The Gracie Pro/Am Circuit presents:

The California Championships, a Professional and Amateur Gi and No-Gi tournament. The event will be held in Sacramento, Ca. at the Inderkum Highschool on September 4th and 5th.
The Professional No-Gi tournament will feature 4 weight classes with $2,000.00 going to the winner in each class and $500.00 to the runner-up.

A professional Gi Open competition will offer prize money to the winners of the Blue, Purple, Brown and Black belt divisions. $500.00 to the winner and $100.00 to the runner-up in the Brown and Black Belt Open and $300.00 and $100.00 to the runner-up in the Blue and Purple belt Open.

An Amateur Gi and No Gi competition with consist of the best teams and individual competitors from around the West Coast.

2500 New Market Dr
Sacramento, CA 95835
MAP

More information on the official site.

SAN JOSE (June 23, 2010) – This Saturday, STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL will make history when they present a Mixed Martial Arts fight card that will feature the universally recognized No. 1 male and female fighters in the world stepping into the same cage on the same night for the first time. The eagerly awaited event will take place at HP Pavilion and be televised live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko, the world’s No. 1 pound for pound fighter, will take on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and top-ranked heavyweight Fabricio Werdum in the main event. The No. 1 female fighter, Cris Cyborg, will defend her STRIKEFORCE Women’s World 145-pounds Championship against Jan Finney in the semi-main.

Fedor and Cyborg were joined by Cung Le and Josh Thomson, who also will appear in featured fights on Saturday, at a Media Workout Wednesday at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA).

Le, of San Jose, is a former STRIKEFORCE middleweight titlist. He relinquished the belt last year to pursue an acting career that has since spawned two major motion picture releases, but returned Dec. 19, 2009, at HP Pavilion to face Sacramento’s Scott Smith. Le dominated before losing via a shocking third-round KO. He’ll take on Smith in a rematch of one of MMA’s most epic come-from-behind knockouts.

Thomson, of San Jose, will return to the cage for the first time since losing the STRIKEFORCE world lightweight title to top rival Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez on Dec. 19, 2009. He’ll face dangerous submission artist Pat “Bam Bam” Healy in a lightweight bout.

Tickets for STRIKEFORCE and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum are on sale at the HP Pavilion box office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online www.ticketmaster.com) as well as www.strikeforce.com. For more information, please also visit www.M-1GLOBAL.com.

What they had to say:

FEDOR
“I am always interesting in performing against top 10 fighters and Werdum has been in the top 10 for a long time. He’s a good, very patient fighter who thinks a lot and I am very happy to be fighting him. Style-wise, this should be a very interesting fight.

“The talk about me entering politics are false rumors. As long as I am competing in MMA, there will be no politics for me.

“MMA is a beautiful kind of sport that combines various elements of martial arts. You need to be good in all of them. I am excited about having my wife with me for the first time for a fight of mine in the United States.’’

CRIS CYBORG
“I’m very anxious to get back in the cage and very excited about this fight. It is a great honor to be on the same card as Fedor. I’m looking forward to meeting him and seeing all the other fighters on this show.

“I know Jan Finney is coming to win this. I don’t have a specific plan but I’m ready for anything. I’ll see how the fight starts and then go from there. I expect a tough fight.

“It will be great having (husband and fellow STRIKEFORCE fighter) Evangelista in my corner again. He couldn’t be there last time. He is the one who trains me, who got me started in this sport, so I love it when he is in the corner.

“I’d much rather be the one fighting than having to watch him fight. All I can think of while I am watching him fight is, ‘I hope this ends very quickly.’ ’’

(see the quotes from Cung Le and Josh Thomson after the jump )

CUNG LE
“I dominated for two-and-a-half-rounds the first time against Scott. Before the last round, my corner told me to take it easy and not take any unnecessary chances. But rather than listen, I tried to close the show with a bang, but it backfired on me.

“Saturday is a new day and a new fight. It is not our last fight and it isn’t last year. I am amped for it.

“I learned a hard lesson from our first fight, but I am determined to move forward. I love to compete and I am very excited about this fight.’’

JOSH THOMSON
“I didn’t make any excuses after the last fight with Gilbert, but ring rust is real. I didn’t get it gone, and Gilbert looked very good but I know why I lost and that is because I didn’t listen to my corner.

“On Saturday, the plan will be, like always, to get off first and dictate the pace. The plan against Gilbert was not to make it a brawl but that is what happened,

“I feel I’ve learned from that fight so expect a different Josh Thomson on Saturday than the one you saw against Gilbert.

“This is going to be a tough fight against a tall guy. There are lots of big fights down the road for me but they will go away fast if I am not totally focused on Saturday.’’

Press Release
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Redemption. It’s a word that bantamweight Joseph Benavidez has had etched in his brain since last August. You see, when the 25-year-old first locked horns with Dominick Cruz last summer, the two engaged in three of the most action-packed rounds in World Extreme Cagefighting® history. Unfortunately for Benavidez, he came up just short on that sizzling August night and was handed the first and only loss of his professional career.

On Wednesday, August 18 from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Benavidez gets another crack at Cruz. WEC officials announced today that Benavidez will challenge Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title in a hotly-anticipated summer showdown. Plus, former featherweight champion Urijah Faber makes his 135-pound debut as he takes on Japanese striking sensation Takeya Mizugaki.

This epic summer event will be held in conjunction with the MAGIC trade show, the men’s fashion industry’s premier convention – held at The Las Vegas Convention Center and The Mandalay Bay Convention Center, August 17-19.

“When Dominick and Joseph fought last August, it was one of those fights that kept you on the edge of your seat,” WEC General Manager Reed Harris said. “Now we get to see the Cruz-Benavidez rematch with even more at stake – the world title. If that wasn’t enough, we’ll get to see Urijah Faber take on Takeya Mizugaki in a fight that has the potential to be one of the best of the summer.”

Tickets for WEC: Cruz vs. Benavidez go on sale Thursday, June 17 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $246, $171, and $96. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to WEC newsletter subscribers on Wednesday, June 16 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the WEC newsletter through wec.tv. Tickets will be available at The Pearl box office, online at ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations, or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Ticket prices do not include service charges.

Cruz vs. Benavidez will be televised nationally live on VERSUS beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. All of the network’s live WEC events are presented in HD and Spanish language SAP where available. For more information and how to find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.

Arguably the most dynamic striker in the 135-pound division, San Diego, Calif.’s Dominick Cruz (15-1) prides himself on his unorthodox standup and aggressive wrestling. After defeating Benavidez last August, the 25-year-old scored a second-round TKO stoppage over previously-unbeaten Brian Bowles in March to secure the bantamweight championship. Undefeated at 5-0 since dropping to 135 pounds three years ago, Cruz expects to put on a similar performance as he did when he clashed with Benavidez last year.

“Let’s keep it real: styles make fights and both of the last two guys he has fought stood right in front of him,” Cruz said. “You can’t stand in front of him, you have to use footwork and move. Joseph can’t match my footwork and I have a reach advantage on him. That doesn’t guarantee me the win, but it allows me to dictate a lot of the fight. I fought him once and not a lot of his game has changed. He has definitely improved, as I have, every single day. But there are a lot of tricks up my sleeve that I will use against Joseph for this fight.”

Training out of the same camp as WEC stars Urijah Faber and Chad Mendes, Sacramento, Calif.’s Joseph Benavidez is coming off two of the most impressive feats in recent memory. Last December, the 25-year-old scored a phenomenal knockout victory over jiu-jitsu ace Rani Yahya. Then, just three months later, Benavidez became the first man to ever submit former bantamweight champion Miguel Angel Torres. Now, with Cruz in his crosshairs, Benavidez plans to avenge his only loss and capture the world title.

“Those are two of the main goals in my career, to win the title and avenge that loss on the same night,” Benavidez said. “He’s a tough fighter, but I’m a different fighter since I fought him last. I think he had a great night and I had a bad night, and it was still really close, so if I fight like I’m capable of I have no doubt I will come out with the victory.”

One of the top lighter weight fighters of all-time, former featherweight champion Urijah Faber has defeated some of the sport’s best names. From Jeff Curran to Jens Pulver to Raphael Assuncao, the 31-year-old served as the 145-pound kingpin for over two years. Now, “The California Kid” has his sights set on winning a championship in the loaded bantamweight division. Up first for the Sacramento, Calif. native is Takeya Mizugaki, one of the division’s most talented athletes.

“I’m excited to take this fight at 135-pounds and test myself against the best bantamweights in the world,” Faber, who owns a record of 23-4, said. “Mizugaki is really tough, but I’m ready to make an impact and work toward becoming a champion again.”

Japanese star Takeya Mizugaki burst onto the scene last year, waging a five-round war with then-champion Miguel Angel Torres. Since that time, the 26-year-old has become one of the most feared bantamweights in the world. Having defeated Rani Yahya in his last fight in January, Mizugaki (13-4-2) is prepared to rudely welcome Faber to the 135-pound weight class.

“I never shy away from tough fights, so I’m excited to fight Urijah,” Mizugaki, who holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering, said. “Urijah’s first fight in this division won’t be an easy one. I plan on beating him on Aug. 18.”

Remaining bouts for WEC: Cruz vs. Benavidez will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit www.wec.tv. Follow WEC at http://twitter.com/WEConVERSUS.

At the SPF "3 in 1" Meet at Super Training Gym in Sacramento, Becky Rich of Team Wild Iron posted the 3rd highest total in the 132's on the Powerlifting Watch raw Lifter Rankings. Here is a breakdown of how she did, as well as video of her day:

At the SPF "3 in 1" Meet at SuperTraining Gym in Sacramento on May 23rd, Mark Bell dropped to 275 and came up big. Below are video's of his lifts.

At the SPF Super Training powerlifting and bench press championships this past weekend in Sacramento, Thad Coleman (SHW) of Ventura Barbell posted the #8 ranked total on the Powerlifting Watch multi ply lifter rankings.

Now known as one of the rising stars in the UFC's middleweight division, Mark Munoz revisited his roots Saturday night in Sacramento as he was inducted into the California State Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Wednesday was a busy day as much of the post event news became available from this past weekends “WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber” event. The show took place this past Saturday night at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif. with two preliminary bouts being aired on Spike TV and the showcasing of the first ever WEC pay-per-view.

The California State Athletic Commission released the notes on the attendance totals for the event. There was a total of 12,555 paid attendees to watch the featherweight title bout between still champ Jose Aldo and challenger Urijah Faber. That many fans brought in a total of $954,635 in gate revenue.

The CSAC also released the fighter salaries which totaled $336,500 for the event, setting a WEC Record. The top earner for the evening was defending featherweight champ Jose Aldo who earned $40,000 for his victory ($20,000 to show and $20,000 for the win). Read the rest of the fighter payouts after the jump.

The CSAC also suspended 11 fighters from the event. Eight fighters were handed down six month suspensions which included main event fighter Urijah Faber, who can be cleared by a physician for his left thigh and knee. Regardless of whether or not he is cleared, Faber is suspended for a minimum of 45 days for precautionary reasons. You can view the rest of the WEC 48 fighter suspensions after the jump.

Early estimates for the ppv buys has WEC 48 looking at a between 150,000-200,000 buys for the event. Something of a success considering fans had who normally watched it for free had to be convinced to pay to see this one.

Don’t expect another PPV for the next WEC event in Edmonton, UFC/WEC president Dana White told the press it will be business as usual.

“Every time we do a pay-per-view, you’ll see my monkey ass out here. But it’s business as usual when these guys are on Versus: same announcers, same everything.”

“We’ve got to take time and really look at it and hand-pick,” White said. “We’re doing so many pay-per-views, an boxing is going to do a few a year. You’ve got Vince (McMahon of the WWE) doing a bunch of pay-per-views a year. You have to pick and choose.

“We’ve got great partners with Versus and Comcast for the WEC. We know what we’re doing. We’ll do the right thing.”

Check out the full list of payouts and fighter suspensions after the jump.

The full fighter payouts include:

Jose Aldo: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Urijah Faber: $28,000

Ben Henderson: $26,000 (includes $13,000 win bonus) def. Donald Cerrone: $14,000

Manvel Gamburyan: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus) def. Mike Brown: $21,000

Scott Jorgensen: $21,000 (includes $10,500 win bonus) def. Antonio Banuelos: $7,000

Shane Roller: $28,000 (includes $14,000 win bonus) def. Anthony Njokuani: $7,000

Leonard Garcia: $28,000 (includes $14,000 win bonus) def. Chan Sung Jung: $5,000

Anthony Pettis: $8,000 (includes $4,000 win bonus) def. Alex Karalexis: $10,000

Brad Pickett: $8,000 (includes $4,000 win bonus) def. Demetrious Johnson: $3,000

Chad Mendes: $8,500 (includes $4,000 win bonus) vs. Anthony Morrison: $4,000

Takeya Mizugaki: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Rani Yahya: $9,000

Tyler Toner: $5,000 (includes $2,000 win bonus) def. Brandon Visher: $4,000

As always these numbers don’t include fight bonuses (such as fight of the night, ko of the night or submission of the night), sponsorships, or any other unofficial payments nor do they deduce such expenses as insurance and taxes.

Fighter Suspensions:

Urijah Faber suspended for 6 months (minimum 45 days for precautionary reasons) unless cleared by a physician for his left thigh and knee.

Mike Brown is suspended for 45 days for precautionary reasons.

Leonard Garcia is suspended for 6 months, or until medically cleared for a possible right hand fracture.

Chan Sung Jung is suspended for 6 months, or until medically cleared for a right distal ulna shaft fracture, as well as a two month suspension for facial lacerations.

Antonio Banuelos is suspended for 6 months, or until medically cleared for a possible nasal fracture.

Scott Jorgensen is suspended for 6 months, or until medically cleared for a possible left metacarpal fracture.

Anthony Pettis is suspended for 6 months, or until medically cleared for a fracture in his right foot.

Bradd Picket is suspended for 6 months, or until medically cleared fora left clavicle fracture.

Rani Yahya is suspended for 60 days unless cleared by a physician for a left eye laceration.

Demetrious Johnson is suspended for 6 months, or until medically cleared for a dislocation and fracture of his right thumb.

Brandon Visher is suspended for 45 days for precautionary reasons.

HT: MMAjunkie.com

The California State Athletic Commission medically suspended 11 fighters
from this past weekend's World Extreme Cagefighting event, "WEC 48:
Aldo vs. Faber."

The event took place April 24 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif., and
the main card aired on pay-per-view. Two of the evening's preliminary
bouts were also aired on Spike TV.

Among those suspended was headlining fighter and former champ Urijah
Faber, who sustained several vicious kicks to his left thigh in the
course of his featherweight title bout with current champion Jose Aldo.

WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo took a huge leap in being recognized as one of the sport’s pound for pound most gifted athletes this past weekend with a one-sided beating of Urijah Faber at WEC 48. The budding mixed martial arts phenom is without a doubt “the next big thing” in mixed martial arts, but sadly, his paycheck currently doesn’t reflect his talent level.

“The featherweight doesn’t pay very much, but I don’t fight for money,” said Aldo in a recent conversation with Tatame.com. “If I did so, I would be screwed. I fight for me, for my family and my team. I go up there focused on this, it doesn’t matter how much money I’ll make of it.”

When asked his thoughts following the recent pummeling of former WEC champ Urijah Faber in The California Kid’s hometown of Sacramento, Aldo claimed to be numb to it all, stating, “I don’t feel anything, my career is just beginning. It was my first belt’s defense. Everybody used to say that to be a champion I would have to defend my title and so I did. I still got a lot to train and to learn, just when the time goes by I’d be able to understand things better, but I’m just starting. I want to practice more and learn… I want to go back to Brazil, spend some time there on Bahia with Luis Carlos (Dórea) working on my boxing.”

And when talk turned to a possible match-up against the likes of former UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn in the near future, Aldo was quick to point out that he was in no rush to do anything too crazy. As good as he is, Jose knows better than anyone that he’s still a work in progress.

“I don’t think about it, I’m focused on my current category, I don’t think of changing categories now,” said Aldo in regard to a move up in weight to possibly challenge Penn in a superfight. “I can do this fight, but first I have to maintain and build a solid career on this weight. It was my first belt’s defense… BJ is a great champion, has defended his belt several times, it’s a tough fight, but first I have to keep my good spot on this category and then I’ll think of weight changing.”