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Frank Mir's striking coach talked to MMAWeekly:

"I think the best thing for Brock would be get as crazy as possible and come out of the box like that. That’s how he’s going to beat Frank. If he tries to get technical and try to play the striking game, he’ll get crushed. If he tries to do the jiu-jitsu game, he’ll get crushed. He hasn’t been training long enough. How can somebody get better in six months?

We’re not gonna throw kicks like we did in the first fight. In the first fight, he was still a little anxious with me and wanted to show he had learned. It’s a beginner’s mistake; why are you gonna throw a kick in the open field? This time, I think he’s going to feel him out, box him, frustrate him, because I think Brock’s going to throw hands and try to knock him out and I don’t see how that’s going to happen. Brock has no kicks, so we’re not worried about his kicks or knees. It will probably be a boxing match, then Brock will get hit with something, and get submitted or knocked out. Then in the third or fourth round, here come the low kicks, so we can further frustrate him. The biggest thing is if Frank stays relaxed and moves laterally, you’ll see a seminar."

Kehn Hahn is among several others who think that Frank Mir can use Brock's relative lack of experience to overcome his size and strength advantage.

UFC 100 coverage

• Brock Lesnar will overpower Mir.
• Frank Mir will use his skills and experience to overcome Brock's size and strength advantage.

  56 votes | Results

Props: UFC.com

Quoteworthy:

“I turned 52 in May and as far as I’m concerned, the way I work in the Octagon — whether it’s a Buffer 180 or 360, which could very well happen at UFC 100 — I can do this well into my sixties. I’ll be doing this as long as they’ll have me. No matter what I do in life, I always give one hundred and fifty percent. Some of my moves are a little pushy on the knees or the hips but like I always say, the show must go on.”

UFC 100 is a monumental event indeed. Can the veteran voice of the Octagon pull off mixed martial arts’ equivalent of the triple lindy or will he fall flat on his face? Tune in on July 11 and find out for yourselves, Maniacs …

Amarillo, TX. - July 3, 2009 - Shark Fight Promotions, a Texas-based mixed martial arts fight promotion company, recently announced that they will be hosting a free mixed martial arts event on July 18th in Amarillo Texas at Gamboa's Outdoor Event Center.

The popular Texas fight promoter was recently forced to cancel their Shark Fight 5 Outdoor Bash and Brawl event, due to unpredictable weather. The promoter felt that the best way to make it up to the fans would be to re-schedule the event and give away the tickets. The Shark Fight event on the 18th will be a free admission show.
 
Jim Larson, president of Shark Fight Promotions, had this to say: "Despite the bad weather, thousands of loyal fans came out to our Shark Fight 5 event to show their support. Unfortunately, we were forced to cancel the fights due to the rain.

"We didn't want to just reschedule the event; we wanted to find a way to make up for the cancellation. In light of that, Shark Fight executives unanimously agreed to host a free event for the fans, and the rest is history. To the best of my knowledge no promoter has ever put on a free MMA event. "
 
Shark Fight Promotions appropriately named the free event "Shark Fight 5.5 - Nothing to Lose."  Many of the fighters that were on the official Shark Fight 5 card will return to fight in the 5.5 version.

The event will also feature Shark Fight Promotions' first featherweight title bout. Douglas Frey (5-1-0) will face Doug Evans (9-4-0) for the coveted Shark Fight Featherweight belt. The full Shark Fight 5.5 official fight card will be announced soon.
 
Although no admission will be charged for the "Shark Fight 5.5 - Nothing to Lose" MMA event, fans are encouraged to get their tickets in advance. Tickets will be available at the Shark Fights store in Amarillo's Westgate Mall, beginning on July 6th.

If you don't know the story of Jon Koppenhaver, you're clearly not an avid reader of the MMA blogosphere. Let's cut to the chase, he's nuts. From legally changing his to "War Machine" to threatening the President via MySpace to pissing off the UFC speaking out on the death of Evan Tanner, Koppenhaver is one of a kind.

That said, he is a legit prospect when it comes to the 170 pound division. He's trying to work his way back into the good graces of one of the big organizations like Strikeforce, Affliction or the UFC. He's 3-0 since being released by the UFC after his loss to Yoshiyuki Yoshida. Aside from a little run-in at Krave nightclub, he's controlled himself in Las Vegas and is working hard at Xtreme Couture. His patience was put to the test earlier this week when he was asked to work with high level pros Martin Kampmann and Vitor Belfort. Koppenhaver got in with Belfort, who probably outweighs him by 25 pounds, at the very end of practice and was manhandled a bit:

"It's crazy I used to watch Vitor when I was a little kid, like that was god to me," Koppenhaver told Cagewriter. "To be honest with you, it's kind of intimidating. He's a freak. I think the old Vitor is back in effect."

Koppenhaver said Belfort's combination of knowledge and technique along with off-the-charts athleticism is impressive:

"He's a black belt, he has great boxing. He's knows everything plus the explosiveness, so when he explodes into those same moves as someone else who doesn't have speed, he gets results."

Koppenhaver says if Belfort ever gets a fight with Anderson Silva, he has a great chance if he gets him on the ground. Now Koppenhaver is having to play role of a mercenary. He was supposed to fight on June 20, but the card got canceled, so now he's taking a fight on less than two weeks notice in Mexico City on July 11.

War Machine also updated Cagewriter on how his efforts to "terrorize" chicks in Las Vegas is going. He gave some interesting advice on what helps him attract women (4:22 mark).

(B.J. Penn's very mediocre attempt at pre-fight trash talk. Part two of his message for Kenny Florian is here. His people really ought to learn how to edit videos together. Don't they have iMovie in Hawaii?)

- Wait, Cro Cop may be headed back to the UFC? Seriously? (Fighters Only)

- Check GSP's Gatorade ad. (MMA Convert)

- An overdose of Dana White worship rankles a vocal Canadian minority. (Fightlinker)

- Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida for Fight of the Year? (Fanhouse)

- That loveable Fight Nerd gets all up in Josh Barnett's grill. (Fight Nerd)

- Akiyama plans on bringing some judo skillz to the UFC. (MMA Mania)

- A few good reasons to keep watching "The Ultimate Fighter." (TSB Magazine)

- Slightly scary Amber Nichole Miller photos. (MMA Fight Girls)

- TapouT's Punkass wants to holla at you a minute. (Ask Men)

- Hot girls gettin' it on: A gallery to celebrate our independence. (Holy Taco)

- 8 weirdest Johnny Depp roles. (Screen Junkies)

- The 6 girls you dated in high school. (Made Man)

- Wreck of the Week: 'Don't mock Jesus.' (All Left Turns)

- Why you shouldn't allow people to punch you in the face. (Nothing Toxic)

From a Tuff N Uff Press Release:

Las Vegas, Nevada (June XX, 2009) – Tuff N Uff, the nation’s premiere amateur MMA organization, will showcase the first all-female MMA card to be featured in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena at 8 p.m. on July 10. Featuring 24 fighters, each with a unique fighting background, “Tuff Girls” will be headlined by Barb Honchak and Las Vegan Meegan Thomas.

read more

Fighters weigh-in on GSP vs. Alves at UFC 100

From MMA Junkie:

"I would have to say that our school was really ahead of the curve," Nelson said. "We started training mixed martial arts in, well, it was 1992, but even before I had my own school we were already mixing Thai-boxing and shootwrestling, and I wrestled for the University of Minnesota. We just always had been putting stuff together and combining. That's kind of how I did things.

"We've had a really good training camp, a lot of guys in there," Nelson said. "This has been an extremely good camp because we've had a lot of guys that are big and can move. We brought in a guy from Arizona who was an all-armed forces boxing champion who is 300 pounds and can hit like a Mac truck."

"Brock is a very smart fighter," Nelson said. "Since his first fight, he went in there and that was more just pure get-in-there, raw aggression, try to run them over like a truck. You could see from that fight to Heath Herring to then with Randy Couture, you see a steady growth in his striking development and ability to pace himself – control to not be so anxious in the ring.

"He's got the ability to really run through you like a freight train, ... but at the same time he now has a lot more movement."

They brought in 7 time world jiu jitsu champ Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros to train Lesnar before the Heath Herring fight, but I haven't heard who they've brought in for this camp.

UFC 100 coverage

Check out the conclusion after the jump.

Antoni Hardonk fights other UFC heavyweights and crime. (Cagewriter)

Our Cagewriter chatter, Jon Fitch, lets his fighting speak for itself. (Sports Illustrated)

What is the likelihood that Tito Ortiz will be relevant to MMA again? (Bloody Elbow)

Good news for women who are comfortable walking on small runways while wearing a bikini: the UFC is looking for another Octagon Girl. (MMA Mania)

Dana White assures that you do not want his job. (Cagewriter)

Frank Fertitta's sweet new digs. (Fightlinker)

Vitor Belfort's will-he-or-won't-he-come-to-the-UFC saga continues. (Cagewriter)

Pittsburgh's first MMA event was good, but also may have infringed on the UFC's trademarks. (MMA Junkie)

One of the UFC's pioneers, the awesomely-mustached Don Frye, is in the Johnny Depp film, "Public Enemies." (Cage Potato)  

Between their new magazine and reports that they are shutting out more sponsors, the UFC is pushing it. (Fight Opinion)

Chuck Liddell's future will be determined soon. (Cagewriter)

Demian Maia wants Anderson Silva. (Fighters Only)

Who should be considered fighter of the year, boxing's Manny Pacquaio or MMA's Lyoto Machida? Neither. Miguel Torres. (Telegraph)

Georges St. Pierre's Gatorade ad, now in the good ol' U. S. of A. (ESPN)

Ultimate Chaos was one big waste of cash. (Cagewriter)

What do Indiana and Hawaii have in common? They both started regulating MMA this week. That, and, well, that's about it. (Cage Potato)

Michael Bisping is headed into UFC 100 with a chip on his shoulder. (Yahoo! Sports) 

Mike Whitehead and Wanderlei Silva both celebrated birthdays this week. (Combat Lifestyle)

Thanks for reading Cagewriter this week, and stick with us next week for an absolutely insane week leading up to UFC 100. Have a great Fourth, and try not to blow yourselves up. 

Caption: Could LaTasha Marzolla be the next face of woman's MMA?

If you are going to be in Las Vegas for the weekend of UFC 100 and want to squeeze in some extra MMA, then perhaps "Tuff" Girls" may be just what you’re looking for.

Taking place the night before the biggest event in MMA history, UFC 100, “Tuff Girls” will showcase amateur women fighters who could one day be competing with professional fighters like Gina Carano and Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos. 

Tuff-N-Uff, the nation’s premiere amateur mixed martial arts organization, will present an all-female MMA card at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 10. “Tuff Girls” will be headlined by Barb Honchak and Las Vegan Meegan Thomas who will fight in the 125-pound weight class for the Tuff Girl Belt.

Barb Honchak has compiled an impressive record of 6-1, while her opponent Meegan Thomas is undefeated with three wins under her belt. The other bouts will feature battles in weight classes ranging from 105 pounds to the 170 pounds. 

The state of woman's mixed martial arts is at a critical juncture with "Carano vs. Cyborg" just around the corner. In order to capitalize on the momentum of that event, it will need stars to rise up from the ranks and be the future of the sport.

One particular star in the making could be former playboy model LaTasha Marzolla. Along with Gina Carano, LaTasha appears in the 2005 quasi-documentary Ring Girls about 5 women who, under Muay Thai trainer Master Toddy, fight in Las Vegas and Thailand.

LaTasha made her MMA debut on May 30, 2009, defeating Christy Tada by corner stoppage at the end of round 1 in a Tuff-N-Uff event in Las Vegas. She was supposed to be fighting on this fight card, but her broken nose sustained in her last fight did not heal in time. Latasha currently trains at Xtreme Couture under Shawn Tompkins.  

Don't be surprised if you see some UFC fighters hanging around. Call it a hunch but we were also able to confirm it with VP of Tuff-N-Uff Jeff Meyer who said it's not uncommon to spot your favorite male fighters in attendance. 

Main Event:

125 pounds: Barb Honchak (6-1) vs. Meegan Thomas (3-0)

135 pounds: MaEisha Lowe (3-1) Amanda Lavoy (3-1)
145 pounds: Patricia VanDermeer (2-0) vs. Moa Palmer (3-1)
170 pounds: Brooke Guidry (0-1) vs. Latoya Walker (0-0)
120 pounds: Lauren Feldman (5-1) vs. Jessica Laubacker (3-1)
110 pounds: Jaclyn Greenwell (1-1) vs. September Thornton (1-1)
155 pounds: Courtney Stowe (1-1) vs. Aleaha Williams (1-2)
140 pounds: Robin Hartman (2-2) vs. Stephanie Webber (2-2)
135 pounds: Kiley Martin (0-0) vs. Paige Zio (1-0)
135 pounds: Michelle Velebit (0-0) vs. Tamara Riley (0-1)
120 pounds: Gabriella Lakoczky (0-0) vs. Kate McGray (0-0)

Tickets for the event are on sale for $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the fight.  Tickets may be purchased by calling 702.284.7777, online at www.orleansarena.com. Also be sure to check out the TUFF-N-UFF website for pictures and more information.

BJ Penn is usually pretty good at hyping up a fight, but does anyone else find BJ’s latest message (apparently in response to things Kenny recorded for the UFC 101 Countdown show) as lame as I do?

Oh wait, he wasn’t done. Part two after the jump.

DREAM.11 Preview: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

Anderson Silva needs no introduction. He is arguably the best mixed martial arts fighter on the planet.

With a record-breaking nine consecutive UFC wins to his credit (and counting), he has been as dominant as any fighter in the history of the sport during his reign.

Recently however, his showings against Patrick Cote and Thales Leites have been the subject of criticism from fans, media and even the UFC management.

In both match-ups, Silva appeared content being cautious, counter striking and staying mistake free.

As a result of his less-than-spectacular performances, the UFC has paired him up against a guy who likes nothing better than to get in your face and force you to engage.

That man is former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin who will take on Silva in the main event at UFC 101 on August 8.

It will be the second trip to the light heavyweight division for Silva.

“The Spider” took some time out of his busy UFC 101 preparations to answer a few questions regarding his recent fights, Lyoto Machida, Forrest Griffin and his uncertain future in MMA.

Check it out:

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): I want to go back to UFC 97 for a second. A lot of people including Dana White were critical of your fight against Thales Leites. Dana went as far as to say he was “embarrassed” by your performance. What goes through your head when you hear Dana say something like that after one of your fights?

Anderson Silva: Of course I want to please the fans and Dana White. I feel I did my job right. I want to focus on my next fight and on training harder for now.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): Did the Leites fight go like you had anticipated? Were you satisfied with your performance?

Anderson Silva: I followed the game plan that I had trained. It’s not always possible to please all the fans, but I know that I did my job right.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): Some critics out there feel like you may lack motivation or that you have lost your killer instinct at this juncture in his career. How do you respond to those claims?

Anderson Silva: I haven’t lost my motivation. I am still very motivated to put on great fights and keep my belt.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): You’re a long time champion, undefeated in the UFC, and a big name in the sport. Do you feel any burden to be cautious or defensive in the octagon because you know you have a lot to lose at this point?

Anderson Silva: Being the champion has added a lot of responsibilities, but that is part of the job.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): Recently, Wanderlei Silva has been vocal about you in the media saying you’re “too cocky” and that “war is declared” against you. Is there bad blood between you two that needs to be resolved?

Anderson Silva: Anyone can say whatever they want to say, it doesn’t affect me. I am still training as always.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): Your next fight will be against Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 at 205 pounds. This will be your second fight at this weight. How is the 205-pound Anderson Silva different from the 185-pound version?

Anderson Silva: I feel comfortable fighting at the 205 pound division, but I still want to focus on defending my belt at 185 pounds.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): Where is your UFC 101 camp taking place at?

Anderson Silva: I have been training in Rio (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) with my team.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): Who are some of the fighters and coaches you will be working with during camp to help you prepare?

Anderson Silva: Rafael “Feijao,” the Nogueira brothers, Andre Galvao, among others.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): What do you feel is Griffin’s biggest weakness?

Anderson Silva: Forrest Griffin is a tough fighter with a lot of heart but like everyone he has his weak spots. It’s going to be a great fight.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): How do you see this fight playing out in your head and what is your official prediction for the fight?

Anderson Silva: I don’t know. I can’t predict it. We will have to wait until August 8.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): Your teammate Lyoto Machida earned his belt with an incredible performance against Rashad Evans at UFC 98. What were your thoughts on his performance?

Anderson Silva: Lyoto is an incredible fighter and we are all very proud of him. This is really the Machida Karate era. I believe he will keep the light heavyweight belt for a long time.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): Are you officially done fighting at 205 for good (after the Griffin fight) now that Machida has the belt?

Anderson Silva: I don’t know what will happen in the future. My main focus is to defend my 185 pound title. Lyoto and I are friends and I feel that he really deserves the belt. I have no intention in fighting for the 205 pound title.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): Who at 185 pounds in the UFC would you still like to fight or is there anyone outside the UFC you’ve seen from a distance and always wanted to fight?

Anderson Silva: I would love to fight my clone one day.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): If Georges St. Pierre beats Thiago Alves at UFC 100 and you are able to defeat Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 would you be open to challenging St. Pierre? Does that fight interest you at all?

Anderson Silva: I train to fight the best but it is up to Dana White and the UFC to decide that.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): Do you still plan on retiring when your contract is fulfilled, likely in 2010 around your 35th birthday?

Anderson Silva: I don’t know yet what will happen. I haven’t made any definite plans.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com ): If you do retire is it still your desire to get back into boxing and subsequently pursue a match-up with Roy Jones Jr.?

Anderson Silva: It is a dream of mine but I don’t know what will happen.

Derek Bolender is a staff writer for InsideFights.com. He is also syndicated at FoxSports.com and CNNSI.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/DerekMMAwriter and on Facebook. Look for future articles from him on MMAmania.com.

Amarillo, TX. - July 3, 2009 - Shark Fight Promotions, a Texas based mixed martial arts fight Promotion Company, recently announced that they will be hosting a free mixed martial arts event on July 18th in Amarillo Texas at Gamboa’s Outdoor Event Center.

The popular Texas fight promoter was recently forced to cancel their Shark Fight 5 - Outdoor Bash and Brawl event, due to unpredictable weather. The promoter felt that the best way to make it up to the fans would be to re-schedule the event and give away the tickets. The Shark Fight event on July 18th will be a free admission show.

Jim Larson, President of Shark Fight Promotions, had this to say “Despite the bad weather, thousands of loyal fans came out to our Shark Fight 5 event to show their support. Unfortunately, we were forced to cancel the fights due to the rain.

We didn’t want to just reschedule the event; we wanted to find a way to make up for the cancellation. In light of that, Shark Fight Executives unanimously agreed to host a free event for the fans, and the rest is history. To the best of my knowledge no promoter has ever put on a free MMA event. ”

Shark Fight Promotions appropriately named the free event “Shark Fight 5.5 - Nothing to Lose”. Many of the fighters that were on the official Shark Fight 5 card will return to fight on July 18th.

The event will also feature Shark Fight Promotions first Featherweight Title bout. Douglas Frey (5-1-0) will face Doug Evans (9-4-0) for the coveted Shark Fight Featherweight belt. The full Shark Fight 5.5 official fight card will be announced soon.

Although no admission will be charged for the “Shark Fight 5.5 - Nothing to Lose” MMA event, fans are encouraged to get their tickets in advance. Tickets will be available at the Shark Fights store in Amarillo’s Westgate Mall, beginning on July 6th.

On July 18th, the Gamboa Outdoor Event Center will open at 6:00 pm and fights will begin at 8:00 pm. In addition to free admission, Shark Fights will provide the first 2,000 seats at the outdoor venue. Fans that purchased tickets to the cancelled Shark Fight 5 event are entitled to a full refund. For more information please all 806-322-1072 or visit www.sharkfights.com.