Marloes Coenen Set To Face Meisha Tate At Strikeforce: Columbus
Marloes Coenen vs Meisha Tate
Fresh off a win over Sarah Kaufmann to become the women’s Strikeforce Welterweight champ, Marloes Coenen is now set to defend her newfound title against the dangerous Meisha Tate. Tate earned her shot at the title by winning a single-night four woman tournament in August 2010. The fight will take place on March 5th at the Nationwide Arena and will mark Strikeforce ‘s 1st fight in the state of Ohio. March isn’t too far away, but here are a few photos of the fighters to keep you satisfied until fight night.
“Titan Fighting Championship 16″ Set To Make Hdnet Debut Friday
Tim Sylvia
Three years ago, Tim Sylvia was on top of the world. The “Maine-iac” was riding a six fight winning streak and gearing up to defend his UFC Heavyweight title for the third time. But an upset loss to Randy “The Natural” Couture in March of 2007 changed everything.
Nearly four years later, Sylvia is on the comeback trail with a four fight winning streak, all by stoppage, as he looks to make one more run at the Heavyweight title. This Friday night on “HDNet Fights: Titan Fighting Championship 16,” Sylvia (28-6) tries to take the next step on his road to redemption as he meets well regarded prospect Abe Wagner (7-3) in the main event of the evening.
“I’m going to go in there and try to knock his ass out,” Sylvia said when asked recently for a prediction on the fight. “You can expect me to go in there, get another win, and start off the New Year right.”
The bout headlines a stacked debut for the “Titan Fighting Championship 16″ on HDNet that also features Jason High (10-3) vs. Rudy Bears (12-6), Gary Tapusoa (6-1) vs. Drew McFedries (8-6), and Rich “No Love” Clementi (37-16-1) vs. Aaron Derrow (8-2).
“ MMA fans around the world know that HDNet is everyone’s home for MMA. We’re excited that the Titan Fighting Championship will look to build a home of its own with HDNet and HDNet Fights starting this Friday,” said Titan Fighting Championship President and CEO Joe Kelly.
“Joe runs a first class promotion and we are excited to be broadcasting the Titan Fighting Championship,” said Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights. “This card is stacked with names fight fans recognize and promises to deliver a night of exciting fights.”
“HDNet Fights: Titan Fighting Championship 16″ airs LIVE this Friday at 10:00 p.m. ET exclusively on HDNet.
Here’s a video of Sylvia talking about his upcoming fight
UFC Announces Ticket Information For Historic UFC 129
UFC 129: St-Pierre Vs Shields
The UFC has announced ticket information for UFC 129: ST-PIERRE vs. SHIELDS scheduled for Toronto’s Rogers Centre on Saturday, April 30.
Tickets for UFC 129: ST-PIERRE vs. SHIELDS, which is presented by TapouT, range from $300-$800 on the floor and from $50-$225 in the stands. Tickets will go on sale to the public on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. ET. UFC Fight Club members will have the first chance to buy tickets on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 10 a.m. ET, followed by UFC newsletter subscribers on Friday, Feb. 11 at 10 a.m. ET. Fans can sign up for the UFC Fight Club at www.ufcfightclub.com.
Tickets can be purchased at all Ticketmaster locations and at the Rogers Centre Box Office – Gate 9. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at 1-855-985-5000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.ca.
Approximately 42,000 tickets will be made available to UFC fans, with nearly a quarter of them costing $100 or less.
“We are really excited to bring a UFC event to Rogers Centre and want to create the ultimate experience for fans,” Tom Wright, UFC’s Director of Canadian Operations, said. “We are working on specialized fan zones and other unique features that will make this a can’t-miss event. With this card and the level of energy we expect inside Rogers Centre on April 30, UFC 129 is going to be off the charts.”
In advance of tickets going on sale, UFC confirmed that it will hold a press conference and free fan event at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Wednesday, Feb. 9. Participants from the UFC 129 main card are expected to attend. Further details will be announced shortly.
For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com.
Rashad Evans’ Interesting Training Technique
Rashad Evans New Training Technique
Sometimes it seems like UFC light heavyweight contender Rashad Evans isn’t really taking his upcoming title fight seriously; then again maybe this training “technique” is legitimate. Check out the video below and Judge for yourself.
Sometimes Ring Girls: Allison Diehl
Alison Diehl was lucky enough to win a contest last week that saw her join the lovely ring girls of the UFC for ring girl duties. Diehl was one of many Hooters girls vying for a chance to be a ring girl for the biggest MMA promotion on earth: the UFC. Diehl beat out other beauties for the chance to join Arianny Celeste , Chandella Powell and the lovely Brittney Palmer for ring girl duties for Fight for the Troops 2 at Fort Hood in Texas. Needless to say, Diehl did not disappoint as those in attendance were very happy to have four beautiful ring girls making the rounds, but don’t take my word for it, see for yourself. As an added bonus, pics of the rest of the ring girls at Fight for the Troops are also included.
Zuffa, LLC Files Lawsuit Against Justin.tv
UFC.com
Zuffa, LLC (“Zuffa”), owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (“ UFC ”) brand announced today that it filed a lawsuit against Justin.tv, Inc. (“Justin.tv”) for copyright and trademark infringement in United States District Court for the District of Nevada arising from Justin.tv’s repeated and ongoing failure to meaningfully address the rampant and illegal uploading of video of live Pay-Per-View UFC events by members and users of the Justin.tv website.
The Justin.tv website enables anyone with an internet connection to broadcast live streaming video to an unlimited audience. Although purportedly developed to bring user-generated content to a large live audience, the Justin.tv website is routinely exploited by users to broadcast illegally uploaded content, including UFC events.
For example, on October 23, 2010, over 50,000 people watched live streaming feeds of the UFC 121 Pay-Per-View event. Indeed, third-party contractors hired and paid for by Zuffa, removed more than 200 infringing live streams of UFC 121 from the Justin.tv website. This piracy represents a significant loss of revenue to Zuffa and its mobile, online, cable and satellite distribution partners each year.
“Zuffa has attempted to work on numerous occasions with Justin.tv over nearly a two-year period to encourage it to prevent or limit its infringing activities,” Zuffa’s Las Vegas attorney, Donald J. Campbell said. “Regrettably, Justin.tv has not only turned a blind eye to the massive online piracy occurring on its website, we believe it has actually induced its users to commit copyright infringement thus leaving Zuffa no alternative but to take this fight to the courts.”
Zuffa is the largest provider of Pay-Per-View content in the world, and delivers exciting matches to fans in over 354 million households across 145 countries and territories. Zuffa encourages the development of new technology to deliver UFC content to licensed online platforms, mobile devices, and gaming systems. However, Zuffa does not condone the use of streaming video or other new technologies to violate intellectual property laws, and it will vigorously protect its copyrighted content against piracy in any medium.
Ryan Couture Added To Strikeforce Challengers Event
Ryan Couture Added To Strikeforce Challengers Event
Son of Legendary MMA Superstar, Randy Couture, To Face Fellow Undefeated Lightweight Lee Higgins
One of the most promising prospects in Mixed Martial Arts ( MMA ), Ryan Couture, will seek his second consecutive victory when he faces fellow unbeaten Lee Higgins (2-0) of Houston in a featured lightweight (155 pounds) bout of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers fight card presented by Rockstar Energy Drink at Cedar Park Center in the Austin, Texas. suburb of Cedar Park on Friday, Feb. 18, live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
In the main event, unbeaten rising star Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm (15-0) of Spokane, Wash., takes on dangerous veteran Pat “Bam Bam’’ Healy (25-17) of St. Louis. The winner in the lightweight scrap remains in contention for a possible shot at the STRIKEFORCE title.
Tickets for STRIKEFORCE’s third fight card in 21 days and second in the Lone Star State go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. CT tomorrow/Friday, Jan. 21, and will be available at the Cedar Park Center ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online, www.ticketmaster.com and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).
The first non-televised, undercard fight will begin at 7:30 p.m. CT. Doors will open at 6:45 p.m.
Ryan, the son of MMA legend, Randy Couture , will be making his second pro start and second for STRIKEFORCE on SHOWTIME. He won his debut last Aug. 13 with a slick, 75-second, first-round submission (triangle choke) over Lucas Stark on STRIKEFORCE Challengers.
The 5-foot-10, 28-year-old Couture was scheduled to fight last Nov. 19 but withdrew due to a staph infection.
“I was down for a few weeks but now I’m ready to fight and looking forward to fighting in Texas on Feb. 18,’’ said Couture, a member of Las Vegas, Nev.- based Xtreme Couture. “I’m excited and working hard. I expect a tough fight.’’
Ryan, who was born in Seattle, wrestled in junior high and high school before taking up Jiu-Jitsu. He graduated in 2004 with a mathematics degree from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash., and worked at a local bank before deciding to go into MMA. He began serious training in MMA in 2008.
“I became a fan when my dad began competing but didn’t get involved as a competitor until years later,’’ said Ryan, who went 5-1 in the amateurs. “I still have a ton to learn and there’ll always be pressure because I’m a ‘Couture,’’ but I’m pretty used to that now.’’’
Higgins, who fights out of Houston and is a product of Tony Aponte’s “Urban Jungle,’’ won both his fights by rear-naked choke in the first round within a three-week span late last year.
The 5-foot-11, 30-year-old submitted Gilbert Jimenez at 2:36 in his most recent outing on Dec. 4. He forced Kenny Burke to tap at 1:25 the previous Nov. 12. Both fights were in Houston.
“This is a great opportunity and an honor for me to fight the son of a legend,’’ Higgins said. “I couldn’t believe it when they offered me the fight. To get a chance to show my skills and make a name for myself on television is very exciting and absolutely a huge deal.’’
A blue belt in Jiu-Jitsu, Higgins grew up in Massachusetts but has been training in Houston the past two years.
“Lee’s biggest strength is his Jiu-Jitsu but he is also emotionally very strong and works extremely hard,’’ Aponte said. “He’ll be ready for Feb. 18.’’
UFC Announces On-Sale Dates For UFC 129: ST-PIERRE vs. SHIELDS
UFC 129: St-Pierre Vs Shields
Tickets go on sale Saturday, Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. ET, UFC Fight Club members get first shot at tickets on Thursday, Feb. 10.
The UFC announced today that tickets for UFC 129: ST-PIERRE vs. SHIELDS will go on sale to the public on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. ET. UFC Fight Club members will have the first chance to buy tickets on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 10 a.m. ET, followed by UFC newsletter subscribers on Friday, Feb. 11 at 10 a.m. ET.
UFC 129: ST-PIERRE vs. SHIELDS will be held at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on Saturday, April 30. Headlined by a UFC welterweight title bout between Montreal native and reigning champion Georges St-Pierre and the highly-touted Jake Shields, UFC 129 is the first major mixed martial arts event to ever be held in Ontario.
“The fans in Ontario have been asking for UFC events for a long time and on April 30, we have the chance to deliver,” UFC Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright said. “We’ve secured the Rogers Centre and plan on putting together a tremendous event. With GSP vs. Shields and other great fights, fans are in for a real treat.”
With the buzz surrounding UFC 129 growing, UFC fans are encouraged to sign up for the UFC Fight Club at www.ufcfightclub.com www.ufcfightclub.com to receive first access to tickets for the event. In addition to the first chance to buy UFC tickets, UFC Fight Club members receive a 10 percent year-round discount at UFCstore.com , access to exclusive Q&A sessions with top UFC stars, the chance to win backstage tours and much more.
Prices for UFC 129, as well as information on an upcoming opportunity to meet UFC stars in Toronto, will be made available on Wednesday, Jan. 26.
For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com .
Unbeaten Lyle Beerbohm To Face Pat Healy In STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS
Esther Lin/STRIKEFORCE
In a vitally important fight that will bring the winner one step closer to challenging for a world title, undefeated rising star Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm will face dangerous veteran Pat “Bam Bam’’ Healy in the main event of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card presented by Rockstar Energy Drink at Cedar Park Center in the Austin, Tex. suburb of Cedar Park on Friday, Feb. 18, live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
Beerbohm, of Spokane, Wash., will enter what will be a dangerous-for-both-fighters lightweight (155 pounds) scrap with a record of 15-0. Healy, of St. Louis, is 25-17.
An exclusive pre-sale ticket purchase opportunity will take place for “STRIKEFORCE Insider” e-newsletter subscribers (www.strikeforce.com/signup.asp) beginning at 10 a.m. CT this Wednesday, Jan. 19, and ending at 10 p.m. CT on Thursday, Jan. 20. STRIKEFORCE Insiders will receive a special e-newsletter Tuesday tonight with the pre-sale code.
Tickets for STRIKEFORCE’s third fight card in 21 days and second in the Lone Star State go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. CT on Friday, Jan. 21, and will be available at the Cedar Park Center ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).
The first non-televised, undercard fight will begin at 7:30 p.m. CT. Doors will open at 6:45 p.m. .
Both Beerbohm and Healy are highly skilled 155-pounders who are trying to position themselves to contend for a possible shot at STRIKEFORCE World Champion Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez.
The experienced Healy has faced top quality opposition and is no stranger to a big fight. He showed his ability and tremendous determination in his last start, pushing former STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson to the limit before getting submitted (rear-naked choke) at 4:27 of the third and final scheduled round on June 26, 2010, on SHOWTIME.
All Beerbohm has done is win convincingly.
Beerbohm will be making his fourth start for STRIKEFORCE and his main event debut. This will be his initial appearance on SHOWTIME. In his last outing for STRIKEFORCE, Beerbohm won a split-decision over four-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro on May 15, 2010. It was only the second time one of Beerbohm’s fights went the distance.
A 5-foot-10, three-year pro, Beerbohm, who turns 32 on Feb. 5, has since fought twice, both in his home state of Washington. He is coming off a 2:48, first-round submission (guillotine choke) over Talon Hoffman on Dec. 4, 2010.
Beerbohm literally began his pro career after serving 366 days at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla as a result of felony convictions, all related to a crystal meth addiction. The day he was freed from prison, he visited a Jiu-Jitsu gym. He had his first amateur fight eight days after being released.
Since entering MMA, Beerbohm has found a discipline and determination that was missing in his life. “If I didn’t go to prison, I probably would be dead today,” he said. “Because I wouldn’t get cleaned up. I wouldn’t go to rehab. I wouldn’t get off the drugs. I didn’t want to get off the drugs. (Finally) I traded one addiction for the other. I traded meth for MMA.”
A top wrestler in high school, Beerbohm is a brawler who can switch between southpaw and orthodox stances. He went 12-0 in the amateurs, in spite of the obstacles he had to overcome. Although the vast majority of his fights have ended early and he’s recorded more KO’s than submissions, he still considers himself a grappler.
Beerbohm, whose nickname is derived from the custom-made, multi-colored trunks sewn by his mother, owns wins over former world Muay Thai champion and STRIKEFORCE and UFC veteran Duane “Bang’’ Ludwig as well as UFC vet Rafaello Oliveira. Beerbohm submitted (bulldog choke) Ludwig in the first round of a non-televised fight at a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on June 19, 2009.
“I want to fight the best, I want to fight for the STRIKEFORCE title,’’ said Beerbohm, the head of Washington’s Fancy Pants Fight Team. “All I can do is continue to work hard and beat who they put in front of me. This is going to be a very difficult fight for both of us, but I’m confident of winning and moving up the ranks.
“I am very anxious to fight on SHOWTIME and show the fans and STRIKEFORCE what I can do. My goal is to fight for the world title. I want to be the champ. I want a five-round fight. That would be something else.’’
A member of Team Quest, Healy has been an active MMA fighter for nearly a decade. He’s ousted big-name, quality opponents all over the world since turning pro in August 2001, including Paul “Semtex’’ Daley, Carlos Condit and Dan Hardy.
The accomplished veteran is 1-1 in STRIKEFORCE. Before the Thomson tussle, Healy scored an impressive unanimous decision over Bryan Travers (13-1 going in) during a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on May 21, 2010. It was a rare points victory for the well-conditioned, durable wrestling specialist who has won more than half his fights via submission.
Healy has won three of his last four bouts, and six of eight. “I was disappointed I didn’t quite get it done the last time, but I appreciate getting another opportunity against an up-and-coming fighter,’’ Healy said. “This fight is obviously very important to me. I’ll enter the cage with a lot of confidence.’’
Healy got his start in MMA at the age of 15, shortly after he and a brother stood up to a neighborhood bully and Muay Thai practitioner. Following the altercation, Pat wanted to learn more about technical fighting and sought out MMA gyms for formal training.
To supplement his MMA training regimen, he wrestled in high school, gaining All State accolades and eventually went on to wrestle at Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville. Following college, Pat knew that he had the potential to do something great and devoted himself fulltime to an MMA career.
Healy believes that cardio is his strength and that it allows him to pressure and break his opponents mentally.
The UFC Invades Seattle With An Epic Fight Between Legends
Tito Ortiz
The quest of “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz to return to the top of the UFC light heavyweight division brings him to KeyArena in Seattle, Wash. on Saturday, March 26 for a clash with a fellow legend. The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced today that Ortiz will battle former PRIDE star Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in an explosive 205-pound bout in the Emerald City.
“This is a must-win fight for Tito Ortiz,” UFC President Dana White said. “Everyone knows that Tito and I have had a rocky relationship, but he’s been with us since we started this company and we’re on good terms now. This is the biggest fight of his career. ‘Lil Nog’ is ranked in the top 10 in the world and a win puts Tito back in the mix.”
If the Ortiz-Nogueira fight wasn’t enough, the UFC also confirmed two volatile welterweight collisions pitting Anthony “Rumble” Johnson vs. Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy and Duane “Bang” Ludwig vs. Amir Sadollah, as well as the highly-anticipated rematch between featherweights Nam Phan and Leonard “Bad Boy” Garcia.
Tickets for UFC Fight Night Live will go on sale Saturday, Jan. 29 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $250, $150, $100 and $50. Tickets can be purchased at the KeyArena Box Office, Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone toll free at (800) 745-3000. All tickets subject to applicable service charges and fees.
UFC Fight Club members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event on Thursday, Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. PT via the website ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers on Friday, Jan. 28 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through ufc.com.
