UFC's Jason MacDonald cleared to train, anticipates December return

UFC's Jason MacDonald cleared to train, anticipates December return

by Steven Marrocco on Jul 29, 2010 at 2:20 pm ET
Duane "Bang" Ludwig isn't the only fighter getting back to his feet.

UFC middleweight Jason MacDonald (24-14 MMA, 5-6 UFC) on Tuesday had two three-inch screws removed his ankle and was cleared for light training.

MacDonald suffered a broken tibula, a dislocated ankle and bone and ligament damage when John Salter took him down in the first round of their fight at UFC 113.

MacDonald took the fight on short notice when Salter's original opponent, Nick Catone, was forced to bow out with a back injury, and fellow Canadian David Loiseau was not cleared to step in.

It was MacDonald's first UFC fight in a second stint for the promotion. The Canadian fighter burst onto the scene in 2006 with back-to-back "Submission of the Night" wins over Ed Herman and Chris Leben, but he struggled to stay consistent in subsequent appearances and was released following two consecutive losses at The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale and UFC 97.

MacDonald was the second fighter this year to break a leg inside the octagon. Ludwig broke his left fibula when Darren Elkins took him down in the first round of a fight at UFC on Versus 1 in March.

MacDonald has been on the mend since the injury, and he's done as much as he can to stay in shape. At the gym, he's worked his upper body and purchased a handbike to get around.

Tuesday's surgery cleared the way for light activity like jogging and jiu-jitsu.

"The doctor made an incision and stuck a screwdriver in there," MacDonald today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "The first four or five turns of that screw was unbelievably painful."

The screws had been holding MacDonald's ankle in place while his bones healed, though they limited his range of motion.

The Canadian fighter said the main obstacle to his recovery is getting confidence in the leg. He said the way he broke his leg actually could have been much worse; the ligaments that were torn completely off his bone and did not sever in the accident.

He realized the process might be a little slower than expected when he went for a run Wednesday and got a half-mile before his incision started to bleed.

"I think I'm going to ease back into it," MacDonald said.

The UFC paid for a pair of crutches and the initial hospital ride, but the rest of his medical care has been covered by the Canadian government. The promotion "froze" his contract during his recovery, but he's still a UFC fighter.

MacDonald said he'd ideally like to return to the octagon in December, but it depends on how his recovery progresses.

"As a fighter, I'm obviously eager to get back in there, and from a financial standpoint I've been laid off for a while, and I'd like to get back to fighting and making some money," he said. "But at this point in my career, especially since I just signed a new contract with the UFC and then the injury happened – and regardless of how the fight was going it was still considered a loss – it's important for me to be 100 percent when I return to the UFC."

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UFC on Versus Preview and Predictions

UFC on Versus Preview and Predictions

Michael David Smith

A slow July for mixed martial arts has finally passed, and now August is finally upon us, a month so jam-packed with MMA action that it will be hard to keep up with it all. First up is UFC Live on Versus 2, a solid fight card on basic cable with Jon Jones taking on Vladimir Matyushenko in the main event. We've got the full preview and predictions below.

What: UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko

When: The non-televised undercard will start around 6PM ET on Sunday, and the live Versus card starts at 9PM ET.

Where: San Diego Sports Arena

Preview of the four televised fights:

Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Jones is one of the up-and-coming stars of the UFC, a 23-year-old who absolutely destroyed seasoned veterans Brandon Vera and Matt Hamill in his last two fights. Matyushenko is an even more seasoned veteran, and Jones calls Matyushenko the toughest opponent he's ever faced, but I don't see much reason to believe Matyushenko will have an answer for Jones' rare combination of size, strength and speed. This is a fight Jones should dominate.
Pick: Jones

Yushin Okami vs. Mark Muñoz
Munoz is a former NCAA champion wrestler who is continuing to develop into a well-rounded mixed martial artist and has looked better since moving down to 185 pounds, and as Chael Sonnen showed, a good wrestler can control Okami and grind out a decision. But I don't think Munoz is quite ready for an opponent of Okami's caliber, and I like Okami to win this fight by TKO.
Pick: Okami

John Howard vs. Jake Ellenberger
After winning his first four UFC fights, with a Fight of the Night bonus and a Knockout of the Night bonus along the way, Howard is finally getting called up to the main card. Ellenberger, a former college wrestler with big punching power, is a dangerous opponent for him, but I see Howard staying undefeated inside the Octagon.
Pick: Howard

Tyson Griffin vs. Takanori Gomi
This could be the end of the line for Gomi, the former Pride lightweight champion who was among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world five years ago but is now 31 and no longer the explosive athlete he once was. Gomi was thoroughly dominated by Kenny Florian in his UFC debut in March, and if he loses to Griffin, he probably won't get a third UFC fight.
Pick: Griffin

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Jon Jones May Not Have Asked for the Hype, but He's Stuck with It

Jon Jones May Not Have Asked for the Hype, but He's Stuck with It

Jon Jones May Not Have Asked for the Hype, but He's Stuck with It

7/30/2010 1:38 PM ET By Ben Fowlkes

A year ago, Jon Jones was what you might call an up-and-comer in the MMA world. He had a couple UFC wins under his belt, mostly on the unaired prelims of pay-per-view cards, and primarily against middle of the pack opponents. He'd only been in the sport for a little over year, and people were just starting to come around to the idea that he was someone worth watching.

All that's changed now. After demolishing Matt Hamill (okay, so he lost via disqualification, but we all saw where that fight was headed) and then Brandon Vera, he has since been officially upgraded from up-and-comer to bright prospect. Instead of asking if he might one day fight for a title, fans have started asking when.

The hype is growing, and with it, the expectations. Only now that Jones has got the MMA world's attention, he's not entirely certain that he wants it.

"The hype thing, I kind of wish it would all go away," Jones told MMA Fighting. "I feel like I'm just a guy who has a job and I'm good at it, but I didn't ask for all the hype or to be the next big thing. I'm just trying to go out there and do what I love doing. It's weird though, because I'm saying that I never asked for it, but I do want to be the best and I'm aware that this is going to come with it, so what do you do? You just realize it's part of the game, try to be yourself, and remember that you're not anything until you're the champion."

And there's the rub. The more big fights you win, the more they talk about you. The more they want from you. It's a package deal, and the only way out is through defeat, which isn't in anyone's plans in this sport.

When Jones takes on Vladimir Matyushenko in the main event of the UFC on Versus 2 event this Sunday night, he'll face another part of the same dilemma. With so much hype surrounding him, and as such a heavy favorite with oddsmakers, anything less than a dominant victory may seem like a disappointment.

The hype thing, I kind of wish it would all go away.
-- Jon Jones

Before being offered the fight with Matyushenko, Jones said he wanted a big name opponent. He wanted a situation where he had as much to gain with a victory as his opponent did. Instead, he got a tough, grizzled vet of the fight game, but one who many casual fans remain relatively clueless about.

Jones knows who he is, which is why he spent more than two months at Greg Jackson's New Mexico gym preparing for this fight – the longest training camp he's ever done for any one fight in his brief MMA career.

"I look at Vladimir as the toughest guy I've ever faced. A lot of people might be thinking, 'Oh, Jones is taking him lightly.' That's silly. Look at the guy's record. I've never fought anyone with a record like that. The average fan might take him lightly because they don't know who he is, but I do and I'm going to try and whoop him up. He's fought for a belt before. Who else have I fought who's fought for a belt before? No one."

On paper, almost all of the advantages in the fight belong to Jones. He's bigger, faster, and younger. He has the wrestling chops to stay off his back, and he acknowledges that the striking game against someone of Matyushenko's somewhat limited arsenal will be "fun" for him.

The only thing he lacks that Matyushenko doesn't is experience, though he doesn't expect that to make much of a difference once the cage door closes.

"You can have all the experience in the world, but if you haven't fought a guy who fights like me, I'm not sure how much that's going to help you. I've watched his fights and he's definitely fought some warriors. I'm not saying I'm better than any of them. I'm just saying that I'm different, and I'm aware of that. I'm a fighter who can throw high kicks with both legs. I can throw you or I can shoot for your legs and take you down that way. I can do a spinning technique or a flying technique. I'm just very different from anyone he's ever fought."

Judging by Matyushenko's recent comments, he wouldn't necessarily disagree with that assessment. Truth be told, there may be no other fighter quite like Jones in all of MMA right now. That would explain the hype. It would also explain why the only way for Jones to meet expectations this weekend is to exceed them. Such are the perils of the prospect.

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Phil Baroni Pours His Heart Out About Recent Injury, Survival in UFC

Phil Baroni Pours His Heart Out About Recent Injury, Survival in UFC

Phil Baroni Pours His Heart Out About Recent Injury, Survival in UFC

7/30/2010 10:24 AM ET By Ariel Helwani
Phil Baroni has never been known to hide his emotions, and when MMA Fighting contacted "The New York Bad Ass" to discuss his recent collarbone injury, which forced him to pull out of his UFC 118 fight against John Salter, Baroni provided one of his more heartfelt interviews to date.

Like many other fighters in a similar position, Baroni clearly recognizes that he is at a crossroads in his career. But his brutal honesty concerning his current status in the sport and what he needs to survive in the UFC is something you don't often hear from professional fighters.

The 13-12 veteran has experienced his fair share of highs and lows, and it seemed he viewed this August fight as the beginning of his final run in the UFC. Unfortunately, a freak injury got in the way, and as he explains in the interview below, the 33-year-old has been forced to take a deep look within himself to see if he still has what it takes to hang with the best middleweights in the world.

Check out the interview below.

Ariel Helwani : What exactly happened?

Phil Baroni: I felt my ground game was not as sharp as it needed to be and I was behind in my prep. So I went to [Robert] Drysdale's to get some extra ground and train pure jits. I wanted to see if I could pull off some of the new sh** I had been training. On my fourth round, I was tired and let a guy lock up an anaconda choke. When I tried to power out of it, I felt a bad pain in my collarbone joint in the front of my chest. I tried to keep rolling another round, but I felt my chest and felt it poking out. I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, and saw I had a major problem. I was really pissed and just went home.

Did you try to fight through the pain so you wouldn't have to pull out of the fight?

Yeah. I think I hurt it on Wednesday morning, so I took the rest of the week off and got it shot with cortisone. I ran over the weekend and started regular training on Monday. It was grinding and hurting when I wrestled and I was very uncomfortable training. I felt I had to protect it. I needed to push hard that last month. I couldn't have an another injury holding me back. I've been pretty banged up last few years. My left shoulder is dead. [It's] been dead since before [Frank] Shamrock fight. I can't jab fast or hard with it, and it's killing my stand up. It's really slow too. Fast hands have always been an advantage for me, and I have not had fast hands since.

Now with collarbone joint half dislocated, I can't punch at all with my left arm. It sucks and it's is very frustrating. But I need to win this next fight. I mean, really, it's no secret the position I'm in. It sucks and it's scary. I don't like it. I hate it. It's hard to deal with. It's always on the back of your mind. I need this. My family needs this. I want to be at my best; give it my all and be 100 percent, and if it doesn't work, at least I can say, 'F**k, I lost,' but not, 'I should have, could have or would have.' And if I lost and got cut, I would still be fighting, trying to earn my way back into a big show.

I want to be a contender -- I want to matter again. I want to be the biggest comeback story ever -- a Cinderella Man.
-- Phil Baroni

Considering how important this fight was, how difficult was it for you to pull out of it?

Very difficult. First off, I really want to fight. It's a big show -- first one in Boston. It would have been great. The card is huge, and maybe I could have a good fight and get on TV. Get some exposure. I need it now badly. I'm left out of a lot of sh** nowadays. I'm forgotten at the expos and appearances. Just everything with the UFC. I wanted to win a big fight, look impressive and get considered again. I wanted to say, 'Hey Dana, I'm still f**king here. I still can fight.' I wanted to say it to everyone: the fans, the media. I'm still Phil f**king Baroni. That used to mean something. I want it to mean something again. I want to say, 'Hey Strikeforce, you made a big mistake letting me go. You f**ked up. You blew it. I'm still somebody, and I still bring things to the table that not many fighters do.'

I just want to be a contender. I want respect from my peers, the fans, media and the promotions. I wanted to say, 'I'm still here, don't f**king forget about me. I'm not dead yet. I want to be a contender -- I want to matter again. I want to be the biggest comeback story ever -- a Cinderella Man. It's not depression, but I'm going through my share of problems like a lot of people in Vegas and across the country with foreclosure, money ... everything. I'm almost in the same position I was 10 years ago, but now the window of opportunity is closing. I don't want to be here when it shuts with none of my goals accomplished and all my dreams dead. I still have a little time, and I want to shove them all through the window with me. It's a million-to-one shot, but, hey, Rocky did it.

How did the UFC respond when you officially pulled out of the fight?

I called Joe Silva, and asked him to push my fight back to another card. He said he couldn't. I said give me a few days to see if I can get through it. He said I'm pulling you out. I need this fight and can't afford to fight hurt. So he gave me time to get healthy and have a good preparation.

When do you think you will be able to return to action?

Man, I'm already doing rehab on my shoulder, hip and back. The collarbone needs time heal -- maybe a month. I'm running and keeping my weight around 200. I'm going to lift and just do everything I can to stay in shape, get stronger and heal up. It's going to be difficult, but I got to do it. I'm working again, so I can afford to get healthy. My wife works a lot and hard also. She always does, but she really stepped up and got a second job. It sucks, man. I feel bad, but I'm lucky, and when I win my next fight, she won't have to work so hard. I'll be able to stay afloat and get healed and be ready in, I hope, a month. Then, I'll probably need at least to be peaked for my fight. It's hard. I want to back in there, but I'm not going to rush. I have a lot riding on this fight. I really want to look good and win.

Where are you working?

I would rather keep that private.

Will your next fight be in the UFC?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure. I think about a tune-up [fight], but there are no safe tune-ups. I got to just train and spar hard. It's too risky to fight outside the UFC. I need to train, fight, win, and fight often. Get my rhythm going; make noise. I'm still here; I'm still tough; I'm still relevant. Look, it's Phil f**king Baroni, 'The New York Bad Ass' is the real deal. I'm back, and in the immortal words of my boy Kevin Randleman, 'Lets trade b***h!'

What did you mean when you tweeted: "I cant take it anymore. Im freaking out. anxiety im shot. beaten. [sic]"

The stress and the pressure; fight hurt or not; take time, pull out or f**k it, fight. I've been fighting hurt for a while now. It is what it is. I don't know what to do. I want to make the right move. I have nobody to ask. I just feel beaten, down, nobody to turn to for answers. Just thinking out loud. I cant help it -- I wear my heart on my sleeve. I've always been that way. No fakes, no front; what you see is what you get.

Are you going to travel elsewhere to prepare for this fight now that you have more time?

I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I just don't know. I don't have a winning formula, which is my biggest problem and concern. It sucks, it's frustrating, it's hard to deal with. I don't know exactly what to do. What's best, how or where. It's nuts, I've been at this so long and don't have at least that. Nowhere to turn or go back to. It's hard, but it's my problem that I have to deal with -- my issue.

Most important to me is finding someone to believe in me; someone who thinks I can still do this and that I'm worth training; someone who cares and can put time in. I need someone to believe in me even when I don't and push me and help me; someone who can get me to the fight with a healthy mind. That's most important. I need that. Once I'm in the ring, everyone knows this, and I've shown it time and time again: I will not quit. I will fight to the very end. But finding that somebody is the challenge. Mark Coleman has always been there for me, and helped me, but he is in Ohio now raising his daughters. Maybe it's time to find it in myself?

Is there anything else you want to say to those who have supported you through this time?

I'm sorry I pulled out and I'm sorry I let you down, but I owe it to myself, my wife and family to be at my best. I owe it to my fans to go out there, not take a beating and show heart but to bring home a win for them and for me. I need to win. I deserve it. I'm better than I've been fighting. I can still compete and improve. I want to show everyone and myself that I can do this; that I still got it. I'm thankful for the support. I know my mistakes; same ones I always made. Now I need to fix them, come out guns blazing -- the way I came in. It's better to burn out than fade away. Now I'm fading away; an afterthought, if a thought at all.

I need some big middleweight fights, ones I know I can win and show my best: Bisping, Akiyama, Wanderlei Silva, Leben, Gerald Harris. Those are the good guys; guys I like and respect a lot. But they are also guys who are in my spot that have passed me by. It's time to put it into overdrive and beat the best. I just need to win and put myself in position to get the big fights again ... and win them this time. Win those fights, beat that caliber opponent, or die trying.

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Round 3 of the 32 man Heavyweight Tournament

Round 3 of the 32 man Heavyweight Tournament

This is Round 3 of the 32 man Heavyweight Tournament to determent the best HW in the world and to have fun debating some fights that we might not think of otherwise. These fights will be under UFC Rules, Testing and Cage. They will have 3 months to train for each other in this 3 round fight.

Vote here: http://mmacrypt.com/forum/misc.php?do=form&fid=46

And if you want to view the results, click here - http://mmacrypt.com/forum/misc.php?d...ts_poll&fid=46

1: Fedor Emelianenko (32-2 1nc) vs 8: Junior Dos Santos (11-1)

5: Alistair Overeem (33-11 1nc) vs 4: Cain Velasquez (8-0)

6: Josh Barnett (25-5) vs 3: Shane Carwin (12-1)

7: Frank Mir (13-5) Vs 2: Brock Lesnar (5-1) III

Vote here: http://mmacrypt.com/forum/misc.php?do=form&fid=46

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Are you ready for the next Wandy?

Are you ready for the next Wandy?

Wanderlei Silva protege Vitor Vianna targets big-show contract with MMA Xplosion fight

Vitor Vianna (8-1-1) hasn't had a mixed-martial-arts fight in 26 months.

But just think about what he has done since: Move from his native Brazil to Las Vegas because Wanderlei Silva was once so impressed with fights he saw years ago he wanted Vianna in his camp. Become a teacher at Silva's gym. And gain a buzz that is one of the most significant for the relatively unknown fighter in Vegas.

He just hasn't been fighting, but not all by his choice.

"It's been difficult for us," said manager Rob Cardenas. "It's been … I don't want to say people are afraid to fight him because that's not exactly true, but it's been difficult."

But now, after more than two years, a major move and significant improvement in his standup, Vianna is ready to be re-introduced to the MMA world. Vianna, 8-1-1 as an MMA pro, will face B.J. Lacy at an MMA Xplosion show on Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

The 185-pound fight, both Vianna and Silva hope, will help the MMA world understand Vianna's improvement and power and boost him into gaining more fights and a shot at bigger promotions.

"I feel very different from my last fight," Vianna said. "I feel more strong, I feel more confident, and (Silva) helps me in hours of training of using your hands. It makes me feel very good."

For those who don't know Vianna, Cardenas said, the fact he has the full support from Silva should say plenty. Silva, in fact, wants to be at the fight so much he'll be coming in a wheelchair after undergoing knee surgery this past week.

"This is kind of like Vitor's coming out party, again," Cardenas said.

Finding Vitor

The decision was not hard for Silva.

When he opened his gym in Las Vegas, he was looking for skilled teachers, and he thought back to times he had visited fights back in Brazil, where Vianna got his MMA start.

"He had seen me fight, maybe three or four times," Vianna said. "He remembered me, and he asked me to come help him here."

Even though he was somewhat unknown in the U.S. at the time, Vianna had a long and varied fighting career. He started jiu-jitsu training at age 15 before gaining his black belt in 2002. Before that, he had been mainly a soccer player, but there was a gym near his home with a respected teacher, so he first tried it as a hobby and found success.

He got into Muay Thai training in Holland, but Brazilian jiu-jitsu is where he has mostly made his international mark.

Vianna estimated he has fought 300 times in BJJ, most of them in tournaments, and most of them with strong success. Despite his layoff in MMA, Vianna has never been hesitant to fight often.

"In Brazil, you can fight every weekend in a tournament," Vianna said. "You can fight six, seven, eight times in one day.

"The more you compete, you train your body, your mind and you get comfortable. That helps me a lot."

His grappling, because of his experience, was never questioned. And, he has been impressive enough to gain the attention of some of the world's best, including Silva.

But he still holds the frustration of his lone loss (which occurred because of a broken arm) and the understanding that many MMA fans might not remember his previous fights.

MMA layoff

Vianna first entered the MMA consciousness in October 2004, when he took his first fight at a Shooto Brazil show.

In the next two years, he fought nine times. He won seven of his first eight fights, with a lone draw, and entered his November 2006 matchup against a pre-UFC Thiago Silva at a Fury Fighting Championships show with plenty of momentum.

Then, a broken arm changed things.

"It was a head kick from Thiago, and Vitor blocked it," Cardenas said. "It just broke his arm."

The TKO stoppage gave him his only loss, and he has fought just once since, winning a Beast of the East fight in May 2008. That means, in 44 months, Vianna has fought one time.

But don't think he hasn't been working.

"I've been training in the gym hard," Vianna said. "I've been sparring hard, I have great training partners. Now I have the opportunity to show America who I am, and I'm ready to do it."

So what will the MMA world see from him?

"He's a great jiu-jitsu guy, obviously, but he's also become phenomenal in the standup game," Cardenas said. "He has that Wanderlei style, very aggressive. It doesn't matter where the fight goes, he can do whatever he needs to do."

Vianna has often fought at 205, but he is down to 185 for the Saturday bout, and Cardenas said he can fight comfortably at both. Either way, Vianna hopes to make a good enough impression to gain more fights and hopefully move up to a bigger promotion.

One thing is clear: For as powerful and exciting Vianna has become in the cage, he also has big-time backing from Silva and the Wand Fight Team, which is another boost. Silva, especially, is thrilled with him, Cardenas said.

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Aleksander Emelianenko reaches verbal deal with KSW

Aleksander Emelianenko reaches verbal deal with KSW

KSW Federation has informed MMA Spot that KSW owners Maciej Kawulski and Martin Lewandowski recently met with Russian MMA fighter and Pride Fighting Championships veteran, Aleksander Emelianenko, at the Hyatt hotel, in Warsaw, Poland. Under discussion was Emelianenko’s participation in upcoming KSW events. According their report, the meeting was both substantive and amenable to the parties involved, as a verbal agreement was reached.

The special invitation extended to Emelianenko from the Polish MMA promotion was considered a success, with all participants content with the results. “We have a verbal agreement in place with Aleksander and we can reveal that Polish MMA fans will be soon able to see this formidable fighter in the KSW ring,” Lewandowski and Kawulski announced.

The first fight for Fedor Emelianenko’s younger brother has not been officially determined, though it is likely to be against polish strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski. Earlier this week, KSW revealed that an opponent for Pudzianowski would be confirmed at a press conference for the upcoming KSW 14 event. Among the candidates being considered are Eric "Butterbean" Esch and Aleksander Emelianenko, according to the organization.

The press conference is set for Tuesday, Aug. 3 at 12 p.m. CEST, and will be broadcast via the KSW Federation website (www.konfrontacja.com).

Pudzianowski (2-1), a relative newcomer to the fight game, is a former five-time World’s Strongest Man. He last fought at “Moosin: God of Martial Arts” on May 21, in Worcester, Mass. losing a lopsided bout where he verbally submitted to the strikes of former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in the second round.

Esch (12-7-1), the face of the Moosin organization, was highly critical of Pudzianowski—giving some credence to the possibility of an upcoming match between the two.

“I know he allegedly broke his foot in the fight against Sylvia,” Butterbean commented, “but he didn’t show anything before he quit. Pudzianowski has no stand-up and as strong as he is, he punches like a girl. All he does is throw arm punches. He needs a lot of help. He’s the 5-time World’s Strongest Man but hits like a 130-pounder, not a strong man who weighs 270 pounds. He doesn’t have the skill level to get to the level he wants to fight.

“Once he gets a stand-up game—you can’t have a ground game working without one—he could be a force in MMA. He still needs some work on his ground game, too. We all know he’s very strong but that’s not enough at the highest level of MMA. I don’t know who has been coaching him but that trainer should be fired. Pudzianowski needs to prove himself, showing he has a good stand-up game by beating a good MMA fighter, before he gets another big fight like a spot on the October ninth show.”

KSW founders, Lewandowski and Kawulski for their part, took exception, and looked to put the two fighters together in the ring.

"I don't understand the reasoning behind Mr Esch's statements. One would think it's just a publicity stunt. However, if ‘Butterbean’ is really interested in this bout, we can seriously consider it. But in order to that, we need more precise declarations from Mr Esch," Lewandowski suggested.

Kawulski echoed the sentiment, "’Butterbean’ is an MMA superstar in the USA...this fight could end up being an unforgettable show for all KSW fans. Once both sides express their interest in the fight, KSW Federation will try to book this bout."

With Emelianenko (17-3) entering the picture, another exciting, and significantly marketable, match-up presents itself. The Russian fighter last competed at “APF: Azerbaijan vs. Europe” this May in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he defeated Miodrag Petkovic via technical knockout in round one. The victory was Emelianenko’s eighth consecutive; his last loss came courtesy of Fabricio Werdum, by submission, in November of 2006.

KSW is scheduled for Sept. 18 with the venue still to be determined. Three “Super Fights” and the finals of the light heavyweight tournament have been announced thus far.

• Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: Daniel Tabera vs. Jan Błachowicz
• Superfight: Krzysztof Kułak vs. Daniel Dowda
• Superfight: Przemysław Saleta vs. Marcin Najman
• Superfight: Mariusz Pudzianowski vs. TBA

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