October 2008 Schedule

7 Fights - 7 wins

WIN

Oct. 25, 2008
Koko Murat

Unanimous Decision

HyeFighters go UNDEFEATED
for a SECOND
STRAIGHT
MONTH!!!

7 WINS

0 Losses

FIGHT VIDEO

Georgi Karakhanyan's quick win

FIGHT RESULTS

Abraham and Murat both win

Junior middleweight HyeFighter Alexander Abraham (23-0-1, 16 KOs) dropped Roman Dzuman (23-6-1, 10 KOs) in round five and got the TKO win in the following round when the bout was stopped. Abraham, the younger brother of IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham, won the vacant EE-EU title.

Unbeaten junior middleweight HyeFighters Koko Murat (9-0-1, 4 KOs) outworked Abdelouahed Ben Lelly (6-5, 2 KOs) over eight rounds to claim a unanimous decision. Koko is the brother of HyeFighter Karo Murat.

Georgi Karakhanyan

NEWS FLASH

Mijares-Darchinyan heats up!

Harsh words were spoken today between WBA and WBC super flyweight world champion Cristian Mijares (35-3-2, 13 KOs) and IBF world champion HyeFighter Vic "Raging Bull" Darchinyan (30-1-1, 24 KOs), who meet on November 1st at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California. "I'm going to destroy him badly," vowed Darchinyan. "Also, talking about the Mexican crowd, after two rounds, you're not going to hear any Mexican crowd. You're only going to hear the Armenian crowd. A few rounds after that, you're going to see the Mexican crowd supporting me. Of course they'll like my style. They don't like people who are just touching and running. I'm going to prove I'm stronger and smarter than him.....I'm going to prove it that he's nothing, and I'm going to destroy him. And I wish his corner the best in the fight because he's going to be badly damaged."

Mijares stated, "I'm aware of the fact that I'm facing a guy like Vic Darchinyan who is a very strong fighter. He talks a little bit too much. I like that, because it makes the fight more interesting for me. Words will not prove anything. What will be proven is the fact that I have much more ability in the ring than Darchinyan, and I expect that if everything goes my way, to take those three belts back home with me on November 1st."

NEWS FLASH

HyeFighter Mousasi Bumps to 205,
New Year’s or Affliction Next

from: Sherdog.com

Five weeks have passed since the biggest night of Gegard Mousasi’s young career, and the toasted middleweight awaits his next assignment in Japan on New Year’s Eve or a possible U.S. debut for Affliction in January, though he’s asking for a bout in the light heavyweight division.
At Dream’s middleweight grand prix finals on Sept. 23 in Tokyo, the 23-year-old kickboxer needed just 3:43 to submit Dutch nemesis Melvin Manhoef and knock out Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, considered the world’s best jiu-jitsu player at 183 pounds. That was 3:43 combined, mind you.
After a quick seminar and his attendance at the seventh edition of the M-1 Challenge in England, the Armenian’s feat is just now soaking in for him.
“I have only just realized what I have achieved,” the adopted Dutchman told Sherdog.com. “It’s nice to get some attention now after fighting in all those different organizations. In order to stay on top I will have to continue beating a lot of good fighters, so I have to stay focused and train hard. I am still very hungry, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”
Mousasi’s semifinal bout with countryman Manhoef was a battle for appreciation and respect. Choosing to train outside of the famous Dutch kickboxing gyms, Mousasi felt a lack of love and recognition from the fans there.
“Beating Melvin really felt good, because I had openly challenged him many times and obviously I didn't want to lose face,” he said. “I really wanted to prove to the Dutch fans that I am also one of the better mixed martial arts fighters out of Holland and there’s no better way to do that than beat a guy who is as loved and admired over here as Manhoef.”
With Kang, Manhoef and Jacare out of the way, the grand prix king has nearly cleaned out the Dream middleweight division. The obvious question arises: Who is left for him to fight in Japan?
“There are plenty of good middleweight fighters in Japan, but Akiyama is the only big name left in Dream that I haven’t fought yet,” he said. “Unfortunately for me, he is dead set on fighting [Hidehiko] Yoshida on New Year’s Eve and that leaves me on the outside looking in.”
As a result, Mousasi (24-2-1) said he and his team decided to move up a division the day after Dream 6.
“There is no reason to push me to the 185-pound limit anymore,” he said. “It just isn’t healthy for me to stay at middleweight. Instead I will let my body grow and get bigger and heavier.”
The “Young Vagabond” had plans to move up to the light heavyweight division all along. After an easy first-round TKO over Brazilian slugger Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos at the now defunct Canadian promotion Hardcore Championship Fighting in February, Mousasi was originally looking to fight Santos’ compatriot Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at an HCF show in late spring or early summer. That was when Dream came calling and invited him to join the tournament.
A rumored bout with former UFC standout Vitor Belfort is still a very real option for Affliction’s Jan. 24 return to the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Belfort, who recently dropped into the middleweight ranks himself, took out Terry Martin with an impressive second-round knockout at Affliction “Banned” last July.
“My manager has good contacts with Affliction and he said that there may be the possibility for me to fight Vitor in the United States,” said Mousasi. “I really want to fight for Affliction, but I still have a commitment with Dream, so I don’t know exactly which show I will be competing at next –- on New Year’s Eve in Japan for Dream or for Affliction in January.”
While he waits, Mousasi is back working the door of a Dutch nightclub part time. This is a fate he shares with 95 percent of all European fighters. Be it bouncer, firefighter or car mechanic, even world-ranked fighters like Mousasi have to look for side gigs to afford training.
“It’s really difficult to live on MMA alone, because the sport isn’t that big in Holland and we don't have the same sponsors that American fighters do,” explained Mousasi. “We also get paid in dollars at Dream and due to the current world economic situation, the dollar is worth much less than the Euro, which, pardon my language, really sucks too.”
During his three-month hiatus from the ring, Mousasi said he’ll try to expand his training horizons.
“I am going to Thailand soon to train with Fedor [Emelianenko],” he said. “He is playing in a movie there and I will also get a small role in it. My priority is to work on my standup game though.”
And despite his rising star in Japan, Mousasi will await word of his next bout in the peace and quiet of his hometown of Leiden in South Holland, where few people recognize him on the street. For now.

NEWS FLASH

HyeFighter "Killer Queen" Kentikian
returns Dec. 5th!

Spotlight Boxing has announced the lineup for the December 5th the "ProSieben Fight Night" at the Brandberge Arena in Halle/Saale, Germany. Headlining will be popular WBA/WIBF flyweight champion Susi Kentikian along with unbeaten WBO #1 middleweight Sebastian Zbik, unbeaten super featherweight Vitali Tajbert and unbeaten heavyweight Sebastian Körb. Filling out the card will be up-and-coming fighters Oliver Güttel, Tommy Altmann and Falko Besser. Opponents will be named in the coming days.

NEWS FLASH

HyeFighter Darchinyan
Pictures from Press Conference in LA!!

Pictures Compliments of Raymond Rodriguz

WBA/WBC super flyweight champion Cristian Mijares and IBF junior bantamweight champion HyeFighter Vic Darchinyan held a press conference today in Los Angeles to announce their highly anticipated 115-pound title unification fight on November 1st live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING from The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The world championship fight is the first time that all three major 115-pound titles will be up for grabs in the same ring.

Click to view album

NEWS FLASH

DREAM champ Gegard Mousasi
seeks boxing world title

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Oct 12, 2008 at 11:10 am ET

Riding an 11-fight win streak, DREAM middleweight grand prix winner and new DREAM middleweight champ HyeFighter Gegard Mousasi now intends to chase after a world title in boxing.

Mousasi shared his vision with his management company, M-1, who shared the news in a recent press release.

"First I want to thank everybody that supported me to reach my goal of becoming the DREAM grand prix champion," Mousasi stated. "I see this title as the stepping stone to accomplish my real desire, and that is to also become the world champion in boxing."

The Armenian striker believes that his management company -- which also represents WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko -- has strategic partnerships in place that will allow him to pursue a boxing career.

"Because M-1 is nowadays cooperating with Affliction and Golden Boy (Promotions), I think this dream can come true," he stated.

In addition to branching out into a new career, Mousasi will also look to move up to the light-heavyweight division for future MMA contests.

"In MMA I will go up to 93 kilograms (205 pounds)," Mousasi stated. "Not only to increase my strength, but if I fight between 85 and 93 kilograms in boxing, I have quite a wide range to test my skills before I decide in which weight class I enter boxing competition."

Just 23 years old, Mousasi has been victorious in 23 of his past 24 bouts.

A veteran of DREAM, PRIDE and DEEP, Mousasi defeated Denis Kang, Dong Sik Yoon, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Melvin Manhoef to win this year's inaugural DREAM middleweight grand prix.

No time table was announced for Mousasi's boxing debut.

NEWS FLASH

HAROUT "THE PAIN" KARAPETYAN

October 8, 2008

Keep an eye out for this young up and comer to the MMA world...

Harout was born on April 19, 1992 in Hollywood, California. At the young age of 6, he was introduced to his first love, the martial arts, Judo. Literally translated, judo means, "the Gentle Way", but when Harout steps on the mat, he is anything but gentle. Known for violently launching his opponents several feet into the air, and onto the mat, he was nicknamed "The Pain." In late 2007, after nearly a decade of active competition, hundreds of matches, and winning countless medals, he traded in his Judo gi for MMA gloves.

With only one year of MMA training under his belt, Harout has already amassed an impressive MMA record of 12-2-0. Never one to back down from a difficult challenge, Harout, at merely 15 years old, made his debut against a former CIF State Wrestling Champion who was five years his senior. In fact, if you take a closer look at his record, more than half of his opponents were well into their twenties. In his own words: "In order to be the best, you must beat the best. I've always believed that fortune favors the brave. If you half-ass it, you're going to get half-assed results."

On September 6th, Harout made his professional debut in Tijuana, Mexico, scoring a devastating TKO over his opponent 38 seconds into the first round. And, just a month before that, he captured first-place gold medals at both On the Mat's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships and the US Open of Submission Grappling. It wasn't long before Jerod Phillips, owner of Tap or Sleep fightwear, took notice of Harout's talent. Jerod's new sponsorship deal has really helped Harout gain some much needed exposure, and opened the door to other sponsorships, and talent scouts. Most recently, he was approached by a representative of the organization, WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting), about him signing a fight contract in the near future.

Coaches, past and present: Gokor Chivichyan, Aram Ghukasyan, Skye Santos, Steve Arce.

Accomplishments: 4 TIME JUNIOR NATIONAL JUDO CHAMPION, 2 TIME Junior OLYMPIC JUDO CHAMPION, 7 TIME STATE JUDO CHAMPION, 2008 WORLD JUNIOR GRAPPLING 4TH PLACE ,2008 OTM BJJ And US OPEN CHAMPION, 2008 CALIFORNIA STATE PANKRATION SILVER MEDALIST, 2008 NATIONAL PANKRATION TEAM MEMBER.

NEWS FLASH

Darchinyan - Mijares official!
Fighting in LA!!!!

October 3, 2008
from FightNews.com

History will be made on Saturday, Nov. 1, when WBA/WBC super flyweight world champion Cristian Mijares (35-3-2, 13 KOs) climbs into the ring to face IBF world champion HyeFighter Vic "Raging Bull" Darchinyan (30-1-1, 24 KOs) at the The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Mijares and Darchinyan are fighting in the very first 115-pound world championship unification. The historic showdown is being co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment, KO Entertainment and Gary Shaw Productions and will air live on SHOWTIME beginning at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) with a 12-round super middleweight special attraction – Andre Dirrell vs. Victor Oganov. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday and are priced starting at $25 to $250 for ringside. Tickets may be purchased at The Home Depot Center Box Office, open 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at all Ticketmaster retail ticket locations, as well as www.Ticketmaster.com and Ticketmaster-Charge-by-Phone, by calling 213-480-3232.

NEWS FLASH

Abraham-Marquez fight rescheduled
for Nov. 8 - Abraham fighting Flu
 

October 4, 2008
from ESPN.com

Middleweight titleholder Arthur Abraham woke up with a fever and flu-like symptoms, forcing his mandatory defense against Houston's Raul Marquez to be postponed.

The fight, as well as the rest of the card -- which was to have been Saturday in Bamberg, Germany -- has been rescheduled for Nov. 8, also in Bamberg, organizers said.

"I am really sorry but the flu really got me overnight and it's not possible for me to fight," Abraham said in a statement. "I really wanted to fight but the doctors would not let me. In my current physical condition it is impossible to step into the ring."

"There is no way he can make a mandatory title defense in his current state," trainer Ulli Wegner said. "It is a pity but there is nothing we can do. I am very sorry for the fans. We'll try to get Arthur healthy again as soon as possible and will prepare him for the fight on Nov. 8."

After Abraham attended the IBF's mandated Saturday morning weight check, he was taken to the hospital for tests.

"You could see he was coughing and very uncomfortable, so they took him to the hospital," Leon Margules of Seminole Warriors Boxing, Marquez's promoter, said from Germany.

Margules said he and Abraham promoter Chris Meyer of Sauerland Event quickly rescheduled the fight.

"The whole card was canceled and we'll leave [Sunday] as planned and then come back a week or 10 days before the fight in November," Margules said. "Raul is very disappointed because he was ready to fight."

The fight had been scheduled for American pay-per-view, but Margules said with the postponement, television plans for Nov. 8 were up in the air.

Abraham (27-0, 22 KOs) and Marquez (41-3-1, 29 KOs) both won on the same card June 21 in Hollywood, Fla., in Abraham's American debut.

Abraham knocked out Edison Miranda in their non-title rematch, and Marquez, a former junior middleweight titleholder, upset Giovanni Lorenzo in an elimination bout on the undercard to earn the shot at Abraham.

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.

FIGHT NEWSS

Abraham-Marquez Presser !
King Arthur looking forward to
“tough challenge” against El Diamante

October 1, 2008
from FightNews.com

IBF middleweight champion King Arthur Abraham (27-0, 22 KOs) and mandatory challenger Raul Marquez (41-3, 29 KOs) voiced their respect for each other at today´s press conference in Bamberg. “I am happy to be here in Germany to fight Abraham”, the 37-year-old American stated. “He is a great champion and I do have a lot of respect for him. But I came here to win.” Marquez does not expect the fight to end early. “I don´t think there will be a KO,” he added. “I have prepared myself for 12 rounds. I am ready to exploit Abraham´s weaknesses.”

King Arthur will be out to please his home fans – Bamberg is the city where he started to box – for a second time in 17 months. Back in May 2007, in his first fight after breaking his jaw against Edison Miranda, the 28-year-old knocked out Sebastien Demers in the third round. But King Arthur knows that Marquez will be a much tougher opponent. “He is fast, mobile and clever,” Abraham assessed. “In other words: He is a really good boxer. That will be a tough challenge for me. In my last mandatory title defense I stopped Khoren Gevor but Marquez is much stronger than him.”

Ulli Wegner also is full of praise for the 37-year-old ex-champion. “I know Marquez for a long, long time,” he said. “I saw him at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. During the times of the GDR, he once fought against on of our guys. Ten years ago he was world champion, and he has gotten stronger and more experienced since. Many people were surprised to see him beat Lorenzo in the eliminator, but not me. Arthur will be in for a hard battle but I expect him to succeed.”

In the co-featured main event, Enad Licina (14-1, 8 KOs) will clash with Otis Griffin (19-3, 7 KOs) for the IBF intercontinental cruiserweight title. “He is a strong opponent but I have prepared very well,” said Licina, who was joined by coach Manfred Wolke at today´s press conference. “Sparring could not have been better. I am keen to win the first title of my professional career.”