Posts from — February 2008

Anderson Silva (185) vs. Dan Henderson (184.5)
Heath Herring (248) vs. Cheick Kongo (233.5)
Chris Leben (185) vs. Alessio Sakara (185)
Yushin Okami (184.5) vs. Evan Tanner (185)
Jon Fitch (170) vs. Chris Wilson (169.5)
Andrei Arlovski (241) vs. Jake O’Brien (231.5)
Luke Cummo (170) vs. Luigi Fioravanti (170.5)
Dustin Hazelett (170) vs. Josh Koscheck (169.5)
David Bielkheden (170) vs. Diego Sanchez (169.5)
Jorge Gurgel (154.5) vs. John Halverson (155)

Gassaway stuffing a takedown at UFC 54: Boiling Point. Photo property of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Sherdog.com caught up with Brain Gassaway following his victory over Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons at TKO 32: Ultimatum. Gassaway gives some insight into what happened when Pele broke his leg and fell to the canvas grimacing in pain.

”His kicks are strong, you know and unfortunately I think he relies too much on his kicks so I was able to time it and I checked his and earlier throughout our match I was timing his kicks and coming with the straight right which I was catching him with. I felt comfortable and I think I was countering a little too much maybe, you know, I wasn’t being as aggressive. Alex said just counter with with just one straight punch, you know just do the combos 3-4 but when I checked his kick I checked it and he hit my knee and I heard the pop but I really didn’t realize exactly what had happened. In fact, I think when I checked it I came with the right and actually, I thought that’s what damaged him so I followed him down, I pounced on him and I think I hit him a few times and the ref stopped it. Then I looked down and I just see his leg’s bent. It’s bad news.”

For more insight on the injury, go to our post titled “Pele Breaks Leg at TKO 32: Ultimatum.”

Last night, PRIDE veteran Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons snapped his right leg while delivering a kick to his opponent, Brian Gassaway, at TKO 32: Ultimatum. According to Gassaway, moments after the kick connected he heard a loud pop followed by Pele crumbling to the canvas shortly after.

“The kick connected with my knee and I heard a loud pop,” Gassaway, 36, said after the fight. “I didn’t realize that his leg was actually broke. It’s really unfortunate that it ended like, because honestly that might be a career-ending move.”

“His kicks are strong, like even when I blocked them they hurt,” said Gassaway “I felt I was winning just because the impact blows were from me,” Gassaway said. “He got a couple of kicks in, but besides that I think I was snapping his head back. My heart goes out to Pele. You don’t wish that on anybody.”

While being carried out of the arena, Pele gave the crowd a thumbs up and received a steady ovation from the Montreal crowd. Gassaway was awarded with the TKO at 50 seconds of the second round.

There is a GIF of the injury after the jump. I’ll warn you now, it’s not pretty. Click more to view the GIF.

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LOS ANGELES, — The CBS Television Network and ProElite, Inc., a Los Angeles-based leading entertainment and media company that produces world class mixed martial arts (MMA) events, today jointly announced a multi-year agreement that will bring one of the fastest growing spectator sports to a major broadcast television network for the first time.

CBS will broadcast four MMA events per year, produced by ProElite’s EliteXC fight division, as two-hour live primetime specials targeted for Saturday nights.

The agreement augments an existing relationship between CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS and CBS.A) and ProElite (PELE.PK), which began broadcasting its EliteXC live MMA events on CBS’s SHOWTIME premium cable network in 2007. EliteXC events will continue to air on SHOWTIME.

Additionally, CBS Interactive and ProElite’s new media division, ProElite.com, will collaborate on generating interactive content for both companies’ platforms, including CBSSports.com. The online offerings could include streaming of events, clips syndicated across the CBS Audience Network, and other enhanced content to build an online community around each CBS broadcast and ProElite event.

“Mixed martial arts is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and a wildly popular entertainment vehicle for upscale, young adult audiences,” said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, CBS Primetime. “It’s original programming for Saturday night; it’s live, creating an event-atmosphere; and it’s something that hasn’t been seen on network television, until now.”

“This is a pivotal moment for the sport of mixed martial arts now that a major television network plans to broadcast live MMA events during primetime hours,” said Douglas DeLuca, Chief Executive Officer of ProElite. “We are delighted to enhance our partnership with CBS to bring American audiences the very best in MMA competition through our EliteXC brand.

“The network television agreement with CBS is an important milestone for ProElite as we continue to implement our growth strategy and develop existing relationships with our international partners.”

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Yesterday, Anheuser-Busch and the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced that they have agreed to a three-year deal that will make Bud Light, the world’s best-selling beer, the new exclusive beer sponsor for the UFC.

“UFC has developed a huge following in recent years and is wildly popular with the 21-34 year old fans we want to reach,” said Tony Ponturo, vice president, global media and sports marketing, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “The number of people attending live events, buying the pay-per-views and talking about UFC around the water cooler continues to grow. It’s just a great place for us to be.”

“Landing Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light is huge for us, our fighters and especially our fans,” said Dana White, UFC president. “We’ve got the number one selling beer in the world and one of the top marketers in all of sports as our sponsor. If our TV ratings, pay-per-view buys and venue sell-outs weren’t enough, this definitely cements UFC as a major player in sports business.”

It was also announced that beginning June 1, Bud Light will also appear as the official beer sponsor of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).

Christopher Hulme def. Vladmir Victor – TKO (Strikes)
Tim Wadsworth def. Brad Duguay – TKO (Strikes)
Ben Gallant def. Scott Wright – TKO (Strikes)
Jeff Harrison def. Tyler Jackson – Submission (Guillotine)
Johan Croes def. Mark Fraser – TKO (Strikes)
Adrian Wooley def. Syd Barnier – TKO (Strikes)
Guillaume Lamarche vs. Justin Tavernini - Split Decision
Stephane Vigneault def. Daniel Ferguson - TKO (Strikes)
Samuel Guillet def. Jordan Mein - Submission (Kimura)
Derek Gauthier def. Yannick Galipeau - Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
Jesse Bongfeldt def. T.J. Grant - Submission (Armbar)
Brian Gassaway def. Jose Landi-Jons - TKO (Leg Injury)

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Jose Landi-Jons possesses a decorated MMA record of 23-13-0. “Pele”, a Muay Thai and BJJ specialist, is best known for his Vale Tudo days. Fighting in Brazil, Pele amassed an impressive record of 15-3. His three losses came to former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, Eric Smith and Johil de Oliveira. Pele holds victories over notable names such as Pat Miletich, Matt Hughes, and Rodney Faverus.

Pele appeared in Japan with PRIDE Championship Fighting twice dropping bouts to Carlos Newton and Daijiro Matsui. Since 2000, Pele has gone 8-9 but he always comes to fight. Pele has been in the ring with the likes of Thales Leites, Travis Lutter, Renato Sobral, and Lee Murray though in a losing effort.

Pele’s opponent, Brian Gassaway, is a very talented striker who sports a MMA record of 27-17-2 (1 NC). Gassaway, a native of Chicago, Illinois, is currently riding a two-fight winning streak with victories over Cedric Marks and Levi Avera. Gassaway appeared in the UFC once losing decisively to Diego Sanchez.

Gassaway has been in the cage with the likes of John Alessio, Donnie Liles, Nick Thompson, Yuki Kondo, Ikuhisa Minowa, and Vernon White though in a losing effort.

Jesse Bongfeldt is currently one of the hottest prospects coming out of the great white north. Bongfeldt possesses a MMA record of 14-3-0. Standing 5’11 and weighing 170 lbs, Bongfeldt spends his time training at the Canadian Martial Arts Centre with the likes of Dan Chambers, Jason Day, Justin Tavernini, and Jordan Mein.

Bongfeldt’s big break came March 2007 at TKO MMA Tourney 2007. Bongfeldt showed some serious skill losing to UFC veteran Jonathan “The Road Warrior” Goulet. Since the bout with Goulet, Bongfeldt has gone 3-0 scoring victories over Sean Huffman, Sean Pierson, and Chris Clements.

T.J. Grant, much like Bongfeldt, is one of the best welterweights in Canada. Grant, a member of Fit Plus, sports a mixed martial arts record of 9-1. Grant holds victories over the likes of Eric Beaulieu, Daniel Grandmaison, Rob Wynne, and Kevin Manderson.

Grant made his TKO Championship Fighting debut in September at TKO 30: Apocalypse submitting top contender Stephane “Sensi” Dube. Since then, Grant has fought only once, submitting Stephane Lamarche at KOTC: Avalanche.

Yannick Galipeau (1-0) made his MMA debut in December at TKO 31: Young Guns defeating Josh Bitner by TKO at 43 seconds of the first round. Galipeau is a very talented striker and an eight time Kyokushin karate champion.

Derek Gauthier possesses an unblemished MMA record of 2-0. Gauthier made his MMA debut at Xtreme MMA defeating Joesph Paquet by KO. Two months later, Gauthier was back in Xtreme MMA and this time he secured a quick TKO over Kris Parti. This bout is being billed as, “who will be the next Georges St. Pierre?”

Jordan Mein, a native of Lethbridge, Alberta, possesses a MMA record of 7-4. Mein trains with TKO welterweight champion Jesse “Water” Bongfeldt at the Canadian Martial Arts Centre. Mein is currently riding a five-fight winning streak with victories over the likes of Garret Vernoy, Adam Thomas, Chris Ade, Kevin Manderson, and Dave Pariseau. Mein has dropped fights to Rory MacDonald, Tim Jenson, Kevin Manderson, and Gavin Hesson.

Samuel Guillet, a native of Montreal, Quebec, possesses a MMA record of 5-4. All of Guillet’s bouts have come with TKO Championship Fighting and he currently holds victories over Tyler Jackson, Peter Franchi, Jimmy Tat, and Yves Lemelin. Guillet, a member of BTT Canada, has dropped bouts to UFC veterans Luke Caudillo and Mark Hominick along with Jay Estrada and Francois Flibotte.

Stephane “Simba” Vigneault sports a decorated MMA record of 9-5. Vigneault, a member of Tristar Vale Tudo, holds victories over the likes of Stephane Laliberte, Troy Quesnelle, Greg Compton, and Phillipe Lagace. Vigneault recently made his return to the TKO cage for the first time in over a year against featherweight contender Ben Greer. Vigneault fell victim to Greer’s submissions at 1:26 of round 2. Vigneault is a very experienced veteran who has been in the cage with the likes of Mark Hominick, Damacio Page, and Ben Greer though in a losing effort.

Daniel Ferguson, 5’7, 145 lbs, possesses a MMA record of 4-1. Ferguson made his MMA debut in 2007 and over the span of ‘07he was able to secure stoppage victories over Cody Shipp, Sabah Fadai, Jay Percival, and Josh Kyrejto. Judging by Ferguson’s record, he is very capable fighting both on his feet and the canvas. Ferguson’s sole loss came to Brandon Carlick at KOTC: Megiddo.

Justin Tavernini, a member of the Canadian Martial Arts Centre, possesses a MMA record of 10-7. Tavernini, a native of Lethbridge, Alberta, is currently riding a seven-fight winning streak with victories over the likes of Syd Barnier, Eric Leclerc, Mathieu Boncoeur, and Paul Edejer. Eight of Tavernini’s ten wins have come by way of submission.

Guillaume Lamarche, a native of Drummondville, Quebec, possesses a MMA record of 2-1. Lamarche made his TKO debut at TKO 29: Repercussion losing to Adrian Wooley by TKO. Since the loss, Lamarche has scored a submission victory over Stephane Bernadel. Lamarche is taking this fight on short notice replacing Damacio Page who got the call to fight in the WEC a few weeks ago.

Adrian Wooley burst onto the TKO scene in March 2007 defeating Sonny Leong at TKO MMA Tourney 2007. Since his debut, Wooley has put on a display of excellent wrestling and devastating ground and pound stopping Guillaume Lamarche and Adam Kastner.

Syd Barnier is a versatile kickboxer who possesses a mixed martial arts record of 1-1. Barnier, one of the division’s brightest prospects, made his TKO debut in June 2006 defeating Eric Leclerc at TKO 29: Repercussion. Three months later, Barnier suffered his first professional loss as he fell victim to the ground game of Justin Tavernini at TKO 30: Apocalypse. The loss came with some controversy as the referee called a halt to the action without Barnier tapping or verbally submitting.

The outcome of this bout will have heavy implications as the winner will receive a shot at the newly instated TKO bantamweight title against the winner of Tavernini vs. Lamarche.

Mark Fraser possesses a MMA record of 1-3-1. Fraser was originally scheduled to face Eric Leclerc at TKO 31: Young Guns but the fight was scrapped at the last minute when the Quebec Athletic Commission noticed an abnormality with Fraser’s Catscan. He has since been cleared and is eager to step into the cage for the first time since 2000.

Fraser’s opponent, Johan Croes, has yet to make his professional MMA debut. Croes will be bringing an amateur record of 8-2 into the TKO cage.

Tyler Jackson, standing 5’7 and weighing 155 lbs, possesses a MMA record of 8-4-1. Nicknames “TNT”, Jackson currently trains with the Revolution Fight Team in Langley, British Columbia. Jackson holds victories over Bobby Merrill, Victory Hernandez, Gord Cummings, and Donald Ouimet. Jackson has dropped bouts to Sam Stout, Samuel Guillet, and Martin Grandmont.

Jeff Harrison is a talented kickboxer who holds a MMA record of 1-0. Harrison made his MMA debut October 2007 defeating Peter McGrath at ECC 6: Hometown Heroes.

Also on the card is Tim Wadsworth vs. Brad Duguay, Scott Wright vs. Ben Gallant and Vladimir Victor vs. Christopher Hulme. TKO 32: Ultimatum is set to take place tonight at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. The weigh-ins took place yesterday and all fighters made weight.

* Photos property of TKO Championship Fighting

Here are the weigh-in results for TKO 32: Ultimatum.

Main Card:

Brian Gassaway (169.8) vs. Jose-Landis Jons (170)
T.J. Grant (168.4) vs. Jesse Bongfeldt (170)
Derek Gauthier (168.2) vs. Yannick Galipeau (170)
Jordan Mein (155.2) vs. Samuel Guillet (155)
Daniel Ferguson (145) vs. Stephane Vigneault (144.6)
Justin Tavernini (137.2) vs. Guillaume Lamarche (139.8)
Syd Barnier (135.2) vs. Adrian Wooley (135.8)
Johan Croes (144.2) vs. Mark Fraser (144.8)
Tyler Jackson (155.4) vs. Jeff Harrison (153.6)

Preliminary Bouts:

Scott Wright (230.2) vs. Ben Gallant (235)
Tim Wadsworth (149) vs. Brad Duguay (150)
Vladimir Victor (166.2) vs. Christopher Hulme (170.2)

TKO Xtreme has received word that Brandon Curts will face Sebastien Gauthier at Xtreme MMA 3 on March 14 in Victoriaville, Quebec.

Curts was originally expected to appear at TFC 2: Feel The Pain but unfortunately they were unable to secure an opponent. Curts (2-1) is coming off an impressive stoppage victory over Dwight Garlow on February 9 at the Iroquois MMA Championships.

Gauthier (4-1) is a TKO veteran who is currently riding a three-fight winning streak with victories over Bob Landry, Jon Mirasty, and Jacques Dube. Gauthier’s sole professional loss came to Stephane Pinet at TKO 28: Inevitable.

Xtreme MMA 3 is scheduled for March 14 in Victoriaville, Quebec. Check out our rumors section for the latest Xtreme MMA 3 card.

TKO Xtreme has learned that Tim “The Thrashing Machine” Hague will defend his KOTC heavyweight title against Jared Kilkenny at KOTC: Brawl in the Mall III on April 4, 2008.

Hague and Kilkenny have fought once already with Hague securing an early second round TKO. Since the bout, Hague has gone 2-1 securing victories over Ruben “Warpath” Villareal and Adriano Bernardo with his sole loss coming to Miodrag Petkovic at HCF: Destiny.

Jared Kilkenny (7-3) has gone 3-2 since his bout with Hague at KOTC: Amplified. Kilkenny has scored victories over Marcus Hicks, Raphael Bergman, and Dwayne Lewis with his losses coming to UFC veteran Victor Valimaki and Martin Desilets.

The Fight Network is also reporting that KOTC: Brawl in the Mall III will feature a light heavyweight bout between UFC veteran Victor Valimaki (9-5) and Bruce Nelson (15-23-1). This will mark Valimaki’s first bout since August 2007 where he lost to Roger Hollett at MFC 13: Lucky 13.

KOTC: Brawl in the Mall III is scheduled for April 4, 2008 at the West Edmonton Mall’s Event Centre. Check out our rumors section for the latest KOTC: Brawl in the Mall III card.