European Throwdown: Notes from Iberia to Siberia
Tim Leidecker Jul 30, 2008
After a seven-week summer break, “European Throwdown” returns with
the latest news from Portugal to Russia, from Norway to Italy. This
edition includes an update on mixed martial arts standouts Mamed
Khalidov and Mikko
Rupponen (Pictures), Dream hitting the air in Europe
and M-1 heading to England. A brief look at UFC 89 from a European
perspective and miscellaneous notes from Germany round out this
installment.
Dream on Eurosport
Eurosport, the largest European sports satellite and cable network,
plans to broadcast events from the Japan-based Dream promotion in
the future. G.T.Entertainment, the international rights distributor
for Dream’s parent company, Fighting Entertainment Group, confirmed
the deal with Sherdog.com. Since Eurosport already broadcasts FEG’s
K-1 programs -- the K-1 World Grand Prix and the MAX series -- the
move to swoop in for Dream was an obvious one.
The channel has had MMA programming in the past within the framework of its two-hour “Fight Club” shows. Eurosport had its broadcast license for Pride shows revoked, however, after it repeatedly transmitted fights off demo tapes without a valid contract. With the Dream deal in place, MMA will be back in 54 countries throughout Europe.
Khalidov decides in favor of EliteXC
EliteXC has won a six-month negotiation marathon for the rights to Chechen light heavyweight star Mamed Khalidov. The 27-year-old grappler had also been courted by the UFC, M-1 Global and Dream. In the end, EliteXC posted the winning bid because of its non-restrictive contract policy, which allows the “Cannibal” to compete for his home promotion, KSW, in Poland, as well.
The term of the contract is for two years, Khalidov’s manager and KSW promoter Martin Lewandowski told Sherdog.com. The first fight is supposed to take place in the third quarter of 2008, possibly on the ShoXC “Elite Challenger Series” on Aug. 15. KSW co-owner Maciej Kawulski added that Khalidov turned down a proposed bout with Mike Kyle (Pictures) because the American Kickboxing Academy product was too heavy.
Rupponen seeks revenge
Finnish light heavyweight Mikko Rupponen (Pictures), who was once considered the premier under 205-pound fighter in Europe, is preparing for his second comeback from a major injury in two years. In September 2006, the 30-year-old -- who hails from Espoo in Southern Finland -- broke his hand in a fight against Dutchman Rodney Faverus (Pictures). The fracture sidelined him for almost half a year.
Almost two years after their first encounter, Rupponen wants revenge against Faverus, who now goes by the last name of Glunder. Both fighter have dropped down a weight class, from light heavyweight to middleweight, and are coming off losses -- Faverus to James Zikic (Pictures) in May and Rupponen to Sean Salmon (Pictures) in September.
Several minor injuries sustained on the job as a construction worker left Rupponen on the shelf for all of 2008, but he appears ready to step back into the ring.
M-1 bound for England
The M-1 Challenge will make a quick stop in Nottingham, England on Sept. 27. The last Saturday in September was originally intended to be the date for M-1’s United States debut, but the brass in Russia had a sudden change of heart when insurance broker Tony McDonagh made a play to bring the event to the UK instead.
For manpower on the ground, M-1 was able to secure the services of Warrior Promotions, the hard-working men and women behind the Cage Warriors Fighting Championships, Britain’s oldest and longest-running MMA promotion. It will be the third event this year that Warrior Promotions has organized at the Harvey Hadden Centre.
Four teams -- the Red Devil Sport Club from St. Petersburg, Russia, and Team USA, along with a Russian Legion squad and a team from Europe -- will compete at the event. International Fight League veteran Jake Ellenberger (Pictures), “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Mike Dolce (Pictures), UFC veteran Jordan Radev (Pictures) and Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) protégé Kirill Sidelnikov are scheduled to fight.
Warrior Promotions also plans to bring in a couple English fighters as local draws. Nottingham’s own Wayne Buck (Pictures) will get a chance to redeem himself in a super fight, when he takes on Italian slugger Matteo Minonzio -- the man who handed him his only professional loss. Other possible super fight competitors include submission specialist Ian Butlin (Pictures) and top European welterweight Jim Wallhead (Pictures).
UFC 89: France vs. Sweden
With two fighters from France, two fighters from Sweden and a quartet of Englishmen, the undercard at UFC 89, scheduled to take place at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, on Oct. 18, appears firmly under European control.
France and Sweden will go toe-to-toe in a lightweight miniseries, as Samy Schiavo (Pictures) takes on Per Eklund (Pictures) and Jess Liaudin (Pictures) squares off with David Bielkheden (Pictures).
The battle between the “Joker” (Liaudin) and the “Brazilian Swede” (Bielkheden) stands as a particularly interesting matchup, as the two have previously met on the mat in the qualifying round of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling European Championships. Back in 2003, Bielkheden made quick work of the likeable Frenchman, as he secured a kimura in just under two minutes.
While their grappling bout was contested inside the under 192-pound category, they will face each other inside the Octagon as lightweights. Making the cut to 155 pounds will be particularly hard on the Bielkheden, who has spent the majority of his career at middleweight; he was lean and muscular at 170 pounds for his bout against Diego Sanchez (Pictures) at UFC 82 in March.
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Murilo Bustamante (Pictures), Bielkheden plans to use the good connections between the former UFC middleweight champion and American Top Team boss Ricardo Liborio (Pictures) to set up a training camp in Florida in advance of his sophomore UFC appearance. At ATT, he will find perhaps the largest collection of quality training partners available anywhere in the world.
In addition to Liaudin and Schiavo, a third Frenchman might slip onto the UFC 89 card. A match between newly signed welterweight standout David Baron (Pictures) and IFL veteran Jim Miller is currently in the works.
German tidbits
• FFC returning in September: Germany’s biggest MMA promotion is set to hold its first show this year on Sept. 7. The event was originally scheduled for May 4 but had to be postponed when fighter-turned-promoter Marko Zschörner was seriously injured at a Leipzig night club in early spring. On the card for FFC’s comeback show will be Brazilian Top Team Switzerland representative Augusto Frota (Pictures) and his star pupil, Ivan Mussardo (Pictures), along with undefeated heavyweight Norman Jendritzyk and Polish fan favorite Gerhard "Machine" Gorewoda. The first confirmed bout will be between welterweight prospect Sebastian Kliesch and Eastern German MMA champion Peter Sobotta (Pictures). Kliesch has not competed in more than two years.
• Zawada joins Team Hardcore: After his previous management drove Martin Zawada’s career into the wall by booking fights that resulted in five straight defeats, the former light heavyweight hopeful has found a new home at Team Hardcore in the Netherlands. The 24-year-old will have access to one of the best stand-up coaches in the game in Lucien Carbin and quality training partners, like fellow new arrivals Alexey Ignashov (Pictures) and Goran Rodanjic. Zawada will also have the support of Henk Kuipers, one of the sharpest businessmen in Dutch MMA.
• Weichel, Mensing look to Brazil for better training: Former European champion Daniel Weichel has just returned from Rio de Janeiro, where he spent six weeks training at Gracie Fusion. Now Steve Mensing (Pictures) will make the move to South America to work on his jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai skills. In August, the powerful wrestler leaves Germany for Curitiba, Brazil, where he will train at the Chute Boxe Academy for three months. Word has it that Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, Daniel Acacio (Pictures), Fabricio Werdum (Pictures) and others are looking forward to his arrival.
For more mixed martial arts news coverage in German, log on to Ground & Pound at www.groundandpound.de.
Dream on Eurosport
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The channel has had MMA programming in the past within the framework of its two-hour “Fight Club” shows. Eurosport had its broadcast license for Pride shows revoked, however, after it repeatedly transmitted fights off demo tapes without a valid contract. With the Dream deal in place, MMA will be back in 54 countries throughout Europe.
The agreement includes the semi-finals and the final for both the
lightweight and middleweight tournaments. Even though a schedule
has not yet been released, it is expected that Dream 3 will be the
first show to air later this summer or in the fall.
Khalidov decides in favor of EliteXC
EliteXC has won a six-month negotiation marathon for the rights to Chechen light heavyweight star Mamed Khalidov. The 27-year-old grappler had also been courted by the UFC, M-1 Global and Dream. In the end, EliteXC posted the winning bid because of its non-restrictive contract policy, which allows the “Cannibal” to compete for his home promotion, KSW, in Poland, as well.
The term of the contract is for two years, Khalidov’s manager and KSW promoter Martin Lewandowski told Sherdog.com. The first fight is supposed to take place in the third quarter of 2008, possibly on the ShoXC “Elite Challenger Series” on Aug. 15. KSW co-owner Maciej Kawulski added that Khalidov turned down a proposed bout with Mike Kyle (Pictures) because the American Kickboxing Academy product was too heavy.
Rupponen seeks revenge
Finnish light heavyweight Mikko Rupponen (Pictures), who was once considered the premier under 205-pound fighter in Europe, is preparing for his second comeback from a major injury in two years. In September 2006, the 30-year-old -- who hails from Espoo in Southern Finland -- broke his hand in a fight against Dutchman Rodney Faverus (Pictures). The fracture sidelined him for almost half a year.
Almost two years after their first encounter, Rupponen wants revenge against Faverus, who now goes by the last name of Glunder. Both fighter have dropped down a weight class, from light heavyweight to middleweight, and are coming off losses -- Faverus to James Zikic (Pictures) in May and Rupponen to Sean Salmon (Pictures) in September.
Several minor injuries sustained on the job as a construction worker left Rupponen on the shelf for all of 2008, but he appears ready to step back into the ring.
M-1 bound for England
The M-1 Challenge will make a quick stop in Nottingham, England on Sept. 27. The last Saturday in September was originally intended to be the date for M-1’s United States debut, but the brass in Russia had a sudden change of heart when insurance broker Tony McDonagh made a play to bring the event to the UK instead.
For manpower on the ground, M-1 was able to secure the services of Warrior Promotions, the hard-working men and women behind the Cage Warriors Fighting Championships, Britain’s oldest and longest-running MMA promotion. It will be the third event this year that Warrior Promotions has organized at the Harvey Hadden Centre.
Four teams -- the Red Devil Sport Club from St. Petersburg, Russia, and Team USA, along with a Russian Legion squad and a team from Europe -- will compete at the event. International Fight League veteran Jake Ellenberger (Pictures), “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Mike Dolce (Pictures), UFC veteran Jordan Radev (Pictures) and Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) protégé Kirill Sidelnikov are scheduled to fight.
Warrior Promotions also plans to bring in a couple English fighters as local draws. Nottingham’s own Wayne Buck (Pictures) will get a chance to redeem himself in a super fight, when he takes on Italian slugger Matteo Minonzio -- the man who handed him his only professional loss. Other possible super fight competitors include submission specialist Ian Butlin (Pictures) and top European welterweight Jim Wallhead (Pictures).
UFC 89: France vs. Sweden
With two fighters from France, two fighters from Sweden and a quartet of Englishmen, the undercard at UFC 89, scheduled to take place at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, on Oct. 18, appears firmly under European control.
France and Sweden will go toe-to-toe in a lightweight miniseries, as Samy Schiavo (Pictures) takes on Per Eklund (Pictures) and Jess Liaudin (Pictures) squares off with David Bielkheden (Pictures).
The battle between the “Joker” (Liaudin) and the “Brazilian Swede” (Bielkheden) stands as a particularly interesting matchup, as the two have previously met on the mat in the qualifying round of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling European Championships. Back in 2003, Bielkheden made quick work of the likeable Frenchman, as he secured a kimura in just under two minutes.
While their grappling bout was contested inside the under 192-pound category, they will face each other inside the Octagon as lightweights. Making the cut to 155 pounds will be particularly hard on the Bielkheden, who has spent the majority of his career at middleweight; he was lean and muscular at 170 pounds for his bout against Diego Sanchez (Pictures) at UFC 82 in March.
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Murilo Bustamante (Pictures), Bielkheden plans to use the good connections between the former UFC middleweight champion and American Top Team boss Ricardo Liborio (Pictures) to set up a training camp in Florida in advance of his sophomore UFC appearance. At ATT, he will find perhaps the largest collection of quality training partners available anywhere in the world.
In addition to Liaudin and Schiavo, a third Frenchman might slip onto the UFC 89 card. A match between newly signed welterweight standout David Baron (Pictures) and IFL veteran Jim Miller is currently in the works.
German tidbits
• FFC returning in September: Germany’s biggest MMA promotion is set to hold its first show this year on Sept. 7. The event was originally scheduled for May 4 but had to be postponed when fighter-turned-promoter Marko Zschörner was seriously injured at a Leipzig night club in early spring. On the card for FFC’s comeback show will be Brazilian Top Team Switzerland representative Augusto Frota (Pictures) and his star pupil, Ivan Mussardo (Pictures), along with undefeated heavyweight Norman Jendritzyk and Polish fan favorite Gerhard "Machine" Gorewoda. The first confirmed bout will be between welterweight prospect Sebastian Kliesch and Eastern German MMA champion Peter Sobotta (Pictures). Kliesch has not competed in more than two years.
• Zawada joins Team Hardcore: After his previous management drove Martin Zawada’s career into the wall by booking fights that resulted in five straight defeats, the former light heavyweight hopeful has found a new home at Team Hardcore in the Netherlands. The 24-year-old will have access to one of the best stand-up coaches in the game in Lucien Carbin and quality training partners, like fellow new arrivals Alexey Ignashov (Pictures) and Goran Rodanjic. Zawada will also have the support of Henk Kuipers, one of the sharpest businessmen in Dutch MMA.
• Weichel, Mensing look to Brazil for better training: Former European champion Daniel Weichel has just returned from Rio de Janeiro, where he spent six weeks training at Gracie Fusion. Now Steve Mensing (Pictures) will make the move to South America to work on his jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai skills. In August, the powerful wrestler leaves Germany for Curitiba, Brazil, where he will train at the Chute Boxe Academy for three months. Word has it that Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, Daniel Acacio (Pictures), Fabricio Werdum (Pictures) and others are looking forward to his arrival.
For more mixed martial arts news coverage in German, log on to Ground & Pound at www.groundandpound.de.
