March 29, 1966, Muhammad Ali–the self-proclaimed greatest boxer of all time–clashed with working-class Canadian champ George Chuvalo in a heavyweight title marathon that lasted all 15 rounds. Ali won by unanimous decision but declared Chuvalo “the toughest guy I ever fought.”
“Sometimes we wait our whole life to find the answer…my moment of realization arrived in my very first mixed martial arts amateur bout.”
By STRIKEFORCE Bantamweight Champion Miesha “Takedown” Tate:
You often discover whether you possess fight or flight instincts when the going gets tough. Is it our instinct to escape the situation and run to the nearest safe haven, or do we decide to stand and fight, despite obvious risk, pain and embarrassment? Sometimes we wait our whole life to find out the answer to this kind of question, yet, luckily for me, my moment of realization arrived in my very first mixed martial arts amateur bout in 2006.
I was 19 years of age at the time, had wrestled for four years, but had no clue what MMA was and had never before heard of the UFC. In fact, I had no desire to ever fight at this stage. I was just interested in learning a bit more about submission wrestling, having wrestled with the boys’ team since during high school.
Los Angeles, CA (USA): Last night, Sean “The Destroyer” Loeffler was supposed to make his long-awaited Octagon debut against Buddy Roberts at “UFC on Fuel TV 1.” Unfortunately, Loeffler suffered an ankle injury while warming up and the doctor would not clear him to compete in the fight.
So, what exactly happened? “I was doing ‘tuck jumps’ backstage,” says Loeffler. “My foot got caught in a crack in the warm-up mat, and it rolled over and snapped in half. Trevor Wittman and Urijah Faber were there…the whole locker room heard it pop.
“Fortunately, the ankle’s not broken. It’s a 3rd degree fibula/tibia strain. There’s about a 50/50 chance I’ll have surgery, but we won’t know until after I get an MRI. I don’t know how long I’ll be out, but Joe Silva has told me that I am 100% a UFC fighter, and that I’ll be back with them.”
As was reported by multiple media outlets last night, Loeffler was paid his “show” money by the UFC. “Yes, it’s true,” he says. “I very much appreciate that. I’d like to thank Dana White, Joe Silva, and the rest of the UFC for standing by me through this. They paid me my show money even though I got injured. I appreciate that so much, and I won’t forget it. And to the fans, I will be back, better than ever, as soon as possible. I’m in the UFC to stay, and even though the ankle injury sucked, it shows that everything I do will always be memorable…ha.”
As far as what’s next, no one can know for sure. Will Loeffler fight Buddy Roberts when he gets back? “As far as I know, Buddy is healthy, so I doubt they’re going to make him wait for me. I have no idea who the UFC wants for me next, but regardless, I need to get healthy and then we’ll deal with it. I was ready for Buddy, so if he’s next, I will be ready for him again.”
Press Release
Europe’s most qualitative MMA promotion is coming to Malmö
Superior Challenge will be held on October 6, 2012 in Malmö Arena. This is the first time a major international MMA promotion is held in this region.
The demand for the sport of MMA has increased markedly in Sweden and Scandinavia in recent years. The event is intended for sports fans and business visitors who enjoy high-quality full-adrenaline sports entertainment.
Superior Challenge has been held seven times earlier and is the most qualitative MMA promotion in Europe. The organization has some of the world’s top MMA athletes and is one of five events in the world with top 20 ranked fighters. Visitors can experience large international stars and local heroes compete in Europe’s largest “full-size” cage, which is over 12 meters in diameter with 80 sq.m. mat.
Malmö Arena is a top modern venue. It was built approximately three years ago and holds around 10 000 spectators. The city of Malmö is Sweden’s third largest city, only a few minutes by train from Copenhagen and close to the rest of the continent.
The Showdown Podcast sportsnet.ca – UFC
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