World Series of Fighting 1 Discussion

November 3
Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Las Vegas

6 days left. Awesome card. Picks below:

AA
Rumble
Moraes
Gracie
Spong
Torres
Burkman
Branch
Carl
JZ
Mello

picking...

arlovski by ko
rumble by udec
spong tko
miguel du
gracie sub
ronys tko
jacoby ko
jz udec
lowe tko
blackmon udec
harris tko...

rooting hard for this guys...

im betting sefo will fight in wsof 2.......vs todd duffee or vs cro cop.....

^ I really wouldn't want to see Sefo against Duffee. Either Rolles or someone like Lolohea Mahe.

Picks:

Arlovski
Rumble
Torres
Gracie
Spong
Torres
Harris
Branch
Carl
JZ
Lowe

this the event on nbc sports (VS)? Damn gonna have to add more channels...

PRIDE NEVER DIE wrote:this the event on nbc sports (VS)? Damn gonna have to add more channels...

yep nbc sports is the former vs...added to this saturday bro...this card is sick

wekka wrote:^ I really wouldn't want to see Sefo against Duffee. Either Rolles or someone like Lolohea Mahe.

Picks:

Arlovski
Rumble
Torres
Gracie
Spong
Torres
Harris
Branch
Carl
JZ
Lowe

if sefo was to comeback, who would you like to see him against??

A Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts organization will hold an event featuring former champions, potential stars and a host of other recognizable names on Saturday, all in front of a cable television audience on a prominent network.

Sounds promising, right? World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo seems to think so.

“Putting this whole product together, I think we’ve done a lot of learning along the way,” Sefo said during a pre-fight media call. “We’re very confident, especially with all the guys [on the card]. We’re thankful for the guys we have. I’m very confident we’re going to do a great job. It’s like stepping into the cage; there’s a bit of nerves, but that’s what keeps you sharp.”

The WSOF’s inaugural event takes place at the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino in Sin City and boasts a lineup that includes ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titlist Andrei Arlovski, former UFC welterweight contender Anthony Johnson and onetime World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight ruler Miguel Torres, to name a few. The main card airs on the NBC Sports Network -- the channel formerly known as Versus -- while the preliminary card streams live on Sherdog.com.

All the ingredients appear to be in place for a successful debut, and the forecast grew even brighter when Strikeforce, the WSOF’s competition for the date, canceled its Nov. 3 event after a series of injuries decimated its own fight card. As a still-active fighter himself, Sefo is not reveling in the misfortune of others, particularly when the cancellation caused a number of his combat sports brethren to lose a paycheck. However, the fact that his promotion is essentially the only game in town on Saturday is not lost on the K-1 standout.

“We want everybody to tune in. The ratings are something that is really important to us,” he said. “With the card that we have, I have no doubt in my mind that all of these guys are going to come to perform.”

With that said, Sefo is not interested in developing a rivalry with the Zuffa, LLC brand. Instead, the WSOF figurehead wants the company to be measured on its own merits. Anything more than that would be premature.

“We’re really happy with where we are today,” Sefo said. “We’re not in competition with anybody; we’re in competition with ourselves to be the best that we can be. It’s obvious the UFC is the best at what they do, and they’ve done an amazing job to be where they are. At the end of the day, without them doing so well, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”


Photo: Sherdog.com

Torres wants to recapture past glory.
That happy-to-be-here vibe was evident throughout an Oct. 24 teleconference. The three most prominent names on the WSOF marquee -- Arlovski, Johnson and Torres -- all have something to prove, and each is looking forward to capitalizing on the opportunity the upstart promotion provides.

“I’m still young. I have energy. I want to be a champion again,” said Arlovski, who faces International Fight League veteran Devin Cole in the main event. “I want to climb back on top. This is a great opportunity to prove to everyone that I’m not done yet.”

More than six years removed from the last time he stepped into the Octagon as heavyweight champion, Arlovski is looking to build upon a strong showing against Tim Sylvia at One FC 5 in August. Though the bout was ultimately ruled a no contest, the Belarusian appeared to have his longtime rival in peril before landing a pair of illegal soccer kicks to his opponent’s head. One Fighting Championship has since adopted Pride Fighting Championships rules, which allow soccer kicks at all times.

“I thought for some reason the referee gave me permission to [use the] soccer kick,” Arlovski said. “What happened happened. I’m not complaining about the result; it’s OK. I shut many, many mouths that said Arlovski has a weak chin, a glass chin. Sylvia landed a couple of good right hands and actually hurt me at the end of the first round.”

Meanwhile, the imposing Johnson is building momentum as a light heavyweight after spending the majority of his UFC career at welterweight. Well north of 200 pounds, “Rumble” often struggled to make the 170-pound limit. His transition to middleweight was no better, however, as the Blackzilians member missed weight again prior to a UFC 142 showdown with Vitor Belfort. Johnson was released by the promotion following a first-round submission loss to “The Phenom.”

With a pair of 205-pound victories already under his belt in 2012, Johnson feels revitalized at his new weight class. His third appearance at light heavyweight will come against Cage Warriors Fighting Championship heavyweight king D.J. Linderman in the WSOF decagon.

“I’ve had my ups and downs, but I don’t take anything back,” Johnson said. “It’s just a learning process. Fighting at 205 has been a blessing. You never see me smiling the day of weigh-ins. I’m usually mad at the world and don’t want to talk to anybody. I just want to step on the scale and just start eating, but now I’m more calm and relaxed. I just go with the flow and make weight.”

Regardless of how he performs in the coming months, a return to the UFC is not likely to be in the immediate future for Johnson. The Georgia native has signed an exclusive deal with WSOF, and he is content with the decision.

“I just think this is gonna be the next best thing around right now, and I’m just glad to be a part of it,” he said. “I think things [in my career] are really starting to kick off like they should have a while ago, but things happen when they’re supposed to happen. I’m not worried about anything, and I’m just happy to be in the position where I am now.”

While Torres was not part of the media call, the former WEC champion expressed enthusiasm mirroring that of Arlovski and Johnson during the promotion’s initial press conference in September. The East Chicago, Ind., native has lost four of his last seven fights while competing under the Zuffa umbrella. A win over Marlon Moraes would set up a meeting with Tyson Nam, who upset Bellator Fighting Championships bantamweight titleholder Eduardo Dantas via first-round knockout at Shooto Brazil 33 in August.

“The biggest thing for me is that it’s a new company, a new beginning,” Torres said in September. “Being on NBC Sports is a huge thing. Me and my manager and my trainer talked, and it was the best decision for me to come here. I’m happy with the deal we worked out.”

Sefo hopes the debut event will only be the beginning of an extended run in the MMA business. Eventually title belts, tournaments and fight cards outside of Vegas will become part of the WSOF equation, but those will have to wait. For now, the man known as “Sugarfoot” is happy to be in his current position, and he anticipates that the WSOF brand will continue to grow and prosper in the coming year.

“We’re taking one step at a time. You’ve got to crawl before you walk,” he said. “Our goal is to try to be one of the forces in the world of mixed martial arts.”


http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/Saying-All-the-Right-Things-46867

[quote="MR.WILLIE"]

wekka wrote:
if sefo was to comeback, who would you like to see him against??

Well I meant to include Rolles and Mahe as the ones I wouldn't mind to see him against. Someone that doesn't pose an immediate threat but aren't a total can either. Ricky Shivers, Tony Johnson, and Christian Morecraft are also acceptable.

[quote="wekka"]

MR.WILLIE wrote:

wekka wrote:
if sefo was to comeback, who would you like to see him against??

Well I meant to include Rolles and Mahe as the ones I wouldn't mind to see him against. Someone that doesn't pose an immediate threat but aren't a total can either. Ricky Shivers, Tony Johnson, and Christian Morecraft are also acceptable.

i agree my friend sefo vs lolohea or vs mighty mo should be fun fights....

http://www.cagepotato.com/exclusive-world-series-of-fighting-president-ray-sefo-prepares-for-his-new-battle-outside-of-the-ring/

It only made sense for Ray Sefo to start his own MMA promotion. Well, it only made sense once the stars aligned in a unique way that told him he’d better start an MMA promotion or else. You see, back when K-1 was falling apart, Sefo happened to do an interview where he discussed how much money the promotion owed him and the possibility of starting his own company. The thought ran through his mind heavy after the call. After all, he has put on a successful K-1 event in New Zealand, and he had a pretty good idea how to handle the business. So he decided to sleep on it.

The next morning, a wealthy friend of his named Sig Rogich gave him a call out of the blue and invited Sefo to breakfast so they could discuss something. Mind you, Rogich had never heard the interview from the night before.

“(Sig) said ‘What do you think about starting an MMA fighting league?’” Sefo says when reflecting on the origins of World Series of Fighting. “I looked at him and said ‘Are you kidding me? That’s exactly what I was going to talk to you about on Monday!’ It was just meant to be. The stars aligned for us and this was meant to happen.”

Plans were laid out, business was taken care of, and fighters were signed. November 3rd marks the inaugural fight night, which will emanate from the Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, and air on NBC Sports (formally Versus). It’s not your average rinky-dink startup operation, as WSoF 1 features a loaded card that includes the likes of Andrei Arlovski, Anthony Johnson, and Miguel Torres on the main card. While newer promotions may struggle to land talent, WSoF has had many of its fighters fall right into their lap. In particular, guys like Johnson and Torres had been cut by the UFC this year for weight issues but are still marquee names in the sport. Inking with WSoF made perfect sense for them, partly because of Sefo’s own background

“Many of them were up for it right away because of my involvement and with the understanding that I am a fighter becoming a promoter,” Sefo explains. “I understand what a fighter goes through to prepare for a fight. That appealed to a lot of the guys.”

Sefo also admits that he’s not done bringing in more high caliber fighters to the promotion. Once the debut is in the bag, he’s already plotting for another card in Las Vegas at the end of January.

“We’ve been very fortunate that a lot of guys came to us. After this first event, even more will come to us. I don’t think we have to look far,” Sefo says while noting that the abundance of talent in the UFC has left some great fighters out in the cold — talent that Sefo will gladly scoop up. “Everyone doesn’t have a home and if you’re a fighter that’s to be reckoned with, you will have a home with us.”

While most promotions come in with the goal to eventually topple the UFC, Sefo believes that idea is one that ends up with many of these promotions not living up to their own expectations. For the New Zealander, adding another promotion isn’t competition at all.

“It is good and healthy to have more than one promotion, especially with so much talent out there,” he says. “For those that don’t believe either of those statements, we wouldn’t have the card that we currently have if these fighters weren’t available. That’s the reason we can put on such a great card for our first show.”

It will certainly be an exciting and stressful week for Sefo and the WSoF as they inch towards their first event, though Sefo is quite confident that the 7,000 seat venue will be full on Saturday night. And with all the excitement in the building thanks to the compelling matchups — featuring Andrei Arlovski vs. Devin Cole in the main event, and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and D.J. Linderman trying to knock each other’s heads off in the co-main — not to mention the lovably spastic commentary duo of Bas Rutten and Michael Schiavello in the broadcast booth, you’ve got to wonder if Sefo will get the itch to return to fighting.

The short answer is “Yes.”

“Seven more fights,” the 2000 K-1 Grand Prix runner-up says when asked if he’ll continue fighting. “I’ve done 93 professional fights. I want to reach 100 before I retire.”

He admits that it will be quite a challenge to focus on training when he’s the President of the company but he’s certainly up to the challenge. After all, fighting is his first love. Sitting around in a suit making business decisions comes secondary.

“I was looking to fight again soon but I haven’t been able to focus on training like I want to with the company taking up a lot of my time,” Sefo says as he ponders when his next fight will be. Regardless of who or when he fights, Sefo has established that he’s not fighting arbitrarily to reach 100. “I want to go out on top. I’m not there just for a number, I’m there to win.”

Friday's World Series of Fighting 1 fighter weigh-ins open to fans

Fans are invited to Friday's World Series of Fighting 1 official fighter weigh-ins.

The festivities take place at in the lobby of PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

The same venue hosts the following day's debut WSOF event, which airs live on NBC Sports Network with an Andrei Arlovski vs. Devin Cole heavyweight headliner.

The weigh-ins begin at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT local time).

In addition to Arlovski vs. Cole, the WSOF 1 card features many notables, including Anthony Johnson, Miguel Torres, Gregor Gracie and Tyrone Spong. The Sherdog.com-streamed prelims include Ronys Torres, Josh Burkman, Gerald Harris and Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante, among others.

The full WSOF 1 card includes:

MAIN CARD (NBC Sports Network)

Andrei Arlovski vs. Devin Cole
Anthony Johnson vs. D.J. Linderman
Marlon Moraes vs. Miguel Torres
Gregor Gracie vs. Tyson Steele
Travis Bartlett vs. Tyrone Spong

PRELIMINARY CARD

Brian Cobb vs. Ronys Torres
Josh Burkman vs. Gerald Harris
Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante vs. T.J. O'Brien
Dave Branch vs. Dustin Jacoby
Waylon Lowe vs. Fabio Mello
Ramico Blackmon vs. Steve Carl

http://mmajunkie.com/news/31341/fridays-world-series-of-fighting-1-fighter-weigh-ins-open-to-fans.mma

nbc sports commercial

Two exciting light heavyweights will duke it out this Saturday night (Nov. 3, 2012) as reputed kickboxer Tyrone Spong makes his MMA debut against fellow striker Travis Bartlett in the opening bout of the World Series of Fighting 1 main card in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Spong has spent his entire career kicking ass and taking names in the world of competitive kickboxing while fighting overseas against some of the best strikers in the world. After coming over to Imperial Athletics to help Rashad Evans train his striking, he took a liking to MMA and will be testing out his skills this Saturday night.

Travis Bartlett is a powerful striker in his own right, with nine fights under his belt and having finished five of his seven victories by knockout in his MMA career. He'll be returning from a lengthy layoff to take on Spong this weekend.

Tyrone Spong

Record: 0-0 overall (68-6-1 in kickboxing)

How he got here: Tyrone Spong got his start in the world of kickboxing in 2003, defeating everyone in his path and packing on muscle to his frame. He steadily moved up weight classes because no one could hang with him until finally reaching heavyweight.

He competed in the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix, defeating Ray Sefo to advance to the single night tournament where he drew Alistair Overeem in the opening round. After a hard-fought three rounds, he would lose a unanimous decision and was eliminated.

Since then, Spong has won four straight kickboxing bouts including a decision over Melvin Manhoef and a knockout of legend Peter Aerts in the final fight of Aerts' career. Spong started training with the Blackzilians at Imperial Athletics and after showcasing incredible improvements on his ground game, he decided to take a stab at mixed martial arts. He'll be making his debut this weekend.

How he gets it done: There was never a strategy more obvious than this one. Spong needs to keep the fight standing and utilize his incredible striking advantage. He's one of the single most dangerous strikers in the world in any facet so that means he'll have a tremendous edge in this department against just about any MMA fighter.

If he can utilize a sprawl, avoid clinches and takedowns, he's going to have plenty of opportunities to punish his opponent. Bartlett has not fought in over two years so he is likely going to be rusty. If he starts slow, Spong needs to capitalize before he gets back in a groove and could potentially utilize all of his tools.

Travis Bartlett

Record: 7-2 overall

How he got here: Travis Bartlett started his professional mixed martial arts career in 2007, winning his amateur fights and then his first two fights as a pro before running into current UFC fighter Tom Lawlor, where he was choked unconscious.

After the loss, Bartlett reeled off five straight stoppage victories, defeating all but one opponent inside the first round and nearly all of them by knockout (with one coming via injury stoppage).

His momentum was halted via decision by Robert Scott at an MMA Explosion event back in 2010 and he hasn't fought since. He was coaxed to return for a big name fight against Tyrone Spong and he accepted.

How he gets it done: Bartlett loves to stand and bang, but that couldn't be a worse idea here. If he chooses to brawl with Spong, he's going to get his lights put out in a bad way.

The best plan of action is to make this ugly and dirty, perhaps pushing Spong into the fence while hunting for takedowns. If he can get the fight to the canvas, he's going to have to stay heavy and keep Spong from using his athleticism and strength to get back to his feet.

If he can't get the fight to the ground or take away Spong's weapons, it's going to be a bad night for Bartlett.

Fight X-Factor: The biggest X-Factor for this fight has to be Bartlett's layoff against Spong's MMA debut. By the time he steps into the cage on Saturday night, it'll be over two years and three months since Bartlett last competed. Spong has stayed fresh with his kickboxing while improving his overall game for MMA so he'll be less rusty with his fighting skills, but he's never been tested in an MMA fight where submissions, clinches and takedowns are perfectly legal.

It'll all come down to whether or not Bartlett has what it takes to get Spong on the ground, and considering he's a stand-up fighter, that's easier said than done.

Bottom Line: There is major potential to see something amazing in this fight as Spong is a ferocious striker who's got something to prove. If Bartlett can't take the fight to the ground or close the distance with a clinch, you're going to see a spectacular finish with strikes as Spong is capable of finishing grown men that outweigh him by 40 pounds and are equally trained in kickboxing. Against a rusty mixed martial artist, this could be pretty.

http://www.mmamania.com/2012/10/29/3573528/wsof-1-fight-card-tyrone-spong-vs-travis-bartlett-preview

MR.WILLIE wrote:

They know how to advertise the show, very good. I hope they can pull big numbers.

MR.WILLIE wrote:spong by ko 1st round...

I'm going with spong by ko 1st minute.

http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/1/World-Series-of-Fighting-Preview-46879

sherdog preview here hit the link...to see all the fight preview's

^Good preview. Just read it. 3 days away until this sweet card.