Official WFA card announced!!! Kimo vs. Bas official - Fight Forum - MMA - UFC - Boxing - K1

angryjonny · 05-15-2006, 08:27 PM

Holy crap. For a "minor league" org that everyone has been dissing recently, words can't even describe how awesome this card, for it's first show (returning that is) is shaping up to be already.

In a story that was first reported on MMAWeekly.com, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson officially signed to fight in the WFA. His signing was officially announced at a press conference tonight from the WFA offices in Los Angeles.

As previously reported, Jackson will face Matt Lindland in the main event of the WFA's upcoming show, which will take place on July 22nd from the Forum in Los Angeles in a card entitled "King of the Streets".

This will be the second time in consecutive fights that Lindland will fight at light-heavyweight instead of middleweight, as Lindland defeated Mike Van Arsdale at 205 pounds a few weeks ago at a show in San Diego.

The WFA also announced these following matches...

WFA KING OF THE STREETS JULY 22nd on PPV
- Quinton Jackson vs Matt Lindland
- Ricco Rodriguez vs Ron Waterman
- Lyoto Machinda vs Vernon "Tiger" White
- Art Santore vs Ivan Salaverry
- Kimo vs Bas Rutten
- Rob McCullough vs TBA
- Mayhem Miller vs TBA

MMAWeekly will have more on this story later tonight

They got "Lyoto", Lindland, Salaverry, "Rampage", McCullough, and "Mayhem". Wowza! I can't wait for this one and I'll definitely be getting this PPV.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/...=2070&zoneid=2

AikaImmortal · 05-15-2006, 08:35 PM

Always enjoyed watching Art Santore fight. He is on a 3 win streak.. all by KO.

Gygax · 05-15-2006, 08:41 PM

Pretty damn impressive to say the least. Competition to Zuffa will ultimately help the fans of MMA. My big question is will this be on national PPV to see? I really hope so.

angryjonny · 05-15-2006, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gygax

Pretty damn impressive to say the least. Competition to Zuffa will ultimately help the fans of MMA. My big question is will this be on national PPV to see? I really hope so.

That's the word on the street. It should be on PPV. This is a card that I wouldn't even mind paying 35 or 40 bones to see.

sitnspin · 05-15-2006, 09:00 PM

I keep hearing that Kimo's opponent will be Bas Rutten, but I guess until they announce it there's no point in getting excited.

DrumzCT · 05-15-2006, 11:54 PM

That's a solid card. I'm really impressed and excited.

SWIBC · 05-16-2006, 09:33 AM

Gosh that is a great card, I sure hope Dana White and Zuffa are watching closely b/c they will have some competition very soon and they will need to get over their cheap ways. With WFA, IFL, and soon PRIDE, I think UFC's days could be numbered on being the Top promotion in the US, may not be this year but very soon.

Dek · 05-16-2006, 12:19 PM

i think dana needs to start spending the big bucks to compete with the so called " small organizations " now never mind pride!!!!!!!!!

SmashingMachine · 05-16-2006, 10:13 PM

Dang! That's a pretty impressive line-up for a "minor league." Of course, if they signed Rampage, they're probably not so minor. I'm stoked for the Ron Waterman/Ricco Rodriguez fight. A lot better line up than UFC 60, that's for sure.

Mulla · 05-17-2006, 04:38 AM

Some excellent fights on that card! Hopefully the WFA will do well with this show and have a successful run! Like has been said before, competition for Zuffa/UFC can only be a good thing imo.

Anti-Sanchez · 05-17-2006, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmashingMachine

Dang! That's a pretty impressive line-up for a "minor league." Of course, if they signed Rampage, they're probably not so minor. I'm stoked for the Ron Waterman/Ricco Rodriguez fight. A lot better line up than UFC 60, that's for sure.

Don't get too excited yet about Waterman and Rodriguez. Ricco is a slug and you know how boring watermans fights are.

I'm looking forward to seeing Salaverry and Santoro. And I'm glad to see Lyoto fighting too. He won't have a problem with Tiger White.

Overall a very respectable card for an inaugeral event. Just hope the WFA can keep signing up good fighters and continue the strong cards.

Also, forgot to mention Mayhem. Can't wait to see him back in action.

SmashingMachine · 05-17-2006, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanchez

Don't get too excited yet about Waterman and Rodriguez. Ricco is a slug and you know how boring watermans fights are.

I'm looking forward to seeing Salaverry and Santoro. And I'm glad to see Lyoto fighting too. He won't have a problem with Tiger White.

Overall a very respectable card for an inaugeral event. Just hope the WFA can keep signing up good fighters and continue the strong cards.

Also, forgot to mention Mayhem. Can't wait to see him back in action.

I'm probably one of few, but I really like Ron Waterman a lot. So, I can't wait to see him in action again.

Gygax · 05-17-2006, 09:57 PM

As I've thought about it, I may be changing my mind some on this card. I still think its a great card for a rival organization in the US to put some serious heat on the UFC. But when I really break down the fights, I'm a little less happy with it.

Quinton Jackson vs Matt Lindland Simply put, I absolutely hate watching Lindland fight. Hate it. People can say all they want that he wins, gets the job done, and all, but his style is among the worst in MMA. It will be nice to see Rampage in the US but I think its a bad matchup with Lindland.
Ricco Rodriguez vs Ron Waterman The rumors have flown that Ricco is getting back in shape, but he also had surgery not too long ago, so I have my doubts. This is a rematch from last year as well, with Waterman winning a very lackluster matchup. While Ricco was once a "big name", the luster is well off his star.
Lyoto Machida vs Vernon "Tiger" White It will be awesome to see Machida fight, no doubt. But White has been exposed for a while now with some very questionable losses. I'll watch Machida, but White's presence does nothing for me.
Art Santoro vs Ivan Salaverry This could be a decent fight, or it could be a snoozefest. Santore is pretty good to me, but Salaverry could have some decent ring rust. By the time the PPV comes it will be close to a year since Ivan was beaten in that UFN borefest against Marquardt. Personally, if the rust is not there, Salaverry in a walkover. Santore has fared poorly anytime he has stepped up in class of opponent.
Kimo vs TBA No desire to see the big Hawaiian anymore. His prime was 10 years ago. This is simply the signing of a "name", that's it. And Bas has denied the rumor he was fighting on MMAWeekly Radio today.
Rob McCullough vs TBA It will be good to see Razor, but I think his rumored opponent Kit Cope has really been exposed already. Florian made him look absolutely terrible IMO. Kit has a punchers chance, but anything on the ground and he's dead.
Mayhem Miller vs TBA Depending on opponent, could be the only fight I really look forward to.

Good card, but certainly not a great card like many have made it out and I believed at first. Looking forward to Rampage, Machida, Razor, and Mayhem, but thus far their opponents leave alot to be desired IMO.

angryjonny · 05-17-2006, 10:10 PM

You serious Gygax? Cope vs. McCullough could be an amazing muay thai matchup. If they bang it out it would be awesome. Razor could easily take Cope out on the ground but I don't think that's what he'll go straight to like Florian.

I guess I'm with SmashingMachine in being one of the few that likes Waterman. I'm also a fan of Ricco as some people probably know already.

Also Vernon isn't a great fighter but he's wild and exciting. Nothing special but he does make a match fun to watch win or lose.

I still think this card is amazing for their first show back.

sitnspin · 05-17-2006, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gygax

Quinton Jackson vs Matt Lindland Simply put, I absolutely hate watching Lindland fight. Hate it. People can say all they want that he wins, gets the job done, and all, but his style is among the worst in MMA. It will be nice to see Rampage in the US but I think its a bad matchup with Lindland.

His style is among the worst in MMA? Funny how that translates to an 18-3 record with 12 of those wins coming by either (T)KO or submission. Matt Lindland is one of my favourite fighters, and unlike Nick Diaz, he has every reason to be angry.

angryjonny · 05-17-2006, 11:21 PM

Lindland is one of the few that can beat Rich. I think he could beat Dan too. I know he is hated by many but he is an elite 185er whether people like to admit it or not. I wouldn't even be surprised if he beats Jackson.

And he got screwed very badly by the UFC. They were protecting Rich from him. But that's a whole different topic.

SeikanJudanski · 05-18-2006, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angryjonny

Lindland is one of the few that can beat Rich. I think he could beat Dan too. I know he is hated by many but he is an elite 185er whether people like to admit it or not. I wouldn't even be surprised if he beats Jackson.

And he got screwed very badly by the UFC. They were protecting Rich from him. But that's a whole different topic.

I agree Lindland is a world class fighter.

Gygax · 05-18-2006, 10:45 AM

Did I say Matt Lindland's a bad fighter? No, not at all. I never even said, nor will I say he's not an elite fighter. He also has every right in the world to be pissed at Zuffa/White for their treatment of him. But his style is horrible to watch. Sure he gets the job done, but I and the vast majority of MMA fans simply don't enjoy his fights. Comparing him to a boxer, he's John Ruiz. World champ, great record, has fought many of the best out there today in the middleweight division. But he can't get a fight in the states anymore because his style is just terrible to watch. At some point, you have to entertain the fans to stay in their attention span, and Matt's style does not do that. There's a reason Pride, the home of the greatest MMA fighters in the world by many opinions, didn't jump at Lindland. They don't like his style either. He ended up in Cage Rage and a small show in San Diego. If he's such a world beater, why didn't Heroes snap him yet? He simply is not a draw, regardless of record.

Sure, White has a punchers chance. But so does a justin Eilers, Wes Sims, Bobby Hoffman, Bo Cantrell type. And if you want to stay in a lower weight, I'd even rather see a Marvin Eastman. How about jason MacDonald? And if we are getting crazy, give me a Vitor or Overeem or Randleman, since they are now competing over here on US soil not in the UFC. How about Randleman, who will be better from that infection by then, against a Machida? Thats a heck of alot better than Tiger White. Sorry, Vernon White does nothing for me.

Hell, combine the first two fights and you have a reall top of the line fight. I'd rather see a card of Rampage vs Lyota and Lindland vs White. I think most of us would.

I have to see Ricco before I give any credence to whether this will be a good fight. I was a fan as well of his, but the 300lb+ Ricco is paycheck hunting and seemingly could care less if he wins or not.

Like I said in my last post, its still a good card, especially as Jonny pointed out, for their first show back. But people are making it out to be one of the greatest cards in MMA history, which it is far from. I'm excited to have the another legit rival to Zuffa. Its good for the sport.

angryjonny · 05-30-2006, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sitnspin

I keep hearing that Kimo's opponent will be Bas Rutten, but I guess until they announce it there's no point in getting excited.

Once again MMAweekly brings up a rumor that turns out to be true. I guess it's time to get excited now.

MMAWeekly.com broke the story a month ago that Bas Rutten was going to return to the fight game. Last night, three sources confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that Rutten is returning, as initially believed, against Kimo in the WFA. The fight will take place in July in Los Angeles at the Forum.

Rutten hasn't fought since 1999 when he squared off against Kevin Randleman at UFC 20: Battle for the Gold. Rutten won the UFC Heavyweight Title when he defeated Randleman by judges' decision after 21 minutes of fighting.

Prior to that, Rutten defeated Tsuyoshi "T.K." Kosaka by knockout at UFC 18. If you look at Rutten's record, you'll see that he hasn't lost in his last 20 fights.

Bas won 19 of those fights, with one fight going to a draw against Osami Shibuya. Rutten's last loss came at the hands of Ken Shamrock in the Pancrase organization back in 1995 by submission due to a kneebar. Rutten has an overall record of 27-4-1 in his MMA career.

Rutten's scheduled opponent, Kimo, hasn't fought in almost a year. In his last fight, Kimo lost in Pride Bushido 8 last July to Ikuhisa Minowa by submission in the first round.

In his two fights prior to facing Minowa, Kimo defeated Marcus Royster in the Rumble on the Rock promotion, and lost to Ken Shamrock at UFC 48: Payback.

Kimo lost in Pride Bushido to Ikuhisa Minowa by submission in the first round. Kimo beat Marcus Royster in Rumble on the Rock, before losing to Ken Shamrock at UFC 48's Payback card. Kimo's MMA record is 9-5-1.

An already stacked WFA card just got that much better with the return of "El Guapo." Here's how the card shakes down.
Quinton Jackson (24-6-0) vs Matt Lindland (18-3-0)

Ricco Rodriguez (22-6-0) vs Ron Waterman (13-3-2)

Lyoto Machida (7-0-0) vs Vernon White (24-27-2)

Ivan Salaverry (11-4-0) vs Art Santore (14-4-0)

Kimo Leopoldo (9-5-1) vs Bas Rutten (27-4-1)

Rob McCullough (11-3-0) vs Opponent TBD

Jason Miller (14-4-0) vs. Opponent TBD

Tickets for “WFA: King of the Streets” at The Forum went on sale and are available at all Southern California Ticket Master outlets (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernadino and Ventura Counties), online at Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at (213) 480-3232, (714) 740-2000, (661) 322-2525 or (805) 583-8700.

Thrash13 · 05-30-2006, 01:52 PM

I'm with Gygax on this one, and my opinions pretty much resemble his 100%. I am glad the UFC will have some competition in the US because that will only make things better for everyone.

However, this card is great by "names" only. A lot of these guys just don't have it anymore, possibly including Rampage.

Rampage vs. Lindland could be good, but it could also be a huge borefest. Lindland may lay and pray all night long like he has been known to do. Some people may say Tito is the worst at this, but Lindland takes the cake.

He gets the job done, but that doesn't mean he is fun to watch. And I'm not sure why the UFC protected Rich from Lindland because there is no doubt in my mind Rich would beat him. It would be tough, but Rich could definitely take him. And so could Dan.

I just wish we could get a couple these guys into the UFC. I'd be happy then.

In the end, it is a nice card full of big names for the WFA's first event back. That's really a big step when you think about it. However, it's not a card worthy of throwing down $35 or $40 on.

But a lot of the UFC's aren't either, so take that for what it's worth.