August 12th, Nick Diaz (12-6) returns to MMA in the Warrior's Cup (formerly ICO). The former WEC and IFC champ's little brother, Nate Diaz (4-1), will be joining him in action as well. This is the 1st time the brothers have fought on the same card. The Cesar Gracie trained Nick Diaz will fight TBA at 170lbs. while Nate will compete at lightweight.
In Pride FC news, Sergei Kharitonov will fight Aleksander Emelianenko September 10th, at the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix. What is interesting about this bout, is that it is now the "reserve" bout for the tournament. That means, if anyone gets hurt in the tournament and cannot continue, the winner of Kharitonov/Emelianenko will step into their spot. This is strange because Roman Zenstov already won the "reserve" bout at the 1st round of the tournament. No reason has been given as to why he is no longer the "reserve" fighter. Sergei and Aleksander are both coming off losses (to Alistair Overeem & Josh Barnett respectively) and need the win just to remain as an elite heavyweight in Pride.
Rumors are flying that Phil Baroni's opponent at UFC 65 (featuring many Pride fighters) may be none other than Frank Shamrock! Frank and Phil have had problems with each other for years and even met in the ring at Strikeforce to promote a possible upcoming bout. It seems now, Zuffa (UFC) is trying to sign Frank to a 3-fight deal that could lead to a title fight against Rich Franklin. That doesn't mean the deal will get done, but Zuffa is trying. Frank has also made known how much he despises UFC and wanted to begin his own promotion with his own money. More on this story as it develops and any number of things could still happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment