Josuel Distak, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s trainer, recently took time to talk to Tatame about the champion and his thoughts on his upcoming rematch against Chael Sonnen. Here’s the quote:

“Sonnen was 100% and showed what he’s got… Now it’s the time for him to see Anderson from the right angle. I want to see how it’ll be like this time…Anderson Silva is taking care of himself in order to be 100% recovered from this injury. I think he’s coming back to Brazil to train with the team and, for sure, now you’ll see Anderson at his best. It’s not just him, but Anderson also wants this rematch to happen.”

This is certainly going to be one of the most anticipated rematches in a long time, and despite the “mouth” of Sonnen, you can’t take anything away from how he performed the first time against Anderson Silva. Neither can you take anything away from Silva who showed championship heart against the number one contender. Perhaps if Sonnen decides to train some jiu-jitsu it could make things even more interesting.

NEW YORK, NY (September 1, 2010) – Shine Fight Promotions (Shine Fights) COO Jason Chambers, a veteran of both the MMA game and Hollywood, is a rare combination in the sports world. A man that has experienced success in both the sports and acting worlds, Chambers sports an impressive 18-5-2 record in the cage, where he faced well-known MMA veterans such as ultra-tough Japanese fighter Michihiro Omigawa and current UFC star Thiago Alves. He has also appeared on several television programs during his career, hosting the very popular History Channel series “Human Weapon.” With his combination of good looks and athletic talent, Chambers has garnered a reputation as a unique personality with an interesting story.

Born in Chicago, IL, Jason “Hollywood” Chambers, as he is known in the MMA world, is a former professional fighter with a record of 18-5. Perhaps best-known as the host of the hit History Channel Series “Human Weapon,” Jason traveled the globe to explore the history and techniques of various martial arts as part of the show. A diverse artist in every sense of the word, Jason is a certified Jeet Kune Do Concepts Instructor, and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Jason’s career, though, has often blurred the lines between cage and stage. Jason has been involved in the entertainment field since 2002, when he began to study the craft of acting in Chicago at “Act One” studios, as well as improvisation at the world famous “Second City.” Chambers solidified his decision to pursue the entertainment field in 2003 by moving to New York to further study his craft, while continuing his BJJ training at Renzo Gracie’s academy. He quickly landed appearances in established television series such as “Guiding Light,” “All My Children,” “Can You Tell?” and most frequently on “As the World Turns.” Jason has done numerous commercials and has also been a guest star on “Days of Our Lives,” “The Middleman,” and “CSI: NY.” In addition to acting, Jason can be seen on G4’s “Attack of the Show,” where he gives his insights on upcoming MMA fights in their “MMA Chokehold” segment, and in FIGHT! Magazine, where he is a regular contributor. Jason continues to train in BJJ and MMA in his free time. His unique combination of in-the-cage and on-the-air experience will bring great insight to Shine Fight fans worldwide.

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WEC fighter Urijah Faber will face Takeya Mizugaki at WEC 52 on November 11 from The Pearl in Las Vegas, Nevada, this according to MMA Weekly. The fight, which will be the first bantamweight bout for Faber, was originally slated for WEC 50 but Faber had to pull out due to an injured knee.

Faber is still perhaps the best known WEC fighter, even after having basically been outmatched at the 145 lb weight class. Perhaps the move down will spark his career as he’s certainly still marketable as a main event draw. The MMA News will bring you more on this story as word comes out.

(photo via Bellator.com)
Bellator Fighting Championship’s latest event, Bellator 27 is already underway at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Tex. with the a couple of preliminary bouts.

The live Fox Sports Net broadcast will begin at 8 PM EST (5 PM PST) and will be shown on other FSN regional sports network affiliates. With the kickoff of the football season fans may have a hard time finding a broadcast.

The event is highlighted by a featherweight championship match between champ Joe Soto and season two featherweight tournament winner Joe Warren.

Update: Season Two Bellator featherweight tournament winner Joe Warren (6-1), was able to survive a first round beating from current FW champ Joe Soto. Warren came out swinging in the second, catching Soto with some big punches in the opening seconds of the round. Soto tried to recover but ate a huge knee and was sent to the mat. Soto lands a few more rights before the referee can step in but the fight is over. Joe Warren becomes the new Bellator Featherweight champion.

Here are the full Bellator 27 live ‘Quick Results’:

Superfight
Bellator Featherweight Championship Bout: Joe Warren def. Joe Soto via KO (knee) – R2 @ 0:33 – to become new featherweight champ

Bellator Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinals
Ulysses Gomez def. Travis Reddinger via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Zach Makovsky def. Nick Mamalis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ed West def. Bryan Goldsby via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Non-Tournament bouts
Middleweight bout: Andrew Craig def. Rodrigo Pinheiro via TKO (doctor stoppage) – R3 @ 2:53
Lightweight bout: Gilbert Jimenez def. Aaron Barringer via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Heavyweight bout: Richard Odoms def. Dale Mitchell via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Welterweight bout: Andrew Chappelle def. Joe Christopher via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Light-heavyweight bout: Jon Kirk def. Shane Faulkner via TKO – R3 @ 2:19
Featherweight bout: Steven Peterson def. Ernest de la Cruz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

KJ Noons starts the pre fight banter via Strikeforce as he talks about his upcoming match with Nick Diaz which is set for October 9 in San Jose, California. Both fighters have little if any love for each other, and you can certainly expect that this is only the first bit of badmouthing from either fighter,and you can definitely expect a quick response from Nick Diaz. We’ll let Noons do the talking:

To be in the Strikeforce main event on Showtime, to be in line to be a two-time, two-division world champion, and getting to beat Nick again in the process… I couldn’t ask for a better fight. I already got one up on Nick. I beat the crap out of the guy. He’s had a good run, and there’s a lot of build-up for this rematch. We’ve both improved, this is a different weight class now, he’s gotten better, I’ve gotten better, it’s a different situation. But at the end of the day, I’m a true mixed martial artist, I have respect for the sport, and I am a good role model… Nick’s good for entertainment, but I come from a family of fighters. I started early, and I have respect for martial arts. It teaches you discipline, how to become a good person, and I feel that I am. On October 9, I’m fighting a guy that, if I had a kid, I wouldn’t want him looking up to. He’s a trash-talking, pot-smoking chump. It’s motivation for sure [to be fighting near Diaz's hometown]. I love being the underdog. Even when I’m not, I still try to picture myself as the underdog so I train harder and push myself. Nick says he’s bringing his guys, but so am I. They’re going to need to beef up security. This is beyond a grudge match. I’m going to light him up like a Christmas tree. He’s going to have to kill me to [to beat me]. It’s very personal.”

PROVIDENCE (Aug. 31, 2010) – History will be made Friday night, Sept. 17 when “First Blood” becomes the first sanctioned, professional Mixed Martial Arts show ever held in Rhode Island.

“First Blood,” presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc., (CES) will be held at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, RI. All fights feature three, 5-minute rounds.

The main event pits arguably New England’s hottest prospect, Providence lightweight Mike “The Beast” Campbell (8-2-0), against undefeated Magno Almeida (6-0), of Wakefield (MA). In an exciting match-up of contrasting styles, Campbell has five knockouts, while five of Almeida’s six opponents have tapped-put.

In the co-feature, Bridgewater (MA) heavyweight Lee Beane (7-1-0) takes on Parker Porter (3-1-0), while Wakefield (MA) welterweight Rick Hawn (8-0-0) faces an opponent to be determined.

“Fighting is fighting and we know what fans want – fast action, entertainment and competitive matches,” CES president Jimmy Burchfield said. “We’re taking the same grassroots promoting and marketing plan we’ve used so successfully for many years in boxing and taking it into MMA. I’ve been studying MMA for nearly three years in order to learn how to build the best team possible. Boxing plays a big part in MMA. Some athletic boxers want to try MMA, some powerful-punching strikers want to box. CES is now in the unique position to offer boxers and MMA fighters opportunities to cross over.

“Our goal is to develop MMA fighters and help bring them to the top of the mountain – UFC. We have a good relationship with UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Mark Ratner, from when he was Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. We believe our first show has the potential to be the best show ever in New England in terms of showcasing New England talent. We will have some of the best in action on ‘First Blood.’ We’re thrilled to be having this great show at our home base in beautiful Twin River.”

Also scheduled to fight on “First Blood” are Cranston’s (RI) Luis “Rock Star” Felix (4-5-0) vs. Joe Dechaves (3-2-0); Woonsocket’s pro-debuting lightweight Justin Switzer vs. Cranston’s Eric Fams; Maine welterweight Glenn Reaves vs. pro-debuting Bill Burley; Whitman (MA) featherweight John Campbell in his pro debut vs. Kurt Calash, of Middleton (CT); and Somerville (MA) lightweight Jimmy “Jimbo Slice” Davidson in his first fight vs. John Sienna (0-1-1).

Also on the card against opponents to be determined are undefeated Framingham (MA) light heavyweight Saul “The Spider” Almeida (7-0-0), Ludlow (MA) lightweight Alexandre “Vaca” Moreno (10-2-0), East Greenwich (RI) and Rhode Island MMA pioneer Mat Santos, along with welterweights Lionel Young (2-4-0), Antwann Penn and Mark Skeltcher. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

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UFC 118: “Edgar vs. Penn 2,” which took place on Saturday, Aug. 28 from Boston has come and gone and now the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission has weighed in and issued their medical suspensions. Keep in mind that many of these suspensions can be ended sooner with doctor approval. Here’s the list:

Nick Osipczak: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact for precautionary reasons.

Greg Soto: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact for precautionary reasons.

Amilcar Alves: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact for precautionary reasons.

John Salter: Suspended 180 days due to a possible left hand fracture pending physician X-Rays. Minimum suspension would be 30 days with 21 days no contact.

Gabe Ruediger: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact for precautionary reasons.

Nate Diaz: Suspended 180 days due to a possible nasal fracture pending physician X-Rays. Minimum suspension would be 60 days with 60 days no contact.

Marcus Davis: Suspended indefinitely due to possible head trauma pending physician CT Scan. Minimum suspension would be 60 days with 30 days no contact.

Kenny Florian: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact for precautionary reasons.

Gray Maynard: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact for precautionary reasons.

Dan Miller: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact for precautionary reasons.

Hmm, looks like Hunt is taking his fight in the UFC seriously as he looks quite a bit fitter than usual. While not official Hunt is expected to take on Sean McCorkle at UFC 119 on September 25. (Source)

Super boxing coach Freddie Roach has worked with some of the finest fighters in the UFC, and still works with some of the greatest fighters in boxing but his coaching relationship with Toney ended years ago. However, he’s still concerned about Toney and how many more shots he can take while keeping himself healthy, and he seems genuinely interested in protecting the 42 year olds mental and physical state. Roach talked recently to The Examiner and addressed the situation:

I told James to quit after the second Sam Peter fight. He got hit big shots he never used to get hit with before and it was big heavyweights landing the shots. It’s not just the slurring of his speech. James got pissed off at me, told me to go buck myself but I still consider him my friend. Those shots have taken a toll and I know from experience.

Whether Toney will enter the mixed martial arts arena remains to be seen, although he seems to think that he will continue his new foray into the sport. There’s still talk of a return to boxing as well, with a side show fight against Kimbo Slice a far possibility. Time will tell whether Toney will heed Roach’s words and even more importantly time will tell if Roach had the right of it.

The Fight Network catches up with the well spoken Krzysztof Soszynski who seems quite pumped with the idea of MMA being sanctioned in Ontario. Soszynski is set to take on Goran Reljic at UFC 122 in England.

Undefeated UFC heavyweight fighter Cain Velasquez will get his chance at the gold when he takes on champion Brock Lesnar, but every fighter has to find a way to get to the big show. Many would think that Velasquez would be a natural for the UFC with his training team and wrestling pedigree and they would be right. Velasquez only had two fights before UFC president Dana White decided to offer him a contract, as he told GracieMag:

I had two fights on my CV and wanted to fight in other shows before going to the UFC, to get some experience. But It was really hard to get fights with other organizations, so my manager said: ‘We haven’t fought in a long time, we can’t wait any longer. It’s time to call up the UFC.’ He made the call, made Dana White an offer and we went to Vegas. We took two fighters with us and Dana watched me standing with those two fighters and doing Jiu-Jitsu with another two heavyweight athletes. He liked what he saw and told me I was in the UFC

Velasquez will lock up with Lesnar as the main event for UFC 121, which is set for October 23rd at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Many MMA insiders believe that Velasquez is the next big thing and that he will defeat Lesnar but we’ll have to wait and see. Lesnar’s size could be an issue, but Velasquez has shown some great boxing as well as being a non-stop fighter. Can’t wait for this one.