World Championship Fighting 8

Mike Campbell rebounded from back-to-back losses that sent him packing from the WEC in the main event of WCF 8 on Saturday, defeating Mike Medrano via first-round TKO to get back in the win column.

• Mike Campbell def. Mike Medrano via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 3:12
• Hitalo Machado def. John Benoit via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 2:04
• Josh LeBerge def. Dan Bonnell TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 1:20
• Josh Key def. Luis Felix via TKO (strikes) — Round 3, 0:51
• Dennis Olsen def. Ryan Schielding via submission (armbar) — Round 1, 1:04
• Joe McGann def. Jason Dublin via unanimous decision
• John Ortolani def. Travis Lerchenvia TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 2:16
• Noah Wiseman def. Eddie Felix via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 3:38
• Saul Almeida def. Kevin Corrigan via unanimous decision
• Aniss Alhajjajy def. Brent Reed via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 2, 3:47
• Lev Kamenetsky def. Joel Ly via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 2:22
• Jim Pitner def. James Boran via unanimous decision

M-1 Challenge 2009 Semifinals
Russian Sports Palace — Rostov, Russia

Team USA East, anchored by IFL veteran Delson Heleno, defeated Team USA West on Saturday in Russia to advance to the finals of M-1 Challenge 2009, where they’ll take on Team Russia Legion, who defeated Team England to secure their spot in the championship.

USA EAST VS. USA WEST

• Ivan Jorge (USA East) def. Steve Magdaleno via unanimous decision.
• Delson Heleno (USA East) def. Fabio “Negao” Nascimento via unanimous decision.
• Gerson Dos Santos (USA East) def. Joao Asis via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 3:50
• Chuck Grigsby (USA East) def. Spencer Hooker via unanimous decision
• Shane Del Rosario (USA West) def. Lloyd Marshbanks via TKO — Round 1, 1:34

Team USA East def. Team USA West 4-1

TEAM ENGLAND VS. RUSSIA LEGION

• Yura Ivlev (Russia Legion) def. Scott Hewitt via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:54
• Magomed Shikshabekov (Russia Legion) def. Simon Phillips via submission (reverse heel hook) — Round 1, 0:15
• Ansar Chalangov (Russia Legion) def. Matt Thorpe via submission (reverse heel hook) — Round 1, 0:41
• Besiki Gerenava def. Lee Austin via unanimous decision
• Rob Broughton (England) def. Akhmed Sultanov via submission (keylock) — Round 1, 4:31

Russia Legion def. Team England 4-1

Pictured: Mike Campbell kicks Mike Madrano

The Colin Oyama-coached team took sole possession of first place following Wednesday night’s 5-0 shutout over South Korea during M-1 Challenge’s “Third Edition,” which emanated from Differ Ariake.

Lightweight David Jansen improved to 10-0 after utilizing his outstanding wrestling ability to grind out a unanimous decision victory over Nam Yui Chul (8-2), an impressive prospect who had been 8-1 coming into the fight.

The win marked Jansen’s second consecutive M-1 Challenge victory following his unanimous decision victory over Brazil’s Flavio Alvaro during the ‘09 opener on Feb. 21, 2009. In a field of 16 lightweight competitors involved with this year’s M-1 Challenge, Jansen is well on his way towards establishing himself as the competition’s top 155 pound fighter.

Jansen’s fight vs. Chul marked his first time competing in Japan, however, Jansen expressed his desire to return and has issued a public challenge to DEEP lightweight champion Katsunori Kikuno.

USA West then moved out to a 2-0 lead following Fabio Negao’s (9-4) majority decision victory over the talented Myung Ho Bae (7-4). The fight was Negao’s first bout since a unanimous decision loss to Matt Lindland at Affliction’s “Banned” event last July.

Next it was time for the middleweights, with Giva “The Arm Collector” Santana (12-1) clinching the team victory for USA West following a armbar submission win over Min Suk Heo (4-8) at 4:05 of round 1. In an incredible statistic, Santana now has 11 career wins via tapout with all of them having come via armbar.

Despite having clinched the team win, Team USA still needed to rack up additional individual victories due to the fact that it competes in a deep Group B division that includes South Korea, Brazil, and the defending M-1 Challenge champions Imperial Team.

All eyes were on Jae Young Kim (12-7) in his return to the M-1 Challenge following his stunning upset over Imperial’s Mikhail Zayats during the Feb. opener courtesy of a head kick. However, former IFL veteran and submission wrestling champion Raphael Davis (6-1) continued his evolution as a striker following a second round TKO over Kim.

Last for Team USA West was heavyweight Shane Del Rosario, who entered the ring wearing his WBC Muay Thai championship belt. The blue chip prospect also entered the contest with a perfect 5-0 record at stake but Del Rosario improved to 6-0 following a first round knockout over Doo Hee Lee (11-7).

The 5-0 shutout improved Team USA West’s record to 2-0 with a combined individual record of 8-2. The team can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Team Imperial in its next matchup, with a date between the two juggernauts yet to be determined.

In addition to Team USA West’s win over South Korea, the debuting Team England could possibly be the team to beat in Group A following its victory over host country Japan during the night’s main team challenge.

The confident Ian “M-16″ Butlin (6-8) ruffled several feathers during a Tuesday press conference in which the anointed England team leader informed the Japanese media that he and his teammates would shut out the Japanese by a 5-0 score.

Despite the bold proclamation, Butlin wasn’t too far off the mark, as England dominated Japan by a 4-1 score. In a twist of irony, it was Butlin’s first round loss to Luiz Andrada (9-6-3) that prevented the team from recording the shutout.

After promising a knockout win all week, Butlin was unable to implement his game plan as Andrada elected not to engage him in the standup and instead tapped him an armbar at 3:20 of round 1.

England then stole Japan’s momentum after Simon “The Executioner” Phillips (7-2) displayed his professional boxing skills and put the entire M-1 welterweight division on notice following his crushing 20 second knockout over DEEP and Pancrase veteran Hidehiko Hasegawa (16-12-5).

Japan then appeared to be well on its way to regaining the lead with Yusuke Masuda forcing Matt Thorpe to fight on his heels for virtually the entire first round. Despite losing the first frame, Thorpe displayed one of the basic principles of jiu-jitsu as a self defense technique by overcoming a more aggressive Masuda with a rear naked choke at 1:30 of round 2.

Following his teammate’s lead, Tom Blackledge (8-6) also used a rear naked choke to clinch a team victory for England after submitting Tatsuya Mizuno (5-5). However, Blackledge differentiated his win from Thorpe’s by showing shades of Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg and utilizing a standing choke en route to victory.

In addition to having his teammates support him at ringside, Blackledge was also cornered by former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Jackson, a well-known figure in Japan thanks to his successful tenure in PRIDE, returned to the country in order to support Blackledge, his good friend and training partner at the Wolfslair Academy in London.

Looking to fortify its standing as the early leader of Group A, British heavyweight Rob “Godzilla” Broughton (9-4-1) displayed excellent ground skills for a big man during his unanimous decision victory over Yusuke Kawaguchi.

For Broughton, the win over Kawaguchi marked yet another notch on his belt when it comes to defeating rising heavyweight prospects. In addition to holding a win over British up-and-comer Martin Thompson, Broughton now can boast that he was the first man to inflict a loss onto Kawaguchi’s record, who previously had been 8-0.

While Team England’s next fight has yet to be finalized, officials with M-1 Global and Cage Warriors are currently working towards bringing a 2009 M-1 Challenge event to England.

The 19-bout M-1 Challenge Japan event also featured a superfight between Karl “Psycho” Amoussou and IFL veteran Kazuhiro Hamanaka, an M-1 Challenge Group A team matchup between France vs. Spain, and a special sparring exhibition between WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko and WAMMA lightweight champion Shinya Aoki.

While Amoussou’s countrymen suffered a 3-2 defeat to Spain, he lifted his former teammates’ spirits with a brilliant flying knee knockout victory over Hamanaka just 23 seconds into their fight with the capacity crowd rising to their feet.

The Japanese crowd displayed even more emotion during Fedor and Aoki’s public sparring session, which was advertised locally as a “special super exhibition.” With no scoring in effect, the encounter between the two undisputed world champions resembled a training session that you might see inside of a fight gym. The only difference was that nearly 1,000 spectators were on hand to watch the two square off while donning Gis.

Fedor utilized his strength advantage to send Aoki soaring with several Sambo throws. At one point, Aoki played to the crowd and removed his Gi in jest and attempted a flying armbar on Fedor. With both fighters pressing each other well less than 100 percent, the two smiled for much of the session and embraced after the final bell had sounded. The video of the session will air free of charge on a video-on-demand basis starting on Monday, May 4 at www.M-1Global.com and www.Mixfight.ru.

Below are complete results from Wednesday’s “M-1 Challenge” event.

Preliminary

1. Featherweight (65 kg/143 lbs.): Tomoaki Ueyama def. Takayuki Hosakawa via TKO (punches) at 2:51 of round 1.

Team France vs. Team Spain

2. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Jose Luiz Zapater Aguirre (Spain) def. Makhtar Gueye (France) via DQ (illegal kick) at 1:21 of round 3.

3. Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Abner Lloveras (Spain) def. Gael Grimaud (France) via three-round split decision.

4. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Christophe Dafreville (France) def. Rayco “Kakin” Romero Silva (Spain) via submission (Anaconda choke) at 2:48 of round 1.

5. Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Christian Mpumbu (France) def. Enoc Solbes (Spain) via submission (armbar) at 4:59 of round 1.

6. Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Rogent Lloret (Spain) def. Soufian Elgarne (France) via submission (Anaconda choke) at 2:44 of round 1

Spain Defeats France via 3-2 score

Preliminary

7. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Kosuke Umeda def. Muneyuki Sato via unanimous decision.

USA West vs. South Korea (best-of-five series)

8. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): David Jansen (USA West) def. Yui Chul Nam (S. Korea) via unanimous decision.

9. Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Fabio Negao (USA West) def. Myung Ho Bae (S. Korea) via majority decision.

10. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Giva Santana (USA West) def. Min Suk Heo (S. Korea) via submission (armbar) at 4:05 of round 1.

11. Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Raphael Davis (USA West) def. Jae Young Kim (S. Korea) via TKO (punches) at 3:45 of round 2.

12. Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Shane Del Rosario (USA West) def. Doo Hee Lee (S. Korea/103 kg) via KO (head kick) at 2:27 of round 1.

USA West Defeats South Korea via 5-0 score

Superfight

13. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Karl Amoussou (France) def. Kazuhiro Hamanaka (Japan) via KO (flying knee) at 0:23 of round 1.

Special Super Exhibition

14. Fedor Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Shinya Aoki (Japan): Match was conducted as a sparring exhibition with no scoring.

Japan vs. England (best-of-five series)

15. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Luiz Andrada (Japan) def. Ian Butlin (England) via submission (armbar) at 3:20 of round 1.

16. Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Simon Phillips (England) def. Hidehiko Hasgawa (Japan) via KO at 0:20 of round 1.

17. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Matt Thorpe (England) def. Yusuke Masuda (Japan) via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:30 of round 2.

18. Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Tom Blackledge (England) def. Tatsuya Mizuno (Japan) via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:22 of round 1.

19. Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Rob Broughton (England) def. Yusuke Kawaguchi (Japan) via unanimous decision.

Shinya Aoki and Fedor Emelianenko

PRESS RELEASE — A literal parade of 38 fighters made their way through official weigh-ins on Tuesday at the Pearl Kasai Hotel in Tokyo in preparations for Wednesday’s “M-1 Challenge Presented by Affliction” event scheduled to emanate from Differ Ariake.

A total of 19 fights are planned with a scheduled local start time in Tokyo of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday’s lineup includes two preliminary fights, a Superfight between rising French phenom Karl Amoussou and IFL veteran Kazuhiro Hamanaka, M-1 Challenge team matchups featuring France vs. Spain, USA West vs. South Korea, Japan vs. England, and a special grappling exhibition between WAMMA lightweight champion Shinya Aoki and WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko.

While much of the local media in Japan is fixated on Fedor’s return to the “Land of the Rising Sun,” there is a tremendous amount of intrigue regarding Team USA West’s best-of-five series vs. South Korea. Both teams are one-and-two in the standings in Group B, with South Korea holding a slim one fight lead over the USA West team. Team USA West will not only have a chance to close the gap but also take a resounding leading in the division.

Despite defeating Team Brazil Naja by a score of 3-2 during the 2009 M-1 Challenge opener in Tacoma, Wash. in February, Team USA West has changed three of its five members. Joining returnees David Jansen (lightweight) and Raphael Davis (light heavyweight) are welterweight Fabio Negao, middleweight Giva Santana, and heavyweight Shane Del Rosario.

According to head coach Colin Oyama, the changes to the roster were not performance-related, as Negao, Santana, and Del Rosario had all initially been planned to compete in the opener but were unavailable for various reasons.

“The changes had nothing to do with the guys that we had,” Oyama began to respond when asked about his team’s roster makeover. “This was the original team we had planned on. Shane Del Rosario had an injury and we had to bring in a replacement. Negao had also competed at middleweight and needed additional time to get down to 170. Giva also had other obligations. So the five you will see in this event are the original five guys we intended to start with.”

Del Rosario is a former WBO Muay Thai champion who is 5-0 in MMA. A veteran of EliteXC’s ShoXC series, he will look to improve to 6-0 when he faces South Korea’s Doo Hee Lee. For Rosario, he considers it an honor to represent his home country on foreign land.

“I’m flattered to be able to represent my country,” said Del Rosario. “Last year we were winless and coming into this year a lot of teams thought they were going to walk all over us. We proved them wrong after winning our first fight and I see us being in St. Petersburg (Russia) in the championship final.”

Del Rosario is not the only member of Team USA West who will have a perfect record on the line vs. South Korea. Team Quest’s Jansen improved to 9-0 with his stunning win over Rio Heroes veteran Flavio Alvaro during the ‘09 opener. Set to face Yui Chul Nam, Jansen was candid in admitting that he is feeling some pressure in trying to retain his perfect record.

“There is some pressure. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t,” he remarked.

But pressure doesn’t appear to be too big of an issue for Jansen, as he is already making plans for his next fight. Wednesday will mark his first time competing in Japan, but he would like to return again and challenge DEEP lightweight champion Katsunori Kikuno.

“I don’t speak a whole lot of Japanese but I do know how to say one phrase: Kikuno itai meni kaketekoi, which basically means ‘Kikuno, if you want to feel pain, bring it on!’”

First, Jansen must get past Nam in order to have a chance at garnering a shot at Kikuno. The Matt Lindland-trained Jansen doesn’t seem too concerned about the challenge that lies ahead.

“I’m looking forward to this fight. He’s a big striker but he telegraphs his strikes and comes out very aggressive. I think that’s going to play into my takedown game. He’s going to throw looping punches but look for me to throw straight punches. I’m going to take him down and clobber him. It’s clobbering time!”

Even more confident than Jansen is all of Team England, which will be making its M-1 Challenge debut against host country Japan. In fact, lightweight Ian Butlin promised during the pre-fight press conference held at the 21 East Hotel earlier in the day that the Brits will defeat the Japanese 5-0.

Bold remarks are nothing new for Butlin, who has proclaimed himself the best lightweight fighter in all of England.

“I don’t call myself the best lightweight fighter in England – I am the best lightweight in England,” Butlin stated without hesitation. “All the guys that say they’re the best, stand up and fight me! Just don’t talk about it! Get in there and do it! I’m sick of fighters pulling out that are supposed to fight me. I’m the best lightweight in the U.K. – that’s right! Because I’m not just looking to submit you, I’m looking to knock you the [expletive] out!”

Butlin will have to back his proclamation of being England’s top lightweight on Japanese soil when he takes on Luiz Andrada, a long-time veteran of DEEP with notable wins over Shinobu Miura, Yusuke Suzuki, and Kosuto Umeda, along with a draw against current DEEP lightweight champ Kikuno.

Against Andrada, Butlin is hoping to wow the crowd with a brawl for the ages.

“A lot of people say they want to fight a striker like me and then they try to take it to the ground,” he said. “These grapplers think they can [expletive] tap me but they’re the ones that [expletive] tap like a little girl when I punch them in the [expletive] head!”

Opening the event will be a Group A battle between Team France, led by blue chip light heavyweight prospect Christian Mpumbu, and Team Spain, which boasts heavyweight Rogent Lloret as its top gun.

The live stream of the event will be available for non-U.S. residents at www.Mixfight.ru with full coverage for U.S. fans at www.M-1Global.com. The Fedor vs. Aoki exhibition will not be available during the live stream of the event and will instead premiere on a video-on-demand basis on Monday, May 4 at both www.Mixfight.ru and www.M-1Global.com.

Complete weigh-in results and lineups for tomorrow’s event are listed below:

Preliminary

1. Featherweight (65 kg/143 lbs.): Takayuki Hosakawa (65 kg) vs. Tomoaki Ueyama (64.6 kg)
2. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Kosuke Umeda (69.9 kg) vs. Muneyuki Sato (69.9 kg)

Team France vs. Team Spain

3. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Makhtar Gueye (France/70 kg) vs. Jose Luiz Zapter Aguirre (Spain/69.2 kg)
4. Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Gael Grimaud (France/75.9 kg) vs. Abner Lloveras (Spain/75.9 kg)
5. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Christophe Dafreville (France/84 kg) vs. Rayco Romero Silva (Spain/83 kg)
6. Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Christian Mpumbu (France/92.6 kg) vs. Enoc Solbes (Spain/90.8 kg)
7. Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Soufian Elgarne (France/115 kg) vs. Rogent Lloret (Spain/104 kg)

Superfight

8. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Karl Amoussou (France/83.9 kg) vs. Kazuhiro Hamanaka (Japan/83.9 kg)

Special Super Exhibition

9. Fedor Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Shinya Aoki (Japan)

USA West vs. South Korea

10. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): David Jansen (USA West/69.9 kg) vs. Yui Chul Nam (S. Korea/70 kg)
11. Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Fabio Negao (USA West/76 kg) vs. Myung Ho Bae (S. Korea/75.8 kg)
12. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Giva Santana (USA West/83.7 kg) vs. Min Suk Heo (S. Korea/83.8 kg)
13. Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Raphael Davis (USA West/92.9 kg) vs. Jae Young Kim (S. Korea/92.7 kg)
14. Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Shane Del Rosario (USA West/109 kg) vs. Doo Hee Lee (S. Korea/103 kg)

Japan vs. England

15. Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Luiz Andrada (Japan/71.2 kg) vs. Ian Butlin (England/69.9 kg)
16. Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Hidehiko Hasgawa (Japan/76.6 kg) vs. Simon Phillips (England/75.9 kg)
17. Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Yusuke Masuda (Japan/83.8 kg) vs. Matt Thorpe (England/82.9 kg)
18. Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Tatsuya Mizuno (Japan/91.2 kg) vs. Tom Blackledge (England/93.3 kg)
19. Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Yusuke Kawaguchi (Japan/105 kg) vs. Rob Broughton (England/120 kg)

But on Wednesday, April 29 at Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan, Team England will make its much anticipated debut during the 2009 “M-1 Challenge presented by Affliction.”

At the helm the England’s first foray into the M-1 Challenge is Andy Lillis, the Director of Warrior Promotions, the parent company of the U.K.-based Cage Warriors MMA promotion. Lillis also helps manage top British fighters such as UFC welterweight Dan Hardy, top prospect Jim Wallhead, and Rosi Sexton, the number one-rated 125 lbs. female fighter, according to the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts.

“I think (the M-1 Challenge is a) great concept and I think the British fighters and fans will embrace it with open arms,” said Lillis. “England has a history of getting behind our national teams and I know the guys are looking forward to fighting in Japan, as they have always wanted to fight out there.”

Lillis has assembled an elite-level group of five fighters in hopes of bringing the 2009 M-1 Challenge Championship Cup back to England. But England’s road to the title will not be easy, as it resides in Group A, a four-team division that also includes Spain, France, and Japan.

Set to welcome Team England into the M-1 Challenge will be Team Japan, with both teams sets to collide against each other during the third edition’s headline attraction on April 29. Lillis believes that while Team England is in for a challenge that the roster he’s put together has enough talent to win.

“I don’t think fighting Team Japan on their own patch will bother them or will negatively affect them as they are really up for the Challenge,” he said. “(The team) has a lot of belief in their own abilities and have been holding regular joint training sessions amongst themselves and other Warriors Promotions Fight Management fighters and other top U.K. talent. A lot of people are backing the team and we hope this support will grow in the future.”

Selected to represent the England at lightweight is Ian “M-16″ Butlin, a strong prospect with deep roots in amateur boxing. Butlin is not short on confidence as he has gone on record to proclaim himself England’s number one lightweight fighter.

Butlin’s proclamation has generated its fair share of critics, who point to his 6-7 record as evidence why his claim is not a valid one. However, Butlin has never taken an easy fight and has increased his training schedule as he prepares to issue his critics a response on April 29 when he takes on Luiz Andrade of Team Japan.

Representing the England at welterweight is Simon Phillips, one of the U.K.’s most decorated amateur MMA fighters. In addition to a sterling 16-1 record, Phillips won four major titles while competing on the amateur circuit. Since turning pro, he has accumulated an impressive 6-2 record with notable wins over Cage Rage veteran Sami Berik, kickboxing champion Zbigniew Kroll, and Lee Doski.

No stranger to wearing gold as an amateur, Phillips has also won a title as a pro. Facing Lewis Barrow during Fightzone 3 on Dec. 8, 2007, he claimed the promotion’s welterweight title after submitting Barrow with a triangle choke just 3:18 into the fight. Phillips will bring his strong Judo background to Japan when he takes on Hidehiko Hasegawa.

King of the Cage U.K. veteran Matt “12 Gauge” Thorpe will represent his home country in the M-1 Challenge as its designated middleweight. Also a veteran of the Cage Warriors and BodogFIGHT promotions, Thorpe, 10-7, holds a notable winner over Cage Rage veteran Che Mills, who recently tried out for Team U.K. during the current ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter reality television show.

Thorpe, who once suffered a split decision loss to Hardy, will be put to the test again when he faces Japan’s Riki Fukuda. Fukuda, 14-4, recently improved his win streak to four following his upset victory over former EliteXC middleweight champion Murilo “Ninja” Rua at DREAM.8 earlier this month.

At light heavyweight is eight-year pro MMA veteran Tom Blackledge. Blackledge currently trains at the prestigious Wolfslair Academy under TUF 9 U.K. coaches Mario “Sukata” Neto and Dave Jackson. While in the gym, Blackledge is able to call upon current UFC fighters such as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Michael Bisping, Cheick Kongo, and Paul Kelly as training partners. He is ready to help his team start out the M-1 Challenge right as he looks to take out Japan’s Tatsuya Mizuno.

Standing 6′3” and weighing over 265 pounds, Rob Broughton will perhaps rate as the biggest heavyweight to compete in this year’s M-1 Challenge when he debuts for Team England on April 29 vs. up-and-coming Japanese heavyweight Yasuke Kawaguchi.

Broughton, 8-4-1, has been fed a steady diet of Britain’s top heavyweights and has defeated them all. The talented wrestler’s impressive resume of wins includes victories over former PRIDE star James Thompson, current UFC heavyweight Neil Grove, retired Cage Rage standout Robert “Buzz” Berry, rising prospect Martin Thompson, and multi-time Cage Rage champion Ryan Robinson. He also made headlines at Cage Rage 18 on Sept. 30, 2006 when he submitted professional boxer Eric “Butterbean” Esch in the second round with punches.

Subtitled “Third Edition,” the April 29 M-1 Challenge event will feature a total of 30 fighters representing six countries in three head-to-head matchups resulting in a total of 15 fights. In addition to host country Japan facing the debuting Team England, the event will also feature Team USA West battling Team South Korea for supremacy in Group B along with a Group A matchup featuring Team France and Team Spain.

The third edition will also include a bonus superfight featuring French phenom Karl Amoussou, who will be taking on an unnamed opponent.

Full standings and results from the current season also available at www.M-1Global.com as well with the complete head-to-head fight card lineup consisting of the following:

Japan vs. England (best-of-five series) -

• Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Luiz Andrade (Japan) vs. Ian Butlin (England)
• Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Hidehiko Hasgawa (Japan) vs. Simon Phillips (England)
• Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Riki Fukuda (Japan) vs. Matt Thorpe (England)
• Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Tatsuya Mizuno (Japan) vs. Tom Blackledge (England)
• Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Yasuke Kawaguchi (Japan) vs. Rob Broughton (England)

USA West vs. South Korea (best-of-five series) -

• Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): David Jansen (USA West) vs. Yui Chui Nam (S. Korea)
• Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Fabio Negao (USA West) vs. Myung Ho Bae (S. Korea)
• Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Giva Santana (USA West) vs. Min Suk Heo (S. Korea)
• Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Raphael Davis (USA West) vs. Jae Young Kim (S. Korea)
• Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Shane Del Rosario (USA West) vs. Doo Hee Lee (S. Korea)

France vs. Spain (best-of-five series) -

• Lightweight (70 kg/154 lbs.): Makhtar Gueye (France) vs. Jose Luiz Zapter Aguirre (Spain)
• Welterweight (76 kg/167.2 lbs.): Farouk Lakebir (France) vs. Jose Beltran (Spain)
• Middleweight (84 kg/184.8 lbs.): Christophe Dafreville (France) vs. Rayco Zebenzui Romero Silva (Spain)
• Light Heavyweight (93 kg/204.6 lbs.): Christian Mpumbu (France) vs. Enoc Solbes (Spain)
• Heavyweight (+93 kg/204.7-plus lbs.): Soufian Elgarne (France) vs. Rogent Lloret (Spain)

Fedor, who defeated Sylvia via submission just 36-seconds into the opening round, has been suspended for 180 days due to a right hand injury and Sylvia has also been suspended for 180 days due to a left elbow injury.

Fighters can be cleared for competition early by a doctor and both “Banned” headliners will need early clearance as Emelianenko is set to take on Andrei Arlovski in the main event of Affliction 2 on October 11th and Sylvia is also expected to compete on the card.

Vitor Belfort and Mike Whitehead also received 180 day suspensions.

The ten-bout card aired on pay-per-view and FSN.

Here is the complete list of medical suspensions issued by the CSAC:

• Fedor Emelianenko (defeated Tim Sylvia) — Suspended for 180 days due to a right hand injury.
• Tim Sylvia (defeated by Fedor Emelianenko) — Suspended for 180 days due to a left elbow injury.
• Ben Rothwell (defeated by Andrei Arlovski) — Suspended for 60 days due to an ear laceration.  Minimum 45 day suspension with no contact for 30 days due to a TKO loss.
• Pedro Rizzo (defeated by Josh Barnett) — Suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to a KO loss.
• Mike Whitehead (defeated by Renato “Babalu” Sobral) — Suspended for 180 days due to a left hand injury.
• Fabio “Negao” Nascimento (defeated by Matt Lindland) — Suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
• Edwin Dewees (defeated by Antonio Rogerio Nogueira) — Suspended for 180 days due to an undisclosed injury. Minimum 45 day suspension with no contact for 30 days due to a TKO loss.
• Vitor Belfort (defeated Terry Martin) — Suspended for 180 days due to an undisclosed injury.
• Terry Martin (defeated by Vitor Belfort) — Suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to a KO loss.

For more on Affliction “Banned” click here.

The ten-bout event took place on Saturday, July 19th, at The Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Main event winner Fedor Emelianenko took home $300,000 for his 36-second knockout of Tim Sylvia, who received $800,000 for the first-round loss. Other notable salaries for the event included Andrei Arlovski, who earned $750,000, Ben Rothwell, who received $250,000, Josh Barnett, who took home $300,000, and Matt Lindland, who also earned $300,000.

“Banned” had a paid attendance of 11,242 and a total attendance of 14,832 for a live gate of $2,085,510.

The disclosed payroll for the event was $3,321,000.

The salaries listed below represent the official fighter salaries as reported by the promoter to the CSAC and do not include some bonuses, fees, or sponsorships.

Fedor Emelianenko def. Tim Sylvia
Emelianenko — $300,000 (no win bonus)
Sylvia — $800,000

Andrei Arlovski def. Ben Rothwell
Arlovski — $750,000 (includes $250,000 win bonus)
Rothwell — $250,000

Josh Barnett def. Pedro Rizzo
Barnett — $300,000 (no win bonus)
Rizzo — $70,000

Mark Hominick def. Savant Young
Hominick — $10,000 (includes $5,000 win bonus)
Young — $7,000

Renato “Babalu” Sobral def. Mike Whitehead
Sobral — $90,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus)
Whitehead — $50,000

Matt Lindland def. Fabio Negao
Lindland — $300,000 (includes $75,000 win bonus)
Negao — $20,000

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Edwin Dewees
Nogueira — $50,000 (no win bonus)
Dewees — $15,000

Mike Pyle def. JJ Ambrose
Pyle — $20,000 (includes $5,000 win bonus)
Ambrose — $5,000

Vitor Belfort def. Terry Martin
Belfort — $140,000 (includes $70,000 win bonus)
Martin — $30,000

Paul Buentello def. Gary Goodridge
Buentello — $80,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
Goodridge — $25,000

Ray Lamaza vs. Justin Levens – Canceled due to time constraints
Lamaza — $3,000
Levens — $6,000

For a complete recap of Affliction “Banned” click here.

The ten-bout event took place on Saturday, July 19th, in front of a sold out crowd of 13,988 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Sylvia came out punching at the opening of the bout but just seconds in Emelianenko floored Sylvia with several quick-but-powerful punch combinations. On the ground Fedor continued the barrage, pounding on Sylvia before sinking in hooks and securing a rear naked choke that forced Sylvia to tap out just 36 seconds into the championship contest.

Emelianenko, long-regarded as the best heavyweight but doubted over the strength of his opponents, was crowned the first-ever WAMMA heavyweight champion following the first-round submission victory while Sylvia looks to regroup after dropping his second straight bout and third of his past four.

“You never know how short or long the fight will be, but I just wanted to end it as quickly as possible. I just wanted to show the fans my skills,” said Fedor following the victory. “I would be very honored to fight Randy Couture.”

“I was amazed at how good he is. The guy’s a stud. I don’t think he’s human. He’s incredible. I don’t think anybody’s going to beat him for a while,” remarked Sylvia following the defeat.

Former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski displayed superior striking in his matchup with IFL standout Ben Rothwell, stopping his opponent with a right-uppercut combination early in the third round to earn the knockout victory.

“I think they got their money’s worth tonight. I did a lot of work on my boxing,” said Arlovski following the knockout win. “I want to fight Fedor, Josh or anybody Affliction chooses.”

Following a slow first round between Josh Barnett and Pedro Rizzo the pace picked up in the second as both fighters were content to trade. Barnett connected with a vicious left hook that dropped Rizzo to the canvas and finished him off with several more shots on the ground before Referee Herb Dean halted the bout at 1:44 of the second.

After a paced opening frame featherweight Mark Hominick submitted Savant Young via armbar at 4:25 of the second.

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Renato “Babalu” Sobral was victorious in his return, defeating Mike Whitehead via unanimous decision by utilizing crisp and accurate striking.

Matt Lindland overwhelmed Fabio Negao to earn a unanimous decision victory with scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 30-26.

“He was so damn tough. He was the real deal,” said Lindland of his opponent following the bout.

As expected, heavy favorite Antonio Rogerio Nogueira stopped Edwin Dewees with a combination at 4:06 of the opening round.

Vitor Belfort stopped Terry Martin in the second round of their middleweight contest with a flying knee followed by an uppercut-left combination that collapsed Martin into the ropes.

Paul Buentello was unable to finish off late replacement Gary Goodridge but did enough to earn a unanimous decision victory.

Mike Pyle defeated JJ Ambrose with a rear naked choke at 2:51 of the opening round.

A scheduled bout between Ray Lamaza and Justin Levens was canceled due to time constraints but both fighters were paid their base salary as well as a bonus.

QUICK RESULTS

Former PRIDE heavyweight champion and top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko took on former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in the “Banned” main event. Andrei Arlovski vs. Ben Rothwell, Josh Barnett vs. Pedro Rizzo, Mike Whitehead vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral, and Matt Lindland vs. Fabio Negao were also featured on the main, pay-per-view card while Terry Martin vs. Vitor Belfort and Gary Goodridge  vs. Paul Buentello were featured on a preliminary Fox Sports Net broadcast.

Continue reading for MMAFrenzy.com’s live coverage of Affliction “Banned”…

QUICK RESULTS

• Fedor Emelianenko def. Tim Sylvia via submission – Round 1, 0:36
  WAMMA Heavyweight Championship
• Andrei Arlovski def. Ben Rothwell via KO – Round 3, 1:13
• Josh Barnett def. Pedro Rizzo via KO – Round 2, 1:44
• Mark Hominick def. Savant Young via submission – Round 2, 4:25
• Renato “Babalu” Sobral def. Mike Whitehead via unanimous decision
• Matt Lindland def. Fabio Negao via unanimous decision
• Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Edwin Dewees via TKO – Round 1, 4:06
• Mike Pyle def. J.J. Ambrose via submission – Round 1, 2:51
• Vitor Belfort def. Terry Martin via KO – Round 2, 3:12
• Paul Buentello def. Gary Goodridge via unanimous decision
• Ray Lazama vs. Justin Levens

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia
Emelianenko via submission, round 3.

To me this is a pretty simple pick. Fedor will definitely have respect for Sylvia’s punching power, and will likely only stand and trade with the much taller opponent for a short while. Fedor will shoot for a takedown here and there but will probably get stuffed while Sylvia is still at full strength in the opening rounds. Ultimately, however, Fedor will be able to secure the takedown and from there, will keep Sylvia neutralized until he inevitably makes just the smallest mistake on the ground which will leave him open for who knows, maybe an armbar, choke, knee bar, heel hook- your choice. I see Fedor locking in the sub somewhere in the third round.

Andrei Arlovski vs. Ben Rothwell
Arlovski via TKO, round 2.

Ben Rothwell has size and some good power but has never faced anyone the likes of Andrei Arlovski, and I doubt it will take long for the Belarusian to take Rothwell out of his comfort zone. Rothwell does have decent stand up but it’s not nearly as fine tuned as Arlovski’s, and I really can’t see Rothwell finishing this fight on the ground either, despite his wrestling pedigree. Basically, I just don’t see a big advantage for Rothwell anywhere in this fight. Normally I’d say Arlovski would look for a submission but since he’s so taken with striking these days, I’m going to say TKO in the second round.

Josh Barnett vs. Pedro Rizzo
Barnett via submission, round 2.

A long time rematch in the making, Josh Barnett and Pedro Rizzo met over seven years ago at UFC 30 when Rizzo knocked “The Babyface Assassin” out cold. Of course Barnett was only 23 years old at the time and now Rizzo, 34, is but a mere shadow of his former self. Rizzo still has some good fight in him and I don’t want to count him out completely, but I think Barnett is too smart to lose this one. As much as I suspect Barnett would like to K.O. Rizzo, I’m sure he will respect Pedro’s greatest strength, which is still his striking, and take things to the ground as fast as humanly possible. Rizzo is by no means defenseless on the ground but he is facing Josh Barnett, a man famous for using his strength and expertise to keep opponents in a bad position until a sub ultimately sinks in- which is exactly how I see it happening to Rizzo some time in the second round.

Mike Whitehead vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral
Sobral via unanimous decision

I don’t see either fighter being able to finish this fight. Whitehead might look for a knockout punch early on but Sobral will inevitably take it to the ground in hopes of a submission. Sobral has top notch jiujitsu but Whitehead, in addition to being physically strong, is wise to the submission game as well, and will likely be able to stay out of harms way for the duration of the bout. I see Sobral maintaining top position for a while and grinding out a decision victory.

Matt Lindland vs. Fabio Negao
Lindland via submission, round 2

Quite the mismatch here. Negao might be ready for a guy like Lindland some day, but not this Saturday. Lindland just has worlds more experience and we’ve seen how easily he can control opponents on the ground. Negao’s wrestling and submissions are decent, but I doubt it will be enough to handle a seasoned grappling veteran like Lindland. Unless Lindland gets caught with a well timed shot to the button, I forsee him securing some kind of choke in the second round.

Terry Martin vs. Vitor Belfort
Belfort via knock out, round 3.

This is a tough pick with so many variables. Years ago I would say Belfort wins via total annihilation, but who knows if we will see the Belfort of old or the new and unimproved Vitor. We also don’t really know how well Belfort will perform in his new weight class. Will the drop to 185 hurt his power? Will he go to the ground or remain confident in his stand up? It’s anyone’s guess. I speculate Martin will look to out-box Belfort and in doing so, over extends himself on a power shot that gets countered big time. I say Vitor scores the knock out in the third round.

UFC Fight Night 14

Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin
Silva via TKO, round 3.

Silva should win this one but it won’t be as easy as some are speculating. Irvin is very strong and if timed correctly, could really hurt Silva with a nice power shot. But Silva is a technician and will likely be too smart for all that. Silva moves very well and should be able to avoid any bombs Irvin tosses out, while slipping in his own pesky counter shots. I see James Irvin getting frustrated after missing with his punches, and I feel it will only be a matter of time before Silva catches him in the plum and unloads his patented brand of knees, elbows and punches that fans have come to know so well. I have Silva scoring the TKO in the third round.

Brandon Vera vs. Reese Andy
Vera via knock out, round 1.

Bit of a squash match here. I ask you, who is Reese Andy? I have found one clip of him online from an IFL fight and it didn’t really help me all that much. Looking at his record, I can’t say Andy is more likely to strike or grapple since most of his bouts have gone to a decision. This has to be a convincing win for Vera, he doesn’t have a choice. If Vera loses or even wins a boring decision against a UFC newcomer known only to few, if any, his credibility, popularity and ranking will shoot even further down the proverbial ladder. I’m picking Vera via knock out in the first round because it’s such a must win for “The Truth.”

Hermes Franca vs. Frank Edgar
Franca via submission, round 3.

This is the match I speculate will be fight of the night. Edgar is a very talented wrestler but Hermes Franca is bigger, stronger, and better versed in submissions. Edgar however is mighty quick and has the crisper stand up, so he could look to drop his opponent before Hermes decides to shoot for the takedown. Unfortunately for Edgar, I don’t think he will be able to hold off the ground attack forever and will ultimately succumb to a submission some time in the third round.

Cain Velasquez vs. Jake O’Brien
Velasquez via TKO, round 2.

Another tough one to pick due to the fact that Velasquez has only had three professional fights, and O’Brien has never defeated anyone terribly notable, save for a decision win over Heath Herring back in ’07. This match is a real wild card, but if I had to choose I would say Velasquez via TKO simply because that’s how he’s managed to win all three of his other bouts thus far.

CB Dollaway vs. Jesse Taylor
Taylor via TKO, round 2.

I don’t see this one staying on the feet very long, as both of these guys feel most confident in the wrestling department. Sooner than later the fight hits the ground where the stronger Jesse Taylor obtains mount and begins throwing down some ground and pound. Let’s say…round 2.