HOUSTON - Strikeforce's first trip to the Lone Star State resulted in an attendance of 8,635, which officials surely will consider a success.
Saturday's event, "Strikeforce: Houston," aired on Showtime with a pair of title fights and took place at the Toyota Center in Texas.
MMAjunkie.com confirmed with a Strikeforce official the attendance figure, which company CEO Scott Coker said in ni doubt was aided by former Houston resident K.J. Noons, who defeated fellow lightweight Jorge Gurgel on the night's main card.
SAN DIEGO (July 8, 2010) – Two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim “Maine-iac” Sylvia takes on former UFC and Strikeforce heavyweight title challenger, Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello, in the main event for the vacant Powerhouse World Promotions (PWP), LLC Heavyweight Championship, August 14 on Pay Per View live from Bren Events Center in Irvine, California.
“War on the Mainland,” presented by Powerhouse World Promotions, is being distributed by Integrated Sports Media at 10:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in North America on cable and satellite Pay-Per-View via iN Demand, DIRECTV, Avail-TVN and DISH Network, as well as Viewer’s Choice, Bell TV and Shaw PPV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95. It will also be available in the United Kingdom via Primetime Live. The PPV card will also be streamed live on Internet PPV outside of the United States, Canada and United Kingdom by going to www.WarontheMainland.com and registering.
“This event started as a training clinic that we’re still holding August 8 in San Diego,” PWP CEO Brian Manna explained. “It’s a full day, training clinic – MMA, Jiu-Jitsu, striking, boxing kicking, etc. – at Manna’s Martial Arts in San Diego. Tony Martinez (President of Powerhouse) suggested we do a show. We discussed it with members of our team – Joe Moreira, Carlos Palomino, Rodolfo Gonzalez and Burdett Streeter – as well as Doug Jacobs (Integrated Sports Media) and (associate) Benny Ricardo. Pay per view made it an easier sell and we were able to raise capital for the show. Now, people from all over the world will be able to watch our show.
“The depth of our field is unmatched. We not only wanted to make sure that we had three really good fights like we do, but to insure that all of the fights on this show would feature high quality fighters, as well as competitive, entertaining matches. These fights are all very well matched from top to bottom. All of us (Team PWP) are old-school martial artists. We stepped into the ring against anybody that was put in there; the type of show we’re putting on August 14th and few like it exist today in MMA for the public.”
Sylvia (26-6-0), fighting out of Bettendorf, Iowa, is coming off of an impressive second-round submission of 5-time World’s Strongest Man, Mariusz “Dominator” Pudzianowski. During his sensational career, Sylvia (6-8, 300 lbs.) has defeated many of the world’s top MMA heavyweights and super heavyweights – Andrei Arlovski (2) Brandon Vera, Jeff Monson, Wes Sims, Ricco Rodriguez, Mike Whitehead (2), Ben Rothwell and Jason Lambert.
Buentello (6-2, 250 lbs.), fighting out of Amarillo, Texas, has notable victories against “Tank” Abbott, Gary Goodridge, Justin Eilers, Mike Kyle and Kirill “Baby Fedor” Sidelnikov.
Sylvia-Buentello is one of three PWP title fights (5 X 5, all other fights are 3 X 5). Former WEC titlist Jason “The Punisher” Lambert (24-11-0) faces 8-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Allan Goes (17-3-0) for the vacant PWP Light Heavyweight title belt, while former UFC title challenger Thales Leite (17-3-1) fights Strikeforce veteran Falinko “Niko” Vitale (27-9-0) for the PWP Middleweight crown.
In a Special Lightweight Attraction, former UFC lightweight champion Jens “Little Evil” Pulver (22-13-1), one of the most popular MMA fighters in the world, meets Diego “El Nino” Garijo (4-1-0).
Also fighting on “War on the Mainland” are Brazilian middleweight Gustavo “Ximu” Machado (18-8-1) vs. Rick Reeves (10-3-0), Mexican welterweight Jorge “The Naked Man” Ortiz (16-5-1) vs. veteran Terry Martin (19-8-0), and California lightweights Joao Silva (3-0) vs. Erin Beach (1-0). All fights and fighters are subject to change.
“We’re hitting the ground running,” Manna added. “People all over the world want to fight with us. We’re not interested in signing fighters to long-term contracts. We’re interested in the fighters being self-sufficient and stable. Burdett is a financial advisor and one of our goals is to aid fighters to become more aware of how to make their financial future more stable.”
Tickets, ranging from $35.00 to $110.00 reserved and $110.00 to $295.00 on the floor, are on sale at the Bren Event Center Box Office (10 AM/PT-6 PM/PT, Mon-Fri), going on line to www.bren.uci.edu or www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1.949.824.5000.
Doors open at 5:00 PM/PT, first bout 6:15 PM/PT, first PPV bout 7 PM/PT – 10 PM/ET. Go to www.WarontheMainland.com or www.bren.uci.edu for additional information.
Vendor opportunities and sponsorships are available by calling 1.858.798.1541.
M-1 Global’s Vadim Finkelstein is pulling no punches in telling both Strikeforce and the MMA world that his number one fighter, Fedor Emelianenko is ready and will fight in either October or November, regardless of what Scott Coker(CEO of Strikeforce) wants. Finkelstein certainly took a very direct approach when talking to LowKick about a potential Fedor Vs. Werdum fight as opposed to Fedor Vs. Overeem:
“We are ready to fight against anyone, but everyone agrees that the most interesting fight right now is the rematch against Fabricio Werdum. We have one fight left on our contract, so if Strikeforce want to extend it – they should listen to our opinion. Fedor will fight again sometime between October and November. I’ll repeat that again: the only thing fans want to see is Fedor vs Werdum II. Fabricio himself said that he would like to rematch Fedor in Russia. It’s great, but this fight will not happen in Russia…. I can really feel that the rating makers on the US websites really wanted Fedor Emelianenko to suffer from his first “real” defeat. They now have Fedor on the Third Place, and the first is Brock Lesnar. Question: Who’s Brock Lesnar? He has only five professional fights, and one defeat. He is a marketable fighter because of his WWE past. They sell-out 60,000 stadiums for that crap, which no one would even consider watching in Russia. That’s why Brock Lesnar is popular. As for Fedor, he is not a marketable fighter – he’s just the best. He destroyed everyone during 10 years. He has 31 victories.”
Very direct words indeed, and you gotta love the he’s just the best line. Seems like M-1 is turning up the heat for a rematch and an attempt to clear the blemish from Fedor’s record.
Former WWE superstar Dave Batista recently made headlines when he prematurely announced his arrival in Stikeforce for a debut in mixed martial arts, and although nothing is set in stone as of this time, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker recently revealed that there could be a future for the hulking heavyweight within the promotion.
“They have the desire to fight in MMA and we’re trying to put together a deal that makes sense,” said Coker during a conversation with the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “Is he signed right now? No. But is he somebody we’d like to see in the cage in the future fighting for Strikeforce? It’s a possibility.”
However, if Batista is to be taken seriously by Coker and Strikeforce, he’s going to have to prove that he’s serious about more than just collecting a fat paycheck.
“Just like we did with Herschel (Walker), we’d have to put him into a gym,” said Coker. “It doesn’t matter what gym, as long as it’s a reputable mixed martial arts academy. He has to go in there and train because if he didn’t, we’d probably have a short relationship.”
Coker would go on to use UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar as a measuring stick for Batista.
“We’re not the guys that are putting all the circus fights on, but in all fairness, look at Brock Lesnar. He made the crossover. Why not Batista?,” said Coker.
In all fairness, Lesnar is a former NCAA Division I wrestling champion in the heavyweight division while Batista has no formal combat sport background outside of the WWE.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has thrown out some his thoughts concerning a rematch between Fabricio Werdum and Fedor Emelianenko, and seems to think that The Last Emperor should maybe face Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem first and then with a victory perhaps take on Fabricio Werdum in a muchly anticipated rematch. MMA fans must be drooling at the idea of Fedor vs. Overeem, as Overeem has long been thought of as a legitimate threat to most top heavyweight fighters, and much more a stylistic nightmare for Fedor. Coker made his thoughts clear with Sherdog:
My feeling is maybe Fedor should fight Alistair Overeem and whoever wins that fight gets to fight Fabricio Werdum. I would love to see that fight too, Alistair and Fedor, I would love to see that fight happen. Here’s the thing, we just saw Fedor fight Werdum; I’m not saying we couldn’t do the rematch [Fedor vs. Werdum] first but I’m saying there are a couple options on the table
Sounds like Coker is doing a great job setting up a potential rematch with Fedor and Werdum, if Fedor can get through Overeem who could give Fedor his second loss in as many fights. When the word comes out, we’ll let you know.
Another pound of dynamite could be added to Strikeforce's upcoming eight-man middleweight tournament.
Scott Coker, the promotion's CEO, told MMAjunkie.com today that he plans to invite fearsome striker Melvin Manhoef to the field, which is expected to begin Aug. 21 at "Strikeforce: Houston."
Coker added that former middleweight champion Cung Le will not participate in the tourney and will stick to "superfights."
CHICAGO, Ill. (June 28, 2010) – Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto, who shocked the MMA world with her stunning KO of the world’s top-ranked and heavily favored Rosi Sexton at Bellator 23 last Thursday, has been added to Bellator’s upcoming Women’s Tournament.
Frausto, a 26-year-old Central California native who improved her pro MMA record to 7-1 with the highlight-reel knockout, replaces Sexton, who was forced out of the tournament due to a 60-day medical suspension from the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority.
Frausto joins seven other female fighters who are all ranked among the world’s 10 best in their respective weight classes.
The others are Japanese MMA sensation and the world’s No. 1 pound-for pound female fighter, Megumi Fujii, 12-5 Seattle submission artist Lisa Ward, 7-0 Southern California striker Jessica Pene, 8-4 New Mexico-based submission specialist Angela Magana, 5-1 Las Vegas-based powerhouse Lynn Alvarez, 9-0 Irish sensation Aisling Daly and 8-4 American Top Team product Jessica Aguilar.
Overall, the eight women boast a career winning percentage of .835 (76 wins and 15 losses).
“With a highlight knockout that’s already generated over 70,000 YouTube views, Zoila stamped her ticket to our women’s Tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “The purpose of our women’s tournament is simply to determine the best pound-for-pound female fighter in the world, and with such a dominant performance against the worlds’s No. 1-ranked 125 pound fighter, there was no way to not include Zoila in this line up. She earned her place by beating the best.”
Frausto’s shocking knockout – which can be seen here- came roughly two minutes into Round 1 of her fight against Sexton.
The left knee to the chin knocked Sexton her unconscious and dropped her to the canvas before the referee stoped the fight when Frausto delivered three right hands to the jaw. It was just the second career loss for Sexton in 12 pro MMA fights.
“I saw the opening and I just threw the knee up,” Frausto said after the fight, adding that she thinks she now deserves to be ranked No. 1 in the world at 125. “I’ve been shooting for No. 1 since I got into the sport. This is exactly why I got into MMA.”
The tournament begins on Aug. 12 and will once again be televised LIVE in primetime every Thursday night on FOX Sports Net and during special weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator. Tickets are available at www.Ticketmaster.com.
CHICAGO, Ill. (June 28, 2010) — Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto, who shocked the MMA world with her stunning KO of the world’s top-ranked and heavily favored Rosi Sexton at Bellator 23 last Thursday, has been added to Bellator’s upcoming Women’s Tournament.
Frausto, a 26-year-old Central California native who improved her pro MMA record to 7-1 with the highlight-reel knockout, replaces Sexton, who was forced out of the tournament due to a 60-day medical suspension from the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority.
Frausto joins seven other female fighters who are all ranked among the world’s 10 best in their respective weight classes. The others are Japanese MMA sensation and the world’s No. 1 pound-for pound female fighter, Megumi Fujii, 12-5 Seattle submission artist Lisa Ward, 7-0 Southern California striker Jessica Pene, 8-4 New Mexico-based submission specialist Angela Magana, 5-1 Las Vegas-based powerhouse Lynn Alvarez, 9-0 Irish sensation Aisling Daly and 8-4 American Top Team product Jessica Aguilar. Overall, the eight women boast a career winning percentage of .835 (76 wins and 15 losses).
“With a highlight knockout that’s already generated over 70,000 YouTube views, Zoila stamped her ticket to our women’s Tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “The purpose of our women’s tournament is simply to determine the best pound-for-pound female fighter in the world, and with such a dominant performance against the worlds’s No. 1-ranked 125 pound fighter, there was no way to not include Zoila in this line up. She earned her place by beating the best.”
Frausto’s shocking knockout — which can be seen here— came roughly two minutes into Round 1 of her fight against Sexton.
The left knee to the chin knocked Sexton her unconscious and dropped her to the canvas before the referee stoped the fight when Frausto delivered three right hands to the jaw. It was just the second career loss for Sexton in 12 pro MMA fights.
“I saw the opening and I just threw the knee up,” Frausto said after the fight, adding that she thinks she now deserves to be ranked No. 1 in the world at 125. “I’ve been shooting for No. 1 since I got into the sport. This is exactly why I got into MMA.”
In an interview with MMAjunkie.com on Friday, Frausto reiterated her desire to fight in the tournament.
“I’ve been doing this to fight the best, and I just beat one of the best,” she said. “So hell yeah, I want that spot.”
The tournament begins on Aug. 12 and will once again be televised LIVE in primetime every Thursday night on FOX Sports Net and during special weekend highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator. Tickets are available at www.Ticketmaster.com.
Great interview by Sherdog with Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker as he discusses Cyborg, Fedor Shields and more. Hard to know whether Coker believes that his flag-ship fighter losing is a good thing or a bad one, and arguments could be made both ways. On the one hand the invincibility of Fedor certainly has a huge following of mixed martial arts fans who may not tune in now that he’s lost, but on the other both the way Fedor handled the loss and the drama created by a rematch may actually stir more interest in the Russian fighter. We’ll wait for the official word on a rematch, but Strikeforce would have to be crazy not to have another tilt between the two.
HOUSTON - Strikeforce's first trip to the Lone Star State resulted in an attendance of 8,635, which officials surely will consider a success.
Another pound of dynamite could be added to Strikeforce's upcoming eight-man middleweight tournament.
When Strikeforce makes its Texas debut next month, the organization likely will do so at Houston's Toyota Center.
