Modern Fighting

Japan’s Olympic Judo Gold Medalist, Satoshi Ishii, yesterday started exclusive negotiations to enter into a contract with the UFC.

Ishii, who won the gold medal in the men’s over 100-kilogram event at the Beijing Olympics, arrived in Las Vegas on Christmas day to experience UFC 92.  Over the next two days, Mr. Ishii toured Las Vegas and visited various MMA gyms, including the UFC Training Center and Xtreme Couture, where he trained and sparred with Randy “The Natural” Couture.

Earlier this month, Mr. Ishii decided that he wished to start his MMA career in the United States, and that his dream was to fight in the UFC. He made his choice to negotiate with UFC last night after watching UFC 92.

“I was impressed with the training programs here in Las Vegas and the UFC event,” said Mr. Ishii.  “I am looking forward to working with the UFC and to developing my mixed martial arts skills.”

“Satoshi Ishii has the potential to be very successful in mixed martial arts,” said Dana White, UFC President. “We can’t wait to start working with Mr. Ishii, we look forward to helping him with his training, his career, and his eventual debut in a professional fight.”

Ishii competed as a Judo heavyweight in the Olympics this year. Whether he will attempt to compete as a heavyweight or light heavyweight has yet to be decided.

New York, New York – Spike TV and Ultimate Fighting Championship® today announced that its “UFC Fight for the Troops” event last week in Fayetteville, NC in front of 15,000 Ft. Bragg troops raised over $4 million for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund’s new medical center to be built in Bethesda.

According to Bill White, President of the IFHF, UFC and Spike TV should be applauded for their efforts. “We are profoundly grateful to the UFC and Spike TV for their extraordinary support of our nation’s Wounded Warriors,” White said. “Their efforts have moved us that much closer to complete the traumatic brain injury center in Bethesda for the service members that are fighting for our freedom overseas.”

According to the ratings, 2 million viewers watched the fight live on Spike TV and was one of the most watched programs that night, highly popular with male viewers.

NICoE will be a $65 million, 75,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art treatment and rehabilitation center to provide leading edge services and support for soldiers with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Further, the center will conduct research, test new protocols and provide comprehensive training and education to patients, providers and families while maintaining ongoing tele-health follow-up care.

The project is being funded by the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF), which provides assistance to our nation’s military heroes who have been critically injured in the performance of their duty, and their families. The IFHF previously raised more than $60 Million to support families of military personnel lost in Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and to construct the Center for the Intrepid, an advanced physical rehabilitation facility at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, which opened in 2007. Construction for the NICoE is scheduled to begin this summer and with its opening in late 2009.

Lightweight Final
Efrain Escudero (156) VS Phillipe Nover (155)

Light Heavyweight Final
Vinicius Magalhaes (205) VS Ryan Bader (205)

*Wilson Gouveia (189) VS Jason MacDonald (184)
Anthony Johnson (171) VS Kevin Burns (171)
David Kaplan (156) VS Junie Browning (156)

Shane Primm (202) VS Krzysztof Soszynski (205)
Jules Bruchez (205) VS Eliot Marshall (203)
George Roop (153) VS Shane Nelson (156)
Tom Lawlor (204) VS Kyle Kingsbury (205)
John Polakowski (152) VS Rolando Delgado (155)

* Gouveia did not make weight and for safety reasons, the Nevada State Athletic Commission won’t allow him to make a second weight cutting attempt.  The bout will go on at a catch weight of 189 pounds, and Gouveia will forfeit 20% of his purse to MacDonald.

“Do not stare directly at the beard of the one and only Kimbo Slice”

New York, NY, December 4, 2008 - After twelve episodes of elimination bouts, grueling training, and creative hijinks and pranks, “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Mir^TM” live finale is set with Phillipe Nover taking on Efrain Escudero in the lightweight (155lb) class and Ryan Bader battling Vinny Magalhaes in the light heavyweight division (205 lbs). Emanating from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV on Saturday, December 13 at 9:00 PM ET, the finalists will be competing for a six-figure contract with the preeminent mixed martial arts organization in the world, The Ultimate Fighting Championship®.

The televised fight card will open with the season’s most controversial contestant, Junie Browning, against fellow castmate and nemesis Dave Kaplan. Also fighting on the Spike TV card will be the previously announced rematch of UFC welterweights Kevin Burns and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and a middleweight clash between Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald and Wilson Gouveia

The undercard also includes “The Ultimate Fighter” cast members John Polakowski vs. Rolando Delgado, George Roop vs. Shane Nelson, Tom Lawlor vs. Kyle Kingsbury, Jules Bruchez vs. Eliot Marshall, and Shane Primm vs. Krzysztof Soszynski.

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Las Vegas, NV (USA) - The Ultimate Fighting Championship® and Spike TV have launched an exclusive auction to make tickets available to the public for UFC® Fight For The Troops^TM. This special live UFC event will raise funds to build a hospital for traumatic brain injuries for the brave men and women in the United States Armed Forces. Thousands of soldiers from nearby Fort Bragg, the proud home of the U.S. Airborne and Special Operations Forces, will be in attendance, but now 30 members of the public also have an opportunity to watch the fight live.This exclusive auction is being held through Ticketmaster.com and is ongoing now through Dec. 1st. Only 30 tickets will be available to the public, with bidding starting at $200 per ticket.

UFC Fight For The Troops will air live on Spike TV Wednesday, December 10 starting at 9:00 PM, ET. More information about the facility, including ways to donate, can be found online at http://www.fallenheroesfund.org or by calling 1-800-340 HERO

Josh Koscheck vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida headlines the event, with Mike Swick taking on Jonathan Goulet in the co-main event matchup. The event also showcases five current UFC fighters who are all U.S. military veterans including Luigi Fioravanti, Tim Credeur, Dale Hartt, Brandon Wolff, and Steve Bruno.

“The Ultimate Fighter 1″ standout Koscheck (13-3) has won seven of his last nine decisions, and is one of the premier 170-pound fighters in the world. His opponent, Tokyo native Yoshiyuki “Zenko” Yoshida (10-2), has won nine straight pro mixed martial arts fights including his UFC debut last May at UFC 84 with a victory via submission over Jon Koppenhaver.

Swick (12-2), fighting out of San Jose, CA, has won seven of his last eight bouts in the Octagon, including a three round decision over Marcus Davis this past June at UFC 85. To continue his quest for a title shot, he must defeat fellow welterweight contender, Jonathon Goulet (22-9). The hard-hitting 29-year old Canadian recently scored a TKO victory at UFC 83 over Kuniyoshi Hironaka that was awarded Fight of The Night honors.

“The Ultimate Fighter 5″ standout Matt Wiman (10-3), a resident of Dallas, Texas, has won four straight contests in the Octagon, including an impressive 2nd round knockout of Thiago Tavares at UFC 85 in June. “Handsome” Matt will face his toughest test yet against the pride of Toms River, NJ, Frankie Edgar. A rising star in the lightweight division, Edgar (9-1) is coming off the biggest win of his professional career, a three-round decision over the dangerous Hermes Franca this past July at “UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin” on Spike TV.

On the undercard, two promising fighters make their UFC Octagon® debut as Steve Cantwell battles Razak Al- Hassan. The 22 year-old Cantwell, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada, held the WEC light heavyweight belt and has won six of his seven pro mixed martial arts fights. His most recent victory, a 2nd round TKO victory over Brian Stann in August, was the biggest of his career and netted him the WEC belt. In the opposite corner will be the unbeaten Al-Hassan of Des Moines, IA, who possesses a 6-0 professional MMA record, and a reputation as one of the Midwest’s top 205-pound prospects.

The undercard also includes former U.S. Marine Luigi Fioravanti vs. Brodie Farber; U.S. Navy veteran Dale Hartt vs. Corey Hill from “The Ultimate Fighter 5;” Ben Saunders from “The Ultimate Fighter 5″ vs. former Navy SEAL Brandon Wolff; “The Ultimate Fighter 7″ semi-finalist and U.S. Navy veteran Tim Credeur vs. Nate Loughran; Johnny Rees vs. U.S. Navy veteran Steve Bruno; and Justin McCully vs Eddie Sanchez.