July 7 – MMA Update – Arlovski Crossing Over?

By:  | Posted: Monday, July 7th, 2008 at 7:13 pm.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski will likely make his professional boxing debut Saturday, Sept. 13 on the undercard of the Joel Casamayor-Juan Manuel Marquez pay-per-view in Las Vegas, according to an ESPN.com report. The 29-year-old Arlovski has been working under legendary trainer Freddie Roach.

Arlovski (12-5) will meet former International Fight League standout Ben Rothwell in a heavyweight bout at Affliction: Banned on Saturday, July 19 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The Belarusian last competed at UFC 82: Pride of a Champion in March, when he stopped the previously unbeaten Jake O’Brien on strikes in what may have been his final appearance in the Octagon.

Blessed with extraordinary physical ability, the 6-foot-4 heavyweight owns victories against two-time UFC champion Tim Sylvia, reigning IFL light heavyweight champion Vladimir Matyushenko and current UFC heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum. Arlovski will carry a three-fight winning streak into his bout with Rothwell.

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CHONAN-CARNEIRO REMATCH SET FOR UFC 88

Ryo Chonan will face the American Top Team’s Roan Carneiro in a welterweight bout at UFC 88: Breakthrough on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Philips Arena in Atlanta. MMAJunkie.com reported the matchup, citing confirmation from Carneiro’s camp.

The two met once previously, as Chonan stopped Carneiro on a third-round cut at a Deep show in 2005. Their rematch was originally scheduled for UFC 85: Bedlam in June, but Chonan was forced to withdraw from the event with an injury. Carneiro wound up submitting to newcomer Kevin Burns.

One of only two men to finish reigning UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Chonan (14-8, 0-1 UFC) dropped a unanimous decision to Karo Parisyan in his UFC debut in November but has not competed since. The 31-year-old Pride Fighting Championships veteran owns victories against former UFC welterweight champion Carlos Newton, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai and current EliteXC middleweight contender Joey Villasenor. Chonan has won four of his past six fights.

Carneiro (12-7, 2-2 UFC), a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, has secured half of his 12 victories by submission. The 30-year-old holds wins against former International Fight League middleweight champion Matt Horwich and lightweight veteran Rich Clementi. Inconsistency has plagued Carneiro since he made his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 9 in April 2007.

UFC 88: Breakthrough
Saturday, Sept. 6
Philips Arena
Atlanta

Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans
Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill
Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares
Karo Parisyan vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Roan Carneiro vs. Ryo Chonan
James Lee vs. Tim Boetsch

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SERAO ARRIVAL BOLSTERS PFC MIDDLEWEIGHT RANKS

International Fight League veteran Leopoldo Serao will make his Palace Fighting Championship debut when he squares off with Dan Molina at PFC 9: The Return on Friday, July 18 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif.

Serao (14-7) has dropped back-to-back fights to UFC veteran Josh Haynes and Rob Wince. The 29-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has secured 13 of his 14 career wins by submission and has tested himself against former EliteXC middleweight champion Murilo “Ninja” Rua and the American Top Team’s Jorge Santiago.

“Serao is sort of an unknown commodity in the U.S.,” PFC president Christian Printup said. “He’s an aggressive striker, and he’s a legitimate threat to anyone at 185 [pounds] on any given night. If he gets through Molina, there are some very interesting matchups there for him in the PFC.”

A veteran of the World Extreme Cagefighting, Gladiator Challenge and King of the Cage promotions, Molina has not competed since he lost a unanimous decision to Corey Devela at an Xtreme Cage Combat show in April. The defeat snapped his four-fight winning streak. Molina, like Serao, has never competed inside the PFC.

“I have seen him fight a little bit in the IFL,” Serao said. “He’s tough, and it should be a good fight. I want to make the fans happy, so I will to try to win by knockout.”

Light heavyweight champion Jorge Oliveira will defend his title against Isaiah Larson in the PFC 9 main event. Oliveira was originally scheduled to meet Glover Teixeira.

PFC 9: The Return
Friday, July 18
Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino
Lemoore, Calif.

PFC Light Heavyweight Title Fight
Jorge Oliveira vs. Isaiah Larson

Doug Marshall vs. Phil Collins
Jaime Jara vs. Marcus Gaines
Casey Olson vs. Tito Jones
Leopoldo Serao vs. Dan Molina
Mickey Martinez vs. Jack Morrison
Jeremy Luchau vs. Juan Lopez
Dominique Robinson vs. Chuck Kim
Ulysses Gomez vs. Anthony Perales
Darren Crisp vs. Joe Soto
Paul Gonzales vs. Alfredo Mirelas
Javier Cervantes vs. Alex Ortiz

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GLOBAL CALENDAR

• July 11 — Real Fighting Championships 13: Title Bound, A La Carte Pavilion, Tampa, Fla.
• July 12 — Cage Warriors: Enter the Rough House 7, Harvey Haddon Sports Centre, Nottingham, England
• July 12 — Cage Rage 27: Step Up, Wembley Arena, London
• July 12 — King of the Cage: Badlands, Isleta Casino, Albuquerque, N.M.
• July 12 — Battle Cage Xtreme 5, Tropicana Casino and Resort, Atlantic City, N.J.
• July 12 — Total Fighting Alliance: Pounding at the Pyramid, Walter Pyramid, Long Beach, Calif.
• July 13 — Strike and Submit 7, Lancastrian Suite, Dunston, England
• July 18 — Palace Fighting Championship 9: The Return, Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino, Lemoore, Calif.
• July 18 — Gladiator Challenge: Summer Showdown, Kezar Pavilion, San Francisco
• July 19 — Affliction: Banned, Honda Center, Anaheim, Calif.
• July 19 — UFC Fight Night 14, Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas
• July 19 — King of the Cage: Rock Solid, Lake of the Torches Casino, Lac du Flambeau, Wis.
• July 19 — King of the Cage: Ex-Calibur, Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta

CATEGORIES:MMA