This tournament will follow a Double Elimination process for divisions with four or more competitors. If/when you lose a match you will be inserted into the Consolation Bracket to compete for 3rd place. The competitors that continue in the Winners Bracket who make it to the Championship Round will be competing for 1st and 2nd place. Two person divisions will compete best 2 out of 3. If there are no other competitors registered in your division you may be placed in another division as long as you and/or your coach has agreement. Team Points will not be awarded for divisions with 1 competitor.

California State University, Dominguez Hills
1000 E. Victoria Street
Carson, California 90747
MAP

More information on the official site.

The buy rate for “UFC 111: St. Pierre vs. Hardy” did approx. 770,000 PPV buys and did very well in Canada.

A much anticipated fight for the UFC welterweight title had champion Georges St. Pierre defend his title against British striker Dan Hardy. The interest in seeing one of the best mma fighters would have definitely pushed the PPV numbers and it should be no surprise that the numbers in Canada were high. GSP has been named athlete of the year, he’s signed a couple of big sponsorship deals with Underarmour and Gatorade. The French Canadian has so many fans throughout the world, that any card he’ll fight on will always draw big numbers.

Updated UFC 111 numbers look to be coming in at around 770,000 buys. With Georges St. Pierre as the headliner, the numbers were strongest in Canada, as the top per capita markets were Halifax, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa. Montreal, Hamilton, Saskatoon, St. John’s, Windsor, Kingston, Burlington (Ont), Regina and Victoria, all Canadian markets. The top U.S. markets were Honolulu, Las Vegas, Sacramento, Seattle, Newark and Denver.

As a contrast, the biggest markets for WrestleMania the next day per capita were Guadalajara, Monterrey (Mexico, not California), Mexico City, Phoenix, Delhi, India, Lima, Peru, Marseille, France, Toronto, New York and Santiago, Chile. We still don’t have Mania numbers, but it looks like UFC beat them in the U.S., which is one that I figured would be close, and that’s still not a definite, just trending patterns show UFC 111 well ahead of Mania in the U.S.

In Canada, UFC killed.

But WrestleMania was far stronger internationally. Montreal is usually not a strong UFC PPV market. It’s a strong live event market, but that’s because a strong percentage of those at a Montreal show actually come from Ontario. It shows St. Pierre’s local fame has grown by a big margin in the past year.

A couple of notes on the numbers courtesy of MixedMartialArts.com.

Note: The PPV estimates are incomplete and still subject to change. We’ve posted the reports to give you an idea of the events progress with the cable companies.

Note II: Interesting that Seattle was one of the top markets, again, for the UFC. White has openly said he’d like to take a show there in the next 12 months and I’d expect that to come sooner, rather than later, if these market reports continue to produce such good results in that market.

HT: f4wonline.com via mixedmartialarts.com.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The 24 mixed martial arts fighters all made weight for the historic STRIKEFORCE: Challengers fight card tomorrow/Friday, Feb. 26 on SHOWTIME® (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) at the San Jose Civic Auditorium.

In the main event, unbeaten Sarah Kaufman (10-0) of Victoria, British Columbia and Takayo Hashi (12-1) of Tokyo, Japan, will collide in the first-ever STRIKEFORCE women’s world 135-pound (welterweight) championship. The eagerly awaited matchup is scheduled for five, 5-minute rounds.

Other fights on SHOWTIME (all slated for three, 5-minute rounds): Trevor Prangley (22-5) vs. Karl Amoussou (11-2-1) at 185 pounds; Luke Rockhold (6-1) vs. Paul Bradley (12-1) at 185 pounds; James Terry (7-1) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (7-2) at 170 pounds; and Raul Castillo (6-0) vs. Yancy Medeiros (4-0) at 185 pounds.

Tickets for the first STRIKEFORCE Challengers event of 2010, priced from $30, are on sale at The San Jose Civic Auditorium box office, Ticketmaster (800-745-3000) and online at Ticketmaster.com and STRIKEFORCE.com.

Doors will open at 5:15 p.m. PT. The first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. and the first main card bout will begin at 8 p.m.

Below is a full set of weigh-in photos courtesy of Strikeforce and Esther Lin:

What the fighters said at Thursday’s weigh-in:

SARAH KAUFMAN

“I’m excited and honored to fight for STRIKEFORCE’s inaugural 135-pound women’s title. I just want to go out there, have fun, and make it the fight of the night. Don’t miss this fight. It could be over at any moment.’’

TAKAYO HASHI

“I am very honored to fight for STRIKEFORCE on SHOWTIME for the first 135-pound title for STRIKEFORCE. I feel I am representing Japan. I want to win the title for my career path, but I really want to bring this title back to motivate the female fighters of Japan.’’

TREVOR PRANGLEY

“I feel it’s a privilege to be able to do what I do. I thank God every day for blessing me this much.’’

LUKE ROCKHOLD

“I’m happy to be healthy. It was a hard camp and I’m injury prone but my health is great and I’m ready to get out there and show it. I’ve been working on my standup and takedown defense. My kickboxing has gotten really strong. I can’t wait to show it to the world.’’

PAUL BRADLEY

“Fatigue makes cowards out of us all. You won’t see any fatigue out of this guy. I’m ready.’’

TAREC SAFFIEDINE

“I trained hard for this fight. I made a lot of sacrifices for this fight and am excited to showcase my skills and do what I’ve trained so hard for.’’

YANCY MEDEIROS

”I’m proud to be a part of STRIKEFORCE and I’m here to represent Hawaii. I’m dedicating this to my Uncle Martin and Auntie Sheila Buell. A win for them and my family means everything.’’

EDMONTON (Feb. 25, 2010)—Super Channel, Canada’s only national pay television network, is proud to air Canadian Sarah Kaufman courtesy of SHOWTIME® as she headlines the STRIKEFORCE Challengers Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event tomorrow/Friday, Feb. 26, in an effort to become the first STRIKEFORCE women’s welterweight (135 pounds) champion in history.

Kaufman (10-0, 2-0 in STRIKEFORCE), a former dancer turned undefeated MMA fighter, will fight Takayo Hashi (12-1) of Tokyo, Japan in a live HD offering on Super Channel beginning at 11 p.m. ET live from San Jose, Calif. The card also includes two middleweight (185 pounds) matchups – Trevor Prangley (22-5) vs Karl Amoussou (11-2-1), and Luke Rockhold (6-1) vs. Paul Bradley (12-1).

Though gaining respect and popularity, the sport of women’s MMA is still in its infancy. There are many firsts ahead for the athletes competing in the formative years of women’s combat sports. Nevertheless, some women have already made serious strides. One who has worked hard and attained numerous firsts is Victoria, British Columbia, Canada’s Kaufman.

At 17 years of age, Kaufman stumbled upon MMA when a school opened in the building where she was studying dance. She was supposed to meet a friend to check out ZUMA Martial Arts but the friend never showed and Kaufman went in anyway. Initially she enrolled in an aerobic kickboxing class but before long she was taking every class head instructor and BJJ black belt Adam Zugec offered.

Kaufman competed in tournaments to hone her skills and began fighting MMA professionally in 2006. Beginning her “road of women’s MMA firsts” was competing in the first women’s MMA bout held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, when she beat Alexis Davis by TKO at the Ultimate Cage Wars show in April 2007. Her bout at TKO 29 in June ‘07, where she beat Valerie Letourneau with strikes in the second round, was the first women’s bout in the promotion’s history.

Her follow-up fight that year, yet another first, was competing for and winning the first Hardcore Championship Fighting women’s bantamweight (135-pound) title. There she pounded the experienced Ginele Marquez, stopping her with strikes in the second round. Kaufman defended the title five months later, beating down Molly Helsel and scoring her seventh consecutive career victory by KO or TKO.

Kaufman made her STRIKEFORCE debut last May as a late replacement for Kim Couture (1-2, 1-1 in STRIKEFORCE) in a bout with Miesha “Takedown” Tate (8-2, 0-1 in STRIKEFORCE). In the opening round, Kaufman moved forward, landing lefts and rights and stuffing the takedown attempts of Tate to control the opening phase. In turn, Tate dominated the second period after getting an early takedown and controlling Kaufman on the mat for the majority of the round. In the third, Kaufman continued to stuff takedowns and landed a hard right hook midway through round. Kaufman dominated the remainder of the contest, landing strikes standing and on the ground, and took a unanimous decision victory.

Her second STRIKEFORCE bout last June was also her most recent “first.’’ It was the first women’s bout contested under five-minute rounds. In round 1, Shayna Baszler got an early takedown and applied a unique Josh Barnett-inspired choke but Kaufman worked hard, released the pressure and gained top position. Shayna was able to tie her up against the cage and avoid strikes in the clinch to close out the round. In the second, Baszler again worked to control in the clinch but Kaufman found the range with her strikes and began to strike effectively. Using leg kicks and superior in-and-out movement, Kaufman had her way in round 2 and closed the round with a flurry of strikes. The final round opened with Baszler’s frantic attempt to bring Kaufman to the mat. She successfully pulled guard but a follow-up sweep and subsequent kneebar attempt only led to Kaufman getting behind her and back to her feet. Kaufman’s confidence grew as she used distance effectively and flustered Baszler, tagging her at will. In the final 30 seconds, Baszler rolled for a kneebar but Kaufman stayed closed, avoided the submission and took a unanimous decision win to stay unbeaten.

At just 24 years old, Kaufman is 10-0 in a sport where many competitors don’t even have 10 fights under their belt. Now Kaufman prepares for the biggest first of her career; the STRIKEFORCE Women’s 135-pound title. She must take on a skilled grappler in Hashi. And if successful, the victory will serve as not only yet another in a long line of “firsts” but also as a historic achievement.

Press Release
NEW YORK (Jan 21, 2009)—World championship mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE will return to its roots when it brings its Challengers fight series to The Civic Auditorium in San Jose, California on Friday, February 26. Topping the card will be a middleweight (185 pounds) contest between wrestling powerhouse Trevor Prangley (22-5) and Karl Amoussou (11-2-1).

Undefeated power puncher Sarah Kaufman (10-0) will challenge Japan’s Takayo Hashi (12-1) in the first STRIKEFORCE women’s world bantamweight (135 pounds) championship matchup in history while Luke Rockhold (6-1), one of MMA’s brightest up and comers, will take on Paul Bradley (12-1) at middleweight.

Tickets for the first STRIKEFORCE Challengers event of 2010, priced from $30, go on sale at 10 a.m. PT tomorrow/Friday, January 22 at The San Jose Civic Auditorium box office, Ticketmaster (800-745-3000) and online at Ticketmaster.com and STRIKEFORCE.com.

Since 1993 when STRIKEFORCE was founded as a kickboxing series, The San Jose Civic Auditorium has played host to numerous events produced by the organization that more recently emerged a leading promoter of MMA contests.

Prangley, a former national wrestling champion for South Africa who ventured to The United States years ago in order to further his wrestling career, will put on the line a five fight win streak that began with his unanimous judges’ decision victory over Anthony Ruiz during STRIKEFORCE’s event at the world famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, California on September 20, 2008. The 37-year-old also finished as runner up in STRIKEFORCE’s four man tournament, the first sanctioned single elimination MMA event in California state history, on November 16, 2007.

The 24-year-old Amoussou, known for his devastating knockout power and unorthodox fighting style, hails from France and is an expert in Judo as well as Savate. He brings a three fight win streak with him to the STRIKEFORCE cage.

Kaufman is a 24-year-old former professional ballet dancer who stumbled upon MMA after a martial arts school opened underneath her dance studio in Victoria, Canada. Her mellow demeanor outside the cage is a stark contrast to her ferocity inside it, which has helped her knock out 8 of her 10 opponents.

In her last effort, Kaufman earned a unanimous judges’ decision over Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler during the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event at Kent Washington’s ShoWare Center on June 19, 2009.

The 32 year old Hashi of Honbu, Tokyo is a former champion of Japan’s Smackgirl MMA promotion.

Prangley vs. Amoussou tops STRIKEFORCE Challengers card in San Jose, Calif. Feb. 26

Since suffering the only defeat of her career to Hitomi Akano on August 17, 2005, Hashi has reeled off eight straight victories, including a revenge win over Akano on September 6, 2007.

In other action, James Terry (7-1) of San Jose will square off with Tarec Saffiedine (7-2) of Temecula, California in a welterweight (170 pounds) bout while Raul Castillo (6-0) of Half Moon Bay, California will face fellow unbeaten middleweight Yancy Medeiros (4-0) of Waianae, Hawaii.

San Jose Civic Auditorium doors will open for the STRIKEFORCE event at 5:15 p.m. PT. The first preliminary bout will begin at 6:00 p.m. and the first main card bout will begin at 8.00 p.m.

The live SHOWTIME® telecast of the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event will begin at 11 p.m. E.T./P.T. (delayed on the west coast).