MMA | Larry Brown Sports

Alistair Overeem Out of Strikeforce, Has Fractured Rib

July 30, 2011 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

Alistair Overeem’s fighting career with Strikeforce has taken an odd turn recently. After beating Fabricio Werdum June 18th in the Heavyweight Grand Prix, the promotion wanted him to fight in the semifinals of the tournament in September. Overeem said they initially discussed an October or November date for the second fight and that he couldn’t fight in September because he needed more time to recover from injuries.

Rather than try to rearrange things, Strikeforce got an alternate to replace him. They announced on Friday night that they were cutting him. Instead of remaining silent and letting Strikeforce make him look bad, Overeem went out of his way to prove he really is hurt. He posted a video on his site shortly thereafter that shows him going to the hospital to have tests done on his chest. They revealed a fractured rib which his doctor says needs time to heal.

Now here’s where things get weird. Overeem pulled out of his Strikeforce fight because he said he needed more time. If that’s the case, why did he commit to fight in a United Glory event in the Netherlands in October? If he needs a month to heal plus two months for a proper training camp, will that leave him enough time to be ready? Not by his timeline.

Many people have speculated that Overeem is pulling a power play on Strikeforce so that he can go sign with the UFC. That doesn’t make much sense to me. He only had one fight left on his contract with Strikeforce and then he would have been able to go to the UFC hassle-free if that was his intention. Instead, this seems to be another case of Overeem just doing what he wants to do. He won’t be bossed around; he’s his own man and he makes his decisions. If he doesn’t want to fight before he’s ready, he won’t. And if he wants to fight for his trainer’s promotion in the Netherlands, he’s going to. He’s Alistair Overem and he doesn’t have to listen to anyone.

Filed Under: MMA Tagged With: Alistair Overeem

Dan Henderson Expects a Dangerous Fedor

July 28, 2011 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

The fight for which we’ve been waiting the past several months is finally taking place. Dan Henderson and Fedor Emelianenko will square off Saturday at Sears Centre Arena outside Chicago in an M-1/Strikeforce card on Showtime. Fedor has lost two straight fights after winning 27 in a row. Hendo has won back-to-back fights as a light heavyweight and is stepping up in weight to face Fedor. He knows he’ll have his hands full.

“I am expecting a very dangerous Fedor in this fight,” Henderson wrote in a post on Yahoo! Sports. “I don’t buy that he is past his prime. I think people are reading too much into his losses against Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva.

“I watched both of those fights, and I believe I’d be wrong to think Fedor will not being at his best this Saturday. I think anybody who has his back to the wall coming off two losses is definitely more dangerous.”

Hendo says he feels like Fedor got cocky with his submission against Werdum. He thinks The Emperor was somewhat out of shape against Big Foot Silva, and acknowledges the weight difference was a factor.

Hendo also revealed some of his plans for the fight. He says he’ll use the clinch to control things and his wrestling to set up his monster right hand.

Like Henderson, I don’t believe Fedor is done. Emelianenko got caught by Werdum and was mismatched against Silva. Against someone his size like Hendo, I’m expecting a win. If he can’t get the victory, then it may be time to give it up.

Filed Under: MMA Tagged With: Dan Henderson, Fedor Emelianenko

Kimbo Slice’s Son Kevin Ferguson II Is a High School Football Prospect

July 26, 2011 By Larry Brown 2 Comments

Whether or not Kevin Ferguson II can play football matters little to me. All I know is that as soon as I saw how the kid looks — which is to say exactly like his father — I was hooked.

The Orlando Sentinel profiled Ferguson II who is the 16-year-old son of Kimbo Slice, the street fighter turned MMA fighter turned boxer. Ferguson II is going to be a junior running back for Booker T. Washington High School this season. He was a short-yardage running back for Miramar High last year, rushing for 275 yards and six touchdowns on 55 carries.

The football (and facial hair) apparently runs in the family. Kimbo Slice played college football at Miami for a season and a half and even had a tryout with the Dolphins. As for Kevin II, he’s 6’1″ and 195 pounds and waiting for scholarship offers. He also has a 3.2 GPA which should make it easy to qualify for any school academically.

If any school wants to boost ticket sales, recruiting Ferguson II seems like a no-brainer given the popularity of his father.

Check out this video to see and hear Kevin II on camera:

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Filed Under: High School, MMA Tagged With: kimbo slice

Randy Couture Challenges Steven Seagal to Fight

July 25, 2011 By Larry Brown 17 Comments

You might recall in May when Lyoto Machida knocked Randy Couture out with a straight up Karate Kid-style kick. That was the second time recently that a fighter used a front leg kick to the face to score a knockout, and actor Steven Seagal took credit for both of them. Since he was the victim of one of the kicks, Randy Couture joked that he wants to fight Seagal. Check out this video about a minute in:

I so would pay to see Couture vs. Seagal in the octagon, that would be badass. It certainly would have more intrigue than Belfort vs. Akiyama at UFC 133. What do you think, could Seagal take him? Can he walk the walk? I doubt it.

Fist pound to Bloody Elbow for the video

Filed Under: MMA Tagged With: Randy Couture, Steven Seagal

Daughter of Star Wars Creator George Lucas Has MMA Fight in August

July 24, 2011 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

The daughter of Star Wars creator George Lucas has an MMA fight scheduled for August. Amanda Lucas is 1-1 in her fighting career and set to take on Hikaru Shinohara at DEEP 55 in Japan August 26th.

Lucas lost her MMA debut in 2008 but won a year later. She took two years off after getting married and tried to return earlier this year, but withdrew from her fight after her opponent couldn’t make weight.

You might think that someone who has only fought twice in her career might not be too serious about fighting, but that’s not the case. In an April interview with MMA Fighting, Lucas said of her MMA aspirations, “This is a professional sport, one I take seriously, and in which I dedicate my life to.”

You may recognize Lucas from her cameos in almost all of the Star Wars movies. The fight in Japan will be her third career professional bout.

Pic Credit: FighterGirls.com
Story Credit: Bloody Elbow

Filed Under: MMA Tagged With: Amanda Lucas

MMA Fighter Ryan McGillivray Has a Nasty Broken Nose (Picture)

July 21, 2011 By Steve DelVecchio 1 Comment

Squeamish people beware. Since I chose not to put the picture after the jump, that warning will probably come too late. Sorry. Of all the nasty injuries we have shown you here on LBS, nothing can really stack up to the overall gruesomeness of injuries suffered in the octagon. As far as how the following injury stacks up against this dangling toe, this torn off ear, or this other torn off ear, you’ll have to be the judge. Check out the Ryan McGillivray broken nose picture, courtesy of Deadspin:

McGIllivray, who was on the last season of The Ultimate Fighter, suffered the injury during training. I suppose any injury that allows you to keep the affected extremity is a victory, but that still looks ridiculously nasty. We thought Ben Roethlisberger’s broken nose and Manu Ginobli’s crooked beak were brutal, but McGillivray puts them to shame. Glad he’s all smiles, because I’d probably be crying.

Filed Under: MMA Tagged With: fight wounds, Ryan McGillivray

Alistair Overeem Interested in Boxing

July 16, 2011 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

Alistair Overeem is one of the top MMA heavyweights in the world and currently fighting for Strikeforce. He has an upcoming bout with Big Foot Silva in the semifinals of the Heavyweight Grand Prix, and he may only have one fight left with the promotion before his contract comes to an end. After that, Overeem has to decide what to do next.

In a recent interview with Boxing News in Poland, Overeem said he’s considering boxing next. “UFC or boxing,” Overeem replied when asked about his plans after Strikeforce. He went on to explain what he’s thinking.

“I’m always looking for a challenge,” Overeem said. “That came about in becoming a K-1 champion, something nobody ever did before. It would be cool to go to boxing and beat the main guy there. I know if you give me good preparation, good sparring partners — which, I can arrange, I can fix that — with my background already in kickboxing, my K-1 background, I’m sure I can break some bones.”

Given Reem’s versatility, I wouldn’t doubt his ability to succeed in boxing. However, if he thinks he’d be able to step into a ring and immediately beat Vitali Klitschko, I think he’s dreaming. The guy can fight, but that would be too much to ask for in his first bout.

Here’s a video of the interview (they start talking boxing around the 4:15 mark):

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Filed Under: Boxing, MMA Tagged With: Alistair Overeem