Mike Russell caught up with Warrior One (W-1) president Jack Bateman at the MMA Expo in Toronto last weekend to talk about his upcoming show on Saturday night and what the future holds for the burgeoning Ontario, Canada-based promotion. According to the promoter, his organization has some big plans for the rest of 2010 and beyond that includes signing the top free agents from around the world and developing the talent at home in the Great White North.
Besides their "Judgement Day" show set for this Saturday night in Laval, Quebec that features UFC and PRIDE veteran Denis Kang (32-12-1), Shooto veteran Antonio Carvalho (11-4), Zahabi MMA standout Thierry Quenneville (15-8) and the return of Ivan Menjivar (20-7), Bateman says that the promotion is planning two more events this year.
W-1 will travel to Nova Scotia in September for a show that Bateman revealed will feature a welterweight bout between former UFC 170-pound champion Carlos Newton (15-13) and Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (35-11-2).
Another coveted fighter he says they have signed is grappling phenom Xande Ribeiro (2-0), who will make his W-1 debut in either the September or November show, both of which will be streamed in high definition on Justin.tv.
Currently, W-1 is under an agreement with Fox Sports that sees highlights of its events broadcast each week to millions of homes across North and South America and Asia.
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Comments
Fri, 06/18/10 - 09:25
I wonder if the dicks down the street are going to make cracks of Mrussell for his looks, style, glasses, or hair again. I say, hypocritical elitist dicks.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 09:35
More news from Canada........ meh.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 09:36
I think I'll go watch another 0 - 0 tie in the World Cup instead of finishing that video.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 09:37
Speaking of elitist dicks...
Fri, 06/18/10 - 09:45
Most fans give a shit about Xande, Sakurai and Newton...
Fri, 06/18/10 - 09:47
Is that a CP sticker on the mic, Mike? Where can we pick up such an item?
Fri, 06/18/10 - 09:50
I made that one, but we have some giveaway items in the works, man.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 09:51
Big talk, coming from a guy named after a volley ball... You know, I harp on Canada as much as anyone else here (Okay, maybe more, but it's all in good fun, I swear), but if The US, Mexico, and Canada joined forces, we'd have an unstoppable army of badass fighters that could easily take on the best from Japan and Brazil. Maybe there should be a World Cup of MMA tournament between the continents.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 09:53
Give aways? Mike have I told you want an amazing journalist you are lately? And nice glasses, pay no attention to the asshole neighbors. The fauxhawk is somewhat douche-y though.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 09:57
Mike's got some swag-makin' skillz fellas... so look sharp! Sweet... giveaways rule!
Fri, 06/18/10 - 10:03
It's a mohawk, if that makes any difference, Viva Hate.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 10:04
@ MRussell. You got me there. I am interested in Xande. Sakurai is still somewhat relevant. Newton... not as much. You make a good point, and I'll keep the elitist dickishness under wraps for now and finish watching the interview. @ El Famous. I like your idea. The US, Canada and Mexico could join together like some sort of Voltron super-continent, and be virtually unstoppable. I think the borders already match up pretty well for just such a joining.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 10:10
@Mike Russell My apologies, it is walking a thin line between cool and douchey mohawk are for those kick ass fauxhawk are for the kids in the Affliction/Ed Hardy shirts Nice interview in the end though.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 10:28
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Xande progress as an mma fighter after being one of the best bjj guys on the planet. I don't really care about most of the other guys though. Like Sakurai is pretty much done...and it's nice to see some old school guys like Carvalho and Menjivar...but they really don't make that much of an imprint on the current mma landscape. As far as GB's choice of fashion and style...you can't judge a book by it's cover. If you could though...his book would be...." Bitches love my 12 sided die." I was kidding Mruss...don't change my name to justskankin.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 10:38
I'm thinking "justcrappin," maybe...
Fri, 06/18/10 - 10:41
as a canadian resident, i appreciate the update. kudos Russdawg
Fri, 06/18/10 - 10:45
Ok, first of all PLEASE tell me i can watch this broadcast. You guys may shit on Newton - Sakurai, but i'll stay up til 3 watching DREAM because i'm effin' retart (apparently). Second, hey i rock a fauxhawk on fridays at work. 'Cause i think it's edgy and hip and makes me look taller badass. Third, those glasses are nothing. I still got some BCG's from basic, and i thinki may wear them if i ever do fighter interviews. it'll be my gimmick, and it will keep all the hot female fighters off of me. Like last night, Lisa Ward looked directly at me and smiled, and i was like, "c'mon, chick, i'm married, ok?" Fourth....i forgot. Damn, i'm sleepy.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 10:46
Damn Mike. You are WHITE! Don't they have summers in Canada? I've actually been to Montreal as a kid, so i know for a fact that they do. I also remember the downtown area was filled with strip clubs... and arcades. Anyone know if it's still like that?
Fri, 06/18/10 - 10:50
2DaDeath: Yes, we have summers here, but I'm too busy attempting to give you guys your fill of MMA news all day to ever enjoy any of it. ;)And Montreal is the same as you remember it...
Fri, 06/18/10 - 10:52
Clever...and all you had to do was remove one letter. It's so subtle...I had to read it five times to see the change...lol. On a more serious note...it would be fitting, I ate some pizza dipped in bleu cheese last night and washed it all down with some newcastle brown....quite the digestive debacle.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 11:04
Thanks for your dedication! Also, are you guys ever gonna sell those CP t's you're wearing? I would totally rock one cuz it's almost exactly the opposite of POS clothing.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 11:04
@justscrappin Pizza with ranch dressing and Newcastle is a delightful combination, despite the "side effects". And, you have to know what a 12-sided die is for before you can make jokes at it's expense, nerd! Oh, wait, did I just out myself? Cloak of Invisibility!
Fri, 06/18/10 - 11:07
@ McWrasslin' OK, I take it back. You're not a fat Mauro. You could probably throw Mauro in a double chicken wing and make him tap to a neck crank. Shave the sides on the 'hawk down a bit and get a creepy army-surplus jacket and you could maybe make a young Bobby D. You just got to post a clip of yourself staring in the mirror going: "You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talking... you talking to me? Well I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?"
Fri, 06/18/10 - 11:08
New dad looks like Jack Osbourne!!!! hahahahaha. new dad is Ozzy's son, holy shnickies!
Fri, 06/18/10 - 11:13
@ JuiceScraping I've called you Just Crappin' at least ten times before. But it was all out of brotherly love. And the fact that I shit like four times a day.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 11:15
justfappin
Fri, 06/18/10 - 11:16
BTW, i'm glad i've finally found some people that pronounce Sakurai's ring name as "Mock", and not "Ma Ha", which has confused the shit out of me for forever.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 11:21
@Mike Russell In your dreams that's a mohawk. Just because it's shorter on the sides than on the top doesn't mean it's a mohawk. Listen, if you want to walk around with a mohawk, commit to it! (w w w . evan . org/images/mohawk.jpg)
Fri, 06/18/10 - 11:30
All the animals come out at night - whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 11:33
If Jack Osbourne and Weezer had a kid IT would loo... Ahhh, nothing.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 12:05
Justfappin is my fav.....Yes MRuss hangs out with Rivers Cuomo and they compare the comfort of their hip frames ( which actually don't have prescription lenses in them.....OBVIOUSLY.) and how they wish Elvis Costello was their real father...( which he is, but that's his little secret.) It's Friday CP Army...and this is your sargent goochsmoocher ready to pump it up ( costello reference..wink wink.) Now where the fuck are our link dumps...and there better be one link I can just Fap to.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 12:07
Not a bad interview and I won't poke fun at M.R.'s glasses or hair (that would be the pot calling the kettle black in my case), but I will say this negative comment.... FIRE THE CAMERA GUY! It's hand held, so a little shake is acceptable, but the way he frames a shot is not acceptable. BOO!
Fri, 06/18/10 - 12:13
Yeah MRuss...when you going to start doing these interviews Gonzo style?
Fri, 06/18/10 - 12:22
Sorry, Mike... If you have to tell us that it's a mohawk, is it really a mohawk? It's like the kid that's not fat, just big boned. I still like you though. You're not bald, and you don't look like Henry Rollins, but the Jack Osbourne/Weezer lovechild you just may be.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 12:40
@ dranokills You can't split up a happy family, then let a new guy who looks like a scrawny cross between Jack Osborne and Mauro Ranallo move in, and then expect us all to call him Dad. He is not my real Dad! Besides, if all of you get attached to him so quickly, you'll only be let down all the harder when he leaves us because he only joined our family to begin with so he could get a green card.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 12:48
hxxp://img337.imageshack.us/img337/4117/84954600.jpgA. A mohawk (albeit a grown in one) and glasses DON'T make me look like either of these guys. B. My wife filmed this and she has been reprimanded.C. I am as blind as a bat without my glasses and I've had the same style of frames for ten years. Wire frames don't suit me.D. I'm thinking Gonzo may be fun, but might also get me slugged a few times in the process...I've been hit before, so why not?
Fri, 06/18/10 - 12:54
E. New rule. Anyone who wants to talk about the looks of other men (which should say something by itself) must post a photo of their supposed Brad Pitt-looking selves...
Fri, 06/18/10 - 12:56
I think there is something missing from the recipe I think it should be equal parts Jack Osbourne/Weezer/Rainn Wilson with a tiny dash of those queens from Good Charlotte for the hair.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 01:06
Viva Hate is first to break the rules...Let's think of a new nickname for him...
Fri, 06/18/10 - 01:10
You guys are all creepy-looking weirdos. Here's my credentials... hxxp://www.buffalorising.com/zubaz_ful_18598314.jpg
Fri, 06/18/10 - 02:02
Neva Straight? That's a tough one, Mike.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 02:23
Viva Penis? Sorry, man, you brought this on yourself. Rules are rules, and without rules, we'd be a bunch of crap-flinging monkeys. Like Sherdog.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 02:24
Viva Herpes?
Fri, 06/18/10 - 02:43
@ El Famous We should leave Viva be. It is those rules that make places like Sherdog no fun. I thought our ability to freely fling crap amongst ourselves is what separated us from those overly regulated sites with humorless moderators and self important caste systems based on post counts. But what do I know? I'm just a white belt.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 02:54
Ooo-eee-ooo I like just like Buddy Holly.. Vivia stevia?? I don't care what they say about me anyway, I don't care 'bout that.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 02:58
@ RwilsonR You are so right on about that. I was trying to give myself a legitimate reason for teasing Viva Hate. Your post reminded me that I need no reason: this is Cage Potato. We rag on each other all the time. It's pretty frickin' sweet.
Fri, 06/18/10 - 03:35
Viva Haiti Cabron!! Matando Gueros - !!Viva la raza!! Matando Gueros - !!Estilo Pancho Villa!! Matando Gueros - !!Satanas de cuida!! Matando G?eros - !!Matando Gueros!!
Fri, 06/18/10 - 05:22
viva...I like you...but I have to see others? is that a good name?
Fri, 06/18/10 - 09:11
I buy the mohawk explanation. I can't say anything about anyone else's looks. I'm a goofy lookin' motherfucker. I let my hair grow a bit and I look more like Shaggy than Matthew Lillard did in those movies. I mean Shaggy from Scooby Doo, of course. Not that dude from around 2000 who had that song about getting caught buck naked banging on the bathroom floor.
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