PFC Inks 18: Gunderson, Somdet Among Nabs
Jordan Breen Aug 20, 2008
With the overwhelming gold medal success of the host country in the
on-going Beijing Olympiad, maybe Palace Fighting Championship boss
Christian Printup heard the number 18 was considered lucky in
China. Printup confirmed a whopping dozen-and-a-half signings for
the Lemoore, Calif. promotion Tuesday to Sherdog.com.
"It wasn't planned like that," said Printup. "This is a compilation of a lot of guys we've been talking to, haven't announced, or just signed."
The lengthy list of signees includes several alumni from the UFC's
Ultimate Fighter reality TV show, international imports for the
lower weight classes, and some choice prospects. The full 18 are
Gabe Ruediger (Pictures), Alex Schoenaeur, Jason
Von Flue (Pictures),
Lodune Sincaid (Pictures),
John Gunderson (Pictures),
Rambaa "M16" Somdet (Pictures),
Takumi Nakayama (Pictures),
Masahiro Oishi (Pictures),
Eddie Yagin (Pictures),
Roni Torres, Kamal Shalorus,
Scott McAfee,
Jeremiah Metcalf (Pictures),
Lavar Johnson (Pictures),
Jimmy Jarquin, Jason Carpenter,
Justin Smitley (Pictures) and
Bill Theofanopoulos (Pictures).
Printup stated that many of the former cast members of “The Ultimate Fighter” could provide not only name recognition, but worthwhile acid tests for up-and-coming local talent. However, the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino's entertainment director indicated that some may exceed those roles.
"The IFL closing opened some possibilities. These guys are talented, and they needed fights," Printup said of the signing of Schoenaeur and Gunderson.
Most of the stir regarding the announcement has centered on the Japanese imports. Although veterans Takumi Nakayama (Pictures) and Masahiro Oishi (Pictures) are perhaps best described as gatekeepers in contemporary MMA, Rambaa "M-16" Somdet may prove to be an enormous addition to the PFC's roster, as the promotion attempts to develop and popularize the 125-pound division stateside.
A Thai native, Somdet rose to prominence in his homeland as an enormously popular fixture at the fabled Rajadamnern Stadium due to his highly unorthodox fight style and showmanship, including the trademark M-16 machine gun he wields in the pre- and post-fight.
Now based in Japan, Somdet began his MMA career in 2001, before taking nearly five years off from competition. Somdet retuned to MMA in July 2007 in the Shooto ring, where he has taken dominant victories over Takehiro Harusaki (Pictures) and Masaaki Sugwara. He's currently scheduled to meet Noboru "Shinpei" Tahara on the forthcoming "Shooto Tradition 3" bill on Sept. 28 in Tokyo.
"He's a star," Printup said of Somdet. "People are going to love him. We made it clear that we wanted to import talent, some of the best guys, and we want to bolster 125 pounds. A lot of guys, like a Ulysses Gomez, they want to be able to test themselves against the top guys from overseas."
The lighter weights will also be bolstered by the addition of Yagin. The 29-year-old "Filipino Phenom" was tabbed as one of the best young fighters from Hawaii some six years ago. The featherweight, now based in Las Vegas out of Marc Laimon's Cobra Kai gym, has reinvented himself since his 2006 return to action, and has worked hard to regain some measure of the hype that followed him in his early career.
"I'm looking to put Eddie in there with Casey Olsen, who is really starting to come into his own, in November. Whoever wins that fight is ready for a shot at 145," stated Printup.
Two of the largely unknown but potentially most talented of the signees are Brazilian dynamo Roni Torres, who is fresh off a first-round submission of fellow Brazilian Luiz Azeredo (Pictures) in July, and undefeated former UK Olympic wrestling team member Kamal Shalorus, who will both enter the PFC's welterweight division.
"Once we looked at his resume, it was a no brainer," Printup said of Shalorus, an Iranian native. "And Torres -- he's a bona fide star. We're gonna put him in and test him. He can fight anyone in the world; he's unbelievably talented."
Printup told Sherdog.com that the majority of the 18 signees would make their promotional debuts on PFC's Nov. 20 card and that "a lot of them will be against each other."
The PFC's next offering comes on Sept. 26 at the Tachi Palace's outdoor amphitheater, and will feature the comebacking Phil Baroni (Pictures) taking on beloved wildman Olaf Alfonso (Pictures). The card will also feature the likes of Charlie Valencia (Pictures), Antonio Banuelos (Pictures), Jorge Evangelista (Pictures) and Brian Cobb (Pictures).
"It wasn't planned like that," said Printup. "This is a compilation of a lot of guys we've been talking to, haven't announced, or just signed."
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Printup stated that many of the former cast members of “The Ultimate Fighter” could provide not only name recognition, but worthwhile acid tests for up-and-coming local talent. However, the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino's entertainment director indicated that some may exceed those roles.
"I know a guy like Gabe [Ruediger] got a bad rap on ‘The Ultimate
Fighter’ show, but he's talented," said Printup. "He's gone through
some rough waters, but no one can deny he's talented."
"The IFL closing opened some possibilities. These guys are talented, and they needed fights," Printup said of the signing of Schoenaeur and Gunderson.
Most of the stir regarding the announcement has centered on the Japanese imports. Although veterans Takumi Nakayama (Pictures) and Masahiro Oishi (Pictures) are perhaps best described as gatekeepers in contemporary MMA, Rambaa "M-16" Somdet may prove to be an enormous addition to the PFC's roster, as the promotion attempts to develop and popularize the 125-pound division stateside.
A Thai native, Somdet rose to prominence in his homeland as an enormously popular fixture at the fabled Rajadamnern Stadium due to his highly unorthodox fight style and showmanship, including the trademark M-16 machine gun he wields in the pre- and post-fight.
Now based in Japan, Somdet began his MMA career in 2001, before taking nearly five years off from competition. Somdet retuned to MMA in July 2007 in the Shooto ring, where he has taken dominant victories over Takehiro Harusaki (Pictures) and Masaaki Sugwara. He's currently scheduled to meet Noboru "Shinpei" Tahara on the forthcoming "Shooto Tradition 3" bill on Sept. 28 in Tokyo.
"He's a star," Printup said of Somdet. "People are going to love him. We made it clear that we wanted to import talent, some of the best guys, and we want to bolster 125 pounds. A lot of guys, like a Ulysses Gomez, they want to be able to test themselves against the top guys from overseas."
The lighter weights will also be bolstered by the addition of Yagin. The 29-year-old "Filipino Phenom" was tabbed as one of the best young fighters from Hawaii some six years ago. The featherweight, now based in Las Vegas out of Marc Laimon's Cobra Kai gym, has reinvented himself since his 2006 return to action, and has worked hard to regain some measure of the hype that followed him in his early career.
"I'm looking to put Eddie in there with Casey Olsen, who is really starting to come into his own, in November. Whoever wins that fight is ready for a shot at 145," stated Printup.
Two of the largely unknown but potentially most talented of the signees are Brazilian dynamo Roni Torres, who is fresh off a first-round submission of fellow Brazilian Luiz Azeredo (Pictures) in July, and undefeated former UK Olympic wrestling team member Kamal Shalorus, who will both enter the PFC's welterweight division.
"Once we looked at his resume, it was a no brainer," Printup said of Shalorus, an Iranian native. "And Torres -- he's a bona fide star. We're gonna put him in and test him. He can fight anyone in the world; he's unbelievably talented."
Printup told Sherdog.com that the majority of the 18 signees would make their promotional debuts on PFC's Nov. 20 card and that "a lot of them will be against each other."
The PFC's next offering comes on Sept. 26 at the Tachi Palace's outdoor amphitheater, and will feature the comebacking Phil Baroni (Pictures) taking on beloved wildman Olaf Alfonso (Pictures). The card will also feature the likes of Charlie Valencia (Pictures), Antonio Banuelos (Pictures), Jorge Evangelista (Pictures) and Brian Cobb (Pictures).
