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| Date Posted: Monday, July 19, 02:05 PM PST |
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Jake Shields will be fighting Martin Kampmann for his debut in the UFC. The fight will be taking place on October the 23rd with the winner being next in line to face GSP for the UFC welterweight title. |
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| Date Posted: Thursday, July 15, 09:26 PM PST |
| Shields will fight at 170 |
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Jake Shields will be debuting at the 170lbs weight division in the UFC. After careful consideration and consulting with UFC representatives it was determined Jake would be finally going back to his original fighting weight.
Jake's opponent is one of the UFC's top contenders and will be announced shortly. |
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| Date Posted: Tuesday, July 13, 10:54 PM PST |
| David Mitchell Stays Undefeated |
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Rising star, David Mitchell, defeated another would be challenger and defended his Tachi Palace Championship belt to become an impressive 11-0 in professional MMA.
Mitchell is a stand out student under David Terrell and a member of the Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance, (the Graciefighter branch in Santa Rosa, California).
With 9 submission wins and only 2 of his fights having gone to decision, Mitchell and fellow team mate and Bellator Champion, Joe Soto, have done us proud. |
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| Date Posted: Thursday, July 1, 12:47 AM PST |
| Shields No Longer in Strikeforce |
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Wednesday, June 30, 2010
by Loretta Hunt (lhunt@sherdog.com)
Strikeforce released its middleweight champion, Jake Shields, from his contract with the organization on Wednesday, according to an industry source with direct knowledge of the negotiations.
The 31-year-old Shields had been in a final-phase “matching period” of his recently completed contract with the San Jose, Calif.-based promotion, which allowed him to receive bids from other organizations, including the UFC, that Strikeforce could review and match in order to keep his services. However, the source said Strikeforce waived that contractual right in its final 2-3 weeks and opted to release the Cesar Gracie fighter altogether before the period expired.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed to Sherdog.com that the promotion informed Jack Shields, the fighter’s manager and father, of the release on Wednesday. Coker would not comment further on the decision.
“In the conversation we had today, they said they felt that Jake was leaning towards the UFC. Honestly, we were talking to them with an open mind, though Jake wants to fight the best,” said the elder Shields. “Between Strikeforce and EliteXC, Jake had the chance to fight on Showtime and CBS four or five times against some top fighters like Dan Henderson and Robbie Lawler. Strikeforce gave him great opportunities and exposure. They’ve been nothing but great for Jake.”
Shields, who successfully defended his title against former Pride Fighting Championships champion and UFC middleweight Henderson on April 17 in Nashville, Tenn., opted to not negotiate a renewal contract with Strikeforce prior to the bout. The fighter’s contract, which was originally drawn up by Pro Elite and purchased by Strikeforce after the short-lived fight organization went bankrupt in October 2008, also did not contain a standard “champion’s clause,” which could have placed stipulations on Shields’ renegotiations while he remained a titleholder.
Prior to news of the release, Jack Shields told Sherdog.com that he submitted the fighter’s asking price to the UFC on Wednesday and was awaiting an initial bid from the rival promotion to pass onto Strikeforce for review. The elder Shields said he submitted figures for a series of bouts he thought requisite if his son fought the top contenders in both the UFC’s welterweight and middleweight divisions.
Shields said his son would like to debut as a UFC middleweight, possibly against champion Anderson Silva, as welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre will be tied up with “The Ultimate Fighter” reality TV series and a pending bout with rival coach Josh Koscheck later this year.
“We didn’t come to agreement with Strikeforce, but Jake’s excited to challenge himself against the likes of Anderson Silva and others in the UFC,” said Shields.
In recent weeks, Strikeforce’s Coker had said the promotion had initial plans to hold a four-, eight-, or even 16-man tournament to crown a new champion if Shields vacated.
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| Date Posted: Sunday, June 27, 12:57 PM PST |
| Team Graciefighter 3-0 at Strikeforce |
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Bret Bergmark, Yancey Medeiros and Bobby Stack were all victorious at last night's Strikeforce in San Jose, California. Stack started the evening off with a split decision win over Derrick Burnsed from Uriah Faber's camp.
Next up was Yancey Medeiros who was debuting as a Graciefighter team member. Medeiros pulled off the most dramatic knockout of the night when he dropped Gareth Joseph early in the 2nd round.
Bret Bergmark completed the team shutout when he methodically dismantled previously unbeaten, Vagner Rocha, for a unanimous decision victory.
Team Graciefighter has become the dominant MMA team in Northern California and in the Strikeforce organization. |
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| Date Posted: Tuesday, June 22, 10:27 PM PST |
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1) Bret "The Angry Hick" returns to the cage after an extended layoff to face Vagner Rocha in Strikeforce this Saturday.
2) Yancy Medeiros to fight Gareth Joseph in Strikeforce. Medeiros is currently 8-0 and the first ever Hawaiian Graciefighter team member.
3) Roy Boughton has returned from Montreal, Canada where he defeated top Canadian Light-heavyweight prospect, Misha Cirkunov. Cirkunov has been touted as Canada's best grappler, having defeated BJJ blackbelt Andre Gusmao enroute to winning the Blackbelt Pan Ams. Despite less than a week's notice, Boughton stepped up and won, upping his record to 4-0 with all victories coming in less than a 3 month span.
4) Ricardo Almeida to arrive at the Graciefighter Academy this month to begin his training for his fight with Matt Hughes. |
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| Date Posted: Tuesday, June 8, 12:46 AM PST |
| Roger Gracie Wins Worlds...Again |
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(Yes 4 Brazilians collaborating still can't write in English but you get the meaning)
By Guilherme Cruz
Collaboration Samira Bonfim, Monte Massey and Eduardo Ferreira, directly from
California
Seven-time weight champion, three-time absolute champion: Roger Gracie became the greatest fighter in all history of Jiu-Jitsu. On an impeccable performance, Roger suffered only four points during the whole competition, and submitted all of his opponents, except Ricardo Demente, who he confronted on the weight finale. Rômulo Barral’s injury made things easier for the black belt, who did not have to fight the finale to become the absolute champion.
“I see people from all gyms closing up the finales, but this is a sport, I don’t like doing that. If you compete for a medal, I don’t see why you can abdicate your right to fight. You’re not killing the guy, you’ll just fight with him”, said Roger, making it clear he would confront Barral on weights finale. Being the one with more titles won, Gracie does not think about stopping: “I’m not retiring… That’s just the beginning”. Gracie was brilliant and conquest 10 titles on the black belt category.
WHO CAN STOP ROGER GRACIE?
This is the question everybody’s trying to answer after watching closely another brilliant and perfect performance of Roger Gracie. Suffering only four point during the whole championship, Roger submitted all his opponents on his way to the finale, when he confronted Ricardo Demente. Just so you can understand Roger’s sovereignty, he was the only one who made Roger fight the whole 10 minutes, and lost with the scoreboard pointing 13x2 for Gracie. “There’s no secret… It’s all about dedication, believing in yourself and have goals”, resumed Roger, who won his seventh title on the division. Does anybody know who the favorite is for World 2011?
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| Date Posted: Saturday, May 29, 04:22 AM PST |
| Diaz and Gracie Win in Japan |
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Nick Diaz defeated Hayato Sakurai by submission (armbar) late in the 1st round of their fight at Dream. After exchanging strikes and takedowns, Diaz set up a textbook armbar to submit the Japanese MMA icon.
Ralek Gracie defeated Sakuraba in a 3 round unanimous decision by dominating the legendary fighter on the ground. The "Gracie Hunter" found himself on bottom for all 3 rounds where he was out positioned and out struck. |
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| Date Posted: Friday, May 28, 06:59 PM PST |
| Diaz, Sakurai Make Weight |
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Nick Diaz and Hayato Sakurai both made weight and now await their anticipated showdown. After arriving in Japan Diaz was asked to cut an additional pound and a half for the bout.
The fight was originally agreed to take place at 170lbs, (Diaz is a Strikeforce Rep and Champion at 170lbs).
Diaz, however, took the news in stride and worked feverishly to shed the added weight. He actually over cut and weighed in at 167.5 pounds. |
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| Date Posted: Thursday, May 27, 10:39 AM PST |
| Diaz: Sakurai Is Better Than Gomi & Aoki |
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Wednesday, May 26, 2010
by Loretta Hunt (lhunt@sherdog.com)
Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz believes Hayato Sakurai still has some fight in him and wants whatever the Japanese legend can dish his way. The outspoken Cesar Gracie fighter faces “Mach” at Dream 14 this Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, part of a talent trade between the Japanese and U.S. promotions.
Sakurai, who began a hefty double-digit career in Shooto in 1996, is one of the standout fighters of his generation. A veteran of Deep and Pride Fighting Championships, the 34-year-old Sakurai even graced the Octagon at UFC 36 in March 2002, losing a fourth-round stoppage to then-champion Matt Hughes.
Sakurai’s career includes a lengthy 14-fight win streak, as well as three consecutive victories against Dream lightweight champion Shinya Aoki (who he bested a second time in April 2009), former UFC champion Jens Pulver, and top-ranked Joachim Hansen.
In recent times, Sakurai dropped his last two outings to Dream welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis and showman Akihiro Gono, leading some to believe the Japanese fighter’s best days might be behind him.
The 26-year-old Diaz is banking on Sakurai returning to old form.
“I think he’s a lot better than Takanori Gomi and the other Japanese fighters,” said Diaz. “He’s a lot better than Shinya Aoki. He beat him twice, so you’re not going to count this guy out now, are you?”
The non-title fight, which has been nearly a year in the making between the two promotions, will be held in Dream’s “White Cage,” a modified structure built from a material primarily used for Japanese tuna fishing, rather than the traditional steel or aluminum. Diaz, who fought for Dream once before in 2008, told Sherdog.com that the matchup is one that excites him.
“At the same time, though, I want to fight the best Sakurai. I don’t want to fight ‘old, washed-up Sakurai,’ as some might refer to him,” said Diaz. “He’s a Japanese superstar and I want to fight him at his best.”
Stateside, Diaz has been sidelined due to his involvement in an in-cage brawl that erupted following his teammate Jake Shields’ career-topping unanimous decision over Dan Henderson at Strikeforce “Nashville” on April 15 in Tennessee. The Tennessee Athletic Commission issued Diaz, who was licensed as a cornerman that night, and five others a formal complaint following the incident. Potential disciplinary action, which could include suspensions and/or fines, is pending. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has said the promotion will not re-book those cited until the TAC concludes its investigation and any potential suspensions are fulfilled.
Once Diaz does get back in play for the San Jose-based promotion, he believes Strikeforce will have difficulties finding him a strong challenge in his own weight division.
“They’ve got heavier guys than me,” said Diaz, who earned the Strikeforce title with a first-round TKO over Dream counterpart Zaromskis last January. “That’s the only thing that’s going to get people’s attention is if I’m fighting somebody either bigger than me or better than me and all they have is bigger than me.” |
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| Date Posted: Wednesday, May 12, 06:44 PM PST |
| Nathan Diaz Agrees to Marcus Davis Fight |
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Nathan Diaz has agreed to fight Marcus Davis on the August 28th Boston UFC show. This fight is not yet official as contracts have not been signed, however both camps have verbally agreed. |
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| Date Posted: Thursday, May 6, 01:33 PM PST |
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Coming off of a 5 round destruction of Japanese superstar Shinya Aoki, Gilbert Melendez proved that he deserves respect. In fact it is the chase for that respect and the determination to be the best that has fueled Gilbert’s recent tear through all comers at 155. In a recent exclusive interview with BJPenn.com, Gilbert got down to the foundation of what drives him as a fighter.
“I’m motivated to be number 1 fighter in the world,” Melendez stated. “I always say what’s on my mind and right now I want to go out there and challenge myself against the very best in the world no doubt about it.”
When Melendez was asked about the current rankings and the top ranked status that has eluded him for so long he replied,
“There are a lot of rankings that just don’t seem right to me. I’ve been in this business a long time and some of those things are off. I feel it’s not what you did in your last fight but what you have done overall. I still feel that BJ is number 1 in the division without a doubt, but I know I’m up there as well. I beat Aoki who was considered to be the number 2 guy in the world by most rankings and now I feel I’m at least top 3. I still have a lot to prove but that’s how it’s always going to be.”
Melendez is coming off of a year where he avenged the only two losses of his career. The first came against Japanese fighter Mitsuhiro Ishida in a fight that Melendez ended in stylistic fashion with a TKO stoppage in the second round. The second was of course the dominating defeat of then title-holder Josh Thompson to regain his lightweight crown.. When asked how it feels to have those losses avenged Melendez had this to say.
“It feels awesome. I thank Scott Coker for getting those rematches for me and he managed to get them both within a year which is insane. I feel I’m back where I left off when I beat Kawajiri who was rated top 3 in the world and now I’m ready to go forward and challenge myself against the very best that’s out there.”
Recent speculation has Melendez seeking out a matchup with former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez. When I asked Gilbert about the possibility of this fight coming to fruition he seemed uncertain but excited that it was a fight Scott Coker could put together.
“I don’t know for sure but last I checked Eddie had a contract with Pro Elite and Strikeforce bought out Pro Elite so possibly they owe Scott Coker a fight. I’m prepared to make the fight and go champion vs. champion. I would love to fight Eddie Alvarez. I feel he is definitely one of the better guys outside of the UFC so I would love to make that happen.”
When it comes to loyalty it is hard to find a fighter more loyal that Gilbert Melendez. He is loyal to his team, his family, friends and his organization. When the inevitable question arose as to whether Gilbert would ever consider another fighting in another organization he replied.
“If it comes to it I would look outside of the organization because it's always something that's on my mind. Don’t get me wrong, I love Scott Coker, he’s been very good to me and to be honest I could see myself spending my entire career in Strikeforce, but if it came to it I have to see it for what it is…business. I am a UFC fan…in fact the UFC is what got me into doing what I am doing today so it’s always something that is on mind and it’s something that I am willing to consider. I love Scott Coker both in business and as a friend but at the end of the day business is business.”
After the Aoki fight Melendez is taking some time off in order to prepare for an addition to his family. When asked how he was preparing for fatherhood and how it would change his focus as a fighter.
“I am a family guy man,” Melendez replied. “My father manages me, my girl does my PR and I’m always asking my family for advice. I’m a family man it means a lot to me to be a father. With me it goes family and friends first and fighting second so when you look at this way I’m already a rich man. With a baby girl on the way it will keep me focused on what I have to get done.”
Gilbert’s teammate at Cesar Gracie Fight Team Nick Diaz is preparing for an upcoming bout later this month. What started off as a few words of encouragement for Nick ended up showing a bit of the fire that has become a trademark of the man they call El Nino.
“I have tremendous faith in my friends and I think it’s going to be a great matchup. When Jake beat Dan Henderson it was “oh Henderson is old” and when I beat Shinya they said “oh he was overrated”, then Nick smashed Frank Shamrock they said “Frank should have retired” but when he stopped Zaromskis it was more of the “overrated” talk. I feel all of the guys on my team that kick ass get this overrated talk. Maybe it’s just that the guys on my team (Cesar Gracie Team) are just badass you know what I mean? People are going to have to see that eventually and when Nick puts the smash on Hayato Sakurai then I have a feeling Nick is finally going to get some of the “pound for pound” recognition that he deserves.”
Melendez carried the topic further as he turned the attention to the reaction he received after dominating Japanese superstar Shinya Aoki.
“I don’t know what I had to do against Aoki for people to have seen it any different. I feel I dominated him and maybe I should have stayed in and let him almost tap me out a few times? I don’t know? I knew that was going to happen. I knew if I fought a perfect game plan and did what I knew I could do, people would say that Aoki sucked and I didn’t deservet the credit.”
Of all the things that make Gilbert Melendez a tremendous fighter and champion, he says it’s his fans that make it all worthwhile. His fan base is growing daily and it is the fans that have stuck by him through thick and thin that makes Melendez feel a special connection to them.
“It’s been a long run for us. The people who had love for me before I became popular, to the people who had love for me when I became popular, when I failed and lost a couple of times and they are still by me now. I have a lot of love for my fans man and I feel that I have a closer connection to my fan base than most fighters do with theirs. I love my fans for that.”
Towards the end of the interview Melendez took a moment to thank to BJPenn.com for taking the time and also shouted out a few of his sponsors.
“I feel honored to be on BJ’s site. I was more than happy to take the time man. I would also like to shout out Dethrone Royalty. Metal Mulisha, Rockstar, Full Tilt, EA Sports, Kelly Auto Body and my whole team. I’d like to thank my original team “The Skrap Pack” and my current team of Nate Diaz, Nick Diaz and Jake Shields. I’ma lucky man for sure.”
- By Duane Finley, MMA News contributor for BJPENN.COM.
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| Date Posted: Sunday, May 2, 01:16 AM PST |
| Nick Diaz, Unleashed in the East |
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Nick Diaz has begun preparations for his upcoming showdown against Hayato Sakurai in Dream. This fight will be closely scrutinized in Japan where the Japanese fans anxiously await a big win from one of their own against a top American fighter.
In fact, Sakurai has personally asked that the fight be held in a cage with three 5 minute rounds to prove that he can win in the same element the Americans are accustomed to.
"Mach" first witnessed Diaz's unique fighting style when he sat ringside at Pride 33. There he saw Diaz submit Gomi in an upset that sent shockwaves through the Japanese MMA scene. That fight marked the beginning of the end for Pride and the beginning of a decline that has not yet abated for Japanese MMA.
Dream and Japan now look for Sakurai to pull off the upset against Diaz.
In Sakurai's way lies the technical and ferocious warrior that is Nick Diaz, a Cesar Gracie Blackbelt on the ground with the standup of a demonic machine. Diaz will soon arrive in Japan and whether it be in a ring or a cage, he will be taking no prisoners. |
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| Date Posted: Friday, April 23, 02:10 PM PST |
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Ben Fowlkes
MMA trainer Cesar Gracie said he had an easy decision to make when he first heard that Japan's top lightweight, Shinya Aoki, wanted to train with his squad following a loss to Gilbert Melendez at Strikeforce last weekend.
Gracie, who said Aoki reached out to him via a third party about training at his northern California gym, said he sees it as more than just a chance to help out a colleague. To him, it's a chance to help improve the quality of Japanese MMA in general and pay back a family debt.
"My take on it is, it goes back to the origins of jiu-jitsu and how I got into this art, how my family got into it through the Japanese back in Brazil. I've noticed that Japan is not faring too well lately as a whole in the MMA game," Gracie told MMAFighting.com. "To me it feels almost like a chance to give back a little bit and help the MMA game in Japan. A lot of people are making light of it, how the Japanese have just been getting smashed when they come over here and face American competition. They're a few years behind and I think people realize that. So I said yeah, he should come over and train."
Leading up to the event, Aoki framed his bout with Melendez as a definitive clash to determine whether American or Japanese MMA was superior. The lightweight title fight turned into a one-sided affair, with Melendez battering Aoki on the feet and avoiding his dangerous submissions game on the mat with relative ease.
Gracie said Melendez's performance, as well as the victory by fellow team member and Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields in the main event, convinced Aoki to request some training time after returning home following the event.
"He was very humble in defeat and he was very impressed with Gilbert, with his strategy in the fight, and with our camp in general. You know, we had Shields beat a bigger guy in [Dan] Henderson that same night, so he had commented on how he was impressed with that. When I heard he wanted to come out, I said he's welcome to come out here. I think he'd have a good time training and he could bring that knowledge back to Japan."
Of course, big wins on the night weren't all the Gracie team made headlines for in Nashville. They also played a pivotal role in the brawl that closed out the CBS broadcast following the main event, as Shields and Melendez joined Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz and UFC fighter Nathan Diaz in a chaotic fracas involving Jason "Mayhem" Miller during a post-fight interview.
Gracie said there won't be any formal sanctions from Strikeforce or from the UFC, though he did acknowledge that UFC president Dana White called Nathan Diaz to express his displeasure with the fighter's involvement.
more at mmafighting.com |
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| Date Posted: Thursday, April 22, 10:40 PM PST |
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1) Team Graciefighter adds first Hawaiian to it's fold of fighters. Yancy Medeiros is now an official team member.
2) Nick Diaz set to spar Chuck Liddell next week to prepare Liddell for Rich Franklin
3) Nathan Diaz to remain at 170lbs for next fight.
4) Cesar Gracie accepts Aoki Shinya's request to train at Team Graciefighter. Invites more Japanese fighters to make the trip.
5) Team Graciefighter tops the world with 4 World Champions in major organizations. Jake Shields, Nick Diaz, Gilbert Melendez (Strikeforce) and Joe Soto (Bellator) propel our team to #1. |
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