Shark Fights will look to build off the success of their biggest show to date next month when Shark Fights 14 goes down at the Fair Park Coliseum in Lubbock, Texas. However, though the company has yet to announce an official line-up, it looks like at least one bout is in place for the March 11 event.

According to middleweight grappler Matt Horwich by way of Facebook, he will attempt to end 27-year old Brazilian Danillo Villefort‘s current three-fight win streak on the main card with the match-up being shown live as part of a HDNet broadcast.

The 26-17-1 Horwich is coming off a TKO win over highly-decorated amateur wrestler Jake Rosholt this past November. Prior to the strike-based success “Suave” had gone 1-1 with a split decision loss in Bellator to Eric Schambari and submission win over former UFC title-contender Thales Leites.

The fight will be Villefort’s second under the Shark Fights banner with a unanimous decision win over respected veteran Joey Villasenor last September at Shark Fights 13. The American Top Team product is 12-3 including eight wins in his last nine fights. He has yet to be tapped in his career while twenty of Horwich’s total victories have come by way of submission.
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• Bellator 28 set to unfold as all fighters make weight
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Unique middleweight Matt Horwich will put his grappling skills to the test next month against BJJ artist Giva Santana at a MEZ Sports show featuring both boxing and MMA set for February 26 in Riverside, California. Though “Suave” scored a TKO victory over Jake Rosholt this past November, twenty of his twenty-six total victories have come by way of submission. In addition to Rosholt he holds past wins over notable names like Thales Leites, Jason Lambert, Mike Pyle, Benji Radach, and Krzysztof Soszynski.

Five Ounces of Pain has confirmed the match-up with officials from the promotion as well as sources attached to the former IFL 185-pound champion’s camp.

Matching Horwich’s mastery on the mat, Santana has earned thirteen of his fifteen wins by way of tap-out including twelve armbars hence his nickname “The Arm Collector”. His only loss is the result of a split decision against Jamie Jara at a ShoXC event in 2008.

Read below for a full rundown of the MMA portion of the 2/26 card:

Peter Baltimore vs. Hugo Sandoval
Adam Rothweilder vs. Thomas Casarez
Richard Schiller vs. Tyler Weathers
Aaron Wetherspoon vs. TBA
Brent Cooper vs. Hector Carillo
Christophe Saunders vs. Joe Nicholas*
Lorenz Larkin vs. Richard Hales*
Giva Santana vs. Matt Horwich*

* – Title FightSimilar Posts:

• 5 Oz. Exclusive: Giva Santana vs. Jaime Jara completes Sept. 26 ShoXC lineup
• ShoXC Reis vs. Cullum: fight night action shots (pics)
• Wetherspoon out of Friday’s match vs. Metcalf
• Potential card for April 5 ShoXC event revealed
• Strikeforce @ The Playboy Mansion: Quick Results

The complete line-up of Bellator fighters competing at tomorrow’s night’s event in New Orleans stepped on the scale Wednesday evening with all making weight, meaning all bouts will take place as originally scheduled.

Bellator 28 headliner Carey Vanier registered in at 156 pounds for his bout against UFC veteran Rich Clementi, while the Louisiana native measured in at 155.6 pounds himself. Vanier made it as far as the semi-final round of Bellator’s Season 2 lightweight tournament before being submitted by Toby Imada, while Clementi will be making his promotional debut with notable wins in his career over Anthony Johnson, Terry Etim, and Sam Stout.

Also on the card, former IFL champ Matt Horwich came in at 185.6 pounds in hopes of stringing together a second consecutive win by beating another Bellator Season 2 Tournament Semi-Finalist, Eric Schambari. Horwich recently snapped a two-fight losing streak by submitting BJJ specialist Thales Leites on August 14th at PWP‘s “War on the Mainland” event.

His opponent, Schambari, is 12-2 as a professional and had won five fights in a row before being choked out by Bryan Baker last May at Bellator 20.

The full results of the weigh-ins are as follows:

Scott O’Shaughnessy (155.8 lbs.) vs. Gabe Woods (153.8 lbs.)
Josh Rafferty (169.2 lbs) vs. Charlie Rader (170.8 lbs)
Jonathan Mackles (135.6 lbs) vs. Brock Kerry (135.8 lbs)
Tony Roberts (229.6 lbs) vs. Kelvin Doss (232.8 lbs)
Tonny Canales (151.8 lbs) vs. J.C. Pennington (154.8 lbs)
Marcus Andrusia (155.4 lbs) vs. Eric Larkin (155.4 lbs)
Matt Horwich (185.6 lbs) vs. Eric Schambari (184.2 lbs)
Anthony Leone (146 lbs) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (145.4 lbs)
Carey Vanier (156 lbs) vs. Rich Clementi (155.6 lbs)

On the eve of WEC 50 in Las Vegas, MMAjunkie.com Radio today welcomes to the show WEC General Manager Reed Harris (in studio) and event competitor Cub Swanson.

Additionally, Team Takedown manager Ted Ehrhardt and Cobra Kai Jiu-Jitsu head trainer Marc Laimon stop by the studio, and veteran fighter Matt Horwich calls in to discuss his recently won PWP middleweight title.

MMAjunkie.com Radio airs from 12-2 p.m. ET (9-11 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino's Race & Sports Book. Listen to and watch a video stream of the two-hour show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

Each man participating on tonight’s “War on the Mainland” card stepped on the scale Friday afternoon in Irvine, California and, as expected, all nine bouts will take place as originally scheduled.

Perhaps most notably, former UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia officially measured in at 274 pounds. The number is actually thirty pounds down from his weight in his last bout, against Mariusz Pudzianowski at Moosin last May, and only twelve pounds heavier than he was in his final Octagon appearance against Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira in February 2008.

“War on the Mainland” features Sylvia and Paul Buentello locking horns over the PWP Heavyweight Championship, as well as UFC veteran Jason Lambert fighting late replacement Tony Lopez for the light heavyweight belt and former IFL 185-pound champ Matt Horwich facing submission-specialist Thales Leites for the middleweight title.

Additionally, former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens “Little Evil” Pulver and hard-hitting journeyman Terry Martin are slated for action at the show. Pulver measured in at 155.4 pounds, meaning his recent run at featherweight appears to be over, while Martin came in at an even 170 pounds in preparation for his bout against 16-6-1 Jorge Ortiz.

The official results of the weigh-ins are as follows:

A.J. Matthews (168.8 lbs) vs. Sean Choice (169.4 lbs)
Todd Willingham (154.8 lbs) vs. Cleber Luciano (153.8 lbs)
Joao Silva (153.4 lbs) vs. Erin Beach (154.4 lbs)
Jorge Ortiz (169 lbs) vs. Terry Martin (170 lbs)
Gustavo Machado (185.8 lbs) vs. Rick Reeves (183 lbs)
Jens Pulver (155.4 lbs) vs. Diego Garijo (153.8 lbs)
Matt Horwich (185.4 lbs) vs. Thales Leites (184.6 lbs)
Jason Lambert (203.8 lbs) vs. Tony Lopez (204.6 lbs)
Tim Sylvia (274.4 lbs) vs. Paul Buentello (251.6 lbs)*

* – Bout is being contested with 275-pound maximum rather than the standard 265-pound limit for heavyweights

It’s often said we fall so we learn how to get back up; that what does not kill us only makes us stronger. While history has produced countless ways of delivering a similar message about dealing with adversity, there may not be any Mixed Martial Artist who currently personifies its struggle from a professional standpoint better than former two-time UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia.

Sylvia, who has felt the highs of headlining huge events to the lows of being knocked out by a 48-year old man making his professional MMA debut, has won back-to-back fights since losing to Ray Mercer a year ago and looks to continue the righting of his career this Saturday night against 28-12 journeyman Paul Buentello. The two men, both known for their striking, will scrap for Powerhouse World Promotion’s heavyweight title at the company’s “War on the Mainland” show in Irvine, California.

Five Ounces of Pain recently had a chance to ask “The Maine-iac” for his basic thoughts on Buentello and the bout in general. Sylvia’s level of respect for the powerful Texan was clear and understandably so given Buentello seventeen career TKOs and history of leaving it all in the cage whenever he competes.

“I think Paul is a good guy and a great fighter,” said Sylvia. “I think it’s going to be a great fight and the fans are going to love it – two stand-up guys that want to knockout someone.”

“War on the Mainland” takes place at the Bren Events Center on Saturday, August 14th, and will be available on cable/satellite PPV starting at 7:00PT/10:00ET. Beyond Sylvia and Buentello championship clash, the card also features title fights between UFC alumnus Jason Lambert and eight-time World BJJ champion Allan Goes for the light heavyweight belt, as well as former IFL 185-pound champ Matt Horwich facing submission-specialist Thales Leites for the middleweight strap. Additionally, former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens “Little Evil” Pulver and hard-hitting veteran Terry Martin are slated for action at the show.

Former IFL middleweight champ Matt Horwich has never been known for acting in a conventional way or subscribing to the norm. Whether expressing his enlightened point of view on the world, his affinity for Brazilian Jiujitsu, or his love for quantum physics, Horwich is as unique a character as you’ll find in Mixed Martial Arts. He also happens to be a tremendous grappler with nineteen submission wins to his credit and a history of being extremely difficult to finish.

The 40-fight veteran faces his newest challenge this weekend, Thales Leites, at Powerhouse World Promotion’s upcoming “War on the Mainland” show in Irvine, California for the PWP Middleweight strap. Leites, who has won three consecutive bouts since parting ways with the UFC, is 17-3 as a professional and considered to be one of the better BJJ-based fighters in Mixed Martial Arts.

Five Ounces of Pain had a chance to speak to Horwich about the challenge Leites provides and how he’s approaching this weekend’s match-up. Though “Suave” considers the Brazilian to be on par with Ricardo Almeida in terms of the offering the best jiujitsu he’s faced in his career, he also didn’t hesitate to express his opinion the fight could also involve a decent amount of striking when asked whether or not he felt the action would focus on stand-up or be purely a ground war.

“I’m thinking both. We’re both well-rounded fighters by the Great Spirit’s grace!”

Horwich also stated he was approaching the five-round affair like any other bout, going so far as to say he prefers the potential for twenty-five minutes – even longer – as opposed to a non-title fifteen.

Said Horwich, “No, I like five rounds better. I think they should have special seven-round fights for guys like us.”

In closing, “Suave” parted with the humility and spirituality fans have come to expect from the 24-15-1 veteran.

“I want to give a big thanks and a shout out to Chris Reilly and my team at “Legends” – Eddy Bravo, everyone at 10th Planet, Melee Fight Wear…and everyone should see Wilmer Valderama’s new movie, “The Dry Land”. He’s one of the nicest famous dudes and part of our family at Legends…God Bless and have a beautiful day everyone! Every day is a new day of adventure and limitless possibilities by Jesus’ grace and surfing the infinitely exhilarating current of creativity!!!”

“War on the Mainland” takes place at the Bren Events Center on Saturday, August 14th, and will be available on cable/satellite PPV starting at 7:00PT/10:00ET. Beyond Horwich vs. Leities, the card also features title fights between UFC alumnus Jason Lambert and eight-time World BJJ champion Allan Goes, as well as the hard-hitting Paul Buentello vs. 2X UFC Heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia.

UFC veteran and former IFL champion Matt Horwich has replaced Falaniko Vitale and meets Thales Leites at Powerhouse World Promotions' "War on the Mainland" pay-per-view event.

The Aug. 14 fight determines the first-ever PWP middleweight champ.

Other notables on the card include Tim Sylvia, Paul Buentello, Jens Pulver, Jason Lambert, Gustavo Machdado, Terry Martin and others.

When an arena clears at the end of a Mixed Martial Arts event it’s often assumed the men (and/or women) whose blood and sweat still stain the canvas have finished fighting as it relates to that particular show. They typically pack up their gear, take care of on-site media obligations, and head to a hotel room to either lick their wounds or get dressed for an after-party where an entirely different sort of tongue-wagging may eventually come into play. Regardless of extra-curricular choices or the evening’s earlier result, those who entertain in the ring exit the venue with the closure of knowing they can move forward in life and onto the next opponent; that the work they’ve done will be rewarded with adulation from supporters, the personal satisfaction brought on by competition, and of course some level of financial gain.

Or so it’s assumed.

On May 15th, 2010 a show promoted by an organization known as the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts took place in Birmingham, England. The card featured a number of recognizable names, including those with Octagon experience on their resume like Seth Petruzelli, Matt Horwich, and War Machine. Petruzelli and the man once known as John Koppenhaver fared better in result than Horwich but all three spent weeks preparing in the gym with the mutual understanding BAMMA 3 would be like any other event.

On June 8th, 2010 all three men are still awaiting payment for the commitment each fulfilled. Apparently, BP isn’t the only dealer of dismay from across the pond with an element of slime involved. Money depended on for training costs, mortgages, general bills, food, family, and any other imaginable want or need remains a promise unkept, and thoughts originally turned towards a future competitor now look at an opponent possibly looming in a ring far different from any used in combat sports – a court of law.

News of the situation first came to light a week ago when Petruzelli and War Machine took to different realms of cyberspace to plead their cases. Said Petruzelli on popular MMA forum The Underground, “This is B.S! We feed our families with this money.” Meanwhile, the Ultimate Fighter Season 6 alumnus went the route of Twitter and addressed the topic in standard form, writing “Sure would be nice if BAMMA decided to FINALLY f*cking PAY US! Or maybe that’s too much to ask? WTF!? Really getting PISSED now! Contract said 72 hours…lol That’s 3 days right? Just wondering because it’s been 3 WEEKS!” He even went as far as to send a message to BAMMA’s account questioning whether or not they were going to pay or if the promotion felt they didn’t deserve their money.

In Horwich’s case, the woman he married a day after an IFL title defense (Kelly) spoke up to elaborate on the situation. “The promoter…had the balls to tell me he didn’t know we needed to be paid so urgently. People think fighters are rich and famous…they are normal people that need their money to eat too. We’re starving over here peoplel!!!!!” She also, understandably angry about things, made it clear she was thankful she and her husband hadn’t purchased a new house as they’d been considering, or else “WE WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO (HAVE) PAID THE GOD DAMN RENT!!!!!”

Fast-forward to this past Wednesday when Petruzelli stated he’d received half of his expected winnings with the remainder promised for payment later in the day while management for War Machine and Horwich, by proxy of his wife, claimed neither camp had received a dime of their purses. Hours later BAMMA apparently made good on their word to Petruzelli and War Machine, yet Horwich was left in the cold. As of Saturday, June 12th – nearly a month after the actual event – the same remains true. (UPDATE: Horwich was FINALLY paid today, a month to the day after the card’s completion.)

Unfortunately, circumstances like the above are not as uncommon as fans (and fighters) might hope nor are they limited to small shows. Far too often the men and women who sacrifice their bodies for our entertainment are victims in an industry where expectations often exceed ticket-sales and PPV buys. Quinton Jackson, among others, has spoken in the past about PRIDE shorting him and delaying payment during the promotion’s heyday. DREAM has been associated with with similar activities, most notably with current Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz after he defeated Katsuya Inoue at DREAM 3 in May 2008. The same was essentially true in the case of the mid-card fighters set to square off at Affliction III before Tom Atencio folded up shop ten days out from the event. In reality, considering the rarity of a promoter not being associated on some level with questionable financial practices, it’s really no wonder the UFC is the cream of MMA’s crop.

It’s common knowledge we live in a money-driven society where characters ranging from legitimate to downright shady will attempt to capitalize on a trend in hopes of striking it rich. As such, we have to accept the business of Mixed Martial Arts is no different, and the practice of exploiting others in hopes of turning a profit is anything but a newly invented concept. However, that’s not to say people should stand idle while athletes we respect or are personally invested in as fans pay the price after already sacrificing so much for our mere enjoyment. We need to stop focusing so much on the figures and turn our attention to whether or not a contractual agreement was actually fulfilled. When a promotion, like BAMMA, shafts a fighter you need to let your opinion be known both in written/verbal form as well as when it comes to buying future shows/tickets. Likewise, when fighters are paid on time you need to support those companies for living up to their word. Mixed Martial Artists fight for us. Now it’s our turn to fight for them.

Press Release

For the second time in a week, the Maximum Fighting Championship has added a first-class talent from Brazil to its growing stable of impressive fighters.

Light heavyweight Glover Teixeira (9-2) has joined the MFC talent pool and is expected to make his organizational debut at the soon-to-be-announced MFC 26 event. The native of Sobralia, Brazil, has scored seven of his nine victories by way of KO/TKO and came highly recommended by several sources, not the least of which was his friend, MFC middleweight title contender Thales Leites.

“When you hear things like ‘He can beat anyone in the division’ and those kinds of statements are coming from well-respected people, you have to take notice,” said MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. “I believe that Glover can make an immediate and serious impact in the grand scheme of our light heavyweight picture.

“The MFC is becoming more of a global product and international fighters are stepping up to become part of the action. It is an important aspect of our growth to be adding fighters like Glover Teixeira, Thales Leites, Tom Watson, and Luciano Azevedo.”

The Teixeira signing comes on the heels of the MFC adding Azevedo (16-8) to its contingent of lightweights. The Rio de Janeiro product is the lone fighter to hold a victory over world-ranked standout Jose Aldo, earning a submission victory in 2005. Azevedo, whose career victory list is also highlighted by a decision win over veteran Din Thomas, is also expected to make his organizational and North American debut at the forthcoming MFC 26.

Teixeira has fought somewhat sparingly throughout his career, no more than twice a year since turning pro, but he is expected to become significantly busier under the MFC banner. The 30-year-old has fought twice already in 2010 in his native Brazil, coming away with a pair of convincing victories. Notable wins have come at various points for Teixeira beginning with the lone decision outcome of his career, taking the judges’ verdict over veteran Matt Horwich. Teixeira scored a stunning five-second knockout win over Jorge Oliveira and earned the biggest win to date in his career by handing “The African Assassin” Sokoudjou the first loss of his career with a stellar first-round knockout only 1:41 into their 2006 encounter.

While clearly well-versed in the stand-up game, Teixeira has showcased a multitude of skills on the ground as well. He captured the 2009 title in the under-99 kg class at the Brazilian ADCC championship which qualified him for the world competition alongside such well-known names as Dean Lister, Vinny Magalhaes, and Ricco Rodriguez. Teixeira had previously competed against Jeff Monson and Brandon Vera in grappling events, and he was featured in Season 2 of the “TapouT” reality TV series.