MMAFrenzy.com » Gilbert Yvel

Quick Hits: Horodecki Likely to Sign With WEC, Curran’s Strikeforce Debut Set for Nov. 7, Lawler Expects December Fight, and More

Justin H — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:23:58 +0000

Lightweight Chris Horodecki is expected to sign with the WEC very soon, according to his trainer Shawn Thompkins. If the deal goes through, the 22-year-old Canadian would enter the organization with a 13-1 record, having suffered his only loss to Ryan Schutlz in the IFL.
Jeff Curran’s next fight will not come under the WEC banner after four consecutive losses in the organization, but will instead be on the undercard of the November 7 “Fedor vs. Rogers” event after “The Big Frog” recently signed a two-fight non-exclusive deal with the promotion. Curran is also expected to compete in his own XFO promotion on December 5th against Tomohiko Hori.
Robbie Lawler is expected to return to action in December, though no opponent has been finalized. MMA Fanhouse reports that Lawler has been offered both Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Nick Diaz as possible opponents for the Strikeforce event, but that Lawler’s manager, Monte Cox, is opposed to the idea of Lawler fighting Souza.
Sean Salmon has been issued a one-year administrative suspension, and fined $2,500 by the Ohio Athletic Commission due to comments in a September column for MMAJunkie.com in which he hinted that he may have intentionally given up a submission in a June fight against Allan Weickert, which took place in Ohio.
Middleweight combatant Xavier Foupa-Pokam is will headline the next edition of Tachi Palace Fights on December 3rd against California based fighter Mike Moreno. He is also scheduled to compete this coming Saturday in Edmonton, Alberta-based Aggression MMA’s inaugural event, where he will look to rebound from his 0-2 stint in the UFC against Chester Post, a fighter with a record of 6-17-1. Other bouts on the Aggression MMA fight card include Jason Lambert vs. Matt Horwich, Travis Fulton vs. Jason Fairn, and Cyrille Diabate vs. Marcus Hicks among others.
Australian MMA Verteran James Te Huna is expected to make his UFC debut at UFC 110 in Australia after recently signing with the promotion.
Dutch heavyweight Gilbert Yvel, under scrutiny due to his past unsportsmanlike actions, was recently granted a one-fight license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, potentially opening the door for Yvel to fight in the UFC, though there have been no reports that he’s in talks with the organization.
Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem’s manager, Bas Boon, recently stated that Overeem is looking to defend that title in late February or early March, matching the time line for his return that Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker recently laid out for his return.
Former UFC fighters Josh Burkman and Brandon Melendez will meet in the main event of “Throwdown Showdown” on November 20 in Orem, Utah.
WEC featherweight Cole Province on Friday was issued a nine-month suspension and $4,000 fine by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for anabolic steroids following his August unanimous decision win over Fredson Paixao at WEC 42, which has since been changed to a no contest.
UFC welterweight Frank Trigg recently underwent successful knee surgery, but his plans to return in early-2010 remain unaffected with Matt Serra considered a potential opponent.
Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira (18-6) is reportedly close to signing with the UFC after submitting Walter Mazurkievicz over the weekend at Jungle Fight 15.

Atencio Confirms Barnett Off “Trilogy” After Testing Positive for Banned Substance, Event Still Expected To Take Place

Kris Karkoski — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:20:07 +0000

Affliction’s Tom Atencio has confirmed to Fanhouse that, as previously reported, Josh Barnett is out of his Affliction: Trilogy headliner against Fedor Emelianenko after a pre-fight drug screening was positive for a banned substance.

“He tested positive for a banned substance,” said Atencio. “The athletic commission will not reinstate his license.”

Atencio declined to reveal what substance Barnett tested positive for and went on to say that, although the main event is no longer intact, “at this point” the event is still expected to take place.

The pay-per-view and HDNet-televised card takes place next Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California and also features Gegard Mousasi vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Vitor Belfort vs. Jorge Santiago, and Paul Buentello vs. Gilbert Yvel.

Atencio declined to comment on rumored replacements for Barnett, saying “Just look for updates. I’m working on getting the best replacement possible.”

Vitor Belfort, Bobby Lashley, Brett Rogers, and Ricardo Arona are the four opponents being considered by Affliciton as opponents for Fedor, according to Fanhouse.

[Pictured: Josh Barnett and Fedor Emelianenko]

Quick Hits: Luiz Cane Wants to Fight Rich Franklin, Bobby Lashley to Fight in September, Diego Sanchez to Get Next Title Shot, and More

Kris Karkoski — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:23:54 +0000

The MMAFrenzy.com rumors section has been completely updated. [MMAFrenzy.com/rumors]
UFC fighters Rousimar Palhares and Thiago Tavares are likely to return in the fall from injuries. [MMAjunkie]
With just one fight remaining on his current contract, Rich Franklin is ready to renegotiate with the UFC before his next fight. [MMAjunkie]
Roger Gracie will make his Strikeforce debut against an opponent to-be-named at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg on August 15.
Featherweight contender Wagnney Fabiano will fight at WEC 43 on September 2 in Youngstown, Ohio. An opponent has not yet been set. [MMAjunkie]
Bobby Lashley will next fight in September. [MMA Fanhouse]
Gilbert Yvel vs. Paul Buentello has officially been added to the fight card for Affliction: Trilogy.
Heavyweight veteran Jeff Monson has signed with Ohio-based NAAFS and will debut against Tony Sylvester at Rock N Rumble III at the Nautica Pavilion in Cleveland.
A timetable for UFC heavyweight Heath Herring’s return has not yet been set. [MMAjunkie]
Middleweight Rob Kimmons has signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC. [MMAjunkie]
Mark Hominick vs. Deividas Taurosevicius and LC Davis vs. Javier Vazquez have been booked for the HDNet-televised “Affliction: Trilogy” preliminary card
Weigh-ins for UFC 100 will take place on Friday, July 10 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, the same venue which will host the July 11 pay-per-view event. (Note: MMAFrenzy.com will be providing a live stream of the weigh-ins)
WEC lightweight contender and former champion Rob McCullough is likely to return in the “late fall” [MMAjunkie]
Diego Sanchez will get the next lightweight title shot against the winner of the August 8 matchup between BJ Penn and Kenny Florian. [Yahoo! Sports]
Ticket sales for UFC 101 on August 8 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia have surpassed 14,000 for a Pennsylviania record-breaking $3+ million live gate. [MMAjunkie]
Strikeforce will hold a press conference for the promotion’s August 15 matchup between Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos on July 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Luiz Cane wants to fight Rich Franklin. [MMAjunkie]
UFC heavyweight Antoni Hardonk thwarts a robbery in LA. [Yahoo! Sports]

[Pictured: Rich Franklin]

Note: Items without bracketed-links ([]) have either been officially announced or confirmed by MMAFrenzy.com

Ultimate Chaos Results: Lashley Dominates Sapp; Yvel, Horodecki, and Atencio Also Win

Kris Karkoski — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:38:52 +0000

Heavyweight prospect Bobby Lashley kept his undefeated record intact on Saturday, forcing Bob Sapp to submit to strikes midway through the opening round of their bout, which headlined Ultimate Chaos at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi.

The card also featured victories by notables Gilbert Yvel, Chris Horodecki, Javier Vasquez, and Affliction vice president Tom Atencio.

The results for Ultimate Chaos were:

MAIN CARD

Bobby Lashley def. Bob Sapp via submission (strikes) — Round 1, 3:17
Gilbert Yvel def. Pedro Rizzo via KO (strikes) — Round 1, 2:10
Colin Mckee def. Lance Thompson via submission (strikes) — Round 1. 4:16
Javier Vazquez def. Mark Kergosien via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 1
Chris Horodecki def. William Sriyapai via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 4:02
Waachiim Spiritwolf def. Brett Cooper via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 3:41
Tom Atencio def. Randy Hedderick via TKO (corner stoppage) — Round 2, 5:00
Brandon Harder def. John Harris via submission (arm triangle choke) — Round 2, 4:31
James Orso def. Danny Abbadi via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Drew Wallace def. Eric Graham via TKO (strikes) — Round 2
Rocky Overstreet def. Greg Maher via submission (kimura) — Round 1
Johnathon Mackles def. Shilo Pisarich via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 2
Trent Billiot def. Weldon Galle via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 2
Joey Parker def. Jim McLemore via unanimous decision

[Pictured: Bobby Lashley and Bob Sapp]

Sapp 67-pounds Heavier Than Lashley at Ultimate Chaos Weigh-Ins

Kris Karkoski — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:53:05 +0000

All 24 fighters scheduled to compete at Saturday’s “Ultimate Chaos” event in Biloxi, Mississippi, including heavyweight headliners Bobby Lashley (255) and Bob Sapp (322), successfully made weight at Friday’s official weigh-ins.

Notables Pedro Rizzo, Gilbert Yvel, Chris Horodecki, Din Thomas, and Affliction vice president Tom Atencio are also set to fight on the event’s pay-per-view main card.

The official weigh-in results for Ultimate Chaos were:

Bobby Lashley (255.4) vs. Bob Sapp (322.2)
Pedro Rizzo (243.6) vs. Gilbert Yvel (237)
Din Thomas (146.6) vs. Javier Vazquez (144.8)
Chris Horodecki (155) vs. William Sriyapai (154.8)
Brett Cooper (169.2) vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf (168.4)
Tom Atencio (160.4) vs. Randy Hedderick (159)
Danny Abbadi (174.6) vs. James Orso (173.2)
Eric Bradley (170.4) vs. Kelly Leo (168.4)
Colin McKee (174.2) vs. Lance Thompson (172)
Eric Graham (159) vs. Drew Wallace (159)
Greg Maher (265.2) vs. Rocky Overstreet (253.4)

[Pictured: Bobby Lashley and Bob Sapp, courtesy of Combat Lifestyle]

Belfort-Santiago Among Additional Bouts Announced for Affliction: Trilogy

Kris Karkoski — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:52:08 +0000

On Thursday, Affliction officially announced the majority of the lineup for its August 1 Affliction: Trilogy event, which will take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California and air live on pay-per-view and HDNet.

Trilogy is headlined by a heavyweight matchup between top-ranked Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett.

Also confirmed for the pay-per-view main card are Gegard Mousasi vs. Renato Sobral, Vitor Belfort vs. Jorge Santiago, and Paul Daley vs. Jay Hieron, as well as Paul Buentello, who is expected to take on the winner of a June 27 bout between Pedro Rizzo and Gilbert Yvel.

The fight card for Trilogy currently features:

PAY-PER-VIEW CARD

Fedor Emelianenko (c) vs. Josh Barnett
WAMMA Heavyweight Championship
Gegard Mousasi vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral
Vitor Belfort vs. Jorge Santiago
Paul Buentello vs. Gilbert Yvel-Pedro Rizzo winner*
Paul Daley vs. Jay Hieron

HDNET CARD

Chris Horodecki vs. Dan Lauzon
Ben Rothwell vs. Chase Gormley
Deividas Taurosevicius vs. TBA
Brett Cooper vs. Akbarh Arreola*
Mark Hominick vs. TBA*

PRELIMINARY CARD

Lucio Linhares vs. Mikhail Zayats
Rob Broughton vs. Jessie Gibbs

* Not officially announced

Tim Sylvia Off Affliction: Trilogy; Buentello To Fight Yvel-Rizzo Winner

Kris Karkoski — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:33:14 +0000

Tim Sylvia, who suffered a 10-second knockout loss to 48-year-0ld former boxing champ Ray Mercer on Saturday, has been removed from Affliction’s August 1st event in Anaheim, California, “Trilogy”, for precautionary reasons.

Affliction vice president Tom Atencio confirmed the news with Fanhouse on Monday, saying “It’s his second (loss) in a row, and I don’t want to take a chance on anything. The fight is less than 60 days away.”

Sylvia (24-6), who previously suffered a first-round submission loss to top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko last July, weighed in at 310 pounds for his bout against Mercer and would have needed to shed 45-pounds in less than two months to make the 265-pound heavyweight limit.

Sylvia’s opponent, Paul Buentello, will remain on the Affliction: Trilogy card, where he’s likely to meet the winner of a June 27th matchup between Gilbert Yvel and Pedro Rizzo.

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for the latest Affliction news and Affliction rumors.

[Pictured: A 310-pound Tim Sylvia (courtesy of Sherdog)]

Atencio, Rizzo-Yvel Added To June 27th MMA Event

Kris Karkoski — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:53:50 +0000

Tom Atencio

Affliction vice president Tom Atencio will return to MMA action more than four years after successfully making his debut in the sport, as he’ll appear on the June 27th MMA pay-per-view event at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi, which is headlined by Bobby Lashley vs. Bob Sapp.

MMA Fanhouse first reported the bout yesterday, with Atencio confirming he’ll be appearing on the card against an opponent to be named in a bout that’s likely to take place at 160-pounds.

Atencio (1-0) made his MMA debut in January 2005 with a decision victory over David Martinez at Total Combat 7.

Also confirmed for the card was a heavyweight bout between Pedro Rizzo (16-8) and Gilbert Yvel (35-13-1).

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for the latest MMA rumors.

Gilbert Yvel To Fight Josh Barnett at Affliction: Day of Reckoning

Kris Karkoski — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:51:19 +0000

Gilbert Yvel

M-1 Global has announced that heavyweights Gilbert Yvel and Josh Barnett will fight at Affliction: Day of Reckoning on January 24th in Anaheim, California:

M-1 Global is pleased to announce that Gilbert Yvel, one of its top heavyweight competitors, has agreed to terms on a three-fight contract with Affliction Entertainment.

Yvel will make his Affliction debut against former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett on January 24 in Anaheim, California at the Honda Center during “Day of Reckoning,” to be presented by Affliction, M-1 Global, and Golden Boy Promotions.

Despite being veterans of the now-defunct PRIDE Fighting Championships in Japan, Yvel and Barnett have never fought before with “Day of Reckoning” serving as the first-ever meeting between the two.

Yvel, 33-12-1, who is known for the strong Muay Thai skills he developed while training in his home country of Holland, has been competing in mixed martial arts since 1997. Over the years, the veteran fighter has recorded notable victories over K-1 standout Semmy Schilt, current UFC heavyweight Cheick Kongo, and former PRIDE and UFC veteran Tsuyoshi Kohsaka.

Yvel’s involvement serves to increase M-1’s contributions to the event, as M-1 contracted fighters Fedor Emelianenko and Kirill Sidelnikov are already scheduled to compete.

Fedor will be featured during the show’s main event when he defends his WAMMA heavyweight title against former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.

Meanwhile, the 19-year old fighting prodigy Sidelnikov, nicknamed “Baby Fedor,” will be making his United States debut against former UFC heavyweight title challenger Paul Buentello in an undercard bout to be televised on HDNet.

Additionally, the M-1 Challenge broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Sean Wheelock and color commentator Jimmy Smith will be calling the action during Affliction’s pay-per-view telecast. Wheelock and Smith can be seen and heard in the U.S. every Friday at 8 p.m. ET during airings of the M-1 Challenge on HDNet.

Weekend Results: Aleksander Emelianenko, Doug Marshall, and Dave Herman Score First-Round TKOs

Kris Karkoski — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:25:23 +0000

Affliction heavyweight Aleksander Emelianenko (14-3), the younger brother of WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko, posted a first-round knockout of South Korean Sang Soo Lee (10-5) on Saturday in the main event of M-1 Challenger 9 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Emelianenko earned the victory with a right hook midway through the opening round that dropped Lee to the canvas. In other notable action from the event, PRIDE veteran Gilbert Yvel stopped Alexander Timanov with strikes in the first round and Kiril “Baby Fedor” Sidelnikov defeated Jang Yong Kim via first-round TKO.
Former WEC light heavyweight champion Doug Marshall successfully made his middleweight debut on Thursday in the main event of Palace Fighting Championship 11 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California. Marshall stopped opponent Rafael Real with strikes just 69-second into the headlining bout. Also on the card, Jorge Olivera retained the PFC light heavyweight title in the co-main event, defeating challenger Isaiah Larson via third-round submission, and Erin Toughill improved her record to 8-2-1 with a unanimous decision win over Jan Finney.
Heavyweight prospect Dave Herman returned to action on Saturday, earning a TKO of Chris Guillen early in the first-round of their bout at King of Kombat in Texas.
UFC veteran Dan Christison was also victorious on Saturday, submitting Steve Banks with a kimura late in the first-round of their matchup at Intimidation Cage Fighting “Redemption”.
The Ultimate Fighter 7 cast member Paul Bradley, who was forced out of the middleweight tournament due to a skin infection, defeated fellow TUF 7 fighter Dante Rivera via TKO just 34-seconds into their bout at a Ring of Combat event at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ on Saturday.