kudos for making the attempt on the leaf, ceg! it's the thought that counts.
there's been no definitive confrimation from the UFC yet, but dana white said after ufc 79 that the 19th is the day they're planning on. he was laughing about finally not getting asked when the ufc is coming to canada anymore.
as far as the fighters go...rua, macdonald, gsp, serra have all confrimed that they have been slated for the 19th, but rua and macdonald don't know their opponents yet. sherk has alluded to it, and the proposed match between karo and alves is said to be on the 19th.
also, on sportsnet this morning, they were talking about matt hughes, as he'd made a statement in an interview the other day that he's decided to continue fighting because he doesn't want to go out on a loss like that. anyway, at the end of the piece they talked about the upcoming event at the bell centre on the 19th of april.
we should know more after the ufc 80 post event press conference, and that's only a week away (:)), so i'm hopping we get a confirmation then.
eveything points to it being a go...fingers crossed!
(p.s. nationwide riots planned if the city and date are moved! )
i meant to say "hoping", not hopping, although i am hopping for this card if it comes to be...some of my favourite fighters all on the same card! gsp, serra, alves, goulet, cote...the only thing that could make this any better for me would be if evan tanner happens to get moved to this card. it's a dream, only a dream...:)
depending on who stout, goulet, macdonald and cote are facing...oh, and shogun too!...this could be one of the best cards they have put together in some time. i guess they are trying to make up for teasing us for so long!
no LW championship fight in montreal, after all...also, rashad evans vs. thiago silva is tentatively booked for the same show. i was hoping that one would take place in good ol' montreal, but still we can't complain!
AM UPDATE – JAN. 11
What’s happening in the world of mixed martial arts now …
By Loretta Hunt
A lightweight title match is not in the cards for the UFC’s Saturday, April 19 event at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Recently stripped champion Sean Sherk has been slated to meet the victor of the upcoming B.J. Penn-Joe Stevenson championship bout at a future UFC event on Saturday, May 24 in Las Vegas, according to close sources in two of the three fighters' camps.
Penn and Stevenson vie for the vacant UFC lightweight strap at UFC 80 “Rapid Fire” on Saturday, January 19 in Newcastle, England. UFC president Dana White has already stated that Sherk will be the champion’s first challenger.
Sherk endured a lengthy appeals process in front of the California State Athletic Commission after allegedly testing positive for the steroid Nandrolone following a successful title defense against Hermes Franca at UFC 73 on July 7 in Sacramento, Calif. The CSAC reduced Sherk’s one-year suspension to six months on Dec. 4. The 34-year-old Minnesotan was also fined $2,500.
only one more week, but i'm still 50 / 50 on penn vs. stevenson. i can't decide! penn looked in great shape against jens pulver, but was looking like the muffin man again in some pre-fight promos...could be that they filmed them very early? on one hand i'm thinking bj will overwhelm joe early, and on the other i'm thinking joe is tough enough, and adept enough on the ground to maybe take this into the later rounds and wear bj out.
i just want to do what's best for the team! (...and score some points )
got my picks in for fight night 12 in our fantasy league. i think i'm looking forward to this one as much as ufc 80, if not a bit more.
UFC Fight Night 12, January 23, 2008 - The Palms, Las Vegas, Nevada - Spike TV
Main Card:
Mike Swick Vs. Josh Burkman - burkman by decision
Patrick Côté Vs. Drew McFedries - côté by ko
Nate Diaz Vs. Alvin Robinson - robinson by tko
Thiago Tavares Vs. Michihiro Omigawa - tavares by submission
Pre-lims:
Kurt Pellegrino Vs. Alberto Crane - pellegrino by tko
Gray Maynard Vs. Dennis Siver - maynard by tko
Cole Miller Vs. Jeremy Stephens - miller by submission
Corey Hill Vs. Joe Veres - hill by tko
Matt Wiman Vs. Justin Buccholz - wiman by decision
more news on montreal. good rematch. could shape up to be an interesting ground match, as jason won the first meeting by rear naked choke.
January 13, 2008
MMA Executive: Jason MacDonald vs. Joe Doerksen at UFC 84
by MMA Junkie
In a recent blog entry, UFC middleweight Jason MacDonald (19-9 MMA, 3-2 UFC) stated that he would be fighting on the UFC 84 card in Montreal. We now apparently know his opponent: Joe Doerksen (39-11 MMA, 1-5 UFC).
The news comes from Stephan Patry, president of the Canadian-based TKO organization, who was quoted by the French-Canadian sports site, RDS.ca. (MacDonald and Doerksen both previously fought for the organizations.)
UFC 84 takes place April 19 at Montreal’s Bell Centre and features a title-unification bout between current welterweight champion Matt Serra and interim title-holder Georges St. Pierre.
Paltry also confirmed that Canadians Patrick Cote and Sam Stout will likely be on the card, though the outcomes of their upcoming fights will determine their opponent for UFC 84. Cote faces Drew McFedries at UFC Fight Night 12 on Jan. 23, and Stout takes on Per Eklund later this week at UFC 80.
Although the MacDonald-Doerksen fight would feature two of Canada’s top middleweight fighters, it’s not known if the bout will be on the night’s televised main card. The event — the first ever to take place in Canada — is quickly filling up with top-tier talent. In addition to St. Pierre vs. Serra, the event is also slated to feature Thiago Alves vs. Karo Parisyan, as well as the return of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
MacDonald, 32, has been a fringe contender for the UFC’s 185-lb. title, but he’s lost the two biggest fights of his career: vs. Rick Franklin at UFC 68 and vs. Yushin Okami at UFC 77. However, even with the losses, he’s won seven of his past nine fights and remains a fan favorite.
Doerksen, a longtime UFC fighter, made his return to the organization last month as a late replacement for an injured Dave Terrell. There, Doerksen suffered a third-round knockout to Ed Herman. Prior to that, he lost a WEC 32 fight to Paulo Filho, which snapped a seven-fight win streak.
another little write up about the doerksen vs. macdonald rematch. seems the more articles we see the more certain it sounds that this show is actually going to happen.
DOERKSEN-MACDONALD SET FOR UFC MONTREAL
Canadian Middleweights Rematch 2005 Bout
By Mike Russell
thefightnetwork.com
Joe “El Dirte” Doerksen (39-11) has signed on to fight Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald (19-9) at a UFC event scheduled to emanate from the Bell Centre in Montreal on April 19.
The pairing of two of Canada’s top middleweights will be a 2005 rematch of a Ultimate Cage Wars 3 in Winnipeg, in which Macdonald won via a fourth round submission.
“If the UFC had offered for me to face anyone on that card, it would have been Jason, so I’m extremely happy with the match-up,” said New Bothwell, Manitoba native Doerksen. “I wanted this fight for so long.”
Doerksen believes he controlled the Red Deer, Alberta native until he was cut with an elbow, though he objects to accounts that describe otherwise.
“[MacDonald’s camp have] been saying that Jason controlled me for the whole fight, but I completely disagree. I have no problem with Jason. I don’t think we’d be best of friends but [MacDonald’s manager Mark] Pavelich really bugs me,” said Doerksen. “He rubs me like sandpaper. I want to go in there and beat MacDonald and then I maybe I can shut him up. If I lose, then I’ll accept it and I won’t talk about it anymore.”
Since their 2005 meeting, 32-year-old MacDonald has defeated UFC veterans Gideon Ray, Rory Singer, Chris “The Crippler” Leben and Ed “Short Fuse” Herman.
Herman handed Doerksen his last defeat – a third-round knockout loss at UFC 78 “Validation” in Newark, N.J. last November. Doerksen faced Brazilian juggernaut Paulo Filho for the vacant WEC middleweight title at WEC 29 in August, losing by first round TKO. Prior to that, the 30-year-old was undefeated in seven fights.
you're right mook! starting to sound like this event is in the bag! I can't wait!
i'm going to keep a close eye on ufc.com for the official announcement, and ticket info... make sure you keep me posted if you hear anything! i'll have my credit card ready...
~~*~~ ...i surfaced and all of my being was enlightend... ~~*~~
you're right mook! starting to sound like this event is in the bag! I can't wait!
i'm going to keep a close eye on ufc.com for the official announcement, and ticket info... make sure you keep me posted if you hear anything! i'll have my credit card ready...
i don't often keep up with what's going on in the ufc, but i'll definitely keep my ear to the ground for this one.
:eek: ceg and releash, you are not going to believe this!!! how do you like the sounds of mac danzig in montreal?!?!
THE GREAT FIGHT NORTH
News and Notes from Canada
By Mike Russell
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 6 winner Mac Danzig will face highly-regarded Canadian Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Mark Bocek at UFC 84 on April 19 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, confirmed Danzig’s manager Monte Cox.
A planned meeting between the two King of the Cage veterans fell through last January when Danzig lost his KOTC lightweight title to Clay French at KOTC “Hard Knocks” in Rockford, Illinois. Though he won the most recent installment of “The Ultimate Fighter” at welterweight, Danzig (17-4-1) announced he would be dropping down to lightweight, his natural weight class, directly after submitting Tommy Speer in the finals.
After losing his KOTC lightweight title to French a year ago, the 28-year-old fighter suffered a second round-knockout at the hands of the much-heavier PRIDE veteran Hayato Sakurai one month later at PRIDE 33 in Las Vegas.
A decorated Nova Uniao black belt, the 26-year-old Bocek has only two fights in the UFC – a TKO loss to Frankie Edgar at UFC 73 last July and a unanimous decision win over Doug Evans at UFC 79 last December. The bout against Danzig will be Bocek’s seventh MMA fight, although he has a wealth of submission grappling and BJJ experience.
The confirmation of Danzig-Bocek joins the previously reported middleweight rematch between Jason MacDonald vs. Joe Doerksen on April 19’s roster. Doerksen CONFIRMED the bout with The Fight Network Saturday.
UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra will also defend his title against interim champion and Montreal native Georges St. Pierre on the same card.
ceg and releash, you are not going to believe this!!! how do you like the sounds of mac danzig in montreal?!?!
woo hoo!! like music to my ears! this eff-ing rocks...
ok... i have to come clean... i'll admit it. I booked the hotel room a couple days ago. At the Novotel, just a block away from the Bell Centre... I figured we might as well sneak in before all the rooms start to fill up...
Now all we have to do is get tickets to the event! :eek:
Releash... start investigating flights!
~~*~~ ...i surfaced and all of my being was enlightend... ~~*~~
woo hoo!! like music to my ears! this eff-ing rocks...
ok... i have to come clean... i'll admit it. I booked the hotel room a couple days ago. At the Novotel, just a block away from the Bell Centre... I figured we might as well sneak in before all the rooms start to fill up...
Now all we have to do is get tickets to the event! :eek:
Releash... start investigating flights!
awesome, eh? i'd heard bocek was on the card after he won his last bout against doug evans, but i never expected them to pair him up with mac danzig. mark's one of the best lightweight grapplers in the world and mac has shown he knows what he's doing on the ground too. i'd give mac a pretty good advantage on the feet, though.
...oh, and you booked a room?!?! one block away is badass! so i guess we're going to have to start making travel plans! i think i'm catching the train up just because i have the time (and it's considerably cheaper than flying right now) and the train station is only a couple of blocks away from the bell centre.
it may be wise for us to go splits on a fight club membership that would give us access to pre-sale tickets. it might be worth it just to make sure we actually get tickets. just a thought...we'll have to discuss and figure it "oot".
...oh, and you booked a room?!?! one block away is badass! : ) so i guess we're going to have to start making travel plans! i think i'm catching the train up just because i have the time (and it's considerably cheaper than flying right now) and the train station is only a couple of blocks away from the bell centre.
it may be wise for us to go splits on a fight club membership that would give us access to pre-sale tickets. it might be worth it just to make sure we actually get tickets. just a thought...we'll have to discuss and figure it "oot". : )
montreal!
p.s. gsp!
hahah! yep... i hope that's not creepy... it's for all three of us! we'll have to flip to see who get's the pull-out couch...
i might fly... i planned on arriving Friday evening (i booked the room for two nights), so if i went VIA, i'd have to leave much earlier.... but i might just take the day off anyways, just to be special!
so, i hope you guys are planning on coming on Friday too!
I'm in for the fight club memebership... can you get those in advance? where from?
p.s. GSP! MAC! SAM! etc, etc, etc...
~~*~~ ...i surfaced and all of my being was enlightend... ~~*~~
hahah! yep... i hope that's not creepy... it's for all three of us! we'll have to flip to see who get's the pull-out couch...
i might fly... i planned on arriving Friday evening (i booked the room for two nights), so if i went VIA, i'd have to leave much earlier.... but i might just take the day off anyways, just to be special!
so, i hope you guys are planning on coming on Friday too!
I'm in for the fight club memebership... can you get those in advance? where from?
p.s. GSP! MAC! SAM! etc, etc, etc...
actually, i was kind of hoping you guys wouldn't mind sharing a room to save on expenses...at least for me, as i am so poor. i'll sleep on the floor or in the tub, i don't care!
my train gets in friday morning, then leaves sunday midday so that would be perfect for me. weigh-ins and meet and greets should be going on most of friday evening so that would be cool to do...and being so close to the bell centre is awesome!
the fight club membership runs about 75$ i think...comes with pre-sale privileges, a t-shirt, and a few other things. the main thing people get it for is the pre-sale thing and some special meet and greets they have for fight club members at certain events, i think. so for 25$ each we could have a chance to snag tickets for sure. i'm not sure on all the details but it's in the "fight club" section at ufc.com.
actually, i was kind of hoping you guys wouldn't mind sharing a room to save on expenses...at least for me, as i am so poor. i'll sleep on the floor or in the tub, i don't care!
my train gets in friday morning, then leaves sunday midday so that would be perfect for me. weigh-ins and meet and greets should be going on most of friday evening so that would be cool to do...and being so close to the bell centre is awesome!
the fight club membership runs about 75$ i think...comes with pre-sale privileges, a t-shirt, and a few other things. the main thing people get it for is the pre-sale thing and some special meet and greets they have for fight club members at certain events, i think. so for 25$ each we could have a chance to snag tickets for sure. i'm not sure on all the details but it's in the "fight club" section at ufc.com.
+1 to your cheers!
dude, i totally forgot about weigh-ins! ok... i'll plan to be there on Friday morning too... sweet.
20 hours on the train, eh? you're a brave man .... i'll keep an eye on the air canada websavers for ya... looks like flights from hali are running around $450 right now.... but sales do come up....
i'll look into the membership soon... will we have to flip for the t-shirt too??
~~*~~ ...i surfaced and all of my being was enlightend... ~~*~~
i've done the train to quebec city before and it was fun, so i like the train. you can get up and walk around, check out the "skycar" , and get some z's in the overhead baggage compartments. i was getting about the same fare to montreal return, about 430$ and up. the train is only 270$ return.
so this is getting exciting then! the card alone is enough to get excited about on ppv, but the cote, goulet, ole, and gsp chants will be insane there. the crowd really will go nuts for georges. it's been some time since he fought in montreal. it'll be silly!!!
the weigh-ins, i suspect will start at around 7 e.t., and there's probably some fighters to meet in the time leading up to that. if you're lucky, maybe huerta will be there doing promo stuff. rampage and forrest griffin will most likely be there with the new season the ultimate fighter beginning in april...and i wonder if matt hughes will show...can't see him getting a warm response in la belle province!
oh, and i'll probably be wearing my team tanner shirt all weekend (it will get funky smelling i'm sure), even though evan isn't fighting on the card. still have to show some support and try to blend in, of course. so i'll take my name out of the hat for the shirt. (that sounds weird...)
oh, and i'll probably be wearing my team tanner shirt all weekend (it will get funky smelling i'm sure), even though evan isn't fighting on the card. still have to show some support and try to blend in, of course. so i'll take my name out of the hat for the shirt. (that sounds weird...)
that's ok.... we'll just run the bath while you're asleep in the tub, so that your tanner shirt gets washed...
~~*~~ ...i surfaced and all of my being was enlightend... ~~*~~
that's ok.... we'll just run the bath while you're asleep in the tub, so that your tanner shirt gets washed...
i fear pneumonia and embarassing photos are in my future. that, or a scene resembling one from fear & loathing in las vegas!
so there are tumbleweeds in here lately, eh? i'm guessing releash has been busy with work...i was going to ask what the etiquette was for saturday given that it's an afternoon show, but if no one's around to read the spoilers, i guess it doesn't matter.
January 16, 2008
by Andy Cotterill (<!-- e --><a href="mailto:acotterill@sherdog.com">acotterill@sherdog.com</a><!-- e -->)
In a world full of high-caliber mixed martial artists, most will concede that Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) is at or near the top of the list when it comes to talent and ability.
Since his introduction to the world of professional MMA in 2002, the 26 year old from St. Isidore, Quebec, has run roughshod over a litany of fighters considered the cream of the crop. Not only has he beaten them, he's also made it look relatively easy.
The first sign that alerted the international community that "Rush" was someone special was when he defeated Pete Spratt (Pictures) in 2003. St. Pierre was already popular around Montreal then, but Spratt was fresh off a win over Robbie Lawler (Pictures) at UFC 42 and was considered a heavy favorite.
The Spratt win garnered St. Pierre a coveted UFC invitation, and he made the best of it, winning exciting fights over Karo Parisyan (Pictures) and Jay Hieron (Pictures). His next bout was his first shot at the welterweight title. With less than one second remaining in the first round, though, he lost via armbar to champion Matt Hughes (Pictures).
Obviously disappointed at the time, St. Pierre admitted afterward that he had lost before he ever stepped into the Octagon. He had regarded Hughes as his idol, not as someone he could beat.
Five more victories followed for St. Pierre before he got another shot at Hughes, and this time the outcome was different. St. Pierre's destruction of a fighter who had ruled the welterweight division for three years was so overwhelming that it shocked everyone, especially Hughes.
It was as if St. Pierre had ascended to a place previously unseen in the sport. But what happened next was just as shocking: In his first title defense, St. Pierre lost. Not only that, but he was beaten by an opponent everyone agreed had little chance.
Matt Serra (Pictures) came out of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show with a shot at the title, and to his credit, he defied experts and fans alike by demolishing St. Pierre with his heavy hands.
St. Pierre has always tried to find a positive way to view anything that happens to him. This time was no different, and after a period of disappointment, he realized that the loss was actually a good thing. A valuable lesson was learned: Take no opponent lightly.
Next for St. Pierre were dominant performances in a meeting with up-and-comer Josh Koscheck (Pictures) and a rubber match with Hughes.
That's where things stand now. So what's next?
Although not officially announced by the UFC, one of the promotion's worst kept secrets is that St. Pierre will be fighting Serra at Montreal's Bell Centre on April 19.
Speaking to Sherdog.com from Colorado, where he was helping Nathan Marquardt (Pictures) prepare for his upcoming match against Jeremy Horn (Pictures) at UFC 81, St. Pierre discussed his upcoming rematch with Serra, his long-term goals and his recent win over Hughes.
Even after his two seemingly effortless victories over Hughes, St. Pierre remains magnanimous.
"Hughes is an amazing fighter," he said. "I just had a good night that night, and he had a bad night."
And if somewhere down the line they have a fourth bout? "If we fight again, I don't think he's going to beat me, but he will probably come closer," St. Pierre said. "Maybe he had a bad day -- it's a matter of circumstances as well."
St. Pierre couldn't confirm that the rematch with Serra would indeed be happening on that date in Montreal, but his manager Shari Spenser believes so.
"That is my understanding of the plan," she told Sherdog.com, "but we have not signed anything yet so I can't confirm it -- but we'd like that."
"Fighting in front of my people would be a dream for me," St. Pierre exclaimed. "The most fans I've ever fought in front of in Montreal was 5,000, maybe 6,000 at UCC/TKO. My people are very hot blooded, and they're going to give the UFC a show like they've never seen before."
Spenser revealed that she and St. Pierre have a long-term strategy that will give the fighter options when he reaches the end of his career.
"Right around the time we started working together, Bjorn Borg was putting his Wimbledon trophies up for sale on eBay," Spenser said. "And that's not where we want to be. We don't want to see the UFC belts for sale."
Spenser's discussions with St. Pierre -- she's handling everything outside the Octagon, and he's handling everything inside it -- have led to steps that will allow him to reach his goals for 10 to 15 years from now.
The first step in this plan is of course to win the championship back from Serra. St. Pierre wants it made very clear that him winning the rematch is the only possible outcome.
"I am going to come with a specific strategy, and it's going to be a different story," he said emphatically. "They're going to see my eyes when I step into the Octagon. I'm going to have a different look. I'm going to look like a totally different guy, and people will understand when they see that fight."
After watching St. Pierre's most recent dismantling of Hughes, it's easy to believe he means what he says. One of the things he credits for the rebound was his decision to see a sports psychologist after the learning the impact it had on some Olympians.
"I used to think that people who needed to see a psychologist were crazy or weak," he said. "But at a certain level you need it. Visualization and positive imagery are very important. People underestimate the power of the mental aspect; it helped me a lot."
After the Serra fight, St. Pierre's long-term plan gets only more ambitious.
"He wants to leave a legacy," Spenser said. "He wants to be the most dominant fighter the UFC and MMA has ever seen, and he intends to accomplish that by dominating the 170-pound weight class, moving up to the 185 weight class and then eventually the light heavyweight class."
That's a pretty daunting goal, but Spenser thinks if anyone can do it, Georges has shown that he's the one. "If he does that," she said, "I don't think there's a doubt that he will be the best fighter to ever have graced the sport."
So when might this move up weight classes happen? St. Pierre is not too sure.
"When it's going to be time, it's going to be time," he said. "It's going to depend on the circumstances. It's going to be for the challenge."
Spenser added: "That's going to be a discussion we have with the UFC after this next fight. They've got some contenders that they've proposed down the road. We don't have an exact plan as to when that would occur. There's definitely a few more fights at the 170 level."
Asked how close he is now to being the fighter he wants to be, St. Pierre answered that he will never be perfect.
"I'll get closer and closer, but I'll never reach perfection because perfection is impossible," he said. "I'm still learning new techniques ... getting better."
Still getting better? Maybe he is.
Regardless, Georges St. Pierre has already begun writing his legacy.
I think GSP is a great champion, but he is on crack if he thinks he can handle Middle or Light Heavyweights.
thanks for the article, lbc. i don't like the talk of moving around to another weight division yet. he mentioned the same thing briefly before his first match with matt serra. he should concentrate on having some defenses at WW first, then i could conceivably see him moving to MW and having a fair amount of success, but moving to LHW would mean he'd be fighting guys with at least 20 lbs on him. he may be able to outwrestle those guys in sparring, but a match is a different story. he's beaten some guys who fight at MW already (albeit the matches were at 170 lbs.), but LHW would be very tough.
he has a match to regain the title first and foremost on the 19th of april! he's right about the people who are fans of TKO, though...they, along with the UFC fans and all others who show up at the bell centre will be going crazy! he's only fought in montreal once in the past 3.5 years. they can't wait for him to come back!
i fear pneumonia and embarassing photos are in my future. that, or a scene resembling one from fear & loathing in las vegas!
so there are tumbleweeds in here lately, eh? i'm guessing releash has been busy with work...i was going to ask what the etiquette was for saturday given that it's an afternoon show, but if no one's around to read the spoilers, i guess it doesn't matter.
i'll be around! thanks for the reminder on the time, though!! i would have missed it! :eek:
~~*~~ ...i surfaced and all of my being was enlightend... ~~*~~
DANZIG CONFIRMS NEXT UFC FIGHT TO BE IN CANADA
Friday, January 18, 2008
by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com
Not one to sit and bask in his glory too much, Mac Danzig is set to return to action on April 19, just four months after his successful finale win on the Ultimate Fighter season six, and his first task at hand will be Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Mark Bocek.
Danzig confirmed the fight on MMAWeekly Radio on Thursday night.
“It’s going to be April 19 in Montreal against Mark Bocek,” said the Ultimate Fighter. “That’s what the UFC decided, so I think it’s a good fight for me though, and that’s what they came up with and I’m going to take that, whatever they offer me.”
Danzig will be stepping into Bocek’s home country of Canada to take this fight, but the former King of the Cage veteran isn’t concerned about hometown advantages in the bout.
“That really doesn’t mean anything to me,” he commented about fighting in Bocek’s home country. “I like fighting in Canada. I’ve fought in Canada about four or five times now. I’m used to going up there, I like the fans up there and I had a really good time every time I fought in Canada.”
Just finishing a series of seminars in Canada, Danzig has returned home and will work between his camp in Los Angeles and Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas to prepare for the bout with Bocek.
Dominating his way through the competition on the Ultimate Fighter last season, he is hopeful that the upcoming fight with Bocek will be exciting, something he knows he is responsible for at the end of the day.
“I can’t say that I’m super, super excited about the actual style match-up,” said Danzig candidly. “It’s kind of two of the same, similar styles fighting. I’m a little more adept with my stand-up than he is, but he’s got a similar style to mine, so I hope that that doesn’t make for a boring fight. It’s my job to make an exciting fight, so that’s what I plan on doing.”
Danzig will have the opportunity to show his exciting style to the Canadian fans on April 19 as the UFC debuts in Montreal at the Bell Centre with a main event pitting current welterweight champion Matt Serra against interim champ Georges St. Pierre.
i fear pneumonia and embarassing photos are in my future. that, or a scene resembling one from fear & loathing in las vegas!
so there are tumbleweeds in here lately, eh? i'm guessing releash has been busy with work...i was going to ask what the etiquette was for saturday given that it's an afternoon show, but if no one's around to read the spoilers, i guess it doesn't matter.
Hey guys!!! Mooks you were right about me being busy with work. I am on surgery right now so I can't check the thread very much. I'll get caught up tonight.
Comments
there's been no definitive confrimation from the UFC yet, but dana white said after ufc 79 that the 19th is the day they're planning on. he was laughing about finally not getting asked when the ufc is coming to canada anymore.
as far as the fighters go...rua, macdonald, gsp, serra have all confrimed that they have been slated for the 19th, but rua and macdonald don't know their opponents yet. sherk has alluded to it, and the proposed match between karo and alves is said to be on the 19th.
also, on sportsnet this morning, they were talking about matt hughes, as he'd made a statement in an interview the other day that he's decided to continue fighting because he doesn't want to go out on a loss like that. anyway, at the end of the piece they talked about the upcoming event at the bell centre on the 19th of april.
we should know more after the ufc 80 post event press conference, and that's only a week away (:)), so i'm hopping we get a confirmation then.
eveything points to it being a go...fingers crossed!
(p.s. nationwide riots planned if the city and date are moved!
depending on who stout, goulet, macdonald and cote are facing...oh, and shogun too!...this could be one of the best cards they have put together in some time. i guess they are trying to make up for teasing us for so long!
AM UPDATE – JAN. 11
What’s happening in the world of mixed martial arts now …
By Loretta Hunt
A lightweight title match is not in the cards for the UFC’s Saturday, April 19 event at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Recently stripped champion Sean Sherk has been slated to meet the victor of the upcoming B.J. Penn-Joe Stevenson championship bout at a future UFC event on Saturday, May 24 in Las Vegas, according to close sources in two of the three fighters' camps.
Penn and Stevenson vie for the vacant UFC lightweight strap at UFC 80 “Rapid Fire” on Saturday, January 19 in Newcastle, England. UFC president Dana White has already stated that Sherk will be the champion’s first challenger.
Sherk endured a lengthy appeals process in front of the California State Athletic Commission after allegedly testing positive for the steroid Nandrolone following a successful title defense against Hermes Franca at UFC 73 on July 7 in Sacramento, Calif. The CSAC reduced Sherk’s one-year suspension to six months on Dec. 4. The 34-year-old Minnesotan was also fined $2,500.
http://thefightnetwork.com/news_detail.php?nid=5909
i just want to do what's best for the team!
got my picks in for fight night 12 in our fantasy league. i think i'm looking forward to this one as much as ufc 80, if not a bit more.
UFC Fight Night 12, January 23, 2008 - The Palms, Las Vegas, Nevada - Spike TV
Main Card:
Mike Swick Vs. Josh Burkman - burkman by decision
Patrick Côté Vs. Drew McFedries - côté by ko
Nate Diaz Vs. Alvin Robinson - robinson by tko
Thiago Tavares Vs. Michihiro Omigawa - tavares by submission
Pre-lims:
Kurt Pellegrino Vs. Alberto Crane - pellegrino by tko
Gray Maynard Vs. Dennis Siver - maynard by tko
Cole Miller Vs. Jeremy Stephens - miller by submission
Corey Hill Vs. Joe Veres - hill by tko
Matt Wiman Vs. Justin Buccholz - wiman by decision
January 13, 2008
MMA Executive: Jason MacDonald vs. Joe Doerksen at UFC 84
by MMA Junkie
In a recent blog entry, UFC middleweight Jason MacDonald (19-9 MMA, 3-2 UFC) stated that he would be fighting on the UFC 84 card in Montreal. We now apparently know his opponent: Joe Doerksen (39-11 MMA, 1-5 UFC).
The news comes from Stephan Patry, president of the Canadian-based TKO organization, who was quoted by the French-Canadian sports site, RDS.ca. (MacDonald and Doerksen both previously fought for the organizations.)
UFC 84 takes place April 19 at Montreal’s Bell Centre and features a title-unification bout between current welterweight champion Matt Serra and interim title-holder Georges St. Pierre.
Paltry also confirmed that Canadians Patrick Cote and Sam Stout will likely be on the card, though the outcomes of their upcoming fights will determine their opponent for UFC 84. Cote faces Drew McFedries at UFC Fight Night 12 on Jan. 23, and Stout takes on Per Eklund later this week at UFC 80.
Although the MacDonald-Doerksen fight would feature two of Canada’s top middleweight fighters, it’s not known if the bout will be on the night’s televised main card. The event — the first ever to take place in Canada — is quickly filling up with top-tier talent. In addition to St. Pierre vs. Serra, the event is also slated to feature Thiago Alves vs. Karo Parisyan, as well as the return of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
MacDonald, 32, has been a fringe contender for the UFC’s 185-lb. title, but he’s lost the two biggest fights of his career: vs. Rick Franklin at UFC 68 and vs. Yushin Okami at UFC 77. However, even with the losses, he’s won seven of his past nine fights and remains a fan favorite.
Doerksen, a longtime UFC fighter, made his return to the organization last month as a late replacement for an injured Dave Terrell. There, Doerksen suffered a third-round knockout to Ed Herman. Prior to that, he lost a WEC 32 fight to Paulo Filho, which snapped a seven-fight win streak.
http://mmajunkie.com/2008/01/13/mma-executive-jason-macdonald-vs-joe-doerksen-at-ufc-84/
DOERKSEN-MACDONALD SET FOR UFC MONTREAL
Canadian Middleweights Rematch 2005 Bout
By Mike Russell
thefightnetwork.com
Joe “El Dirte” Doerksen (39-11) has signed on to fight Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald (19-9) at a UFC event scheduled to emanate from the Bell Centre in Montreal on April 19.
The pairing of two of Canada’s top middleweights will be a 2005 rematch of a Ultimate Cage Wars 3 in Winnipeg, in which Macdonald won via a fourth round submission.
“If the UFC had offered for me to face anyone on that card, it would have been Jason, so I’m extremely happy with the match-up,” said New Bothwell, Manitoba native Doerksen. “I wanted this fight for so long.”
Doerksen believes he controlled the Red Deer, Alberta native until he was cut with an elbow, though he objects to accounts that describe otherwise.
“[MacDonald’s camp have] been saying that Jason controlled me for the whole fight, but I completely disagree. I have no problem with Jason. I don’t think we’d be best of friends but [MacDonald’s manager Mark] Pavelich really bugs me,” said Doerksen. “He rubs me like sandpaper. I want to go in there and beat MacDonald and then I maybe I can shut him up. If I lose, then I’ll accept it and I won’t talk about it anymore.”
Since their 2005 meeting, 32-year-old MacDonald has defeated UFC veterans Gideon Ray, Rory Singer, Chris “The Crippler” Leben and Ed “Short Fuse” Herman.
Herman handed Doerksen his last defeat – a third-round knockout loss at UFC 78 “Validation” in Newark, N.J. last November. Doerksen faced Brazilian juggernaut Paulo Filho for the vacant WEC middleweight title at WEC 29 in August, losing by first round TKO. Prior to that, the 30-year-old was undefeated in seven fights.
http://thefightnetwork.com/news_detail.php?nid=5927
i'm going to keep a close eye on ufc.com for the official announcement, and ticket info... make sure you keep me posted if you hear anything! i'll have my credit card ready...
i don't often keep up with what's going on in the ufc, but i'll definitely keep my ear to the ground for this one.
you crack me up, mook!
THE GREAT FIGHT NORTH
News and Notes from Canada
By Mike Russell
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 6 winner Mac Danzig will face highly-regarded Canadian Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Mark Bocek at UFC 84 on April 19 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, confirmed Danzig’s manager Monte Cox.
A planned meeting between the two King of the Cage veterans fell through last January when Danzig lost his KOTC lightweight title to Clay French at KOTC “Hard Knocks” in Rockford, Illinois. Though he won the most recent installment of “The Ultimate Fighter” at welterweight, Danzig (17-4-1) announced he would be dropping down to lightweight, his natural weight class, directly after submitting Tommy Speer in the finals.
After losing his KOTC lightweight title to French a year ago, the 28-year-old fighter suffered a second round-knockout at the hands of the much-heavier PRIDE veteran Hayato Sakurai one month later at PRIDE 33 in Las Vegas.
A decorated Nova Uniao black belt, the 26-year-old Bocek has only two fights in the UFC – a TKO loss to Frankie Edgar at UFC 73 last July and a unanimous decision win over Doug Evans at UFC 79 last December. The bout against Danzig will be Bocek’s seventh MMA fight, although he has a wealth of submission grappling and BJJ experience.
The confirmation of Danzig-Bocek joins the previously reported middleweight rematch between Jason MacDonald vs. Joe Doerksen on April 19’s roster. Doerksen CONFIRMED the bout with The Fight Network Saturday.
UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra will also defend his title against interim champion and Montreal native Georges St. Pierre on the same card.
http://www.thefightnetwork.com/news_detail.php?nid=5937
woo hoo!! like music to my ears!
ok... i have to come clean... i'll admit it. I booked the hotel room a couple days ago.
Now all we have to do is get tickets to the event! :eek:
Releash... start investigating flights!
awesome, eh? i'd heard bocek was on the card after he won his last bout against doug evans, but i never expected them to pair him up with mac danzig. mark's one of the best lightweight grapplers in the world and mac has shown he knows what he's doing on the ground too. i'd give mac a pretty good advantage on the feet, though.
...oh, and you booked a room?!?! one block away is badass!
it may be wise for us to go splits on a fight club membership that would give us access to pre-sale tickets. it might be worth it just to make sure we actually get tickets. just a thought...we'll have to discuss and figure it "oot".
montreal!
p.s. gsp!
hahah! yep... i hope that's not creepy...
i might fly... i planned on arriving Friday evening (i booked the room for two nights), so if i went VIA, i'd have to leave much earlier.... but i might just take the day off anyways, just to be special!
so, i hope you guys are planning on coming on Friday too!
I'm in for the fight club memebership... can you get those in advance? where from?
p.s. GSP! MAC! SAM! etc, etc, etc...
actually, i was kind of hoping you guys wouldn't mind sharing a room to save on expenses...at least for me, as i am so poor.
my train gets in friday morning, then leaves sunday midday so that would be perfect for me. weigh-ins and meet and greets should be going on most of friday evening so that would be cool to do...and being so close to the bell centre is awesome!
the fight club membership runs about 75$ i think...comes with pre-sale privileges, a t-shirt, and a few other things. the main thing people get it for is the pre-sale thing and some special meet and greets they have for fight club members at certain events, i think. so for 25$ each we could have a chance to snag tickets for sure. i'm not sure on all the details but it's in the "fight club" section at ufc.com.
+1 to your cheers!
dude, i totally forgot about weigh-ins! ok... i'll plan to be there on Friday morning too... sweet.
20 hours on the train, eh? you're a brave man
i'll look into the membership soon... will we have to flip for the t-shirt too??
so this is getting exciting then! the card alone is enough to get excited about on ppv, but the cote, goulet, ole, and gsp chants will be insane there. the crowd really will go nuts for georges. it's been some time since he fought in montreal. it'll be silly!!!
the weigh-ins, i suspect will start at around 7 e.t., and there's probably some fighters to meet in the time leading up to that. if you're lucky, maybe huerta will be there doing promo stuff.
that's ok.... we'll just run the bath while you're asleep in the tub, so that your tanner shirt gets washed...
i fear pneumonia and embarassing photos are in my future. that, or a scene resembling one from fear & loathing in las vegas!
so there are tumbleweeds in here lately, eh? i'm guessing releash has been busy with work...i was going to ask what the etiquette was for saturday given that it's an afternoon show, but if no one's around to read the spoilers, i guess it doesn't matter.
January 16, 2008
by Andy Cotterill (<!-- e --><a href="mailto:acotterill@sherdog.com">acotterill@sherdog.com</a><!-- e -->)
In a world full of high-caliber mixed martial artists, most will concede that Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) is at or near the top of the list when it comes to talent and ability.
Since his introduction to the world of professional MMA in 2002, the 26 year old from St. Isidore, Quebec, has run roughshod over a litany of fighters considered the cream of the crop. Not only has he beaten them, he's also made it look relatively easy.
The first sign that alerted the international community that "Rush" was someone special was when he defeated Pete Spratt (Pictures) in 2003. St. Pierre was already popular around Montreal then, but Spratt was fresh off a win over Robbie Lawler (Pictures) at UFC 42 and was considered a heavy favorite.
The Spratt win garnered St. Pierre a coveted UFC invitation, and he made the best of it, winning exciting fights over Karo Parisyan (Pictures) and Jay Hieron (Pictures). His next bout was his first shot at the welterweight title. With less than one second remaining in the first round, though, he lost via armbar to champion Matt Hughes (Pictures).
Obviously disappointed at the time, St. Pierre admitted afterward that he had lost before he ever stepped into the Octagon. He had regarded Hughes as his idol, not as someone he could beat.
Five more victories followed for St. Pierre before he got another shot at Hughes, and this time the outcome was different. St. Pierre's destruction of a fighter who had ruled the welterweight division for three years was so overwhelming that it shocked everyone, especially Hughes.
It was as if St. Pierre had ascended to a place previously unseen in the sport. But what happened next was just as shocking: In his first title defense, St. Pierre lost. Not only that, but he was beaten by an opponent everyone agreed had little chance.
Matt Serra (Pictures) came out of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show with a shot at the title, and to his credit, he defied experts and fans alike by demolishing St. Pierre with his heavy hands.
St. Pierre has always tried to find a positive way to view anything that happens to him. This time was no different, and after a period of disappointment, he realized that the loss was actually a good thing. A valuable lesson was learned: Take no opponent lightly.
Next for St. Pierre were dominant performances in a meeting with up-and-comer Josh Koscheck (Pictures) and a rubber match with Hughes.
That's where things stand now. So what's next?
Although not officially announced by the UFC, one of the promotion's worst kept secrets is that St. Pierre will be fighting Serra at Montreal's Bell Centre on April 19.
Speaking to Sherdog.com from Colorado, where he was helping Nathan Marquardt (Pictures) prepare for his upcoming match against Jeremy Horn (Pictures) at UFC 81, St. Pierre discussed his upcoming rematch with Serra, his long-term goals and his recent win over Hughes.
Even after his two seemingly effortless victories over Hughes, St. Pierre remains magnanimous.
"Hughes is an amazing fighter," he said. "I just had a good night that night, and he had a bad night."
And if somewhere down the line they have a fourth bout? "If we fight again, I don't think he's going to beat me, but he will probably come closer," St. Pierre said. "Maybe he had a bad day -- it's a matter of circumstances as well."
St. Pierre couldn't confirm that the rematch with Serra would indeed be happening on that date in Montreal, but his manager Shari Spenser believes so.
"That is my understanding of the plan," she told Sherdog.com, "but we have not signed anything yet so I can't confirm it -- but we'd like that."
"Fighting in front of my people would be a dream for me," St. Pierre exclaimed. "The most fans I've ever fought in front of in Montreal was 5,000, maybe 6,000 at UCC/TKO. My people are very hot blooded, and they're going to give the UFC a show like they've never seen before."
Spenser revealed that she and St. Pierre have a long-term strategy that will give the fighter options when he reaches the end of his career.
"Right around the time we started working together, Bjorn Borg was putting his Wimbledon trophies up for sale on eBay," Spenser said. "And that's not where we want to be. We don't want to see the UFC belts for sale."
Spenser's discussions with St. Pierre -- she's handling everything outside the Octagon, and he's handling everything inside it -- have led to steps that will allow him to reach his goals for 10 to 15 years from now.
The first step in this plan is of course to win the championship back from Serra. St. Pierre wants it made very clear that him winning the rematch is the only possible outcome.
"I am going to come with a specific strategy, and it's going to be a different story," he said emphatically. "They're going to see my eyes when I step into the Octagon. I'm going to have a different look. I'm going to look like a totally different guy, and people will understand when they see that fight."
After watching St. Pierre's most recent dismantling of Hughes, it's easy to believe he means what he says. One of the things he credits for the rebound was his decision to see a sports psychologist after the learning the impact it had on some Olympians.
"I used to think that people who needed to see a psychologist were crazy or weak," he said. "But at a certain level you need it. Visualization and positive imagery are very important. People underestimate the power of the mental aspect; it helped me a lot."
After the Serra fight, St. Pierre's long-term plan gets only more ambitious.
"He wants to leave a legacy," Spenser said. "He wants to be the most dominant fighter the UFC and MMA has ever seen, and he intends to accomplish that by dominating the 170-pound weight class, moving up to the 185 weight class and then eventually the light heavyweight class."
That's a pretty daunting goal, but Spenser thinks if anyone can do it, Georges has shown that he's the one. "If he does that," she said, "I don't think there's a doubt that he will be the best fighter to ever have graced the sport."
So when might this move up weight classes happen? St. Pierre is not too sure.
"When it's going to be time, it's going to be time," he said. "It's going to depend on the circumstances. It's going to be for the challenge."
Spenser added: "That's going to be a discussion we have with the UFC after this next fight. They've got some contenders that they've proposed down the road. We don't have an exact plan as to when that would occur. There's definitely a few more fights at the 170 level."
Asked how close he is now to being the fighter he wants to be, St. Pierre answered that he will never be perfect.
"I'll get closer and closer, but I'll never reach perfection because perfection is impossible," he said. "I'm still learning new techniques ... getting better."
Still getting better? Maybe he is.
Regardless, Georges St. Pierre has already begun writing his legacy.
I think GSP is a great champion, but he is on crack if he thinks he can handle Middle or Light Heavyweights.
he has a match to regain the title first and foremost on the 19th of april!
i'll be around! thanks for the reminder on the time, though!! i would have missed it! :eek:
I'm off to Boston for the weekend, for some NHL action!! I get to see the Bruins and get drunk, so I'm gonna have to catch the youtube replays.
sweet! have a great time!
edit: looks like the bruins rangers game is our game of the week here (we get the boston NBC)...i'll keep an eye oot for ya!
DANZIG CONFIRMS NEXT UFC FIGHT TO BE IN CANADA
Friday, January 18, 2008
by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com
Not one to sit and bask in his glory too much, Mac Danzig is set to return to action on April 19, just four months after his successful finale win on the Ultimate Fighter season six, and his first task at hand will be Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Mark Bocek.
Danzig confirmed the fight on MMAWeekly Radio on Thursday night.
“It’s going to be April 19 in Montreal against Mark Bocek,” said the Ultimate Fighter. “That’s what the UFC decided, so I think it’s a good fight for me though, and that’s what they came up with and I’m going to take that, whatever they offer me.”
Danzig will be stepping into Bocek’s home country of Canada to take this fight, but the former King of the Cage veteran isn’t concerned about hometown advantages in the bout.
“That really doesn’t mean anything to me,” he commented about fighting in Bocek’s home country. “I like fighting in Canada. I’ve fought in Canada about four or five times now. I’m used to going up there, I like the fans up there and I had a really good time every time I fought in Canada.”
Just finishing a series of seminars in Canada, Danzig has returned home and will work between his camp in Los Angeles and Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas to prepare for the bout with Bocek.
Dominating his way through the competition on the Ultimate Fighter last season, he is hopeful that the upcoming fight with Bocek will be exciting, something he knows he is responsible for at the end of the day.
“I can’t say that I’m super, super excited about the actual style match-up,” said Danzig candidly. “It’s kind of two of the same, similar styles fighting. I’m a little more adept with my stand-up than he is, but he’s got a similar style to mine, so I hope that that doesn’t make for a boring fight. It’s my job to make an exciting fight, so that’s what I plan on doing.”
Danzig will have the opportunity to show his exciting style to the Canadian fans on April 19 as the UFC debuts in Montreal at the Bell Centre with a main event pitting current welterweight champion Matt Serra against interim champ Georges St. Pierre.
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=5485&zoneid=13
looks like it's just you and me for this one, ceg.
haha... i might just phone ya. that way i won't have to run up and down stairs between fights...
who am i kidding... i could use the exercise...
ps. DANZIG!!!!
Hey guys!!! Mooks you were right about me being busy with work. I am on surgery right now so I can't check the thread very much. I'll get caught up tonight.