed by an official press release from the promotion where it was also revealed he’d be fighting on May 25 in headlining action at Titan FC 22. Though no opponent has been booked for the bout it is expected an announcement will be made on that front in the next week. The event will air live on HDNet. “I settled on Titan because it’s a good promotion, but more importantly it’s run by really good people,” said Johnson of his deal with the Kansas City-based organization. “I am so pumped to be fighting again, and I’m ready to take on whatever 185 pounder they put in front of me.” In addition to a victory at the show, Johnson will also be looking to repair his tarnished reputation after a repeated issue with making weight while on the UFC’s roster. The final straw on that front came in January when “Rumble” failed to hit the 186-pound limit for a co-headlining clash with Vitor Belfort at UFC 142. Beyond losing the bout he also lost his job. Johnson holds an overall record of 10-4 with seven TKOs and memorable wins over Luigi Fioravanti, Charlie Brenneman, Yoshiyuki Yoshida, and Dan Hardy. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, mma community, johnson, titan, fc

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As part of the featured bouts of the ONE FC 3: War of the Lions card on March 31, Wushu expert and URCC champion Eduard Folayang has been re-booked to take on Muay Thai and Martial Combat champion, Ole Laursen in a much anticipated lightweight. ONE FC has released a promo for the bout, and you can check it out below: Related: Asian MMA: Breaking Down The Official ONE FC 3 Fight Card | Interview: Imanari Loves Leg Locks 'Because It Hurts The Opponent', Says Belingon Can Be MMA's Manny Pacquiao The full fight card, which will be available as an online PPV ($24.99), can be found after the jump. ONE FC 3: War of the LionsMarch 31, 2012 -- Singapore Indoor Arena, Singapore - Zorobabel Moreira vs. Felipe Enomoto- Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Donald Sanchez- Yuya Shirai vs. Fabricio Monteiro- Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi- Eddie Ng vs. Jian Kai Chee- Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon- Nicole Chua vs. Jeet Toshi- Quek Kim Hock vs. Juan Wen Jie- Yodsanan Sityodtong vs. Jiang Long Yun- Danny Van Bergen vs. Richie Whitson

Posted in: fight card, vs, fc, asian mma, combat champion

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Guest post by Stephie "Crooklyn" Daniels. You can follow Crooklyn on Twitter at CrooklynMMA. Diehard fans of Asian MMA have been left with a sizable hole in their viewing schedules following the demise of PRIDE, and although there have been a few notables, no other promotions have really laid claim to their throne. Sengoku tried, but failed after less than four years. DREAM has been trying to lay the groundwork as well, but serious financial issues have hindered their growth. Enter a new horse on the not so distant horizon, ONE FC. Headed up and owned by Victor Cui, the former promoter of Martial Combat (which put out 12 events in 2010 under the ESPN Star Sports umbrella), the organization has already struck a landmark 10 year deal with ESPN Star Sports, and has a vast network of alliances with gyms across Asia and Australia. They've forged a partnership with DREAM that will bear it's first fruit on March 31, when Japanese featherweight superstar, Tatsuya Kawajiri, makes the trip to Singapore to fight former King of the Cage champion, Donald Sanchez, in front of 12,000 fans at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. With major players stepping in as sponsor partners, co-promotional deals with SONY Pictures, and a solid plan for growth, ONE FC plans to be around for the long haul. In a recent interview I conducted with Victor, some of the blueprint for their future was revealed, as well as how they've managed to get the best deals in the business, while only having produced two shows to date. ONE FC Network"The ONE FC Network that we've launched, brings together every major promoter in every major country. You're talking about people being the very best at what they do. When you bring together all of those organizations, and when everybody has their own strengths, but it's the first time we've all tried to work together; to share fighters, to share knowledge, to share sponsorship opportunities, television deals. It's complex and it's hard, but the way we can exponentially grow the sport in Asia, is by working together. For the first time, under the ONE FC Network, all those players are coming together. You're talking about people that are very well established and very well respected, and have a huge and talented roster of fighters. The ONE FC Network allows everyone to get together, and gives those fighters opportunities to compete on each other's promotions. It also gives us a chance to figure out how we would do these co-promotions, what makes sense in each country, what the dates are, how we can combine our calendars, or, at the most basic level, how do we make our individual calendars happen so that we're not competing against each other." More after the jump, including their deals with DREAM. Co-promotion with DREAM"The partnership that I have with DREAM, is not only to work together to develop the sport and share our world champion fighters, but to host a co-promotion together. We're working on the details for our first, full, co-promoted event, and we'll be making that announcement very soon. What we want to do is put together the best show in the world." Many hands make light work"I'm always interested in finding ways to work with other people. I really believe in this philosophy, and a lot of people quote me saying, 'Many hands make light work.' That's my approach to Asian MMA. What ONE FC is, is a regional opportunity. The television deal that I closed with ESPN in Asia, is unprecedented. It's a 10 year media deal. There is no other sporting property in the world that has a 10 year media deal. It's a sign of what ESPN believes ONE FC can do in the region. My close relationship that I have with them has allowed us to have that kind of deal. It means that what we are really focused on, is how we can bring MMA to the 500 million people around the region through ESPN and their platforms, and additionally bring MMA to all of the 3.9 billion Asians in these countries. That's really where the growth of the sport is."Success where others have failed"Japan has had its challenges, as well as other organizations in the United States. I really looked closely at their business models before we even launched ONE FC, and studied them, and looked at what makes sense, and what didn't make sense. That's why you'll see a couple different things about our business approach. One of them being that we're not spending extravagant amounts of dollars on legends and big names that would charge a huge chunk of money to come out here and have one fight and be done. We have looked for quality fighters that are of good value, that can put on entertaining, world class fights. Second thing is, we're developing fights that are globally relevant, but regionally applicable. They appeal to the European fan, the Brazilian fan, the Canadian fan, the American fan, but we still work hard to keep a distinct Asian feel to it, and we use local Asian talent, to give them the opportunity to showcase themselves on a ONE FC card. It's a tricky balance, because the skillset, obviously between Asian fighters, outside of Japan, is dramatically different than the developed scene in Europe or in North America, so we're always trying to find a balance between those two." Blueprint of the future"I'm focused on doing what I can for the sport. Luckily, for me, I've been in the sports media industry for over 15 years. I know Asian business, and my vision is to bring the most exciting fights and develop MMA to unprecedented levels in Asia. I've got a really strong network of relationships in the community with fighters and other promoters. That's what I focus on, making sure that we can work together to grow the sport, and that ONE FC continues to produce world class television content and events. We've got eight events scheduled over the next 12 months. Next year we'll expand to 14, and then after that, 24 events. We are on a very rapid pace." Big name sponsors and movie tie-ins"We're co promoting, with SONY Pictures in Asia, the launch of the Avengers movie. Fairtex is our equipment sponsor. Energizer Batteries and Schick Razors are also some of our other sponsor partners. Schick Razors have launched an entire branding campaign around ONE FC. When you go to the store, you will see the packaging around the razors with the ONE FC logo, promoting our event. I've been doing this for a long time in Asia, and these are all relationships that I've had in place. The media deals that I am securing in other countries are people that I've worked with, and that have grown to trust me, and have fallen in love with what ONE FC is doing. Everybody comes to a ONE FC event and leaves excited."Victor's simple plan of keeping it regional, but with a global appeal, smart spending and massive media deals may be exactly what the chef has ordered in the recipe to success. Their next event takes place on March 31, and features a wealth of familiar and unknown talent, with an 11 fight card. There will be a featured PPV stream available, which can be found via their website. ONE FC may finally be the promotion to fill the void that PRIDE has left in so many of our hearts. It will be interesting, to say the least, to watch their progress. You can follow Victor via his Twitter @ONEFCMMA

Posted in: fighter, sport, event, deal, fc

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I know you're out there. All of those guys that lurk Sherdog and The Underground with your ridiculously complex MMA poster designs. Remember that UFC: Rio poster everyone salivated over in 2011? What about those two insanely sharp UFC 129: St. Pierre vs. Shields posters? This One FC x MiddleEasy contest goes out to all the hardcore fans that have nothing better to do than to reinvigorate the poster design game in the MMA world. We want you to stop claiming you have the greatest fan-made poster designs and just go out there and prove it. It's time to dust off those pirated copies of Adobe Photoshop and tap into the infinite stream of cosmic consciousness. We're announcing our official One FC: War of the Lions poster design contest, and we want you to enter. The Contest: If you feel like you have the design talent to conquer galaxies, we want you to create the greatest One FC: War of the Lions poster the world has ever seen. If you haven't seen the newly released line-up, we suggest you check it out. The card features a stacked roster, including Melvin Manhoef, Zoro, Eddie Ng, Kawajiri, Ole Laursen, Yodsanan Sityodtong, Felipe Enomoto just to name a few. Now it's your task to spark your brain cells and give birth to a poster so amazing that it will make every MMA fan across the world shed a tear. Rules: The rules for our One FC: War of the Lions poster design contest is relatively simple. Create a One FC: War of the Lions poster that incorporates the One FC logo and the sentence 'One FC: War of the Lions, catch the action live on OneFC.com.' Don't worry, you can download the official One FC logo here. The rest is up to you. Your poster design must have a width of 620 pixels. The length we really don't care about, but we're serious about that width business. We're not playing around! Posters must be formatted to .jpg also. You may submit as many times as you want, but please make sure that all of your submissions are awesome. Send your submissions to: PosterContest@MiddleEasy.com Deadline: All entries must be received by March 28th 11:00pm PST. Winners will be announced on March 29th on MiddleEasy.com. Prizes: (1) Grand Prize winner will receive: A pair of One FC gloves signed by all or as many of the One FC: War of the Lions roster as possible. A One FC shirt signed by all or as many of the One FC: War of the Lions roster as possible. A free PPV to watch One FC: War of the Lions live at 5:00 am PST/8:00 am EST. A One FC prize pack filled with promotional schwag. (5) Runner-up winners will receive: A free PPV to watch One FC: War of the Lions live at 5:00 am PST/8:00 am EST. A One FC prize pack filled with promotional schwag. Keep in mind MiddleEasy will not be handing out free One FC passes for this event like we did for the last one. Entering this contest is the only way you can receive a One FC: War of the Lions PPV stream from MiddleEasy. I don't care how much you guys hound me on Facebook and Twitter, I won't be giving away any passes. Prizes will be shipped to the winners within 40 days. This contest is open to everyone on the planet, yes even you. The prizes offered can't be exchanged for cash. One FC and MiddleEasy reserve the right to select a winner based on the quality of the submission. Now put your creativity to work!

Posted in: war, poster, fc, lion, fc war

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Felipe Enomoto's choice of headgear at the official ONE FC 2 weigh in might have seemed a little bizarre, but it actually told a story about his unusual mixed heritage, a Japanese Manga mask and a traditional Peruvian hat. His performance the following night said even more about where the fighter, who grew up in Switzerland, is going. In the second round of a back and forth war which had the fans at the BritAma Arena in Jakarta on their feet, he submitted Ole Laursen, putting and abrupt end to the K-1 veterans' five fight winning streak. In doing so he became only the third man, after Caol Uno and Genki Sudo, to defeat Laursen. The crowd definitely liked it and so, apparently, did the ONE FC matchmakers, because both men were invited back for the next show and Enomoto was once again given main event status. This time, the challenge will be a little different. Laursen is primarily a stand-up fighter and came out swinging looking for an early knock out but Zorobabel Moreira, who he is scheduled to face at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 31st, is an accomplished grappler and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) world champion. His brother, Yasubey, is the M-1 Welterweight Champion and at one stage the two of them were neck and neck in their MMA careers with identical 5-1 records. However 2011 was much kinder to Yasubey, who went 3-1 and picked up a title in the process, than Felipe who lost his only fight of the year to outstanding Armenian Gor Harutunian. It was his second successive defeat but he he bounced back against Laursen and could quickly establish himself as a credible challenger for the inaugural ONE FC Lightweight belt if he beats Moreira.The Brazilian will have the support of the Singapore crowd behind him because he trains at Evolve MMA but Enomoto is just excited to be fighting in the biggest indoor venue in South East Asia, "I heard there would be 7,000 people there and I don't think I've ever fought in front of many people before but I'm looking forward to it, even they won't be cheering for me during the fight. I wasn't injured after my last fight, I trained a little the next day and I have also been helping my brother Yasubey prepare for his fight." Enomoto was reluctant to discuss Moreira beyond describing him as 'dangerous' and saying another knockout win would be 'nice'. Whatever happens on March 31st it is unlikely to resemble his last fight because Moreira is far less likely to throw caution to the wind and go for the KO like Laursen did. That fight was an out and out slug fest and Enomoto had to walk through several solid left hooks before landing a perfect head kick which knocked the Filipino fighter down and allowed him to take his back and sink in the submission. It appeared that Laursen was finally starting to find his range in the second round as he repeatedly landed leg kicks and was sufficiently confident to drop his hands, a mistake which he got punished for (see photo below), but that's not how things felt to Enomoto, "It felt like I was getting more loose, finding my groove and landing good punches. When my brother called for the left high kick I just did it. His leg kicks looked way more dangerous than they actually were but it was good for him to do them, because he scored some points. Maybe later he would have landed one which hit the right spot to affect me, who knows? Would of... could of.." Laursen appeared to go for broke in the opening round, putting all his power into every single punch. Given that his opponent came in with a reputation as being a stand up fighter and had faced the likes of Andy Souwer, Buakaw Por Pramuk and Masato in his K-1 career I wondered if Enomoto was surprised that he was so wild with his striking, "No, I wasn't surprised. He just wanted to knock me out quick and with those smaller gloves you just need to connect. It's not a question of 'who can punch more beautifully in the high caliber striker status contest?' and I would not say he was swinging wild as negative. Is a high caliber striker not allowed to throw heavy leather? If he would knocked me out with one of those 'wild' strikes nobody would criticize those punches." A number of those punches did connect, in particular some hard left hooks which would have buckled the knees of most fighters but Enomoto just found a way to walk right through them. He exhibited what most observers would describe as an 'iron chin' but claims this is a characteristic he has never really considered, "I was not thinking about that during the fight. When somebody punches me I don't usually think 'my chin is really good', I just think 'I need to punch him back'." His reward for that performance was a fight with a man who is widely regarded as one of the best prospects in the entire 155 lbs division. Moreira's BJJ is world class and he stands at 6'3" making him unusually tall for a lightweight. In his last two fights he has seen off experienced veterans Ferrid Kheder and Andy Wang and is one of the stars of ONE FC. Enomoto has been in there with top fighters in the past including Akira Corassani and Rich Clementi and knows that back to back ONE FC wins would completely revitalize his career. Next week he will be in Russia to corner Yasubey who is looking for his fourth successive M-1 win, if both brothers succeed in extending their winning streaks March could be a very good month for the Enomoto family. www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: fight, punch, fc, laursen, enomoto

Read the full article at MMA Mania

One of the fastest-growing promotions in MMA has essentially finalized their next card and it looks to be a good one, featuring a number of competitors known to longtime fans of the sport. According to an official announcement from Asian organization ONE FC, their March 31 card titled ONE FC: War of the Lions will be highlighted by appearances from Masakazu Imanari, Melvin Manhoef, and Tatsuya Kawajiri in addition to fights involving regional stars such as Eduard Folayang, Yuya Shirai, and Eddie Ng. Though no opponent has surfaced yet for DREAM/PRIDE veteran Kawajiri, Manhoef takes on 11-2 former heavyweight Yoshiyuki Nakanishi, while leg-lock master Imanari clashes with unbeaten Filipino Kevin Belingon. ONE FC has already created a reputation for itself in less than a year of existence by signing a deal with ESPN in Asia and implementing a rule-set similar to that in the glory days of PRIDE. Read below for a full list of match-ups: Felipe Enomoto vs. Zorobabel Moreira Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. TBA Eduard Folayang vs. Ole Laursen Yuya Shirai vs. Fabricio Monteiro Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi Jian Kai Chee vs. Eddie Ng Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon Jeet Toshi vs. Nicole Chua Kim Hock vs. Juan Wen Chie Kian Long Yun vs. Yodsanan Sityodtong Danny Van Bergen vs. Richie Whitson PHOTO CREDIT – FEG

Posted in: vs, kawajiri, fc, manhoef, tatsuya

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Regardless of whatever bromance you have with Georges St. Pierre, my current bromance with Masakazu Imanari is greater. Everything that could ever be said about Imanari was published in our Top Ten Fighters that NEED to be in EA Sports MMA list so you should direct your cursor to the link and use your index finger to click it. When I was in the car with Shinya Aoki in Singapore, I made it abundantly clear that I have a strong fascination with Masakazu Imanari. Shinya and his mom laughed at me. Imanari goes by 'Ashikan Judan' which roughly translates to 'The Master of Leglocks' and if you've seen any of Imanari's highlight videos, then that moniker is 100% accurate. Now that Imanari has officially been placed on the card for One FC: War of the Lions, we will stop at nothing until we get an exclusive interview with the DEEP bantamweight champion -- which means flying to Singapore and stalking Imanari until he eventually gives in to our demands. ONE FC's third card features a list of murderous individuals, including Melvin Manhoef, Zoro, Eddie Ng, Ole Laursen, Yodsanan Sityodtong, Felipe Enomoto just to name a few. One FC 3 will also feature the promotion's first women's bout between Evolve MMA's Nicole Chua and seven-times kickboxing national champion, Jeet Toshi. As always, MiddleEasy will be your headquarters for all One FC news, and you definitely want to check back tomorrow for a One FC/MiddleEasy contest that will spark all of your creative brain cells -- even the ones you accidentally killed this past weekend. If you don't live in Singapore, don't worry. One FC: War of the Lions will air March 31st via OneFC.com, so there's no excuse for you to miss out on this card.

Posted in: card, fc, imanari, singapore, fc war

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Kevin Belingon is one of the most exciting young bantamweights in the world, having beaten nine opponents out of nine since making his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut back in 2007. At ONE FC 3 he is going to have to face up to the consequences of his success when he takes a huge step up in opposition against Japanese leg lock master Masakazu Imanari. Winning brings a fighter fame and fortune but if he does it too often, sooner or later he is going to find himself facing an opponent he can't defeat because no one in MMA remains unbeaten forever. As he faces better and better opposition the day will probably come when Belingon meets his match, but he believes fervently that it won't be March 31st at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. "I have fought fighters who are more experienced than me and supposed to be better than me before and I always won, my first fight was against Richard Lasprilla who was the URCC Champion and had never been beaten and I won that. In my fourth fight I beat Justin Cruz who already had 10 wins, I know that Imanari is the toughest opponent I have ever faced but I have been training hard and I believe I can win." While Belingon has never fought on a show of the size or caliber of ONE FC before, it will not be his first time playing the role of underdog. Few expected him to beat Lasprilla who was 5-0-2 when they fought and a dominant force in Filipino MMA. Getting past 10-2 Justin Cruz was just as impressive an achievement and he has also prevailed against opponents from Thailand, Korea and Mongolia. None of them have anything like the level of experience of Imanari who is a veteran of 34 fights, the vast majority of them taking place in elite Japanese promotions DEEP, DREAM and PRIDE. He has consistently faced some of the best bantamweights in the world and more often than not he has beaten them. Belingon has fought in Singapore once before when he took on the then unbeaten Thai prospect Ngoo Ditty in 2010 and you can see footage of that fight here: Kevin Belingon vs. Ngoo Ditty - Martial Combat (via MrTEAMLAKAY) Imanari is a BJJ black belt and will be much more of a handful on the ground than Ditty. Not for nothing is he known as the 'master of leg locks' and 16 of his wins have come by way of submission. When it comes to slapping on a heel hook, a knee bar or an achilles lock there are few better in the world but the Tan Lakay fighter says he feels no fear. "I’m capable of fighting both stand-up and on the ground and I have competed in Wushu Sanda, Kickboxing and BJJ so I'm confident I can avoid the leg locks, I am ready to fight against anyone in my division including Imanari." Belingon is currently competing at bantamweight although he holds a URCC title in the flyweight division which has an upper limit of 129 lbs. This has led to intense speculation that he could drop down to 125 lbs and potentially join the UFC's newly formed flyweight division. "I don't cut much weight to make 135 lbs and I think I can cut down to 125 lbs to fight at flyweight if given the chance. ONE FC is the biggest event in Asia and I am proud to represent the Philippines and to fight for this show in front of so many people. If they want me to drop to 125 lbs in the future I will do that." As if the odds weren't already stacked firmly in his opponent's favour Belingon has also been out of action for an entire year. He had to pull out of a title defence against Jessie Rafols at URCC 20 with an injury and his ONE FC debut was also pushed back from February to March for the same reason. Imanari has fought no fewer than five times for DREAM in that period taking on some of the toughest fighters in their bantamweight division but Belingon does not believe that being out of action for so long will put him at too much of a disadvantage. "I still train with my Team Lakay team mates even when I don’t have scheduled fights myself because I also help them when they have fights. Even though I haven't been fighting I have been training and sparring with Rey Docyogen and Geje Eustaquio and others and I am always in good shape." At ONE FC 2 Eustaquio showed off an extremely sophisticated submission defense to defeat BJJ world champion Alex Silva by unanimous decision. If Belingon can avoid the leg locks of Imanari it would be an even more impressive grappling feat and a win would instantly establish him as one of the top 135 lbs fighters in the entire world. Few people outside the Philippines are expecting the 25 year old to win against a man who is 11 years his senior, has had three times as many fights and consistently faced much higher caliber opposition. The stage is the biggest he has been on and the man standing opposite will be the best he has faced but at ONE FC 3 Belingon is looking to simply do the same thing he always does. Win. www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: fight, lb, fc, imanari, belingon

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The fight card for ONE FC 3: War of the Lions, has been announced, and as first reported here on BloodyElbow.com, Felipe Enomoto will take on Zorobabel Moreira in a lightweight bout that will headline the March 31 event. Other familiar names that will be featured on the stacked event in Singapore are K-1 striker, Melvin Manhoef, DREAM and DEEP stars Tatsuya Kawajiri, Masakazu Imanari, Yuya Shirai, and Yoshiyuki Nakanishi, URCC Champions Eduard Folayang and Kevin Belingon, Plus other ONE FC stars such as Ole Laursen, and Eddie Ng. Here's the official card that has been released, along with a brief background and breakdowns on each of the fights: Zorobabel Moreira vs. Felipe Enomoto: 'Zoro' is a BJJ world champion that is coming off impressive wins over Andy Wang, and Ferrid Kheder. He is ranked as the #7 lightweight in the 2012 World MMA Scouting Report, and has shown huge improvements on his overall MMA game while working with Shinya Aoki, and the guys at Evolve MMA. He will be facing Felipe Enomoto, the brother of M-1 Champion, Yasubey Enomoto, who is coming off the biggest win of his career against Ole Laursen. This will be his 2nd straight time to headline a ONE FC event, and it will be interesting to see how he performs just 7 weeks after that war he had in Jakarta. Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. TBA: Well, it's just Kawajiri so far... Eduard Folayang vs. Ole Laursen: This bout was supposed to headline the first ONE FC event, but Laursen got injured. The Wushu expert in Folayang instead retired A Sol Kwon on a "Fight of the Night" performance, and followed up with a URCC fight, knocking out a Nova Uniao BJJ Brown belt and Muay Thai champ in Wadson Teixeira. Laursen on the other hand, succumbed to Felipe Enomoto last month on a very entertaining back and forth bout. Folayang has been ranked as the #6 lightweight in the 2012 World MMA Scouting Report, while Laursen was #8 on the 2011 edition. Both Filipinos are huge stars in Singapore, and their styles basically guarantees a highly entertaining bout, which is probably the main motivating factor on why they've been re-booked for this card. Yuya Shirai vs. Fabricio Monteiro: Shirai is the current DEEP welterweight champion who has competed with several top notch fighters throughout his career. He will be competing against Monteiro, a veteran who will be trying to rebound and get back on track with the help of his new teammates at Evolve MMA. Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoshiyuki Nakanishi: The dangerous K-1 striker in Manhoef was supposed to take on Renato Sobral, until the latter had to pull out of the fight, citing lack of time for a proper training camp with his coaching duties on TUF Brazil. Stepping in for Babalu is Nakinishi, who is a former DEEP Light Heavyweight champ, who will be dropping to middleweight. Eddie Ng vs. Jian Kai Chee: Ng, who is also part of the Evolve MMA camp, will look to follow up on his impressive win at the first ONE FC event, and will once again have the hometown crowd on his side when he takes on the Malaysian Muay Thai champ in Jian Kai Chee. Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon: While the top three bouts are probably going to gain more attention and recognition, this bout, at least to me, seems to be the unofficial main-event of the night. Belingon (9-0) is part of the famed Team Lakay camp that houses several of the URCC's best champions who all have a Wushu-base. He was ranked as part of the top Flyweights in the 2012 World MMA Scouting report, and will be looking to stay undefeated as he faces the toughest and most experienced challenger yet. Imanari is widely considered as the 19th best bantamweight in the world, and he will be a big test for a guy who is probably the most dominant prospect in the region. We'll see if Belingon can stop Imanari and graduate from top prospect to top fighter, or if the Master of Leg Locks can crank on one of his limbs and live up to his nickname. Check out the rest of the card after the jump. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena Nicole Chua vs. Jeet Toshi: This would be ONE FC's first female MMA fight, and it features two decorated strikers fighting making their MMA debuts. Nicole Chua is a Muay Thai champion who has been working diligently on his MMA game with the world champions at Evolve MMA, and will be taking on a decorated kickboxer from India in Jeet Toshi. Chua has been gaining quite the following on her hometown in Singapore, as she will be gaining the recognition of being the first professional female fighter from the country. Quek Kim Hock vs. Juan Wen Jie: This is another bout set up for the locals as it pits two lightweight prospects from Singapore against each other. Yodsanan Sityodtong vs. Jiang Long Yun: Yodsanan, who is known as "Little Tyson", is a former WBA boxing champion who compiled a 58-3 record, with 47 KO's. While already a decorated boxer, he actually won his MMA debut on ONE FC's first event by showcasing his Muay Thai skills. He's already getting up in years at 37-years-old, but we'll see how much he has improved after getting more experience with training with the world champions at Evolve MMA. He will be facing Jiang Long Yun, who is a very talented Chinese fighter, who already has a win over Yao Honggang, the former Legend FC bantamweight champion. Danny Van Bergen vs. Richie Whitson: These are two lightweights who haven't really fought much in the Asian region before. TUF 9 alum Richie Whitson, who is training out of Team Quest, will face Manhoef's teammate, Van Bergen who is looking to extend his winning streak to 3. As always, stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more coverage and updates on the Asian MMA scene.

Posted in: mma, bout, vs, champion, fc

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

One FC has almost finalized their upcoming card set for March 31 in Singapore with the show coming together in rapid fashion.

Posted in: card, fc, fashion, lions card, fc war

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

ONE FC finally released the full details of its "War of the Lions" fight card, which is taking place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 31, 2012, and there is no shortage of big names. The big news is that Renato Sobral has been replaced with DEEP Light Heavyweight Champion Yoshiyuki Nakanishi who will be taking on Melvin Manhoef in a middleweight fight. A number of the bouts had already been revealed including the main event which pits highly rated lightweight Zorobabel Moreira against Felipe Enomoto, who is coming off a big win against Ole Laursen in the final fight of the night at ONE FC 2. Laursen was also rewarded for his contribution to that highly entertaining affair with an instant return to action and he goes up against Eduard Folayang in a fight which was originally scheduled to be the main event at ONE FC 1 and is sure to go down well with the Singapore crowd. His Team Lakay team mate Kevin Belingon has the biggest fight of his career when he takes on Masakazu Imanari. The Filipino is 9-0 and has fought in Hong Kong and Singapore but never been up against an opponent as experienced as the Japanese leg-lock master. Two veterans will go head to head when Yuya Shirai faces Fabrice Monteiro. The Singapore based Brazilian has endured some indifferent results recently but he has a fantastic opportunity to show why he was once ranked as one of the world's top welterweights when he takes on the reigning DEEP 170 lbs champion. In total there are five fighters from Evolve MMA, the Singapore based camp which has a reputation as being the best in Asia, on the card. One of them, Eddie Ng from Hong Kong, will take on Malaysian Muay Thai champion Jian Kai Chee in a match up which has 'striker vs grappler' written all over it. Former boxing world champion Yodsanan Sityodtong is also back in action and will face a sterner test of his MMA credentials against China's Jiang Long Yun who holds a 3-1-1 record and has faced some of the best fighters in Asia and Australia. For the local media the main attraction is likely to be the first ever female fight to take place on a ONE FC card which sees Singapore's Nicole Chua taking on Indian Jeet Toshi. Chua has a strong background in Muay Thai but will be making her MMA debut whereas Toshi is a national kickboxing champion with 1-0 MMA record. Kim Hock and Juan Wen Jie will also both be making their professional debuts in an all Singaporean affair which should generate plenty of local interest. The first fight of the night is much more international but it will be an opportunity for 11-2 TUF veteran Richie Whitson to show that he is ready for a UFC return by beating one of Manhoef's trainers, Danny Van Bergen. There is one more fight to be announced with top rated featherweight Tatsuya Kawajiri still without an opponent. He is a former Shooto Champion who has fought for both Strikeforce and DREAM's lightweight titles and it will be very interesting to see who ONE FC find to face him. Any one of six of the fights of this card could conceivably have been made the main event which speaks volumes about the quality of the mixed martial artists who will be on display. There is no word yet on details of the broadcast although ESPN Star Sports will start showing repeats of ONE FC shows this month. It will be the most star studded card in the history of South East Asian MMA with a line up littered with names who will be familiar to fight fans all over the region.The partnerships which ONE FC formed with promotions all over Australia and Asia are also starting to pay dividends with no fewer than three fighters from DEEP and DREAM on the card. A couple of years ago the Asian MMA landscape was pretty much barren but with the UFC making occasional forays East and ONE FC raising the bar with every event the future looks very bright indeed!

Posted in: fight, mma, card, fc, singapore

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Rey Docyogen is not the most famous MMA fighter in the Philippines, that honour goes to his Team Lakay team mate Eduard Folayang, but he might very well be the most likely to make it into the UFC. He is the URCC Strawweight (>119 lbs) champion and recently showed that can fight just as effectively at flyweight when he took out top boxer Rodel Orais. It was Docyogen's 125 lbs debut and at 5"3' tall he is never going to be the biggest man in the flyweight division but he had no issues with his opponent's superior size. Before URCC Baguio 4 Orais was unbeaten in MMA and had fought the likes of Rey 'Boom Boom' Bautista in his boxing career but he found himself consistently outclassed in the stand up exchanges before before being submitted with a Kimura. It was a very impressive performance from Docyogen and while Orais is relatively inexperienced as a mixed martial artist it was a good opportunity for the Team Lakay fighter to to demonstrate that he could compete effectively at 125 lbs and knows how to neutralize an opponent with a significant reach advantage. Check out the video of that fight along with an interview with Docyogen after the jump. URCC Baguio 4: Battleground - Rodel Orais vs Rey Docyogen (via URCCMMAtv). Given the caliber of Docyogen's record and the fact that the UFC have just introduced a flyweight division it is not unrealistic to talk about him finding himself inside the octagon before too long. First he will probably need to win a few fights outside of the Philippines and the opportunity to do that should come around sooner rather than later because Team Lakay has very close connections with ONE FC. Honorio Banario, Geje Eustaquio and Folayang have already featured for ONE FC and Kevin Belingon will have the opportunity to follow in Docyogen's footsteps and improve his record to 10-0 when he takes on Masakazu Imanari at ONE FC 3 this month. Now that Docyogen has proven he can move up from 119 lbs, where even in Asia opponents are few and far between, he hopes to eventually make his way into the ONE FC flyweight division, "It will be an honour to fight for them and to represent the Philippines but I don’t know yet when it will be because it depends on ONE FC and my coach. Right now I need to concentrate first with my review for my architectural board exam this coming June." At 25 years old Docyogen still has plenty of time to pursue careers in both architecture and MMA but he cannot afford to lose his focus on the former. He has only averaged one fight per year since 2009 but says this is due to the lack of available competition at 119 lbs rather than his educational commitments, "I don’t know why I haven't fought more often but the URCC said that they had to look hard to find opponents for me." Now that he is competing at 125 lbs there should be no shortage of opponents with the likes of Andrew Leone, Kian Pham, Alex Silva, Allamurad Karayev and Akira Kibe all either signed to ONE FC or promotions within the ONE FC Network. There has also been some speculation that Belingon, who holds a URCC belt at 129 lbs, will drop down to flyweight although first he has a tremendous opportunity to make a mark on the bantamweight division when he takes on Imanari. It is a fight which Docyogen believes firmly that his team mate can win, "I think he can beat this guy. We all know Kevin is a hard working man and with the help of our other team mates he can do it. He was really very helpful to spar with during preparation for my last fight and if I am fighting someone with a similar style he is always my partner during our training." The best mixed martial artists in the Philippines almost all come from Baguio and Docyogen was born and bred there. He trains under legendary coach Mark Sangiao and feels that fighting is in his blood,"I think it’s natural for people from Baguio to be good fighters because going back to our history they had to fight just to defend their clan and their territory from others." He is the same height as Demetrious Johnson although the American manages to fit a bit more muscle onto his frame. Docyogen feels that his long term future is as a flyweight but realizes he is going to need to bulk up a bit and cut more weight if he wants to ever compete in the UFC, "At 125 lbs I don’t need to work hard to cut my weight and I think this division will fit for me. If the UFC want to give me that chance then why not? I know that first I would have to gain weight as a fighter but I can do that because I am willing to work hard and train until the bottom of my breath." www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: fight, lb, fc, flyweight, docyogen

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Following his victories over Andy Wang and Ferrid Kheder that showcased his ever evolving MMA game, highly decorated BJJ world champion Zorobabel Moreira gained much notoriety with fans and analysts alike. With those impressive performances, 'Zoro' was recently named as one of the top prospects in the world, being ranked as the #7 lightweight on the 2012 World MMA Scouting Report. It's a good recognition of his achievements so far, but Zoro isn't the type to let those things go to his head. "I don't know (about more people starting to notice me as a fighter). I don't pay much attention to these things. I focus on my training more." he said. Related: Japanese Star Tatsuya Kawajiri Booked For ONE FC 3 | Eduard Folayang vs. Ole Laursen on ONE FC 3 | Victor Cui Talks About March ONE FC Event In Singapore Zoro, who is based in Singapore with his teammates at Evolve MMA, will be fighting on his adopted home town on March 31, at ONE FC 3: Battle of the Lions. His next opponent, as BloodyElbow.com has been told by sources close to the situation, will be Felipe Enomoto, who is coming off that impressive comeback victory over Ole Laursen last February. Felipe, who will be returning to the cage just 7 weeks from the biggest win of his career at ONE FC 2, has remained active and in-shape, helping his brother, Yasubey Enomoto, for his M-1 Title defense this month. He will have roughly 4 more weeks prepare this fight, and it will be very interesting to see if he can make it with back-to-back wins over two of the top lightweight stars in the region. Earlier this week, when the bout against Enomoto hasn't been set up yet, Zoro told us that he's more focused on working on improving his overall game than worrying about his opponent. He remained confident that his team will handle all the opponent-specific work once the bout gets finalized saying that "Chatri will come up with a strategy and game plan for me." He's referring of course, to Chatri Sityodtong, the head of the famed Evolve MMA gym. One of the more interesting things that came up on the interview, was that while Moreira probably has the best BJJ skills in the division, and he also towers over majority of his opponents with his 6-foot-3 frame, he doesn't consider those as his advantages over the other lightweights. "My advantage is my team," he exclaimed, "Evolve has everything for me. I train hard. I have the best coaches in the world for everything... Muay Thai, Wrestling, BJJ, MMA, anything." Much more after the jump including the current fight card for ONE FC 3. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena. Zorobabel Moreira rolling with Shinya Aoki at Evolve MMA -- Photo by Anton Tabuena When I flew to Singapore to check out their beautiful gym (photos here), I was able to witness him working with one of the more popular members of the Evolve Fight Team, in Shinya Aoki. Zoro credits the DREAM lightweight champ for helping him out a lot in the recent years. "We always train hard together. He is a super guy - always helping everybody, always showing us details. I try to help him for BJJ too." Zoro said about his Japanese teammate, "Shinya is the best fighter for sure. He has a very big future. He is one of my best friends on the Evolve Fight Team." Evolve MMA also added Heath Sims recently, who is a former Olympic wrestler and long time coach of Dan Henderson at Team Quest. Zoro feels like he's making strides with the addition of another high caliber coach to their roster of world champions. "He is an incredible coach," he says of the former Team Quest mentor, "He is the best. I learn so much from Heath. He is a great professor, with very technical details for wrestling, details for wrestling for MMA. I am so happy." Zoro has been training with some of the best coaches, and he has already reached the pinnacle of Jiujitsu, gaining all those accolades from that sport. While he still has dreams of reaching the 'big show' of MMA, he's currently eying a title in the stacked lightweight division in Asia. "I want to fight in the UFC one day." Zoro said, "But first, I want to win the ONE FC championship title belt. This is my dream right now." On March 31st, he will first have to defeat a fellow rising star in Felipe Enomoto, who will definitely be looking to derail that dream of his. Here's the current rumored fight card so far: ONE Fighting Championship 3: Battle of the LionsMarch 31, 2012 - Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore - Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon- Eduard Folayang vs. Ole Laursen- Tatsuya Kawajiri - Melvin Manhoef - Zorobabel Moreira vs. Felipe Enomoto- Gregor Gracie - Eddie Ng - Ray Elbe- Yodsanan Sityodtong- Yuya Shirai- Nicole Chua vs. Jeet Toshi

Posted in: mma, team, fc, enomoto, zoro

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

There will only ever be one Manny Pacquiao, but another combat sports fighter has captured the imagination of the Filipino public in recent years. Eduard Folayang is not just a successful mixed martial artist, he has also won numerous gold medals representing his country at Wushu and is so fiercely patriotic, that he has been known to turn down big money fights to do this. Inside the cage he is the epitome of the word warrior, he is never afraid to engage his opponents and even when bruised and battered he always finds a way to win. Outside of the cage he is quiet, religious, respectful and extremely humble. Folayang has never tried to hype fights or to present an image or a persona, people in the Philippines can recognize his qualities without being constantly reminded of them and they love him for fighting in a style which makes them proud and conducting himself in a manner which reflects well on both himself and his country. In November 2009 Folayang suffered the first and only loss of his career when he was stopped by TUF on FX contestant Jon Tuck early in the first round of their fight in Saipan. It was a brutal one punch KO which left the URCC welterweight champion out cold. For some fighters it would have been career ending Folayang went away, worked hard and came back stronger. He stopped Korean journeyman Doo Jae Jung with punches in his URCC return four months later which set him up for his first real chance to make a name for himself outside of the Philippines. When ESPN Star Sports formed Martial Combat in 2010 the Filipino fighter became one of the faces of the organization winning three fights out of three, despite taking some serious punishment against both Bao She Ri Gu Leng and Vuyisile Colossa. By the time Martial Combat finished its 12 event run he had improved his record to 9-1 and developed a huge fan following in the process. When ONE Fighting Championship was formed in 2011 he was the obvious choice to compete in the main event against another man who had made his name at Martial Combat, Ole Laursen. A training injury put paid to Laursen's participation but his replacement was the much more experienced A Sol Kwon. The Korean came into the fight with a 16-6 record, was riding a six fight win streak, had competed at both K-1 and Deep and represented a serious examination of Folayang's credentials as a world class fighter. It was a test the Filipino passed with flying colours, bouncing back from a broken nose in the first round to dominate the remainder of the fight. With 10 seconds left in the last round he had established a comfortable lead on the scorecards and could have sat back but instead he charged forwards, backing Kown up with quickfire combinations to put an emphatic explanation mark on his tenth career victory. After claiming gold in the 2011 SEA Games (above) he made a triumphant homecoming in January when he fought in the Philippines for the first time in almost two years, defeating Brazilian Wadson Teixeira at URCC Cebu 7. Folayang had always been scheduled to fight at ONE FC 3 and matchmakers decided to slot the previously postponed fight with Laursen onto the second Singapore card. Laursen recently lost to Felipe Enomoto in the main event of ONE FC 2 and Folayang admits he was surprised when he got the call to face him on March 31st. "I was not expecting Ole to be my next opponent but this is the match that the crowd in Singapore has been anticipating. I'm a fighter and I will fight anyone they want me to, my job is to train and fight not to pick my opponents." Both Folayang and Laursen were born in the Philippines but the former has remained in Baguio to this day while the latter has moved from Scandinavia to Thailand before setting up a camp in the seaside resort of Boracay. Teixeira is based there and Laursen, who he was in his corner at URCC Cebu 7, will be looking to avenge that loss on March 31st. In his last fight Laursen came out swinging and repeatedly rocked Enomoto with punches before appearing to tire in the second round. Folayang is renowned for his stamina, although he also has a habit of getting rocked, and will have been reviewing that fight footage with interest. "If he wants to try and knock me out as soon as the fight starts I am prepared for that, whatever happens in this fight I will be prepared for it. I would like to be more cautious and prepared in future so that I can win without getting hurt but I am always confident because my faith in God gives me confidence." ONE FC are coming to Manila in mid 2012 for a show which is rumoured to be taking place in the brand new 20,000 capacity Mall of Asia Arena. Folayang would be the ideal headliner and he says he is desperate to get on that card. "I really want to be on that show, it would be a dream to fight in front of so many fans in Manila. I hope to fight for the ONE FC Lightweight belt one day but I am just happy to be able to fight regularly, I feel the more often I fight the sharper I get." His Team Lakay team mate Kevin Belingon has the biggest fight of his life coming up when he takes on Masakazu Imanari at ONE FC 3 and the two of them have been training together. Folayang believes that his training partner has what it takes to win and to improve to 9-0 and is also looking forward to seeing their fights on TV in the Philippines. "We are helping each other in our preparations and I believe that Kevin will win in this fight. ONE FC will also be shown on ESPN soon and I really look forward on watching my team mates in Team Lakay on TV regularly because it's one way of showcasing our talents in this sport." As if patriotism and pride were not motivation enough for Folayang he has also begun building a house in Baguio, using the prize money he collected from his fight of the night bonus at ONE FC 1. If he can keep overcoming opponents in style at high profile international event then his home should be finished in no time. There are a lot of very good mixed martial artists in the Philippines but none of them have quite captured the imagination of the public there in the same way that Folayang has. ONE FC has recruited some of the top fighters in the region but when it comes to popularity none of them can compete with the Baguio based URCC Welterweight Champion. www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: fight, philippine, folayang, fc, laursen

Read the full article at MMA Mania

There's a lot of news coming out of the Asian MMA scene, with the biggest coming from India's Super Fight League. I haven't been a fan of the promotion's moves and gimmicks, nor was I interested in seeing guys like Jimmy Ambriz, Bob Sapp and James Thompson headlining their first card. To be fair though, their next events will probably take a huge step up in quality as the promotion just announced several signings of good prospects and familiar names. The promotion just announced the signing of several fighters, with the most notable ones being top Russian light heavyweight prospect, Baga Agaev, along with UFC veterans, Todd Duffee, Paul Kelly, and Trevor Prangley. The promotion has huge backers, and it's obvious that they aren't afraid of spending big money for their events. They're going to have several international musicians performing, and they're even raffling off a Harley Davidson motorcycle on their first show. They have tons of gimmicks, and there are rumblings of even bigger signings coming up, so while it is yet to be seen if these things will be enough to captivate and convert the audience in India to the sport, it will be fun to see how it all unfolds. There's much more news and updates after the jump. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena Here's more news from the Asian MMA scene: Aside from Kawajiri joining their ranks, Lenne Hardt is now also on board with ONE FC, so expect to hear her trademark fighter intros. The famous PRIDE announcer will now be working exclusively with ONE FC and DREAM, who have an existing partnership. 23-year-old Filipino fighter, Mark Striegl (7-0) is fresh of that nasty technical submission at Legend FC, and as reported here earlier, he has signed with Thailand-based promotion, DARE.Sources close to the situation have informed BloodyElbow.com on Monday night that Striegl, who is already considered as one of the top featherweight prospects in Asia, will be making the cut to join DARE's bantamweight tournament. He will be gunning for the promotion's inaugural bantamweight title along with that $125,000 cash prize, but first he has to get passed Marko Huusansaari on March 17 during the opening round.Speaking of Striegl, they have released footage of his last bout on Legend FC 7: PXC star, Jon Tuck (6-0) has made it to the TUF 15 cast. He was last seen knocking out Tristan Arenal at PXC 28 in the Philippines, and is more known to MMA fans as the only guy who have ever beat Eduard Folayang. He will now be part of the 32 lightweights who will be competing under Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber's teams in the revamped and 'jive live' version of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. Tuck has good BJJ skills, and has won multiple world championships as a purple belt. He has big power in his hands, which usually compensates for whatever small technical flaws he has in his stand up game. It would be very interesting to see how he stacks up against a talented cast.Photo by Paolo Tabuena. Legend FC co-founder Mike Haskamp was recently featured on CNN, as he talked about making the move from investment banking in the US to running his own MMA promotion in Asia. Check it out: A successful entrepreneur and Harvard graduate is starting out a new MMA gym in Asia, with 5-star facilities and filled with multiple BJJ and Muay Thai world champions. Sound familiar? Nope, I'm not talking about Chatri Sityodtong and Evolve MMA. Although the founder of this new gym, Cole Sirucek, was a member of that Singapore gym, before deciding to start his own brand in Hong Kong, called "Epic MMA Club".The gym is going to be a massive 15,000 square feet, with top notch facilities, and a stacked current roster of fighters and instructors that includes, 4th degree black belt and BJJ World Champion Rodrigo Medeiros, BJJ Champs Silvio Braga, Marcus Cacella, and Mike Power, kickboxing champ and ONE FC Star Vuyisile Colossa, along with Muay Thai champs Viriya Sripaew, and Somkid Khonthong.You can check out their website which also provides a virtual tour of their gym. Here's to hoping this new organization can make a huge impact in the development of the sport in Hong Kong. (HT: Lee Li)

Posted in: mma, promotion, fighter, gym, fc

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

As a longtime veteran of PRIDE, Tatsuya Kawajiri is certainly familiar with the company’s unique set of rules allowing for kicks/stomps to a grounded opponent. It now appears “Crusher” will have a chance to fight under them again albeit for a different promotion. According to officials from ONE FC, an upstart Asian organization adopting many of PRIDE’s policies, Kawajiri has agreed to fight on their March 31 card in Singapore. The show marks the first since agreeing to share talent with DREAM where Kawajiri normally competes and one of the only times he has fought outside of his native Japan. Kawajiri, who recently dropped down to featherweight after a significant amount of success at 155 pounds, has won his last three fights and holds an overall record of 30-7. Among the numerous notable adversaries he’s taken out are the likes of Joachim Hansen, Drew Fickett, Josh Thomson, Yves Edwards, and Gesias Cavalcante. Kawajiri Impresses at New Year’s Eve Event While no opponent was revealed for Kawajiri, ONE FC did announce bouts between Ole Laursen-Eduard Folayang and Masakazu Imanari-Kevin Belingon. PHOTO CREDIT – FEG Tweet

Posted in: fight, kawajiri, fc, japan kawajiri, laurseneduard folayang

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The talent-sharing agreement between Asian promotions DREAM and ONE FC will be in full effect next month, as the latter organization announced Tatsuya Kawajiri would fight under their banner on March 31 marking one of the few times “Crusher” has competed outside of his native Japan. Kawajiri, known primarily for his work in PRIDE/DREAM, is currently on a three-fight winning streak with a trio of finishes including victories over Drew Fickett and Joachim Hansen. He holds an overall record of 30-7 with other notable instances of success coming against Vitor Ribeiro, Gesias Cavalcante, Josh Thomson, and Yves Edwards. No opponent was mentioned for Kawajiri though a few other match-ups were announced with submission specialist Masakazu Imanari taking on Kevin Belingon and Filipino star Eduard Folayang fighting Ole Laursen. It is also unknown what weight the longtime lightweight, newly-anointed featherweight Kawajiri will compete at. ONE FC 3 is set to take place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. The promotion has already put on a pair of successful events since making their official debut last year, drawing in a number of fans intrigued by the unique rule-set allowing for PRIDE-style rules including kicks to downed opponents. PHOTO CREDIT – DREAM

Posted in: kawajiri, fc, yves edwards, fc event, talentsharing agreement

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

I just finished submitting my proposal to the International MMA nickname committee to officially change Tatsuya 'Crusher' Kawajiri to simply...Killer Kawajiri. The International MMA nickname committee, formally known as Seanbaby's Megaman Robotic Villian naming committee, gave us late 80s/early 90s classics like 'Cut-Man', 'Bubble-Man', 'Quick-Man' and of course the world-renowned 'Guts Man'. After getting smacked in the face by every elementary school fan for their lack of originality, the committee decided to transition into the world of MMA. Members of the newly formed International MMA nickname committee knew they had to break into the scene with a bang. One night, a member of the committee broke into Burt Reynolds' upper-east side loft and stole the actor's prized mustache. The next day, after hours of surgery, scientists managed to cybernetically implant the mustache on a new fighter soaring through the ranks of MMA. That day, in August 15th 1995 we all witnessed the birth of 'The Predator' Don Frye. Kawajiri rocks his mutated cauliflower ear like it's a Christmas ornament. If Kawajiri was a ninja turtle, he would immediately distance himself from Splinter. I'm not even sure what that meant, but that's the type of vibe Kawajiri gives off whenever he steps in the cage. It's like God specifically designed him to rock pink shorts and ground and pound people deep within earth's core. Now that MMAWeekly is reporting Tatsuya Kawajiri has been signed to fight in ONE FC 3, today has already reached it's apex of rawesomeness. It's all down-hill from here, folks. Actually, we have one exclusive video we're going to publish later today -- but after that, just go to bed. Kawajiri's opponent hasn't been announced and we're assuming the bout will take place at 145 lbs. ONE FC 3 goes down March 31st in Singapore, and if you liked our exclusive coverage of ONE FC 2 in Indonesia, we will undoubtedly deliver the international goods once again next month.

Posted in: mma, kawajiri, nickname, fc, committee

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Tatsuya Kawajiri will compete outside of Japan for only the second time of his career when he fights at ONE FC 3 on March 31 in Singapore. ONE FC recently announced his participation on the card. Kawajiri's last appearance outside of Japan was a loss to Gilbert Melendez at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley in April 2011. The 33-year-old Kawajiri (30-7-2) has won his last three fights against Drew Fickett, Joachim Hansen and Kazuyuki Miyata. He made the drop to featherweight in September and is twice unbeaten in the division. Kawajiri appears on the ONE FC card courtesy of a talent exchange program between ONE FC and DREAM. The two confirmed matchups on the ONE FC 3 card so far are Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon and Eduard Folayang vs. Ole Laursen. Confirmed participants on the card include Ray Elbe, Eddie Ng, Zorobabel Moreira and Nicole Chua. The previously slated main event with Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Melvin Manhoef is unlikely to happen. Sobral has since signed to fight Steve Bosse for Canada's Instinct promotion in May.

Posted in: fight, vs, kawajiri, card, fc

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) might only come to town once a year or so, but fortunately for Asian mixed martial arts (MMA) fans big things are happening much closer to home. ONE FC has hit the ground running, booking shows in multiple cities across the continent and today it was announced that Tatsuya Kawajiri, widely regarded as the number two featherweight in the world, was the latest addition to the March 31st card at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The Crusher has an outstanding 30-7 record and has consistently faced the very best fighters in the featherweight division. The identity of his opponent has yet to be announced and there is widespread speculation that unbeaten Filipino Eric Kelly will get the call, although he is in the midst of a managerial dispute which might affect his availability. Two fights have been confirmed for ONE FC 'War of the Lions' with Kevin Belingon taking on Masakazu Imanari in the bantamweight division and lightweights Eduard Folayang and Ole Laursen facing off in a match which was originally scheduled for the main event of ONE FC 1. Both Imanari and Kawajiri have DREAM contracts but are beneficiaries of the 'ONE FC Network' which allows fighters to move freely between selected promotions. Belingon is the current URCC bantamweight belt holder and has beaten some decent opponents such as Justin Cruz, Nam Jin Jo and Richard Lasprilla but will have his work cut out if he wants to improve his perfect professional record to 10-0. Imanari is probably the foremost leg lock specialist in the entire MMA world and while not the most well rounded of fighters only needs the slightest of invitations to slap on a heel hook or knee bar. Belingon has strong Wushu based striking and wrestling skills but will need to showcase some outstanding submission defence if he is to overcome the much more experienced Japanese opponent. Folayang is the most famous mixed martial artist in the Philippines and is legendary for his ability to bounce back from adversity in order to win exciting fights. He defeated A Sol Kwon by decision at ONE FC 1 despite having his nose badly broken in the opening round and earlier this year improved his record to 11-1 after some brutal ground and pound left Brazilian Wadson Teixeira unconscious on the canvass Laursen recently suffered a setback when he was stopped by Felipe Enomoto in the second round of a highly entertaining contest, but having promised the fans this fight last September ONE FC decided to go ahead and stick it on the card for the second show. Evolve MMA is located in Singapore and has rapidly developed a reputation as being the most sophisticated training facility in Asia. As was the case with ONE FC 1, they are likely to have a large contingent of fighters on the March 31st card including BJJ world champion Zorobabel Moreira, who is one of the top lightweight prospects in the world, and another 155 lbs stand out, Hong Kong's Eddie Ng. Another Asian based fighter to be added to the card is BJJ black belt Ray Elbe who is the head of the MMA program at Tiger Muay Thai and an MMA veteran with a 23-11 record. He has only fought intermittently in recent years but is very well known in the region and acquired something of a bad boy reputation when he fought twice for Martial Combat in Singapore in 2010. ONE FC also announced that ESPN Star Sports would begin broadcasting shows as early as March. The two organizations signed a deal which guarantees ONE FC television coverage in 24 Asian countries for the next 10 years. At the opposite end of the mixed martial arts spectrum India's longest running MMA promotion, Full Contact Championship, put on their fifth card in Mumbai on Saturday night. Amongst the notable winners are Sagar Kadu, Sangram Bhakre, Rajinder Singh Meena and Sandeep Yadav who all improved their records to 3-0 and took a step closer to being ready for international competition. FCC 5 Fight Results BOUT 1: (60 kgs) Sagar Kadu vs Perumal Swamy. Winner Sagar Kadu via Submission. BOUT 2: (65kgs) Sangram Slammer Bhakre vs Mukesh Thakur. Winner, Slammer Bhakre via Arm Bar. BOUT 3: (69 kgs) Rajinder Knockout Meena vs Dinesh Shelar. Winner, Rajinder via Standing Guillotine. BOUT 4: (FEMALE BOUT 45kgs) Jeet Toshi vs Pooja Mehra. Winner, Jeet toshi via Unanimous decision. BOUT 5: (72 kgs) Sandeep Power Yadav vs Amjad Khan. Winner, Power Yadav via Knockout. BOUT 6: (75 kgs)Akshey vs Gaurav Pandey : Winner, Gaurav, via Unanimous Decision. BOUT 7: (85kgs) Nitin Gaikwad vs Raju Shirsagar. Winner, Nitin via TKO. BOUT 8: (85 kgs )Alfan Hashmi vs Shibashish Mad Dog Banerjee. Winner, Alfan via Submission. BOUT 9: (WILD CARD BOUT) 65kgs. Aditya Deshpande vs Vinayak More. Winner, Aditya Deshpande via TKO

Posted in: bout, vs, winner, kg, fc

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More interesting news coming out of the Asian MMA scene, as officials from ONE Fighting Championship have announced that Japanese star Tatsuya Kawajiri is set to compete at ONE FC 3 in Singapore. Kawajiri has long been at the top of the lightweight rankings, but decided to drop down to featherweight late last year, gaining 2 impressive submission wins over Joachim Hansen and Kazuyuki Miyata. As of this writing, no opponent has been named to face the 'Crusher', who will be looking to stay undefeated since making the cut. The signing is part of that on-going partnership between DREAM and ONE FC, and is a welcome addition to a card that has just lost Babalu Sobral, who recently dropped off his scheduled bout against Melvin Manhoef. Related: Eduard Folayang Vs. Ole Laursen Announced For ONE FC 3Victor Cui Talks About March ONE FC Event In Singapore Here is the current rumored card: ONE Fighting Championship 3: Battle of the LionsMarch 31, 2012 - Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore - Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon- Eduard Folayang vs. Ole Laursen- Tatsuya Kawajiri - Melvin Manhoef - Zorobabel Moreira - Gregor Gracie - Eddie Ng - Nicole Chua vs. Jeet Toshi More fights for the March 31st event are expected to be announced in the coming week, so stay tuned to BloodyElbow.com for more updates. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena.

Posted in: vs, kawajiri, fc, singapore, tatsuya

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The UFC is heading to Japan this weekend, but there are still a lot of news coming out of the Asian MMA scene: First off, the videos for URCC Baguio 4: Battleground have just been released. This is one of the promotion's provincial events held in Baguio, Philippines, and you can probably think of it as more like their 'UFC Fight Nights' as opposed to the major numbered events which is held in Manila. The mountain province of Baguio is the home town of the famed Team Lakay camp which has produced multiple champs and Asian stars such as Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon and many others. Headlining the card is one of the champions from that stable, in Pinweight champion (119 lbs.), Roy Docyogen. He took on former pro-boxer and fellow undefeated fighter Rodel Orais, at 125 lbs, presumably as a precursor to Docyogen competing internationally as a flyweight. Check out the video below: After the jump, check out the URCC featherweight championship fight along with a bunch of other MMA news from the Asian region. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena URCC champ and ONE FC star, Eric Kelly had some personal and managerial problems, prompting the promotion to add an interim featherweight title a few months back. So to co-headlining the Baguio event, Judo-based fighter Ricardo Sapno defended the URCC Interim Featherweight championship for the first time since taking the title on his last bout against Red Romero. Check out the video below: You can also watch the other fights from the event on the URCC Youtube Channel. Following that Baguio event, the URCC will be hosting another numbered event and will be hosting their 21st major event in the country. Headlining that URCC XXI card will be URCC Middleweight Champion, Froilan Sarenas, an undefeated fighter training out of Submission Sport Philippines and Ole Laursen's Boracay Gym. No opponent has been named as of this writing, but stay tuned for more updates. Also on the same night as URCC Baguio, PXC 29 was also hosted in the Philippines. Here's a highlight video (from a perspective of News anchors in Guam) that saw Ryan Bigler dominate TUF Alum Dorian Price, and the Philippines' Ale Cali winning the PXC Flyweight title: As for post-fight analysis, I didn't attend the event, and this was the first time I've watched the PXC broadcast on AKTV, and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of their production. Apart from a few awkward camera angles from time-to-time, everything was running very smoothly, and the commentators were doing a good job at educating the more casual Filipino fanbase they're catering to. Ryan Biglar turned in a very impressive performance by thoroughly dominating a UFC veteran in Dorian Price, making him one of the welterweights to look out for in the region. Ale Cali on the other hand, showed that he was good enough to survive against a very experienced jiujitsu guy on the ground. He battled several submission attempts, until he eventually overwhelmed Jesse Taitano with his striking, winning him the PXC Flyweight Championship. It was an exciting fight, and a very good test for Cali, who has very good and flashy boxing, but is still relatively inexperienced and unproven on the ground. He passed that with flying colors, and he should be praised for that, but let's be honest here, I really don't think a guy with just 1 win on his last 7 fights has any business fighting for a championship. Don't get me wrong, giving him a high-level grappler like Taitano was a perfect step up in competition for Ale Cali at this stage of his career. I don't have any problems with the matchmaking, but in my humble opinion, having a guy with that record competing for a title just doesn't send the right message. Moving on to more Asian MMA news, RUFF, a promotion in China, just announced a few fights for their 3rd show. Zhang LiPeng vs Rodrigo Caporal will headline, and also announced, was an excellent bantamweight matchup. Irshaad Sayed (3-1), who is coming off a dominant win at ONE FC 2, is apparently set to face Legend FC Bantamweight Champion Jumabieke Tuerxun (11-0).'Bieke' won their first meeting last July, and after both guys won big and looked to have improved a lot recently, a rematch actually is very intriguing. Sadly, it probably won't happen. Reliable sources close to the situation have informed BloodyElbow.com that the bout is unlikely to push through regardless of it being announced by RUFF. Warning signs already sprung up the moment it was announced, as Sayed is signed with DARE and should technically be "exclusive" to the ONE FC network, while Bieke, being a Legend FC champion, would have to secure special permission to fight outside the promotion.While the idea of having a ONE FC fighter taking on a Legend Champ would excite some of the fans in the region, this fight was actually planned before both of those labels actually happened. On Shooto's March 10 event, Korean champ and Legend FC bantamweight finalist, Jo Nam Jin, will be dropping down to flyweight, to face Shinichi Kojima, a former Shooto Champion. Felipe Enomoto's brother Yasubey Enomoto (9-2), will be defending his M-1 Welterweight title on March 24, against top Russian prospect Rashid Magomedov (16-1). In slightly unrelated news, I still want to see how that GoPro video of his turned out after it gets edited. Hopefully the two brothers keep filming their fights with that unique angle and perspective, and who knows, maybe they can even get a sponsorship out of it. Speaking of videos, Zorobabel Moreira and Eddie Ng, two talented fighters from the famous Evolve MMA gym in Singapore will be competing on ONE FC 3 in Singapore. Check out these excellent preview videos from Evolve:

Posted in: fight, video, event, urcc, fc

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Asian MMA: Check out this highlight video of Legend FC 7 American promotions should take note. This is how high-quality highlights and promos should look.

Posted in: video, check, fc, american, note

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We flew from Los Angeles to Jakarta and on the way back to California, Japanese immigration at Nagoya airport jacked my bottle of exotic vodka. I needed the world to know that. The person that stole it was a mildly attractive woman, and she probably had some incredible party with my bottle of Indonesian vodka. To that immigration woman, I hope you and your friends got drunk off my bottle and made horrible choices that night -- like stuffing your face with an enormous amount of carbohydrates. I also hope you woke up with a hangover, and then stubbed your toe on the way to the bathroom the next morning. Aside from getting robbed in Japan, we manifested an incredible ONE FC 2: Battle of Heroes video compiled from never-before-seen footage that MiddleEasy shot at the event. I'm sure you'll like it, and if you don't, you secretly hate yourself. MiddleEasy will be on-location for ONE FC 3 in Singapore. If you reside in the area (or even in that hemisphere), you should get your tickets right now before the event is sold out, again.

Posted in: fc, bottle, nagoya airport, carbohydrates i, heroes video

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To anyone on the South East Asian mixed martial arts' (MMA) scene, Arnaud Lepont is a very familiar face. He has trained at countless camps throughout Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia before settling down at Muayfit in Kuala Lumpur at the start of the year. His record stands at 7-1 and he is currently preparing for the biggest fight of his career to date against Krzystof Hajtalowicz at DARE Championship 2/12 next month.The Polish fighter has a perfect 2-0 record and has submitted two well-respected opponents. The stakes are high because the winner will move into the semifinals of the DARE Welterweight Tournament and there is $120,000 in prize money on offer to the eventual winner. Hajtalowicz has been based in Thailand for several years, just like Lepont was, and fight fans there are well aware of his abilities which is why this is such an eagerly anticipated match up. During the years he spent in Thailand, Lepont trained at multiple camps and is a popular figure who is known for his highly aggressive fighting style. Whereas Hajtalowicz didn't submit Wiktor Svensson until the second round of a real war in his DARE debut, Lepont stopped Jian Kai Chee in the opening minute of their fight The charismatic French fighter took time out to answer questions about training and fighting in Asia and his forthcoming fight at DARE 2/12. Your fight with Hajtalowicz was originally scheduled to take place in January but was postponed. How frustrating was that for you? I have to be honest, it was really frustrating. You know, when DARE told me i would have to fight Cris for the first quarterfinal of the Million Dollar tournament I was pumped. I respect this guy, as a friend and as a fighter. I trained myself like I have never done before in my all life. I pushed my body and made a lot of sacrifices, especially with my family. It's like working for an examination and then when the times comes around you are not able to show the world how good you are. Winning or losing, I don't care...but I want to put on a show that nobody will ever forget. So yes, it was frustrating. I though that I have done all this for nothing you know... THE GAME vs KAI - DARE MMA - Bangkok, Thailand (via Darechampionship) You've been preparing for this fight for over three months now, is having such a long training camp a bad thing or a good thing? I think it's a bad thing because it's tough to keep the focus on the fight. Especially with all injuries that you can get during training. I have never been in a fight at 100%. You always have to go through pain and injuries. For this fight in January I was in really good shape for the first time ever but then I had to start all over again. It's like doing all twice. And this time I already have couple of injuries…but my mind and my will are unbreakable…It will be a tough time for my opponent. If you win you will be in the semifinals of the welterweight tournament, how much of an incentive for you is that? I take a fight at a time. I am not really focus about winning the tournament. If i can do it, for sure I will do my best but now, I am just focused on winning the next battle. You have moved from Vietnam to Thailand to Malaysia in the last few years. How has training in so many different places helped you to improve as a martial artist?I think to be better, you have to open your mind to others. It didn't go down so well when i was in Thailand because there is so many "Wars" between the different camps there, but thanks to all of them, I feel that I am way better as mixed martial artist. Teaching and learning fighting skills is not really legal in Vietnam , so it was difficult to improve myself. Moving to Thailand helped me a lot. Striking techniques there, are the best in the world. How would you describe your style of fighting? I think I am a well rounded fighter. I don't focus in only one part of fighting, I want to be good everywhere. My main goal is to be able to always find a way of winning the fight. Once, a close friend told my opponent that I was a opportunist, that I would even make a finger lock to win the fight. Lol. How often do you train and who do you train with? I train twice a day, six days a week in cardio, Muay Thai, grappling and MMA. I have couple of good sparring partners at Muayfit in Malaysia who push me like Eric "The Natural" Kelly, Allamurad Karayev and Samir Mrabet. Will Chope and Mark Striegl will join the team next week....You are never better than your sparring and training…so I need guys with good level. I want to thanks the man behind the team Paul Teo who is the owner of the Muayfit gym. Even if he don’t like publicity and is maybe the most humble guy I met in my life, I really want to show my respect because thanks to him I have the chance be part of a team of pro fighters. How much has Asian MMA changed since you have been here? A lot! When I was still in France it was all about Pride FC but since I am in Asia I have heard about all this amazing shows like Road FC, Legend FC, Martial Combat, Dare FC and Dream and now there is ONE FC which is like the UFC in Asia. Asia is the hometown of martial arts and you really feel the passion of people there. I am nobody here and I meet already people in Malaysia that ask me for a picture. It’s crazy. The two big places for MMA in the next two years are Malaysia and India. Believe me. Do you dream of fighting in the UFC one day ? Yes, for sure I am dreaming about a shot at UFC, like every fighter does. If I win my next two fights…I think it would be possible. But that's not my main goal right now. After this fight in Dare, win or lose, I want a shot at ONE FC. I want to fight in this show. I was there for One FC 2 in Jakarta and I was amazed by this event, and I would love to compete at ONE FC 4 in Kuala Lumpur so I can put on a show for my hometown crowd. Fighting for ONE FC in front of 10,000 people in the city I call home would be a dream come true.I saw you cornered a couple of team mates at the recent One FC event, how did you enjoy that? Damn, it was great. The show was amazing. I was really proud of my guys. Raymond Tiew did a good job and put on a good show for the fans. I hope he will recover fast from his injury because he is a young kid with lot of heart who is not scared to step in the cage for a good brawl. I respect that. Give him couple of months, let him work his ground and he will be really dangerous. I think Peter Davis was a little bit overcome by the occasion and having to get down to 155 lbs took a lot out of him. I know he is way better that what he showed at ONE FC 2, believe me. He has sick striking, he was just a little shy that day. Don't judge him by that performance. If you sparred with him everyday like me you would know how dangerous his stand up is. DARE Championship do things a little bit differently, how does it compare to other shows you have fought on in the past? Dare is a live experience. You cannot feel what Dare FC is if you are not in the crowd and watch it live. I have fought around the world, thank God, and I really love the Dare experience. Jussi, the promoter, is smart, really smart. He put in his show a whole new factor that we never seen before it almost feels like a video game. I hope eventually they move to a bigger venue because with the quality of his show, you can draw way more people to watch it live, especially in Thailand! You have been living in Asia for a long time now, do people in France still follow your career? That’s what I am the more surprise about. You know, in France, MMA is still not really legal. Fighters have to go out of the country to fight. It’s tough to practice a sport and have to go out of your country to compete. I bow down to all pro French fighters that work during the day, train at night and go fight in another country during weekend. So, yes, people still follow my career. That’s why I keep doing daily a video blog in French on my facebook page. They follow me so I try to keep them updated, to respect them. It’s always a pleasure to get some mails from French fans. For me, they are the most important. Do you have any predictions for your fight with Krzystof Hajtalowicz? No, I have not because anything can happen in an MMA fight. Even if we pump up the fight, I have a lot of respect for Cris's skills. And personally, he is a nice guy. I just hope we gonna put a hell of a fight for the crowd. Anything can happen. I am not afraid to go on the ground with him cause I bet he will try to put me on my back. He will try. We both know that this fight will not go to decision... Do you see your future as a welterweight or would you rather compete at 155? Are you reading my mind? Yes, the fight with Cris will be my last fight as a welterweight. Next time, Dare or ONE FC, I will fight at 155. I am done with the 170 division. I am usually walking at 78kg now, and i am really small for a welterweight. It's a whole new world for me and new fight opportunity! I will be in the same division as the main event fighters from the last ONE FC and I can't wait to test myself. Imagine me against Felipe Enomoto, would be a crazy war. DARE 2/12 is scheduled to take place at 4:30 pm local time at the Insomnia Night Club in Bangkok, Thailand. It will be available on pay per view for USD $9.99. For more information visit: www.darefightsports.com.

Posted in: fight, time, fighter, fc, thailand

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Up until last weekend Geje Eustaquio was not one of the better known fighters in the Philippines and did not enjoy the same sort of reputation or recognition as his Team Lakay teammates Eduard Folayang, Honorio Banario, Kevin Belingon, or Roy Docyogen. However he opened a lot of people’s eyes to the sort of depth of talent coach Mark Sangiao has at his disposal in Baguio by putting on a virtuoso performance to defeat BJJ world champion Alex Silva by Unanimous Decision at ONE FC 2 in Jakarta. Eustaquio survived multiple submission attempts by the slick submission specialist and, after Silva took his back at the end of round one, appeared close to tapping. However, in an interview with Fighters.com he claims that he was always comfortable. Complete ONE FC 2 Results “Honestly no, I was not going to tap.” said Eustaquio. “I defended that position in training for much longer periods of time, that was just two minutes and we are doing ten minutes during training. I did relax when I heard the ten seconds signal because I believed I would survive ten seconds and that’s a lesson learned on my part. I won’t make the same mistake again.” The first round probably went Silva’s way but Eustaquio started to showcase his superior stand up in the second stanza. It was still close at this stage but the Filipino fighter picked up the pace in the last five minutes and even feels he could have finished the fight, explaining, “God gave me the chance to finish the fight earlier without ending in decision but I didn’t take it I missed the chance. Alex is really a tough guy, the game plan was to keep the fight standing until he had no choice but to stay on the ground. My camp and my coach prepared my takedown defence and ground skills and ground and pound was a big part of my training.” Eustaquio might have surprised a few spectators by electing to try and do damage on the ground rather than beckoning the BJJ specialist back up but Team Lakay fighters are nothing if not well rounded and he is no exception. He trains alongside some of the top fighters in Asia at the lighter weights including Docyogen and Belingon who are both 9-0. Docyogen currently competes at 119 pounds, whereas Belingon tends to fight at around 130 pounds, but both could conceivably fight as flyweights. With the UFC recently implementing a 125-pound division these two are both likely to be of considerable interest and Eustaquio, the latest Filipino to add his name to the list of flyweight prospects, is convinced that his team mates have what it takes. “They are Team Lakay, they are trained by the best coach and guided by the best coach which means they also perform best. They are both world class performers and if God permits I hope we can all fight for the UFC one day,” said the proud Filipino. Team Lakay is an important part of the ONE FC Network and Belingon and Docyogen are both signed up to that promotion. Belingon has a huge fight on the horizon when he takes on Japanese leg lock specialist Masakazu Imanari at ONE FC 3 in Singapore while Docyogen will be defending his pinweight belt against former boxer Roder Orais at URCC Baguio in the Philippines. While the Octagon remains a distant dream right now Eustaquio, whose only career loss was a controversial Split Decision, is fully focused on fighting for ONE FC. He is ready to face off with anyone in the flyweight division and says he can’t wait to fight again, stating, “The whole experience was amazing, I think there were 50 photographers at the weigh in and I want to thank Sir Victor Cui, I’m so proud that I met a guy who can make impossible things happen. I enjoyed fighting with your promotion and was so happy also with the support from the crowd, it’s an honor to fight at ONE FC.” PHOTO CREDIT – ONE FC Tweet

Posted in: fight, team, fc, belingon, eustaquio

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While 2011 set the baseline for Titan FC, company CEO Joe Kelly says that growth, both for the promotion and its fighters, is the name of the game in 2012.

Posted in: titan, name, game, fc, titan fc

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Wushu expert and URCC Champion Eduard Folayang (11-1) will be facing Muay Thai star and fellow Martial Combat champ, Ole Laursen (5-3) on March 31. Officials from the Singapore-based ONE Fighting Championship promotion announced the news earlier today, stating that the lightweight bout will be part of their stacked main card at ONE FC 3. The duo was first booked to face each other as the headliner of the inaugural ONE FC event last September, until Laursen had to pull out after suffering a knee injury. Folayang was left to to headline against top Korean fighter, A Sol Kwon which won them Fight of the Night honors. When I spoke to them during the lead up to what was supposed to be their fight last September, both Folayang and Laursen expressed hesitation in accepting a fight against a fellow Filipino, but neither fighter rejected the bout knowing that it's nothing personal and they can continue their friendship after. That wasn't the only time their paths have crossed though. The Team Lakay Wushu product is coming off an entertaining 56 second TKO win over Wadson Teixeira, who is a Muay Thai champ and a BJJ Brown Belt. His corner man, Laursen, was visually disappointed as his teammate was mere inches away from pulling off the upset. Ole Laursen on the other hand, is coming off that war against Felipe Enomoto on ONE FC 2. The Muay Thai champion was winning handily until Enomoto landed a head kick that led to a rear naked choke finish, snapping Laursen's 5-fight winning streak. Most people assumed that loss derailed the planned bout against Folayang, and while the timing is less than optimal, both guys are huge stars in Singapore and their styles guarantee fireworks. That alone was probably enough for the promotion to decide to push through with it. Both Filipino fighters have been featured at the World MMA Scouting Report with Laursen being the #8 ranked lightweight in the 2010 report, and Folayang being ranked at #6 on the 2011 edition. This fight becomes part of the already stacked main card which so far, includes 4 guys from the scouting report, along with other very popular fighters. After the jump, check out the rumored fight card so far. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena ONE Fighting Championship 3March 31, 2012 - Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore - Renato Sobral vs. Melvin Manhoef- Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon- Eduard Folayang vs. Ole Laursen- Zorobabel Moreira vs. TBA- Gregor Gracie vs. TBA- Eddie Ng vs. TBA- Nicole Chua vs. Jeet Toshi Related: Victor Cui Talks About March ONE FC Event In SingaporeManhoef Vs. Babalu, Imanari Vs. Belingon Set For ONE FC 3 In SingaporeONE FC 2: Laursen vs. Enomoto Full Event Fight Videos

Posted in: fight, vs, folayang, fc, laursen

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As part of that conversation I had with Victor Cui this past weekend in Jakarta, Indonesia, the CEO of ONE Fighting Championship also talked about their 3rd event happening on March 31st. They had a successful debut event last September, and Cui says there's even more interest from the Singapore fans now that they will be returning to the country for their third show. "I think the event is already going to be sold out next week, and I haven't even started marketing for the March card," Victor Cui, said in an interview with BloodyElbow.com, "After our first event, we had a waiting list of over 2000 people. It's crazy. They wanted the tickets now, and we haven't even announced the fight card, and we didn't even announce the March date then." Related: ONE FC 2 Results, Recap And Post-Fight AnalysisManhoef vs. Babalu, Imanari vs. Belingon Set For ONE FC 3 In Singapore As of this writing, there are only two fights that have been announced, Renato Sobral vs. Melvin Manhoef, along with an excellent match up between Kevin Belingon and Masakazu Imanari. Gregor Gracie, Eduard Folayang, Zorobabel Moreira, Eddie Ng and Nicole Chua are all expected to compete on the event, but none of their opponents have been confirmed yet. That partial card already looks good, but Cui also credits the massive interest from Singapore by successfully establishing a strong identity in the country. "ONE FC, and the brand is just so big in Singapore now. Our home base is in Singapore, and we're so strongly supported by all the major departments of the government." Cui exclaimed, referring to multiple branches of the government backing them such as the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB). "There's a reason why they bring F-1 and they support F-1 in Singapore, and there's a reason why they're supporting ONE FC," he continued, "It's cause they want to see a long-term thing. We have a 10-year partnership with ESPN, we're hiring a lot of guys from Singapore, and we're such good partners to have for (the government)." Apart from working on their upcoming events, Victor Cui and ONE FC has also been working with several other organizations to continuously build their network. Some people think it's a great idea, while some people have said that trying to have all those promotions and orgs under one roof, might spell trouble with having too much politics involved from all sides. Cui says it doesn't matter, cause for him, establishing and growing that network will be beneficial for the MMA scene in the region. "The growth of Asian MMA is exciting. I've spent an inordinate time on growing the sport, doing stuff like the ONE FC network," he says, "A lot of people criticize it, but no one is doing it, and that's why it's hard." "It is hard to coordinate all these guys' schedules to come together and to talk. They've never done this before even if we're all in the same business. It's a lot of phone calls, a lot of emails, a lot of conversations and discussions on how we are going to work together." Cui said, as he explains the challenges of setting up a network that already includes different gyms and promotions such as DREAM, URCC, Road FC, and CFC among others, "I do that, and I spend a lot of time, because I know it will be better for the sport, better for the fighters." "That stuff is not easy. It's not easy to talk to all of these gyms, all these organizations to work together." Cui exclaimed, "Guys from these different gyms and promotions are now in ONE FC, and it's career changing for these guys. Now there's a lot of opportunities for fighters and gyms. They get more fights and more sponsorships." With several fighters on the March event coming out of gyms like Evolve MMA and Team Lakay, and from top promotions such as DREAM and URCC, footprints stemming from the partnerships made on that network is already being seen. There will be a lot of fighters, a lot of personalities, officials, CEO's and owners. There will probably also be a lot of egos and politics that will be involved as they continue to grow this network. There will be several challenges that they will be facing, but it will be very interesting to see how it all unfolds and what they can accomplish from this. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena

Posted in: event, lot, fc, singapore, cui

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MMA in Indonesia has been dormant in the past few years with almost zero programming and promotions running in the country. Interest in the sport has recently been jump-started with ONE FC hosting their second event in Jakarta a few days ago, and it looks like the resurgence will continue. Legend Fighting Championship held their 7th show this past weekend, and during the show, they announced plans to venture out of their home-base of Hong Kong and Macau, and host a show in Jakarta. Legend FC 8 will happen next month, and Indonesian fans will be fortunate enough to have yet another quality card coming to the country. Related: Legend FC 7 Fight Videos and Results: Bieke Takes Bantamweight Title, Bae Myung Ho Defends Welterweight Crown The event will be at the Jakarta Convention Center on March 30, and the moment the announcement has been made, it has been assumed that Indonesia's biggest MMA star, Fransino Tirta (10-0-1) will be competing on the card. BloodyElbow.com has exclusively confirmed with reliable sources that Tirta will indeed be part of two title fights that have been recently signed and set to headline the event. Tirta will be in his home country, gunning for the Legend FC featherweight title against Yusuke Kawanago (8-3), a talented Japanese fighter coming off a win over Chengjie Wu at Legend 6, and a split decision loss to Mark Striegl at Legend 5. Another title fight on the top of the card will be Sengoku veteran, Jadamba Narantungalag making his first defense of the Legend FC championship he recently won against Adrian Pang. The Mongolian will be taking on Nam Yui Chul (13-3), the top Korean lightweight who is coming off a monumental win over the highly regarded ONE FC fighter in Vuyisile Colossa. Much more Asian MMA News after the jump. Don't forget to follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena. Speaking of the rising star in Mark Striegl (7-0), the 23-year-old Filipino fighter is coming off an impressive submission finish over Ev Ting at Legend 7, and has recently signed with DARE, a Thailand-based promotion that is part of the ONE FC Network. More Legend FC 8 news: Also confirmed with reliable sources, a lightweight bout between Yusuke Kasuya (6-0) and Song Un Sik (9-3) is set for Legend FC 8. The match up was first mentioned to be in the works by Lili of MMA in Asia. I already mentioned that SFL, the promotion in India headlined by the Sapp vs. Thompson freakshow, will be bringing in several musicians to perform on their show. Apparently, one of these performers will likely be Jennifer Lopez. MMA is fairly new to the country, but do they really think JLo fans would be converted to the sport? Or is this just a move to get butts in those seats? Either way, it doesn't seem like a good investment in my eyes. URCC and PXC, the two top promotions in the Philippines, will be going head-to-head this Saturday, with both shows headlined by flyweight title fights. URCC will host a show in the mountain province of Baguio. It will be headlined by a Flyweight Super-Fight between URCC champion Roy Docyogen (9-0) from Team Lakay, competing in his home town against former pro-boxer Rodel Orais (2-0).Also on the card, Interim Featherweight Champion Ricardo Sapno defends his title against Arnold Agapito, and Will Chope will take on Reydon Romero in a featherweight bout guaranteed for fireworks. PXC on the other hand, will host PXC 29 in Pasay City on the same date. It will be headlined by a flyweight title bout between charismatic Filipino Ale Cali, and Guam's Jesse Taitano . Also on the card, a featherweight bout between the well traveled veteran in Harris Sarmiento, and Raja Shippen, along with TUF veteran Dorian Price vs. Ryan Bigler.UFC middleweight contender, Mark Munoz will also be attending the event.

Posted in: mma, title, legend, card, fc

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I've traveled across the world twice in about a week, so technically in some long-forgotten timezone I crossed over in the Pacific -- it's still Sunday morning. The truth is I always intended to bring you guys an official MiddleEasy Rumor Mill last Sunday, but I was literally time traveling throughout the day, thousands of feet in the air. A few days have gone by and there's far too many rumors to wait until next Sunday. Therefore, it's time for a Thursday morning edition of the Sunday Morning Rumor Mill, since time means absolutely nothing here at MiddleEasy. Enjoy. Bobby Lashley was offered $50,000 (with no win bonus) to fight Alistair Overeem at Dynamite!! 2010. Bobby turned the fight down with the belief that a Lashley vs. Overeem bout could net him a $1,000,000 pay day. Todd Duffee stepped in for roughly the same amount. Chandella Powell was released from the UFC yesterday due to not disclosing her former alias, 'Mariah Ashton,' a softcore internet porn star. No pictures will be provided here on MiddleEasy, but I'm sure all of you know the inner-science of Google. Just before One FC 2 last weekend in Jakarta, Indonesia, Bob Sapp refused to get on the bus with the roster of fighters participating in the event due to a few demands he had for One FC. It seems that Bob Sapp had a exhibition wrestling match in Japan a couple days after the One FC event. Sapp insisted that One FC should pay for a ticket or he wouldn't show for his fight with Rolles Gracie. After much deliberation, One FC accepted to pay for the plane ticket if he agreed to come out of his hotel room and participate in the One FC 2 event. Bob Sapp then insisted that One FC upgrade the fight to first class in order for him to agree to fight Rolles Gracie. After a couple hours, the issue was sorted out and Bob Sapp showed for the event. A prominent MMA camp based in California was threatened with a lawsuit by ZUFFA for broadcasting PPVs in their gym in 2011. Remember Razul Mirzaev? He was that Russian lightweight prospect that signed to Bellator and within the same week was charged with one-punching a nineteen-year-old to death at some club in Russia. It appears he was released from jail on a $3,000 USD bail and the charges were significantly reduced. Apparently he went from 'intentional grievous harm' to 'causing death by negligence' which only holds a maximum sentence of two years in prison. Apparently Mirzaev will receive time he's served in prison (since August 2011) and he will most likely be released in less than six months. It appears that some Sambo friends in high places pulled some legal strings for him. Looks like Bellator will finally upgrade their lightweight division after all. I've been told that the entire Ultimate Chaos event in Biloxi, Mississippi from the summer of 2009 was rigged. Din Thomas not fighting Javier Vasquez was apparently intentional and the promoter stacked the odds in favor of Bobby Lashley to win. I've also been told that Lashley is still owed $175,000 from the promotion. At Immortal Kombat II in Houston, Texas last month, Cyborg Santos was cornering his little brother, Agrimar "Cyborguinho" dos Santos. It appears that in an attempt to get his sibling hyped for his upcoming fight, he unintentionally (or perhaps intentionally) injured his little brother in the process. The fight was called off and his opponent, Andres 'The Creep' Quintana, got on the microphone and said 'sometimes these things happen in MMA.' Hector Lombard vs. Mamed Khalidov is still heavily rumored to go down at KSW 19 or 20. It's rumored that Authentic Sports Management (the company behind the Blackzillians) is paying Alistair Overeem to 'sign' with the camp to increase the quality of their fighter portfolio. Overeem's camp has denied these claims. Apparently Eddie Alvarez has been trying to turn down his Bellator fight with Shinya Aoki for nearly a month now. Eddie's argument is that he wants a 'come back' fight before taking on top-tier competition. However, before his loss against Michael Chandler, Alvarez agreed to fight Shinya Aoki at some point in 2012. It appears Bjorn Rebney is just holding Eddie Alvarez to his previous agreement. Wolfslair is slowly disbanding as an MMA camp.

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2011 was a breakout year for 25 year old Eddie Ng who moved to Singapore to join Evolve MMA and fought for the first time in Asia at ONE Fighting Championship 1, defeating a Chinese opponent with a brutal one punch knock out. Since his MMA career began back in 2007 he has taken things very slowly. Fighting only one time per year he has acquired a respectable 4-1 record but his focus has been on improving as a martial artist rather than testing himself repeatedly inside the cage. One consequence of being self taught in BJJ is that he had never been awarded a belt but he showed just how well he had been able to master techniques which he started learning from mail order videos by winning gold at the 2011 BJJ Mundials as a white belt. He competed in that competition as Edward Gar Wei Ng, a name which reflects the fact that despite growing up in England his has strong Cantonese roots. Both Ng's parents are from Hong Kong and his Asian heritage and undeniable fighting ability are what made him such an attractive option for Evolve MMA, who are notoriously selective about who they invite onto their fight team. He has now become one of the faces of ONE FC and his face will be familiar to anyone in Singapore at the moment because it is plastered all over public transport and billboards as the marketing campaign ahead of the March 31st show grinds into gear. It has been an incredible 12 months for Ng, who is facing an as yet unnamed opponent on that card, and he is amazed to find himself in such a privileged position. "If you had asked me a year ago where I thought I would be in 12 months time I would have said in a small little room about 4x4 metres, training with friends and local level fighters. I would never have even fathomed possible that I would be training with the likes of Shinya Aoki, Heath Sims and Attachai Fairtex etc on a daily basis, fighting in front of 7,000 people and seeing myself on posters all over town." Ng's coaches include champions in BJJ, boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling and MMA and they are all extremely excited about his potential. Although his opponent for ONE FC's March 31st card, which will be headlined by a light heavyweight fight between Melvin Manhoef and Renato Sobral, has yet to be confirmed I have heard rumours that matchmakers feel he is ready for a big step up in competition. When I put this to Ng he is quick to point out that he has consistently faced more experienced opposition throughout his MMA career, "For my first professional fight I fought a guy that had competed against UFC fighters Dan Hardy and Paul Daley, he had a total of 19 fights when we fought, my second opponent had a total of 14 fights. This is a trend that has been consistent throughout my career so far, I am used to fighting against much more experienced opponents. Of course I would like to fight against opponents with a similar experience level to myself but if One FC offer me a more experienced fighter then I welcome the challenge with open arms. I train with the best team not just in Asia but for me, the world and I know that whoever the opponent is, they can't do anything that my instructors don't know about." Eddie Ng vs. Yuan Chun Bo (via officialsherdog) The first ONE FC event was televised by Media Corp Channel 5 , which is one of only a handful of domestic TV stations in Singapore meaning it is available to every home with an aerial. Ng says he really noticed the effect this exposure had in the aftermath of the delayed broadcast, "After the One FC broadcast, I remember being stopped quite a few times by people asking if I was the same person that was on the TV! What surprised me was that men and women of all different ages watched the broadcast, typically I thought there would be a certain market for MMA but this was not the case and highlighted the growth of MMA here in Singapore!" People in 24 Asian countries, including Hong Kong, will be watching the next ONE FC show because it will be shown on ESPN Star Sports and Ng says that having so much exposure in the country of his parent's birth is very important to him, "I have family in Hong Kong and I am very excited that they are now able to watch my fights live. The ESPN Star Sports deal is huge news for all fighters because we all dream about fighting on the big stage where millions of fans at home can watch our fights. I was back in Hong Kong at the beginning of the year to visit my parents and some family, I absolutely love the place." Ng arrived at Evolve MMA last year with a reputation as being primarily a BJJ fighter but he has been working hard on his striking. Part of this process has involved taking part in professional Muay Thai fights which he feels will help him to become a much more well rounded mixed martial artist, 'When your in an environment where you can ONLY strike, then you have no choice but to start swinging otherwise it isn't going to be a very fun experience. I would like to compete more in Muay Thai in the future to develop my confidence further but also because I found it to be a lot of fun." As well as famous mixed martial artists like Shinya Aoki he will also be rubbing shoulders with multiple BJJ world champions on a daily basis at Evolve MMA, it is all a far cry from the days when he first taught himself the submission game by studying videos he ordered from the internet, "We recently had the legendary Renzo Gracie oversee our training and one of the top MMA coaches in the world Greg Jackson stop by to share some knowledge. These guys amazing instructors and an absolute pleasure to be around. Evolve MMA also recently recruited former US Olympian Greco Roman Wrestler Heath Sims and NCAA division 1 wrestler Jake Butler who have shown myself and the rest of the Evolve Fight Team just how beautiful the art of wrestling truly is. Plus I get to work day in day out with Muay Thai and BJJ World Champion instructors like Attachai Fairtex, Muangfalek Kiatvichian, Zorobabel Moreira and Leandro Issa" After spending much of his career at welterweight Ng will be making the drop down to 155 lbs. His only loss came to the highly experienced Joakim Engberg who is now Alistair Overeem's head trainer and he also has a win over Jason Ball who is now one of the starts of leading British promotion BAMMA. With a proven track record of beating high calibre opponents on the increasingly competitive UK scene it is no surprise that ONE FC recognized Ng's potential and signed him up instantly after he had moved to Singapore. Joining a first class fight team like Evolve MMA should help to accelerate his development but Ng still favours the patient approach which has served him so well in his career to date, "I want to stay active in competition as much as possible in 2012 but ultimately I just want to keep improving every single day as a martial artist. Every time I fight I want to be a different fighter than the previous showing, I don't want to fight often but without really showing any improvement but the learning process is so much faster now that I have access to world class instruction every single day." His next chance to showcase that improvement will come on March 31st at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on the main card of ONE FC 3. Ng might be content to take things slowly but it seems inevitable that 2012 will be the first year of his career in which he fights more than once and all that patience starts to translate into serious mainstream success.

Posted in: fight, mma, opponent, fc, ng

Read the full article at MMA Mania

In case you missed the event live, or just decided to not buy the online PPV, here are the fight videos from ONE Fighting Championship's second event held this past weekend in Jakarta, Indonesia. First up, the headlining bout between Ole Laursen and Felipe Enomoto which most people considered as the fight of the night: More Coverage for ONE FC 2: ONE FC 2 Results, Recap And Post-Fight AnalysisONE FC 2: Battle of Heroes Main Card Live Results The rest of the videos from the event are after the jump, including Bob Sapp's poor performance against Rolles Gracie, and my pick for fight of the night. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena Bae Young Kwon vs. Honorio Banario: Rodrigo Ribeiro vs. Rustam Khabilov: Soo Chul Kim vs. Gustavo Falciroli: Rolles Gracie vs. Bob Sapp: Preliminary fights: The video covers all 5 preliminary bouts, but I highly suggest watching my pick for Fight of the Night -- The flyweight bout between Wushu fighter Geje Eustaquio from Team Lakay, and BJJ World Champion Alex Silva from Evolve MMA. Fight starts at the 1:04:30 mark.

Posted in: fight, video, vs, event, fc

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In cased you missed Legend FC 7 this past weekend, the videos of all the fights from the entire event are after the jump, and here's a quick recap: Legend FC's seventh show happened in the City of Dreams, in Macau, and it had two title fights headlining the stacked card. Sanda fighter, Jumabieke Tuerxun or 'Bieke' made the jump from top prospect to champion as he defeated decorated Chinese Wrestling champ, Yao Honggang to take his bantamweight title. Bieke, who is a standout of Xian Physical Education University, looked to have benefited greatly from Team Quest's visit on their camp as he looked sharp on the ground, scoring multiple takedowns and beating the decorated Chinese Wrestling champion at his own game. Yao's striking looked to have improved, and is probably a results of spending several weeks training in the top MMA gyms in Vegas, but it wasn't enough to derail Bieke rise to the top. Tuerxun improved his record to 11-0, and cemented himself as one of the top fighters in the region. On the main event, the 'Wolverine' Bae Myung Ho (13-5), bucked what appeared to be a prior knee injury and still successfully defended his welterweight title against China's top welterweight, Li Jingliang. The Korean, who is known for talking a lot of smack, backed up all his words as he constantly out-struck and out-worked the Chinese fighter en route to a decision. This was Bae's 5th straight win, and he remained undefeated since joining Legend FC. Also on the main card, Yang Hae Jun (7-2) displayed much improved boxing skills as he constantly peppered Hideto Tatsumi, until he scored an impressive finish that won him the Knockout of the Night honors. Two Filipinos shined on the prelims as rising star, Mark Striegl (7-0) avenged his teammate's loss by choking out Ev Ting unconscious, and Agustin Delarmino (5-1) quickly dispatched of Sung Min Yen. Check out all the fight videos from the event after the jump. Bae Myung Ho vs. Li Jingliang [Legend FC Welterweight Championship] Yao Honggang vs. Jumabieke Tuerxun [Legend FC Bantamweight Championship] Liu Wenbo Vs. Matt Cain Hideto Tatsumi vs. Yang Hae Jun Wang Sai vs. Gareth Ealey Entire Preliminary Card (video starts at 5:40): Complete Legend FC 7 results: Main Card:- Bae Myung Ho (Korea) def. Li Jingliang (China) by decision (unanimous) [Welterweight Championship]- Jumabieke Tuerxun (China) def. Yao Honggang (China) by decision (split) [Bantamweight Championship]- Liu Wenbo (China) def. Matt Cain (Australia) by submission at 4:37 in round 1- Yang Hae Jun (Korea)] def. Hideto Tatsumi (Japan) by KO at 3:35 in round 1- Wang Sai (China) def. Gareth Ealey (Australia) by doctor stoppage at 5:00 in round 2 Preliminary Card:- Ji Xian (China) def. Leonard Delarmino (Philippines) by submission at 4:42 in round 1- Michael Mortimer (Australia) def. Taiyo Nakahara (Japan) by disqualification (illegal strikes) at 4:24 in round 1- Koji Ando (Japan) def. Damien Brown (Australia) by submission 2:27 in round 1- Mark Striegl (Philippines) def. Ev Ting (New Zealand) by submission at 3:51 in round 1- Agustin Delarmino, Jr. (Philippines) def. Sung Ming-Yen (Chinese Taipei) by TKO 0:44 in round 1 Video Source: Legend FC, JMMANow

Posted in: round, legend, welterweight, fc, china

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submitted by mmaform [link] [comment]

Posted in: vs, fc, rolle, mmaform link, mmaform

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Major mixed martial arts returned to Indonesia for the first time in seven years on Saturday, with One FC 2 “Battle of Heroes” from the Kelapa Gading Sports Mall in Jakarta.

Posted in: fc, hero, battle, heroes ”, heroes ’

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Felipe Enomoto put away Ole Laursen in the main event of One FC 2, while Rolles Gracie added another loss to Bob Sapp's record during their bout in Jakarta.

Posted in: fc, rolles gracie, laursen, enomoto, laursen gracie

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ONE FC's 2nd event is in a few hours, and their Owner and CEO, Victor Cui took a few moments out of his busy schedule to speak to BloodyElbow.com about numerous topics. Cui has been part of ESPN Star Sports for several years, and he was the head Martial Combat before starting ONE FC. Lots of people enjoyed the promotion's debut event last September, but he promises this one won't even compare to that. "Every show I want it better. I guarantee this show is much better than my first one, and I guarantee my next one will also be better." says Victor Cui in an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, "The changes that are important to me, aren't just about the fight card. This is sport entertainment." Related: Ole Laursen Talks About Headlining ONE FC 2 Against Felipe Enomoto -- ONE FC 2 Weigh-In Results and Photo Gallery - Bob Sapp and Rolles Gracie Almost Come To Blows "Most promoters, most organizers, are so busy just running their event to make their show happen, because they haven't run a lot of events." says Cui, "I've already ran over 13 MMA events, I've booked over 300 fighters, so I'm on a phone call to every single fighter on the region already. My team and all of us have run some of the best in sporting events, and running a world class event in MMA is easy to me, because I've been doing that for the past decade in Asia." He credits a lot of his success with his past experience, and he says that's one of the advantages he has over the other organizations in Asia. "I have the best partners, the best suppliers, the best sponsors, the best government contacts. All of those things that some of these guys have to figure out, I've already have in place," Cui continues, "I started the biggest 9-ball billiards event in Indonesia. I did the same thing with Formula Drift. It's very similar to ONE FC, Asia's best, going around from city to city, with a quality television broadcast." "Running the events are easy for me, so it allows me to focus on making the fan experience really good. It's like a rock star atmosphere. That's why we have celebrities, VIP's, and socialites all want to come because it's like the night to go to, and they don't want to miss it." After the jump, Victor Cui details his thoughts on building a fight card. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena "Everything's unique. We try to get a different appeal both to the MMA community but also making it locally relevant." says Victor as he explains how he builds his cards, "ONE FC, my philosophy about it, is always about being the best. Bringing the best entertainment, the best possible fighters that I can, but also making it locally relevant. Which is why we have Indonesian stars on it. I want to give our markets a chance to develop, and a chance to shine in the big stage. It makes hometown heroes, and it supports fan interest too.""I have to balance the top fighters, from the region or some international fighters that we're looking at." as Cui talks about the challenges of being a fight promoter, "I'm just lucky that I have so many fighters and agents that want to be on the ONE FC card, because they get to be on ESPN. I mean, who doesn't?" Cui says that 10-year partnership with ESPN Star Sports have actually helped make his job much easier, as he shared an interesting anecdote about it."I don't even have to ask some fighters. There are even fighters that email me, that want to fight for free," he exclaimed, "They're like 'Victor, please. Don't pay me. You don't even have to pay me. I have a sponsor that can will cover my flight, I'll come out there. I will fight for you and you don't even have to pay me my prize purse'. And these are top fighters from the US, from Russia, from around Asia." "They're just ready to come on board, so it's just difficult to try and juggle all that."

Posted in: fighter, event, victor, fc, cui

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In my last piece, we previewed why you should wake up early to catch the ONE FC 2 preliminary card, but for those who like sleeping in the main card has a tentative start time around 9:00 AM EST tomorrow morning. Plenty of time to catch some shut-eye before the fights, right? The main card also has five bout, and features several notable fighters. Bob Sapp, Rolles Gracie, Gustavo Falciroli, Rustam Khabilov, and Ole Laursen are all standouts on this card. With some intriguing fights that could be pivotal to the future of several of ONE FC’s divisions, all eyes will be on Asia’s biggest MMA promotion as they find their footing. The main card will be available on UStream for $9.99 USD. Considering how expensive most MMA PPV cards are these days, that’s more than reasonable for a card of this caliber. So grab a bowl of cereal, put some Saturday morning cartoons on your TV, and check out the ONE FC 2: Battle of Heroes internet PPV. And now a look at the main card… Rolles Gracie (5-1) vs Bob Sapp (11-9) Fighting out of the Renzo Gracie Academy, Brazil’s Gracie, a one-time UFC and IFL fighter, looks to live up to the family name and show his submission chops against the mammoth Sapp. The 33-year-old submission specialist has five wins in his MMA career, all by way of Arm-Triangle Choke in the first round. Rolles looks for his third consecutive win since a 2010 loss to Joey Beltran stopped his UFC career before it ever really got started. The lone American on the card, Sapp, fights out of Team Beast. A popular fighter in Japan, Sapp has fought some of the best in MMA and K-1, although those fights, for the most part, came earlier in his career. Sapp was winless in kickboxing from 2005 until this month, where he won a very controversial TKO over Tofan Pirani. Sapp has also managed only one victory in his last seven outings. Looking for his first MMA victory in two years, Sapp brings a near 100-pound weight advantage to this cage. Sapp needs to use his size and sub-par, yet powerful striking, to punish Gracie. On the other hand, Gracie needs to keep Sapp at bay on the feet, and bring him into his realm, where the submission victory shouldn’t be hard to find. The best way to describe this fight that it is a simple battle of size versus skill. Soo Chul Kim (4-2) vs Gustavo Falciroli (11-3-2) Fans of ONE FC may recall the South Korean Kim. The Team Force prospect came into the first event as a heavily watched Korean MMA fan favorite, however, whether it be pressure, or just facing a better fighter in Leandro Issa, Kim came up short. The 20 year old looks to rebound from his second career loss in this bout, and will likely use a variety of striking to try to keep the fight where he wants it, and defeat the second high-level grappler that he has faced in as many fights. Godoi Jiu-Jitsu Club’s Falciroli is Australia’s lone fighter on the card. The Shooto Australia veteran comes into this match with three victories in his last four fights, one by submission, one by knockout, and one by decision. Falciroli has the tools required to win any battle, no matter where it goes. The second degree BJJ black belt is also an accomplished striker, and the word is that with another victory or two, he could very well be UFC bound as they expand their operations. A considerably tougher fight for than Kim is used to, the South Korean needs to be smart in this bout, and perhaps work a defensive game. Falciroli is a dangerous fighter and can end it on the feet or on the ground at any given time, and although I never like to count any fighter out before match-up happens, it’s no secret that Falciroli is heavily favoured in this time out. Look for these two to put on a fast pace, and don’t be surprised if this bantamweight tilt encompasses all the aspects of the MMA game. Rodrigo Ribeiro (9-7) vs Rustam Khabilov (12-1) Fighting out of Evolve MMA, Brazillian grappler Riberio steps into the ONE FC cage in only his second bout outside of Brazil. The third degree BJJ black belt has a mixed record in his career thus far, and looks for his second consecutive victory in this bout. With most of his wins coming by way of submission, it’s fairly clear where Ribeiro wants this fight to go. Across the cage from him is Jackson’s MMA fighter Khabilov. The Russian Sambo player is one of Russia’s highest touted prospects with his 12-1 record. His first non-European fight, Khabilov has almost exclusively competed within the M-1 ring. His only loss was a controversial split decision loss to Russian Khaskhanov back in February of 2011. With most of his wins coming by way of submission or decision, it could be a gamble for him to take the action to the ground, but with his Sambo experience, it may also be his best weapon. This bout pits two dominant martial arts against each other. For the Brazillian, Ribeiro, BJJ is his bread and butter, and he’ll look to use his skills to hand Khabilov his second loss. For the Russian, Khabilov, Sambo is held in the same regard as BJJ is to the Brazillian, and he too, will look to use his dominate skills to find success outside of the European MMA scene. Bae Young Kwon (6-2) vs Honorio Banario (6-0) The #1 ranked South Korean fighterKwon enters the cage on the strength of a two-fight win streak. A Team Posse fighter, the “Serial Killer” loves to go for the knockout, but is definitely not afraid to fight wherever the action goes. The Shooto veteran faces likely his toughest challenge yet in Banario, but he’s not the #1 ranked Korean featherweight for nothing, and he plans to confidently show the world why he’s as highly regarded as he is. Team Lakay’s Banario is undefeated; the Filipino striker mixes his powerful standup skills and his excellent wrestling and submissions to win his fights, with all of his victories coming within the distance. “The Rock” is the current URCC lightweight champ, but is dropping down to featherweight for this bout. He is well known for his ability to push the pace without gassing, and looks to make a statement in his ONE FC debut. This bout pits the best Korean featherweight against one of the best Filipino lightweights around, and promises to be an exciting fight, which should add some clarity to the top of the ONE FC featherweight division. Most certainly, the winner of this match-up will be able to stake his claim as perhaps the best featherweight on the ONE FC roster. Felipe Enomoto (5-3 1 NC) vs Ole Laursen (5-2) Japanese standout Enomoto fights out of Enomoto Dojo. Despite losing in his last two outings, Enomoto is always a very dangerous fighter. With an abundance of BJJ experience, as well as being trained in muay Thai and boxing, Enomoto is more than capable of winning. Having experience in ProFC and Pancrase, Enomoto is used to shows at this level, and should have no problem getting into his comfort zone this time out. Fighting out of Legacy Gym, the Filipino Laursen returns to MMA after more than a year away due to injuries. After suffering two losses to open his career, to Genki Sudo and Caol Uno, Laursen put together a five-fight winning streak, with all but one of those victories going within the distance. The muay Thai champion will look to use his vast array of strikes to punish Enomoto and secure his sixth consecutive win. While both men have experience against tough opponents, their toughest fights could come against each other. While Enomoto doesn’t excel in any specific area, his well-rounded fighting style should allow him to be more than able to compete with Laursen. For “Iron Fist”, ring rust may be an issue, but he has had long layoffs before. His striking is his key to victory, but don’t be shocked if he looks for a submission win along the way. All in all, for those who get up early enough, this card will be excellent. I know that I, for one, will be up at the crack of dawn, proudly wearing my ONE FC shirt, and you should be too. Don’t have a ONE FC shirt? Get a shirt and write ONE FC on it and wear it. Enjoy the fights!

Posted in: fight, mma, card, fc, sapp

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

It's 4:56 am here in Jakarta, Indonesia and we've spent the entire night getting this weigh-in video edited and uploaded so that your brain can happily devour it. There are a few things about Indonesia that I feel the need to disclose out of sheer public safety. First, you can't cross the street here without accepting death as a reasonable consequence. Scooters run Indonesia like cops run red lights in Los Angeles. Also, if a zombie outbreak happened in Jakarta, everyone on the island of Indonesia would turn into the brain-consuming undead in less than a day. Fortunately we don't have to worry about a zombie apocalypse breaking out just yet. The One FC: Battle of Heroes went down last night in Jakarta and even though it took us a couple hours to get to the destination with a police escort, it was well worth the wait. Check out our exclusive weigh-in video of the event below. So I heard you guys want to watch tomorrow's ONE FC 2 event for absolutely free. Well, if you were on Twitter earlier today, then you probably witnessed an infux of MiddleEasy followers receive a free pass for the ONE FC 2 live PPV stream. If you didn't receive one, don't worry. There's still time to get one. ONE FC 2 goes down Saturday 7:30 pm in Jakarta/Bangkok, 7:30 am EST, 4:30 am PST and will be streamed at OneFC.com. Now this is the part where you should pay attention. One hour before the card begins, 30 ONE FC PPV stream codes will be published at the bottom of this article. The free PPV codes will be on a first come, first serve basis -- so no hitting us up on Twitter for one. We're giving away all the ONE FC PPV stream codes we have left in this article one hour before the event. Once they're gone, they're gone.

Posted in: ppv, event, fc, weighin video, indonesia

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Video: Legend FC 7 Weigh-In Results

Posted in: result, legend, video, fc, weighin

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

If you’ve been around the international fight game for a while, you are familiar with the name Ole Laursen. Laursen is a fighter who made his professional debut in 2000 as a Kickboxer, and in the span of eight years as a Kickboxer posted an impressive record of 34-19. Considering the level of talent that he was pushed into fighting, it is very impressive to see what Laursen has achieved in his career so far. This weekend, Laursen makes his One FC debut at Lightweight against the Swiss Felipe Enomoto in one of the featured bouts of the evening. Laursen’s career in Kickboxing and Muay Thai sets him up as an early favorite going into this bout, with Laursen’s career including experience fighting for K-1 MAX and Shoot Boxing, fighting some of the very top fighters in the world. There is no shame in saying that you have stood toe-to-toe with Duane “Bang” Ludwig, Andy Souwer, Hiroki Shishido, Gago Drago, Buakaw Por. Pramuk and Masato. In the world of Kickboxing, that is a murderer’s row and Laursen held his ground against those names. Through his contract with K-1, he was pushed into the world of MMA in 2006 and was immediately pushed into some of the deepest waters imaginable, taking the legendary Genki Sudo to a decision and then two months later having to step into the ring with a hardened veteran in Caol Uno. Those two early losses helped form a resolve in Laursen, who has since been on a five fight tear through the Asian Lightweight scene, leading to his signing with One FC. It is safe to say when he squares off against Felipe Enomoto that the bright lights and the international attention that One FC brings won’t be too distracting for him after fighting some of the best fighters in the world in many exotic locales So, while Laursen is coming into this bout as the seasoned veteran who has seen and done it all in the fight world, Felipe Enomoto is bringing to the ring a 5-3-1 record that spans all of Europe and Asia as he also makes his One FC debut. Enomoto is looking to shake off a two-fight slide that he is on, but will do so in one of his biggest challenges in his blossoming career in Laursen. Laursen provides an interesting challenge for Enomoto, who has been training in a more well-rounded style for longer, with his base in MMA being brazilian jiu-jitsu before tackling Muay Thai. Enomoto’s biggest challenge to date was against the well-seasoned veteran of UFC, Bellator, Hero*s, DREAM and yes, even ZST, Rich Clementi. It was a tough loss for Enomoto who had problems with Clementi standing up and was more or less stifled on the ground by Clementi, which is no shame to a guy with 25 submissions to his resume. Enomoto will not see the same sort of resistance or unified ground game from Laursen, and if he is able to get the fight to the ground, should be able to dictate the pace of the fight and bring Laursen into his fight. This being said, Enomoto is not afraid to exchange on his feet, but against a seasoned striker like Laursen he’ll have to really bring the fireworks while avoiding getting hit. Both fighters bring a unique skill set to the One FC ring and could be a major asset in the Lightweight division.

Posted in: fight, world, fc, laursen, enomoto

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Rolles Gracie is preparing to take on Bob “The Beast” Sapp in a Super Heavyweight clash at ONE FC: Battle of Heroes in Jakarta on Saturday despite giving away around 100 pounds in weight. However, the member of MMA’s first family is determined to put on a the sort of performance which could establish him as a serious contender for the ONE FC heavyweight title as well as belts outside of the organization. Gracie spoke with Five Ounces of Pain about becoming the latest in a long line of his family members to fight in Asia, his anguish at being cut by the UFC after only one fight, and how excited he is to be a part of the fastest growing mixed martial arts organization in the world. Bob Sapp is 100 pounds bigger than you and you are naturally a heavyweight, not a super heavyweight. Did you have any doubts about taking this fight? Gracie: No, none whatsoever. To me there is no difference between heavyweight and super heavyweight. Its just a number after it gets to the point where you are more than 100 kilograms – you should be ready fight everybody. I respect Sapp as an opponent. I respect every opponent I fight. You have to give respect to anybody who steps inside the cage and Bob Sapp is no different.  he has a history in the sport, he has beaten so many people, he is massive, and so you have to give him respect. Sapp’s strength is his striking and he has competed in K-1 and beaten Ernesto Hoost. Do you feel like this is a dangerous match up because his strengths are your weaknesses? Gracie: It’s a challenge. The power behind his punches is huge so he is definitely dangerous and if I blink I might wake up on my back with people looking down at me. I give him respect and that’s why I trained hard and am ready to do my job. I had a couple of big guys to train with but not as heavy as him. I don’t know how much he even weighs. I think it is between 340lbs and 370 lbs and I had a couple of guys who were 300 lbs so not as big as him but close. Does having such a large opponent make you more reluctant to shoot for the takedown in case he ends up on top of you? Gracie: I’m comfortable on my back. It doesn’t matter who is on top of me. I am comfortable it doesn’t make a difference who they are. I am confident in my guard and think I can pull off submissions or sweeps from there. I’m ready to go three rounds with him if I have to. People say that he is gonna’ gas quick but I didn’t base my camp on that. I am ready to go five rounds if I have to. I trained as if he isn’t ever going to get tired. Have you focused your training more on striking and MMA, or do you still train BJJ with a gi? Gracie: I always train with a gi but once it gets close to the fight, like six weeks away, I won’t put the gi on unless I have had a really hard day and just want to do some free rolling. Then I put my gi on and go and roll with my students. I focus on everything but I cannot forget where I come from or what brought me here which is BJJ so I can’t make the mistake of not training BJJ. I train BJJ and I train the other things like wrestling and boxing. Sapp fought Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who also has very good BJJ, at a PRIDE event back in 2002. Have you watched that fight again recently? Gracie: I watched Sapp’s fight with Nogueira. It was an epic. Hopefully my fight won’t be like that but that was a fight which I watched a lot and I could see things I could work on for strategy but the fight happened ten years ago and both him and Noguiera have improved a lot since then so I can’t base too much on that. You cornered Gregor Gracie at the first ONE FC show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium last September. What did you think of that? The first ONE FC show was awesome, I liked it so much I wanted to fight on the next one. It was a great show and the One FC guys do everything right, they take really good care of the fighters, they put on shows in sold out arenas, it’s awesome. Gracie: I have been waiting for something like this and the time has come. I’m ready to represent and to put on a show for the Asian fans. My whole family has fought in Asia, not just Renzo Gracie, and this is my third time fighting in Asia and I like the crowd here. It’s the birthplace of martial arts and I think Asia is like where the majority of martial arts were born it’s in people’s DNA to understand martial arts and they love it a lot. It’s a different crowd. Your only loss came against Joey Beltran in your UFC debut. Did you learn a lot from that experience? Gracie: I couldn’t prepare the way I wanted and I couldn’t perform the way I wanted. It wasn’t the greatest thing to happen to my career, I would never call a loss a great thing, but I learned a lot from that and it made me change my training and made me think. I was so excited to fight for the UFC, my last fight was like six months before and I didn’t want to put it off and wait another three months to fight again but the right thing would have been to pull out and get another show. How disappointed were you to get cut by the UFC after only one fight? Gracie: I was very disappointed to get cut by the UFC because they knew I was injured and wasn’t 100% but I did the fight anyway and then they didn’t give me another shot . It wasn’t me performing but to be honest I didn’t think I performed that bad. I out-struck Beltra, I took him down, and I mounted him. But my cardio was bad and he was only able to take advantage of me after I ran out of gas and that’s something I can fix. All I had to do was step up my cardio. Would you ever consider fighting for the UFC again? Gracie: If they call me I will see but I am happy where I am right now. I’m happy to fight for ONE FC. That’s all I’m thinking of. Joey Beltran just got cut by the UFC. Would you be interested in a rematch if ONE FC decided to sign him up? Gracie: I truly believe I can beat Beltran. I think if we fight ten times I’m going to beat him nine. The only time he is going to beat me happened already. I can beat him any area, a grappling match, a wrestling match, a kickboxing match. So you are confident in your stand up? Gracie: I am very confident in my stand up, just because I don’t show my striking much doesn’t mean I don’t have striking. I have great striking partners and if I feel if I cannot take somebody down I am happy to use my striking, but if I can take them down I will. Would you like to be the first ever ONE FC heavyweight champion? I want to win the ONE FC heavyweight belt. I wanted them to make this fight a championship match but I know they are working on their belts and this is only the second edition of the show but I am looking forward to having that belt. My manager is talking to Victor Cui about future opponents and future shows. I had a great experience with Gregor here and I am ready to embrace this project. 5 OZ: How important to you think it is for there to be a show in Asia which fans all over the world can enjoy instead of just watching the UFC? Gracie: I don’t believe in monopoly. The more shows we have the better. If you only think about one or two shows you are not really thinking about the sport. The initiative which Cui is doing, partnering up with smaller shows in Asia, is great because it is going to create opportunities for more fighters. If you have only one show how many fighters can you have on your roster? It’s great and this is going to be one of the best shows in the world. 5 OZ: Is there anything else you want to add? Gracie: I want to thank everyone from Renzo’s team, guys from Fuji gis and Tokyo Fight Brand. The ONE FC undercard will stream for free starting at about 8:00 AM EST on Saturday morning with the main card available for $9.99. Check out the organization’s website or Facebook Page for more info.

Posted in: fight, show, ’t, fc, gracie

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Ngabdi Mulyadi was one of the rising stars of Indonesian MMA, running up a record of 5-2 with the TPI FC promotion. When that folded in 2004 he found himself in the same position as all the other Indonesian mixed martial artists at the time, training without any prospect of finding an actual fight. Now aged 31 he is making his MMA comeback but says that the pressure of fighting at ONE FC: Battle of Heroes in Jakarta will be easy to cope with after the weight of expectation which comes with representing his country at wrestling. “I am not nervous because I am used to competing in big tournaments,” said Mulyadi in a conversation with Fighters.com. “I got a bronze medal in the SEA Games in 2009 and I was representing an entire country then so there was a lot of pressure, in MMA I am fighting on my own so I don’t feel any pressure.” In fact he is so relaxed that he says he has not bothered doing any research on his opponent, Malaysian stand-up specialist Peter Davis, and the only information he has is that he is a model, explaining, “I know nothing about my opponent, I don’t care I will just go in there to fight. Someone told me he is a model but I don’t care about that. I do not want to hurt him, just to beat him.” Although his last recorded fight was way back in 2004 Mulyadi has been active since then, participating in an annual MMA competition called RCTI Duel. “When TPI FC finished in 2004 there was RCTI Duel, an MMA competition which took place every year so I fought on that but I haven’t fought MMA since 2009 because there have been no shows,” said Mulyadi. “There are a lot of wrestlers who were champions in TPI FC and now they are all looking to get into fighting for One FC there are kickboxing competitions but I am a wrestler not a kickboxer.” Wrestling has been a part of his life since the age of 18 and he continues to train, teach and compete full time, revealing, “I first began wrestling as a junior in 1998 when I was in High School, which is quite late to start, most people begin when they are younger. At 20 years old I began to fight as a senior, I enjoy fighting and wrestling. I get money from the Indonesian government to work as a wrestling coach and also to train in wrestling. I normally coach one day a week and train the rest of the time because the government want me to do well in international competition.” His training for ONE FC’s historic first event in Jakarta has been a little different because it has not been funded by the state and has focused on all of the elements of mixed martial arts, stating, “When I compete in MMA I compete as an individual, the government don’t give me any money for that. I have been training every day, morning and evening. I wrestle every morning and work with a kickboxing coach at night and I have also been training BJJ. I am confident in my striking because I have been training every day with my kickboxing coach.” After having represented his country on the international stage so many times in the past Mulyadi is completely relaxed about his appearance at ONE FC, which will be broadcast by a major domestic TV channel in Indonesia. “I know there will be a lot of people at the show but it doesn’t bother me because I have wrestled in front of big crowd before but this will be the biggest crowd to ever see me fight MMA,” said Mulyadi of the opportunity. “It’s very exciting for Indonesian fighters to have a show like ONE Fighting Championship that they can fight on and I want to fight for ONE FC as often as possible, I like to fight, I enjoy it.” He may not be representing his country in an official capacity but he is up against a Malaysian fighter and national pride will still be at stake, a point which is definitely not lost on him, saying, “I cannot lose to a Malaysian, I will win for sure!” The ONE FC undercard will stream for free starting at about 8:00 AM EST on Saturday morning with the main card available for $9.99. Check out the organization’s website or Facebook Page for more info. Tweet

Posted in: fight, mma, “ i, fc, mulyadi

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Imagine just being 20 years old and already posting a 4-1 record in MMA, with an entire country’s MMA scene behind you as one of their top prospects and you’ll know what it is like to walk a mile in Soo Chul Kim’s shoes. When Soo Chul Kim signed with One FC last year his work was cut out for him, with his first test under the One FC banner being a widely-respected brazilian jiu-jitsu expert in Leandro Issa. It proved to be a learning experience for the then-nineteen year old, as he was able to hold on before dropping a decision. At One FC 2 in Jakarta, Indonesia, the deck is once again stacked against the Korean sensation as he squares off with yet another internationally-renowned BJJ expert in Gustavo Falciroli. Kim comes from Team Force in South Korea where he has honed his skills since the ripe age of fifteen to step into the MMA ring. Right after his eighteenth birthday, Kim turned pro and in his debut fight captured his very first championship, winning the Rising On Featherweight Championship. Feeling that Bantamweight was a more natural weight class for him, Kim dropped down in weight for his next bout and hasn’t looked back. His first two opponents learned all-too-well that Kim’s submission game is nothing to take lightly, with Kim’s career beginning with two first round submissions before taking a step up in competition and posting two solid decision victories. His biggest challenge came when One FC called him up onto their roster for their debut show and he found himself in a fight with Leandro Issa, a deadly submission artist. To set the stage for you, Issa going into that bout was 8-2, with seven submissions and one TKO victory. It was safe to say that Issa had a reputation for finishing fights and having incredible jiu-jitsu, but Kim was able to neutralize his submission attempts and looked incredibly competent standing up. There are many who have wondered “what if” during that fight, as Kim took an inadvertent low blow which definitely threw him off of his game a bit. If Kim was able to prove his durability and show composure under pressure at the debut One FC event, many believe that he will need those skills against Gustavo Falciroli at One FC 2 on February 11th. Falciroli is a more experienced fighter than Kim, as the Australian native has competed for Shooto Australia and Shooto Japan against some tough competition at Bantamweight. Falciroli posts an impressive 11-3-2 record in MMA, with his career goes back to 2007. It should be noted, though, that Falciroli began practicing jiu-jitsu way back in 1996, before achieving his black belt in 2003 and was no stranger to grappling competitions. He holds a second degree black belt in jiu-jitsu, which is really nothing to scoff at, with his MMA record showing an impressive six wins via submission. What Falciroli brings to the table that Kim’s last opponent didn’t is a better striking game, which could provide a challenge for the young Kim. A deciding factor in this bout could be age and experience, as Falciroli is ten years the elder and has bounced back from losses before, while Kim has yet to do so. Kim is coming off of his first loss and still has a lot to prove in the One FC ring, as the mark of a true warrior is being able to learn and evolve after a loss.

Posted in: mma, submission, fc, kim, falciroli

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MiddleEasy is on location half-way across the world in Jakarta, Indonesia for One FC 2, and I can almost guarantee you by the end of the week some winged insect will give me an incurable and fatal disease. It's cool, death is a consequence that I've accepted just to give you guys at home the most thorough One FC 2 coverage imaginable. We've been hammering at your MMA intellect the past couple weeks with in-depth breakdowns of the bouts going down at One FC: Battle of Heroes, along with a collection of snazzy promos that probably made your mouth salivate. Now, we have another video, this time a brief interview with Rolles Gracie and Bob Sapp before their One FC 2 showdown this weekend. Grab a cup of coffee, get a cozy this Thursday morning and check it out.

Posted in: fc, rolles gracie, bob sapp, jakarta indonesia, fc battle

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ONE FC isn't the only top Asian promotion hosting a card this weekend. Legend Fighting Championship will be giving the Bloody Elbow Night Crew another reason to assemble on Feb 11, and here is everything you will ever need to know about that stacked card in Macau. Event Details: Legend Fighting Championship 7February 11, 2012 -- 3:30 a.m. ETGrand Hyatt, Macau How to watch: Prelims will be streamed live and free on YouTube starting at 3:30 a.m. ET on Feb 11. The Main Card though will be available on PPV in North America a bit delayed to align with the timing on the US. PPV starts at 9 p.m ET for $19.99 (SD) and $29.99 (HD). SIX Things To Look Forward To: 1. TWO TITLE FIGHTS - This is the main reason to watch the card. There will be two excellent matches that will be for two legit championship belts on the card. 2. CHINA'S BEST WELTERWEIGHT VS. THE LEGEND FC WELTERWEIGHT CHAMP FROM KOREA - As mentioned, one of two title fights on the line is the Legend FC welterweight gold when UFC fighter Zhang Tie Quan's teammate, Li Jingliang (12-2) takes on the champ, Bae Myung Ho (12-5) of Korea. The Korean has fought on promotions such as M-1 Global, DREAM, and DEEP, and has been undefeated since joining the Legend FC ranks, eventually winning the title last July. China Top Team's Li, on the other hand, is a Sanda and Wrestling champ from the region and has been on a tear since dropping down to welterweight. He's been touted as the best welterweight out of China, but will he be able to topple the champion known as the "Wolverine"? Both guys have been talking a lot of smack recently, and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. 3. YAO HONGGANG AND HIS UFC SPONSORED TRAINING CAMP VS. THE TOP CHINESE RISING STAR - This bantamweight title fight, at least in my eyes, is the real main event. It not only pits two of the very best fighters in the region, but it also has a very interesting story line. Yao Honggang is not your average Chinese fighter with a background in Sanda. He has a background in Shuaijiao or Chinese Wrestling, and has won numerous wrestling championships in the country. He has been using his grappling chops effectively, winning the Legend FC bantamweight grand prix to claim the promotion's title. He has also benefited greatly from a recent UFC sponsored training camp. Along with Zhang Tie Quan and his China Top Team training partners, Yao was sent to train on several gyms all over Vegas to learn from the best coaches in the business. His opponent? Jumabieke Tuerxun, one of the most popular rising stars from China, and a guy who handed him a loss during his MMA debut almost three years ago. The guy more known as "Bieke" is 10-0, and he is one of the fastest rising stars from China after tearing up the regional circuit by winning six straight bouts in 2011. He is coming from the Xian Sports University, the team where Team Quest fighters Pat Healy and Brad Hannah conducted a training camp that lasted for several weeks, teaching the top Chinese strikers the finer aspects of wrestling, BJJ, and weigh-cutting. There's a lot of hype on this guy, and he is getting an immediate shot at the title against a guy he already beat once before. Will 'Bieke', who has unbelievable potential, couple his high level skills with the learnings he took from Team Quest's guidance to win the title? Or will a much more seasoned Yao Honggang benefit from training in Vegas, derail the hype train, and avenge a loss he suffered during his MMA debut? Much more after the jump, but don't forget to follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena. 4. MARK STRIEGL TRIES TO AVENGE HIS TEAMMATE'S LOSS FROM LAST WEEK - Mark Striegl (6-0) is one of the top prospects from the Philippines. His opponent pulled out on the last minute, and stepping in on short notice is Ev Ting (5-0), a fellow undefeated fighter who is coming off a TKO win over Striegl's good friend and training partner, Will Chope a week ago. Ting is still in peak condition after having concluded a full training camp a week ago, and hardly suffering much damage on his last bout. Striegl on the other hand is extra motivated to avenge the loss of his friend, saying that he won't get lucky this time around. It's the type of change that makes the fight more interesting than the original one, and I'm truly excited to see how this plays out. 5. THE DELARMINO BROTHERS MAKING THEIR LEGEND FC DEBUT - Along with that Striegl bout mentioned above, two more talented Filipino fighters will be on the stacked undercard of Legend FC 7, that will luckily be available for free on YouTube. Brother's Agustin Delarmino, Jr. (4-1) and Leonard Delarmino (3-1) have emerged as two very talented fighters from the URCC, and both fighters will be making their Legend FC debuts on what promises to be two very entertaning bouts. Hidden Gems and Fun Facts: - Legend FC Welterweight Champion Bae Myung Ho, much like his fellow countryman in Yoshihiro Akiyama, is also an underwear model. - Liu Wenbo has competed at heavyweight for most of his career. He will be dropping down to middleweight for the first time to face Matt Cain. Full Fight Card: Legend Fighting Championship 7February 11, 2012 - Grand Hyatt, City of Dreams, Macau Main Card:- Bae Myung Ho vs. Li Jingliang [Legend FC Welterweight Championship]- Yao Honggang vs. Jumabieke Tuerxun [Legend FC Bantamweight Championship]- Liu Wenbo Vs. Matt Cain- Hideto Tatsumi vs. Yang Hae Jun- Wang Sai vs. Gareth Ealey Preliminary Card:- Ji Xian vs. Leonard Delarmino- Taiyo Nakahara vs. Michael Mortimer- Koji Ando vs. Damien Brown- Mark Striegl vs. Ev Ting- Sung Ming-Yen vs. Agustin Delarmino Jr.

Posted in: legend, vs, championship, card, fc

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

On February 11th in Jakarta, Indonesia, two Featherweight prospects will step into the One FC ring looking to leave their mark on One FC’s Featherweight division. Undefeated Filipino prospect Honorio Banario takes on Korean Bae Young Kwon in a fight that could help elevate both men to the next level of their MMA careers. Banario is the URCC Lightweight Champion, making his first drop in weight to Featherweight to challenge Bae Young Kwon on just a few weeks notice after current URCC Featherweight Champion Eric Kelly had to pull out of the fight due to personal reasons. Bae Young Kwon knew that he was stepping right into the fire when he signed on the dotted line to fight for One FC, but if Kwon has shown the world anything, he has shown the world that when you put his back against the wall, he will push as hard as he can. His last bout in December was for Road FC where he took on the undefeated Evolve MMA prospect Brian Choi, with Kwon grinding out a decision victory over Choi and impressing in the process. He is looking to do that yet again, this time in One FC. Kwon is no stranger when it comes to tough fights, with some good experience on the Shooto circuit in Japan, including two tough losses. The mark of a champion and a warrior is to come back from losses stronger than ever, and that is exactly what Kwon is out to prove going into his fight against Banario. Kwon has a strong background in Judo, including some really solid throws and a good submission game, but is not afraid to stand and bang, either. A Judoka with a strong stand up game can be a very scary thing, and Kwon has proved to be a versatile fighter who is confident in his abilities. The X-factor going into this fight has to be considered to be Honorio Banario dropping to Featherweight for the first time, and doing so on short notice. Banario is a tough up-and-comer who trains alongside fighters like Eduard Folayang and Kevin Belingon, both URCC Champions in their own right. Sporting a sleek 6-0 record and coming in with a well-balanced fight style, Banario has to be looked upon as an early favorite, barring the possibility of a tough weight cut. In the fight game, momentum and confidence can sometimes be the deciding factor when walking into a closely-matched fight, and with only two of Banario’s six bouts going into the second round, Banario has to feel the wave of momentum behind him as he makes his One FC debut. Both men step into the One FC cage this weekend looking to make a huge splash on the stage that is One FC and leave their mark. Without a doubt they both have a lot to gain with a win here, as the eyes of the world will be watching closely. For Banario he has a team of superstars behind him while Kwon looks to prove he is one of Korea’s best exports in the world of MMA.

Posted in: fight, featherweight, fc, banario, honorio banario

Read the full article at Middle Easy

After a four month break ONE Fighting Championship is back this Saturday night with a card in Jakarta, Indonesia. It features a mixture of established international superstars who will need absolutely no introduction and up and coming fighters who fans outside Asia might not be so familiar with. 2012 is set to be a big year for ONE FC who will be putting on a minimum of eight events in cities across Asia and have also signed a historic ten year television deal with ESPN Star Sports. It is a tremendous opportunity for fighters to make a name for themselves competing on a show which will be available in more homes than any other in the history of Asian MMA. The action gets underway at the BritAma Arena in Jakarta with a five fight undercard which will be streamed free of charge on the ONE FC website and facebook page followed by a five fight main card which will be available via U-Stream for just $9.99. After the jump is a preview of all ten fights Ole Laursen vs Felipe Enomoto (Lightweight) Ole Laursen is a former Muay Thai, kickboxing and K-1 star who is rated very highly indeed. He has been out of action for over a year with injuries and needs to put in a good performance to show that he is still a force to be reckoned with in the ONE FC lightweight division. His opponent, Felipe Enomoto, is no stepping stone though, he is extremely well rounded and has faced UFC calibre fighters in a career spent mainly competing on the European scene. Laursen was once selected for the Filipino national boxing team, an offer he was unable to accept, and will be looking to let his hands go and throw combinations of punches and kicks. Enomoto who has been preparing for this contest at Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand might well want to take the fight to the floor where he can put almost ten years of BJJ experience to use. Laursen is no slouch on the ground though and even after such a long and successful career he should have no problem motivating himself for this fight. If Laursen can keep the fight standing he will be a strong favourite, but his takedown defence has looked a little questionable in the past and he also has a dangerous tendency to give up his back. Given that Enomoto has fought three times since he last stepped in the cage the Swiss/Japanese fighter probably has to be the slight favourite but that makes it a fantastic opportunity for the Filipino to prove that even after an extended absence he is still a serious threat. Honorio Banario vs Bae Young Kwon (Featherweight) When Eric Kelly was forced to pull out from this fight due to personal problems ONE FC were fortunate to find a perfect replacement in Honorio Banario. Just like Kelly he is a URCC champion, the only difference is that he holds the lightweight belt and will be dropping down to 145 lbs for the first time in his career. Bae Young Kwon is coming off a big win against Brian Choi which firmly established him as the number three featherweight in Korea behind UFC veteran Chan Sung Jung and Doo Ho Cho who is fighting for the Deep title this month. He is a strong wrestler with outstanding Judo skills who also packs a serious punch. Banario is a typical Team Lakay fighter who is well conditioned, well rounded and has a Wushu base. He has never been beaten but he has never faced an opponent of Kwon's calibre. Kwon might be a slight favourite based on the calibre of opposition he has faced but URCC fighters like Kelly and Eduard Folayang have done very well in international competition. Rustam Khabilov vs Rodrigo Ribeiro (Welterweight) This is a fascinating fight because it pits a Russian Sambo world champion against a Brazilian with a third degree BJJ black belt. Khabilov has the potential to pick Ribeiro up and slam him to the canvass but if he doesn't knock him out cold in the process (which he has done before) he's likely to be the subject of multiple submission attempts. Khabilov's record is UFC calibre and if he can improve it to 13-1 by beating Ribeiro the sky is the limit for him career wise. Ribeiro is a seasoned veteran whose record may not be as impressive as his opponents but he has fought extensively in Brazil where the competition is a little more intense than in Russia. This contest is intriguing partly because the participants have such contrasting martial art background but also because they train at two of the most renowned camps in the world. Ribeiro is at Evolve MMA which is widely regarded as being Asia's top training centre but Khabilov has been working with legendary trainer Greg Jackson and it could well come down to who is able to execute their game plan more effectively. Gustavo Falciroli vs Soo Chul Kim (Bantamweight) Falciroli is a second degree BJJ black belt and the reigning CFC bantamweight champion. He is the number one 135 lbs fighter in Australia and won a contract with ONE FC courtesy of a submission victory at CFC 19 last year. Kim is only 20 years old and is a prodigy who is highly rated in Korea but he will be up against a much more experienced opponent for the second consecutive fight. At ONE Fighting Championship's inaugural show last September he put up a good performance to go three rounds with BJJ world champion Leandro Issa but couldn't quite do enough to win that fight. Life won't get any easier for him against Falciroli who is a veteran of the Australian scene and has also fought for Shooto in Japan. Falciroli has never been stopped and one went the distance with UFC lightweight Bernardo Magalhaes, only losing by majority decision. Kim is improving rapidly and is an exciting prospect for the future but I expect Falciroli's experience to tell and his superior ground game will probably be the defining factor. Bob Sapp vs Rolles Gracie (Super Heavyweight) The first fight on the main card is big in more ways than one. Bob 'The Beast' Sapp will probably be tipping the scales at 350 lbs and is coming off a kickboxing win in Dubai last weekend. Rolles Gracie is one of the most exciting heavyweight prospects outside of the UFC and will be looking for the sixth submission win of his career. This will probably prove popular with the Indonesian crowd but it could also be a defining moment in both men's careers. A win against such a large opponent would reflect extremely well on Gracie but Sapp is a K-1, Pride and Dream veteran with knockout power in both hands and could be a very dangerous proposition for someone who is primarily a grappler. This fight ends one of two ways and is highly unlikely to last more than a round. Either Gracie submits Sapp or Sapp knocks out Gracie but whatever happens it will probably happen fast. UNDERCARD Raymond Tiew vs Victorio Senduk (Featherweight) Victorio Senduk won a silver medal for Wushu at the SEA Games in Indonesia last year and has a 2-0 record from MMA fights in Indonesia which took place around eight years ago. He will be giving up three inches in height to Raymond Tiew who also has a background in Wushu and Taekwondo. This looks set to be a stand up war with neither fighter likely to look for a takedown. Tiew has a 5-2 record from fighting in local events in Malaysia, if he can utilize his superior height and reach he should take this but Senduk has competed at a higher level and might have sufficient experience to negate the size difference in front of his home fans. Jessie Rafols vs Irshaad Sayed (Bantamweight) If I had to pick a probable fight of the night this would be it. Rafols fights at 100 mph, once the bell goes he simply does not stop and is relentless with takedowns, ground and pound and submissions. Sayed is one of the most dynamic strikers in the division and like his friend and training partner Vuyisile Colossa he is a Muay Thai world champion whose striking is just as deadly in MMA. Rafols was originally scheduled to face Ngoo Ditty, who Sayed holds a win over. If the fight stays standing the South African should dominate but if Rafols can impose his gameplan and take the fight to the floor I expect him to prevail. Whatever happens it is unlikely to be boring. Alex Silva vs Geje Eustaquio (Flyweight) This is another interesting match up stylistically because it pits a BJJ world champion against a Wushu expert. Geje Eustaquio trains at altitude in Baguio with Team Lakay and Alex Silva is coming off a two month training camp with all the world champions at Evolve MMA so both should be capable of setting a fearsome pace. Evolve MMA completely transformed Shinya Aoki's Muay Thai so it would be overly simplistic to say that Silva needs a submission to win but he will definitely want to get the fight to the ground if he can. Eustaquio might try to keep the fight standing and use his Wushu striking but he has some explosive takedowns in his arsenal making this fight extremely unpredictable. Peter Davis vs Ngabdi Mulyadi (Lightweight) Mulyadi is a veteran of the now defunct TPI FC organization in Indonesia who has a 5-2 record with his only losses coming against outstanding fighters. He is also an out and out wrestler who will be up against someone with some unconventional and explosive striking skills. Davis is better known in Malaysia for acting and modelling work but the word coming out of his training camp, where he is working alongside experienced fighters like Eric Kelly and Arnaud Lepont, is that they are very excited about his potential as a mixed martial artist. Mulyadi will be relentless in his pursuit of the takedown but if he can't get it I expect Davis to pick him apart with his superior striking. Zuli Silawanto vs Agus Nanang (Welterweight) The undercard gets underway with an all Indonesian affair which is sure to get the crowd going. Silawanto is a seasoned TPI FC veteran who has plenty of experience and claims to be very well rounded. Nanang is a wrestler who will not want the fight to remain standing for too long if he can help it. It's difficult to make predictions but if SIlawanto can impose his stand up he will probably be favourite, Nanang might need to put him on his back if he wants to win. For information about viewing these fights on the internet visit the One FC website.

Posted in: fight, fighter, vs, year, fc

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Prior to reading this article, I saw a guy in Thai Town in Hollywood, CA sweat profusely as he frantically ate a bowl of noodles. His cell phone was placed in a condom that he used for a screen protector. When he grabbed his phone, he used it to wipe the sweat from the back of his neck. Apparently a condom wrapped around a phone is a multi-purpose device. At that moment, I realized we're all connected in this vast universe. Genki Sudo was right; we're all one. Technically, that would make the guys from ONE FC a quantum singularity. Quantum mechanical fighting championship (QMFC), coming to a theoretical black hole near you. This morning at the ONE FC press conference, the organization announced that Babalu vs. Manhoef and Imanari vs. the undefeated phenom from Manilla, Kevin Belingon will go down at the promotion's third event, scheduled for March 31st 2012 in Singapore. ONE FC also announced a ten-year long partnership with ESPN Star Sports, which in the broadcast industry is virtually unheard of. That's a guaranteed decade of head stomps brought directly to every Asian television with basic cable. If that wasn't enough, Victor Cui also announced that ONE FC is now supported by the Singapore government, which is pretty ironic since most of you live in a country in which the government won't allow MMA in the greatest city on the planet. If New York was like Singapore, we would have already seen a sold-out Madison Square Garden with a massive octagon in the middle. Granted, if New York was like Singapore, every member of Occupy Wall Street would be dragged in the middle of the road and caned. Occupy Singapore is a misplaced gum wrapper.

Posted in: vs, fc, phone, singapore, singapore government

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Filed under: News, ONE FCFormer Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Renato "Babalu" Sobral will meet K-1 veteran Melvin Manhoef in the main event of One FC 3 on March 31 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore, promoters announced Tuesday in a press conference. Sobral inked an exclusive deal a month ago with One FC after missing the entire 2011 due to a shoulder injury and time off for his family. Sobral was last seen in action in a first-round KO loss to Dan Henderson at Strikeforce in St. Louis in December 2010. Manhoef, who has lost his last three MMA fights in the first round, fought over the weekend in a losing effort against Tyrone Spong under kickboxing rules on an It's Showtime card in Amsterdam. Also announced for One FC's first partnership event with DREAM is a co-main event with leglock expert Masakazu Imanari taking on undefeated Filipino prospect Kevin Belingon. Imanari competed six times in 2011, five of which for DREAM as part of the two DREAM bantamweight tournaments. Imanari fell short in the Japan tournament final against Hideo Tokoro by decision. On New Year's Eve, Imanari lost in the World tournament semifinal to Antonio Banuelos by split decision. Belingon is a 24-year-old who made his name fighting for the URCC promotion in the Philippines and Legend FC in Hong Kong. Singapore's first professional female MMA fighter Nicole Chua will also compete at One FC 3. During the press conference, One FC announced its intention to make Singapore the Asian headquarters for MMA. One FC recently announced a 10-year deal with ESPN STAR and on Tuesday added 17 more gyms to its One FC network. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: event, sobral, fc, imanari, singapore

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ONE Fighting Championship held its eagerly anticipated press conference in Singapore this morning (Jan. 31, 2012) and the big news was that the March 31 card at the Singapore Indoor Stadium would be headlined by a fight between Renato Sobral and Melvin Manhoef. The co-main event will see Kevin Belingon put his undefeated record on the line against Japanese veteran Masakazu Imanari. The Filipino is undefeated (9-0) in professional mixed martial arts (MMA), competing against good-level opponents outside of the Philippines, but he has never faced anyone of the caliber or experience of "The Master of Leglocks" who has fought 36 times in his 12-year career. Also on the card will be Eduard Folayang, Zorobabel Moreira, Eddie Ng and a female Singaporean fighter called Nicole Chua, who will make her MMA debut. Their opponents will be revealed at a later date, but the Singapore card already looks set to be the best yet by ONE FC. Yesterday it was announced that ONE FC had signed a 10-year partnership with ESPN Star Sports (full story here) and some more details about that deal were revealed today. ONE FC will be shown on ESPN Star Sports, which is available in 24 Asian countries and is home to the English Premier League, NBA and MLB, for the next 10 years on a delayed broadcast to begin with, but eventually live. It appears ONE FC also has official backing from the Singapore Tourism Board and the Economic Development Board. Singapore is ranked by the International Monetary Fund as the third richest country in the world, which bodes well for the financial future of Asia's most prestigious MMA promotion. The signing of Sobral was announced late last year and he is also set to fight on ONE FC's Manila card which is likely to take place in around six months time. He has won six out of his last eight fights but will not be in for an easy night at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 31st. Manhoef is the current It's Showtime 85 kgs Max World Champion and just went three rounds in a heavyweight K-1 rules fight with Tyrone Spong who is ranked as one of the best stand up fighters in the world. The Dutchman's striking is as good as any MMA fighter in the 205 lbs division (where this fight will presumably take place) and he will be real threat to Babalu. The last event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium attracted a crowd of 7,000 and the March 31st show should bring in an even bigger attendance because Eduard Folayang is a big draw for Asian fight fans and there will also be a lot of local interest in the Evolve MMA fighters, Eddie Ng and Zorobabel Moreira as well as the female debutant, Nicole Chua. Putting on a card of this calibre demonstrates CEO / Owner Victor Cui's determination to compete for the signatures of the best fighters in the world as well as continuing to showcase local fighters like Folayang, Belingon and Ng. With a ten year TV deal, support from the Singapore government and a rapidly expanding roster of fighters the future looks bright for both ONE FC and Asian MMA.

Posted in: fight, mma, fighter, fc, singapore

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Just a day after One FC announced their new television partnership with ESPN Star Sports, the promotion has now confirmed their third show for March 31 with two familiar faces at the top of the card.

Posted in: show, espn, partnership, fc, television partnership

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Following yesterday's monumental announcement of a 10-year media partnership with ESPN Star Sports, ONE FC unveiled several more interesting news items on a press conference in Singapore. On the business side of things, the promotion made a huge announcement that government entities from Singapore will be backing them, with Cui saying that both the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB) will be supporting ONE FC. On news that would be more interesting for fight fans, ONE FC has also announced two key bouts for their third show that is slated on March 31st. Headlining the card will be UFC vet and former Strikeforce champion, Renato 'Babalu' Sobral (36-10), taking on the very dangerous and explosive striker in Melvin Manhoef (24-9). Also on a featured bout is Kevin Belingon (9-0), a URCC Champion who is one of the top prospects in the Asia, taking a huge step up in competition by facing the more experienced DEEP Bantamweight Champ, and 'Master of Leglocks', Masakazu Imanari (24-10-2). Victor Cui also mentioned that there will be 2 more DREAM fighters competing on the card, along with URCC Champion Eduard Folayang, BJJ World Champion Zorobabel Moreira, Eddie Ng, and Nicole Chua, a female Muay Thai fighter who is set to make her MMA debut under the tutelage of the champions at Evolve MMA. Although signs of their partnership with DREAM are already seen with multiple fighters from the Japanese promotion competing on this March card, Cui revealed that this won't be the co-promoted event as they earlier announced. The ONE FC head did mention though that they're working on that 2012 co-promoted show that would pit ONE FC's best fighters against DREAM's top fighters such as Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri. Check out the partial card for the ONE FC 3 after the jump. As always, stay tuned to BloodyElbow.com for more updates, and follow me on twitter. ONE Fighting Championship 3March 31, 2012 - Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore - Renato Sobral vs. Melvin Manhoef- Masakazu Imanari vs. Kevin Belingon- Eduard Folayang- Zorobabel Moreira- Gregor Gracie- Eddie Ng- Nicole Chua

Posted in: fighter, vs, champion, fc, singapore

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There's interesting news coming out of the Asian MMA scene from both Legend FC and ONE FC. Both promotions will be hosting their next shows at the same date, and both promotions have announced major deals for their promotions on the same day as well. Earlier today, Legend FC has announced an "exclusive distribution and syndication agreement" with ESPN. This Hong Kong-based promotion is already available on 10 countries, including PPV in North America, and with this deal, they'll be looking to expand their reach to a broader audience globally with the help of ESPN international. From their press release: Legend Fighting Championship (Legend) today announced the signing of an exclusive distribution and syndication agreement with ESPN International (ESPN). Under the terms of the agreement, ESPN will serve as the sole distribution agent of all Legend broadcast content in Asia, Oceania, the Indian sub-continent, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. ... "Legend’s combination of a roster filled with elite fighters from the Asia-Pacific region with high-quality production values makes us excited to work with them to continue to develop their audience around the world," said Mike Walter, vice president of programming, ESPN International. ONE FC on the other hand, will be hosting a show on the same date, and as we wrote about earlier, the Singapore-based promotion is set to be broadcast all over Asia on ESPN Star Sports (ESS). The promotion announced this deal a few moments ago, also adding that they have entered in a 10-year partnership with the company, guaranteeing a decade's worth of shows being broadcast on ESS. From their release: ONE Fighting Championship™, Asia’s largest MMA organization, announces a 10-year media partnership with ESPN STAR Sports, Asia’s biggest sports content provider. This partnership marks the largest MMA media deal in Asian history and includes showcasing the best Asian mixed martial artists against one another through a series of events across all the major cities in Asia. ... Adam Zecha, Executive Vice President, Head of Sales (SEA), ESPN STAR Sports, said, "ESPN STAR Sports has always been at the forefront in offering innovative and engaging programming to sports fans across the region. We have successfully showcased a diverse range of combat sports events to fans, and with this long-term partnership with ONE Fighting Championship, mixed-martial arts sports fans can now look forward to more exciting action on our networks." Not sure about what's the difference between ESPN International and ESPN Star Sports? Not sure what's the difference between both deals? All that is explained after the jump. Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena. For those unfamiliar with the difference between the two 'ESPN' identities -- ESPN Star Sports (where ONE FC has a media partnership with) is a joint venture between News Corp (which owns Star TV and Fox International) and ESPN International (the one Legend FC has a distribution deal with). So while they're not exactly the same, especially with their reach on other continents, there's still a bit of an overlap between the two networks and their channels in Asia. As for the actual deals they made, they seem to be completely different. Legend FC has an agreement where ESPN International can help distribute their product and show them to some of the channels on their network, but it seems like they will still have to negotiate on which specific markets/channels they want their products to be aired. This gives them flexibility on what market they wish to be broadcast, but this also means that they won't get to maximize the entire reach of the ESPN network. ONE FC on the other hand, has their 10-year partnership, which basically guarantees that for the next decade, their product will be airing all over Asia, on all of the channels under the ESS umbrella. This would mean less flexibility for the promotion, but it also means they will maximize the entire reach of ESS, which spans through 24 countries in Asia. Legend FC's next event will be on Feb 11, in Macau, and it will be headlined by two title fights. Yao Honggang and Li Jingliang, who are both teammates of UFC fighter, Zhang Tiequan will be taking on highly ranked Jumabieke Tuerxun and Bae Myung Ho respectively for the Legend FC bantamweight and welterweight titles. As mentioned, ONE FC 2 will be in Indonesia, and it will also be on Feb 11th. It will be headlined by a lightweight bout between Martial Combat champion, Ole Laursen, and Felipe Enomoto, and a co-headlined by URCC Champ, Honorio Banario and Bae Young Kwon. Check out the official fight cards for both events below: Legend Fighting Championship 7February 11, 2012 - Grand Hyatt, City of Dreams, Macau Main Card:- Bae Myung Ho vs. Li Jingliang [Legend FC Welterweight Championship]- Yao Honggang vs. Jumabieke Tuerxun [Legend FC Bantamweight Championship]- Liu Wenbo Vs. Matt Cain- Hideto Tatsumi vs. Yang Hae Jun- Wang Sai vs. Gareth Ealey Preliminary Card:- Ji Xian vs. Leonard Delarmino- Taiyo Nakahara vs. Michael Mortimer- Koji Ando vs. Damien Brown- Mark Striegl vs. Choi Yeong Gwang- Sung Ming-Yen vs. Agustin Delarmino Jr. ONE FC 2: Battle of HeroesFebruary 11, 2012 - Sports Mall Kelapa Gading, Jakarta, Indonesia Main Card- Ole Laursen vs. Felipe Enomoto- Honorio Banario vs. Bae Young Kwon- Rustam Khabilov vs. Rodrigo Ribeiro- Gustavo Falciroli vs. Soo Chul Kim- Rolles Gracie vs. Bob Sapp Preliminary Card- Victorio Senduk vs. Raymond Tiew- Alex Silva vs. Geje Eustaquio- Jessie Rafols vs. Irshaad Sayed- Ngabdi Mulyadi vs. Peter Davis- Zuli Silawanto vs. Agus NaNang

Posted in: legend, espn, vs, sport, fc

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If we were in possession of a flux capacitor-equipped Delorean, we would travel to February 11th 2012 and have the time of our friggin' lives at ONE FC: Battle of Heroes in Jakarta, Indonesia. You can enjoy too, but you would also need to have a time traveling Delorean. You can use a Honda Civic. That's a little known tip amongst us time travelers. The catch is, you still need an operational flux capacitor. Good luck finding one of those things in this current economy. The alternative is you can wait a few days until February 11th and watch ONE FC: Battle of Heroes live on -- some undisclosed technology we can't tell you yet. If you're unfamiliar with ONE FC, it's the only major MMA promotion in the world that allows classic Pride FC rules in bouts. Yes, soccer kicks to a grounded opponent are legal. It's the closest thing we have to pure, unfiltered combat -- so that should undoubtedly give you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. MiddleEasy partnered with the promotion earlier this month, and now we've created a highlight reel of the organization that is downright filthy -- in an unbelievably amazing way.

Posted in: time, thing, fc, jakarta indonesia, fc battle

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ONE Fighting Championships' second event will happen in Jakarta, Indonesia. Their first event was streamed on Sherdog.com, but now it looks like they're changing it up a bit and will be taking a page off the UFC's playbook by properly utilizing their social media platforms. According to Rolles Gracie, who is one of the competitors on the ONE FC card, the event will be streamed live and free on the promotion's Facebook page, with a delayed telecast available all over Asia on ESPN Star Sports. ONE FC will be hosting a press-conference in Singapore on Tuesday, and I expect this TV deal, along with the competitors for their March co-promoted show with DREAM, to be part of the laundry list of announcements that will be made. Key bouts on the card in Indonesia include a lightweight bout between Felipe Enomoto and Ole Laursen, who has been named as the #8 ranked lightweight in the 2010 World MMA Scouting Report, and a featherweight bout between URCC Champ, Honorio Banario and Bae Young Kwon. Check out the full fight card after the jump, and follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena ONE FC 2: Battle of HeroesFebruary 11, 2012 - Sports Mall Kelapa Gading, Jakarta, Indonesia Main Card- Ole Laursen vs. Felipe Enomoto- Honorio Banario vs. Bae Young Kwon- Rustam Khabilov vs. Rodrigo Ribeiro- Gustavo Falciroli vs. Soo Chul Kim- Rolles Gracie vs. Bob Sapp Preliminary Card- Victorio Senduk vs. Raymond Tiew- Alex Silva vs. Geje Eustaquio- Jessie Rafols vs. Irshaad Sayed- Ngabdi Mulyadi vs. Peter Davis- Zuli Silawanto vs. Agus NaNang

Posted in: vs, card, fc, ufcs playbook, media platforms

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If you're wondering what happened to the traditional MiddleEasy background, don't worry. It's hibernating and slowly evolving into something even more ridiculous for the remainder of 2012. In the meantime, ONE FC will be taking over MiddleEasy.com leading up to the promotion's second event on February 11th in Jakarta, Indonesia. The event is called 'Battle of Heroes' and it will feature fighters from twelve different countries all competing in a small circular cage -- with Pride FC rules. Yes, folks -- that means exactly what you think it means. With One FC, MMA fans have the opportunity to witness world-class muay thai champions soccer kick their opponent into parallel dimensions. Head stomps to a downed opponent are also allowed within ONE FC. We're basically seeing the verge of a new Golden Renaissance in Asian MMA -- and it all starts with ONE FC. Imagine gathering all the top Asian MMA promotions (DREAM, Road FC, DARE, URCC...etc) and combining them into one massive network in which champions will truly fight other champions in cross-promotion title unification bouts. That's precisely what Victor Cui, the head of ONE FC, plans on doing. I'm sure you've read our interview with the CEO by now. In the feature, Cui details his plans for Asian MMA domination, including integrating more women into the mixed martial arts scene in the Far East. Now ONE FC has selected MiddleEasy to be their vehicle in getting ONE FC: Battle of Heroes nailed onto the screen of every MMA fan out there. We're stoked to partner with this very promising MMA organization, and we're already manifesting some ridunkulous content leading up to February 11th in Jakarta, Indonesia. Check out the finalized fight card for ONE FC: Battle of Heroes:   Aside from guys like Bob Sapp, Rolles Gracie and Ole Lausen -- we understand you may be a little confused at the fight roster. Rest assured in the local Asian combat sports scene, these guys have kicked enough available ass to be featured in ONE FC -- and that undoubtedly means something. However, it's our task on the MiddleEasy Network to introduce you to the fighters that will be doing battle at ONE FC: Battle of Heroes. Over the days leading up to the event, we will be featuring these fighters within MiddleEasy, DstryrSG, LiverKick, WHOA! TV and even FighterXFashion. By February 11th, your brains will be so educated in the Asian MMA scene that your nose will leak budo. MiddleEasy was on location in Singapore to cover ONE FC's inaugural event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and we'll be there for the promotion's second event in Indonesia. Los Angeles based music video director, Patrick Fogarty, will be accompanying me to the event -- so expect an abnormally high amount of dopeness. Patrick is the winner of the 2011 Alternative Press Music Video of the Year, but you probably know him best from the work he did on MiddleEasy's 'The Saint of Stevia: The Legend of Dan Quinn.' We still have hours of footage on memory cards stored inside empty shoe boxes -- so we'll eventually get around to making it into a film. Check out this highlight reel from the infamous Zombie Prophet of ONE FC's inaugural venture into the land of Asian MMA on September 3rd 2011.

Posted in: mma, event, middleeasy, fc, asian

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There's a bunch of news coming out of the Asian MMA circuit, and here's a brief rundown: Eric Kelly who has been dealing with a ton of management and personal issues lately has been pulled off the upcoming ONE FC 2 card in Jakarta Indonesia. Sources from the Philippines have informed BloodyElbow.com about the change. Stepping in for the featherweight standout is a fellow URCC champion, in Honorio Banario who has agreed to take the bout in less than 4 weeks notice.Banario is undefeated at 6-0 and is the reigning URCC lightweight champ. He is a product of the famed Team Lakay camp that houses several champions such as Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon and Roy Docyogen. His opponent will be Kelly's original opponent in Bae Young Kwon, a talented Korean fighter who is coming off a win over Brian Choi of Evolve MMA. Following an excellent performance from his teammate at URCC Cebu 7: Dominate, URCC Pinweight (119 lbs.) Champion, Roy Docyogen (9-0) will be looking to follow up with another big win for Team Lakay when the promotion hosts a show in their hometown of Baguio next month.On Feb 18, in Baguio City, the Wushu expert will look to defend his title against Rodel Orais, a former pro-boxer who is currently undefeated in MMA. Also on the URCC Baguio card, 6-foot-4 featherweight from Phuket Top Team, Will Chope will look to go 3-0 in the Philippines when he steps up in competition and takes on a former super-fight champion, Reydon "The Filipino Bolo Punch" Romero. It's probably an early fight of the night candidate as it's guaranteed to be entertaining when these two very game strikers go head to head.Chope, who always tries to remain busy, posted the news on his website and also announced another bout against Ev Ting in New Zealand three weeks earlier. There are several big news (literally) coming out of the Asian MMA scene after the jump, so do check it out, and as always, follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena. He's fighting at ONE FC 2 against Rolles Gracie, and while a lot of pundits have disliked the matchmaking on that bout, it didn't stop other Asian promotions from booking Bob Sapp to more MMA bouts. On March 11, about a month after that ONE FC bout in Jakarta, 'The Beast' will be taking on James Thompson as the headliner for Super Fight League, a new promotion in India.MMA isn't that popular in India compared to other countries, but their founders Raj Kundra and Sanjay Dutt (pictured) are looking to change that by building the country's first MMA promotion in SFL. The popular and somewhat controversial MMA agent, Ken Pavia will also be involved, and has been announced to be the CEO of Super Fight League.Among the roster announced from the promotion is UFC veteran Xavier Foupa Pokam or "Professor X", along with some of the top prospects in the country such as Lakwinder Sekhon, Alan Fernandes, Hardeep Singh, Chaitanya Gavali, Bharat Kandare, Mohammed Shahid, Ricky Ranjeet Singh, Surje Gurung, Anup Kumar, Neil Natasadu, and Satisch Jha. Legend FC has signed two more talented Filipino strikers. Brothers Agustin Delarmino (4-1-0, and Leonard Delarmino (3-1) from Iloilo have been picked up and will be making their debut at Legend FC 7 on Feb 11. Speaking of the Legend FC 7 card, I've been told about this totally random tidbit on twitter, and apparently Bae Myung Ho, their welterweight champion who will be defending his title that night, is also an underwear/swimsuit model... hmm. I really don't know what to say about this. PXC's next event will be on Feb 18, in the Ynares Sports Center in the Philippines. It will be headlined by a featherweight title bout between Jesse Taitano and the very entertaining Ale Cali. MMA In Asia has a very interesting interview with Shinya Aoki and his Muay Thai coaches from Evolve MMA. They talk about the win over Kitaoka, and their honest assessment of his improved skillset. One of the interesting bits is when his coach said that Aoki needs more confidence with his striking, and suggests that a few professional Muay Thai bouts might change that.

Posted in: mma, bout, urcc, champion, fc

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Bantamweight Jessie Rafols holds a 6-2 professional record and is popular in the Philippines for his non-stop, fan-friendly style of fighting. He is one of the most aggressive fighters in the history of the URCC and will be getting his chance to shine on the international stage for the first time at ONE FC 2 in Jakarta next month. Up until now he has done all of his fighting for the URCC, the most established promotion in the Philippines. He took on pinweight champion Roy Docyogen (who is currently 9-0) in his debut and lost that fight but then went on to post six straight stoppage wins, moving up from 119 lbs to 129 lbs in the process. Rafols suffered a surprise defeat to Reydon Romero in his most recent fight when, after five and a half minutes of an all-out war which he appeared to be winning, the pace of the fight finally took its toll and he simply ran out of steam. Despite that defeat he does not intend to change his style and should be even more effective fighting for ONE FC where rounds last for five minutes, as opposed to the marathon ten minute rounds in the URCC. “I like fighting this way because I like to give my fans something to talk about and remember me by. I want to give an exciting match and I want to set my pace in the ring before my opponent does,” said Rafols in a conversation with Five Ounces of Pain. “After that defeat I learned a lot about being an MMA fighter and I will be making some minor adjustments, but that’s it. Just a little more polishing on my techniques and conditioning training, I have always trained to do two rounds of 10 minutes so the shorter rounds should be easy.” Rafols had originally been penciled in to face Ngoo Ditty, a Muay Thai fighter from Thailand who holds an MMA record of 4-2. A motorcycle accident put paid to that match up and instead the Filipino will be fighting Sung Ming Yen from Taiwan who is currently 2-0. He claims he is not too bothered about the change of opponent and is just looking forward to fighting for the biggest show in Asia, saying, “The change of opponent doesn’t really matter. I will be sticking to my game plan and training. I am very excited because I have always wanted to fight for my country and this will be my defining moment as a fighter. I was able to watch the first ONE FC show and I just can’t wait to step in that cage and fight for my country, I am very grateful for this great opportunity.” Filipino people are fiercely patriotic and are immensely proud of Eduard Folayang and Eric Kelly who both posted impressive victories at ONE FC 1, and after five years of learning martial arts Rafols could be set to make a similar breakthroug. “I started my Martial Arts training back in 2006,” Rafols explained. “When I was 20 years old and I trained with D’Elements Gym under coach Ramonito Pabroa. I started with boxing and Muay Thai, then later on ventured to MMA. Why? Because I grew up with a family of boxers and martial artists and I guess I was influenced by this somehow.” Despite having a background in stand up fighting Rafols’ has a good ground game with five of his six wins coming by way of submission. He attributes his success as a mixed martial artist partly to his training and partly to the URCC, the organization which gave him his big break. “The URCC has helped me a lot in my development as a fighter,” Rafols concluded. “They saw my potential and I try not to let them down. I am still signed with the URCC and they have been helping me with my career track and everything else that goes with it. I train twice a day, six days in a week. Right now I’m training in BAMF MMA center under DEFTAC and Pabroa from the D’ Elements gym is also helping me out.” ONE FC: Battle of Heroes is taking place at the BritAma Arena in Jakarta, Indonesia on February 11.

Posted in: fight, urcc, training, fc, rafol

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Filed under: ONE FCFilipino featherweight Eric Kelly's background is in striking, but you wouldn't guess it from looking at his MMA record. As Kelly heads into his co-headlining bout against Shooto veteran Bae Young Kwon (6-2) at One FC 2 on Feb. 11 in Indonesia, Kelly is carrying a 6-0 record in MMA all by submission. Kelly wanted to showcase his standup last September at the inaugural One FC card in Singapore, but his opponent Mitch Chilson turned the fight into a grappling exchange. And so, Kelly recorded his fifth first-round rear-naked choke win of his career. "People think I am only a ground fighter because all my wins are by submission but I like fighting standing up as well," Kelly said to MMAFighting.com Tuesday. Born and raised in the Philippines, Kelly started training boxing at 19 after graduating high school and then further developed his standup game by studying the Filipino kickboxing art "Yaw-Yan." "All I know that Yaw-Yan is like kickboxing and Yaw-Yan originated in Philippines, I have also trained in Pencak Silat (Indonesia self-defense style) and done some boxing," Kelly said. "I first started out as a boxer because I left school and I didn't have a lot of money and it was a good option for me but I only did one boxing match which I won." Kelly's journey in martial arts next led him to Wushu and San Shou. From 2001-2004, Kelly competed for the Phillippine's Wushu and San Shou team and his experience was highlighted by a Southeast Asian Games Gold medal in Wushu. It wasn't until an injury directed Kelly to take a break from his striking to begin training jiu-jitsu. MMA soon followed and he began his competitive MMA career fighting for the Phillippines-based MMA promotion URCC. In his fifth appearance for URCC, he won the company's featherweight title and landed a deal with One FC, a fledgling Singapore-based promotion. One FC, which aims to revitalize the Asian MMA industry, draws fighters from all around the world, allowing Kelly to challenge himself against competition outside of the Philippines. At One FC 2, Kelly meets Kwon of South Korea in a battle of prospects. Kelly admits he feels the extra pressure of fighting under international exposure, but he knows this is what he needs to realize his goal of fighting for the UFC. "I have never been in an MMA event as big as One FC before, there were so many people at my fight and to hear them cheering for me made me know I must win the fight for them," he said of his One FC debut. "I am honored to fight for One FC and to have everyone in Asia see me fight but to fight for the UFC is my dream. I hope one day it can come true." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, mma, kelly, fc, yawyan

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A heavyweight contest between Rolles Gracie and Bob Sapp is set for "One FC 2" in Indonesia next month.

Posted in: fc, rolles gracie, bob sapp, rolle, heavyweight contest

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The sport of MMA is developing rapidly in the Philippines and Eduard Folayang is the most famous fighter to have emerged from the scene there. He also regularly represents his country at Wushu, winning a gold medal at the recent South East Asian Games, making him an all round national hero. He is the reigning champion of the URCC, the longest running promotion in South East Asia but has not fought in the Philippines since March 2010. He fought three times for Martial Combat in Singapore and, when ONE Fighting Championships was founded in 2011 he was the first name on the list of potential headliners. A Closer Look at URCC ONE FC has a budget and viewership which is unprecedented in Asian mixed martial arts history and Folayang’s bout with A Sol Kwon was the fight of the night on the inaugural show. The URCC champion survived a broken nose to win against the experienced Korean who had been on a six fight win streak. As his international reputation grew on the back of that performance it seemed unlikely that Folayang would ever defend his URCC title, or fight for the promotion which gave him his big break. However late last year a groundbreaking idea called the ‘ONE FC Network’ was born with a simple concept, for some of the top promotions in Asia and Australia to work together to share resources, contacts, ideas and fighters. The network currently includes DREAM in Japan, Cage Fighting Championships in Australia, Road FC in Korea, DARE Championships in Thailand, and the URCC in the Philippines. This means that Folayang’s ONE FC contract allowed him to potentially fight for any of the promotions in the network and the URCC wasted no time in offering him a first defence of his welterweight title in almost two years. He will be making a homecoming at URCC Cebu 7 on January 13 when he will fight against Wadson Teixeira in front of the Filipino fans. Folayang will have plenty of support but with that comes serious pressure to defeat an opponent who is a Brazilian National Muay Thai champion and holds a brown belt in BJJ. Folayang took time out from training at Team Lakay Wushu, which is also home to URCC champions Roy Docyogen, Kevin Belingon, and Honorio Banario, to talk to Fighters.com and discuss his thoughts on the fight with Wadson and the future: What are your thoughts on your opponent Wadson Teixeira, do you know anything about him? Well, I think Wadson has a great stand up game as he is the Brazilian National Champion in Muay Thai and he has also has good submission skills. Other than that I don’t know so much about him. Wadson is probably the best BJJ fighter you have ever faced, are you worried about the possibility of getting submitted? Everything happens in MMA but I’m not worried about being submitted because I train every day at Team Lakay Wushu and I am confident in my skills on the ground. There is talk of Ole Laursen fighting you for your URCC title later this year, have the promoters spoken to you about that? I was supposed to fight him at ONE FC 1 but he got injured. I’m still not sure whether that fight will ever happen. When do you think you will be fighting for One FC again? This year for sure perhaps at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in March or if not maybe in July. Your last four fights have been inside a cage, will it feel strange being in a ring again when you fight for URCC? Yes, there will be some adjustment again on my part fighting in the ring. The ONE FC network would allow you to fight in Dream, CFC in Australia, Road FC in Korea and Dare Championships in Thailand as well as ONE FC. Have you discussed the possibility of fighting for any of these promotions and are you hoping to keep busy in 2012? Yes. This will be a great opportunity for every fighter to get exposure and it’s a really good thing for both the fighters and the fans. I am happy because having so many different promotions to fight on should help me to fight more and I’m hoping to fight in some of these different promotions, especially DREAM. Yes, I believe that I will be busy this 2012. I heard you spent your $5,000 ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus from One FC 1 on building a house, how’s that going? Yah,I’m building a small house here in Baguio City but it will take more fund to finish it, so that will be one of my motivations to give a good show in every fights! Make sure to stay tuned for more updates on the MMA scene is SE Asia! PHOTO CREDIT – ONE FC Tweet

Posted in: fight, promotion, urcc, folayang, fc

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After a snowboarding accident and more than a year away from fighting, Renato 'Babalu' Sobral is ready to get back in action and excited to debut for One FC.

Posted in: debut, fc, snowboarding accident, fc debut, reenergized babalu

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Yes, your favorite ring card girl is finally back. It may appear that she's looking at you in the banner picture, but in reality she's looking at me. Maybe I should put on some pants and clean up my office a little. I don't want her to get the impression that I'm some sort of slob that stays on his computer and writes about MMA all day. She needs to buy into the illusion that I'm some prestigious guy that opens doors for women and that I would prefer a healthy salad over a handful of Jack in the Box tacos. In reality, calling those things from Jack in the Box 'tacos' is an insult to every Hispanic person that lives in my neighborhood. Let's start a riot. Just kidding, let's just talk about ONE FC's next card in Jakarta, Indonesia since it doesn't involve getting in a street and lighting cars on fire. The MiddleEasy Network has some highly entertaining things planned for ONE FC 2, which goes down February 11th at Sports Mall Kelapa Gading in the heart of Jakarta, Indonesia. Of course we'll be there to be amongst Asian MMA greatness. In the meantime, check out ONE FC 2's newly released card which is overflowing with absolute murderers that you've probably never heard of since you don't reside on the opposite end of the globe. Look out for profiles on all these fighters on the MiddleEasy network in the immediate future.

Posted in: card, fc, middleeasy network, jakarta indonesia, box tacos

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There are major news coming out of two of the top promotions in Asia. First off, Legend FC has beefed up their bantamweight roster and has picked up two very talented fighters, Jumabieke Tuerxun (10-0) and Taiyo Nakahara (12-6).Jumabieke Tuerxun, or 'Bieke' is a very popular undefeated fighter who is widely considered as one of the best bantamweights in China. He's a talented Sanda fighter and trains out of Xian Physical Education University, the gym where Team Quest standouts Pat Healy and Brad Hannah conducted a 6-week training camp to help develop the talent in the country. Also of note, Bieke already has a win over current Legend FC bantamweight champion, Yao Honggang. The two faced back in 2009 when Yao made his MMA debut, losing by TKO in the second round.Taiyo Nakahara on the other hand, hails from Japan, and is the former top contender for SRC / Sengoku. He's currently on a 4-fight winning streak and throughout his career he has faced the likes of Akitoshi Tamura, Rani Yahya, Mike Brown, and Adrian Pang. In ONE FC news, the promotion has just announced the undercard for their 2nd event this February. The more notable bouts have already been previously reported here, such as Jessie Rafols vs. Sung Min Yen, and Alex Silva vs. Geje Eustaquio, but they did add three more bouts which features Malaysian actor Peter Davis along with 4 Indonesian locals. The most notable local fighter would probably be Victorio Senduk, a San Shou Silver Medalist in the 2011 South East Asian Games. Check out the complete fight card for their event in Jakarta, Indonesia after the jump. As always, stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more updates, and follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena With the announcement of the undercard this completes their official fight card: ONE FC 2: Battle of HeroesFebruary 11, 2012 - Sports Mall Kelapa Gading, Jakarta, Indonesia Main Card- Ole Laursen vs. Felipe Enomoto- Eric Kelly vs. Bae Young Kwon- Rustam Khabilov vs. Rodrigo Ribeiro- Gustavo Falciroli vs. Soo Chul Kim- Rolles Gracie vs. Bob Sapp Preliminary Card- Victorio Senduk vs. Raymond Tiew- Alex Silva vs. Geje Eustaquio- Jessie Rafols vs. Sung Min Yen- Ngabdi Mulyadi vs. Peter Davis- Zuli Silawanto vs. Agus NaNang

Posted in: fighter, vs, card, fc, taiyo nakahara

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The full card for ONE Fighting Championship 'Battle of Heroes' was released today with a couple of fights which caught MMA fans by surprise. It had already been revealed that Bob Sapp would be facing Rolles Gracie but this will only be the opening bout of the five fight main card. Ole Laursen was originally penciled in for the main event at ONE FC 1 but had to pull out due to injury. He has been out of action for over a year but will make his long awaited return to the cage to take on Swiss Japanese lightweight Felipe Enomoto. Enomoto has fought once in Japan before, defeating veteran Taku Aramaki at Pancrase in 2010, but he has really made a name for himself on the European scene. He defeated TUF 13 contestant Hamid 'Akira' Corassani by decision only to see the promoter subsequently change the outcome to a no contest and also beat TUF 9 preliminary fighter AJ Wenn by unanimous decision. Ole Laursen's first two fights were both for K-1 Heroes and he posted losses to Genki Sudo and Caol Uno although to his credit he did go the full three rounds with Sudo on his professional debut. It is fitting that, after running up five straight wins, he will get his chance to finally defeat a Japanese opponent at ONE FC 'Battle of Heroes'. Laursen is very much an unknown quantity, he looked spectacular in submitting experienced Brazilian Eduardo Pachu at Martial Combat 1 (see below, apologies for epic intro) but never quite recaptured the same sort of form in his last two fights, although he still walked away from both with victories. Ole Baguio Laursen vs Eduardo 'Edu' Pachu - part 1 (via neilfireballkid) Ole Baguio Laursen vs Eduardo 'Edu' Pachu - part 2 (via neilfireballkid) After a kickboxing, Muay Thai and K-1 career which began back in 2000 and has seen him face the likes of Buakaw Por Pramuk, Andy Souwer, Duane Ludwig and Masato there is some suggestion that Laursen needs a major challenge at a significant event in order to motivate him. A headline fight for the biggest MMA promotion in Asia seems to have been enough to fuel that fire and Laursen has returned to his native Philippines in order to prepare for Enomoto. After admitting to taking training a little too easy before his last two fights he is leaving nothing to chance this time around and is ready to take revenge for the only two losses of his MMA career by finally recording a win over a Japanese opponent. Another fight which has got a lot of fans in Asia talking is Eric Kelly vs Bae Young Kwon. Both fighters are coming off the biggest wins of their careers and carry a lot of momentum into this contest. The Filipino is the URCC Featherweight Champion and has submitted every opponent he has ever faced, his record currently stands at 6-0. Unlike his opponent, Bae Young Kwon has tasted defeat on two occasions although he has fought for both M-1 and Shooto, as well as Road FC in Korea, and would probably argue that he has faced a slightly higher level of opposition than Kelly. After only ever having fought in the Philippines there were question marks over Kelly going into his fight with Mitch Chilson at ONE FC 1 but he answered them emphatically, sinking in a rear naked choke from a seemingly impossible angle (see below). That win earned him $5,000 for 'Submission of the Night' and he will be hoping to pick up another pay cheque if he can do the same thing to Kwon. One Fighting Championship - Eric Kelly (Philippines) vs. Mitch Chilson (USA) (via neilfireballkid) Rounding off the five fight main card are bouts between Soo Chul Kim and Gustavo Falciroli and Rodrigo Ribeiro and Rustam Khabilov. The bout between Ribeiro and Khabilov is particularly intriguing because it pits a Combat Sambo World Champion against a BJJ world champion and will also be the first time that fighters from Evolve MMA and Jackson's Grappling Academy have met in MMA competition. Evolve MMA has a reputation as being the finest training facility in all of Asia and Jackson's Grappling Academy is probably the cream of the crop in the West. Chatri Sityodtong and Greg Jackson were named by MSN Sports as two of the top head coaches of the year in 2011 (see that article here) and this will be an opportunity for them to pit their wits against one another. Soo Chul Kim lost a close decision to Leandro Issa at ONE FC 1 and the bad news for the Korean is that his next opponent is also a ground fighting expert, Falciroli is the Cage Fighting Championships bantamweight champion and has a second degree BJJ back belt. The five fight undercard is likely to feature a number of local fighters and will probably be released later this week. ONE FC currently have events booked in Singapore in March and Kuala Lumpur in April with shows in Manila and Seoul also supposedly close to being confirmed.

Posted in: fight, mma, vs, fc, laursen

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ONE Fighting Championship just officially announced the main card for their 2nd event this February. Most of the bouts listed were already mentioned on my last report on the fight card, but there's one that slipped through the cracks. That bout, a co-headliner between URCC Champion, Eric Kelly (6-0), and Bae Young Kwon (6-2) of Korea. The Filipino fighter, in Kelly, is considered as one of the best featherweights in the region, and is coming off a very impressive win over Mitch Chilson on the inaugural ONE FC event. He has won all six of his fights by submission, and will be taking on the very dangerous Kwon, a Road FC contender, who defeated Brian Choi of Evolve MMA last month. The undercard will be officially announced in the coming days, but here's the current fight card so far: ONE FC 2: Battle of HeroesFebruary 11, 2012 - Sports Mall Kelapa Gading, Jakarta, Indonesia Main Card- Ole Laursen vs. Felipe Enomoto- Eric Kelly vs. Bae Young Kwon- Rustam Khabilov vs. Rodrigo Ribeiro- Gustavo Falciroli vs. Soo Chul Kim- Rolles Gracie vs. Bob Sapp Preliminary Card (Not officially announced)- Alex Silva vs. Geje Eustaquio- Jessie Rafols vs. Sung Min Yen You can see the background on the other fights here. As always, follow me on twitter, and stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more updates. Eric Kelly vs. Mitch Chilson - ONE FC 1

Posted in: fight card, vs, card, kelly, fc

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Filed under: ONE FCOle Laursen vs. Felipe Enomoto headlines One FC 2 as part of a five-fight main card, the promotion announced Wednesday. The event, dubbed "Battle of Heroes," takes place Feb. 11 at the Sports Mall Kelapa Gading in Jakarta, Indonesia. Laursen, a Danish Muay Thai striker, was set to headline the inaugural One FC event last September, but was forced out due to injury. Felipe Enomoto is another standup fighter and the younger brother of M-1 welterweight champ and Sengoku veteran Yasubey Enomoto. The lineup is below. Lightweight: Felipe Enomoto (Enomoto Dojo) vs. Ole Laursen (Legacy Gym) Featherweight: Bae Young Kwon (Team Posse) vs. Eric Kelly (URCC) Welterweight: Rodrigo Ribeiro (Evolve MMA) vs. Rustam Khabilov (Jackson's MMA) Bantamaweight: Soo Chul Kim (Team Force) vs. Gustavo Falciroli (Mach 1) Heavyweight: Rolles Gracie (Team Renzo Gracie) vs. Bob Sapp (Team Beast) The preliminary card, consisting of around five bouts, is to be announced. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: vs, team, fc, laursen, enomoto

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Since Asia considers Bob Sapp some sort of demigod, it's no surprise that ONE FC has chosen The Beast to compete against Rolles Gracie in their second card which will take place in Jakarta, Indonesia. MiddleEasy will be there just to see what it will be like when Sapp fights in an MMA promotion that actually allows soccer kicks and head stomps. Some of you remember the last time Bob Sapp was supposed to fight in Asia. It was scheduled for Dynamite!! 2010 against Shinichi Suzukawa in an open-palm, Pancrase style match-up. Bob Sapp claimed FEG promised him a $30,000 purse, but it was reduced to $15,000 when he arrived in Japan for the event. Literally minutes before he was supposed to compete in the NYE card, Sapp refused to enter the arena and we were all left with an extra fifteen minutes to down our energy drinks in order to stay up for the remainder of the night. FEG officials contested Sapp's claim and even called him out Twitter, mentioning Sapp 'should not be considered as a normal person' and he is 'the worst, most lamentable dust man.' FEG either announced Sapp was a supervillain with the ability to control dust -- or Google translator needs a little work. Let's hope we're all presented with a circa 2005 Bob Sapp on February 11th 2012 at The BritAma Arena. Also, be sure to look out for some rather interesting ONE FC/MiddleEasy projects that we have planned leading up to ONE FC's second event. [Source]

Posted in: event, feg, bob, fc, sapp

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Numerous sources today confirmed that a heavyweight fight between Bob Sapp and Rolles Gracie (pictured above) has been added to the card for ONE FC 2 which is taking place in Jakarta on February 11th. Gracie has a 5-1 professional record with his sole loss coming on a disappointing UFC debut when his cardio looked extremely questionable. Hopefully he has learned from that experience because he still has the potential to be one of the top heavyweights in the world and will be a strong favourite against K-1, Pride and Dream veteran Bob Sapp who weighed an incredible 350 lbs for his last fight. Sapp's record stands at 11-9 but his career appears to be in decline after suffering three straight losses. He does posses one punch knock out power and could be a real threat to Gracie, whose standup is not his strong point. Having 'The Beast' on the card should also help shift plenty of tickets as he is very popular in Asia having spent much of his career fighting in Japan. Another fight confirmed today was Rustam Khabilov vs Rodrigo Ribeiro. The Russian has been doing most of his fighting for M-1 and has a very respectable 12-1 record with his sole loss coming by way of a split decision. He will be up a Brazilian who doesn't have such a strong record at 9-7 but is a third degree BJJ black belt and promises to be a formidable opponent for the Combat Sambo world champion. At only 25 years old Khabilov has plenty of potential and appears to be capable of fighting at either 170 or 185 lbs. He scored a spectacular suplex knockout back in 2009 which you can see below and should a solid addition to the ONE FC roster regardless of what weight he chooses to compete at. M-1 Challenge 2009 - Rustam Khabilov vs. Akin Duran - Brutal suplex knockout (via cpkarhu) Soo Chul Kim impressed a few people in going the full three rounds with BJJ world champion Leandro Issa on his ONE FC debut. He was able to fend off repeated submission attempts but couldn't do quite enough to defeat the much more experienced Brazilian. The good news for Kim, who is still only 20, is that he getting another shot. The bad news is that he is once again up against a highly accomplished grappler in second degree BJJ black belt Gustavo Falciroli. Although born in Brazil he is an adoptive Australian who is the reigning bantamweight belt holder for Cage Fighting Championships, the most established MMA promotion in the Australasian continent. Falciroli is 11-3-2 with all his losses coming by way of decision, he is a Shooto veteran who has never been stopped. Kim will once again be the underdog but according to his camp he is constantly improving and believes that he is good enough to take on much more experienced opposition. Interestingly enough the only other loss of Kim's career came at the hands of Andrew Leone who choked him out in less than 30 seconds. Leone is a very exciting prospect who has a contract with ONE FC and will be dropping down to the flyweight division where he will be a real force to be reckoned with. It is not known when he will be making his ONE FC debut but another fight rumoured (by MMA Orient) for the Jakarta card is Alex Silva vs Geje Eustaquio. If this bout does go ahead it will be intriguing because it pits two of the powerhouses of the region, Evolve MMA and Team Lakay Wushu, together for the very first time. Silva is a BJJ world champion who only made a successful pro MMA debut at DARE Championships last September. Eustaquio is a Wushu fighter whose record stands at 2-1 with his only loss coming by way of split decision and both will want to represent their camps with a win on a fight which, assuming it takes place at all, will probably be on the undercard. Ole Laursen is set to feature as well as a two or three local Indonesian fighters and the best place to check for fight announcements seems to be the Facebook page of MMA in Asia.

Posted in: fight, mma, loss, record, fc

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Rolles Gracie will look to continue his recent winning streak when he returns in February at One FC in Jakarta, Indonesia to face former Pride and K-1 fighter Bob Sapp.

Posted in: fc, gracie, sapp, jakarta, jakarta indonesia

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There's a bunch of news coming out of the Asian region, so let's dive right in: Renato Sobral (36-10) has signed with ONE FC. The signing was first reported by Damon Martin, saying that the UFC Veteran and former Strikeforce Champ, will be competing on March in Singapore, an event that will be co-promoted by ONE FC and DREAM.BloodyElbow.com reached out and has confirmed the signing with ONE FC officials, stating that 'Babalu' has "global exclusivity" with the promotion. No opponent has been set as of this writing, but stay tuned as we keep you updated on the situation. As we wrote about last week, the popular Filipino, Eduard Folayang will be headlining URCC Cebu 7 on January 13. His opponent has already been confirmed and it will be against Wadson Teixeira, a Muay Thai champ and BJJ Brown belt, who trains with UFC stars Jose Aldo and Diego Nunes in the famed Nova Uniao gym.Teixeira will surely be providing a stiff test in a very interesting battle of styles when he faces off against decorated Wushu star and URCC champion in Folayang.Also, for those who speak Portuguese, here's a video Wadson talking about his URCC bout on the Brazilian News. In other news, Evolve MMA has significantly beefed up their training team. Known for housing several of the very best in the world at Muay Thai, BJJ, and Boxing, Evolve has always held a world champion standard for their coaches. Being in Asia, what has always been tough to come by was a top level wrestler that fit the mold for their champion standards. After a lengthy search, they have finally filled that gap by adding Heath Sims and Jake Butler.Sims is a US Greco-Roman Olympic wrestler who has won numerous titles in wrestling. He is more known in MMA circles for being the long time Team Quest owner, head coach, and training partner of Dan Henderson. While he will still be flying back and forth to coach Hendo on his fights, he will moving to Singapore full-time to head Evolve MMA's wrestling program starting February.Sims will be their new coach and he'll be helping Evolve Founder Chatri Sityodtong with their fight team. One of the new additions on that team is another high caliber wrestler in Jake Butler, who's an NCAA Division 1 wrestler from Princeton University. He will be starting his MMA career, and will be competing at ONE FC. Check out the DREAM NYE Weigh-In Results and bout order after the jump, and don't forget to follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena. Here are the DREAM NYE Weigh-In Results for the mammoth New Year's Eve card in Japan (via NOB): DREAM Rules17. Fedor Emelianenko (106kg) vs. Satoshi Ishii (97.4kg)DREAM Lightweight Championship16. Shinya Aoki (70kg) vs. Satoru Kitaoka (70kg)DREAM Featherweight Championship15. Hiroyuki Takaya (65kg) vs. Lion Takeshi (64.8kg)IGF Rules14. Kazushi Sakuraba / Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shinichi Suzukawa / Atsushi Sawada13. Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Peter Aerts12. Jerome Le Banner vs. Tim SylviaDREAM Bantamweight Tournament11. Final: Imanari/Banuelos vs. Fernandes/MarquesMixed Rules10. Yuichiro Nagashima (73.5kg) vs. Katsunori Kikuno (73.5kg)IGF Rules9. Josh Barnett vs. Hideki SuzukiDREAM Rules8. Megumi Fujii (52kg) vs. Karla Benitez (52kg)7. Tatsuya Kawajiri (65kg) vs. Kazuyuki Miyata (64.7kg)6. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (75.8kg) vs. Ryo Chonan (75.5kg)Kickboxing Rules5. Yuta Kubo (63.8kg) vs. Nils Widlund (63.6kg)4. Masaaki Noiri (64kg) vs. Kengo Sonoda (63.5kg)DREAM Bantamweight Tournament3. Semifinal: Bibiano Fernandes (61kg) vs. Rodolfo Marques Diniz (62.2kg)2. Semifinal: Masakazu Imanari (60.8kg) vs. Antonio Banuelos (61kg)1. Reserve: Hideo Tokoro (61kg) vs. Yusup Saadulaev (61.6kg) Here's the HDNet promo for the event:

Posted in: mma, vs, kg, fc, rule

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ONE FC today announced the signing of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Strikeforce veteran Renato Sobral, whose debut fight will take place on March 31, 2012, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. That show will be a cross promotion with DREAM, which means that the list of potential opponents is extensive. "Babalu" has fought 10 times for the UFC before being cut for refusing to release an anaconda choke until after his opponent, David Heath, had lost consciousness. He is a former number one UFC light heavyweight title challenger and a former Strikefore light heavyweight champion, although the most impressive achievement of his career was probably winning the IFC light heavyweight grand prix when he defeated Trevor Prangley, Mauricio Rua and Jeremy Horn in the space of a single night back in 2003. He has won eight out of his last 10 fights, with the only two losses coming at the hands of Dan Henderson and Gegard Mousasi. His signature represents something of a coup for ONE FC as he was one of Strikeforce's few remaining big name fighters and had also been heavily linked with a return to the UFC. Babalu has competed as a heavyweight in the past, going the distance with Fedor Emelianenko back when the "Last Emperor" was in his prime, and also fought at 195 pouns as recently as 2010, meaning that he could potentially fight at anything from middleweight to heavyweight for ONE FC. At present, ONE FC has three shows confirmed for early 2012. On Feb.11, an event is taking place at the Britama Arena in Jakarta in Indonesia, while on March 31, there is the cross promotion with DREAM at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. And on April 27, it is the turn of the enormous Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur. Shows in Manila and Seoul are also widely rumored to be in the pipeline with a minimum of eight events promised over the course of the next 12 months. ONE FC has formed alliances with several other promotions besides DREAM, including Road FC in Korea and Cage Fighting Championships in Australia, giving it access to almost all the top fighters in Asia. However, there are not as many mixed martial artists in Asia at the bigger weights as there are in the west. And ONE FC will probably have to look to places like the United States and Brazil for recruitments to bolster the middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions with Babalu and Rolles Gracie (pictured below with Victor Cui and Rodrigo Ribeiro) the first two big fighters to put pen to paper. After the highly acclaimed debut show in Singapore last September ONE FC CEO / Owner Victor Cui has been working tirelessly to put pen to negotiate deals with a number of partners and, as well as founding the ONE FC Network, he is believed to have signed something in the region of 50 fighters. Come February it will be back to the business of putting on shows with countries all across Asia set to host ONE FC events. The Jakarta card is close to completion and an announcement is imminent while a number of Japanese MMA stars, including potentially the Singapore based Shinya Aoki, are believed to be in negotiations to fight alongside Babalu in March.

Posted in: ufc, heavyweight, babalu, fc, singapore

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Renato 'Babalu' Sobral has signed a new deal with One FC and will begin competing in the promotion in 2012.

Posted in: babalu, deal, sobral, renato, fc

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

These promoters and CEOs may be the top honchos in Asian MMA, but when it comes down to it, they're also big fans of MMA just like you guys. I managed to get the founders of several of the top organizations in Asia to make time out of their busy schedules, to let their guard down, and to just talk about the sport they love. Here are the major players in the Asian MMA industry and their thoughts on the biggest UFC bout of the year. Who will win the UFC 141 bout between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem? Victor Cui, Founder and CEO of ONE FC: Who hasn’t been dying to see this match-up? It’s probably one of the most anticipated fights in the history of MMA and for most people, I’d say picking Overeem is an obvious bet. But it’s tough to say how he’ll deal with the new pressure of his mother’s unfortunate illness. I think Lesnar is finally healthy, has a lot to prove and I love the underdog. I’m predicting Lesnar to win by KO. EJ Calvo, CEO and Promoter of Pacific X-Treme Combat (PXC): Brock Lesnar will ground and pound and win by unanimous decision. Alvin Aguilar, Founder and CEO of the URCC: Even though I want Brock to win because I have always been a WWE fan, I really think this will be Alistair all the way. He is a K-1 level striker who has beaten one of the all time greats of K-1, in Peter Aerts. Also, we have seen that when Brock gets hit, he doesn't really take it very well. Alistair is also an ADCC level grappler, so we know he is no slouch on the ground. Brock's only chance would be to GNP him but if it stays standing he is going to be in a lot of trouble. Chatri Sityodtong, Founder and CEO of Evolve MMA: I predict that Overeem will KO Lesnar by the 2nd round. Overeem has excellent takedown defense and KO power. Lesnar is awkward at striking with a tendency to run when he gets hit. Size and strength won't be as much as a factor in this fight because both guys are huge monsters. Michael Haskamp, Promoter and Co-Founder of Legend FC: I give this one to Lesnar. I'm not a huge Brock fan, but he's an enormously strong and very gifted athlete with a great wrestling base, which is an Overeem weakness. More importantly, I think Overeem has a lot of things working against him: a. Overeem has spent much of his career (and most of his recent fights) crushing cans. The guys he's gone up against have for the most part been second-tier heavyweights with some combination of clear holes in their game and momentum (e.g. a string of losses, age, etc.) working against them. For a long time he was signed with promotions that either didn't have good heavyweights to put up against him, or who didn't want to derail the marketing train by giving him fights he might actually lose. To a large extent, this was outside his control. I've seen this happen with a couple of fighters in some promotions, and it sucks to be in a position where you're not improving or gaining credibility because you're not being challenged. b. Related to (a), in most cases where Overeem has been matched up against top-tier fighters, he's come up on the losing end. Examples include Shogun (twice), Nogueira (twice), and Kharitonov. c. Apparently, his new UFC contract has caused a rift between him and his now former team (Golden Glory). Whenever a fighter leaves his team, it has a big psychological effect on him. Considering the circumstances under which Overeem in particular left his team, the increasing amount of negative press he's getting because of it, and the break in the consistency of his training, it's going to have a serious detrimental effect on his performance. Then again, this is MMA, and with Brock's suspect chin, all it might take is for one Overeem punch to find its mark... Picked Overeem: URCC, Evolve MMAPicked Lesnar: ONE FC, PXC, Legend FC After the jump, each these key players in Asian MMA state their case on why UFC fans should also watch Asian MMA and their product. Why should UFC fans watch Asian MMA and your product? Michael Haskamp, Promoter and Co-Founder of Legend FC: Asia is the birthplace of martial arts. Almost everything that UFC fans love to see in the cage has its roots in this part of the world. And because in most of this region, MMA is still a relatively new sport, I find that fighters here are hungrier and looking to prove themselves more, which leads to more aggressive and exciting fights. I think Legend in particular is the best place for US fight fans to watch Asian MMA because of our basic premise: focus exclusively on native Asia-Pacific fighters, find the best guys in every country in the region, and match them up in a contest for regional supremacy. If you're looking for the best in Asia-Pacific MMA, every single one of our fight cards reflects that promise from top to bottom. And given our broadcast footprint, UFC fans can find a way to watch us in nine countries around the world, including the US and Canada! Chatri Sityodtong, Founder and CEO of Evolve MMA: The essence of Asian MMA is the exciting, adrenaline-pumping finish, be it by KO or submission. If you want to see lots of KOs and submissions, then just come watch the Evolve Fight Team from Evolve MMA. DREAM FC Champion Shinya Aoki from the Evolve Fight Team exemplifies the essence of Asian MMA and the fighting spirit on the Evolve Fight Team. Win or lose, he comes to finish fights in the most dramatic, electrifying manner. With World Champions in Muay Thai, BJJ, Boxing, MMA, and No Gi Grappling, the Evolve Fight Team is Asia's most decorated professional fight team. Alvin Aguilar, Founder and CEO of the URCC: They should watch it because there are so many talented and exciting fighters they have not seen in Asia who are also world class. The fighters in URCC ALL go for the win. You won't see any spoiled fighters who are scared to lose, and play it safe with the time. The fighters in the URCC always go all out! EJ Calvo, CEO and Promoter of Pacific X-Treme Combat (PXC): UFC & MMA fans in general should look to Asia for the future stars of the sport. Pacific X-treme Combat makes its home in the Asia-Pacific region, and turns out more UFC talent than any organization outside of Japan. PXC fighters fight at the highest level in Asia, and in 2012, we are expecting to see at least 2 more PXC fighters to move to the UFC ranks to compete with the best in the world. Victor Cui, Founder and CEO of ONE FC: The best fighters in Asia fight for ONE FC. If you’re an MMA fans looking to catch world-class action on TV or at one of the major Asian cities ONE FC is going to, then following ONE FC is a no-brainer. ONE FC showcases the best fighters in Asia, in the best venues, with the biggest broadcast across the region – it’s simply one of the most exciting MMA events in Asia to watch.

Posted in: fight, mma, overeem, fighter, fc

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Eduard Folayang is a legend in the Philippines who followed up a gutsy win over A Sol Kwon at ONE Fighting Championship 1 by winning a gold medal in Wushu at the recent SEA Games in Indonesia. The fact that he still chooses to represent his country despite having signed a lucrative contract with a major international MMA promotion makes him a very popular figure and it was announced today that he will be returning home to fight in January. Folayang is the most famous mixed martial artist in the Philippines and it is fitting that he should be appearing in the country's most prestigious MMA promotion, the URCC, which has been going strong since 2002 and gave him his debut as a professional back in 2007. It is also something of a surprise as Folayang is one of the stars of ONE FC and was the fighter chosen to headline the inaugural card at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in September. His last four fights have all been in Singapore and he has overcome fighters from Slovakia, China, South Africa and Korea in some highly entertaining battles but he will be back on home soil at URCC Cebu 7 on January 13th. Although other Filipino fighters such as Kevin Belingon and Eric Kelly have burgeoning reputations neither can compete with the popularity of Folayang who regularly features in national newspapers and whose humble, hardworking persona and fearless style of fighting has really captured the imagination of fight fans in the Philippines. His presence on the card pretty much guarantees that URCC Cebu 7 show will be one of the biggest in the promotion's 10 year history and probably the most eagerly anticipated MMA fight the Philippines has ever hosted. It is only made possible due to the recently formed ONE FC network which allows contracted fighters to move freely between ONE FC and a number of domestic promotions including Cage Fighting Championships in Australia and Road FC in Korea as well as the URCC. Although Folayang competes as a lightweight for ONE FC he holds a URCC belt at welterweight, which has an upper limit of 179 lbs. It is not known whether he will be defending this title on January 7th and rumour has it that opponents from Singapore and Saipan are currently being considered. The URCC is looking to expand its regional fan base by putting on shows all over the country and having such a big name fighter on the card in Cebu should definitely help to boost provincial popularity as well as increasing awareness of and interest in the sport of MMA. It also gives Folayang to get back in the ring sooner rather than later after only competing in MMA once in 2011 and as a fighter who likes to keep busy and loves to compete he will be grateful for the opportunity. He is a member of the legendary Team Lakay Wushu where he trains alongside URCC champions Roy Docyogen, Kevin Belingon and Honorio Banario and under the guidance of head coach Mark Sangiao. Docyogen, Belingon and Banario are all tipped to follow in Folayang's footsteps by making a big impression on the international stage in 2012 but first the URCC welterweight champion will be going back to his roots by fighting in the Philippines for the first time in almost two years. ONE FC are putting on cards all over Asia with shows in Indonesia, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur already confirmed and further headlining fights surely beckon for Folayang but on January 7th it is the turn of the Filipino fans to get a rare glimpse of their hero in action.

Posted in: fight, fighter, urcc, folayang, fc

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Posted in: fc, fightlinker, legacy, fightlinker irc, irc

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Indra Senduk, Victor Cui, Zorobabel Moreira and Yodsanan Sityodtong in Jakarta yesterday ONE Fighting Championship hosted a press conference yesterday to reveal details about its Jakarta show. The event, which will be taking place at the BritAma Arena on February 11th, is the first professional MMA promotion to take place in Indonesia in over five years. Although the fight card is still being completed the identity of a number of the fighters was revealed including: Ole Laursen, PhilippinesIgor Gracie, BrazilKevin Belingon, PhilippinesYodsanan Sityodtong, ThailandYuya Shirai, JapanYoune "Indra" Victorio Senduk, Indonesia PLUS: Winner of the Cage Fighting Championship (CFC) bantamweight title fight between Gustavo Falciroli and Nick Honstein. No match ups were announced but it seems probable that Igor Gracie will be up against DEEP welterweight champion Yuya Shirai and the winner of the CFC Bantamweight title fight will face Kevin Belingon. The influence of the recently formed ONE FC Network can already be felt with champions promotions such as the URCC, CFC, and DEEP all set to star in Jakarta. A lot of attention will be on Filipino born kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter Ole Laursen. He has been out of action for over a year after suffering a couple of injury setbacks and will be looking to recapture the form which saw him submit BJJ purple belt Eduardu Pachu in a fight of the night performance at Martial Combat 2 last year. Ole Laursen in action against Eduardu Pachu at Martial Combat 2 With a perfect professional record of 9-0 Belingon is already regarded as one of the best bantamweights in Asia and the URCC Flyweight Champion (they have unusual weight classes) will be looking to extend his unbeaten run, possibly against the winner of tonight's CFC title fight in Sydney, Australia. Yodsanan Sityodtong is one of the best boxers ever to transition to MMA and put in an impressive performance on his debut at ONE FC 1, showing good Muay Thai skills as well as his incredible punching power to blow away Daniel Mashamaite early in the second round. They will be joined on the card by Youne Senduk who recently won a silver medal representing Indonesia in Wushu at the SEA Games. ONE FC has also signed a TV deal with a major Indonesian sports network in Indonesia and will be shown on Global TV which is the highest rated sports channel of the nation’s largest and only integrated media company, Media Nusantara Citra. There will be some sort of qualifier taking place in Indonesia later this year which will give more Indonesian fighters the chance to compete for a coveted spot on the ONE FC card. The identities of the remaining fighters and the actual match ups will be announced between now and February. At present ONE FC has shows booked in Singapore and Malaysia, as well as Indonesia, with events in Korea and the Philippines also believed to be close to completion. 2012 looks set to be a very busy year for the organization and it will kick off with three shows in three countries in the space of three months starting in Jakarta in February. Indonesia actually has a long history of BJJ and MMA with camps all over the country teaching the various components of mixed martial arts. In the past fighters had little or no opportunity to compete professionally but by putting on televised shows in major arenas ONE FC looks set to change all that and with the support of the biggest promotion in Asia behind them a new breed of mixed martial artists could be all set to emerge from Indonesia. The ONE FC cage, coming soon to Jakarta, Indonesia.

Posted in: fighter, year, fc, jakarta, indonesia

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Can One FC be the leader of the Asian MMA scene in the next 5-10 years?

Posted in: deal, tv, fc, tv deal, group

Read the full article at Fight Opinion

Can One FC be the leader of the Asian MMA scene in the next 5-10 years?

Posted in: mma, picture, mmasupremacy, middleeasy, fc

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Road FC 005 happened this past weekend, and the results are interesting, including some bouts which would be considered as upsets by a lot of the fans in the region. The most interesting outcome from the night would be from PRIDE and UFC Veteran, Denis Kang's fight. Kang came out and scored early, only to be overwhelmed by his opponent on the ground. The fight was ended much like his last Road FC bout, when a turtled-up Kang took several knees to the head until the referee was forced to step in to stop the contest. Kang's foray to Korea's top MMA promotion, Road FC was supposed to be a homecoming of sorts that could help reinvent himself and jumpstart his career. His last two opponents had other plans though. Kang suffered his third straight loss, while Shungo Oyama advanced on their middleweight tournament and improved his modest and deceiving record to 11-13. A resume filled with some legends and other big names, such as Wanderlei Silva, Renzo Gracie, Dan Henderson, Mirko Filipovic, Carlos Newton, Peter Aerts, Melvin Manhoef, and now Denis Kang. Also on the card as part of their running partnership, were ONE FC fighters Brian Choi and Vuyisile Colossa. Both athletes have been gaining a bit of attention and hype recently, but both fighters lost their respective Road FC bouts. Choi, who trains with the several BJJ, Muay Thai, and MMA champions at Evolve MMA, made a drop to featherweight for the first time, but couldn't do enough to win the decision against fellow Korean prospect Bae Young Kwon. Kwon is reportedly being picked up by ONE FC as well. Colossa on the other hand, is one of the most dangerous strikers in the region. As shown by Eduard Folayang on their Martial Combat bout last year though, his ground game is his major flaw, and this cost him the fight once again. Legend FC veteran Yui Chul Nam, who is also a good striker, took advantage of these holes, and got himself a quality win over a guy who was pegged to be close to title contention at One FC. Legend FC even tweeted an interesting question to me following Nam's big win - "Nam Yui Chul won a unanimous decision at Road FC tonight. That's 3 straight, and 4 in his last 5. Has he earned a shot at Jadamba?" Check out a TON of other news from the Asian Region after the jump, including an update on that planned super-fight between the Martial Combat champ, who is ranked #8 on the Scouting Report, Ole Laursen and CFC champion, Bernardo Magalhaes (11-1). Quick Hits: A reliable source tells us that the planned ONE FC super-fight between Martial Combat Champ, Ole Laursen, and CFC Champ, Bernardo Magalhaes is not happening. Magalhaes suffered an injury and has pulled out of the planned bout for February. No word yet on a replacement fighter for the card in Jakarta. Another source tells us that Zhang Lipeng, who was supposed to headline RUFF 2 in China against Rodrigo Corporal, suffered a hand injury during training, and will have to pull out of the card. Dare Fight Sports from Thailand is hosting their next show on January 7th, with the proceeds given to the flood victims in the country. They have already announced a few of their match ups, but sources have told us that a bout between top prospects Arnaud Lepont (7-1) and Krysztof Hajtalowicz (2-0) is also set for the card. ONE FC has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow, December 8, in Jakarta, Indonesia. Word is, they're going to announce a new local TV deal the country. URCC and ONE FC star Eduard Folayang, who is fresh off his Wushu Gold Medal win at the South East Asian Games, the has made the trip from Baguio to Manila, and today met with the URCC brass. Kazushi Sakuraba, is apparently considering a return to puroresu at the NYE event, Genki Desu ka! At this stage of his career, this could be a better move, as it just makes me sad every time he tries to compete against younger and better guys in MMA. Yuichiro Nagashima, or 'Jienotsu', who is more known to MMA fans for defeating Shinya Aoki in that mixed-rules bout last year, will be having another bout with the same weird ruleset on NYE. The K-1 Max champion will be facing Katsunori Kikuno (16-4-2) on that fight with alternating rounds of K-1 and MMA rules. Word is, Jienotsu has even bulked up recently from around 155 lbs, to over 170 lbs. There were a few smaller sites reporting on an "alliance" between PRO, Legend FC, and PXC, since Legend FC fighter Mark Striegl was scheduled to compete at PXC, and is now set to face Daniel Mashamaite on PRO in Taipei. I spoke to a high ranking Legend FC official, and unsurprisingly, all this talk about 'alliance' or partnerships between them are false. According to him, some fighters request to fight outside of Legend FC, and they just entertain it on a case-per-case basis. He made it clear that there really is no formal or informal agreement to share fighters between these three organizations. Speaking of Mark Striegl (5-0), he hinted on something big that's coming up for him, "Got something "HUGE" in the works...stay tuned. #pridefcstyle". He also recently posted a video blog that documents his training camp for his upcoming fight, and also shows him working out and cornering Will Chope during his URCC bout: And since we're talking about Will Chope and the URCC, here's a highlight video from URCC XX which looks to be made by one of the spectators from the event: Legend FC lightweight champion Jadamba Narantungalag has an interview on their website that talks about various topics, including his thoughts on the development of MMA in Mongolia:"Mongolia is a country with strong warrior traditions, but MMA has only recently started to develop here. I think that our fighting spirit and our skills in disciplines like Mongolian traditional wrestling mean that MMA has a strong future in Mongolia. And our talented new generation of young fighters like Batgerel and Purev will be good representatives for the sport. For myself, I would like to continue to introduce and train people in MMA, and act as a role model for hopeful young Mongolian fighters.""One of the most important things that I can do for Mongolian MMA is to continue to successfully defend my Legend title."

Posted in: mma, bout, legend, fc, kang

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On Saturday, at Road FC 5 “Night of Champions,” Denis Kang returned to where it all began, at least the juggernaut portion of his career that culminated in his epic run in the Pride 2006 Middleweight Grand Prix.

Posted in: middleweight, fc, middleweight tournament, juggernaut portion, kim advance

Read the full article at Sherdog

MMA in Asia- it happens. I know that the blogosphere stateside enjoys a good ole fashioned Chicken Little stance on things, however, as much as the media fights it- Mixed Martial Arts in Asia is far from dead. In fact, Asian MMA is in a ridiculous moment of Weeee!Two huge press conferences went down in the East on Monday, and if the news hasn’t drifted Westerly to you we are here to break it down! Enter Gal’s Guide to MMA’s second male chromosone - Mountaineers101. Prepare yourself for a Stag Party as we bring you the digs and what it means for this wonderful sport we love so much!Midge: So we have some big news coming out of the East this week, my friend. Where do we even begin?Mountaineer: Well, we could always talk about ONE FC becoming the equivalent to sliced bread in Asia when it comes to MMA. What we have here is an alliance of epic proportions from camps and promotions joining forces to make ONE FC one of, if not THE elite promotion in Asian MMA.Midge: Too true. As Monday’s edition of Japan’s post-Pride MMA lovechild, DREAM, we have a total of 38 organizations within the network! We have the big boys of each country. DREAM from Japan. URCC from the Philippines. CRC from Australia. Road FC from Korea. And many more! All of these promotions are working together to create champions to send to the big show. All roads lead to ONE FC.Mountaineer: Not to mention some spectacular regional promotions and monster camps. You have camps such as Lakay Wushu out of the Philippines, sporting some absolutely scary prospects in Eduard Folayang and Kevin Belingon. Then, you have the famous Phuket Top Team of Thailand. You can catch any fighter coming in and out of there to sharpen their knees and elbows, like Mike Swick and Roger Huerta. And finally, the emerging juggernaut of Evolve MMA in Singapore. Muay Thai champs like Yoddecha Sityodtong and grappling gods like Shinya Aoki and Rafael dos Anjos? This looks to be the beginning of something spectacular.Midge: The only thing that could make the ONE Asia Network Partnership any more epic would be Pride rules. Oh wait, ONE FC rolls with soccer kicks and head stomps! I said it in 2002 and I’ll say it in 2012. Pride Never Dies! With a reach of over one billion households across Asia (with more broadcast deals to come), the essence of what Asian MMA is alive and well.Mountaineer: Not to mention the chance of revitalizing a dying (or perhaps it was on life support) promotion in DREAM. The exposure to all of the stars in Asia under this umbrella could provide the perfect CPR that DREAM and Japanese MMA needs. You can take your PUJI money and we’ll take our Shinya Aokis and Eduard Folayangs, thank you very much.Midge: Very true. This partnership is like an adrenaline needle to the heart of a junkie. It is a perfect immediate influx of resources that DREAM was looking for. Plus, the Network has created a feeder system for fighters which Asia has never had. Each promotion in the network will be bringing fighters along within their organization in order to crown a champion, who will inevitably move up to ONE FC to face a champion of another organization! I love the "Champion vs. Champion" marketing, but I love what this does for the fighters as well. In America we have amateur events, then regional events,and then the big show. It gives fighters a chance to develop before being thrown into the shark tank of the UFC. Asian fighters have never really had that opportunity to gradually raise their level of competition. This partnership creates an atmosphere where fighters coming out of Asia in the next ten years will have every opportunity their Western counterparts already have. And just in time, as Zuffa begins their assault on the East. You want more MMA in Asia? We've got more! Head on over to Gal's Guide to MMA, where the Stag Party continues.

Posted in: mma, promotion, fighter, fc, asia

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

When people talk about the top MMA camps in the world the names which normally come up are Jackson’s Submission Grappling, American Top Team, and American Kickboxing Academy. One place which is consistently overlooked but rapidly making a name for itself on the global stage is Evolve MMA in Singapore. The Evolve fight team is widely regarded as the best in Asia and has posted victories in a diversity of promotions in 2011 including the UFC, DREAM, ONE FC and DARE Championships. Evolve MMA was founded in 2008 by Thai entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and is one of the fastest growing businesses in Singapore with an enormous client base and three different state of the art locations. It is also a part of the rapidly expanding ONE FC Network and the recently announced partnership with DREAM will mean more to Chatri than most because DREAM Lightweight champion Shinya Aoki is a member of the Evolve MMA fight team and Japanese veteran Ryo Chonan is also currently training in Singapore. Kyra Gracie Talks Time at Evolve MMA “The ONE FC Network makes everyone’s life a lot easier and the fact that I need to talk to only Victor (Cui) to get my fighters on ROAD FC, DREAM, CFC, URCC, etc. definitely expedites things. It also gives the Evolve Fight Team a chance to compete internationally against high level competition which is great exposure and excellent experience and it has even been helpful for finding sponsorship for the Evolve Fight Team.” Both Chonan and Aoki are busy preparing for fights at the DREAM New Year’s Eve show but Chatri, who speaks passable Japanese, believes that fighters like this could soon be appearing much closer to home with a cross promotion between DREAM and ONE FC currently scheduled to take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 31st. “Shinya has told me that he would love to fight in Singapore since it is Evolve MMA’s home market. DREAM is a fantastic show in terms of the live show and TV production. The level of fighters is very high. The people at DREAM really know how to put up exciting fights between excellent world-class MMA fighters.” Right now Chatri and his team are fully focused on preparing Korean featherweight Brian Choi for his fight at Road FC 5 in Seoul this weekend. You can get an insight into his training routine here: Choi only made his professional debut last year but has already amassed a perfect record of 3-0. He comes from a wrestling background and has professional boxing and Muay Thai experience and a blue belt in BJJ. Road FC were able to add Choi, who has a contract with ONE FC, to their card because they are a part of the ONE FC Network and South African Muay Thai specialist Vuyisile Colossa will also be in action at the JangChung Gymnasium on December 3. Chatri anticipates a hard fight against highly rated Korean Bae Young Kwon but believes that Choi’s preparation has been perfect, “It will be a very tough fight because his opponent is supposed to be the number one featherweight in ROAD FC but Brian is tough as nails. He’s had an excellent training camp and we also have an excellent game plan for this fight. Honestly though, it is going to be a tough fight.” As well as Aoki and Choi the Evolve MMA fight team also includes Brazilian BJJ world champions Zorobabel Moreira and Leandro Issa, former boxing world champion Yodsanan Sityodtong and Eddie Ng from Hong Kong. They have all signed with ONE FC meaning that they will be eligible to compete on the biggest domestic shows in the Philippines, Australia, Korea and Japan as well as on any of the ONE FC events which are currently scheduled for Jakarta in February, Singapore in March and Kuala Lumpur in April with more dates about to be announced. Trips to Seoul for Choi’s fight and Tokyo to corner Aoki are on the immediate horizon but 2012 looks set to be the busiest year yet the Evolve MMA fight team. Chatri is looking forward to the challenges ahead and believes his fighters are all set to benefit from being a part of the ONE FC Network, “The Evolve Fight Team is super excited. We get to compete internationally against top level competition. Cui has been very strategic with ONE FC and I am certainly impressed with his execution abilities, 2012 is going to be a huge year for Asian MMA.” PHOTO CREDIT – EVOLVE MMA Tweet

Posted in: fight, mma, team, dream, fc

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Dream and One FC, two of the biggest MMA promotions in Asia, on Monday announced a partnership.

Posted in: mma, dream, partnership, fc, mma promotions

Read the full article at Heavy MMA

Asia’s largest MMA promotions, ONE Fighting Championship, and DREAM, have officially entered into a mutually exclusive partnership which will see DREAM become a part of the ONE FC Network which Victor Cui (pictured above) is busy putting together. The network already includes Cage Fighting Championship in Australia, Road FC in Korea and URCC in the Philippines and the addition of Japanese promotion DREAM gives it a reach and scope which is unprecedented in MMA history. According to the press release "ONE Fighting Championship and DREAM have agreed to co-promote events together and have also agreed to fighter exchanges. Fighter exchanges are expected to happen with immediate effect. It means that any ONE FC fighter will automatically be eligible to compete on DREAM and any DREAM fighter will automatically be eligible to compete on ONE FC." The card for 'Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011' on New Year's Eve is close to completion with seven MMA fights, including the Bantamweight Grand Prix final, already lined up. A heavyweight fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Satoshi Ishii is rumored to be on the rocks and it is possible that one or two ONE FC fighters could be booked. It is only a matter of time before the DREAM fighters do get to test themselves against mixed martial artists from elsewhere in the ONE FC Network with a cross promotion between the two organization's set to take place in Singapore on March 31st. That event is tentatively titled 'ONE FC / DREAM in Singapore' but is subject to approval by media partners and other third parties.There will definitely be a show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium at that date as well as in Jakarta on February 11th and Kuala Lumpur on April 27th so there will be plenty of opportunity for DREAM fighters to appear on ONE FC cards. The advantages to both parties are obvious, DREAM gets to and expand its fan base outside of Japan and raise the profile of its existing fighters while ONE FC gets access to one of the most prestigious rosters in the sport including Singapore based lightweight champion Shinya Aoki. ONE FC has been widely described as the 'UFC of the East' but with 20 shows under its belt DREAM could also lay legitimate claim to that title, although it does not have the same sort of pan Asian appeal. Now that the two organizations have joined forces, along with well established promotions from Korea and the Philippines, there is no doubt where the power lies in Asian MMA. ONE FC fighters Brian Choi and Vuyisile Colossa are in action at Road FC 5 in Korea this weekend and CFC lightweight champion Bernardo Magalhaes is rumoured to be pencilled in to face Ole Laursen at the BritAma Arena in Jakarta in February. The likes of Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Hiroyuki Takaya are also likely to be coming soon to a ONE FC card while fighters such as Eduard Folayang (above), Leandro Issa and Eric Kelly can move in the opposite direction. Victor Cui, CEO/Owner of ONE Fighting Championship, said, "I am thrilled by this partnership. Japan has the highest level of MMA fighters in Asia due to its long history in the sport. DREAM is the most prestigious event in Japan. With this partnership, ONE Fighting Championship and DREAM will continue to showcase the most exciting fights between the best fighters in Asia. I am truly excited by the potential of this partnership to create new opportunities for fighters, gyms, sponsors, advertisers, and media partners." Keiichi Sasahara, Event Producer of DREAM, said, "DREAM and ONE Fighting Championship will work together to lead the sport of MMA in Asia to a better future. DREAM has some of the best fighters in the world and we also have deep experience of putting on world-class events. ONE Fighting Championship has the largest media platform in Asia and many other assets. I see many great synergies with this partnership. It is certainly a new era for everyone in Asian MMA." www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: mma, fighter, dream, championship, fc

Read the full article at MMA Mania

What has now been theorized for the better part of nearly a month has materialized just moments ago. ONE FC and DREAM have officially entered into a mutually exclusive partnership starting tonight/morning/afternoon (depending on which part of the globe you're currently located on). This means that effective immediately, both promotions can share their fighter roster, enabling DREAM to utilize ONE FC's broadcasting muscle and expand to essentially every Asian market. Once again, the game has changed within the Asian MMA world, and fortunately you're alive to experience it. Lucky you. Back in July, I published a story entitled 'When One FC takes over MMA in Asia, remember this article,' in which I made the apt comparison of ONE FC's place in the Asian MMA market as being the sole owner of the Infinity Gauntlet. Most of you didn't fully comprehend the elaborate and eloquently constructed parallel I made with the Asian MMA scene and perhaps the greatest Marvel crossover to ever grace comic books. Hey, it's not my fault that you had a healthy childhood which consisted of not locking yourself in your room with a backpack full of comics every weekend. Blame your mom for raising you to be a productive member of society, instead of an introvert that makes obscure references to fantasy games on Twitter. Now nearly five months later, I'm comfortable in proclaiming that the ONE FC + DREAM partnership is the beginning of some intangible form of Voltron that will eventually run (and protect) the Asian MMA universe. The first co-promoted event is slated for March 31st 2012 in Singapore and it will be appropriately titled 'ONE FC / DREAM in Singapore.' The card will most likely feature Shinya Aoki along with a few other huge names from the JMMA scene. With ONE FC's new partnership, the company now has approximately a 90% market share of Asian MMA fighters within the ONE FC Network. We're talking a grand total of 38 gyms and promotions now under the ONE FC network banner, working in exclusivity with ONE FC. Judging from what I've been hearing, they plan to increase this number exponentially in 2012. Finally, we have (nearly) all the Asian MMA promotions working in unison for one common goal. In essence, this is what Asian MMA fans always wanted since ProElite/EliteXC teased us with a partnership with Korea's Spirit MC and DREAM back in 2008 -- then Seth Petruzelli ruined it for everyone. With the multitude of co-promotions that are lined up within the ONE FC network, there will undoubtedly be more opportunities for fighters to compete on a regional levels. Let's just hope all organizations in the network agree to adopt ONE FC's 'Pride rules' of soccer kicks and head stomps, since that would be entirely too amazing for words. While it appears that we won't get the highly rumored co-promotional New Year's Eve show with ONE FC and DREAM, expect a gargantuan co-branded ONE FC/DREAM show to take place in Japan at some point in 2012. It's also been confirmed that ONE FC will have a co-promotional card with URCC, Philippines' largest promotion (and they're also sponsored by Colt 45, which makes Lando Calrissian a very happy man). Normally this article would end here and you guys would build a party float in my honor, however literally as I was writing this, I received confirmation from a ONE FC exec that their next event on February 11th in Jakarta, Indonesia will feature Martial Combat champion Ole Laursen vs CFC Australia champion Bernardo 'Trekko' Magalhaes competing in the main card (but not necessarily headlining the card). I've also been told the ONE FC/DREAM co-branded card going down in March 31st will also feature a unifying title fight between a champion in Korea's Road FC and another reigning champion in Philippines' URCC. That's already like a quadruple-promoted card, and it's not even done yet. It's also important to note that ONE FC considers Russia a part of Asia, so we might see Fedor fighting within the ONE FC network in the near future. That is, if the UFC doesn't accept M-1's offer of squaring Cain Velasquez vs. Fedor Emelianenko in a cage in Moscow, Russia next year. That's a lot of info to digest this early in the morning, but these are the things that you need to know in order to fully comprehend the immeasurable potential of the future of Asian MMA. All signs point to 'amazing' in 2012.

Posted in: mma, dream, card, fc, asian

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) may have a stranglehold on stateside mixed martial arts (MMA), but overseas, the competition may prove to be a bit stiffer. That's because the Japanese promotion DREAM has entered a deal to become part of Asia's ONE FC network under owner Victor Cui. While nothing is official at this time, sources with knowledge of the sitaution are calling it "imminent." MMA Weekly first reported the partnership earlier today. In addition to ESPN Star Sports, promotions under the ONE FC network, including Australia's Cage Fighting Championship (CFC) and Korea's Road FC, will also be televised on a number of major domestic channels across networks in multiple countries. Simply put, there's going to be a lot of MMA to watch in Asia, which will help DREAM improve its global profile and in turn, have some of its bigger-name stars in Japan appear Internationally through cross promotion. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more details on this developing story as they become available.

Posted in: mma, promotion, network, fc, fc network

Read the full article at MMA Mania

In a major deal to solidify the MMA scene around Asia, One FC has entered into a partnership with Dream, that will see the promotions work together and co-promote shows starting in the near future.

Posted in: dream, partnership, fc, mma scene, promotions work

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

As always, Here's a quick update on several news, notes, and topics coming out of the Asian MMA circuit. Eduard Folayang and Mark Eddiva, who are also MMA fighters coming out of Team Lakay Wushu, once again established their dominance on their martial arts base. The Baguio natives took home Gold medals from the 26th South East Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, when they represented the Philippines on the Wushu SanShou 70kg and 65kg divisions respectively. Ryo Chonan and Shinya Aoki are in Evolve MMA in Singapore training for their bouts at NYE. Aoki, as reported, is likely to face Satoru Kitaoka, while Chonan will be taking on Hayato Sakurai in what could likely propel him into contention for Marius Zaromski's welterweight crown. Former Sengoku / SRC Champion, Masanori Kanehara won his first fight in US soil, when he submitted Brady Harrison to win the XFS Featherweight Championship. Stemming from that ONE FC and DREAM partnership, fighters out of Evolve MMA, which is also part of that network, have been invited to compete in future DREAM and DEEP events. B.J. Penn and Brandon Vera are both heading to the Philippines on this coming week for separate events. Penn will host an open workout in the Mall of Asia next wednesday, while Vera will be a guest for the PXC event this Saturday. As we reported earlier, The URCC and ONE FC co-promoted event in Manila will be pushing through on July, and the venue has already been finalized. Obvious candidates for the event will be ONE FC fighters, Eric Kelly, along with the Team Lakay fighters they have signed such as Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon, and Honorio Banario among others. No opponent has been named yet, but sources tell us that former WBA Boxing Champion Yodsanan Sityodtong of Evolve MMA, will also be competing in the event. Victor Cui, along with the key members and heads of the several promotions in the ONE FC Network are in an Asian MMA Summit that started last Monday in Singapore. After the jump, check out more details from Brian Choi of Evolve MMA, DREAM's NYE event, and Jon Tuck who will headline PXC. Details are sparse, but sources close to the situation tells us that Mark Fisher, the head of UFC operations in Asia, will by flying in to Singapore this week to meet with ONE FC CEO Victor Cui. It's worth noting that Fisher generally meets with everyone in the Asian MMA scene, so this might not really mean anything big is in the works. DREAM just released the promo video for their NYE show that focuses on Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeshi Inoue. Check it out as they also feature several of their key featherweight bouts of the year: Evolve MMA released a video blog that features Brian Choi as he prepares for his Road FC 005 fight against Bae Young Kwon. Barring any injuries, Choi's next fight is likely to be on the ONE FC card in Jakarta, this February. No opponent has been named as of this writing.   Jon Tuck, who will be headlining PXC 28 against Tristan Arenal this weekend, talks to Zike Sugawara about being absent from the MMA scene for the past two years, "I never took off from MMA. I was not able to land any fights. I kept active by dedicating more time to Jiu Jitsu by competing and exploring the world, evolving as a martial artist and as a person."As always, follow me on twitter, and stay tuned for more updates from the news coming out of the region.

Posted in: mma, dream, event, fc, asian

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

After Shinya Aoki hinted that his opponent for DREAM's NYE event has already been selected, BloodyElbow.com reached out, and has exclusively confirmed DREAM's plans for their lightweight champion's next challenge. Sources close to the fighter tell us that Aoki's opponent will likely be former Sengoku lightweight champion and grand prix winner, Satoru Kitaoka. Aoki and Kitaoka are have been good friends for quite some time, and since at least one party has already agreed to the bout, it looks like that friendship won't stop them from competing against each other. Both fighters have lengthy win streaks in MMA, with Aoki winning six in a row, and Kitaoka winning four straight bouts. Another big news item coming out of the Asian MMA scene is the DREAM and ONE FC partnership being finalized. We have confirmed through sources close to the situation that the deal has been officially been closed when Kato, a top DREAM official, went to Singapore this past week. BloodyElbow.com first reported on it being close to a done deal last month. Much like their other partnership deals with promotions such as the URCC, and Road FC, the deal will include fighter sharing, and co-promoted events between DREAM and ONE FC. Press releases to officially announce this deal are expected to be out in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more updates as it becomes available.

Posted in: dream, deal, aoki, fc, kitaoka

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

If you haven't finished your 200th replay of Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua, then you need to take your DVR out to a restaurant, buy it a chicken plate dinner and pay for the bill because you're going to be doing a lot of one-on-one time with it throughout the week. That's right, I want you to date inanimate objects for the greater good of MMA. Whatever we can do to progress the sport, we must make it a priority. Date your DVR, have a one-night stand with your Xbox 360, make out with your $19.99 Epson printer that you got at Wal-Mart. Do whatever you need, but just remember to read the Sunday Morning Rumor Mill, coming at you on Monday evening. Let me preface this by saying I think the following rumor is ridiculous and has 0.01% probability of happening, however it's being placed here because I actually heard this twice in two days from two separate sources. It's rumored that ZUFFA was looking closely at Fedor's M-1 Global bout against Jeff Monson over the weekend and now that Fedor is slated to face Satoshi Ishii at DREAM's NYE event, if he wins Fedor will be signed to the UFC and face Cain Velasquez once he recovers from the injury he sustained in his recent bout with Junior dos Santos. Ridiculous, right? However, we've seen crazier things happen in the MMA world. What derails this rumor (for me, at least) is M-1's persistence on 'co-branding' with UFC. It's what prevented Fedor from coming to the UFC when Affliction collapsed so I can't see M-1 backing down from their demands -- or the UFC softening their stance. Also, MMA is set to ignite in Eastern Europe. With companies like KSW to compete with, I believe they would want to have Fedor as the primary selling point in their promotion. I've heard this for a while now, but it appears that ZUFFA/Strikefore is erasing the women's 145lb division. In a recent interview, Cyborg claims Strikeforce even asked her to drop down to 135lbs. If this is true, then it clearly shows ZUFFA does have a plan for the future of Strikeforce and they're not going to let it decay, like a large portion of you may believe. If you guys follow MiddleEasy on Twitter, you probably remember that I tweeted (twatted?) on Friday there's a 99.9% chance that Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt is going down at UFC in Japan. Now both fighters have acknowledged that they verbally agreed to fight in the event. See, that's why you should be following us on Twitter. Bobby Green is one fight away from fighting for the Strikeforce lightweight title. ONE FC plans to do 24 shows in 2014 and a total of 60 events within the newly announced ONE FC network. ONE FC will also be announcing a massive partnership with ESPN. At Strikeforce Challengers, when Ronda Rousey dislocated Julia Budd's arm, she actually felt Budd tap, but due to the angle at which she had the armbar, she needed to flip Budd over to show the referee that the submission was more than secure. Shine Fights is officially nonexistent. DREAM will have 4-6 shows in 2012. Expect one of those shows to be with their new partner, ONE FC. It's rumored that MusclePharm is close to acquiring a nutrition company that was a former partner/affiliate/sponsor with UFC. At the UFC Fight Club Q&A, Josh Koscheck casually revealed that he was fighting Carlos Condit. Apparently he was not supposed to release this news until today. Expect ONE FC's first show in 2012 to debut women fighting within the promotion. Amanda Lucas has been a name that's been thrown around. According to Chael Sonnen's Twitter, he will be facing Anderson Silva in Brazil. I'm sure you've heard this before, but the next stateside TUF will feature Urijah Faber and Dominic Cruz as coaches. MiddleEasy received a 'Cease and Desist' letter from an attorney due to a video we placed on the site this month. I'll let you guess which one it was.

Posted in: ufc, fight, rumor, fc, fedor

Read the full article at Middle Easy

  Most of us reading this did not get to witness in person the greatness of the the first ever ONE FC event held on September 3 of this year. Zeus did and if you somehow missed his play by play of the event you can still go back and check it out here. ONE FC has recognized our misfortune and released a highlight of the event that could possibly cause you to sell off all of your belongings on craiglist and move to Singapore. This might cause some massive exodus of people from countries all over the earth to converge upon the poor unsuspecting Singaporeans. This convergence of salivating MMA junkies might resemble what a second wave of the Dancing Plague of the middle ages might look like today. Back in the middle ages it was ergots that probably caused this plague of 'collective hysterical disorder' or 'mass madness' that included 'nervous spasms, psychotic delusions, spontaneous abortion, convulsions and gangrene.' Damn. Forget the evils of cocaine-ergots was one hell of a drug it seems. Luckily the effects of this ONE FC highlight reel don't involve any flesh rotting illnesses that we are aware of. They might make you dance around your living room spastically though, so please do put all of your grannies breakable tchotchkes away before you press play and enjoy.

Posted in: event, fc, room spastically, dancing plague, mass madness

Read the full article at Middle Easy

One FC’s first event took place amidst a blaze of publicity but once the dust had settled there was no doubt who the star of the show was – Eric Kelly. Kelly went against unbeaten Mitch Chilson in a match the bookmakers had dead even but, in the end, the Filipino stunned the crowd by putting the Singapore-based American to sleep with a Rear-Naked Choke in the opening round of action. It was Kelly’s sixth consecutive submission win and probably the most impressive performance of the URCC featherweight champ’s career. His record stands at 6-0 and he is already being talked about as one of the most exciting prospects to have emerged from the Philippines. URCC Helping Spread Love of MMA in the Philippines The up-and-comer recently took some time out of his busy scheduled to speak with Fighters.com and answered a few questions about Filipino MMA, his victory over Chilson, and life in general… Were you nervous before the fight at One FC 1 because there were so many people there? No sir! I’m not nervous, I’m so excited because I will represent my country again and this is what I want. You have never fought in a cage before did that make a difference? No it did not make a difference to me, because I’m a fighter I should be prepared to fight anywhere whether it’s standing or on the ground or in a cage or a in a ring. Were you surprised when Chilson took you down? I was not surprised because as a fighter you must be ready for absolutely anything that can happen. That was a nasty cut you opened up with those elbows from the bottom, is that something you practice? Yes I practice that, we have many strikes in Yaw Yan (a type of Filipino kickboxing) that can be used standing or on the ground Did you have a game plan going into the fight? I have no game plan, I just come to fight and to take on whatever the other fighter gives me although I did want to work my stand up in this fight. You train at Yaw Yan Ardigma in Baguio. How many people train with you at? They are many, we have gyms in Cebu as well. How many times a week do you train? I train two times a day, Sunday is my rest day to be with my family Who are your trainers? I had a good coach before when I was in Philippines team of Wushu Sanshou and I learned a lot from him which I try to apply. I have many friends to train with and I go to different gyms to work on different styles and find sparing partners You and Eduard Folayang both come from Baguio, why do you think there are so many good fighters from there? I think its partly because of the high altitude in our place but mainly because fighting is in our blood. Did a lot of people in the Philippines watch your fight at One FC 1? I think so because I received a lot of texts and messages from all over. I was really proud to represent my country in front of so many people. Are you going to fight for One FC again? Yes, I look forward to fighting for One FC for years to come – it’s the biggest honor for a fighter in Asia. You are the URCC Featherweight Champion. How much did fighting in the URCC help you to develop as a professional fighter? Every Filipino fighter wants to be in the URCC and it helped me a lot for me because it was my stepping stone to reach my dream to fight for One FC. After the fight everyone was talking about you and Eduard, are you surprised by how much attention you have received? Yes I’m so surprised but now it’s back to hard training so I will be ready for my next fight. When you submitted Chilson the crowd went crazy and there was a lot of cheering, how much did it mean to you to have so much support? I’m so much happy and I’m thankful for that support. It felt great to be a part of the ONE FC first show and I look forward to many more!!!! For all the latest on Kelly check out his Facebook fan page. PHOTO CREDIT – ONE FC Tweet

Posted in: fight, fighter, i ’m, ’m, fc

Read the full article at Fighters.com

Rising Korean prospect Brian Choi talks to MMAWeekly.com about his next fight in Road FC and his new deal to fight under the One FC Network.

Posted in: fight, fc, fc network, road fc, road

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Two big cards happened in the region this past weekend, and here's a brief recap of the events. Legend FC 6 happened in Macau, Jadamba Narantungalag defeated Adrian Pang in an entertaining bout to take his Legend FC lightweight belt. The Sengoku veteran won a split decision the scores of 29-28 twice and 28-29. "Pang is a very good fighter and his striking is very hard, strong. His heel hook is very strong, but I couldn’t tap out because I wanted to be the first Mongolian MMA champion. I couldn’t tap." Wang Guan, Sam Brown and Rob Hill also turned in good performances on the night. Check out the full results and the event report from Chris Nelson here. Also from this past weekend, PXC 27 was hosted in Guam. The country's most popular bantamweight, 'Baby' Joe Taimanglo, took on their current lightweight champ, Harris Sarmiento as they met at featherweight for the vacant PXC strap. Taimanglo brought it to the much bigger and more experienced fighter and eventually earned the nod from the judges, crowning him as their new featherweight champ. Justin Cruz successfully defended his bantamweight belt on the card that also had J.J. Ambrose and Hyun Gyu Lim putting on quality performances. Check out the highlights from the event: After the jump, more excellent videos and updates coming from One FC and the URCC. - Here's a video interview with ONE Fighting Championship CEO and Owner, Victor Cui as he talks about the ONE FC network, and confirms our report about their ongoing negotiations with DREAM: - For Filipino MMA, check out this preview video for the upcoming URCC 20 bout between Reydon 'The Filipino Bolo Punch' Romero, and Jessie Rafols. The dialog is in Filipino, but it still shows some quality footage from their training camps: - Speaking of URCC 20, check out James Goyder's interview with lightweight champion, Honorio Banario as he talks about preparing to defend his title on November 5.

Posted in: check, fc, asian mma, fc network, jessie rafols

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

One FC continues to expand its business in Asia as they have signed exclusive partnerships with most of the major promotions in the area along with adding 17 new fighters to their roster.

Posted in: promotion, fighter, partnership, fc, asia

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

As reported here earlier, ONE FC has partnerships with a few top promotions around Asia such as the URCC, Road FC, and DARE. Today, the promotion officially announced these deals in addition to a partnership with an Australian MMA promotion. From the press release: ONE Fighting Championship™ has formed exclusive partnerships with the following organizations:-URCC (Philippines)-Cage Fighting Championship (Australia)-ROAD Fighting Championship (Korea)-DARE Fightsports (Thailand) They also announced partnerships with several of the top MMA camps in the region: Team Lakay Wushu (Philippines), Tiger Muay Thai (Thailand), Tigers Gym (India), Evolve MMA (Singapore), Legacy Gym (Thailand), Tough MMA (Taiwan), Synergy Jiu-Jitsu (Indonesia), Juggernaut FC (Singapore), Fightworks Asia (Singapore), PAK MMA (Pakistan), Team Force (Korea), MuayFit (Malaysia), Leverage MMA (Malaysia). Aside from that laundry list of camps and promotions, the release also had this interesting statement from their CEO, Victor Cui, "Given our current discussions with various parties, we will be announcing another 23 additional MMA organizations and gyms to the ONE FC Network in the coming days and weeks." BloodyElbow.com has been informed that among those deals in the works, is a partnership with Japanese promotion, DREAM. A high ranking official from the promotion has told us that ONE FC is currently in discussions with a few organizations from Japan, and that the deal with DREAM is 'very close' to being finalized. If it pushes through, it would be a great help for both organizations, and it could definitely lead to more quality match ups in the region. As always, stay tuned to Bloody Elbow as we give you more details on the situation as they become available.

Posted in: mma, promotion, deal, partnership, fc

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

ONE Fighting Championship today made an announcement which will potentially change the face of Asian MMA forever. In a statement ONE FC revealed that it had signed exclusive partnerships with the following organizations: URCC (Philippines), Cage Fighting Championship (Australia), ROAD Fighting Championship (Korea), DARE Championship (Thailand), Team Lakay Wushu (Philippines), Tiger Muay Thai and MMA (Thailand), Tigers Gym (India), Evolve Mixed Martial Arts (Singapore), Legacy Gym (Thailand), Tough MMA (Taiwan), Synergy Jiu-Jitsu (Indonesia), Juggernaut  FC (Singapore), Fightworks Asia (Singapore), PAK MMA (Pakistan), Team Force (Korea), MuayFit (Malaysia), Leverage MMA (Malaysia) So what does this announcement, which comes hot on the heels of the news that ONE FC had booked 2012 shows in Indonesia, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, mean in practise? CEO / Owner Victor Cui outlined the benefits which such a large conglomerate would have for MMA in the region, "Our goal is to unify Asian MMA and to build the sport that we all love dearly. With today’s announcement, many of the top MMA organizations and gyms in Asia have joined hands. We will be announcing another 23 additional MMA organizations and gyms to the ONE FC Network in the coming days and weeks." "These strong partnerships will help to accelerate the development of Asian fighters and the sport of MMA in the region. Asian fighters need platforms to gain invaluable experience and to showcase their skills to the world." "If you are an MMA gym, it will give your gym a turbo boost in terms of access to all the major shows in Asia for your professional fighters. If you are part of the ONE FC network, you will be offered plenty more fighting and sponsorship opportunities across Asia and, of course, the media broadcast reach of all the combined Asian shows together will be excellent for recognition for your fighters and your gym." "If you are a ONE FC fighter, you will automatically be able to compete in the biggest MMA events across Asia within the ONE FC Network. If you are a sponsor, you will be able to leverage and target your sponsorship dollars across multiple platforms. If you are a fan, you will enjoy many more high quality MMA shows around Asia. Ultimately, as it continues to grow, the ONE FC Network will multiply in benefits for all parties involved." It is a revolutionary approach from ONE FC. A lot of MMA promotions regard absolutely everyone else as competition and look to monopolize the market and jealously protect their brand by stockpiling contracted fighters ONE FC is taking a far more inclusive attitude and are looking to work with all the key stakeholders in Asia, be they promotions, camps, fans or fighters. The benefits of this deal are already palpable with One FC fighters Vuyisile Colossa and Brian Choi both booked to appear on Road FC 5 this December. That card is taking place at the 7,000 capacity Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul and looks set to be the biggest in the promotion’s history. For fighters like Colossa and Choi it is a valuable opportunity to gain experience and get a payday in the process while fans in Korea get a glimpse at some internationally renowned fighters. Any fighter falling under the ONE FC umbrella will be available to fight on five different promotions, putting on potentially 35 events between them in 2012. Whereas in the past mixed martial artists in Asia have been frustrated by the lack of opportunities they will now have the ability to fight as often as they like by moving between these different promotions without fear of contractual complications. Fighters will also have an added incentive to fight for Cage Fighting Championships, Road FC, URCC and Dare Championships because they know that success in these domestic organizations will provide them with a direct route into ONE FC. This deal should also help the individual gyms, promotions and fighters make money, something which hasn’t traditionally been easy in Asian MMA, because they will all automatically have a direct line to the official ONE FC sponsors. It will also make Asian MMA a much more attractive market place for potential sponsors and companies looking to get involved in the sport because they will have access to a multitude of camps, promoters and fighters through the ONE FC network. In the past doing deals with people in so many different countries and cultures would have been a painstaking process involving extensive travel and translators but now ONE FC’s head office in Singapore will effectively be a one stop shop for all their sponsorship needs. Fighters at the camps which are part of the ONE FC Network will not have to worry about agents or politics or the red tape which sometimes prevents fighters from earning their living by actually fighting. Instead they will be automatically eligible for five different promotions and will have the security of knowing that certain standards will be observed in terms of things like fighter safety and actually getting paid at the end of the night. Other Asian promotions will benefit from becoming part of a ONE FC network which will allow them to leverage capital, sponsors, media, and fighter opportunities. For example, URCC is now able to offer its top fighters a chance to fight internationally on any of the major events in the ONE FC network. Additionally with co-promotions each promotion will be able to benefit from a lower cost structure with shared resources. The ONE FC network effectively creates immediate economies of scale and economies of scope for all the players within it. Cui was also quick to emphasize that further deals were in the pipeline and that the door was not closed to anyone wishing to join the ONE FC Network’. ONE FC also say they have now signed 90% of Asia's top fighters (outside of Japan) and an announcement about this is imminent. Sports fans in the US seem to be fond of using the expression ‘game changer.' Well for Asian MMA this truly is a game changer.

Posted in: mma, fighter, fc, asian, fc network

Read the full article at MMA Mania

One FC announces future expansion & show plans for 2012.

Posted in: show, network, fc, expansion, asian mma

Read the full article at Fight Opinion

There's a bunch of news coming out of the Asian MMA scene lately, so let's get right to it: ONE Fighting Championship had their debut event last September, a few months later, and the promotion breaks their silence and announced the official dates for their next three shows for 2012. It's going to happen on three different countries, with less than a month apart in between them. Their first destination for 2012 will be on February 11, at the The BritAma Arena (also known as the Kelapa Gading Sports Mall) in Jakarta, Indonesia. That's a 4000 capacity indoor arena that's usually used for basketball games. Second destination for the year will be on March 31, back in their home base of Singapore, and it will be hosted at the same venue as their debut event, the Singapore Indoor stadium. Third destination would be on April 27, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event will be on Stadium Negara, an arena with a capacity estimated at 10,200 people. One of the obvious choices as a feature bout of that night would be Malaysian star, Adam Kayoom, who is coming off an impressive submission victory over Seok Mo Kim, a guy who even Gregor Gracie couldn't submit after dozens of attempts. As reported earlier, there are also plans for them to host co-promoted events with the URCC and Road FC for shows the Philippines and Korea respectively. This was penciled in to happen at back to back months around July and August. I'm not sure if hosting that many shows on different countries every month would be good for business, but it's certainly a very bold and ambitious goal for a new promotion to undertake. After the jump, several more news and updates from URCC, Road FC, Legend FC, and more. Road FC 5 is shaping up really well. Earlier it was reported that UFC vet Denis Kang will take on Shungo Oyama as part of their middleweight tournament, and Evolve MMA's Brian Choi will make his featherweight debut against Bae Young Kwon. If that wasn't good enough, just recently added to the card, is a lightweight bout between dangerous Muay Thai striker, Vuyisile Colossa and Legend FC vet, "The Korean Bulldozer" Yui Chul Nam. URCC 20, on November 5, also had a lot of changes and updates recently with the URCC finally releasing a bunch of fights for their milestone event. Multiple title fights will still be on the line, but with injuries to Kevin Belingon and Sabah Fadai forcing them to pull out of their respective title bouts, the URCC brass had to shift things around to produce this fight card. - Jessie Rafols vs. Reydon Romero [Bantamweight Super-Fight Title] - Igor Subora vs. Ryan Pagalinawan [Heavyweight Title]- Nicholas Mann vs Chris Luna [Light Heavyweight Title]- Patrick Manicad vs Honorio Banario [Lightweight Title]- Dexter Mistades vs Froilan Sarenas [Middleweight Title]- Pete Brooks vs. Mac Sabiano [Cruiserweight Title]- Lando Espinosa vs Adam Cacay- Will Chope vs Jerson Estoro- Rodel Orais vs. Jilmar Tangayan Sabah Fadai, who lost his MFC debut, gave this statement to Zike of MMA Orient: "I was suppose to fight November 5th for the title but I have suffered an injury in my last fight so I’m pulling out. Would have been nice to take Banario's belt though" The URCC Bacolod Brawl 2011 was concluded last week. Check out the results here. There are two big events in the region this week. On October 29, in Guam, it's PXC 27 which will be headlined by a bantamweight title fight between former URCC champion, Justin Cruz, and Trevin Jones, along with a featherweight championship bout between Guam's most popular fighter, Joe Taimanglo, and their current lightweight champion, Harris Sarmiento.  The following day, it's Legend FC 6, which will be headlined by an excellent lightweight title bout between the champion, Adrian Pang of Australia, and Sengoku vet, Jadamba Narantungalag. The event will be available on PPV in Canada, Australia and the US. Speaking of Adrian Pang, here's training footage from his camp. (HT: MMA Orient)

Posted in: title, vs, event, urcc, fc

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So it looks like the world is about to end in 2012, bummer. According to many scientists, philosophers and the Mayans, a cataclysmic event will shake us to the very core on December 21, 2012 destroying the earth as we know it and sending our civilization back into the proverbial stoneage. Terrance McKenna, a psychonaut from the 1970s, created a computer program after consulting with the I-Ching and of course a few late-night magic mushroom and DMT binges. He came up with his doomsday theory called "Timewave Zero" which graphs all of the world's major events over a 25,000 year period. Of course the kicker is that everything stopped in December of 2012. It's kind of like Terminator 2, he came up with a time period for when machines would start making machines for the purpose of the machines. Luckily the world will see at least three more One FC shows before we all hit that cosmic singularity we all will eventually call home. On February 11th, One FC will throw their second card, this time in Jakarta, Indonesia. The following month on March 31st, the Singapore Indoor Stadium will be selected for One FC's third show and on April 27th the promotion will venture over to Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for their fourth event. As many of you know, I had the opportunity of attending One FC's inaugural show, and if you weren't up at 4:00am to watch it live, you can read my account of the event here.

Posted in: world, event, machine, fc,  dmt binges

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Fledgling Asian promotion Asian One FC promised to keep a busy schedule as they headed into 2012 and it appears they are keeping that promise.

Posted in: fight, fc, schedule, asian, promise

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After a successful debut show in September all has been quiet from One Fighting Championship but the brand new promotion broke its silence in spectacular style this evening to announce three shows in three countries in the space of three months in 2012. The official dates are as follows: February 11: Jakarta, Indonesia at Kelapa Gading Sports Mall March 31: Singapore at the Singapore Indoor stadium April 27: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at the Stadium Negara A large number of fighters have also signed long term contracts with another announcement imminent this week. After testing the water with a successful show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on September 3rd which was witnessed by almost 7,000 people as well as many more watching on a free online stream One FC are set for an aggressive international expansion in 2012. The first show featured impressive performances from URCC champions Eduard Folayang (below) and Eric Kelly with both Filipino fighters posting wins. The highlight for many in the crowd though was an emphatic first round victory for Singapore's first professional MMA fighter, Radeem Rahman and he is likely to be back in action on March 31st. Rahman was not the only fighter from the world renowned Evolve MMA camp to impress that day. Eddie Ng from Hong Kong, former boxing world champion Yodsanan Sityodytong from Thailand and BJJ world champions Zorobabel Moreira and Leandro Issa from Brazil also registered decisive wins and might well be given a second chance to impress in front of the fans in their adopted home in March. Adam Kayoom (below) is one of the most decorated fighters in Malaysian history and has been widely linked with a long term One FC contract. He hold multiple regional and national titles in BJJ and is a former Muay Thai world champion who was ranked top ten at Ratchadamnern, he also has a professional MMA record of 2-1 and, assuming he has signed, is highly likely to feature on the Kuala Lumpur card in April. The actual One FC roster remains shrouded in mystery but according to the official Twitter feed a series of major announcements will be taking place this week which is likely to include the identities of the fighters who have been signed. One FC have a TV deal with ESPN Star Sports which is Asia's biggest sports broadcaster and is available in 24 countries and the September show is scheduled to be shown early next month, after having already been screened on domestic TV in Singapore. This arrangement will presumably remain in place for future shows although there is always the possibility that ESPN Star might begin to broadcast the event live. With ambitious plans and a budget which is believed to be unprecedented in Asian MMA history One FC is rapidly establishing a reputation as the UFC of the East. According to various online reports shows have also been booked in Seoul and Manila and if these stories are accurate it would mean five events in five different countries will be taking place in the first half of 2012. Multiple shows in multiple countries was what One FC promised when it was launched amidst a fanfare of publicity in July and it appears that they are all poised to deliver in 2012.

Posted in: world, show, fighter, fc, singapore

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Filed under: ONE FCAfter an impressive first showing back in early September the self-proclaimed "Asian major leagues", ONE FC, has been dormant. The upstart Singapore-based promotion broke their silence on Monday evening however, announcing an ambitious schedule of three events in three countries over three months for early 2012. Jakarta will host Indonesia's first large-scale MMA event on Feb. 11, 2012 as ONE FC heads to the 4000-capacity Kelapa Gading Sports Mall. On Mar. 31 the promotion will return to the home of the debut ONE FC event in September: the 12,000-capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. Finally, ONE FC will also host Malaysia's first large-scale MMA event on Apr. 27 as the promotion heads to the 10,000-capacity Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur. Although no bouts have been announced for the upcoming events, the promotion is expected to announce a number of new signings in the coming week. ONE FC has been publicly quiet since their debut event on Sept. 3 but behind the scenes the young promotion has been hastily forming alliances across the continent - recently forging relationships with South Korea's Road FC, the Philippines' Ultimate Reality Combat Championship and Thailand's Dare FC. Although no broadcast details have been announced, the upcoming ONE FC events are expected to air on ESPN Star Sports in Asia and via an online stream. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: promotion, event, fc, capacity, fc event

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Far East promotion One FC has announced three dates for shows in 2012.According to the company the trio are the first of several dates to be announced...

Posted in: promotion, company, fc, date, trio

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Matt Hume is best known in the US as the MMA mastermind trainer behind such top caliber fighters as Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix finalist Josh Barnett, former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin and UFC bantamweight contender Demetrious Johnson.He is also a recognizable figure on the Asian scene as the former head official for PRIDE Fighting Championship, the rules director for DREAM Fighting Championship and the head official for the recently formed ONE Fighting Championship. In short, he's kind of a big deal.He took time out to talk exclusively to MMA Mania about why he thinks Johnson came up short in his recent title shot, his involvement with One FC and the future for Asian MMA. What were your thoughts on Demetrious Johnson's recent loss, were you surprised by how the fight went? I feel DJ could have won the fight convincingly if he would have stuck to the game plan.  DJ had a strong advantage on the feet but made bad choices to engage in wrestling and stay in clinches where he lost the fight.  Had he stuck to the game plan and advice given between rounds, he would not have been in those positions and would have played to his advantage. He learned a lesson the hard way this time and will mature and be a much better fighter from the experience. Johnson looks small for a bantamweight. Could he drop down to 125-pounds and is this something you have discussed with the UFC? He is a natural 125 and fought most of his career at 125. He only went to135 to be in WEC and UFC because they don't have a 125 division. If UFC brings the 125 division in in the future we will consider dropping him to that division, but for now he is a 135 pounder. What did you think of the first One FC show? Great first event and huge potential! You were in charge of implementing One FC's rules and scoring, how do you think they worked? I thought they worked great. Were there any fighters on that card who particularly impressed you? Many of the fighters had individual aspects of their game that were impressive but they were already known to be great in those areas. What impresses me is when guys show skill outside of the area that they are already known to be good in. Eddie Ng showed great poise in danger and killer instinct when the time was right. Yodsanan showed that he is developing his ground game and wont have to rely on his great boxing and Muay Thai. Colossa impressed me with his power and Muay Thai skill, he was already skilled in Muay Thai but I had never seen it first hand. Rahman is very green but showed big heart and poise in front of his home town with major pressure for a young kid in his first bout.  Zoro's elbows and Muay Thai are vastly improved and he didn't ever try to rely on his killer ground game. Eric Kelly showed a slick ground game with killer instinct. Eduard Foyalang is well rounded and tough, with a huge heart. Those guys impressed me for those reasons, as well as some of the other fighters who showed skill and poise well beyond the skill level they were expected to be at.  The level of Asian MMA is coming up quickly! Were you surprised by how many people were there? I had an idea that it was going to packed because I followed the promotion/marketing of the event and kept up on ticket sales. I have been to Singapore before and to Evolve, so I wasn't really surprised with the success. Are you going to be involved in any more One FC shows? For sure!You've been involved in a lot of MMA shows including Pride, Dream the UFC. How much potential does One FC have and how excited are you about it? I think the timing right now is great for ONE FC and it is focusing in the right market.  It has great potential and I'm excited to be involved with it from the opening bell! You've also spent time with Rich Franklin at Evolve MMA, what did you think of that facility, were you impressed? The facility is very nice, but what is most impressive are the people. The instructors are world class and the students are class. it is a very positive atmosphere regardless of your goals or lack of goals and a fun place to hang out. There are no egos, just nice people and awesome instructors. You've been involved in the Asian MMA scene for a long time, how do you view the state of Asian MMA and what are your thoughts on the future of Asian MMA? Asia is a huge place with vastly differing cultures depending on where you are in Asia. Some places will blow up and accept MMA other may not. I think the countries that had fighters on the last ONE FC event will grow very quickly in their fan base, some already have. Obviously Singapore is a great new MMA market, I think that Thailand, Phillipines, Korea, China, Taiwan and India have cultures and emerging fighters that will see growth of their fan base, I'm sure others will follow as well.  Japan already has a huge base and will return to glory in the future as the surrounding Asian countries bring competition. Matt Hume is the owner and head trainer at AMC Kickboxing and Pankration. For more information visit: www.pankration.com

Posted in: mma, fighter, .&nbsp, fc, asian

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Posted in: jon jones, philippine tour, fc, asian mma, fc co-promotion

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I usually tend to write these Asian MMA Update several days apart, but today had a bunch of breaking news for the region's MMA scene, so as always, here's a quick round up: As reported here, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was set to visit the Philippines late this month. All the commercials, posters, and promos of the event was seen all over the country, but when Bones received a call from Dana White to defend his title against Lyoto Machida this December, he naturally, had to pull out of this tour. Officials from ABS-CBN, the parent network of Balls channel which runs UFC programming, have confirmed the news to BloodyElbow.com and mentioned that they're looking to bring another UFC star to the country sometime this November. I reported the news on ONE FC signing a partnership with the Philippines' top promotion in the URCC. They have a plans for a co-promoted Philippine show on 2012, and now it looks like they're going to do something similar in Korea. One FC has a deal with Road FC, and now the Korean promotion has announced that they have a tentative date set for a co-promoted show in Korea sometime around August of 2012. Road FC also gave a few additional details on their partnership, stating that they have an agreement not to host shows at the same date as One FC events. This is probably applicable for the other deals One FC has with promotions such as Dare (Thailand) and URCC (Philippines). Wushu expert and URCC champ, Kevin Belingon (9-0) was set to take on URCC interim bantamweight champion, Jessie Rafols (6-1) in a super-fight this November for URCC 20. Unfortunately, his camp, Team Lakay, informs us that Belingon will be pulling out of the fight after injuring his left shoulder that will keep him sidelined for at least 3-4 weeks. URCC matchmaker Willy Carlos informs BloodyElbow.com that likely to step in to face Rafols on three weeks notice, is Reydon 'The Filipino Bolo Punch' Romero, who won his last outing with a one punch knockout in just 46 seconds. The featherweight contender will be dropping down to bantamweight to face Rafols, who has been making a name for himself as one of the most dangerous fighters in the URCC roster. There will be 6 titles on the line on this November 5 event, although there is still no word on which one will be taking the headlining spot now that Belingon has pulled out of it. As always, follow me on twitter and stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more updates.

Posted in: urcc, philippine, fc, belingon, face rafols

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As always, here's a complete rundown of the recent news and rumblings coming out of the Asian MMA scene: The grudge between Thailand's top MMA teams Tiger Muay Thai and Phuket Top Team are getting uglier and uglier. If you haven't heard about any of the details yet, Tiger Muay Thai was where Roger Huerta and Mike Swick used to train at in Thailand. Here's Ray Elbe of TMT talking about his disappointment that both MMA stars were leaving to create their own gym after receiving 'VIP Treatment' and free housing during their stay in Thailand.  For his upcoming bout against War Machine, Roger Huerta is now training with Phuket Top Team, a rival gym that's just around 100 meters away or so from Tiger Muay Thai. Things get even uglier when Tiger Muay Thai offered War Machine to train him to prepare for Huerta. He replied with a simple query: "If he trained with you guys for a year why would you wanna help me beat him?" There were a bunch of nasty rumors coming out of both camps which involved trying to muddy each other up by having different accusations about various stuff from training permits to even firearms. These apparently led to death threats and a camp being raided cause of this. Pretty ugly stuff, but I'd rather not focus on those rumors, so let's move on and check out Mike Swick talking about Tiger's beef with him and Roger Huerta. He also addresses the accusations of them trying to steal trainers for their gym. Here's a snippet (You can read his entire account here): Tiger Muay Thai is claiming that Roger and I are traitors, like Aldrich Ames in the 80's, since we have trained at their facility before and are now doing our own gym in Thailand. Ray Elbe(Tiger Head MMA Trainer, Spokesperson) has been maliciously bad mouthing us to everyone at Tiger and to anyone that will listen, though after we announced we were doing this, we met with him and came to an agreement in which he was very respectful and understanding in person. Soon as we left Thailand we were traders and had disrespected Tiger. It is uber sad considering what all we have done for Tiger and done for free....We are not trying to take Tigers customers or trainers. That is just  silly! There are a ton of great fighters that become trainers everyday  in Bangkok plus trainers move like vintage David Caradine in Kung Fu.  In the 4 years I was in Phuket, I can't tell you how many trainers  came and went from all the gyms. Anyway, now that we've got all those beef and controversy out of the way, there are much more Asian MMA news about PXC, Legend FC, One FC, and Lakay Wushu after the jump. Eduard Folayang, who suffered a broken nose last month on One FC, is already out there competing in Turkey, for the World Wushu Championships. He says it hasn't healed up completely, and was still hurting, but he still went out there to represent the country anyway. Crazy if you ask me, but that's Eduard and his fighting spirit for you. Despite this, he beat his French opponent and joined two of his other teammates, Benjie Rivera, and Mark Eddiva (who also competes in MMA) who advanced to the round of 16. Yesterday, I reported about Victor Cui's trip to the Philippines where in the One FC head signed a partnership deal with the URCC. Among the details I mentioned on the article, is his visit to Team Lakay, where he was looking to finalize deals with the Philippines' top MMA camp as well. Well it looks like they're not the only promotion looking for their services. Team Lakay has produced multiple champions such as Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon, Roy Docyogen, and Honorio Banario among others. This makes them the most sought after team in the country. A day after Victor Cui's visit, Mike Haskamp of fellow Asian MMA promotion Legend FC, also visited the camp. Yesterday, Lakay also announced that Guam-based promotion, Pacific Xtreme Combat or PXC will be meeting with them soon as well. Speaking of Legend FC, they have finalized their fight card for Legend FC 6 and it's a pretty good one. They have six fighters from New Zealand or Australia, and this is because the show will be available on Australian PPV. Check out the promo and fight card below: Legend FC 6October 30, 2011 - Macau - Jadamba Narantungalag vs. Adrian Pang [Legend FC Lightweight Championship]- Liu Wenbo vs. Sam Brown - Wang Guan vs. Koji Ando - Song Un Sik vs. Rob Hill - Lee Yong Jae vs. Rod MacSwain - Ji Xian vs. Michael Mortimer - Wu Chengjie vs. Yusuke Kawanago - Kim Hoon vs. Robert Whittaker - Danaa Batgerel vs. Vincent Siu With the help of Legend FC, Team Quest's Pat Healy and Brad Hannah ran a no-gi grappling workshop to help raise proceeds for anti-slavery charity The Mekong Club. Check out the footage below: PXC's first Philippine event, PXC 24 (check out the BE exclusive photo gallery of the show), was featured on the latest issue of Fight! Magazine. Here's an exclusive sneak peak on it:

Posted in: mma, vs, team, fc, tiger

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One FC head, Victor Cui always had a great relationship with the Philippines' top MMA promotion. Alvin Aguilar and the URCC brass have been working with them since they first started Martial Combat, up until One FC was conceived. Two of their biggest stars, Eduard Folayang and Eric Kelly making a huge impact on their debut event last September, and now they will move forward with this relationship as the two promotions have officially partnered up. URCC officials have exclusively confirmed the news to BloodyElbow.com stating that they have finalized the deal with One FC during Victor Cui's recent trip to the Philippines. Among the details on this partnership is an exclusive fighter sharing between the two promotions. The URCC will be sending fighters exclusively to One FC for Asian shows, and conversely, the URCC will be the only Philippine promotion that One FC can work with. While they can still send or share the top Filipino fighters on their roster to other promotions in the US, CNMI, Middle East, and other continents, this is a move towards trying to corner the Asian market for One FC, as they have also been reported to have secured similar deals with Korean and Thai promotions, Road FC and Dare. Also coming from this partnership, is a planned URCC-OneFC co-promoted show in the Philippines, which is in the works for sometime around July 2012. Aside from securing a deal with the Philippines' top MMA promotion, Cui's trip to the country also included a visit to the mountain province of Baguio, with the One FC honcho looking to finalize more deals with Team Lakay, the country's top camp which has produced multiple champions such as Folayang, Kevin Belingon, Roy Docyogen, and Honorio Banario among others. As always, stay tuned to BloodyElbow.com and follow me on twitter for more updates as they become available.

Posted in: promotion, urcc, philippine, mma promotion, fc

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As always, here's a complete rundown of the recent news and rumblings coming out of the Asian MMA scene: As reported earlier, The Ultimate Fighter: Philippines is in the works for a 2012 run. The details on the show have yet to be finalized, although sources close to the situation have informed BloodyElbow.com that the tentative plan is to host the tryout in the Philippines, ship out the final cast to film at the TUF house in Vegas, and then have the Finale back in the Philippines. Again, these details are far from finalized, although if this pushes through, it pretty much guarantees the production values of these international editions of TUF won't be compromised. I have just been told by URCC officials that Filipino MMA stars, Eduard Folayang, Eric Kelly, and Jessie Rafols have all recently signed new contract extensions with the promotion. Folayang and Kelly are fresh off big wins at One FC, while Rafols is currently set to headline URCC 20 on November 5 against Lakay Wushu star, Kevin Belingon. PXC's next event will be back in Guam this October. Former URCC bantamweight champ, Justin "The Shocker" Cruz will be headlining against Trevin Jones for the PXC 135 lb title. Also on the card is a David vs. Goliath bout where their top 135 lb prospect, Joe Taimanglo (15-4-1) takes on the newly minted PXC lightweight champ, Harris Sarmiento for the vacant featherweight title. One month after that, PXC head's back to the Philippines on November 26, and they're moving out from the Resorts World Manila, and into the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig. This means more seats, a better view, and cheaper seats too. As James Goyder wrote about in the FanPosts, UFC Programming is no longer available in Thailand. The few hardcore fans in the area will still find ways to watch their MMA, but this is definitely a huge blow to the country's MMA scene that has been starting to develop. One FC has partnered up with both Road FC of Korea and Dare FC of Thailand, which would surely be beneficial to their roster of fighters. Since we're talking about Dare, check out the results of their 2nd event here. Are you in Asia? One FC, Legend FC, and Evolve MMA, are all hiring. Team Quest and Legend FC partnered up and sent Pat Healy and Brad Hannah to China, to help out budding MMA and Sanda fighters from Xian Physical Education University to round out their game. This will be a six week MMA camp, which would definitely invaluable to the Chinese MMA scene, as they develop a good system that would help out all these tremendous strikers have a more complete MMA game. Follow @BamBamHealy on twitter for details on this camp. Speaking of Legend FC, their 6th event will be at the end of this month, and it will be headlined by a lightweight title bout between Jadamba Narantungalag and current champ, Adrian Pang. Team Quest's Brad Hannah and Legend Fighting Championship’s Joe Qiao -- Photo by Liu Xiao Ming After the jump, check out the Dare FC bout between Adam Kayoom vs. Seok Mo Kim. Seok Mo Kim fought a few weeks before this on ONE FC, with him able to survive multiple submission attempts from Gregor Gracie. Check out as he took on BJJ Black Belt Adam Kayoom: Kayoom is now a ONE FC fighter, and with him being one of the few top Malaysian fighters out there, it would make sense to have him on that future Malaysian card planned by the promotion.

Posted in: mma, fighter, philippine, fc, pxc

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This is a guest post by James Goyder Korea produces more world class mixed martial artists than anywhere else in Asia except Japan. The place which spawned UFC contenders Dong Hyun Kim and Chan Sung Jung should have a thriving domestic scene but despite the wealth of talent continually emerging from Korea fighters there are still struggling to find fights. Neither Spirit MC nor Neo Fight stood the test of time and at one stage in 2010 the MMA landscape in Korea looked an empty wasteland.  That was until the inception of Road FC, the brainchild of former kickboxing champion Moon Hong Jung, which was founded last year and is set to put on its fourth event early next month. At present it is the only domestic promotion offering opportunities to Korean fighters and for Jung, who is a veteran of seven professional MMA fights, this was the main motivation in founding Road FC, "I'm trying to give more opportunities to younger fighters, it is hard to get a fight because so many of the Japanese organizations are going down and both Spirit and Neofight in Korea are finished. MMA is getting more popular now in Korea but popularity suffered when Pride went down because Pride was very, very popular. My team mate, Won Jin Eoh, fought in Pride and one of my students, Dae Won Kim, fought Akihiro Gono in Pride. The decline of Pride hurt Korean MMA a lot," he said. People all over the world have fond memories of the Japanese promotion which made superstars out of of Mirko Crocop and Fedor Emelianenko but in Korea the demise of Pride has left a void which, according to Jung, the UFC has not come close to filling, "The UFC is pretty popular in Korea but not compared to how popular Pride used to be.  People in Korea who are already MMA fans might know who Kim Dong Hyun and Jung Chan-Sung are but everyone in Korea used to know who Fedor was, who Crocop was. Pride did it so well, they were like celebrities. It's not the same today with Georges St Pierre or Anderson Silva," he said. Japan still exerts a huge amount of influence over Korean MMA because historically it has offered the only realistic route to success. Jung wants create something more meritocratic so that Korean fighters can get to prove themselves by actually fighting against each other instead of just hoping for a chance call from a Japanese promoter, "I know that Kim Dong Hyun and Jung Chan-Sung are really good but they got picked up after fighting in Japan, they never really competed against good Korean fighters.  I want to give all the Korean fighters the opportunity to fight each other so we can see who is the best. I am not saying that Kim and Jung are bad, they are really good fighters, but they were also lucky to get picked up by Japanese promotions. " The inference is that there are other fighters in Korea potentially capable of enjoying the same levels of success in the UFC and Jung rattles off a quick list of names, "Some Korean fighters to look out for are Ye Chul Nam who is a top contender at 155, Doo Won Seo, another lightweight and Jae Young Kim, a middleweight, who just got out of the army. He has lost three times to Dennis Kang but that was a long time ago and he is very good right now." Road FC's fourth event will take place in a 6,000 capacity stadium on Seoul on October 3rd and a middleweight tournament featuring Jae Young Kim will be on the card. The event will be broadcast live on a major cable TV channel in Korea and Jung is optimistic that the venue will be full come fight night. Denis Kang had faced world class opponents at UFC, Pride and K-1 Heros but discovered to his cost just how high the standard in Korea is when he suffered a potentially career ending loss at the hands of Seung Bae Whi at Road FC 3. The half Korean veteran had been expected to dominate the middleweight division but was brutally knocked out in only his second fight for the organization. Jung wants to offer more Korean fighters the chance to test themselves against international opposition and is currently negotiating with a number of organizations, "There are a lot of good Korean fighters who have never been given that opportunity and there are too many good fighters without fights. I want to give fighters more chances to fight in international shows like One FC and Dare and I am also signing some promotional agreements with these organizations. I want to work together with Dare FC and with One FC to help MMA grow in Asia" he said. A Sol Kwon, Seok Mo Kim and Soo Chul Kim all took on world class opponents at One FC 1 and gave good accounts of themselves despite losing close decisions. Won Seok Jung was more successful, winning at DARE Championship 1/11 and Jung was also in attendance at DARE Championship 2/11 to watch Seok Mo Kim get stopped by outstanding Malaysian Adam Kayoom. By putting on Road FC events at home and signing promotional agreements with selected international organizations abroad Jung is trying to help Korean MMA end its unhealthy dependence on Japan.  He hopes that the loose alliance he is forming will help give more opportunities to fighters and help the sport to develop,  "I hope more Asian promotions come out which last a long time because if shows only put on one event and then disappear it is bad for the fighters. I want to work together with Dare FC and with One FC to help MMA grow up in Asia. I am a fighter not a businessman, MMA is in my heart and I know how it feels to be a fighter and to have a fight cancelled or to lose a contract, it's not just about making money for me."

Posted in: fighter, korean, jung, fc, korea

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It’s a big weekend of MMA action and it all starts tonight at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Missouri with Titan FC 20. As always, Five Ounces of Pain will bring you live results including a recap of all each fight’s action. The fights start at 10:00 PM EST on HDNet. Titan FC 20 is headlined by the return of Brett Rogers taking on fellow striker Eddie Sanchez. Also on the card is former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner against Dakota Cochrane. MAIN CARD Anthony Guiterrez vs. Laramie Shaffer AJ Matthews vs. Rudy Bears Alex Huddleston vs. Matt Uhde Jamie Varner vs. Dakota Cochrane Brett Rogers vs. Eddie Sanchez PHOTO CREDIT – ZUFFASimilar Posts: Jamie Varner continues post-Zuffa career next month at Titan FC 20 Brett Rogers vs. Eddie Sanchez scheduled for Titan FC 20 Olympic medalist McMann stays undefeated, Rob Kimmons upset at Titan FC 19 Opponent named for Phil Baroni’s Titan FC debut “Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Bears” Live Results and Updates Tweetgovernment,politics news,politics news,politics

Posted in: vs, titan, brett rogers, fc, brett

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