MMA gossip ,18/01/08 Yoshida,Diaz,Lesnar

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[SIZE="7"][FONT="Century Gothic"]UFC Signs Japanese Fighter Yoshiyuki Yoshida[/FONT][/SIZE]
Posted by MMA Junkie on January 17, 2008 at 3:33 pm ET



Yoshiyuki YoshidaAs expected, Japanese welterweight Yoshiyuki Yoshida (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has signed a four-fight deal with the UFC.

The signing had been rumored for the past week, essentially appearing to be a done-deal. On Wednesday the Greatest Common Multiple organization, Yoshida’s home since September 2006, made the official announcement.

There’s no word on when Yoshida might make his UFC debut — or against whom. However, the UFC still has a number of holes to plug on a slew of fight cards for upcoming events in March and April. MMAjunkie.com (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.) has been told that April’s UFC Fight Night 13 event, which takes place April 2, is a strong possibility for the fighter’s octagon debut.

Yoshida will join the UFC’s 170-pound division, which is arguably the UFC’s deepest.

After starting his career with a 1-2 record, Yoshida has since posted eight consecutive victories in Shooto and the Japanese-based GCM promotion. Six of the victories have come via knockout; all of them came in the first round.

Yoshida most recently won the GCM’s 170-pound “Cage Force” tournament title. In the Dec. 1 final, he earned the victory via disqualification when opponent Dan Hardy (17-6) struck him with a low blow to the groin. Yoshida was unable to continue and earned the victory.

Yoshida is the latest international signing for the Las Vegas-based UFC. In recent weeks, the organization has signed Croatian Goran Reljic, Frenchman Samy Schiavo and U.K. heavyweight Neil Wain.


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[SIZE="7"][FONT="Century Gothic"]EliteXC’s Nick Diaz Could Return April 26 in Hawaii[/FONT][/SIZE]
Posted by MMA Junkie on January 17, 2008 at 11:05 am ET



Nick DiazEliteXC has already announced upcoming Feb. 15 and March 29 fight dates, and during yesterday’s media conference call, Live Events President Gary Shaw announced one more: April 26. The event, which will take place in Hawaii, could serve as the return fight date for Nick Diaz (15-7).

MMAjunkie.com (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.) first mentioned the pending event in yesterday’s media call recap (which includes information about Feb. 15’s main event between Kimbo Slice and David “Tank” Abbott).

After first producing the Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le event in March, the California-based EliteXC then heads to Hawaii. Diaz, a former UFC fighter who recently signed a long-term deal with EliteXC only to be upset by K.J. Noons in a lightweight title fight, recently had surgery but could return at the event.

“He’s had surgery on his eye to repair all that scar tissue, and I think that Nick needed a rest,” said Shaw “He’s doing the right thing for Nick right now, and we’ve encouraged him to rest as well.

“But I think he’s fighting on the April 26 card.“

As for an opponent, Shaw isn’t ruling out a rematch with Noons — but not right away.

“We eventually want to give him another shot at K.J. Noons,” Shaw said. “He gave K.J. Noons a shot. But not right back.“

The two fighters met at EliteXC’s “Renegade” event in September for the organization’s vacant lightweight (160-lb.) title — with Diaz the heavy favorite. However, Noons connected on a number of blows, and the bout was stopped after the first round due to multiple cuts on Diaz’s face. Diaz was furious over the TKO stoppage and flipped off the ringside doctor and shoved a camera as he stormed out of the cage.

He hasn’t fought since then.

In addition to Noons, EliteXC officials have mentioned the possibility of a rematch between Diaz and Takanori Gomi. This past February, PRIDE hosted what was only its second show on U.S. soil. Executives wanted to match Gomi, their prized lightweight champion, with an American fighter who had widespread appeal. They ultimately chose Diaz, and in one of the year’s most memorable fights, Diaz bounced back from a series of blows and an early knockdown to score a rare gogoplata submission victory in the second round.

However, after Diaz failed a drug test due to marijuana, the Nevada State Athletic Commission stripped Diaz of the win and ruled the fight a no-contest.

Diaz is now 4-1 (with one no-contest) in his past six fights.
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[COLOR="Red"][SIZE="7"][FONT="Century Gothic"]

Brock Lesnar Readies for UFC 81 Fight with Frank Mir[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
Posted by TAGG Radio on January 17, 2008 at 9:56 am ET



Brock LesnarBy TAGG Radio
Special to MMAjunkie.com

Former WWE superstar and relative MMA newcomer Brock Lesnar (1-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is confident as he prepares for his highly anticipated octagon debut against former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir (10-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) at UFC 81. Lesnar discussed his preparation with the crew of TAGG Radio (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.) on Wednesday.

“I’m very excited,” Lesnar said. “Frank is more than a credible opponent for me, and it’s a true test for me. It’s a make-or-break opportunity for me to bust into the MMA world.“

The Lesnar-Mir fight is set for UFC 81, which takes place Feb. 2 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The bout appears on the televised main card of the pay-per-view event.

Lesnar, a former high school and collegiate wrestling stand-out, said he would not hesitate to go to the mat with Mir, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.

“I’m not afraid to take this fight to the ground,” Lesnar said. “The key for me is to be able to control his hips on the ground… and in the meantime put as much leather on his face as possible.“

In just his second professional MMA fight, Lesnar recognizes that Mir will have the edge in overall cage experience, but he doesn’t see many other factors in Mir’s favor.

“I don’t think Frank is going to be able to overpower me,” Lesnar said. “If he does get his hands on me, I don’t think he’s going to be able to finish it. And I’m very confident in my stand-up game… I plan to be in his face the whole time and break him. I’m going to push the pace of this fight to a limit he’s not going to be able to hang with. I do believe that.“

Lesnar has been training at the Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts Academy, the home gym of former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk. Lesnar also credited Shooto veteran Erik Paulson for being the training partner most able to emulate the style of Mir in sparring sessions.

And while Lesnar admitted to the importance of this fight for his budding career, saying that he has “all to gain and everything to lose,” he’s not focused on the fact that he’s actually considered a small favorite to defeat a former champ so early in his career.

“I don’t have any added pressure,” Lesnar said. “I’ve got one plan, and that’s to go out and perform to the best of my capabilities and to win this fight.“

This story was produced by TAGG Radio (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.) specially for MMAjunkie.com (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.). The show — which is hosted by fighter/broadcaster Frank Trigg, Gorgeous George and Goze — books some of the biggest names in MMA. Download all the former episodes at You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., or tune into TAGG Radio’s live shows Monday-Friday at noon ET/9 a.m. PT.
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