The Weekly Wrap: Jan. 30 - Feb. 5

Odds and Ends

• HDNet and the longstanding King of the Cage promotion have announced a multi-year partnership that will see KOTC events broadcast on the MMA-friendly network every month. The first event will air Feb. 12. The deal was brokered through noted reality television producer Mark Burnett, who worked with King of the Cage dating back to the Pro Elite days and on the MTV “Bully Beatdown” series.

The California-based promotion made its debut in Japan on Jan. 30. The “Toryumon” card in Okinawa saw Shooto’s first 123- and 132-pound champion Mamoru Yamaguchi submit unbeaten Frank Baca via rear-naked choke to become the KOTC junior flyweight champion. In addition, Bellator veteran Toby Imada knocked out Daisuke Hanazawa, Dream veteran Kotetsu Boku defeated KOTC’s lightweight champion Tony Hervey by unanimous decision and Roxanne Modafferi submitted Molly Helsel.

• Cole Escovedo and Issac de Jesus captured titles and several other notables competed on the latest offering from the Tachi Palace Fights promotion on Feb. 4 in Lemoore, Calif. Escovedo submitted Jeff Bedard in the first round with a triangle coke to take the bantamweight title, while de Jesus became featherweight champion with a first-round knockout of Strikeforce and Sengoku veteran Nam Phan.

Also picking up big wins on the card were Michael MacDonald, Anthony Ruiz and Gabe Ruediger. McDonald unleashed heavy combinations to stop former WEC title contender Manny Tapia in the first round, Ruiz took grizzled veteran Hector Ramirez to a unanimous decision, and Ruediger submitted Dominque Robinson in the second.

• Wisconsin became the 43rd U.S. state to pass a law regulation MMA this week when Governor Jim Doyle affixed his signature to the legislation. The UFC is reportedly looking at a card in the next year. In California, the athletic commission appointed a new executive director this week in George Dodd, formerly a regulatory figure in Washington.

• The UFC announced that it will be offering a Spanish language feed for its pay-per-view events starting with UFC 111 on March 27. Troy Santiago and Victor Davila will be the announcers, and fighter interviews and screen graphics and video packages will be translated. A French feed will also be available for Canadian pay-per-view operators.

• Strikeforce announced this week it has secured a deal with Shine International that will see more than 70 hours of its archived fights air on Bravo in the United Kingdom, Turner in Latin America, FX in Portugal, Megasport in the Ukraine, Seven Network in Australia and Dahlia TV in Italy. Live events through Feb. 2012 will also be distributed through the deal. Shine is a highly successful conglomeration of independent production and distribution companies that focuses on marketing television products internationally.

• EA Sports announced several new additions to its “EA Sports MMA” video game due out next year. Strikeforce fighters Dan Henderson, Tim Kennedy, Bobby Lashley and Tyron Woodley will be featured. In other video game news, THQ revealed the UFC Undisputed 2010 cover this week featuring Brock Lesnar. The game will be released May 25, before the EA game.

• Former “Mighty Morphin Power Ranger” Jason David Frank made a successful pro MMA debut on Jan. 30 in Texas, using an oma plata in the first round to tap Jonathon Mack. Frank was rocked by an early punch and taken down before easily locating the submission. Frank, 36, who founded the “Jesus Didn’t Tap” clothing line, has trained with Melvin Guillard and jiu-jitsu with the Gracia Barra camp. Frank played the green and white rangers in the Power Rangers series that was wildly popular in the mid-90s.

• British heavyweight Rob Broughton triumphed in a one-night tournament featuring some of the U.K.’s more notable heavyweights on Jan. 30 in East Sussex. Broughton, an M-1 Challenge veteran, defeated UFC veteran Neil Wain via submission, PRIDE veteran James Thompson via knockout and relative newcomer Oli Thompson to take the tournament. James Thompson put away former Cage Rage champion and tournament favorite Tengiz Tedoradze via second round TKO earlier in the night.