MMAFrenzy.com » Jeff Monson

ADCC 2009 Results: Injury Gives Estima Win Over Ribeiro in Absolute Finals; Werdum Wins Division

Kris Karkoski — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:30:48 +0000

Bráulio Estima won the prestigious Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) 2009 absolute division championship on Sunday after fellow-Brazilian Xande Ribeiro suffered a fight-ending arm injury in the open-weight finals.

Estima will meet Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, who defeated Robert Drysdale on Saturday, in a superfight at ADCC 2011.

In other action, Strikeforce heavyweight Fabricio Werdum (pictured) won the +99kg division, while notables Jeff Monson, Vinicius Magalhaes, and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos all earned third-place in their respective classes.

The complete results from Sunday action at ADCC 2009 in Barcelona, Spain (via Bloody Elbow) were:

Men’s Absolute Final

Bráulio Estima (Brazil) def. Xande Ribeiro (Brazil) via arm injury

Men’s Absolute 3rd Place

Vinicius Magalhaes (Brazil) def. Gunnar Nelson (Iceland) via points (3-0) in OT

Men’s Absolute – Semifinals

Bráulio Estima (Brazil) def. Vinicius Magalhaes (Brazil) via points (7-0)
Xande Ribeiro (Brazil) def. Gunnar Nelson (Iceland) via kneebar

Men’s Absolute – Quarterfinals

Bráulio Estima (Brazil) def. Marcelo Garcia (Brazil) via rear-naked choke
Vinicius Magalhaes (Brazil) def. Chris Weidman (USA) via armbar
Xande Ribeiro (Brazil) def. Andre Galvao (Brazil) via points (3-0)
Gunnar Nelson (Iceland) def. David Avellan (USA) via rear-naked choke

Men’s Absolute Division – Opening Round

Bráulio Estima (Brazil) def. Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen (Finland) via armbar
Marcelo Garcia (Brazil) def. Bruno Bastos (Brazil) via rear-naked choke
Vinicius Magalhaes (Brazil) def. Dean Lister (USA) via referee decision
Chris Weidman (USA) def. Antoine Jaoude (Brazil) via points (3-0)
Xande Ribeiro (Brazil) def. Ricco Rodriguez (USA) via kimura
Andre Galvao (Brazil) def. Tom De Blass (USA) via points (3-0)
Gunnar Nelson (Iceland) def. Jeff Monson (USA) via points (3-0) in OT
David Avellan (USA) def. Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu (Brazil) via referee decision

Men’s +99kg (+218 lbs.) Final

Fabricio Werdum (Brazil) def. Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu (Brazil) via points (9-0)

Men’s -99kg (-218 lbs.) Final

Xande Ribeiro (Brazil) def. Gerardi Rinaldi (USA) via points (2-0)

Men’s -88kg (-194 lbs.) Final

Bráulio Estima (Brazil) def. André Galvão (Brazil) via inverted triangle

Men’s -77kg (-170 lbs.) Final

Pablo Popovich (Brazil) def. Marcelo Garcia (Brazil) via points (3-2)

Men’s -66kg (-145 lbs.) Final

Rafael Mendes (Brazil) def. Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles (Brazil) via points (3-0)

Women’s +60kg (+132 lbs.) Final

Hannette Staack (Brazil) def. Penny Thomas (USA) via kneebar

Women’s -60kg (-132 lbs.) Final

Luanna Alzuguir (Brazil) def. Sayaka Shioda (Japan) via points (3-0)

Men’s +99kg (+218 lbs.) 3rd Place Match

Jeff Monson (USA) def. Saulo Ribeiro (Brazil) def. via judges’ decision

Men’s -99kg (-218 lbs.) 3rd Place Match

Vinícius Magalhães (Brazil) def. Glover Teixeira (Brazil) via armbar

Men’s -88kg (-194 lbs.) 3rd Place Match

David Avellan (USA) def. Rafael Lovato Jr. (USA) via leglock

Men’s -77kg (-170 lbs.) 3rd Place Match

Gregor Gracie (Brazil) def. Keita “K-Taro” Nakamura (Japan) via points (10-0)

Men’s -66kg (-145 lbs.) 3rd Place Match

Ryan Hall (USA) def. Jeff Glover (USA) via points (3-2)

Women’s +60kg (+132 lbs.) 3rd Place Match

Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (Brazil) def. Rosângela Conceição (Brazil) via points

Women’s -60kg (-132 lbs.) 3rd Place Match

Hillary Williams (USA) def. Laurence Cousin (France) via points (9-0)

Men’s +99kg (+218 lbs.) Semifinals

Fabricio Werdum (Brazil) def. Saulo Ribeiro (Brazil) via judges’ decision (2x overtime)
Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu (Brazil) def. Jeff Monson (USA) via points

Men’s -99kg (-218 lbs.) Semifinals

Xande Ribeiro (Brazil) def. Vinícius Magalhães (Brazil)
Gerardi Rinaldi (USA) def. Glover Teixeira (Brazil) via points (5-0)

Men’s -88kg (-194 lbs.) Semifinals

André Galvão (Brazil) def. David Avellan (USA) via points (2-0)
Bráulio Estima (Brazil) def. Rafael Lovato Jr. (USA) via kneebar

Men’s -77kg (-170 lbs.) Semifinals

Marcelo Garcia (Brazil) def. Keita “K-Taro” Nakamura (Japan) via north-south choke
Pablo Popovich (Brazil) def. Gregor Gracie (Brazil) via points (3-0)

Men’s -66kg (-145 lbs.) Semifinals

Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles (Brazil) def. Rani Yahya (Brazil) via armlock
Rafael Mendes (Brazil) def. Leo Vieira (Brazil) via rear-naked choke

Women’s +60kg (+132 lbs.) Semifinals

Penny Thomas (USA) def. Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (Brazil) via points (-1 to -2)
Hannette Staack (Brazil) def. Rosângela Conceição (Brazil) via points

Women’s -60kg (-132 lbs.) Semifinals

Sayaka Shioda (Japan) def. Hillary Williams (USA) via armbar
Luanna Alzuguir (Brazil) def. Laurence Cousin (France) via rear-naked choke

ADCC 2009 Day 1 Results: “Jacare” Tops Drysdale in Superfight; Cyborg, Werdum, and Monson Advance to Semis

Kris Karkoski — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 20:05:33 +0000

The Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Submission Wrestling World Championship, the most-prestigious grappling tournament in the world, is taking place this weekend in Barcelona, Spain and a handful of MMA notables are in action at the event.

On Saturday, Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza defeated Robert Drysdale 2-0 on points in a featured grappling superfight, while notables Fabrico Werdum, Jeff Monson, Vinny Magalhaes, and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos all advanced to Sunday’s semifinals in their respective divisions.

Results from Saturday’s matchups as well as the schedule for the ADCC conclusion on Sunday are below (via Bloody Elbow):

Saturday, September 26 Results

Men’s +99kg (+218 lbs.) Opening Round

#1 – Fabricio Werdum (Brazil) def. Rogent Lloret (Spain) via kimura
#2 – Tomasz Janiszewski (Poland) def. Antoine Jaoude (Brazil) via points
#3 – Romulo Barral (Brazil) def. Denis Roberts (Australia) via heel hook
#4 – Saulo Ribeiro (Brazil) def. Kouji Kanechika (Japan) via points (5-2)
#5 – Jeff Monson (USA) def. Karol Bedorf (Poland) via points
#6 – Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen (Finland) def. Tom Erikson (USA) via heel hook
#7 – Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu (Brazil) def. Tom De Blass (USA) via points
#8 – Asa Fuller (USA) def. Mike Matell (Canada) via armbar

Men’s -99kg (-218 lbs.) Opening Round

#9 – Xande Ribeiro (Brazil) def. Ilir Latifi (Sweden) via points (2-0)
#10 – Radek Turek (Poland) def. Rafael Davies (USA) via points
#11 – Márcio Cruz (Brazil) def. Anthony Perosh (Australia) via points (3-0)
#12 – Vinícius Magalhães (Brazil) def. Rodrigo Cavaca (Brazil) via leglock
#13 – Dean Lister (USA) def. Andreas Olsen (Norway) via triangle choke
#14 – Glover Teixeira (Brazil) def. Vesa Vuori (Finland) via points (6-0)
#15 – Tomasz Szczerek (Poland) def. Ricco Rodriguez (USA) via poinits (4-0)
#16 – Gerardi Rinaldi (USA) def. Yoshiyuki Nakahashi (Japan) via points

Men’s -88kg (-194 lbs.) Opening Round

#17 – André Galvão (Brazil) def. Kassim Annan (France) via points (11-0)
#18 – Chris Weidman (USA) def. Daniel Tabera. (Spain) via points (19-0)
#19 – Tarsis Humphreys (Brazil) def. Igor Praporshchikov (Australia) via ref decision
#20 – David Avellan (USA) def. Trond Saksenvik (Norway) via heel hook
#21 – Bráulio Estima (Brazil) def. Yuji Arai (Japan) via rear-naked choke
#22 – James Brasco (USA) def. Gunnar Nelson (Iceland) via ref decision
#23 – Rafael Lovato Jr. (USA) def. Tom Lawlor (USA) via points (4-0)
#24 – Bruno Bastos (Brazil) def. Jorge Santiago (Brazil) via ref decision

Men’s -77kg (-170 lbs.) Opening Round

#25 – Marcelo Garcia (Brazil) def. Rodney Ellis (Australia) via guillotine choke
#26 – Kron Gracie (Brazil) def. Enrico Cocco (USA) via rear-naked choke
#27 – Marcelo “Uirapuru” Azevedo (Brazil) def. Mike Fowler (USA) via leglock
#28 – Keita “K-Taro” Nakamura (Japan) def. Milton Vieira (Brazil)
#29 – Pablo Popovich (Brazil) def. Don Ortega (USA) via rear-naked choke
#30 – Ben Askren (USA) def. Toni Linden (Finland) via arm-triangle choke
#31 – Leonardo Santos (Brazil) def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (Japan) via points (8-0)
#32 – Gregor Gracie (Brazil) def. Murilo Santana (Brazil) via points (3-0)

Men’s -66kg (-145 lbs.) Opening Round

#33 – Rani Yahya (Brazil) def. Kouhei Yasumi (Japan) via rear-naked choke
#34 – Jeff Glover (USA) def. Timo-Juhani Hirvikangas (Finland) via rear-naked choke
#35 – Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles (Brazil) def. Hiroshi “Iron” Nakamura (Japan) via armbar
#36 – Joel Tudor (USA) def. Nicolas Renier (France) via triangle choke
#37 – Leo Vieira (Brazil) def. David Marinakis (Australia) via guillotine choke
#38 – Ryan Hall (USA) def. Jeff Curran (USA) via points (5-2)
#39 – Rafael Mendes (Brazil) def. Jayson Patino (USA) via triangle choke
#40 – Justin Rader (USA) def. Baret Yoshida (USA) via points (7-0)

Women’s +60kg (+132 lbs.) Quarter-Finals

#41 – Penny Thomas (USA) def. Shanti Abelha (Denmark) via points (3-0)
#42 – Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (Brazil) def. Ida Hansson (Sweden) via points (10-0)
#43 – Hannette Staack (Brazil) def. Hitomi Hiraiwa (Japan) via armbar
#44 – Rosângela Conceição (Brazil) def. Lana Stephanac (USA) via ref decision

Women’s -60kg (-132 lbs.) Quarter-Finals

#45 – Hillary Williams (USA) def. Megumi Fujii (Japan) via rear-naked choke
#46 – Sayaka Shioda (Japan) def. Bianca Andrade (Brazil) via points
#47 – Luanna Alzuguir (Brazil) def. Ina Steffensen (Denmark) via guillotine choke
#48 – Ana Michelle Dantas (Brazil) def. Laurence Cousin (France)

#49 – 52 – Four “Special Matches” featuring non-bracketed Spanish athletes

Men’s +99kg (+218 lbs.) Quarter-Finals

#53 – Fabricio Werdum (Brazil) def. Tomasz Janiszewski (Poland) via points (3-0)
#54 – Saulo Ribeiro (Brazil) def. Romulo Barral (Brazil) via points (3-0)
#55 – Jeff Monson (USA) def. Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen (Finland) via points
#56 – Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu (Brazil) def. Asa Fuller (USA) via points

Men’s -99kg (-218 lbs.) Quarter-Finals

#57 – Xande Ribeiro (Brazil) def. Radek Turek (Poland) via armbar
#58 – Vinícius Magalhães (Brazil) def. Márcio Cruz (Brazil) via flying armbar
#59 – Glover Teixeira (Brazil) def. Dean Lister (USA) via points
#60 – Gerardi Rinaldi (USA) def. Tomasz Szczerek (Poland) via points

Men’s -88kg (-194 lbs.) Quarter-Finals

#61 – André Galvão (Brazil) def. Chris Weidman (USA) via points (4-0)
#62 – David Avellan (USA) def. Tarsis Humphreys (Brazil) via rear-naked choke
#63 – Bráulio Estima (Brazil) def. James Brasco (USA) via ref decision
#64 – Rafael Lovato Jr. (USA) def. Bruno Bastos (Brazil) via points

Men’s -77kg (-170 lbs.) Quarter-Finals

#65 – Marcelo Garcia (Brazil) def. Kron Gracie (Brazil) via mounted guillotine choke
#66 – Keita “K-Taro” Nakamura (Japan) def. Marcelo “Uirapuru” Azevedo (Brazil) via points
#67 – Pablo Popovich (Brazil) def. Ben Askren (USA) via kneebar
#68 – Gregor Gracie (Brazil) def. Leonardo Santos (Brazil) via points

Men’s -66kg (-145 lbs.) Quarter-Finals

#69 – Rani Yahya (Brazil) def. Jeff Glover (USA) via points (7-0)
#70 – Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles (Brazil) def. Joel Tudor (USA) via rear-naked choke
#71 – Leo Vieira (Brazil) def. Ryan Hall (USA) via guillotine choke
#72 – Rafael Mendes (Brazil) def. Justin Rader (USA) via brabo choke

Superfight

Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza def. Robert Drysdale via points (2-0)

Sunday, September 27 Lineup (Matches begin at 6AM ET / 3AM PT)

Men’s +99kg (+218 lbs.) Semi-Finals

Fabricio Werdum (Brazil) vs. Saulo Ribeiro (Brazil)
Jeff Monson (USA) vs. Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu (Brazil)

Men’s -99kg (-218 lbs.) Semi-Finals

Xande Ribeiro (Brazil) vs. Vinícius Magalhães (Brazil)
Glover Teixeira (Brazil) vs. Gerardi Rinaldi (USA)

Men’s -88kg (-194 lbs.) Semi-Finals

André Galvão (Brazil) vs. David Avellan (USA)
Bráulio Estima (Brazil) vs. Rafael Lovato Jr. (USA)

Men’s -77kg (-170 lbs.) Semi-Finals

Marcelo Garcia (Brazil) vs. Keita “K-Taro” Nakamura (Japan)
Pablo Popovich (Brazil) vs. Gregor Gracie (Brazil)

Men’s -66kg (-145 lbs.) Quarter-Finals

Rani Yahya (Brazil) vs. Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles (Brazil)
Leo Vieira (Brazil) vs. Rafael Mendes (Brazil)

Women’s +60kg (+132 lbs.) Semi-Finals

Penny Thomas (USA) vs. Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (Brazil)
Hannette Staack (Brazil) vs. Rosângela Conceição (Brazil)

Women’s -60kg (-132 lbs.) Semi-Finals

Hillary Williams (USA) vs. Sayaka Shioda (Japan)
Luanna Alzuguir (Brazil) vs. Ana Michelle Dantas (Brazil)

Pictured: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza

Weekend Results: Shark Fights 6, Arena Rumble, and Bitetti Combat

Kris Karkoski — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:34:26 +0000

Shark Fights 6
Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum – Amarillo, Texas

Dave Herman needed just 60-seconds to stop Don Frye on Saturday in the main event of Shark Fights 6, forcing a referee stoppage at the one-minute mark of the headliner. Gerald Harris, a cast member on the Ultimate Fighter 7, knocked out former WEC and UFC fighter Nissen Osterneck in the co-main event to with the promotion’s middleweight title.

Dave Herman def. Don Frye via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 1:00
Gerald Harris def. Nissen Osterneck via KO (punch) — Round 1, 0:46
Anthony Waldburger def. Pat Healy via decision
Ran Weathers def. Phil Cardella via KO — Round 1, 0:36
Marcus Sursa def. Isaac Villanueva via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 1, 2:06
Brian Humes def. Lance Friedenstein via unanimous decision
Anselmo Martinez def. Lorenzo Borgomeo via TKO (corner stoppage) — Round 1, 5:00
Karen Darabedyan def. Estevan Payan via TKO — Round 1, 1:20
Robert Clayton Hantz def. Tony Castillo via decision

Arena Rumble
Spokane Arena – Spokane, Washington

Veteran Jeremy Horn submitted journeyman Jason Guida in the opening round of their headlining matchup at Saturday’s Arena Rumble event. Trevor Prangley and Lyle Beerbohm were also victorious on the card, while notables Brad Imes and Terry Martin suffered defeats at the event.

Jeremy Horn def. Jason Guida via submission (arm-triangle choke) — Round 1
Trevor Prangley def. Dennis Reed via KO (punch) — Round 1
Lyle Beerbohm def. Josh Martin via TKO (strikes) — Round 1
Julio Paulino def. Terry Martin via KO (punch) — Round 3
Josh Queen def. Brad Imes via KO (punch) — Round 3

Bitetti Combat
Maracanazinho – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Ricardo Arona was victorious in his return to MMA on Saturday at Bitetti Combat, topping Marvin Eastman in the main event of the Brazil event. Paulo Filho looked unimpressive in picking up a decision win over Alex Schoenauer on the card, while Pedro Rizzo bested Jeff Monson and Murilo “Ninja” Rua stopped Alex Stiebling in other notable action.

Ricardo Arona def. Marvin Eastman via unanimous decision
Paulo Filho def. Alex Schoenauer via unanimous decision
Pedro Rizzo def. Jeff Monson via unanimous decision
Murilo “Ninja” Rua def. Alex Stiebling via TKO (strikes) — Round 1
Milton Vieira def. Luciano Azevedo via split decision
Fabio Maldonado def. Vitor Miranda via unanimous decision
Glover Teixeira def. Leonardo Nascimento via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 1
Luis Dutra def. Henrique Nogueira via TKO (strikes) — Round 1
Cassiano Tytschyo def. Fausto Black via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 1
Alexandre Pimentel def. Luciano Correa via unanimous decision

Pictured: Dave Herman

Ricardo Arona vs. Marvin Eastman Set to Headline Bitetti Combat in Brazil

Dustin Zuch — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:31:52 +0000

A light heavyweight tussle between Ricardo Arona (13-5 MMA) and Marvin Eastman (16-9-1 MMA) will headline the upcoming Bitetti Combat 4 card on Saturday. The event takes place in Rio de Janiero, Brazil and features a handful MMA notables.

MMA FanHouse confirmed the entire scheduled fight card with Bitetti Combat.

Bitetti Combat, a promotion started by UFC veteran Amaury Bitetti, will broadcast live on Brazilian network television. The entire card will consist of ten bouts. Integrated into the card are big names such as Murilo “Ninja” Rua, Jeff Monson, Pedro Rizzo, Paulo Filho, as well as the aforementioned Arona and Eastman.

Initially scheduled to fight on the card was Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who was forced to bow out of a bout with Alex Stiebling due to an ailing foot injury.

Arona is returning after a long layoff in his MMA career. This former top light heavyweight has not fought since a knockout loss to Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in April of 2007. Most know Arona from the PRIDE promotion where he was infamously slammed unconscious on his head by Quinton Jackson.

His opponent, Eastman, is coming off of a May TKO win over Aron Lofton in the MFC promotion. Despite the recent win, he is 1-2 in his previous three fights with losses coming at the hands of UFC vets Denis Kang and Drew McFedries.

Bitetti Combat 4 – Full fight card
Saturday, September 12, 2009 – Rio de Janiero, Brazil

Ricardo Arona vs. Marvin Eastman
Paulo Filho vs. Alex Schoenauer
Pedro Rizzo vs. Jeff Monson
Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs. Alex Stiebling
Luciano Azevedo vs. Milton Vieira
Fabio Maldonado vs. Vitor Miranda
Luciano Izzy vs. Alexandre Pimentel
Leonardo Lucio Nascimento vs. Glover Teixeira
Cassiano Tytschyo vs. Leandro Silva
Henrique Nogueira vs. Eduardo Pamplona

Pictured: Ricardo Arona

Quick Hits: Monson Pleads Guilty, Three Bouts Added to WEC 43, and More

Justin H — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:00:46 +0000

Jeff Monson plead guilty to charges related to spray-painting graffiti on the Washington state Capitol on Tuesday, and was forced to surrender his passport as part of a plea deal, which may force his to withdraw from several upcoming bouts abroad. [The Olympian]
Bantamweights Damacio Page and Akitoshi Tamura will meet in the cage at WEC 43 on September 2nd in Youngstown, Ohio. [Fanhouse]
Coty Wheeler and Charlie Valencia will also face off in a bantamweight bout at WEC 43. [MMAJunkie]
Richard Crunkilton vs. Dave Jansen is also set for the Versus-televised WEC 43 event. [NWI.com]
As previously rumored, Jay Hieron will replace Joe Riggs and take on Nick Diaz for the Strikeforce welterweight title at the promotion’s August 15 event. The former Affliction fighter Hieron also had a contract offer from the UFC but was forced to turn in down in part due to his commitment to EA Sport’s MMA video game. [Fanhouse]
UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman says light heavyweight prospect Jon Jones could be his next opponent. [U Weekly]
Gegard Mousasi has signed a three-fight deal with Strikeforce, with hopes of also competing on the Showtime boxing series [The Fight Network]
Tim Kennedy has quit the Army to focus on his MMA career full-time. [Army Times]
Starting with WEC 42 on August 9 featuring Miguel Torres vs. Brian Bowles, the WEC will broadcast its events for fans outside of North America to purchase online for $9.99.
A recent shoulder surgery will sideline UFC welterweight Brad Blackburn until 2010. [MMA Weekly]
DREAM 12 will take place on October 25 in Osaka, Japan.
UFC veterans Jason MacDonald and Travis Lutter will square off at MFC 22 in October.
Jorge Gurgel vs. Billy Evangelista will headline an October 25 Strikeforce Challengers event.
The WEC has signed lightweight EliteXC veteran Muhsin Corbbrey to a mutil-fight deal, with his debut to-be-determined. [MMAjunkie]
Current UFC fighter Houston Alexander and veterans Jeremy Horn and Tim Sylvia are scheduled to fight at Adrenaline IV on September 18 in Omaha, Nebraska. Alexander, who fights out of Omaha, remains under contract with the UFC, but has not fought in nearly a year and is a loser of three-straight bout, with the UFC making an exception by allowing him a tune-up fight outside of the organization. [NWI.com]

Pictured: Jeff Monson

[Kris Karkoski contributed to this post]

“Trilogy” Opponent For Fedor Not Yet Finalized; Belfort, Rogers, and Monson All Possibilities

Kris Karkoski — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:03:00 +0000

An opponent has still not been finalized to fight Fedor Emelianenko in the main event of Affliction: Trilogy, which takes place on August 1 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Emelianenko’s original opponent, Josh Barnett, was forced out of the fight yesterday after testing positive for steroids during a random pre-fight screening.

Belfort, a middleweight who was scheduled to fight Jorge Santiago on the card, has agreed in principle to fight Fedor, but other options continue to be explored.

Emelianenko’s management, maintaining that their client is open to fighting anyone, made it clear at a press conference earlier Thursday that they’d prefer a fight with undefeated Strikeforce heavyweight contender Brett Rogers, who is coming off a knockout of Arlovski. Strikeforce maintains that Rogers, and fellow Strikeforce heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum, won’t be fighting on August 1.

The latest possible opponent to appear in rumors is veteran heavyweight Jeff Monson, a Division I wrestler and Jiu Jitsu black belt, who should be in fighting shape with fights already scheduled for August 29 and September 15. Monson said earlier today that his name is “in the mix” in the pay-per-view headliner.

Affliction’s Tom Atencio stressed during a conference call with the media yesterday that rumors are just rumors until he announces a matchup, though an opponent is still expected to be officially named shortly.

[Pictured: Jeff Monson]

Quick Hits: Bitetti Combat Lineup, Lawal-Frye Booked, Marshall-Brilz at UFC 103, PFC Ceases Operations, and More

Kris Karkoski — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:35:31 +0000

Ricardo Arona vs. Marvin Eastman, Paulo Filho vs. Alex Schoenauer, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Alex Stiebling, and Pedro Rizzo vs. Jeff Monson are among the fights slated to take place at Bitetti Combat on September 12 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Light heavyweight Mike Whitehead, who cut an astonishing 80 pounds over 6 weeks to reach the 205-pound limit for his June Strikeforce victory over Kevin Randleman, will next fight at an October Strikeforce event. An opponent for Whitehead and location and venue for the event are still to-be-determined. [Fanhouse]
Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal vs. Don Frye has been signed for M-1 Global “Breakthrough”, which takes place on August 28 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. [MMAjunkie]
The UFC is reportedly in the preliminary stages of planning an outdoor event at the 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, with BJ Penn expected to co-headline the event.
The UFC will go head-to-head with boxing’s biggest stars this fall, as UFC 103, headlined by Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin 2, takes place on September 19, the same day as Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s scheduled return to action against Juan Manuel Marquez and UFC 105, slated for November 14 in the UK and likely airing free on Spike, will air opposite Miguel Cotto vs. Manny Pacquiao.
A light heavyweight bout between The Ultimate Fighter 8 cast member Eliot Marshall and Jason Brilz has been added to the rumored lineup for UFC 103. [MMAjunkie]
Palace Fighting Championship and the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California have ended their long-running relationship, with MMA Weekly indicating that the split was not amicable and that the PFC has ceased operations, but could eventually resurface under a different name. The Tachi Palace is already in negotiations to form a partnership with another promotion to hold events at the venue. [MMA Weekly]

[Pictured: Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal]

Monson, Taylor, Sanchez, and War Machine Among Winners at Total Combat 33 in Mexico City

Kris Karkoski — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:05:57 +0000

Former UFC fighters Jeff Monson, Jesse Taylor (who fights again on Monday at DREAM 10), Eddie Sanchez, and War Machine (Jon Koppenhaver), as well as TUF 9 cast member Richie Whitson were all victorious on July 11 at Total Combat 33, which took place in Mexico City.

Monson submitted Jimmy Ambriz in the first-round in the evening’s headliner, with Taylor and Sanchez also picking up first-round submissions of Ruben Barboza and Vince Lucero respectively. War Machine went to the third-round before submitting Erik Montano, while Whitson submitted Emiliano Vatti in the opening round.

Complete results for Total Combat 33 are available at Sherdog.

[Pictured: Jeff Monson]

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

DREAM 8 Results: Hayato “Mach” Sakurai KOs Shinya Aoki in Headliner

Kris Karkoski — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:35:23 +0000

Hayato “Mach” Sakurai needed just 27-seconds to knockout Shinya Aoki on Sunday at the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan, pinning him in the corner of the ring before unloading a series of knees and punches that forced the referee to intervene before 30-seconds had elapsed in the DREAM 8 main event.

Sakurai improves to 35-8-2 with the victory and now advances to the semifinals of the promotion’s 2009 welterweight grand prix while Aoki, who falls to 20-4 with the loss, is likely to return to the lightweight division for his next bout.

With victories at DREAM 8, Jason High, Marius Zaromskis, and Andre Galvao also advanced to the welterweight semis.

The opening round of DREAM’s featherweight grand prix, which got underway with six bouts at DREAM 7, concluded on Sunday as Daiki “DJ.taiki” Hata advanced with a win over Hideo Tokoro.

Notables Jeff Monson and Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro also picked up wins in non-tournament action, while Murilo “Ninja” Rua dropped an exciting unanimous decision to late-replacement Riki Fukuda.

The official DREAM 8 results were:

Hayato “Mach” Sakurai def. Shinya Aoki via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:27*
Jason High def. Yuya Shirai via technical submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 0:59*
Marius Zaromskis def. Seichi Ikemoto via unanimous decision*
Andre Galvao def. John Alessio via submission (armbar) — Round 1, 7:34*
Daiki “DJ.taiki” Hata def. Hideo Tokoro via unanimous decision^
Jeff Monson def. Sergei Kharitonov via submission (north-south choke) – Round 1, 1:42
Riki Fukuda def. Murilo “Ninja” Rua via unanimous decision
Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro def. Katsuhiko Nagata via TKO (cut) – Round 1, 7:58
Andrews Nakahara def. Shungo Oyama via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:00
Katsutori Shibata def. Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa via unanimous decision

* 2009 DREAM Welterweight GP quarterfinals bout
^ 2009 DREAM Featherweight GP opening round bout

Videos:

Hayato “Mach” Sakurai vs. Shinya Aoki

Jason High vs. Yuya Shira

Jeff Monson vs. Sergei Kharitonov