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IMMAF decides on no head contact rule for under 18s
The IMMAF – WMMAA is proud to announce the publication of its Mixed Martial Arts Unified Rules for Youth Competition. The Under 18s rule sets were approved on Saturday by the Board ahead of the inaugural 2019 Youth MMA World Championships, scheduled for August 3 to 4 in Rome. The established IMMAF – WMMAA Amateur MMA rules have been modified with respect to the physiological development of the following three age categories, as advised by IMMAF – WMMAA’s expert medical, coaching and regulatory committees. The most notable restriction for all youth divisions is that strikes to the head are not permitted. CEO Densign White: The decision not to permit headshots for minors received unanimous approval from the board today due to overwhelming evidence of physiological and psychological risk provided by our medical committee."
Coker wants to do Fedor vs. Cro Cop 2
“I always said if [Emelianenko] wanted to do one in Russia or fight one in Japan before he moved on and retired, I think that would be something that would be a lot of fun to do for us. And especially if he wanted to do it in Moscow. I know Mirko wants to avenge that fight; his management has asked me repeatedly about it. But it’s something I have to talk to Fedor about.” h/t MMAjunkie
Satoshi Ishii signs with KSW
After winning a gold medal in judo at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Satoshi Ishii turned his attention to MMA in 2009. Since then he has competed all over the world and registered wins vs. the likes of Tim Sylvia, Jeff Monson, Pedro Rizzo, Heath Herring, and current KSW heavyweight champion Phil De Fries. KSW CEO Martin Lewandowski: "I am happy welcome Ishii to KSW. He is one of the finest martial artists on the planet. His credentials in judo speak for themselves and has become a force in MMA with wins over KSW, UFC, ADCC, and K1 champions. I am very excited to see him step foot into the KSW arena and see what he produces."
Nick Diaz done fighting, unless the UFC makes offer he can't refuse
UFC on ESPN 1 biggest Fight Night event since 1/2016
The ESPN telecast of the main card from 9 p.m. – 12 a.m. ET averaged a 1.1 metered market rating, while the UFC Fight Night on ESPN Prelims on ESPN from 7 – 9 p.m. averaged a 0.7 rating. The full five-hour window on ESPN averaged a 0.9 rating. Through three linear television events, ESPN has now aired the three highest-rated UFC telecasts on cable since the start of 2017. h/t ESPN
White: Conor vs. Cowboy not even close to being made
Joe Rogan said, "It's a done deal, as far as I know." But UFC president Dana White says, "It's not even close to being done." White has previously said McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov will likely fight again in 2019, after they fight other opponents. Khabib's next fight may be Tony Ferguson, but McGegor's next fight still appears to be Cerrone.
Paul Felder suffers collapsed lung in win vs. James Vick
Felder's manager Brian Butler told ESPN's Ariel Helwani, that doctors believe the fighter's lung was punctured when he took a shot to the ribs at the end of the third round. He is being held an extra day at a local Phoenix hospital for observation. h/t ESPN
DC: If offered, I will beat Francis Ngannou
After DC's teammate lost to Ngannou, the champ reacted: “Every time you see something like that, the emotions tell you you go get it back, you go make it right. But Francis Ngannou, who didn’t ask for a fight, maybe later he will, and if that’s something we decide we want to do, then that’s what I’ll do. I won’t go fight Francis Ngannou. I will beat Francis Ngannou.” h/t MMA Fighting
Kron: UFC pressure was nothing like my dad puts on me
The UFC jitters can be crushing, but Kron Gracie is immune: “I’ve always had pressure. I’m like a 9-year-old kid going into a jiu-jitsu match, and everybody’s like, ‘Oh, that’s Rickson’s son.’ All of a sudden a tournament with 500 people, all the 500 people are looking at me as a little kid, so I’ve felt that from a little kid. My dad never lost a fight. It’s always been pressure. The pressure that you guys put on me is not nearly as much as the pressure that my dad puts on me. ... Just being a Gracie doesn’t make it easy. Just being anything doesn’t make it easy. You don’t get out of this life easy, no matter who you are, no matter what you are. I think that the Gracie family is something that I’ve been wanting to represent since I was a little kid, and now it’s like ingrained in me. I don’t even think about it.” h/t MMAjunkie
White: Fight for DC lined up, and it's not Ngannou
“Well yeah, Francis is there. Cormier’s hurt right now [with a back injury] and we have another fight lined up for Cormier first so, we’ll see how this whole thing plays out. [Cormier] is not healthy yet so I would never announce a fight without it being done. It makes no sense. I don’t even know when Cormier’s gonna be ready.” h/t MMA Fighting • Watch
Ngannou answers Cain claim about knee, wants title fight vs. DC
“Cain was a wrestler. There are a lot of wrestlers on my record. They always try their wrestling. You can look at the video, and you will see the uppercut. That might be why the knee buckled, because he got disconnected. ... I think [Daniel Cormier] should come to avenge his teammate, and that would be a good matchup. ... For Brock Lesnar, he’s just walking around talking $#!@, but he never shows up for a fight. So let’s see. If you want to give the belt back to Stipe, I’ll fight Stipe right now. I always said I would like to have a rematch against Stipe. But right now, my goal is the belt.” h/t MMAjunkie
Cain claims knee, not strikes, put him down
“He didn’t even, like, touch me. It was just the knee. As soon as I felt the knee buckle, it was like I couldn’t believe that happened, and that was it. The ref saw my knee buckle. His job is to make sure we’re 100 percent safe, and he did that. The ref did the correct job tonight. ... I saw all the shots Francis was throwing. I saw his speed, and it looked a lot faster on video than being in there. Seeing his timing, I felt great. I felt like I could get inside. I turned him back to the cage, and my knee gives out. ... The fire’s strong in me again still. I guess I’ve got a lot to prove, and I’m very capable of doing that. We’ll see what happens." h/t MMAjunkie
Nate Diaz says he's coming to the Octagon, Dana doubts it
His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa will box 100 rounds for charity
“I would like to announce my next challenge this year which will be boxing. This time, the challenge in that is that I will be doing 100 3-minute rounds, with one-minute rest between them, and the charity challenge will go to Bahrain Heroes and injured families. Please come and support on November 2019.” Details including the date and opponents will be coming. His Highness successfully debuted in MMA with a first-round knockout and in the following year improved his record to 2-0 with a unanimous decision victory. In 2018, Sheikh Khalid stepped into the ring for his first boxing match, winning a unanimous decision of the judges. Apart from his personal endeavors in the combat sports and his pivotal role in getting Brave to the top of the MMA world, Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa is also the founder of KHK MMA, KHK Sports and KHK Boxing.
Does Paul Felder have the most appropriate nickname in MMA?
PVZ understands marketing
Conor congratulates Kron
UFC on ESPN 1 post-fight press conference
Kron Gracie's message to the division
The son of Rickson and grandson on Helio got the family's first Octagon win since 2004, and a performance bonus, and then spoke forcefully to the cameras: "This is just what I do everyday. It's pretty basic for me. Whoop, there it is. It was good. I always expect a really tough match but I'm lucky that I got it done in the first. I'd like to come back as soon as possible. I'd like to thank my team, Nate Diaz and everybody who was in my corner. This is my first fight and everybody else better watch their f@$%ing neck.” Kron Gracie may be back in the Octagon as soon as April. h/t CBS Sports
