Tank Abbott

EliteXC Events Headed to DVD

ProElite, the parent company of Elite Xtreme Combat, has reportedly reached a multi-year deal with Image Entertainment to bring events produced by the budding mixed martial arts promotion to DVD.

The deal will call for Image to release four titles annually under the EliteXC brand name and eight titles annually under the ShoXC banner. EliteXC’s “Destiny” (Frank Shamrock vs. Renzo Gracie) and “Renegade” (Nick Diaz vs. K.J. Noons) are slated to be released on May 13th.

A DVD profiling David “Tank” Abbott will be released the following month.

“There is a growing market for high-quality arena-based mixed martial arts content, and ProElite is the premiere source for this type of sports entertainment,” Steven DeMille, senior VP of marketing at Image told VideoBusiness.com. “We are pleased to add ProElite to our roster of content suppliers as we continue to grow both our distribution channels and scope of programming.”

HT: MMA Payout

Tank Abbott: Future UFC Hall of Famer?

Looking at those already enshrined in the UFC’s Hall of Fame and the one person who is about to be (Mark Coleman), it’s tough to think about a guy like Tank Abbott ever being honored in such a way. After all he’s lost more fights than he’s won in the UFC.

However the above way of thinking can go to waste according to UFC President Dana White, who in a recent interview with Michael Woods of ESPN, revealed that Abbott is basically a shoe-in to receive the promotion’s highest honor:

White said he has a plan for when Abbott announces he is done gloving up that will honor the colorful brawler, whose record is an underwhelming 9-14 but who undeniably helped grow the sport out of its infancy and into young adulthood.

“Tank Abbott,” White said, “absolutely will be in our Hall of Fame.”

I’m not sure if I agree with this. I love Tank to death, don’t get me wrong. He’s one of the most popular fighters in the history of the sport and has been through many a memorable war.

While I’m sure that his presence in the UFC helped pushed the promotion to new levels, I’m not sure if that alone should be enough to grant him a spot in the UFC’s Hall of Fame.

A spot for Tank would take away a spot for another more deserving fighter in my opinion.

What do you guys think?

Making the Case for Tank Abbott

Just by looking at tomorrow night’s bout between Kimbo Slice and Tank Abbott, the average fan can likely already tell that Abbott doesn’t stand much of a chance. It’s nothing against Tank, but Kimbo simply has too many ways to win this fight. He’s the superior fighter going into this one and it’s hard to dispute that.

Let’s be honest here. Since 1998, Abbott has only won two fights and he’s lost seven of his last eight fights. His lone win was a knockout of Wesley “Cabbage” Correira, who spoiled Abbott’s UFC homecoming back in 2003 by defeating the Huntington Beach native courtesy of a cut.

However Tank has been through the fire before. Looking past his record, he’s hung in there with some of the best and he always has the ability to end the fight with one punch. Plus with everything said, I still feel like I need to at least attempt to make the case for him in this fight, so here it goes…

Tank has power: We all know this, it’s no secret. Despite what everyone may think, Tank has the power to knock Kimbo out, there’s no question about it. All we have to do is look back to Abbott knocking out Correira in 2005, you know that guy we all thought had a head full of concrete and stuff and couldn’t be knocked out?

Kimbo doesn’t have the best chin. We’ve seen it before in his street fights. However the key here is whether or not he will want to engage in a stand-up war with Tank. Just like in his exhibition bout against Ray Mercer, he could just opt to take Tank down, where he has a clear cut advantage. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.

Tank has the experience: Even though Tank really has only one way to win this fight, the fact that he’s been fighting for well over a decade bodes well for him. It’s likely that Abbott has seen positions during the course of a fight that Kimbo hasn’t, no matter how many different scenarios Bas Rutten tries to put Kimbo in during training sessions.

No pressure for Tank: There is no pressure for Tank Abbott going into this fight. None. He has nothing to lose. In 10 years, he’s won once and that’s it. However all of the pressure is on Kimbo in this one. Unlike Mercer who obviously didn’t even attempt to learn ground skills for their fight and Bo Cantrell who came in on short notice, Tank poses a huge threat in the exact place in this fight where Kimbo is the best.

So there’s the case for Abbott going into this fight. It might not seem like much and it might not change anyone’s mind, but it at least shows us that Tank does at least have a chance against the big bad monster.

Rock the Vote: Kimbo or Tank?

Months of bad blood and trash talking will finally culminate at this weekend’s EliteXC: Street Certified, where EliteXC heavyweight sensation and internet street fighting legend Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson will take on legendary former UFC brawler David “Tank” Abbott.

While the fight may not be the sure-fire slugfest everyone is hoping for, it will sure be entertaining nonetheless. With the event only now days away, it begs the question - Who is going to win this Saturday?

A video of Kimbo behind the scenes during his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! is after the jump, courtesy of ProEliteTV.

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CKA: Feb 8, 2008

Kimbo Slice discusses his original date to fight against Tank Abbott that was cancelled and how he feels about EliteXC’s upcoming “Street Certified” event being in his hometown of Miami in the above video courtesy of Pro Elite.

Some news for you this morning…

Sean Sherk Still Not Fighting in California

Right after his suspension for a positive steroids test was reduced instead of being overturned by the California State Athletic Commission, Sean Sherk said that he would never fight in the state of California ever again. Over three months later, he still feels the same:

“There’s no reason for me to ever fight in California again. The way they treated my case and the way they handled everything was so unprofessional that there’s absolutely no way I’ll ever fight in the state of California again, unless they get rid of the entire commission and hire a whole new commission,” Sherk told MMA Weekly.

Speaking of the CSAC, they have suspended Luke Hartwig after he tested positive for marijuana following his bout at Strikeforce “Young Guns” event on February 1st. Hartwig has been sidelined for three months (can return on May 1st) and was fined $500.

Fedor Dominates at Russian Combat Sambo Championships

Fedor Emelianenko will be competing at the 2008 Russian Combat Sambo Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia over the weekend.

So how did he do on his first day? MMA Ninja says pretty damn good.

As predicted, Fedor Emelianenko easily won all of his three fights. In his first fight, Fedor quickly attacked, after a combination of strikes he took his opponent down and submitted him. The fight was 35 seconds long. His second fight was even shorter - Fedor broke his opponent’s nose in 10 seconds.

The final fight against Stanislav Shushko took a little bit longer. Stanislav tried to keep Fedor at a distance using his height advantage, but Fedor closed the distance with a combination, went for a throw and a hold-down. The sequence of events happened once more and Fedor finished off Shushko in just over a minute.

Ninja and Fightlinker also discuss the weird relationship between Fedor and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Miscellaneous Notes

Fan favorite Paul Buentello revealed his desire to take on former boxing heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison in one of Morrison’s “MMA rules” bouts in The Underground. Touch of gloves to our friends at Bloody Elbow for the find. Luiz Alves, Muay Thai trainer for Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, claims that he believes Tim Sylvia greased up for their title bout last weekend in a recent interview with Tatame.

Radio Schedule

Jarry Park: Carlo Prater Is Ready For The Fight Of His Life

12-1 PM EST - TAGG Radio
3-5 PM EST - The Beatdown
3-4 PM EST - The Fight Network Radio
9-10 PM EST - MMAWeekly’s Sound Off
11 PM EST - Knockout Radio

Kimbo Slice to Appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live“

EliteXC heavyweight sensation and internet street fighting legend Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson is scheduled to appear as a guest tonight on “Jimmy Kimmel Live“

The show, which also has Dr. Phil slated to appear as well as musical guests Birdman and Lil’ Wayne, will air tonight starting at 12:05 PM ET on ABC.

Our friends at MMA Junkie first reported Slice’s appearance earlier today and EliteXC parent company Pro Elite confirmed the news later via their official website.

Slice will be on hand to promote his upcoming fight against David “Tank Abbott” at EliteXC’s “Street Certified” event on February 16th at the University of Miami’s United Bank Arena in Miami, Florida. Ironically enough, Abbott was a guest of the show just two weeks ago.

After submitting former boxing heavyweight champion Ray Mercer in an exhibition bout in June of last year, Slice fought and defeated fellow heavyweight Bo Cantrell at EliteXC’ s “Renegade” event this past November. Slice and Abbott were originally set to fight at a Cage Fury Fighting Championship event in October but the event was scrapped due to the lack of a pay-per-view agreement.

Kimbo Slice, Tank Abbott, Gary Shaw Quotes

In a long-awaited, much-anticipated grudge match that figures to be an absolute slugfest, the incredibly popular pride of Perrine, Fla., and hometown hero, Kimbo Slice, will face David “Tank” Abbott, of Huntington Beach, Calif., in the main event Saturday, Feb. 16, on Showtime (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).

It will be the second professional MMA fight for Kimbo, the legendary Internet street fighter and YouTube sensation who scored a smashing 19-second, first-round knockout in his Street-to-Elite debut. “With these hands I can part the sea. With these hands I feed the family,” Kimbo said.

Tank, of Huntington Beach , Calif. , is a feared knockout artist and notorious bad boy and trash-talker. A veteran who has never turned down a fight, Tank has called out Kimbo on numerous occasions, including after Kimbo’s EliteXC and MMA debut in November. Tank is supremely confident he will send home Kimbo and his fans unhappy.

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TKO News and Notes - Jan 11, 2008

TKO 32: Ultimatum Card Update

The card for TKO 32: Ultimatum is shaping up quite nicely. The event is headlined by Jesse Bongfeldt defending his TKO welterweight title against T.J. Grant. Former TKO heavyweight champion Icho Larenas will also be on the card even though a potential rematch against current champ Krzysztof Soszynski is unlikely.

Here’s what the card looks like as of right now:

Jesse Bongfeldt vs. T.J. Grant - TKO Welterweight Title
Icho Larenas vs. TBA
Stephane Vigneault vs. TBA
Damacio Page vs. Justin Tavernini
Adrian Wooley vs. Syd Barnier
Yannick Galipeau vs. Derek Gauthier
Jordan Mein vs. Samuel Guillet
Mark Fraser vs. Johan Croes

Syd Barnier was originally scheduled to take on Mark Fraser but has instead decided to drop down to bantamweight. Barnier will now take on Adrian Wooley while Fraser will go up against Johan Croes.

Alessio-Noble Off

Former TKO welterweight John Alessio has been forced to pull out of his scheduled bout against Derrick Noble at Hardcore Championship Fighting’s “Destiny” event due to complications stemming from his recovery from a knee injury.

HCF CEO Keith Crawford made the announcement on The Fight Network’s radio show earlier this week:

“John injured his knee at the end of December and was hoping it’d heal properly, but it hasn’t healed enough to be ready to train,” Crawford said. “We’re obviously quickly looking for an opponent for Derrick because we really want to have him on this card.”

Steve Bosse and Tank Abbott?

TKO Xtreme first reported on Wednesday that TKO President Stephane Patry was discussing the possibility of having Quebec hockey enforcer Steve Bosse take on Tank Abbott and The Fight Network picked up on it yesterday.

Apparently the two may have been able to clash at TKO 32 but the idea was pushed aside once Abbott signed on to fight Kimbo Slice in EliteXC’s February event. Pending on whether or not Abbott is victorious, the two could be matched up at a TKO event later this year, possibly in Aruba.

Aruba? Yes, you heard me right. According to Patry, TKO 33 will be titled “Battle in Paradise” and will take place in Aruba, possibly outdoors.

EliteXC Feb 16 to feature Kimbo vs Tank

EliteXC through Sam Caplan has announced the initial fighters to the upcoming February 16th card in Miami, FL.  The long awaited Kimbo Slice vs Tank Abbott much will be featured in the main event.

ProElite.com (SamCaplan.ProElite.com) has learned that the long-awaited heavyweight clash between Internet street fighting legend Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson and former UFC staple Tank Abbott is scheduled to be the main event of EliteXC’s next show on Saturday, February 16.

The show, scheduled to air on Showtime at 10:00 p.m. ET, is slated to emanate from Miami, Florida. A venue has not been officially announced but the University of Miami has been rumored as a location.

In addition to Slice vs. Abbott, a middleweight matchup between Australian Kyle Noke and former UFC fighter Scott Smith is also scheduled. Antonio Silva and James “Colossus” Thompson are slated to compete on the card as well, in separate bouts.

Abbott and Slice had been scheduled to fight each other on October 12 in Atlantic City, NJ for the Cage Fury Fighting Championships promotion. However, the promotion ran into financial difficulties and was forced to cancel the card. The cancellation allowed Slice to become a free agent, and he signed a lucrative contract with EliteXC soon after. 

In addition, Sam is reporting that Gina Carano will also be featured on that show.

In addition to confirming a reported main event between Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson and Tank Abbott, EliteXC announced the addition of female fighter Gina Carano to the card.

Carano last fought on Sept. 15 in Honolulu, Hawaii, recording a first-round submission over Tonya Evinger.  Carano’s opponent for Feb. 16 has not been announced.

A prime Tank Abbott would make for a wild brawl with Kimbo Slice.  Unfortunately, Tank is 10 years past his prime at 42 years of age, having lost 7 of his last 8 fights in 10 years.  Even the inexperienced Kimbo should have no trouble putting Tank to sleep.  But there is always that chance that Tank lands one of those famous wild punches of his and hurts the granite jawed Slice.  At least Abbott will put up a much better showing than what Bo Cantrell offered in Kimbos’ MMA debut.

As for Gina, the inclusion of her on this card should help dispel some of the rumors of a dispute between her and EliteXC.  With her spot on the cast of American Gladistors, there were some whispers that EliteXC and Gina were in disagreement over when she would fight next and for how much financially.

They Never Came to Fruition

After watching UFC 79 and hearing all of the discussion about how Matt Hughes and Matt Serra were originally supposed to fight but Serra pulled out with an injury, I got to thinking. It wasn’t the first time that a situation like that occurred.

So I sat down and did some research. There were actually a good number of fights in the UFC that were signed and slated to happen but ended up not taking place for one reason or another. The final number was a lot higher than I expected so I went ahead and narrowed the list down to the fights that would have been the best if they were to happen at the time.

So here they are. I’ve sorted them starting with the most recent and excluding Hughes-Serra. Each instance is pretty interesting.

Evan Tanner vs Jeremy Horn (UFC 59): The two long-time MMA veterans were set to clash at UFC 59 in what was unofficially an “elimination” bout for the two of them. Horn had split his two return bouts in the UFC while Tanner had lost two straight, including his middleweight title. The bout would have been an interesting chess match between two slick grapplers but Horn ended up pulling out after injuring his back during training. Justin Levens replaced Horn and Tanner went on to submit Levens in the first round of their bout. Horn was released shortly after defeating Chael Sonnen at UFC 60.

Matt Hughes vs Karo Parisyan (UFC 56): After losing to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 46, Parisyan went ahead and racked up three straight wins over Nick Diaz, Chris Lytle, and Matt Serra to earn a title shot against then-champion Matt Hughes. The anticipated welterweight showdown was set to headline the event until Parisyan was forced to pull out of the fight after suffering an elbow injury during training. Joe Riggs stepped in for Parisyan and ended up failing to make weight, costing him his shot at the title. Hughes would go on to submit Riggs in a non-title bout and wouldn’t defend his belt again until UFC 63, making it over a full year since the welterweight title was contested. To this day, Parisyan is still yearning for another shot at the title.

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