By Joe Ferraro
Our weekly “Inside The Octagon” report happens to be a favourite segment amongst many of “MMA Connected” viewership, with an ever surmounting request: “we want more”.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we can only offer up the major headlines, but as I mention at the end of the segment, “if you want more”, just visit us right here, and I’ll give you some of my thoughts and analysis on what’s happening in the wide world of MMA.

Rogers Sportsnet To Broadcast UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs Jones

Last week we on the show we told you to circle March 21st on your calendars, as the UFC will invade Broomfield, Colarado for UFC on Versus 1 : Vera vs Jones. And I have great news as this stellar event will be airing exclusively on Rogers Sportsnet ( in SD and HD ). In upcoming episodes of “MMA Connected”, we’ll thoroughly break down the fight card, and what a great one it is:

MAIN CARD

Jon Jones vs. Brandon Vera

Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Paul Buentello vs. Cheick Kongo

John Howard vs. Anthony Johnson

PRELIMINARY CARD

Shannon Gugerty vs. Clay Guida

James Irvin vs. Alessio Sakara

Spencer Fisher vs. Duane “Bang” Ludwig

Eliot Marshall vs. Vladimir Matyushenko

Chase Gormley vs. Brendan Schaub

Rob Kimmons vs. Mike Pierce

Jason Brilz vs. Eric Schafer

GSP and Mousasi Team Up

During my recent visit to the TriStar Gym in Montreal, a few of Georges St-Pierre’s training staff informed me that Gergard Mousassi (one of the best fighters not in the UFC) was being sought out as a training partner for the UFC Weltwerweight Champ. An obvious great move on their part and it looks like the first of many meetings will take place in Miami this week. While GSP prepares for Dan Hardy, “The Dream Catcher” recently stated that his next fight will likely be in April, vs King Mo Lawal.

Do you believe King Mo can pull this fight off? I don’t.

Liddell wants to fight four more times

Having lost four of his last five fights, Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that after he defeats Tito Ortiz, he wants to fight three more fights, the last being a title shot. The odds (and Light heavyweight talent pool) are seriously stacked against the forty year old. I wish him the best, but I also believe he will not get past Ortiz in their trilogy bout. (Here’s a pic with both guys on the set of TUF 11)

Who’s your pick to win the bout?

Strikeforce: Miami - Hieron-Riggs to air live on EaSportsMMA.com

Hardcore MMA fans are smiling ear to ear today, as Strikeforce’s recent press release announced the much anticipated undercard bout between Jay Hieron and Joe Riggs WILL NOT go unnoticed, and will air live on EaSportsMMA.com. This welterweight bout was more than worthy of airing on the main card, but it’s a stacked event, and fell just short. Here’s why:

MAIN CARD

For Vacant Welterweight Title: Nick Diaz vs. Marius Zaromskis
Women’s Featherweight Title bout: Champ Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos vs. Marloes Coenen
Robbie Lawler vs. Melvin Manhoef
Bobby Lashley vs. Wes Sims
Greg Nagy vs. Herschel Walker

Better Pay Up, If You Want To Play In New York

That’s the message the UFC was recently given, courtesy of a Legislative Gazette article claiming a gate tax of 8.5% (with no cap), as well as broadcasting tax of 3% (capped at $50K). That’s what you get when you want to set up the Octagon in the media capital of the world. For a great breakdown of what all of this means, check out my pal Kelsey Phillpot’s Perspective; I can just imagine how some folks in the Ontario parliament are planning to gauge the UFC. Then again, I know a few folks in there that “get it”, and understand that legalizing MMA is a great source of revenue for the province, but I digress (don’t want to sound like a broken record).

Karo Parisyan Hoping To Rebound Soon

Many fans and critics were down on “The Heat” after he pulled out of his UFC 106 welterweight bout with Dustin Hazelett (at the last minute). He was chastised for doing the same thing in the past, and in his last bout, tested positive for an illegal substance. Still, having met Karo on numerous occasions and spoken to him about the hardships, I do feel he deserves another chance, as he asks in this video clip. Maybe not with the UFC, but he should be allowed to build his career back.

Does he deserve another chance or should promoters turn their head away?

Misc MMA News

•       Nearly ten thousand people showed up to the opening of the first UFC Gym – yes, 10,000 people…for just a GYM OPENING.

•       Courtroom Battle: Round One goes to M-1 and Fedor over Affliction Entertainment. This scenario could get ugly.

•       UFC Legend Don Frye ticked that Herschel Walker and James Toney think they it’s easy to just jump into MMA

•       Great to see the Toronto Sun finally joining the “Enough is Enough – legalize MMA in Ontario” bandwagon.

•       Out with the old, in with the new: Former WEC bantamweight champ Miquel Torres is now with Mark Dellagrotte and Robert Drysdale

•       W1 signs Denis Kang; will be in main event on March 20th while Carlos Newton takes on Chris Clements in co-main

•       File this under “great move” – Joachim Hansen is dropping down to where he belongs (145 lbs) and may take on champ Bibiano Fernandez at DREAM 13

•       Adoption of non-Unified Rules of MMA, causing a stir in Edmonton; promoter Pasqualino Santoro responds to his critics

•       Fans waiting to see what’s in store for the next version of the UFC video game: check out these videos here and here.

•          Not exactly MMA related, but Jean Claude Van Damme is in for a world of hurt if he is serious about competing in a K1 bout vs Somluck Kamsing.

A UFC lightweight contender bout between Kenny “KenFlo” Florian (12-4) and Takanori “The Fireball Kid” Gomi (31-5) is being rumoured as the main event for UFC Fight Night 21, scheduled for March 31st, in North Carolina.

A source close to the bout informed me earlier this morning that the match up will likely be finalized shortly, with a pending announcement from the UFC coming soon.

Florian’s rebounded from a tough loss to Lightweight Champion BJ Penn, with a stellar performance against Clay Guida at UFC 107, a bout he won via rear naked choke in the second round.

Gomi, who just a few years ago, once considered the best lightweight in the world, and is coming off a five round decision victory over American Tony Hervey, at Vale Tudo Japan 2009, in October.

UFC Fight Night 21 is set to air on the same night as The Ultimate Fighter 11, serving as the lead in for the popular reality show will highlight a crop of middleweight fighters that will be coached by Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.

Regards,

Joe Ferraro
MMA Analyst
Host of “MMA Connected”
Catch all episodes online at http://www.sportsnet.ca/mma
Hear me on “The Showdown” on www.Fan590.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/showdownjoe
On Facebook: Showdown Joe Ferraro
www.SHOWDOWN.ca
C.O.M.M.A.N.D. Certified MMA Referee

By Joe Ferraro

It’s been a great week for Canadian MMA fighters over the past week (or so) and it appears it’s only going to pick up over the next few weeks.

Sam Stout’s exceptional performance against Joe Lauzon at UFC 108 has bumped up the lightweight rankings, and will now see him (potentially) face Jeremy Stephens at UFC 113. This matchup has “Fight of The Night” written all over it, and as much as Sammy would like the bonus payout, I’m sure if he could choose, he’d likely take a KO or Submission of the night bonus instead. He’ll have his work cut out for him though, as Stephens is no slouch, and will give definitely give the London native a run for his money (no pun intended).

Stout’s teammate, Mark “The Machine” Hominick defeated Brian Caraway at his own game at WEC 46, as the so called “striker” executed an excellent combination from a hip reversal, to triangle to arm bar; a very slick move that you will no doubt see Mark explain in a future “Fight School” segment on “MMA Connected”.

Also victorious was Rory “The Waterboy” MacDonald, who at UFC Fight Night 20, defeated Mike “The Joker” Guymon via arm bar in the first round, of his UFC Welterweight debut. Look for more from Rory in upcoming episodes of the show, as he is highly touted by many of Canada’s elite fighters, including the kingpin of the 170 lbs class, Georges St-Pierre.

Maynard’s Victory Gives Edgar a Title Shot

Speculation ran rampant that if Gray Maynard could defeat Nate Diaz at UFC FN 20, he’d be next in line for a title shot vs champion BJ Penn; but not according to UFC President Dana White. The Prez informed MMAFighting.com that even though Maynard has a victory over Maynard, Edgar is more deserving of the shot as he’s performed better over his last few fights. Look for the title bout to take place in April.

White also expanded on the recent sale of a portion of the company to “Flash Entertainment”, a company based in Abu Dhabi, who is expected to help the company take the company to the next level globally, in a more efficient (and in a much quicker) manner. Flash Entertainment has done some major international shows and events including big time concerts and even the F-1 racing circuit.

Brock Lesnar Press Conference Next Week

In the same interview with MMAfighting.com, White stated that a press conference will be held in Las Vegas, Tuesday or Wednesday of next week (with Brock Lesnar in attendance) to bring everyone up to speed on the latest with the UFC Heavyweight Champion. White appeared to be holding something back, perhaps more than just “something” and did not clarify if the champ would ever fight again. But based on what folks close to the champ have been stating, as well as Randy Couture’s recent statements, I believe we might just find out when Lesnar’s next title defence will actually be. I’m thinking it will be in the summer, vs the winner of Shane Carwin and Frank Mir.

Machida’s Father says Lyoto Must Fight Anderson

In an interview conducted with PVT Magazine (http://www.portaldovt.com.br/pvt_mag_en_02/), Yoshizo Machida, (father of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida) stated that his son “must” fight Anderson Silva. He believes both fighters are professionals and it matters not who wins, buy “how” they would win. Sensei Machida also talks about a potential bout between Lyoto and Brock Lesnar, as well as giving his thoughts on other fighters like Mauricio Shogun Rua and Vitor Belfort.

On a side note, look for another Machida to perhaps sign with Zuffa, as Lyoto’s older (yet smaller) brother Shinzo, is interested in joining the UFC or WEC’s lightweight class. He is currently 1-1, with his last bout a submission loss Jungle Fight VI in 2006.

Regards,

Joe Ferraro
MMA Analyst
Host of “MMA Connected”
Catch all episodes online at http://www.sportsnet.ca/mma
Hear me on “The Showdown” on www.Fan590.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/showdownjoe
On Facebook: Showdown Joe Ferraro
www.SHOWDOWN.ca
C.O.M.M.A.N.D. Certified MMA Referee

By Joe Ferraro

This was supposed to be the week, that the MMA world would finally get a status of UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar’s health; would he return to action or would he have to leave the sport for good?

UFC President Dana White’s only comment, was in fact “No Comment”, sending the MMA world into a tail spin, but according to one of Lesnar’s trainers, the champ will definitely be back.

Speaking at the National High School duels in Rochester, Minn, University of Minnesota Assistant Head wrestling coach Marty Morgan touched on one of the best kept secrets in MMA.

“Everyone’s asking about his health. He had a bout with a bacterial infection in his intestinal tract in November, and now we’re just kinda working our way to get back to where we need to get back to fight”

Similar to the UFC President, Morgan made it clear that he wanted to respect the wishes of the Champ.

“I don’t give more answers than that. Brock don’t give more answers, (and) his agents don’t give more answers. There’s really only a handful of people who know where we’re at, whether it’s moving forwards or backwards.”

Morgan definitely understands that living in the information age means the media, and especially the fans, want the most up to date information served on a platter, as quick as they can possibly get it.

“A lot of times I think that in this day and age of Facebook and twitter it almost bugs me that people always need to know what’s going on all the time. I understand people granted want to know how his health is but at this point right now we’ve kind of just kept quiet with what’s going on.”

But then, he stated the one golden nugget that everyone has been waiting to hear.

“He will fight again. I know that it’s just a matter of the public finding out when soon enough.”

This is not only great news for Lesnar, but also for the UFC, the sport, it’s fans, and the heavyweight division, which has a plethora of fighters chomping at the bit to get a crack at UFC gold.

Upon Lesnar’s return, the question of who he will fight next will be answered in the coming months.

His arch-nemesis Frank Mir is slated to take on Shane Carwin, the man he was supposed to fight next, in an interim title fight slated for the co-main event at UFC 111, scheduled for March 11th, in Newark, New Jersey.

Contenders Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez will also jockey for contender status when they square off in the main event at UFC 110, February 21st, in Sydney, Australia.

On the outskirts, are Junior Dos Santos, who is being rumored to be taking on Gabriel Gonzaga next, as well as the likes of Cheick Kongo, TUF 10 winner Roy Nelson, and Mirko Cro Cop, who will be taking on Ben Rothwell (also at UFC 110).

By Joe Ferraro

Having spent all of last week covering UFC 108 in Las Vegas, I am simply amazed at how much news can be generated from stories that are not even related to the fight card.

First off was my interview with Marc Ratner (which will be posted online shortly), who stated that UFC 115 is scheduled for June 12th at GM Place in the City of Vancouver. While no names have been bandied on the card, expect this show to include at least one title fight. I was thinking it would be BJ Penn defending his title, but he posted on his website that his next bout will likely be at UFC 112, April 10th in Abu Dhabi.

I caught up with Georges St-Pierre (as many of you know via my multiple twitter updates) to discuss his upcoming bout with Dan Hardy, as well as to get an answer about all of this talk of him leaving the UFC to pursue an attempt to make the Canadian Freestyle Wrestling Team.

Going into this conversation, my head was made up – Georges was not going to do this, but something tells me he’s now seriously considering it. I get the sense it’s “the challenge” that inspires him more than anything. One thing is for sure – GSP firmly believes he does not want to look back when he’s sixty years old and say “I should have tried”; it’s now or never, and that’s a tough decision to make.

I also spent a fair bit of time talking to a variety of fighters, managers and MMA dignitaries, most of which was recorded and will be placed online over the next few days. Some of the parties I caught up with include Tito Ortiz, Rich Franklin, Roy Nelson, Greg Jackson, Heath Herring, former Octagon Girl Natasha Wicks, Xyience Spokesperson Amber Nichole and more.

By now, many of you have seen various versions of my interview with Dana White and IBA Heavyweight Champion James “Lights Out” Toney. Much has been made about Toney’s attempts to discuss fighting in the octagon with White but it’s raising some eyebrows.

Dana has already told James that boxing and MMA are different, and the UFC does not want to put on a freak show fight, but if Toney can prove to the UFC brass that he’s been training some takedown defence, the checking of leg kicks and simply being proficient in sprawling and brawling, then I really have no issue with him in the UFC.

When I spoke to Toney about the UFC 108 main event between Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva, I personally did not get a sense that he knew much about MMA, as he would only respond by nodding his head and saying “yes” to my suggestions. I was hoping for more of a debate and discussion, but it may have not been top priority on his mind.

UFC 108

Speaking of the main event, many are talking about Silva’s cockiness in the third round. I actually enjoyed him taunting Rashad, as he was trying to goat him into a brawl, but unfortunately, he did not have enough gas to finish the race. He was not only spent, but his back injury might have simply been too much for him. I was made privy to the injury recently, and it’s one that has been plaguing Thiago for quite some time.

Rashad’s stamina also seemed suspect, but his strategy was stellar – that was the Rashad that should have fought Lyoto Machida. That was the gameplan required to defeat Lyoto – set up your takedowns with strikes, but just know that sometimes “The Dragon” will not be there to be take down; and if he is, expect a bunch of knees en route to the ground.

The rest of the 108 card was very entertaining. Paul Daley impressed with his hands again, but why Hazelett didn’t work for his takedowns was beyond me. Such a great fighter but a very strange strategy. Unlike Sam Stout, who put on an incredible performance against an excellent fighter in Joe Lauzon. Very deserving of the Fight Of The Night bonus.

Cole Miller’s kimura from the reverse triangle on Dan Lauzon is already a candidate for submission of the year. That’s the kind of stuff that is pulled off in training, not in the octagon. Kudos should also go out to Junior Dos Santos for his defeat of MMA journeyman Gilbert Yvel, as well as Mark Munoz’ defeat of Ryan Jensen; Mark is one of the nicest guys in the game and I look forward to doing some fight schools with him in the near future.

Fields Dynamite 2009

I finally had the chance to sit down and watch the Fields Dynamite 2009 card from Japan.

Shinya Aoki’s post fight actions after he broke Mizuto Hirota’s arm has most people infuriated, but I am not surprised by it at all. All of my friends that have competed in Japan, as well as most of my contacts overseas, have all told me that this is a guy who is simply not respected by his peers and many of the countries MMA fans. Now that he’s called out Tatsuya Kawajiri, many are hoping this fight can finally happen; and perhaps Aoki receive a taste of his own medicine.

The card was highlighted by some great fights, strange refereeing and questionable judging.

Gergard Mousasi’s defeat of Gary Goodridge may have been stopped a tad early, but really, Goodridge wasn’t offering much of an offence, other than staying in a defensive posture. If the Canadian MMA Pioneer would have been able to scramble out, I’m sure the ref would have let the bout continue…just like Kazunori Yokota did against Kawajiri. He took a beating and did go to a decision with “The Crusher”, but at least he was able to improve his position.

Satoshi Ishi losing his MMA debut to the legendary Hidehiko Yoshida left a sour taste in my mouth – I scored the bout for Ishi, as he did well to win rounds two and three, considering it looked as if Yoshida wanted to get out of dodge as soon as possible. I also thought Kid Yammamoto got the raw end of the deal when the judges awarded his fight to Masanori Kanehara.

Kudos to Minowaman for winning the Super Hulk Tournament, as well as Michihiro Omigawa for showcasing why he so underrated. I was also surprised to see Alistair Overeem KO Kazayuki Fujita with that left knee so quickly and Akihoro Gono destroying Hayato Sakurai like that – I definitely missed the boat in that fight there. I had “Mach” favoured in that fight, big time.

Did I Just Read That?

I was reading a recent article ( http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/01/06/shawn-tompkins-on-joining-tapout-training-coleman-for-couture/ )  by one of my collegues, Mike Chiapetta, which was simply catching up with Shawn Tompkins, but towards the end of the piece, Tompkins stated that one of his more high profile fighters, Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort, was “currently in Brazil, training with Lyoto Machida”…pardon me?

Last I checked, Machida was very close friends with Anderson Silva, who just so happens to be Belfort’s next opponent – is there something more to this story?

Time to start digging…

By Joe Ferraro

Regards,