Not long ago, Carlos Newton was the only Canadian to have fought for a UFC title. But with Georges St-Pierre fighting for the Welterweight title and Patrick Côté headlining a UFC event, Canadian MMA has clearly come a long way. UFC 50, “The War of ’04,” highlighted this growth, showing that Canadian MMA is only getting bigger and better. Let’s catch up on all things Canadian MMA.
- Arnold Lim
TKO News and Notes
Good and Bad News: The bad news is that TKO won’t be holding its Nov 6 show in Sherbrooke as planned due to a new law limiting venues that sell liquor to 500 people. The good news is that most of the fights from the Nov 6 card will move to TKO 18 on Nov 26, with only a few adjustments. The high-profile fights originally set for Nov 26 will be rescheduled for January. TKO 18 “Impact” will now take place on Nov 26, featuring 15 fights, including the return of UFC veteran “Dangerous” Dave Beneteau.
Tentative TKO 18 “Impact” Card:
- Donald Ouimet vs. Steve Duquette – Lightweight Championship
- David Loiseau vs. TBA – Middleweight Championship
- Stephane Vigneault vs. Shane Rice – Super Lightweight Championship
- Todd Gouwenberg vs. Jacob Conliffe – Heavyweight Championship
- Curtis Stout vs. TBA
- Sam Stout vs. David Goulet
- Phillipe Lagace vs. Ryan Diaz
- John Alessio vs. Jonathan Goulet
- Dave Beneteau vs. Icho Larenas
Prelims:
- John Fraser vs. Thierry Quenneville
- Martin Tremblay vs. Serge Lafond
- David Parizeau vs. Sonny Leong
- Alex Gasson vs. Antoine Coutu
- Mike Turner vs. Dirk Waardenberg
- Martin Grandmont vs. Steve Legeault
XFC
The XFC 3 show was entertaining, but the next XFC won’t be until October next year, leaving MMA fans in Prince George waiting. On a positive note, Arnold Lim sold his XFC 3 story and photos to a prominent Japanese magazine, Kakutougi Tsushin, which will cover XFC 3 and TKO 17 in an upcoming issue.
WFF – Shooto
WFF is planning a December show, though the venue is still undecided. It will be held in the Okanagan, not Vancouver. The lineup includes UFC veteran Ivan Menjivar, Antonio Carvalho, Bob Shabaga, Chris Fontaine, Mike Adams, and American standouts like Bao Quach and Antonio Banuelos. This card promises to be one of WFF’s best.
Ultimate Cage Wars
The first Ultimate Cage Wars in Winnipeg was a success despite some hiccups, marking the birth of an MMA organization in Manitoba. Promoter and fighter Krzysztof Soszynski headlined and won by KO. The event drew 2300 paying customers, and the next UCW is rumored for February 12, 2005, with potential returns by Rodrigo Munduruca and Chris Fontaine.
Gibson Pankration
Lance Gibson is busy in Seattle as a stunt coordinator for a horror movie, but his team is active. Ryan Diaz will fight Phillipe Lagace, and Todd Gouwenberg will battle for the TKO heavyweight title. Black Fredrickson and MFC Euphoria lightweight tournament competitors are also in action.
Team Tompkins
TKO will crown a heavyweight champion with Jacob “The Destroyer” Conliffe facing Todd Gouwenberg. Alex “Pecker” Gasson recently won the K.I.C.K. North American Pro-Kickboxing title. Five Team Tompkins members may compete in the K-1 sanctioned “Heavyweight Gladiators” on November 13th.
Patrick Cote
Patrick Côté, who recently fought Tito Ortiz, is considering moving to the 185-pound division, where he might have better size parity with opponents.
Apex
The next Apex show will be in early 2005. Despite rumors, they are improving each event and plan to feature returning winners like Ivan Menjivar and Ryan Shultz, along with support from “Showdown” Joe Ferraro, J.T McCarthy, Frank Trigg, and Stephan Quadros.
Epic MMA
Epic MMA continues to grow, recently adding Fabio Holanda to its roster. Denis Kang is set to fight Amar Suloev in Moscow, while also securing a role in a sequel to Jean-Claude Van Damme’s “Bloodsport.” Jason MacDonald and Bill Mahood may face off in the Euphoria Light Heavyweight tournament.
MMA Ring Report Fighter of the Night
The fourth “MMARR Fighter of the Night” award went to Matt Horwich at XFC 3 for his armbar victory over Jason MacDonald. The next award will be presented at TKO 18 “Impact.”
International Coverage for Canadians
Arnold Lim is contributing to Japan’s Kakutougi Tsushin, with coverage of Canadian events like WFF 7, XFC 3, and TKO 17, indicating growing international interest in Canadian MMA.
Evolution / Shut Up and Fight
Evolution/Shut Up and Fight is forming an athletics commission. They are in the process of finalizing the bylaw and finding a doctor. Jeff Ford, a Muay Thai instructor, will join the team in Vernon by mid-November.