Heavyweight Schaub on "Ghost Adventures"

UFC FIGHTER BRENDAN SCHAUB GUEST STARS ON ALL-NEW “GHOST ADVENTURES” AT THE PEABODY-WHITEHEAD MANSION IN DENVER, CO

FRIDAY, MARCH 16 AT 6:00 PM, 9:00 PM AND MIDNIGHT ET/PT

Travel Channel presents an all-new episode of the popular series, “Ghost Adventures” on Friday, March 16 at 6:00 and 9:00 p.m., ET/PT with a re-air at midnight.  This season, the "Ghost Adventures" crew – Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin – is back to investigate the scariest, most notorious, haunted places in the world.  The trio interviews eyewitnesses and historians at each location, arming themselves with the stories of the ghosts they later confront during their dusk-to-dawn lockdowns.  Then they review and analyze their findings with some of the most-respected experts and specialists in the paranormal field.
In Friday’s original episode, Zak, Nick and Aaron attempt to uncover the truth behind an unsolved murder at the Peabody-Whitehead Mansion in Denver.  Built in 1889, its first owner Dr. William R. Whitehead was convinced the building was plagued by the spirits of hundreds of soldiers he tried to save from his days as a surgeon for the Confederate Army during the United States Civil War.  After his death, when controversial Colorado Governor James Peabody moved in to the mansion, things only worsened.  The governor was viewed by many as the enemy of the working man and in 1904, the Governor ordered state militia to break union strikes by the region’s gold miners by brute force.  Hundreds were injured in the violence, and dozens were killed as their bloodshed was on the governor’s hands.  All the years of torment are now trapped inside this now empty Grant Street mansion.  In addition to being the site of a suicide, there have been over 120 years of ghostly activity in the building including reports of visitors being pushed up against the wall by unseen forces!
UFC Fighter Brendan Schaub joins the trio at the Peabody-Whitehead Mansion in hopes to shed some light on the evil entities in order to learn more about the darkness that lies within the walls of this historic location.  During the investigation in the basement, it gets personal when a spirit calls out Brendan by name, and then reveals new evidence about an unsolved crime.  This turn of events triggers the involvement of the Denver Police Department – currently reviewing the “Ghost Adventures” team's evidence.
“Ghost Adventures” is produced by MY Tupelo Entertainment for Travel Channel.  For MY Tupelo, executive producers are Michael Yudin and Joe Townley.  For Travel Channel, executive producer is Daniel A. Schwartz.

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Strikeforce Signs Villante, Announces Heavyweight Reserve Bouts

Gian Villante (top) | Keith Mills/Sherdog.com

Strikeforce has signed Ring of Combat heavyweight champion Gian Villante to a multi-fight deal, and the once-beaten New Yorker is set to make his promotional debut on Feb. 12.

The promotion announced today that Villante will face Chad Griggs in one of three heavyweight grand prix reserve bouts at Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Silva,” which takes place at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. Also made official for the card were reserve matches pitting Valentijn Overeem against Ray Sefo, and Shane del Rosario against Lavar Johnson.

The Showtime-televised main card will consist of all heavyweight contests, topped by a tournament quarterfinal match between “The Last Emperor,” Fedor Emelianenko, and towering Brazilian Antonio Silva. In the show’s other quarterfinal, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski meets Pride standout Sergei Kharitonov.

Once a promising NFL prospect, Villante turned to MMA in 2009 and rattled off six straight wins under the ROC banner. The 25-year-old’s first setback came in April 2010, when he suffered a TKO loss to Demetrius Richards after dislocating his elbow, but Villante rebounded in December with a 63-second knockout of Joseph Reyes.

Griggs made a name for himself last August when he handed former pro-wrestler Bobby Lashley his first MMA loss at Strikeforce “Houston.” The full-time Tucson, Ariz., firefighter and paramedic holds a career mark of 9-1 and has won his last four bouts, though he has competed only twice in the last two years.

The older brother of Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, Valentijn “The Python” Overeem is a 14-year veteran of MMA who has competed throughout the world. In 2010, he scored a pair of knockout wins against Tengiz Tedoradze and Catalin Zmarandescu in a combined 47 seconds. His opponent, Sefo, is a K-1 mainstay with a 2-0 record in MMA. In his September 2009 Strikeforce debut, the 39-year-old “Sugarfoot” claimed a second-round TKO win after opponent Kevin Jordan suffered a knee injury.

Del Rosario and Johnson will each make their main-stage Strikeforce debut after spending time in the promotion’s “Challengers” series. In the pair’s combined 28 bouts, neither has ever gone to a decision. Del Rosario possesses a perfect 10-0 ledger and was last seen blasting Lolohea Mahe with knees and punches en route to a TKO win at last July’s “Challengers 9.” Johnson, 15-3, also defeated Mahe in 2010, but most recently knocked out Virgil Zwicker at “Challengers 11” in October.

“This event will showcase the depth of talent in the Strikeforce heavyweight roster,” Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said in a statement. “Shane and Lavar are two products of the Strikeforce Challengers series that has been instrumental in developing new talent.”

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UFC Heavyweight Champion Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

Cain Velasquez file photo | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is currently undergoing surgery on his right shoulder to repair a partially-torn rotator cuff.

The news was first reported by TMZ.com, and Sherdog.com has confirmed the report with sources close to the fighter.

Velasquez was last seen in the Octagon in October, dethroning the much larger Brock Lesnar in the main event of UFC 121. After an early bull rush from Lesnar, it became apparent that the American Kickboxing Academy product was the much faster man. Velasquez landed hard punches with great accuracy, bloodying the muscular champion and earning the TKO victory late in the first period.

The newly-crowned champion's celebration was short-lived, however. According to a report from USA Today, Velasquez felt something wrong with his shoulder later that night. After having the sore spot examined, it was determined that the fighter had suffered a torn rotator cuff.

It is unknown exactly how long the 28-year-old will be on the shelf, but the timetable for recovery has been estimated as six to eight months.

Meanwhile, the UFC has already made plans for the king's return, as previous No. 1 contender Junior dos Santos will now coach opposite Lesnar on the 13th season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” The coaches will then square off at the end of the season to determine a new No. 1 contender for Velasquez's title. Originally, the promotion had planned for “Cigano” to face the champion at UFC 129 on April 30 in Toronto, but that fell through when the severity of Velasquez's injury became apparent.

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Technique of the Week With UFC Heavyweight Ace Cain Velasquez

Monday, January 03, 2011
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Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament Officially Set with 4 Bouts

Fedor Emelianenko: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

Strikeforce’s rumored eight-man heavyweight tournament has become reality, and the promotion has officially announced the bracket’s four opening-round matchups.

Sherdog.com was informed Tuesday by sources close to the tournament that Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Silva, Josh Barnett, Fabricio Werdum, Sergei Kharitonov, Andrei Arlovski, Brett Rogers and Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem will compete in the upcoming tournament. That lineup was later confirmed by a press release from Strikeforce.

As reported yesterday by Sherdog.com, the tournament is scheduled to kick off with an Emelianenko-Silva bout as the main event of a Feb. 12 card at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. Also featured on that show will be a quarterfinal bout between Arlovski and Kharitonov, as opposed to the originally reported Arlovski-Barnett matchup.

The remaining two quarterfinals will reportedly go down March 5 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Barnett is scheduled to square off with Rogers, while Overeem will meet Werdum. The date and location of these two fights have not officially been announced by the promotion. The tournament’s semifinal and final rounds will be held later in the year at to-be-named events.

The promotion will also hold two alternate bouts as insurance in case one of the main card participants should sustain an injury or be rendered otherwise unable to compete. “Challengers” series standouts Daniel Cormier, Lavar Johnson, Shane del Rosario will likely compete, though the fourth alternate fighter is unknown at this time.

Also unknown is how the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board will handle Barnett’s ongoing licensing situation in California. The former Pride Fighting Championships competitor allegedly tested positive for performance enhancing substances prior to a scheduled bout with Emelianenko in July 2009. Barnett’s hearing before the CSAC on Dec. 2 was pushed back to 2011. Reports indicate that he may go before the commission again on Feb. 4.

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