UFC on Versus 2 “Jones vs. Matyushenko” on Aug. 1st from the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, CA.

MAIN CARD
Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Mark Munoz vs. Yushin Okami
John Howard vs. Jake Ellenberger
Tyson Griffin vs. Takanori Gomi

PRELIMINARY CARD
Paul Kelly vs. Jacob Volkmann
DaMarques Johnson vs. Matt Riddle
James Irvin vs. Igor Pokrajac
Brian Stann vs. Mike Massenzio
Darren Elkins vs. Charles Oliveira
Rob Kimmons vs. Steve Steinbeiss

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP5SnnyMkyo

The 38 year-old Sefo, who stands 6 feet tall and weighs approximately 250 pounds, boasts the highest KO percentage in K-1′s 16 year history. In 2007, he relocated from his native New Zealand to Las Vegas, Nevada and adopted Randy “The Natural” Couture’s Xtreme Couture camp as his new training ground.

A Muay Thai stylist known for his punishing leg kicks and a steel chin, Sefo has made eight trips to the K-1 “World Grand Prix Finals,” the annual, year-end tournament that pits the world’s top eight heavyweight kickboxers against one another in a single-elimination tournament completed over the course of one night. During his 14-year professional kickboxing career, he has conquered a number of fellow all-time greats, including three-time World Grand Prix Finals” tournament champion, Peter Aerts; two-time K-1 tournament winner, Jerome LeBanner; and former world boxing champion and three-time world kickboxing champion, Mike Bernardo.

In his sole MMA appearance to date, Sefo stopped Min Soo Kim with a high kick in the second round (:30) of their K-1 “Hero’s 2″ matchup in Japan on July 6, 2005.

Also 38 years of age, Jordan is a nine year veteran of MMA who has made two appearances in UFC competition. In his last effort, the 6 foot 3 inch, 245 pound Jordan earned a unanimous decision victory over MMA pioneer and UFC 2 runner up Patrick Smith, in Salem, New Hampshire on July 31, 2009.

Born in Alabama, Jordan recently relocated to Cortland, New York from Columbus, Georgia where he spent nearly 10 years training United States Army personnel stationed at nearby Fort Benning in the military martial arts system called Modern Army Combatives.

Tickets for the event, priced from $25, are on sale at the SpiritBank Event Center box office, all

Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com), and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).

In the main event, American military hero Tim Kennedy (10-2) will face off with fellow rising star, unbeaten Zak Cummings (10-0), at middleweight (185 pounds).

SpiritBank Event Center doors will open at 7:15 p.m. CT for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event and the first preliminary bout will begin at 8:00 p.m.

The live SHOWTIME telecast, which will include up to five bouts, will begin at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

World championship MMA promotion STRIKEFORCE will produce the event at SpiritBank Event Center along with eXtreme Fighting promoter and five-time world kickboxing champion Dale “Apollo” Cook.

STRIKEFORCE Challengers is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. The series is designed to provide today’s top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event.

The Around The Cage Show was joined by UFC fighters Brad “Bad” Blackburn (15-9-1) and Phillipe Nover (5-2-1).

Brad Blackburn is sidelined for up to nine months with a rotator cup injury following his split decision win over Edgar Garcia.

Phillipe Nover talks about starting his training camp for his upcoming fight with Sam Stout at UFC Fight Night 19 “Diaz vs. Guillard”. Nover took this fight on short notice, replacing the injured Kyle Bradley.

AroundtheCage.com podcast is proudly sponsored by, 1001 submissions and Oxygen4Energy.

Hosts: Brian Benchimol and James McKenna
Time: 01:12:28

[podcast]http://www.aroundthecage.com/wp-content/uploads/mp3/atc031.mp3[/podcast]

“Tim Kennedy sounds like a pretty tough guy and that’s the way I like to fight so it should be a great fight,” said the 25-year-old Cummings, a two-time national junior collegiate qualifier in wrestling for St. Louis Community College – Meramec.

A knee injury forced Cummings to withdraw before the start of the 2006 national tournament and, later, convinced him to return home to Springfield, Missouri where he discovered MMA. He has since regained his health and become well-skilled in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing.

Despite his newfound versatility, Cummings credits his untainted success first and foremost to his consistent composure in the cage.

“Some guys get very emotional and some guys want to go out there and hurt people. I’m one of those guys that looks at MMA as a sport and a chess match, just like I look at wrestling,” he explained. “In all my wrestling experiences, I stayed calm throughout any situation that happened. I didn’t get frustrated and I think that’s carried over into my experience in this sport. I keep my cool really well and it’s paid off.”

The 29-year-old Kennedy’s return to action will be his first since he dominated Nick “The Goat” Thompson, stopping Thompson on the ground with an onslaught of punches in the second round (2:37) of their STRIKEFORCE Challengers meeting at ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington.

After spending six years in The United States Army, the last three as a sniper in the Seventh Special Forces Group, Kennedy, a native of San Luis Obispo, California, recently accepted an offer to serve in the Texas National Guard. The career change will allow him the flexibility he needs to pursue his MMA career at a world-class level.

“I don’t think anybody can really plan to see what I’m coming in to do this time,” said Kennedy. “I’m working with the best boxing coaches and training with Mark DeLaGrotte, one of the best MMA striking coaches in the world, so I think that people are going to see a new Tim that they’ve never seen before.”

A graduate of Columbia College in Missouri, Kennedy launched his professional MMA career shortly before enlisting in the military near the end of 2001.

“After 9/11 happened, I wanted to do something for my country,” he explained. “The military is my life. I am going to serve as long as they’ll let me. I’d love to retire in uniform.”

A knee injury Cyborg sustained during a training session last week forced the Brazilian fighter to pull out of the bout with Kennedy.

Tickets for the event, priced from $25, are on sale at the SpiritBank Event Center box office, all

Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com), and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).

SpiritBank Event Center doors will open at 7:15 p.m. CT for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event and the first preliminary bout will begin at 8:00 p.m.

The live SHOWTIME telecast, which will include up to five bouts, will begin at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

World championship MMA promotion STRIKEFORCE will produce the event at SpiritBank Event Center along with eXtreme Fighting promoter and five-time world kickboxing champion Dale “Apollo” Cook.

STRIKEFORCE Challengers is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. The series is designed to provide today’s top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event.

XFC RETURNS TO TAMPA SEPT, 5TH 2009

AFTER MONTHS OF TRAVELING THE SOUTHEAST, XFC RETURNS WITH ONE OF THE MOST COMPETITIVE FIGHT CARDS OF THE YEAR.

On September 5th, 2009 the XFC will reward its’ fans with one of the most highly competitive fight cards of the year. The XFC promises a night of exciting, unpredictable fights full of action and excitement. September 5th will be the first hometown show in over 10 months and the XFC expects a high attendance upon it’s homecoming. Not to mention it is the first Tampa event to be live on HDnet.

The first “XFC Open Fighter Tryout” exposed the skill of Chris “Beast Boy” Barnett who showcased his exceptional agility and speed in his Pro MMA debut against Jonathan Ivey. Ivey is a MMA veteran and a seasoned fighter with over 70 professional MMA fights. On September 5th, “Beast Boy” will fight Daniel Perez; the 3 time Florida State wrestling champ, and the man responsible for the 90-second knock out of current Ultimate Fighter contestant and former NFL superstar, Marcus Jones.

Chris Barnett set a high precedent for the caliber of talent discovered in the “XFC Open Fighter Tryouts.” The most recent winner Julien Williams hopes to live up to that image on the upcoming fight card. Julien won the tryout in June 2009 and is making his pro debut on Sept 5th. Training out of ATT Orlando and represented by Elite athlete management, Julien has proven to be skilled in jiu jitsu, striking and wrestling and was chosen over 40 other potential fighters. Julien is making his pro debut against Jeremy Thurlow, a local striking instructor and jiu jitsu maven, training with Gracie Tampa. Both Chris and Julien will be featured live on HDnet.

The Co-main event of the evening has the potential of being a backyard brawl. Jason Goodall is defending his Bantamweight belt and flawless record against challenger, Pablo Alfonso. Both fighters have proven to be very well rounded in the stand up game, jiu jitsu and exhibit exceptional cardio strength, creating a potential fight of the night. The stakes are high in this test to see which of these fighters wants the Bantamweight title the most.

If those fights sound intense, the main event looks to be a barnburner between Roger Bowling and War Machine. This fight features two of the most aggressive welterweights the XFC has ever put together. Roger Bowling is a rising star in the MMA Big Show, promoted by Jason Appleton and he is the main event in his first fight with the XFC. In conversation concerning Roger Bowling, XFC President John Prisco commented, “I have complete confidence that Roger possesses the talent worthy of featuring him in our main event. He is exactly the kind of undiscovered talent this promotion is all about. He will certainly be a good match against War Machine. It will be a fight well worth watching. Jason Appleton and I agreed to work together in this main event to give exposure to the underappreciated talents of the next generation of big name fighters.” The undefeated Roger Bowling has managed to end all of his five fights in the first round, but it is not certain that this former “tough man” competitor will be tough enough to maintain his perfect record against the more experienced, and extremely versatile War Machine.

Roger Bowling will oppose former TUF finalist, War Machine, who has been unbeatable in his last four consecutive fights. Statistically, War Machine possesses nearly an equal percentage of wins by strikes and submissions, establishing him as a well rounded fighter with finishing capacity, and confirming that he is a threat in every aspect of the fight.

Sept. 5th 2009 will showcase an additional four fights on the undercard that guarantee so much action you won’t want to blink your eyes. To purchase tickets and view the entire fight card be sure to visit www.mmaxfc.com. The first bout begins at 7:00pm and the televised fights will start at 9:00pm. The fights can be seen live on HDnet, available to Dish Network, DirectTV and Verizon Fios customers. If you are in Florida be sure to make it to the event in person! Don’t miss out on the event that will have the entire MMA community talking for months to come!

The Around The Cage Show was joined by MMA Big Show promoter Jason Appleton and Roger Bowling.

Appleton talks about promoting a star in Roger Bowling, as well as a upcoming reality show. Check out MMA Big Show season 1 trailer HERE.

Bowling (6-0) ran trough his last opponent Devon Plaisance via TKO at 0:41 of the first round at July 25th’s “UNSTOPPABLE” event. He is expected to take on a tough opponent in The Ultimate Fighter 6 cast member Jon “War Machine” Koppenhaver at MMA Big Show’s next card, LIVE on HDnet, an event co-promoted with XFC on September 5th.

AroundtheCage.com podcast is proudly sponsored by, 1001 submissions and Oxygen4Energy.

Hosts: Brian Benchimol and James McKenna
Time: 01:01:56

[podcast]http://www.aroundthecage.com/wp-content/uploads/mp3/atc030.mp3[/podcast]

The Around The Cage Show was joined by UFC fighter Wilson Gouveia and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master Vitor Ribeiro.

Four time World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion, Vitor Ribeiro, runs a successful BJJ and MMA gym in New York city, Modern Martial Arts

American Top Team veteran, Wilson Gouveia was scheduled to take on James Irvin at UFC 102, but injured his back and was forced off the card.

AroundtheCage.com podcast is proudly sponsored by, 1001 submissions and Oxygen4Energy.

Hosts: Brian Benchimol and James McKenna
Time: 01:14:47

[podcast]http://www.aroundthecage.com/wp-content/uploads/mp3/atc029.mp3[/podcast]

Bas Rutten recaps a run in with Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher at a charity event.

The Around The Cage Show was joined by UFC fighter Alan Belcher and MMA agent Jason Genet of Magnetic Marketing Associates.

Belcher, an Arkansas native, talks about wanting to be part of UFC 107 ‘Rampage vs Evans’, the first ever UFC in Memphis, Tennessee.

AroundtheCage.com podcast is proudly sponsored by, 1001 submissions and Oxygen4Energy.

Hosts: Brian Benchimol and James McKenna
Time: 01:08:55

[podcast]http://www.aroundthecage.com/wp-content/uploads/mp3/atc028.mp3[/podcast]

The Around The Cage Show was joined by veteran MMA fighters Joe “El Dirte” Doerksen and Nick “The Goat” Thompson.

Doerksen is set to face an unknown opponent on Sept. 23 in Sengoku.

Nick Thompson is scheduled to take on Karl Amoussou at M-1 Global’s August event.

AroundtheCage.com podcast is proudly sponsored by, 1001 submissions and Oxygen4Energy.

Hosts: Brian Benchimol and James McKenna
Time: 01:00:44

[podcast]http://www.aroundthecage.com/wp-content/uploads/mp3/atc027.mp3[/podcast]