David Vs. Goliath

[GreenCloudCLF]

I love Japanese promotions!

Only in Japan.

Famed heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko will meet lightweight stand-out Shinya Aoki during a five-minute "special exhibition" at an April 29 M-1 Challenge (presented by Affliction) event in Tokyo, the organization today announced.

Rules for the contest are still being negotiated.

And considering nearly 70 pounds and four weight classes separate the fighters, expect some safety precautions to be put in place. The bout could end up being more of a grappling session by the time the official rules are announced.

The Emelianenko vs. Aoki bout will join a 19-fight card that includes head-to-head M-1 Challenge matchups between host country Japan vs. England, Team USA West vs. South Korea, and Spain vs. France.

Emelianenko and Aoki, who both hold WAMMA world titles in their respective weight classes, are two of the most popular fighters in Japan, so the exhibition is likely to be a hit with fans.

Emelianenko (30-1), a World Combat Sambo champion who will compete in the Abu Dhabi Combat Club's submission fighting championships later this year, last competed in January when he defeated former UFC champ Andrei Arlovski at Affliction's "Day of Reckoning" show. The 32-year-old former PRIDE champ is undefeated in his past 27 fights.

Aoki (20-4), a standout grappler who's ended 12 of his 20 career wins via submission, last competed in April, when he suffered a 27-second TKO loss to welterweight Hayato Sakurai at DREAM.8. Aoki is 15-2 (with one no-contest) in his past 18 fights.

[GreenCloudCLF]

You can find the original article here.

Canseco and Choi to take the term 'circus fight' to new level
By Maggie Hendricks


Jose Canseco is a 'roided up freak-of-nature who is disliked by pretty much everyone and looks for publicity at every chance. Now if he could only find a freak show fighter to help him jump into the MMA game.

Ahh yes! Hong Man Choi, the 7'2" South Korean who has lost to Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko Cro Cop, is going to fight Canseco at DREAM 9 on May 26 in Tokyo. I'm not sure what Canseco's aim is in trying out MMA -- maybe he's just really broke -- but it should be hilarious. This fight is part of DREAM's open weight tournament, meaning that if he wins, we'll get to see Canseco fight again.

Outside of Fedor and Cro Cop, Choi has just one other pro fight, a win over Bobby Ologun. Canseco's fight experience is limited to celebrity boxing, where he was knocked out by former Philadelphia Eagle Vai Sikahema. Apparently, Canseco's stand-up is pretty awful, so he might want to take a crash course in jiu-jitsu in the next few weeks. Then he might have a hope of submitting Choi; otherwise, Choi's astounding reach advantage will overwhelm Canseco.

The rest of the card is actually pretty good. Jacare Souza is fighting Mayhem Miller, Kid Yamamoto is taking on Joe Warren, and Mark Hunt will face Gegard Mousasi.

[GeneChing]

The Japanese don't draw the same lines as Americans when it comes to MMA vs. WWE. I admire that. I think it all stems from tokusatsu.

Canseco to make mixed martial arts debut
Former AL MVP to take on 7-foot-2 opponent in Japan
By Ed Eagle / MLB.com
05/02/09 9:27 AM ET

Former American League MVP Jose Canseco, who has authored two controversial books and starred in a reality television show since his 17-year big league career came to an end in 2001, will next try his hand at mixed martial arts.

According to an Associated Press report, the 44-year-old Canseco will make his MMA debut on May 26 in Japan against South Korean Hong Man Choi as part of the Dream 9 card at Yokohama Arena. The 7-foot-2, 330-pound Hoi has a 1-2 career professional record.

"I have no idea if I can do it," Canseco told the AP. "It's a tough sport."

Canseco has fought in two celebrity boxing matches. He was knocked out in the first round by former NFL player Vai Sikahema on July 12th, 2008, and he fought to a majority draw earlier this year in a bout against former "Partridge Family" star Danny Bonaduce.

A six-time All-Star, Canseco won the 1988 AL MVP after becoming the first player in big league history to have at least 40 home runs and 40 steals in the same season. He currently ranks 32nd all-time with 462 career home runs.

In his 2005 book, "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big," Canseco attributed much of his success on the diamond to his use of performance enhancing drugs.

[Violent Designs]

This wasn't a real match, it was just an exhibition for pure entertainment purposes . . . as you can see by the smiles on both Fedor and Aoki's faces.

[GeneChing]

Nothing new tho...This might need to be split into a separate thread soon...

Baseball icon Jose Canseco set to fight 7'2" kickboxer in Japanese MMA tournament
By Chris Parry, Vancouver SunMay 22, 2009 9:04 AM

Whoever coined the phrase 'mixed martial arts' intended to create a catch-all name that encompassed judo, jiu-jitsu, taekwondo, karate, boxing, kickboxing and wrestling. The occasional sumo wrestler, ex-pro wrestler or fading gridiron star has been known to give the sport a serious look, but an upcoming tournament in Japan will see a new discipline enter the cage for the first time.

Enter baseball.

If you figured this could only be the work of Jose Canseco, major league baseball's longtime bad boy, 1988 MVP, steroid expert, reality TV star and laughing stock, you're right on the money.

Shunned by the baseball establishment, Canseco has decided the time is right to get involved in the growing sport of mixed martial arts, and in typical Canseco style, he's throwing himself in at the deep end, going up against Hong Man Choi, a 7'2" 330 lb Korean kickboxer on May 26.

Oh, and Jose hasn't done much training for the fight because he has a "long history" of martial arts.

Veteran fighter Frank Trigg told MMAjunkie.com Radio that he turned down Canseco's request for help and has learned the wanna-be fighter hasn't done much preparation since.

"He hasn't been doing anything," Trigg said. "Nothing .... He's running on a treadmill."

Choi, who has only won a single MMA bout out of three, can at least boast that his two losses came against legends of the sport in Mirko 'Crocop' Filipovic and the widely agreed upon best fighter in the world, Fedor Emelianenko. He has a 17-5 record in K-1 kickboxing.

Canseco, on the other hand, can hit baseballs.

"Other MMA guys are saying, 'Don't associate yourself with the guy,'" Trigg said. "Besides, Hong Man Choi is going to rip his [expletive] head off."

The Dream 9 'Super Hulk Tournament' will reportedly feature slightly adjusted rules from those usually followed in Dream promotions, including no knees to the head of a downed opponent (a standard rule in North American MMA) and reduced round times.

Winners of the first round will continue on in the tournament at a later date.

The tournament will also include Cameroon-born UFC veteran kickboxer Rameau Thierry Sokoujou vs South African boxer/kickboxer Jan Nortje, former NFL player and pro-wrestler Bob Sapp vs Japanese MMA journeyman Ikuhisa Minowa, and 27-2 Armenian MMA monster Gegard Mousasi vs former K-1 kickboxing world champion, New Zealander Mark Hunt.

Canseco has been involved with combat sports previously, losing to a first round knockout from former NFL footballer Vai Sikahema in a celebrity boxing event, and fighting to a draw with former Partridge Family child star Danny Bonaduce in 2008.
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

[monji112000]

Nothing new tho...This might need to be split into a separate thread soon...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XisoUegzUw
its nice seeing that much respect between fighters.

[GeneChing]

Time to hang it up Jose...

'Bash Brother' Jose Canseco gets bashed in mixed martial arts debut
By Mitch Abramson
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Updated Tuesday, May 26th 2009, 9:58 AM
Inouye/AP

The fight was fast and painless, at least for the viewers who stayed up to watch it.

In his first foray into Mixed Martial Arts, Jose Canseco was pummeled by a 7-2, 330-pound grand champion of sumo, Hong Man Choi of South Korea, during a MMA show earlier Tuesday at Yokohama Arena in Japan.

The admitted steroid user and whistle-blower entered the ring hauling a baseball bat over his right shoulder and was accompanied by his girlfriend and publicist, Heidi Northcott, who tossed baseballs into the crowd as they slowly descended a ramp toward the ring. Canseco, 44, would have been wise to use the club against his opponent.

While Choi is a respected kick-boxer and sumo wrestler, Canseco's only achievement in the ring is that he once fought to a draw in a celebrity boxing match with former child star Danny Bonaduce.

Blinking nervously to start the first round, which was scheduled for ten minutes, as per Pride Fighting Championship rules, Canseco was immediately sent flying to the ropes by a jab.

At that point, Canseco, wearing black tights, must have felt it was better to run than fight because he took to scurrying around the ring, doing his best to avoid contact.

That tactic didn't work well either, because a minute into the bout, Canseco appeared to twist his right knee and he quickly grabbed at it while hobbling around. When Choi attempted to corner him, Canseco tried a leg kick, leaving himself vulnerable and the sumo wrestler collapsed on him, driving him to the ground face-first, and pummeling the back of Canseco's head.

After a few seconds, the referee dove in to pull Choi off Canseco, who rested on the canvas, looking more exhausted than hurt. The bout was stopped at 8:42 of the first round of what is being billed as the "Super Hulk Tournament," as part of the sport's Dream 9 card.

In a bizarre gesture, Choi then lifted Canseco to his feet and deposited him on the canvas and the two embraced, both looking content, Canseco, that he wasn't killed, and Choi because he just evened his record in MMA to 2-2.

The fight was televised on HDNet at 5 AM this morning in New York. The show will be replayed on Friday at 10 PM ET and Saturday at 2:30 PM. Canseco's bout was the second of the card, and started promptly at 5:15 AM and ended just as quickly.

At the press conference on Monday, the Japanese media reportedly laughed derisively at Canseco when he was introduced.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm scared," Canseco said Monday at the press conference, according to reports. "This guy is huge. I'm a 44-year-old rookie and have had a lot of challenges in my baseball career and hopefully, I can do well tomorrow."

As for Canseco's motivation to put himself in harms way, Damon Feldman, the promoter and creator of the Celebrity Boxing Federation, where Canseco has fought twice, chuckled.

"Where else can you make fast money like this?" Feldman said.

Canseco, whose home was foreclosed last July, was arrested for trying to smuggle an illegal female fertility drug from Mexico in October. He has shown himself to be practically immune to embarrassment when it comes to making a buck.Last July, the former slugger and American League MVP was knocked out in a round by former Philadelphia Eagle Vai Sikahema in a celebrity boxing match. Canseco reportedly received $35,000 for that bout.

Canseco is also tentatively scheduled to fight a celebrity boxing match on July 24, maybe in Atlantic City against 6-4, 300-pound Bill Simmons, known as the "Wingador," for his ability to eat chicken wings, Feldman said.

The 6-4, 252-pound Canseco was supposed to fight on a celebrity boxing card on June 27 but pulled out because of the MMA show in Japan. Feldman also said that Canseco's twin brother, Ozzie, might also compete on the July 24th card.

"I wouldn't recommend what (Canseco) is doing, fighting in Japan," Feldman said on Monday. "But Jose doesn't care. He fights anyone I put in front of him. I just hope that he doesn't get knocked out."

[GeneChing]

or is there anyone else who hopes Canseco keeps fighin'?

Strike farce: Canseco swings out in MMA debut
Associated Press
Updated: June 22, 2009, 9:14 PM EDT

YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) - Former Oakland A's baseball slugger Jose Canseco came out swinging but didn't last long in his debut in mixed martial arts.

Canseco was stopped by South Korean super heavyweight Hong Man Choi just 1 minute, 17 seconds into the first round at Yokohama Arena.

The referee stopped the fight when the 7-foot-2, 330-pound Choi knocked Canseco to the mat and started punching his head.

"That's a big man," the 1988 American League's most valuable player said. "I ran into one of his left jabs and that almost knocked me out. You have no idea how scary it was facing a man that big."

Canseco did land the first blow with a right to the upper body of Choi but that was all the damage he could inflict on the Korean giant.

Shortly into the fight, Canseco hurt his right knee and was unable to do much after that.

"I hurt my knee back home real bad but I didn't want to disappoint the fans," he said. "I knew that at some point during the fight my knee was going to give out and once I was down I knew I wasn't going to get up. He's just too heavy to move."

Canseco came into the arena to the song "Wild Thing" with a baseball bat on his shoulder. He took a few swings of the bat after the fight was over and was helped out of the ring by his girlfriend Heidi Northcott.

Canseco, who hit 462 home runs over 17 seasons in the major leagues, has had several fights since leaving baseball but has never taken on professional fighters like Choi, who improved to 2-2 in MMA.

He said he will work on getting his knee back in shape before taking on any more fights.

"I have no idea if I'll do this again," Canseco said. "I've gotta get my knee better before I commit to anything like this."