The attention of the MMA world once again turns to Las Vegas this Fourth of July weekend, and while the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s “UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin” event will see a heavyweight score settled, Friday night will see 16 female competitors take center stage for Las Vegas’ premier amateur fight organization.

Tuff-N-Uff returns to the Orleans Hotel & Casino’s Mardi Gras Ballroom for another night of action-packed mixed martial arts contests on Friday, July 2, and it’s the ladies that are prepared to provide the evening’s fireworks. Read the rest of this entry »

EVERETT, Wash. (June 10, 2010) –Undefeated heavyweight prospect Shane Del Rosario (9-0) will attempt to extend his unblemished streak when he faces fellow heavy hitter Lolohea Mahe (4-1-1) in the main event of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card at Comcast Arena at Everett, live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), on Friday, July 23.

Unbeaten STRIKEFORCE Women’s World Welterweight (135 pounds) Champion and former ballet dancer Sarah Kaufman (11-0) will put her perfect record as well as her crown on the line against international star Roxanne Modafferi (15-5). Read the rest of this entry »

Sobral, Lawler and Coker participated in a national media conference call on Wednesday to discuss the upcoming STRIKEFORCE Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles, Calif. on Wednesday, June 16, LIVE on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Lawler (17-5) will collide with former STRIKEFORCE Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Champion Sobral (35-8) at a catch weight of 195 pounds in the main event.

Lawler, 6-1-1 with one No Contest in his last eight outings, is coming off a dramatic, come-from-behind 3:33, first-round knockout over highly regarded Melvin Manhoef on Jan. 30, 2010. Sobral’s start will be his first since losing his STRIKEFORCE belt to Gegard Mousasi on Dec. 19, 2009. Prior to the defeat, Sobral had reeled off five consecutive victories. Read the rest of this entry »

World Championship Fighting today announced their full fight card for WCF 10, which takes place June 11, 2010 live from the Shriner’s Auditorium in Wilmington, MA. The card is filled with the hottest prospects and up and coming stars New England has to offer, and you do not want to miss this-these guys are the future of the sport. Read the rest of this entry »

by Jeff Chan MFC Staff – “Ring or cage?” is MMA’s biggest debate. Fans of the ring often say that it promotes better fighting technique, while defenders of the cage like that enclosure’s dramatic “no escape” appeal. The Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) has always taken place in a ring, and it always will. Why? Because the ring provides more exciting fights and a better overall experience for the fans.

MOST OF MMA’S HISTORY IS IN THE RING

Long before MMA arrived in North America, the pre-MMA pioneers in Brazil and Japan fought in a ring. In December 1963, “Judo” Gene Lebell and boxer Milo Savage stepped into a ring in Salt Lake City, Utah to square off in North America’s first televised MMA match. Cage fighting wasn’t presented to North American TV audiences until 1993, when the aim was to promote MMA as a “deathmatch”-style spectacle. Read the rest of this entry »

MMA Legend Bas “El Guapo” Rutten is among the award nominees as Heineken and the Grand Central Oyster Bar in New York celebrate the annual Holland Herring Festival with the “Salute to Dutch Sportsmen.” At the event, set for Thursday, June 10, sports media and fans will select the greatest athlete of Dutch heritage. Though he will not be in attendance at the event, Rutten is joined on the ballot by soccer players Edgar Davids, Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten, Johan Neeskens, Robin Van Persie, Dennis Bergkamp and Frank Rijkaard, big league pitchers Bert Blyleven and Curt Schilling, NBA players Rik Smits, Kiki Vandeweghe and Keith Van Horn, U.S. Open Tennis champ Tom Okker, and track and field stars Fanny Blankers-Koen, a quadruple-gold medalist at the 1948 Summer Olympics, and Cornelius Warmerdam, Men’s Pole Vault World Record Holder. The festivities take place from 6-8 p.m. The Grand Central Oyster Bar is located on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal at 42nd Street in New York City.

An excellent lightweight (155 pounds) scrap between former world champion KJ Noons (8-2) of San Diego, Calif., and Conor “Hurricane’’ Heun (8-3) of Hollywood, Calif., by way of Boulder, Colo., will round out the televised portion of fights on SHOWTIME® when STRIKEFORCE steamrolls into Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on Wednesday, June 16.

The first-ever STRIKEFORCE event scheduled for mid-week will take place in the midst of the E3 Expo, the premier trade show for computer and video games. During E3 Expo 2010 at the L.A. Convention Center, EA SPORTS™ will exhibit its highly anticipated title, EA SPORTS MMA, in which STRIKEFORCE is featured as a premier league. Read the rest of this entry »

Can Scott “Hands Of Steel’’ Smith, aka “The Comeback Kid,’’ do it again?

On Saturday, June 26, at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on SHOWTIME®, Smith will attempt to make it two consecutive victories over Cung Le in a middleweight (185 pounds) rematch of one of the most incredible Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) comeback victories of all-time. Read the rest of this entry »

LOS ANGELES (June 1, 2010) – STRIKEFORCE women’s 135-pound sensation Miesha “Takedown” Tate and four-time world champion and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) pioneer Frank Shamrock have teamed up on a DVD project that seeks to educate women on rape prevention techniques. The two MMA stars began filming Friday in Los Angeles for the educational DVD, which is scheduled for release later this year. Read the rest of this entry »

The Maximum Fighting Championship has added a fighter with impressive credentials to its talent roster in the lightweight ranks.

Brazilian star Luciano Azevedo (16-8) boasts a strong resume and the native of Rio de Janeiro is expected to make his organization – and North American – debut at MFC 26. Details on the show and its lineup will be announced shortly. Azevedo has signed an exclusive four fight deal with The Maximum Fighting Championship. Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK (May 26, 2010) – American military hero and up-and-coming middleweight, Tim Kennedy, will be opposed by the dangerous Trevor Prangley in one of the featured STRIKEFORCE Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on Wednesday, June 16, on SHOWTIME®.

The first-ever STRIKEFORCE event scheduled for mid-week will take place in the midst of the E3 Expo, the premier trade show for computer and video games. During E3 Expo 2010 at the L.A. Convention Center, EA SPORTS™ will exhibit its highly anticipated title, EA SPORTS MMA, in which STRIKEFORCE is featured as a premier league. Read the rest of this entry »

World Championship Fighting today announced updates to their fight card for their WCF 10 event, scheduled to take place June 11 from the Shriner’s Auditorium in Wilmington, MA.

Originally scheduled to face Joe Dechaves, Noah Weisman will now fight Luis “Rockstar” Felix. Luis was last seen in action at WCF 8, in an epic 3 round war with Josh Key. Luis is one of the most exciting fighters currently fighting for WCF, and looks to show his trademark slams against the rising prospect, Noah Weisman. You do not want to miss this fight. Read the rest of this entry »

With the biggest mixed martial arts weekend in Las Vegas’ history just days away, the city’s premier amateur fight organization has finalized a pair of action-packed fight cards.

Fans flocking to Las Vegas for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s “UFC 114: Jackson vs. Evans” event, as well the second-ever UFC Fan Expo, can also attend a pair of affordably priced events featuring some of the brightest prospects in the nation at the Orleans Hotel & Casino. Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK (May 25, 2010) – Two young fighters emerged as Rising Stars and future world title contenders after impressive wins at last Friday’s Portland Strikeforce Challengers event on SHOWTIME®. Roger Bowling and Tarec Saffiedine both posted victories that drew accolades from media and industry analysts.

Friday’s fights will re-air tonight, Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHO 2. The telecast will also be available On Demand beginning Wednesday, May 26 through Tuesday, June 8. Read the rest of this entry »

The Maximum Fighting Championship should be the first mixed martial arts promotion to hold a major world-class event in the province of Ontario pending final sanctioning of the sport by the provincial government and regulatory bodies. Read the rest of this entry »