Apparently, there are some folks in the powerlifting world that think I am not fit to run the Raw Unity Powerlifting Championships in January because I am not well. Others are suggesting I am a Playboy that is out carousing and partying every night. Really? Let's see-I was in Special Operations in the military. I am no stranger to adversity, I know how to focus, and I have not lost sight of how important Raw Unity is to the sport of powerlifting and to the lifters that compete in it. I am here to tell you that I can walk AND chew gum at the same time. For the doubters, I will put your rumors to rest: Raw Unity is going to happen, and it will be the biggest one yet.
A pair of light heavyweights looking to rebound from recent high-profile
losses will likely meet in January in what could easily be viewed as a
"must-win" for both contestants involved.
MMAjunkie.com has learned from sources close to the contest that the UFC is targeting a
matchup between Thiago Silva and Brandon Vera at UFC 125.
At least one of the contestants has agreed to the contest, but bout agreements have yet to be distributed.
It wasn’t long ago Thiago Silva was considered the future of the light heavyweight division. Winner of thirteen straight bouts to open up his MMA career, twelve of which were finishing performances, Silva hadn’t tasted defeat until coming across Lyoto Machida in January 2009 – a fight he had originally postponed due to a back injury.
In fact, according to a conversation Silva recently had with Tatame, he has been living in pain since 2008 due to related injuries, and though he’s fought twice since he is only now getting close to being at 100%.
Most recently his medical issues forced the American Top Team product withdrew from a scheduled bout against Tim Boetsch at UFC 117. While he didn’t elaborate on the specific damage, Silva did say, “This time I got hurt one week before the fight, and it was even more serious. I lost the movement of my right leg, but I’m doing my recovery work now. I’m not training it all, but they say I’ll be able to train within four weeks.”
However, the 27-year old Brazilian, who hasn’t stepped foot in the Octagon since losing a close decision to Rashad Evans last January, still hopes to fight again in 2010 and has targeted December for his return. “There’s nowhere to go, I can’t train. I have to stay still, focus my mind on my strength and to solve this problem so I can come back soon,” he explained. “The division is stronger. In my opinion, it’s the most disputed (in the) UFC. Unfortunately, my bad luck is keeping me out of it…”
Silva is 14-2 with eleven TKOs, two submissions, and a single decision win to his credit. He has notable wins in his career over Keith Jardine and Houston Alexander.
Hello,
Just thought I would give some updated news. It's Heena Patel (lots of people
have not heard from me in a while), In January I competed at Natural Nationals
-NASA and then within one week competed Raw Unity. I got injured
Former IFL welterweight champ Jay Hieron has at last secured his release from Strikeforce after being kept on the sidelines since this past January. The news of Hieron’s newfound “free agent” status came via his Twitter account.
“I finally got my release from Strikeforce… Y’all know what I’m about to do!!!!!!! I have been through a lot of sh*t this past year but I have trained the whole time. So all welterweights take notice – I’m coming for somebody’s head…”
The 34-year old “Thoroughbred” is 19-4 overall and is currently on a seven-fight win streak. Hieron’s last fight for Strikeforce was a unanimous decision victory over Joe Riggs at “Strikeforce – Miami”. Other than Riggs, he also has notable wins in his career over Jason High, Jesse Taylor, Pat Healy, and Jake Ellenberger.
Like many wrestlers who begin acquiring standup skills and have success in the striking department, Rashad Evans found himself more and more comfortable on his feet.
But in his two most recent appearances - unanimous-decision wins against Thiago Silva in January and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson this past weekend at UFC 114 - the former Michigan State wrestler returned to his roots.
And for those who complain that it's a lay-and-pray style light on entertainment value, Evans has a message for you: Get used to it.
New York, NY, January 15, 2010 – One of the most popular MMA organizations in the world during its ten years of operation (1997-2007), Pride Fighting Championships, based in Japan, featured world class mixed martial arts artists in some of the most dramatic bouts in the early history of the sport. Spike TV will re-broadcast the best of these bouts in “The Best of Pride Fighting Championships,” premiering tonight, Friday, January 15 at 10:00 PM ET/PT.
Hosted by Kenda Perez, the series features past and present UFC® champions among the legendary MMA combatants that includes Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria, Dan Henderson, Mirko Cro Cop, Wanderlei Silva, Josh Barnett, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Mark Coleman, Frank Trigg, Hidehiko Yoshida, Akihro Gono and Takanoro Gomi.
Spike.com is currently featuring the classic PRIDE matchup of Chuck Liddell and Alistair Overeem.
Lubbock, TX. – January 13, 2010 –Popular mixed martial arts fight promotion company, Shark Fight Promotions, announced today that ten time UFC Veteran, Josh “The Dentist” Neer, will face Anselmo Martinez at Shark Fight 8 in the main event.
Neer has replaced Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford due to an unexpected death in the family. The [...]
CHICAGO, Ill. (January 13, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships’ search for its next great featherweight has moved south to Brazil, where it was announced today that undefeated MMA phenom Patricio Pitbull has signed a long-term promotional agreement and will compete in Bellator’s Season 2 tournament.
The 23-year-old Pitbull is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and [...]
Hello to all. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and are looking forward to a fabulous 2008!
Here's some great news to look forward to in the new year: wrestlingmart.com has extended its Cal Poly promotion through the month of January. Go to the wrestlingmart.com website, click on the Cal Poly icon, order something, and all of the gross profit from your purchase will be donated to the Cal Poly wrestling program. Many thanks to wrestlingmart.com and Mike Applegate!
I was fortunate to be able to attend the Reno Tournament of Champions on December 18. For those of you who didn't make it, you really should plan to do so next year. It's a fun tournament, with great wrestlers competing, including the Mustangs. Chase Pami finished a very close second at 157 lbs. Boris Novachkov took third at 125, and Filip Novachkov finished fourth at 133. The other Mustang wrestlers all competed hard, and many won multiple matches. Chad Mendes was unable to compete because of a knee injury, but you should expect to see him back in the line-up soon.
The Mustangs return to action in Mott Gym on Thursday, January 3 at 1:00 p.m. (yes, that's 1:00 p.m.!) against West Virginia and again versus the Oregon Ducks on Friday, January 4 at 7:00 p.m.
Finally, our head assistant coach, Sammie Henson, has been devoting some of his time to working out with The Iceman, Chuck Liddell, in advance of his December 29 fight in Las Vegas. Chuck has been a great supporter of Mustang wrestling. Tune in to the broadcast and you will likely see Sammie somewhere in the picture!
A pair of light heavyweights looking to rebound from recent high-profile
Like many wrestlers who begin acquiring standup skills and have success in the striking department, Rashad Evans found himself more and more comfortable on his feet.