Although I have only been fighting professionally for a little under a year and a half, I have been involved in some form of competition for as long as I can remember. As a young child I fought with extreme force to distinguish myself from my twin and older brother’s shadow. It was exhausting.

I spent countless days, months, and years attempting to avoid situations in which I might be compared to their accomplishments. Time that would have been much better spent embracing the person I was, and working on becoming the the person I eventually wanted to be.

A couple weeks ago I stumbled upon a box in my parents garage that was filled with plaques, medals, and trophies I received while growing up. Surprisingly, I didn’t remember being awarded the majority of these accolades.

However, I vividly remember the missed shots, fumbled balls, and bad decisions I made as an athlete. I have battled and defeated men who have trained to conquer me, yet have failed to silence my greatest adversary, myself.

Although this behaviour could be interpreted as a weakness, I believe that it is one of the underlying factors that drives me to compete and improve. I also believe that this mental lapse spawned one of my strongest attributes in the ring, my heart.

I am well aware that I am not the most skilled or technical fighter in the game, yet truly believe that my conditioning combined with my heart and unwillingness to give up rivals some of the greatest in the sport.

The next time I step in the ring I vow be ready physically, spiritually, and mentally.

“Believe in yourself. Believe in your own potential for greatness. Believe that you can change the world. It is something that is within each of us.” - Evan Tanner.

Post from: Fantasy MMA Authority and source for MMA news at CagePlay.com

Ian Dawe - 16 Months - Chapter 22

Cageplay.com is excited to announce Canada’s newest MMA promotion. They have been working hard for  long to make this a reality and we are finally able to make the announcement now that the licenses and venues are finalized. Stay tuned for more Warrior-1 coverage and news.

Warrior-1 MMA in co-operation Premier Entertainment are pleased to announce their debut event on March 28th, 2009 at the Robert Guertin Arena in Gatineau, Quebec. The event “W1: INCEPTION” will mark the unveiling of Canada’s newest MMA promotion and is expected to make a huge splash on the Canadian scene.

In a fight thirteen years in the making, CARLOS ‘THE RONIN’ NEWTON will be headlining the event in his first fight on Canadian soil since 1996. Newton made his MMA debut on April 26th, 1996 in Montreal and his career has taken him to every corner of the globe, but has never made a return to Canada. The first ever Canadian UFC Champion and former number one ranked fighter in the world, Newton has faced almost every superstar of his era including Kazushi Sakuraba, Pat Miletich, Matt Hughes, Jose Landi-Jons, Anderson Silva, Renzo Gracie and Matt Lindland. Now Newton is looking to make his mark against the new breed of MMA talent that has hit the scene in the last few years.

“I have been away from MMA for some time now and I couldn’t be more excited to be back. It only seems right to make my return in my home country and with a great organization like Warrior One,” said Newton regarding his MMA return.

Standing in Newton’s way is one of Canada’s top welterweights, Ottawa’s own NABIL ‘THE THRILL’ KHATIB. Khatib has a win over UFC veteran Gideon Ray and has faced some of the world’s most talented athletes. The veteran Khatib has seen everything there is in the martial arts world and is expecting to spoil Newton’s Canadian homecoming. An extremely popular fighter in the Gatineau/Ottawa area, Khatib is expected to have a lot of his fans cheering him on against the popular Newton.

The Co-Main Event will see two of Canada’s top rising lightweight stars. MARK ‘BOOTS’ HOLST from Ottawa will take his undefeated record against the experienced, but still young MARTIN ‘THE HAMMER’ GRANDMONT from Drummondville. Considered two of the top strikers in Canada, this fight has fireworks written all over it. This fight has been discussed for a long time and both fighters are excited to finally see who is the most talented warrior.

For more information, feel free to contact: info@w1mma.com or contact the matchmaker at matchmaker@w1mma.com. Look for further details concerning additional fights and ticket purchasing in the near future as information is released.

Post from: Fantasy MMA Authority and source for MMA news at CagePlay.com

Canada’s Newest Promotion Warrior-1 to Debut in March

Strikeforce World Light Heavyweight (205 lb. limit) Champion Bobby Southworth (9-5) and his opponent, Renato “Babalu” Sobral (30-7), both registered in at 204 lbs. Knockout artists and opponents Duane “Bang” Ludwig (17-8) and Yves Edwards (34-14-1) weighed in at 163 lbs. and 164 lbs, respectively.

The following are the official fighter weights from today’s weigh-ins at Hotel DeAnza:

Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith – 185.5 lbs.
vs.
Terry Martin – 186 lbs.

Bobby Southworth – 204 lbs.
vs.
Renato “Babalu” Sobral – 204 lbs.

Duane “Bang” Ludwig – 163 lbs.
vs.
Yves Edwards – 164 lbs.

Kim “Sugar Free” Couture – 132 lbs.
vs.
Lina Kvokov – 133 lbs.

Joe “Diesel” Riggs – 170.5 lbs.
vs.
Luke Stewart – 170.5 lbs.

Brad Royster – 134 lbs.
vs.
Darren “Bone Crusher” Uyenoyama – 136 lbs.

Nik Theotikos – 185.5 lbs.
vs.
Luke Rockhold – 185.5 lbs.

Zakary Bucia – 169 lbs.
vs.
Adam Steele – 168 lbs.

Alvin Cacdac – 143 lbs.
vs.
Jose Palacios – 145 lbs.

Lemont Davis – 173 lbs.
vs.
Brian Schwartz – 175 lbs.

Josh Neal – 184 lbs.
vs.
Kurt “Rhino” Osiander – 185 lbs.

Bobby Stack – 155 lbs.
vs.
Cyrillo Padilha – 156 lbs.

Tony Johnson – 184 lbs.
vs.
Eric Lawson – 185 lbs.

HP Pavilion doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for Strikeforce “Destruction” and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. The main card will commence at 7:30 p.m.

The live HDNet telecast of Strikeforce “Destruction” will begin at 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST).

About Strikeforce:
Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, Strikeforce has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” Since then, it has co-produced the first SHOWTIME PPV mixed martial arts event in history with its world championship “Shamrock vs. Baroni” card on June 22, 2007 followed by the first-ever mixed martial arts event at the world-famous Playboy Mansion on September 29, 2007. On April 12th of this year, Strikeforce launched the first-ever 52 week MMA series on one of the four major television networks in The U.S. – NBC.

Post from: Fantasy MMA Authority and source for MMA news at CagePlay.com

Strikeforce “Destruction” Weigh In Results

Fitch NOT leaving the UFC

Jon Fitch will not be leaving the UFC afterall.  Yesterday, the MMA world was abuzz that Jon Fitch and other AKA fighters would be leaving the UFC after refusing to sign a UFC video licensing agreement.  The agreement gave the UFC the rights to the likeness of the fighter for video games in perpetuity.

However, today MMArated.com broke an exclusive that Fitch contacted Lorenzo Fertitta, one of the three UFC owners, and they came to an agreement.  Fitch WILL sign the contract with the lifetime video game agreement and will be fighting Akiro Gono at UFC 94.

The issues were more about how the fighters felt bullied by Dana White into signing their contracts.  I’m sure there will be lots more said by both parties as Dana had some harsh words for the AKA management team calling them “Morons”.  Fitch countered by saying he was sure that Josh Koscheck would be have been fired as well if it were not for the fact that he is headlining a Ultimate Fight Night in December.

Post from: Fantasy MMA Authority and source for MMA news at CagePlay.com

Jon Fitch Back On vs. Gono at UFC 94

Sitting Octagon-side during his historical bout vs. Randy Couture, you could feel the energy from the crowd as they cheered “Randy, Randy, Randy” throughout the main event. Every time there was an exchange, an explosion of emotion emanated from the MGM Grand Garden Arena faithful, but every time Lesnar landed one of those monstrous knees, it would poke a hole through Couture’s sails, while freezing the crowd into a momentary hush.

As the bout went on, Couture would fight valiantly, but Lesnar’s sheer power would thwart all of Couture’s takedown attempts, while chopping away at Couture’s gas tank. When the final right cross hit Couture just behind his left ear, I vividly recall seeing his body crumble and knowing he would need a miracle to survive what was about to happen to him.

As Lesnar pounced on Couture and began landing his cinderblock hammer fists, I spent more time staring at referee Mario Yamasaki then I did the finish of the fight. Once Yamasaki stepped in to halt the bout, I not only realized my prediction of “Couture in four” was wrong, but remember looking around at the rest of the media, shrugging my shoulders and saying, “I’m not surprised.”

I can’t say that I was shocked that Lesnar won, but I will say that I was very impressed with his performance, especially his striking game. Technically speaking, here’s a guy who looked very green in his fight against Frank Mir, then significantly improved in his standup against Heath Herring. In his bout with Couture, Lesnar threw crisp jabs and tight right hands taking full advantage of his 85-inch reach. After the bout Couture specifically told me he was able to replicate Lesnar’s size and strength, and that his power wasn’t difficult to deal with. It was Lesnar’s “go-go gadget arms” that Couture couldn’t prepare for.

Lesnar’s face and jaw were also tested in this bout as Couture landed a variety of punches, one cutting Lesnar for five stitches. After getting hit, Lesnar stated he was upset that Couture “drew first blood” and that it made him even more determined to finish Couture… and that he did. It was a stunning finish to the fight. I spoke with a variety of fighters after the bout and while most were in awe of Lesnar’s performance, not all of them are convinced. Canadian Jason (Dooms) Day summed up what many of the fighters are thinking:

“Brock is simply too big. He has a lot of athleticism and power behind him and now that he is getting better at MMA, he will be hard to stop. He did show he is improving and kept his composure well with Randy. Somebody needs to test his chin (more) before we get too carried away in the Lesnar phenomenon.”

Day’s comments got me thinking about an analogy: at 145 pounds, how would Urijah Faber do against a 205-pounder like Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Quinton (Rampage) Jackson, Wanderlei Silva or even Chuck Liddell?

I asked Dana White this very question while he visited the Sportsnet studio on Tuesday and his response was obvious. “He’d get killed. What’s your point?”

I explained to White, my point was simple: the difference in weight between Faber and the light-heavyweights was similar to what Randy Couture experienced vs. Brock Lesnar.

The analogy is not an exact one but simply a portrayal of the vast size difference between the fighters. There are other variables like experience, skill and quality, but I’m hoping you get my point. With Brock Lesnar having to cut weight to reach the maximum allowance for a heavyweight (265 pounds), is it not time there was some serious thought into bridging the 60-pound gap between the minimum and maximum set for the division?

Another common theme amongst the fighters was that Lesnar is still learning the intricacies of mixed martial arts, and that is scary. With time, he will only get better. His striking, clinch and submission game will only improve and that is a scary scenario for everyone in the heavyweight division.

Lesnar will have plenty of time to prepare, as he will most likely not see any action until March or April of 2009. His opponent will be determined on Dec. 27, at the UFC’s end-of-year show. The Ulimate Fighter 8 coaches will do battle as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will put his interm heavyweight championship belt on the line vs. Mir. When Brock was asked who he hoped would win the fight, his response was obvious: “FRANK MIR.”

I’ve seen all of Lesnar’s UFC fights live. I’ve seen Noqueira and Mir fight live. After what I saw on Saturday night, I seriously think Lesnar can beat both of them, and I never thought I would ever say that. Nogueira is notoriously a slow starter and even though he was able to survive severe punishment from Fedor Emelianenko, I do not believe he could do it anymore, against Lesnar. The same goes for Mir.

There are other names out there that Lesnar will be facing (Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin and maybe Gabriel Gonzaga), but the name that is already being thrown around is that of the legendary fighter he has already brushed off as insignificant: Emalienenko.

Lesnar doesn’t really care too much for Fedor’s mystique and appears more than happy to take on the “Russian Emperor.” Problem is, the UFC will not be signing him anytime soon. In fact, with the multiple attempts at trying to sign Fedor, White publicly admitted that he hasn’t even met him in person. That is not a good sign.

What this all means to me is that it will be awhile before anyone will be able to seriously challenge for the heavyweight title. Lesnar’s era as the UFC heavyweight champion has officially begun and I don’t see it ending anytime soon.

Post from: Fantasy MMA Authority and source for MMA news at CagePlay.com

Brock Star - by Showdown Joe Ferraro

The trailer for the movie Never Surrender is now available.  This action movie stars UFC veteran fighters Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn, Rampage Jackson, Anderson Silva, and Heath Herring.  According to IMDB.com, the movie, written by Hector Echevarria, is

an erotically charged, controversial action-thriller set in the world of underground street fighting where an MMA fighter who has been drawn into the world by an erotic and sexy promoter, quickly realizes that there is no way out, other than death.

The movie is due out in 2009.

Post from: Fantasy MMA Authority and source for MMA news at CagePlay.com

Never Surrender Trailer - Starring GSP, Penn, Silva, & Rampage

Iroquois MMA is the only fight game in Ontario and they are returning to Ohsweken on November 22.  IQMMA VI will feature Markhaile “Showtime” Wedderburn.  Wedderburn, who trains out of Tiger Muay Thai, will rematch against Stephan Lamarche.  Lamarche hopes to avenge his loss to Wedderburn that occurred at Freedom Fight where Lamarche was choked out in the second round.  If you want to check out Showtime in action, you can view his January 2008 Freedom Fight match against Joel Davis here.  Wedderburn is truly an entertaining fighter and this match should be exposive with high emotions coming from both camps.

Other fighters on the card include IQMMA mainstays, Shawn van Every, Denis Puric and Muay Thai fighter Shane Campbell.  All three had first round victories at IQMMA V held this past September.

Main Event

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Showtime Wedderburn Headlines Iroquois MMA VI

November to Remember

Next friday at the Winnipeg Convention Center, Ultimate Cage Wars returns with it’s 14th show.  On tap for this show is former UFC, and current Affliction star Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski.

In the main event former Winnipeger and a Canadian MMA household name with fights from coast to coast over the past 8 years Kevin Manderson returns to UCW to take on Saskatoon’s Kurt Southern.

TV Personality, Rockstar, and MMA fighter Robin Black comes to his former home also when he returns to Winnipeg to take on Regina’s Janz Stein in a battle of the Jiu Jitsu trained fighters.  Both of these guys are going into this fight with full confidence, and should provide a fast paced battle.

UCW Staple Jean-Marc Lalonde returns to take on Winnipegs Alex Ferrer in a Lightweight matchup that will not dissapoint as both are looking to make a statement.

Also on the card are the following matchups.

Jose Rodriguez (Saskatoon) vs. Micheal “Sweetie Pie” Walton (Toronto)
Ryan Bawn (Kingston) vs. Joey Ayres (Toronto)
Warren Phillips (Saskatoon) vs. Mario Cueto (Winnipeg)
Blair Gutta (Thunder Bay) vs. Dany Labrie (Calgary)
Tiago Tavares (Toronto) vs. Tom Withoos (Winnipeg)
Dave Letourneu (Thunder Bay) vs. Arron Gallant (Calgary)
Luis Huerte (Calgary) vs. Matt “Kid Lightning” Veal (Thunder Bay)
Chad Sherman (Calgary) vs. Andrija Pavlic (Winnipeg)
Andrew Elliot (Thunder Bay) vs. Victor Daychief (Lethbridge)

Stay tuned for more news on the upcoming Ultimate Cage Wars event

Get your VIP tickets by calling Tony Condello at 204-229-9173

General Admission seating can be purchased here –> Ultimate Cage Wars Tickets

Post from: Fantasy MMA Authority and source for MMA news at CagePlay.com

Ultimate Cage Wars 14 “November to Remember” Lineup

XCW 27 Results

Jeff Wiley defeated Marc Lane by TKO (Strikes) in Round 1 1:43 to win XCW Featherweight Title

Jason Chakita submitted Braiden Leslie by Armbar in Round 1 3:37

Kurt Bailey defeated Fate Smith by TKO (Strikes) in Round 1 at 1:21

Chris Leduc defeated Kirk Thibault by TKO (Tapout due to Strikes) in Round 1 2:37

Nick Bell defeated Lloyd Cook by TKO (Strikes) in Round 1 2:43

Joe Cook submitted Barrett Thompson by Choke in Round 1 0:37

Dan Kitto defeated Andrew McKay by TKO (Strikes) in Round 1 1:51

Bryce McCallum defeated Dustin Martins by TKO (Strikes) in Round 1 1:25

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XCW 27 November 15 Results from Saskatoon

Post from: Fantasy MMA Authority and source for MMA news at CagePlay.com

UMC Regina 15 Quick Results