Video of the Day - Erikson v. Bigfoot

Here is Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva fighting Tom "The Big Cat" Erikson at K-1 Hero's 5 which took place on May 3, 2006 in Tokyo, Japan.

Bigfoot (18-6) next fights Frank Mir at UFC Fight Night 61.

Video of the Day - Bigfoot v. Cabbage

Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva fighting Wesley "Cabbage" Correira at Elite XC - Destiny, which took place on 2/10/07 in Southaven, Mississippi. Bigfoot would go on to capture the Elite XC heavyweight title however would test positive for steroids.

Bigfoot (18-5, 2-2 UFC) next fights Andrei Arlovski (22-10, 11-4 UFC) at UFN 51.

Video of the Day - Silva v. Pele

Here is a super heavyweight bout between Antonio Silva v. Eric Pele from Bodog on 12/2/06.

Silva (18-4) is coming off KO wins over Alistair Overeem and Travis Browne. He will look to avenge his loss to Cain Velasquez at UFC 160 for the UFC HW Title.

Pele (11-5) retired from active MMA competition in 2008. His biggest wins came over Bobby Hoffman (36-10), Travis Fulton (249-49) and Dan Christison (20-7).
*Horrible stand-up about 53 seconds in.

Strikeforce Epic Heavyweight Tournament

The MMA world is buzzing after the opening bouts of Strikeforce's Heavyweight Grand Prix style tournament involving eight top 25 heavyweights. The next round will take place on April 9th somewhere on planet Earth. Japan, Canada and many locations in the United States have been rumored, but the status of Josh Barnett's fight license will likely force Strikeforce's hand.

The opening bouts saw MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko get crushed in the second round by the notably bigger Antonio Silva. In addition, Andrei Arlovski will likely be out of the game for a long time following a dramatic knock-out loss to the hands of Russian slugger Sergei Kharitonov.

The next round will see K-1, Dream and Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem fighting ADCC champion Fabricio Werdum in a mega fight. In addition, former UFC champ Josh Barnett will face hard hitting Brett Rogers.

Alistair Overeem's Strikeforce HW belt will not be on the line, as the tournament will crown an independent Grand Prix Champion. Look for Werdum to try to force the floor at all times to avoid Alistair's destructive stand-up game.

Round 1 Results:

Antonio Silva def Fedor Emelianenko via TKO, R2, 5:00
Sergei Kharitonov def Andrei Arlovski via KO, R1, 2:49

Reserve Bout Winners:

Shane Del Rosario def Lavar Johnson via Sub(armbar) R1, 4:31
Chad Griggs def Gian Villante via TKO (strikes) R1, 2:49
Valentijn Overeem def Ray Sefo via Sub (neck crank) R1, 1:37

Remaining Round 1 bouts:

Alistair Overeem v. Fabricio Werdum (April 9th)
Brett Rogers v. Josh Barnett (April 9th)


Final Four Qualifiers:

Antonio Silva (16-2)- "Pezao" or "Bigfoot" is a strong heavyweight that meets the top end of the 265 pound limit. A lifelong martial artist, Silva has black belts in Karate, Judo and BJJ. Silva rose to fame by winning the heavyweight title in Elite XC, though he later tested positive for steroids. Silva blamed the test on a testosterone-booster that he uses to counteract the low testosterone levels caused by his acromegaly.

In the opening round of the tournament, Bigfoot had a very close 1st round matching the stand-up skills of Fedor Emelienenko. However in the second round, Bigfoot took advantage of Fedor utilizing his ground skills establishing dominant position, then crushing his foe with his massive fists.

Silva will go as far as his big time power and ground game will take him. Silva has TKO wins over Tom Erikson, Mike Kyle and Wesley Correira. He has decision wins over Andrei Arlovski and Ricco Rodriguez.


Sergei Kharitonov (18-4)- This Russian Airborne soldier gained notierity in the MMA world with his entertaining bouts in the Pride organization. A former training partner with Fedor Emelianenko, Kharitonov emerged in the 2004 Pride HW GP when he KO'd Ninja Rua and kickboxing legend Semmy Schilt.

Expect Kharitonov went toe to toe with Andrei Arlovski in his opening round bout, and despite taking some shots eventually got the better of Arlovski. Kharitonov used nasty uppercuts and punches to the body, eventually sending Arlovski to the canvas and finishing him off with strong ground and pound. Kharitonov has other victories over tournament front runners Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum.


Remaining 1st Round Fighters:

Alistair Overeem (34-11)- Since becoming a full-time heavyweight, Overeem's career has shot off the charts. He is 9-0 since a September 2007 KO loss to fellow tourney competitor Sergei Kharitonov. Even more impressive, Alistair was able to capture the 2010 K-1 Grand Prix World Championship, defeating kickboxing legend Peter Aerts in the final.

Overeem is the defending Strikeforce HW champion, having won the title against Paul Buentello and defending against Brett Rogers. A powerful kickboxer with upper level submission skills, Overeem has other victories against Vitor Belfort, Todd Duffee and Igor Vovchanchyn.  Overeem will look to keep the fight standing against Werdum.


Fabricio Werdum (14-4)- Werdum sent shockwaves through the MMA world in his last fight, a one minute long bout with Fedor Emelianenko which saw the Russian tapping. As the bout unfolded, Werdum was punched, went to the canvas, and then baited an aggressive Fedor into the fight ending triangle/armbar choke. The submission won MMA Blaster's submission of the year.

Fabricio Werdum will be looking to get the fight with Overeem to the ground early and often to utilize his world renown jiu-jitsu skills. The task will be difficult, but Werdum has defeated many top fighters, including Brandon Vera, Junior Silva, Gabriel Gonzaga, Aleks Emelianenko and Fedor Emelianenko. Werdum is the 2007 and 2009 ADCC HW champ.


Josh Barnett (26-5)- The submission wizard and pro wrestling fanatic, Josh Barnett is an interesting character in the martial arts world. Barnett is still a wild card in the tournament, still not having cleared up a positive steroid test in California. If troubles persist, look for an alternate to take Barnett's place.

With the positive test looming in the United States, Barnett fought twice in Japan in 2010, winning via TKO over Geronimo dos Santos and submitting Mighty Mo Siliga. Barnett rose to fame in the early UFC, defeating Semmy Schilt and Bobby Hoffman to earn a title shot against Randy Couture. Barnett would defeat Couture via TKO at UFC 36, but tested positive for three banned substances. Barnett would go on to acheive success in Pride, going to the finals of the 2006 HW Grand Prix.


Brett Rogers (11-2)- The hard hitting Rogers rose to fame in the Elite XC when he rattled off four straight wins to earn a fight against Andrei Arlovski. Rogers would go on to knock out Arlovski with a clean shot, catapulting him into a match with Fedor Emelianenko.

Rogers would fight Fedor at Strikeforce, Chicago and battle the Russian to a close first round. In the second, Rogers ate a big shot and his night was finished. Rogers next fought Alistair Overeem to disappointing results. Since, Rogers rebounded with a win over Warpath Villareal.

Video of the Day - Silva v. Erikson

Here is Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva fighting Tom Erikson in K-1 Hero's which took place on 5/3/06 in Tokyo, Japan. The fight begins around the 2:45 mark.

Silva will fight Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce's HW Grand Prix.

Strikeforce - St. Louis

Alistair Overeem will make his return to the United States this weekend when he takes on Brett Rogers at Strikeforce - Heavy Artillery in St. Louis. Overeem has been very busy lately, taking multiple oversees MMA fights and K-1 bouts.

The last time Overeem was fighting in the US, he was beating up Paul Buentello to defend his Strikeforce title. Overeem's only other United States fight was decision victory over Vitor Belfort. Overeem's other career wins have come over Igor Vovchanchyn, Mark Hunt, Roman Zentsov and Sergei Kharitonov.

(Overeem KO of Fujita)

In other action former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski will be fighting former Elite XC champ Junior "Bigfoot" Silva. Arlovski desparetly needs a win since his two straight KO losses to Fedor and Brett Rogers.

Here is a look at other fights that will be shown live on Showtime:

MAIN CARD

Alistair Overeem vs. Brett Rogers
Andrei Arlovski vs. Antonio Silva
Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza vs. Joey Villasenor
Roger Gracie vs. Kevin Randleman
Antwain Britt vs. Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante

UNDERCARD (un-aired)

Justin DeMoney vs. Jesse Finney
Lyle Beerbohm vs. Vitor Ribeiro
Lee Brousseau vs. Fransisco France
Mike Chandler vs. Sal Woods
Tom Aaron vs. Erik Steenberg
Matt Ricehouse vs. Greg Wilson
Darryl Cobb vs. Booker DeRousse
(Back to MMA Rumors)

Elite XC Goes Under!

Story by MMA Blaster

It appears that the paperwork has been filed and Elite XC has kicked the proverbial bucket. Their assets will be sold at public auction shortly. I enjoyed the promotion as they had some great fighters and put on a decent card. There are quite a few top free agents that will hit the market in the short term. Here are some of the Elite XC fighter list.

Eddie Alvarez- After his performance in the Dream lightweight tournament, Alvarez will most likely continue to see big paydays in Japan. I wouldn't be surprised to see him fight on New Years Eve versus Joachim Hansen. Alvarez is an extremely exciting young fighters with wins over Tatsuya Kawajiri, Joachim Hansen, Andre Amade, Aaron Riley, Derrick Noble, Matt Lee and Ross Ebanez.

Nick Diaz- Diaz probably wants to remain fighting at a catch-weight of 160. He has many fights he can do in Japan against the aforementioned Alvarez, a rematch with Takanori Gomi in World Victor Road, Shinya Aoki or many others. His brother has been on a roll in the UFC, and it is unlikely the UFC wants to deal with him.


Jake Shields- Shields already has called out Georges St. Pierre at a press conference after a quick win against Nick Thompson to get the WW Elite XC belt. He may of eaten some punches, but he was also able to finish off Paul Daley in his latest defense. With few good opponents at 170 for Jake to fight, the UFC has intriguing match-ups. Shields holds wins over Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Nick Thompson, Mike Pyle, Dave Menne and Hayato Sakurai.

Dave "Pee Wee" Herman- Herman at (12-0) has destroyed his last three opponents in Elite XC, veterans Mario Rinaldi, Ron Waterman and Kerry Schall. At 6'5", the agile 245 pound heavyweight should be the coveted young heavyweight the UFC desperately needs. Herman could go to the new ESPN league or World Victory Road Sengoku as well.

Brett Rogers- The large 6'5" 265 pound heavyweight throws some heavy hands. At 8-0, it is unknown whether or not he can fight from the ground. He does have knock-out power and could be a big draw one day. I wouldn't be surprised to see him fight in whatever promotion offers the most cash. That could be Sengoku.

Robbie Lawler- The hard hitting Elite XC MW champ would fit in well in a UFC MW class looking for a striker to fight Anderson Silva. Lawler has 6 straight wins including KO victories against Scott Smith, Ninja Rua, Frank Trigg and Joey Villasenor. Strikeforce could also be a possibility for a match-up with Cung Le. Lawler was at the recent UFC 90 event in Chicago.

Antonio Silva- Bigfoot will more command more dollars than the UFC will give to him. He will either choose Affliction for the possible big fights or Sengoku. Silva also has had problems with athletic commissions in the USA, which might be a factor in seeing him go to Japan. Silva has wins over Ricco Rodriguez, Justin Eilers and Cabbage.

Gina Carano- A fight between Carano and Tara LaRosa would be a good fight for women's mma if Carano went to the AFL. Carano has looked impressive in all her 7 victories. 140 is not a good weight class for her. If Affliction starts women's mma, they may also be bidding for Carano's services. Strikeforce has some women on their roster, that might also be a logical choice.


Kimbo Slice- Kimbo has stated that he wants to fight in Japan. The Japanese love larger than life characters, and Kimbo fits that mold. While Kimbo may not have the best skills in mma, he is a legit draw. I wouldn't be surprised to see him fight in Dream or Sengoku against another larger than life character.

AFL

Elite XC - Unfinished Business

Elite XC's second prime time CBS show featured four great fights in two hours. However, two fights ended in the first round and two fights ended in the second. This ended up in a ridiculous amount of filler. We did learn that both Gina Carano and Kimbo Slice will be fighting on October 4th.


*Cris Cyborg v. Shayna Baszler from photobucket

Results:

Antonio Silva def. Justin Eilers by TKO at 0:19, R2- Silva basically bullied the smaller Eilers around the cage, landing crisp punches and having Eilers nearly beat on several occasions. After getting a point deducted for punching the back of the head, Silva remained strong, and won in the second. Silva wins the HW belt.

Robbie Lawler def. Scott Smith by TKO at 2:35, R2- This was a very exciting fight, as Smith controlled the pace of the first round throwing leg and body kicks. Lawler counter-punched and kicked doing some damage in the process. In the second, Smith landed a good elbow that cut Lawler. Not wanting the ref to step in, Lawler went crazy, throwing everything he had a Smith, eventually knocking him to the canvas and getting the TKO victory. Lawler defends the MW belt.

Nick Diaz def. Thomas Denny by TKO at 0:40, R2- Diaz looked crisp while weathering an early storm by Denny. Wearing pink shorts with some pink in his hair, Denny did get Diaz down, and Diaz went for an armbar. In the second, it was all Diaz as he landed a rough shot to Denny's face, "clowned" him, and then got the TKO.

Jake Shields def. Nick Thompson by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:03, R1- This fight did not take long as Shields transitioned between a few submissions and another guillotine before locking up the finisher.

Cris “Cyborg” Santos def. Shayna Baszler by TKO at 2:48, R2- Baszler's ill advised leg lock attempt proved to be the beginning of her downfall. She ate punches from every angle in the second, and at one point Cyborg sent Baszler to the canvas. Thinking the fight was over, Cris jumped on the cage. As the ref restarted the action, it took a couple seconds for Cris to seal the TKO win. Horrible job by the ref in this fight, as Baszler was very dazed from the shot that sent her to the canvas.

Undercard: Some Fights will be re-played on Showtime
Anthony Ruiz def. Jeromy Freitag by Unanimous Decision (29-28 on all three cards)
David Douglas def. Marlon Mathias by TKO at 0:12, R1.
Rafael Feijao def. Travis Galbraith by TKO at 3:01, R1.
Wilson Reis def. Bryan Caraway by Unanimous Decision (30-27 on all three cards)
Carl Seumantafa def. Mike Cook by TKO at 3:39, R1.
Drew Montgomery def. Brandon Tarn by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 4:22, R3.

Elite XC "Street Certified" Results

I have yet to see all the fights from Elite XC's biggest event to date. Apparently they had a sell out crowd present in Miami. The Kimbo v. Tank fight went exactly as how I thought it would with Tank gassed and knocked out in the first. There were two strange stoppages, one because of strikes to the back of the head when Tank was on all fours and another when something made its way into the arena. After being saved, Tank took a big shot to the face and was dropped like a sack of potatoes.

If you haven't already, watch the Yves Edwards v. Edson Berto fight. While Edson Berto had a deep single leg in, Yves clobbered Berto with his opposite knee. One of the most athletic KO's I have seen. I wouldn't call it a flying knee like I have seen listed, but it was awesome.



James Thompson's game plan of pushing Brett Rodgers around didn't work. After being taken down and let up, Rodgers smashed Thompson right on the chin and got the KO. Thompson tried to grapple with the ref afterwards and had no idea what planet he was on.

Undercard
Moyses Gabin def Jirka Hlavati via TKO R1, 2:32
Lorenzo Borgomeo def Mike Bernhard via Sub(triangle) R2, 4:11
Eric Bradley def Mikey Gomez via Unanimous Decision
Dave "Pee Wee" Herman def Mario Rinaldi via (TKO) R3, :33
Yosmany Cabezas def Jon Kirk via Sub (RNC) R2, :58
Rafael Feijao def John Doyle via TKO (knee) R1, 2:17

Main Card
Brett Rogers def James Thompson via TKO (punches) R1, 2:24
Yves Edwards def Edson Berto via KO (knee KO) R1. 4:56
Scott Smith def Kyle Noke via KO (punch) R2, :07
Antonio Silva def Ricco Rodriguez via Split Dec
Kimbo Slice def Tank Abbott via KO (punch) R1, :43

EliteXC "Street Certified" Card Announced

Elite XC Review - This fight card will take place on February 16, at the Bank United Center in Miami, Florida.

Tank Abbott (9-13) vs. Kimbo Slice (1-0)- Look for this fight to be over by the three minute mark with one of these two seeing stars. Kimbo has been training for this fight with MMA legend Bas Rutten. Kimbo looked imposing in his win over an intimidatd Bo Cantrell.

Tank will not be scared and come out guns blazing like he always does, swinging for the fences. Tank was actually winning in his last bout against Gary Turner (4-0) landing punches and getting a takedown. But, when they got on their feet at the 2 minute mark Tank was completely gassed and basically gave up.
*Prediction- Kimbo via KO R1.



Ricco Rodriguez (27-7) vs. Antonio Silva (9-1)- This fight should be the main event, but Tank and Kimbo have more reckognizable names than these two. Antonio Silva is an absolute massive opponent who has beaten down his two opponents in Elite XC. Former UFC Heavyweight Champ Rodriguez is looking for his second victory in a row since his loss to Ben Rothwell (29-5).
*Prediction Antonio Silva via TKO R3

Kyle Noke (14-3-1) vs. Scott Smith (12-5)- The Aussie Kyle Noke is looking for his second straight victory in Elite XC. Former UFC competetior and TUF 4 contestant Scott Smith is looking for his second win in a row. Smith will stand and trade, while Noke will probably look to take the fight to the ground.
*Prediction Kyle Noke via submission R2

Yves Edwards (32-13-1) vs. Edson Berto (13-4-1)- The creator of Thugjitsu Yves Edwards is looking for his third win in a row and second at Elite XC. Yves has the experience edge and a better resume, but anything can happen. Berto is also looking for his second victory in a row. In Berto's previous Elite XC bout he lost to 160 pound champ KJ Noons.
*Prediction Yves Edwards via KO R2

Brett Rogers (5-0) vs. James Thompson (14-7)- Rogers is looking to keep his undefeated streak alive against Englishman James "Colossus" Thompson. Rodgers sported a mohawk in his previous Elite XC win over Ralph Kelly (3-4) and is largely untested. Thompson will come in with more fights in bigger venues. This will be a slugfest.
*Prediction Thompson via KO R1

PRELIMINARY CARD

Dave "Pee Wee" Herman (9-0) vs. Mario Rinaldi (6-2)- Pee Wee is an interesting heavyweight prospect with 9 straight stoppages. He is 6'5" and 250 pounds, we will see how he does as this is his first fight on a big stage.

Rafael Feijao (4-1) vs. John Doyle (6-2)
Jon Kirk (10-2) vs. Yosmany Cabezas (4-0)
Eric Bradley (2-1) vs. Mikey Gomez (6-3)
Mike Berhard (3-0) vs. Lorenzo Borgameo (2-0)


*Gif of Edwards KO high kick of Josh Thomson at UFC 49.