The path for the local amateur MMA fighter was not prominent in the Quad City Area. Rob Martin, Founder of BloodSport Promotions, says guys were coming in every week getting beat down for nothing. Rob believed that he could provide the avenue to assist the determined fighter get to the next level.
With this idea and the drive to conquer the world, Rob started BloodSport Promotions. BSP represents the dominance of the sport; the fight of the gladiator; the raw determination to conquer. The individuals that we promote have those same characteristics.
Sherk and Franca Test Positive, Both Facing Suspension and Fine LAS VEGAS
UFC Black Dobby Knit Flex Hat
July 19 - Today, the California State Athletic Commission released information stating that UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk tested positive for the banned substance Nandrolone Metabolite and that lightweight contender Hermes Franca tested positive for Drostanolone, also a banned substance, in drug tests following their five-round fight on July 7th at UFC 73 in Sacramento, California.
Both of these substances are anabolic agents, and both fighters face a possible fine and suspension by the CSAC.
"Our policy on fighters using steroids, illegal drugs or any banned substance remains the same - you cannot use them,” said UFC President Dana White. “It's not only unhealthy and unsafe, it is against the law. The UFC fully supports the commission's efforts and we will continue to take measures that keep this sport clean and keep the athletes safe."
By Mike Chiappetta NBCSports.com
Posted: Jun.24, 2007, 12:58 am EDT
BJ Penn said he was going to break Jens Pulver's arm, that he was going to punish him for all the years that he had to hear about the upset he endured at the hands of "Little Evil."
Well, he didn't break his arm, although at one point, he gave up mount in order to try to sink in an arm bar, but Penn did find a way to punish Pulver, locking in a rear naked choke at 3:12 of round two to win the main event of the Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale.
The Hawaiian-born Penn won his first fight at the lightweight division in years, lured back to the weight class solely for the chance at redemption. The two spent six weeks squaring off as coaches on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter, and the bad blood spilled over from the beginning, as Penn taunted Pulver at the selection process, getting many of the fighters to voice their preference of him as a coach. Pulver, however had the last laugh in the coaching portion of the competition, winning the majority of the fights and sending both Nate Diaz and Manny Gamburyan to the finals.
But when it came to stepping in the octagon, it was all Penn. From the opening bell, Penn rocked Pulver with a hard shot, and took the fight to the ground, looking for submission openings and connecting on heavy blows from the top. Pulver was able to work his way out of trouble and survive the first round, but he could never turn the momentum back in his direction as Penn took him down to start the round, worked his way into full mount and eventually sunk in the choke, causing Pulver to tap. But Penn seemed to hold the choke for an extra second or two, forcing the referee to make more than one attempt to break up the hold. Though it wasn't noted by the announcers, it was a fairly obvious and unnecessary move from Penn. He won the fight in strong fashion, and that sort of took away from the victory. In fairness, when he let the hold go, he immediately moved toward Pulver to check on him, and the two ended up embracing, perhaps finally putting an end to their longtime feud.
After the bout, Pulver told UFC commentator Joe Rogan that he'd likely move to the Zuffa-owned WEC, where he will likely move into the 145-pound weight class.
The Big Payback – Penn gets Even with Pulver; Diaz Takes TUF5 Title
By Thomas Gerbasi
Gray Maynard saw an apparent victory get snatched away in his bout against TUF5 teammate Rob Emerson, with the lightweight bout being ruled a no contest in the second round.
Maynard dominated the bout with his ground attack, and by the end of the first round, Emerson limped back to his corner with injured ribs. Looking to end things, Maynard jumped right in Emerson’s face early in the second and picked him up for a thunderous slam.
Then things got cloudy, as Maynard put Emerson down hard on the canvas, prompting Emerson to tap out due to an aggravation of his rib injury. But after referee Steve Mazzagatti waved the bout off, apparently due to the tap, the verdict came back as a no contest, with the reasoning being that Maynard was knocked out by his own slam, rendering both fighters unable to continue.
“I know I wasn’t out,” said Maynard. “He tapped and I thought it was over.”
Silva, Sherk Successfully Defend Titles at UFC 73; Ortiz foul costs him win
By Thomas Gerbasi
SACRAMENTO, July 7 It was supposed to be one of Anderson Silva's
toughest tests, but instead, his win over respected challenger Nate Marquardt at the Arco Arena tonight proved to be one of his greatest victories, as he defended his UFC middleweight crown for the first time with a decisive first round TKO in the UFC 73 main event.
With the win, Silva improves to 19-4; Marquardt falls to 28-7-1.
After briefly jarring Marquardt with a punch in the opening minute of the fight, Silva's attempt at an acrobatic follow-up kick earned him a trip to the canvas. While there, Silva did work effectively with strikes from the bottom, while Marquardt did his fair share of damage from the top. With 1:30 left, referee John McCarthy re-started the action despite the fact that both fighters were active on the ground, and Silva opened up, forcing Marquardt to look for the takedown. But just when it seemed that Marquardt had weathered the storm and would survive the round, Silva's brutal power erupted and he landed on the challenger with a series of right hands that forced McCarthy to halt the bout at 4:50 of the opening round.
Silva's victory over Travis Lutter at UFC 67 in February was a non-title bout due to Lutter's failure to make the 185-pound weight limit.
Silva, Sherk retain their belts
By Miguel Lopez
SACRAMENTO - Saturday's UFC 73 was labeled "Stacked" and stacked it was as champions Anderson Silva and Sean Sherk were tested fiercely by their challengers in order to keep their belts around their waists.
And veteran Tito Ortiz fought a hard battle to pick up what appeared to be a win over Rashad Evans, but their fight was scored a draw in what was a busy night at ARCO Arena.
The usually calm Silva ran into the Octagon like a man on a mission and that he was as he was able to fend off Marquardt's world class jiu-jitsu skills while showing off his own ground skills to set up the crushing blows that knocked out Marquardt at 4:50 of the first round in the 185-pound title fight.
Silva came out looking for the big blow right away, but Marquardt was able to block a high kick and trap Silva's leg to bring the fight to the mat, and it was only a matter a time before the crafty Brazilian would escape and look to end the night of Marquardt.
"This is the man, it will be very difficult take the belt from this guy," one of Silva's trainers said about Silva.
And that statement may be very accurate as he has been able to dominate the UFC's middleweight division and its most seasoned fighters. Silva can now add Marquardt to the list of victims that includes Travis Lutter, Rich Franklin, and Chris Leben.
Evans said Ortiz (15-5-1) was washed out, that he was a "has been" and that he was going to regret stepping into the Octagon to face him. Ortiz did everything to win the fight, but a point deduction in the second round due to grabbing the fence cost him the needed victory in a fight that was ruled a draw.
The veteran Ortiz was able to use his reach advantage and bigger frame to keep Evans (10-0-1) at bay and connect with high kicks and straight rights and lefts.
Ortiz was even able to power Evans against the cage and control the ground game, except for a small portion at the end of the third round. But that wasn't enough to hand Evans his first loss.
"Of course I thought I won the decision," Ortiz said. "Rashad is a tough fighter. We can do the rematch. - He is tough as hell, we could do it again."
Evans was able to stick and move enough to cut Ortiz's eye and cause swelling, but none of the punches seemed to have damaged Ortiz.
"I thought I won the fight," Evans said. "I definitely would have won the fight at the end if the (last) round was longer."
Sherk sacrificed his chin for the sake of holding onto his lightweight title as he was able to fight off teeth-shattering knee strikes from Hermes Franca en route to a 50-45, 50-45, 49-46 unanimous decision win.
Sherk's 5-foot-6 frame was too compact and his strength was too much for Franca to handle over 25 minutes. Franca came in on a three-fight win streak and was looking to strike and connected numerous times to Sherk's chin at the beginning of the rounds, but Sherk was able to wrestle Franca (18-6) to the ground.
"Hermes is a good jiu-jitsu fighter," Sherk (32-2-1) said. "I wanted to pick him up and slam him - I tried to put on a good show for the crowd."
UFC 73 notebook: Florian in the swing of things
By Dave Doyle
SACRAMENTO, Calif. Tito Ortiz didn't fight particularly well. He didn't win. He certainly didn't back up a lot of his boastful pre-fight talk.
But enough of what Ortiz didn't do during his fight with Rashad Evans at UFC 73 on Saturday at ARCO Arena.
What he did do was prove, conclusively, his relevance to the UFC and to the sport of mixed martial arts.
The so-called main event, the middleweight championship between Anderson Silva and Nate Marquardt, was fought less than 10 minutes after Ortiz and Evans battled to a controversial draw in a bout that left the crowd of 14,370 hoarse.
The crowd was essentially devoid of emotion by the time Silva and Marquardt had reached the ring, having had it sucked from it by the overwhelming presence of Ortiz. He left and he took much of the crowd with him.
He should have left with a win because it was he, not Evans, who came to fight. It was Ortiz who initiated, who tried to give the crowd what it came to see.
Evans fought timidly and as if he were on the big stage for the first time. He seemed hesitant to engage Ortiz despite his protestations that he thought he had won.
If UFC president Dana White, who has feuded publicly with Ortiz over much of the past decade, needed any proof of Ortiz's impact on his business and his sport, he saw it during the heavily hyped Silva-Marquardt fight, when fans acted as if they couldn't care less. Silva put on a spectacular display in stopping Marquardt in the first round, but the crowd, which paid a live gate of $1.5 million, was essentially flat.
That was clearly due to Ortiz, who instantly began trying to hype a rematch.
"It wasn't my best performance and Rashad is tough as hell, a lot tougher than I thought he would be," Ortiz said.
Evans got a huge assist from referee John McCarthy, who docked Ortiz a point in the second round for holding the cage as Evans went for a takedown. That, though, was one of the few offensive moves Evans made until the waning moments of the bout.
Evans was a bit player in this affair. He tried his best to hype the fight, going far out of character to act as a trash talker and making himself look and sound like the MMA version of Floyd Mayweather Jr. It was hardly becoming of a guy who had conducted himself with class throughout his UFC career until he signed to fight Ortiz.
At the post-fight news conference, Evans and Ortiz began to trade more taunts. Evans accused Ortiz of grabbing the cage repeatedly in the second round to avoid being taken down and said Ortiz was out at the end of the fight when he slammed him with about 10 seconds to go.
And he taunted Ortiz after giving him a cut and swollen right eye.
"All you did was you took me down and you held me," Evans said to Ortiz. "Take off your glasses (to show the swelling in Ortiz's eye.) And when I had you at the end of the third, you were out. You had nothing. You were like a little (expletive)."
Ortiz has that kind of effect on people. Half the crowd Saturday loved him and roared itself hoarse cheering his every move. The other half was equally as passionate in booing him.
No other fighter not heavyweight champion Randy Couture, not former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell has that impact. Those two, arguably the biggest stars in the sport, are almost universally loved.
"The Tito Ortiz-Rashad Evans fight was a grudge fight and people love grudge fights," White said. "And people either love or hate Tito. There's no middle with him. You're either for him 'Go Tito' or you hate him 'Tito sucks.' No doubt about it. Tito is one of the top guys. No doubt about it."
There are fighters far more skilled than Ortiz who sell far fewer tickets. They're as colorful as a piece of stale bread and do nothing to stir passion in the fans who buy the tickets and host the pay-per-view parties.
Ortiz pushes every button there is, up to and including confronting his bosses, as he did in the days leading up to his fight with Evans.
He accused White and other UFC officials of not promoting him in an effort to limit the size of his next contract. White responded by calling him a "complete and total moron" and noted that UFC officials had put billboards with Ortiz's "big ugly gorilla face" at key points in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
"He's not the pay-per-view monster you think he is," White said, grinning, after Saturday's show.
White might have a different answer once he signs Ortiz to a long-term contract. And all he had to do was look around him at ARCO Arena.
Ortiz, though, needs to win a fight against someone who is a threat because the act isn't going to last much longer if he doesn't. In his last four fights, he has two wins over 40-something Ken Shamrock (who was long since finished as an elite fighter), a loss to Liddell and the unsatisfying draw with Evans. Also, Ortiz defeated Forrest Griffin in a split decision on April 15, 2006, in a fight that many believe Griffin had won.
No, Ortiz doesn't have much margin for error anymore, not with the plethora of quality fighters who are populating the light heavyweight division. Another lackluster performance in the rematch with Evans and even the diehard Ortiz loyalists are going to jump off the bandwagon.
But that time isn't here yet.
Even though he didn't make a statement with his fists on Saturday, Tito Ortiz made one with his presence. And, even if he wouldn't admit it, you can bet that Dana White noticed.
All About WEC "World Extreme Cagefighting"
WHAT is the WEC [World Extreme Cagefighting]?
World Extreme Cagefigting WEC is the world's leading mixed martial arts sports organization, formed in June 30, 2001.With a history of exciting MMA events and a record of 23 straight sell out crowds, the WEC has proven itself to be the premier fighting event in MMA. The WEC features a strong ownership and a depth of management experience across a spectrum of live event sports, television production and ancillary business development. The WEC is positioned well for the future as the standard for the evolving and exciting sport of mixed martial arts.
WHAT DISTINGUISHES WEC FROM ITS COMPETITORS?
The WEC has the best MMA competitors in the world. With a strong focus on lighter weights such as, featherweight, bantamweight, and lightweight the WEC attracts the best talent from all over the globe. The WEC brings together the most disciplined martial arts experts from around the world to compete within the steel cage. WEC fighters come from the USA, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Russia, Mexico, and England, etc. All WEC fighters have previous combat sports experience and many are world or Olympic champions. Almost all WEC fighters have studied martial arts as a lifelong vocation and many are college educated. In addition to their WEC careers, many of these men are business owners. It is the success, discipline and focus of the WEC fighter that makes him different from just about any other competitor in or of mixed martial arts. Absolute consistency of rules: presence of officials, judges, weight divisions, rounds, and time limits. Leadership in producing the best show in the world.
MANDATORY EQUIPMENT
WEC competitors use commission approved 4-6 oz gloves, designed to protect the hand but not large enough to improve the striking surface or weight of the punch. Commission approved MMA shorts and kickboxing trunks are the only uniforms allowed. Shirts, gis, shoes, and the problems they present for grabbing are not allowed.
WEC has an absolute adherence to commission mandated rules for MMA: Commission approved gloves Weight Classes Time limits and rounds Mandatory drug testing No head butting or kicking to the downed opponent No knees to the head of a downed opponent No downward point of the elbow strikes No strikes to the spine or the back of the head No groin or throat strikes
State Athletic Commission approval in such major states as California, and Nevada.
RULES
Weight classes: Bantamweight - 135 lbs. or less Featherweight - over 135 lbs. to 145 lbs. Lightweight - over 145 lbs. to 155 lbs. Welterweight - over 155 lbs. to 170 lbs. Middleweight - over 170 lbs. to 185 lbs.
Bout duration: All non-championship bouts shall be three rounds. All championship bouts shall be five rounds. Rounds will be five minutes in duration. A one-minute rest period will occur between each round.
Fouls: 1. Butting with the head. 2. Eye gouging of any kind. 3. Biting. 4. Hair pulling. 5. Fish hooking. 6. Groin attacks of any kind. 7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent. 8. Small joint manipulation. 9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head. 10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow. 11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea. 12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh. 13. Grabbing the clavicle. 14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent. 15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent. 16. Stomping a grounded opponent. 17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel. 18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck. 19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area. 20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent. 21. Spitting at an opponent. 22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent. 23. Holding the ropes or the fence. 24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area. 25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break. 26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee. 27. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat. 28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee. 29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury. 30. Interference by the corner. 31. Throwing in the towel during competition.
Ways To Win: 1. Submission by: Physical tap out. Verbal tap out. 2. Technical knockout by the referee stopping the contest. 3. Decision via the scorecards, including: Unanimous decision. Split decision. Majority decision. Draw, including: Unanimous draw. Majority draw. Split draw. 4. Technical decision. 5. Technical draw. 6. Disqualification. 7. Forfeit. 8. No contest. Referee may Restart the round: If the fighters reach a stalemate and do not work to improve position or finish.
HISTORY
World Extreme Cagefighting (www.wec.tv) is dedicated to delivering top-quality mixed martial arts action, with an eye toward delivering an unmatched product that fans simply can't get enough of.
Founded in 2001, WEC quickly built a reputation as a quality organization, featuring hard-nosed fighters and no-nonsense matchups. Managed by Scott Adams and Reed Harris, the WEC sold out 22 of 24 cards.
A recently signed deal with VERSUS positions WEC as a major player in the MMA scene, with the cable network committed to airing three live fights and a half-dozen highlight shows, beginning this summer. These broadcasts will usher more fans into the fold than ever before, with fighters and fights that deliver a memorable bang, pitting the best against the best. WEC is poised to tap into the exploding growth of the sport by delivering the kind of fights that fans remember, and want to see again. There's no soft touches. No filler fights. And no excuses. While the talent base in the sport continues to expand, the WEC is committed to finding tomorrow's champions while putting today's to the test. Because of our commitment to top-level action, you'll see a commitment to showcasing fighters in lower weight classes like lightweight (155), featherweight (145), bantamweight (135) and more. And in the WEC, you can rest assured the deserving contenders will get their shot at a champ as soon as they've proven they're worthy -- we will strive to uphold the highest ethics, integrity, and respect for the sport and in the process set the standard for others to follow.
And the talent? It's there. The WEC already has a number of top fighters, including 155-lb. champ Razor Rob McCullough, a potent striker who has won 12 of his last 13, and recently knocked out world champion Thai Boxer Kit Cope in his latest defense. And the featherweight champ Urijah The California Kid Faber is emerging as one of the top 145-lb. fighters in the world, with a punishing ground-and-pound attack that defines high intensity. Welterweight sensation, Carlos Condit is considered one of the best Welterweight fighters in the nation. Throw in tough veterans like John Alessio, Alex Karalexis, and plenty of unbeaten young talent, and it's clear that the WEC is setting the bar high. World Extreme Cagefighting -- the future of mixed martial arts. And the future is now.
The California Kid plays host as UFC fighters come to California state capi
By Neil Davidson
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CP) - As featherweight champion of World Extreme Cagefighting, Urijah Faber doesn't usually put out the welcome mat for rival fighters.
But the 145-pounder known as The California Kid hosted UFC stars all week at the gym he co-owns in the buildup to Saturday night's UFC 73 in the California state capital.
A string of fighters and coaches from the UFC 73 card made Ultimate Fitness their training home this week.
Faber teaches several classes at the spacious gym, which has 450 members after just nine months. He also coaches fighters, including former Oklahoma State wrestling champion Mark Munoz and current NCAA champion Derek Moore.
Faber, 28, himself is a five-foot-six tornado, boasting speed and power. At 19-1, the former standout wrestler at the University of California at Davis has bludgeoned a string of mixed martial arts opponents.
He won the WEC title eight fights ago, beating Cole Escovedo in March 2006.
The lone blemish on his record is a TKO at the hands of current UFC lightweight Tyson Griffin in September 2005 at Gladiator Challenge 42 in Lakewood, Calif., where the two went at it on a sunny day in a casino parking lot.
Faber found himself in trouble early on when, diving forward to take Griffin down, his head slammed into the steel edge of the cage. The gash in his head eventually required seven staples to close.
The entertaining back-and-forth fight ended five seconds into the third round when Faber launched himself into a Superman punch, only to absorb a right to the chin and crumple to the canvas.
He reckons a rematch is in the cards.
"I've got another six, eight years in this sport and he's younger (23) than I am. I don't see how it can't happen," he said.
Faber has won 11 straight fights since the Griffin bout, none of which have gone into the third round.
"I'm not the biggest 145-pounder, but I feel as far as being well-rounded and athletic and having a feel for the fight game, there's no one that can really get close to me and I've been proven that," he said. "I plan on continuing to prove that."
In mid-2006, Faber found himself fighting for his life on holiday in Bali when a bar altercation turned into a mass brawl.
"It was intense, A crazy story," said Faber. "About two or three times I thought I was going to die."
Faber was challenged by a local tough guy and, after being unable to talk the man down, took the dispute to the parking lot. A broken collarbone for his opponent ended that battle but suddenly he was rushed by a gang wielding brass knuckles, bottles and a hammer.
The fight continued back in the club and through the streets as Faber ran for his life. He eventually found refuge in a cab, only to have the gang try to drag him out. Faber, covered in the blood, and the driver eventually escaped.
"I ran I fought, I ran I fought. They kept coming," he said. "Five different occasions I got into it with groups of people."
The incident left its mark - "If I shaved my head, I've got about six different spots on my head that had to be stitched up."
But it has served a couple of other purposes. He is thankful he made it through the ordeal. And he knows he is a survivor.
"I've never been scared to fight and I've never been scared to compete. Being faced with something like that doesn't hurt the competitive side of me at all, knowing I'm going to be OK."
Today he is the flagship fighter for WEC, which pays particular attention to the lighter weight classes. The UFC, in contrast, does not have a featherweight division.
Faber is not your ordinary fighter, in several ways.
His parents believe in holistic medicine and to this day, Faber tries to avoid conventional medicine "unless under extreme occasions." That means no Aspirin, no immunization shots.
Thanks to his family, his diet has always been healthy - "since I was in the womb." No fast food, no soda for The California Kid, although he says he will have a beer once in a while.
"Of course," he says with a smile.
The nickname, by the way, comes from his surfer dude looks.
"I don't have a tough demeanor," he explained. "I smile a lot, I've got blond hair and I'm tanned. I love hanging out at the ocean."
Jens Pulver may loom in Faber's future, with talk that the former UFC 155-pound champion is heading to WEC.
"I'd love to fight him," said Faber.
"In my own head, I don't think I can get beat up. Even when I lost the (Griffin) fight, I don't feel like I got beat up. ... If there's someone who's going to fight me, I think there's a chance I can beat them up and I'm going to try to find that way."
Faber is now fighting on a bigger stage, with the purchase of the WEC by the UFC owners. And more people can watch him now that WEC is televised in Canada on TSN and in the U.S. on Versus.
Of course, The California Kid is already an icon in his hometown.
"Sac-town's my town these days," he said contently. "I like it like that."
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