Jonathan Goulet

Paul Kelly Withdraws From UFC 85

Just one week after scheduled opponent Jonathan Goulet pulled out of his UFC 85: Bedlam bout against Paul Kelly due to conflicting reasons, Kelly himself has withdrawn from the event after injuring his right hand during training.

The news comes from MMA Weekly, which reports that Kelly originally injured a finger on his right hand three weeks ago before eventually discovering that he had pulled ligaments, which will now require a cast.

The cast will stay on Kelly for 3-4 weeks and physical therapy will then follow, knocking the part-time training partner of Michael Bisping out of action at least for the near future.

Goulet’s reasoning behind pulling out of the fight has varied in reports. The Victoriaville native first said that he was stepping away due to undisclosed health reasons, but reports have since said that Goulet may have backed out of the fight at the request of his training partners because a lack of adequate preparation time at the Tristar Gym, of which he recently aligned himself with.

Kelly remains undefeated so far in his professional mixed martial arts career. The exciting welterweight made his debut with the UFC in January, winning a unanimous decision over fellow Englishman Paul Taylor in what turned out to be UFC 80: Rapid Fire’s fight of the night.

Evening News and Notes: May 8, 2008

Jonathan Goulet, who recently knocked out Kuniyoshi Hironaka in Canada last month, has reportedly pulled out of his upcoming scheduled bout against Paul Kelly next month at UFC 85: Bedlam in London, England.

The circumstances concerning Goulet’s withdrawal differ however. In a recent interview with MMA Weekly, Goulet apparently stated that he was pulling out of the Kelly bout due to health reasons that he wished not to discuss. However our friends at TKO Xtreme have learned that Goulet may have backed out of the fight at the request of his training partners at the Tristar Gym, of which the Victoriaville native recently aligned himself with.

WVR Announces Thompson-Costa for ‘Sengoku III’

With the fight card for it’s upcoming May 18th event completed, World Victory Road officials today announced the first fight for the promotion’s third event on June 8th via their official website: Nick Thompson vs Michael Costa. Thompson, the current BodogFight welterweight champion, won a unanimous decision over Fabricio Monteiro at Sengoku I in March. Costa, a Chute Boxe product, is currently riding a two-fight winning streak.

Additional fighters being advertised as competing at the event include Hidehiko Yoshida, Rodrigo Damm, Kazuyuki Fujita, Fabio Silva, and Marcio Cruz. Former PRIDE lightweight title holder Takanori Gomi has also stated that he intends to return to action at the show.

Talks Between WEC, Alessio Stall

Contract negotiations between veteran welterweight John Alessio and World Extreme Cagefighting have reportedly come to a halt according to a report by The Fight Network.

“I’m actually wondering myself what’s going on,” Alessio said in the report. “I figured I would have heard something by now. They offered me the rematch with Larson, but it’s now up to my manager to negotiate. It’s going to come down to money and if they want to sign me long-term or not.”

Alessio also went on to say that he had been offered a bout against the above-mentioned Nick Thompson by Hardcore Championship Fighting officials. However it’s key to note that Thompson has stated in the past that he is not locked into any sort of contract with HCF to date.

MTV’s “True Life” to Feature Kit Cope

UFC and WEC veteran Kit Cope will reportedly be featured on MTV’s “True Life” series for the second time according to a report by our friends at MMA Junkie.

Cope, who was originally featured in “True Life: I’m a Muay Thai Fighter” back in 2004, will now serve as one of the featured fighters in “True Life: I’m an MMA Fighter”. Filming for the show is currently being done and cameras will also accompany Cope to his next scheduled fight for World Fighting Championships against Dave Cochran later this month.

Hometown Hero: St. Pierre Stops Serra in Montreal

One year removed from his original upset loss to Matt Serra, Georges St. Pierre was finally able to avenge the defeat, dominating Serra on the mat over two rounds en route to regaining his UFC welterweight title in UFC 83’s historic main event.

The raucous crowd packed inside Montreal, Quebec’s Bell Centre saw St. Pierre surprise many in the opening seconds of the fight as he opted to take Serra down. After being on the receiving end of an array of strikes, Serra eventually worked his way back to his feet before finding himself on his back once again.

Any chances for another first-round Serra knockout were spoiled in a big way. With a mouse forming under Serra’s right eye, the Long Island native came out from his corner looking to throw down at the start of the second round. St. Pierre unfortunately had a different idea.

St. Pierre scored yet another early takedown. Serra mounted a bit of offense once the fight hit the feet, connecting with a head kick. However with fatigue setting in, Serra was unable to capitalize, allowing St. Pierre to land a handful of stiff jabs before shooting in for a takedown.

Once on the mat, St. Pierre unleashed a barrage of unanswered punches and knees to the body that forced Serra to cover up and referee Yves Lavigne to ultimately stop the fight, handing St. Pierre the title that he likely should have never lost in the first place.

“My strategy going in was to make it a physical fight,” St. Pierre said in his post-fight interview with Kenny Florian, who filled in for usual color commentator Joe Rogan. “I wanted to make him tired as much as I could because I know have the conditioning. I was trying to mix it up as much as I could.”

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UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre II Weigh-In Results

The official weigh-in results for tomorrow night’s UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre II show are below. All fighters successfully made weight.

The event will be headlined by current welterweight champions Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra unifying their belts in a main event rematch of their fight at UFC 69: Shootout last year, where Serra stopped St. Pierre with strikes to win the UFC welterweight title.

Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin will also be in action, taking on the middleweight winner of the fourth season of “The Ultimate Fighter, Travis Lutter. Additional main card bouts include Nate Quarry vs. Kalib Starnes, Michael Bisping vs. Charles McCarthy, and Mac Danzig vs. Mark Bocek.

Main Card:

Matt Serra (169.5 lbs) vs. Georges St. Pierre (169.5 lbs)
Rich Franklin (185.5 lbs) vs. Travis Lutter (185 lbs)
Nate Quarry (185.5 lbs) vs. Kalib Starnes (186 lbs)
Michael Bisping (185.5 lbs) vs. Charles McCarthy (186 lbs)
Mac Danzig (154.5 lbs) vs. Mark Bocek (154.5 lbs)

Preliminary Bouts:

Jason MacDonald (185 lbs) vs. Joe Doerksen (184.5 lbs)
Sam Stout (155.5 lbs) vs. Rich Clementi (155 lbs)
Ed Herman (185.5 lbs) vs. Demian Maia (184.5 lbs)
Jonathan Goulet (169.5 lbs) vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka (170 lbs)
Alan Belcher (185 lbs) vs. Jason Day (183.5 lbs)
Cain Velasquez (235.5 lbs) vs. Brad Morris (225.5 lbs)

Screenshots from this afternoon’s weigh-ins featuring St. Pierre and Serra are after the jump, courtesy of Yahoo! Sports.

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St. Pierre, UFC Set to Invade Canada

After years of waiting, the Ultimate Fighting Championship finally made their first trek up to Canada official when they announced UFC 83: St. Pierre vs Serra II during a press conference earlier today at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada earlier this morning.

In attendance at the press conference were UFC President Dana White and current welterweight champions Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra who will unify their belts in a main event rematch of their fight at UFC 69: Shootout last year, where Serra stopped St. Pierre with strikes to win the UFC welterweight title.

“I’m actually excited to go to Canada and fight St-Pierre in his hometown,” Serra said at the press conference earlier today. “I think this puts more pressure on him than it does me. I know he’s going to come at me hard, but I’m ready for that and I’m preparing for a great fight. I know that’s what I would do if a guy knocked me out like that. But I plan on staying the champ and taking my belt back home to Long Island.”

St. Pierre, a native of Montreal, will be fighting in front of his hometown under the UFC banner for the first time in his career. After originally speculating that St. Pierre would not be ready in time for the event due to his bout against Matt Hughes in December, St. Pierre came away with the interim welterweight belt relatively unscathed, allowing him to partake in the historic event.

“I am at the same point as I was last year when I fought Matt Serra, except this time I am fighting as the contender not the champion,” said St-Pierre. “It’s a dream come true to have this historic UFC event in Canada, I’ve waited my whole life for this opportunity, and especially fighting for – and winning – the world title in front of my people.”

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Report: Goulet-Hironaka, Clementi-Stout in April

Two rumored bouts may now be coming to fruition when the Ultimate Fighting Championship ventures into Canada for the first time in history on April 19th at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada for UFC 84.

Scott White at TKO Xtreme is reporting that both Canadian natives Sam Stout and Jonathan Goulet will be in action at the event. Stout will apparently take on Rich Clementi while Goulet is set to be matched up against Kuniyoshi Hironaka.

If you’ve been hearing Stout’s name a lot lately, it’s because he took on newcomer Per Eklund this afternoon at UFC 80: Rapid Fire. Prior to today, Stout had rebounded from a decision loss at UFC Fight Night 11 to knockout Martin Grandmont at TKO 30: Apocalypse in September. Clementi submitted Melvin Guillard in a controversial and intense bout at UFC 79: Nemesis last month.

Goulet signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC following his submission win over Paul Georgieff at The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale. Hironaka verbally submitted to Thiago Alves at UFC Fight Night 11 in his last bout.

UFC Prepared to Head North

Among the many items that were discussed at yesterday’s pre-fight press conference for UFC 79 was the promotion’s possible trek up to Canada for an event next year.

Well it looks like hoping and guessing is not needed anymore. According to UFC president Dana White, the UFC will hold an event in Canada in April.

“I knew this question was coming,” said White when asked about the UFC coming to Canada. “Yeah, we’re coming to Canada in April and regardless of what happens Saturday night, we’d love to have Georges St. Pierre on the card.”

Rogers Sportsnet has video on the announcement. Steve Cofield has audio.

When asked for an official date, White stated that a date was set but he “didn’t know it off the top of his head”. The event is expected to take place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.

Jason MacDonald has already stated that he’s booked for the event. Scott White has learned that Jonathan Goulet will partake in the festivities as well.

Jonathan Goulet Signs Four-Fight Deal With UFC

MMA on Tap has learned that Jonathan “The Road Warrior” Goulet has signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC.

Jonathan Goulet is coming off of an impressive submission victory over Paul Georgieff at The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale.

The first fight on Goulet’s new deal is expected to be at UFC 83 on April 19, 2008 in Montreal, Quebec.

Ring Xtreme Challenge 2 Results

Brandon Curts def. Alexander Jr. - TKO (Injury)
Gabriel Lavallee def. Dimitri Waardenburg - Submission
Nordin Tahleb def. Louis Phillippe Carlos - Decision (Unanimous)
Michel Boissonneault def. Louis-Christophe Laurin - Submission
Mike Dizak def. Eugenio Carpine - Submission (Kimura)
Yan Pellerin def. Mike Weichert - KO
Tommy Pariseau def. Stephane Denis - Decision (Majority)
Derek Gauthier def. Kris Parti - TKO
Jacob MacDonald def. Shawn Marchand - Decision (Unanimous)
Martin Desilets def. Stephen Davis - KO
Jonathan Goulet def. Dan Chambers - TKO

Ring Xtreme Challenge 2 Weigh-In Results

Here are the weigh-in results for Ring Xtreme Challenge 2.

Gabriel Lavallée (140.2) vs. Dimitri Waardenburg (141)
Dan Chambers (184) vs. Jonathan Goulet (185.4)
Stephen Davis (226.4) vs. Martin Désilets (211.8)
Mike Dizak (155.6) vs. Eugenio Carpine (153.4)
Kris Parti (167.8) vs. Derek Gauthier (168.4)
Mike Weichert (242.6) vs. Yan Pellerin (229.8)
Louis-Christophe Laurin (166) vs. Michel Boissoneault (168.2)
Louis-Philippe Carles (167.8) vs. Nordin Tahleb (170.6)
Stéphane Denis (145.8) vs. Tommy Pariseau (144.8)
Brandon Cult (206.4) vs. JR Alexander (N/A)