Josh Barnett Pro Wrestling Match, Two Kickboxing Bouts Added to 'Genki Desu Ka!'

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Before Josh Barnett takes on Daniel Cormier tentatively in March for the Strikeforce GP title, the former UFC champ will take part in a pro wrestling match on the New Year's Eve "Genki Desu Ka!!" card in Japan.

On Tuesday, promoters announced that Barnett will face Hideki Suzuki in the IGF pro wrestling portion of the card. Also added Tuesday is a pair of kickboxing bouts. Yuta Kubo will take on Nils Widlund, while Masaaki Noiri meets Kengo Sonoda.

The current "Genki Desu Ka!!" lineup is below.

Main Event (MMA)
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii

Dream Lightweight Title Bout

Shinya Aoki vs. Satoru Kitaoka

Dream Featherweight Title Bout

Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeshi "Lion" Inoue

Dream Bantamweight World GP

Semifinals: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Rodolfo Marques
Semifinals: Masakazu Imanari vs. Antonio Banuelos
Finals: Winner of Fernandes-Marques vs. Winner of Imanari-Banuelos
Reserve: Hideo Tokoro vs. Yusup Saadulaev

Other MMA Bouts
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Ryo Chonan
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazuyuki Miyata

Mixed Rules Bout (Two rounds: R1 kickboxing, R2 MMA)
Yuichiro Nagashima vs. Katsunori Kikuno

IGF Pro Wrestling Matches

Kazushi Sakuraba and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shinichi Suzukawa and Atsushi Sawada
Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Peter Aerts
Josh Barnett vs. Hideki Suzuki

Kickboxing Bouts

Yuta Kubo vs. Nils Widlund
Masaaki Noiri vs. Kengo Sonoda

 

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Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/12/20/josh-barnett-pro-wrestling-match-two-kickboxing-bouts-added-to/

Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi 

Josh Barnett Pro Wrestling Match, Two Kickboxing Bouts Added to 'Genki Desu Ka!'

Filed under: ,

Before Josh Barnett takes on Daniel Cormier tentatively in March for the Strikeforce GP title, the former UFC champ will take part in a pro wrestling match on the New Year's Eve "Genki Desu Ka!!" card in Japan.

On Tuesday, promoters announced that Barnett will face Hideki Suzuki in the IGF pro wrestling portion of the card. Also added Tuesday is a pair of kickboxing bouts. Yuta Kubo will take on Nils Widlund, while Masaaki Noiri meets Kengo Sonoda.

The current "Genki Desu Ka!!" lineup is below.

Main Event (MMA)
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii

Dream Lightweight Title Bout

Shinya Aoki vs. Satoru Kitaoka

Dream Featherweight Title Bout

Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeshi "Lion" Inoue

Dream Bantamweight World GP

Semifinals: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Rodolfo Marques
Semifinals: Masakazu Imanari vs. Antonio Banuelos
Finals: Winner of Fernandes-Marques vs. Winner of Imanari-Banuelos
Reserve: Hideo Tokoro vs. Yusup Saadulaev

Other MMA Bouts
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Ryo Chonan
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazuyuki Miyata

Mixed Rules Bout (Two rounds: R1 kickboxing, R2 MMA)
Yuichiro Nagashima vs. Katsunori Kikuno

IGF Pro Wrestling Matches

Kazushi Sakuraba and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shinichi Suzukawa and Atsushi Sawada
Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Peter Aerts
Josh Barnett vs. Hideki Suzuki

Kickboxing Bouts

Yuta Kubo vs. Nils Widlund
Masaaki Noiri vs. Kengo Sonoda

 

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Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/12/20/josh-barnett-pro-wrestling-match-two-kickboxing-bouts-added-to/

Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida 

Mark Hominick shocked by ?Korean Zombie? with UFC record tying seven-second KO

Mark Hominick shocked by ?Korean Zombie? with UFC record tying seven-second KOChan Sung Jung said he was a better striker than Mark Hominick. Anyone want to argue?

He was spectacular tonight finishing Hominick in a UFC-record tying seven seconds in the pay-per-view opener at UFC 140 in Toronto. Hominick entered the fight as one of the biggest favorites on the card at minus-465.

Nicknamed "The Korean Zombie" for his reckless style, Jung took advantage of a sloppy Hominick. The Canadian came charging to the middle of the Octagon and winged a wild left hook. Zombie stepped back and launched himself forward with a straight right.

Hominick fell to his back and absorbed four clean shots to the face. His hands dropped to his side. All that came in seven seconds and referee Herb Dean had to save Hominick.

"I gotta give it up to him. I came out a little too wild. I really wanted to hit him with a clean shot. I know he keeps his hands down," Hominick told UFC analyst Joe Rogan. "I got a little too hyped up. You've seen me fight before, I don't fight reckless and I came out with a wild left hook. I just really wanted to get it done tonight."

Hominick has a decorated record as an elite striker and at times outperformed UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo on the feet back in April, but he was way too cocky at the start of this fight. Maybe he wasn't completely focused on the task at hand. You couldn't blame him. Fighting in his home province this was Hominick's first fight back since the tragic loss of his trainer and friend Shawn Tompkins in August. The 37-year-old, who was also the best man at hominick's wedding, passed away in August after suffering a heart attack in his sleep.

After suffering a head kick knockout at the hands of George Roop last September, Korean Zombie was written as too sloppy to be a legitimate contender by many. He sent a loud message tonight as he tied the record for fastest knockout in UFC history set by Todd Duffee against Tim Hague at UFC 102.

Hominick (20-10, 3-2 UFC) appeared to be totally alert during his conversation with Rogan. It was a flash knockdown and he awoken by the final shot thrown by Jung. There is no standing eight count in MMA, so when a fighter is down, takes more abuse and isn't defending himself for even a split second, the referee is obligated to save him.

On a side note, some believe Duane "Bang" Ludwig actually holds the record for fastest UFC knockout. Ludwig knocked out Jonathan Goulet at Ultimate Fight Night 3, but was awarded the official finish at the 0:11 mark.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Mark-Hominick-shocked-by-Korean-Zombie-with-UF?urn=mma-wp10591

John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves 

House Of Vans Coat Drive

This Saturday, December 17th is the second annual House Of Vans Coat Drive from 1-6PM at the House Of Vans in Brooklyn. There will be a best trick contest for cash and sneakers and live performances from DJ PF Cuttin and McRad. Admission to the event is a new or slightly used coat to be donated to NYCares. be sure to RSVP here.

Source: http://theskateboardmag.com/blogs/templeton-elliott/2011/12/16/house-of-vans-coat-drive/

Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague

Showtime stays in MMA business, deal struck with Strikeforce

With a conference call upcoming, it was just announced via email that Strikeforce, Zuffa and Showtime have come to a new agreement to keep the mixed martial arts promotion on the pay network:

Showtime Networks Inc. and world championship mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE® have entered into a new broadcast agreement to continue producing live MMA events on the premium television network, SHOWTIME. The agreement was announced jointly today by Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports®, Dana White, UFC® President, and Scott Coker, STRIKEFORCE CEO.

Under the new agreement, SHOWTIME will produce and televise up to eight live events. STRIKEFORCE athletes such as lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, women's featherweight champion Cris "Cyborg" Santos, women's bantamweight champion Miesha Tate and other world-class MMA fighters will continue to compete for the organization on SHOWTIME.

The new deal kicks off during the network's Free Preview Weekend, Saturday, Jan. 7, as champion Rockhold defends the STRIKEFORCE 185-pound title against dangerous veteran Keith Jardine at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Notable STRIKEFORCE contenders such as Robbie Lawler, "King Mo" Lawal and Tyron Woodley are also set to compete on the televised card, which?as part of Free Preview Weekend?will be available in more than 60 million households nationwide across SHOWTIME, SHOWTIME HD? and SHOWTIME On Demand®.

Beginning with the Jan. 7 card, SHOWTIME will also televise undercard fights for all STRIKEFORCE events live on SHOWTIME EXTREME

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Showtime-stays-in-MMA-business-deal-struck-with?urn=mma-wp10798

Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio

Gilbert Melendez holds onto Strikeforce belt with decision win

Gilbert Melendez holds onto Strikeforce belt with decision win

Gilbert Melendez defended the Strikeforce men's lightweight belt with a methodical decision over Jorge Masvidal in the main event for Strikeforce on Saturday night. On the judges' cards, the champ took it 50-45, 50-45, 49-46.

As the two were feeling each other out in the opening round, Masvidal opened his arms and invited Melendez to hit him, so Melendez obliged and stung Masvidal with straight punches. Masvidal stayed light on his feet, and kicked Melendez's leg out from underneath him. Melendez quickly returned to his feet. Near the end of the round, Melendez caught Masvidal in a front headlock and landed knees to finish the round well.

Masvidal continued to talk smack to Melendez in the second round, and Melendez continued to have an edge in striking. Melendez stayed light on his feet and shook Masvidal with several strikes. Masvidal was unable to find a rhythm or cause any damage.

The third round started with Masvidal thwarting a Melendez takedown attempt. Masvidal threw a knee and knocked out Melendez's mouthpiece and continued to talk smack. Every time Masvidal opened his mouth, Melendez landed a punch. Masvidal appeared to be more comfortable in the third round and was able to create more offense, but still not enough to disrupt Melendez.

Melendez moved forward and landed several unanswered punches in the fourth round. He continued to stay light on his feet and move in to land jabs. In the final minute, Melendez started using a one-two combination effectively.

Masvidal used a knee to try to get inside early in the fifth and final round, but again was unable to create any damage. Melendez stayed calm, kept moving, and used combinations to control the rhythm of the last round. Sensing urgency, Masvidal unloaded in the final minute. He tried for a takedown and to take Melendez's back, but it was too little to make a difference.

After the win, Melendez was asked about his future, and he said he wants a challenge from the UFC.

"I'm proud to be a part of Strikeforce, but they've got to bring over some guys to challenge me. I want to take the UFC champ, whoever it is. Come in my hexagon and let's fight," Melendez said.

He won his last six fights, earning a record of 20-2. Masvidal is now 22-7.

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? Jeff Green has serious heart condition, will miss the season
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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Gilbert-Melendez-holds-onto-Strikeforce-belt-wit?urn=mma-wp10874

José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez

Showtime Exec Talks Scrapping 'Strikeforce Challengers,' Keeping 'M-1 Challenge'

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The main difference between the old and new Strikeforce deal is the cancellation of the Challengers series in favor of quality fight cards from top to bottom, says Showtime Sports executive vice president Stephen Espinoza.

"Instead of having two stand alone events," Espinoza said Monday on The MMA Hour. "To make it into one huge night of MMA action."

Espinoza made the announcement with UFC president Dana White and Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker last Thursday that Strikeforce will continue producing events for Showtime.

Espinoza says it made more sense to focus on building both the main and preliminary portions of the Strikeforce cards. Strikeforce undercards are often non-televised/streamed and figure minimally in Strikeforce's long-term plans.

But starting with the Jan. 7 event headlined by Luke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine, all the preliminary bouts will air on Showtime Extreme leading into the featured bouts on the primary Showtime channel.

Currently, the deal calls for Strikeforce to produce up to eight events in 2012. Showtime then has to make the decision to whether or not continue the agreement.

"We have an option to do additional events beyond that," Espinoza said.

In addition to working with the UFC, Showtime also carries M-1 Challenge events. Although UFC and M-1 are competitors, M-1 will likely continue producing events for Showtime as well.

"We are in discussions with M-1 to continue our relationship and we actually hope that we are going to be contiuning for at least another year," Espinoza said. "And things looks good that we are going to be able to do so."

 

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Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/12/19/showtime-exec-talks-scrapping-strikeforce-challengers-keeping/

Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah 

Brock Lesnar charged with hunting violations in Canada

Brock Lesnar charged with hunting violations in Canada

Brock Lesnar is a huge fan of hunting, but his favorite pastime got him in a spot of trouble in Canada. Lesnar faces charges in Medicine Hat, Alberta for doing the kind of things that tick off hunting officials. From our friends at CJCY in Alberta:

The charges came before Medicine Hat Provincial Court Thursday morning and include improper affixation of tags, spoilage of skin and edible flesh and possession of a controlled animal.

My lack of hunting knowledge makes this sound pretty bad, because spoilage of skin and edible flesh sound like plot devices from "Silence of the Lambs." However, the good people of Canada must not be too angry with Lesnar, because his court date was continued until January, after his fight with Alistair Overeem.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Brock-Lesnar-charged-with-hunting-violations-in-?urn=mma-wp10800

Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander