MMA News

Is there any real wonder why the UFC is divesting in the heavyweight division?  It's dead! The only April action was a first round TKO of Silvao Santos (1-1) by tenth-ranked Aleksander Emelianenko (13-3).  It might as well have been a Monday morning sparring session. So, why did "Maine-iac" Tim Sylvia (24-4) and "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko (27-1) sink a spot respectively?  Sylvia's stoppage of "Pitbull" Andrei Arlovski (12-5) in 2006 fell off their two-year records, which is the time span Fighters.com considers when ranking fighters. The division's future is just as bleak as the recent past. Adrenaline MMA still insists Emelianenko's claim of an official fight with Sylvia in June is false.  To boot, the promotion that promotes Sylvia and rising heavyweight Ben Rothwell (29-5) claims Emelianenko's delinquent repayment of a $500,000 signing bonus left over from the M-1 Global era is also holding up a fight for Rothwell on the same card.  Though Rothwell insists it ain't happenin', he's been rumored to have been matched versus Arlovski. All four fighters and the entire division need those two fights. Unfortunately, third-ranked "Babyface Assassin" Josh Barnett's (21-5) rise will be short-lived because his submission of tenth-ranked Aleksander Emelianenko (13-3) will fall off his two-year record next month.  He's scheduled to grapple with always competitive "The Snowman" Jeff Monson (24-7) at Sengoku this month; but, even the expected "W" can't replace the submission of Emelianenko. The UFC has scheduled a contender match-up between seventh-ranked "Vai Cavalo" Fabricio Werdum (10-3-1) and "The Truth" Brandon Vera (8-1) for London in June.  A win for Vera will launch him into the division's top ten; a win for "Vai Cavalo" will prove that he belongs. First-ranked "Minotauro" Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1) is rumored to be mauling a UFC title defense against Frank Mir (11-3).  For the love of God!  Mir is a gentleman, a technician on the mat, and a fine fighter.  He is not the top heavyweight contender in the UFC. So goes a division where “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (2-0) and Brock Lesnar (1-1) make bank at the box office. May Heavyweight Rankings 1. "Minotauro" Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1) It ain't pretty! Nogueira has turned "blocking punches with your face" into a winning strategy versus top teners Sylvia, Herring, Barnett, and Werdum in the last two years, earning him Fighters.com's first ranking at heavyweight. 2. "The Natural" Randy Couture (16-8) The best strategist in a weight class of brutes returned to solve the 6'8" riddle of Sylvia over five grueling rounds to reclaim UFC's title, then forced Cro Cop-slayer Gonzaga to wish MMA had timeouts in a bloody three-round TKO. 3. "The Babyface Assassin" Josh Barnett (21-5) "The Babyface Assassin" returned to tap Hidehiko Yoshida and is the last man to beat Noguiera. Even with an involuntary 14-month layoff, he holds submissions over tenth-ranked Aleksander Emelianenko and hard-headed Mark Hunt in the last two years. 4. "Maine-iac" Tim Sylvia (24-4) The oft maligned "Maine-iac" has meshed his stature with world-class striking, championship cardio, and a Jeff Monson-tested ground game. His losses are to legends Nogueira and Couture, but he’s failed to lay out ripe KO candidates Arlovski and Monson. 5. "Pitbull" Andrei Arlovski (12-5) “Pitbull” has fought like a poodle since getting neutered by Sylvia in an ‘06 KO loss, but was able to steal a decision from Werdum in the most disappointing fight of ’07.  Perhaps free agency will reignite the once explosive fighter’s fire. 6. "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko (27-1) Rankings reflect what has happened in fights with a predilection towards the most recent and Emelianenko hasn't fought another top ten heavyweight in 32 months.   He'll take sixth and like it, or take first in a real fight.  It's his decision. 7. "Vai Cavalo" Fabricio Werdum (10-3-1) "Vai Cavalo" spanked Gonzaga like a bad monkey in January, his fourth consecutive top ten matchup, going 2-2 with two stoppage wins.  He’s likely Nogueira’s first UFC title challenge in a rematch that ended in a close decision for Nogueira in PRIDE. 8. "Texas Crazy Horse" Heath Herring (28-13) Herring’s bungle versus Nogueira was beefed-up with a strong decision over Cheick Kongo in March.   Three losses to Nogueira stop-gaps a potential UFC title challenge, but the “Texas Crazy Horse” will valiantly defend the gate to the UFC’s gold. 9. "Napao" Gabriel Gonzaga (8-3) After mauling Mirko Filipovic in Manchester, "Napao" risks becoming a footnote in MMA history with consecutive stoppage losses to Couture and Werdum.  The big man has the tools to remain top ten for years to come, but does he have the heart? 10. Aleksander Emelianenko (13-3) Fedor's li’l bro’ isn’t lost in the shadow of "The Last Emporer". In the last two years, the man with the coldest stare down in MMA has outclassed his brother in competition, losing only to top ten heavies while TKOing fellow Russian Sergei Kharitonov. ...

Fresh from the biggest "W" of his career, "Tobikan Judan" Shinya Aoki (15-2) has been forced out of DREAM's Lightweight Grand Prix due to a facial injury suffered during his unanimous decision victory over "JZ" Gesias Calvancante (14-2-1). According to Sherdog, Calvancante was contacted by DREAM to replace Aoki, but couldn't come to terms with DREAM executives. Aoki was scheduled to fight Katsuhiko Nagata (4-2) 11 May, who defeated Artur Oumakhanov (7-3) at DREAM.1 to advance to the Grand Prix's second round.  ...

UFC middleweight Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-7) revealed on his blog today that the judoka-turned-fighter is brushing up on the sweet science. Nakamura is training with Japanese cruiserweight boxer Ryosuke Takahashi, a former Oriental & Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) Cruiserweight Champion with a 17-5 boxing record.  The OPBF is a minor title under the World Boxing Council umbrella of 11 regional sanctioning federations. Nakamura is set to battle Fighters.com's fourth-ranked light heavyweight "The African Assassin" Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2) in an all-judo showdown on the undercard of UFC 84. Sokoudjou posted Tuesday on his blog that he's training with Olympic judoka's "Shango" Hector Lombard (15-2-1) of Cuba and Pawel Nastula (1-3) of Poland, evidently expecting his fight with Nakamura to be more of a demonstration of circle theory. ...

In a Q'n'A with British Newspaper The Sun, Fighters.com's ninth-ranked light heavyweight "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz claimed, "My hardest fight was with Randy Couture.  He beat me in a five-round decision and he took my championship belt from me and it really, really sucks.  I had so much training and it was a terrible loss." Ortiz and "The Natural" Randy Couture (16-8) cranked out five rounds in September 2003 while Ortiz was at the top of his game, having dispatched six consecutive challengers with names such as tenth-ranked light heavyweight "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1), Yuki Kondo (48-21-6), IFL Light Heavyweight Champion "The Janitor" Vladimir Matyushenko (21-3), and MMA pioneer "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock (26-13-2). Ortiz also paid respects to Shamrock and Royce Gracie (14-3-3). "The first thing I really looked at was Royce and Ken Shamrock - they were the two big names in the UFC, great athletes. "Royce was the guy who was submitting all the wrestling guys with them being on top. "I really look up to him - if it wasn’t for him our sport wouldn’t be where it is now. Royce, myself, Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell are the names that built the sport that is today." ...

The UFC has struck again, releasing middleweight "El Dirte" Joe Doerksen (39-12) Tuesday. Doerksen was on the wrong end of "Knockout of the Night" versus "The Athlete" Jason MacDonald (20-9) 11 days ago in Montréal. "(The UFC officials) made it very clear they're very happy with the way I fight and they want me to come back," Doerksen told Sportsnet.ca.  "But they need me to go put a couple of wins together (first)." Doerksen joins fellow middleweights "The Serial Killer" Travis Lutter and Kalib Starnes in the unemployment line after fighting at UFC 83. The 30-year old veteran made his UFC debut in August 2004, submitting on strikes to "Diesel" Joe Riggs (27-10).  Since, "El Dirte" is 1-5 in the organization and another loss in UFC brother promotion the WEC. The bright spotlight has been too hot for Doerksen, but his docket lists "W's" over Denis Kang (29-10-1), "Crippler" Chris Leben (18-4), Riki Fukuda (9-3), and "The Natural" John Alessio (22-11) on other stages. "I'm sure I'll be back again," Doerkson said. ...

"Tobikan Judan" Shinya Aoki (15-2) won a unanimous decision over "JZ" Gesias Calvancante (14-2-1) in a Lightweight Grand Prix bout. The rest of the card were fights in the Middleweight Grand Prix. Gegard Mousasi (21-2-1) submitted Denis Kang (29-10-1) in a triangle choke at 3:10 of round one. Taiei Kin (3-2) won a unaninmous decision over "The Punk" Ikuhisa Minowa (39-28-8). "Benkei" Zelg Galesic (8-3) submitted Magomed Sultanakhmedov (4-2) by armbar at 1:40 of round one. "The Gracie Hunter" Kazushi Sakuraba (24-10-1) sumbitted Andrews Nakahara (0-1) by neck crank at 8:20 of the first round. "Jacare" Ronaldo Souza (8-1) submitted Ian Murphy (0-1) by rear naked choke at 3:38 of the first round. Kiyoshi Tamura (32-14-1) TKO Masakatsu Funaki (38-13-1) in 57 seconds. Dong Sik Yoon (4-4) won a unanimous decision over Shungo Oyama (7-11). ...

Sunday night, Differ Ariake in Tokyo hosted the latest installment of Pancrase. Light heavyweight Grabaka striker Keiichiro Yamamiya (33-22-9) scored a second consecutive upset, this time going long with veteran Yuki Kondo (48-21-6).   The judges called a majority decision in Yamamiya's favor by scores of 30-29 twice and 30-30. In December, Yamamiya won an upset unanimous decision over Ryo Kawamura (8-2-2). Pancrase crowned a new King at welterweight when Takuya Wada (17-8-8) won a unanimous decision over Jason Palacios (5-4).  Palacios was a late replacement for Frenchman Bryan Rafiq (5-2). Lightweight King of Pancrase Shoji Maruyama (6-2-1) weathered a mat struggle with Koji Oishi (16-7-5) to retain his title by majority draw.  Judges scores were 30-29 for Oishi, 29-29, and 30-30. "The Pink Typhoon" Yuji Hisamatsu (11-14-4) blew over Swede Matti Makela (9-6) by TKO at 4:52 of the first round. "J-Taro" Masaya Takita (9-9-2) evened up his record with a second-round KO of Manabu Inoue (6-4-1) at 1:16.  "J-Taro" clocked Inoue clean with a knee strike as Inoue shot. Middleweight warrior Ryuji Ohori (3-2) battled back from a pounding to submit Daisuke Watanabe (17-28-4) in an armbar at 4:46 of the second round.  It was Watanabe's third consecutive defeat. Team Sakuraba's Wataru Takahashi submitted Yuko Sakaguchi in an armbar at 4:23 of round one. Undefeated Djamal Kurbanov (3-0-1) and Katsuya Inoue (16-5-3) fought to a majority draw by scores of 30-29 for Inoue, 29-29, and 28-28. Lightweight Steve Magdaleno (4-0-1) won a unanimous decision over Korean Il Gyu Park (1-1). Featherweight Hirotoshi Saito (1-0) won a unanimous decision debut over Hayatao Shimizu. Bantamweight Yasutomo Tanaka (5-1-3) submitted Motonobu Tezuka (6-3-1) by rear naked choke at 2:30 of round two. In his pro debut, Takuya Eizumi (1-0) TKO'd featherweight Ryota Sasaki (0-2) at :43 of round two. ...

He who wishes to fight must first count the cost.  The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. - Sun Tzu, The Art of War Remember the World Fighting Alliance?  Perhaps not since only a generously estimated 300,000 watched their last event, King of the Streets, on 22 July, 2006. After an aggressive free agent signing campaign that netted the WFA Fighters.com's first-ranked light heavyweight "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (28-6), third-ranked light heavyweight "The Dragon" Lyoto Machida (12-0), eighth-ranked heavyweight "Texas Crazy Horse" Heath Herring (28-13), tenth-ranked welterweight "Mayhem" Jason Miller (20-5), former WEC Lightweight Champion "Razor" Rob McCullough (15-4), WEC Featherweight Champion "California Kid" Urijah Faber (20-1), and veterans "The Law" Matt Lindland (20-5), "El Guapo" Bas Rutten (28-4-1), and "The Beastman" Marvin Eastman (15-7-1), the Las Vegas-based promotion folded and eventually sold-out to cross town competitor the UFC. Marquee names and great fighters don't equal guaranteed market share.  The 2006 WFA final hurrah sold just 2,300 tickets and an estimated 50,000 PPV buys. Marquee names and great fighters do cost a lot of green. You don't have to be an MBA to realize high costs and low sales don't add up. Hold that thought for a moment.  Switch gears. A lot of MMA fans are confused since the UFC started cutting weight from their fighter roster. Perhaps it started when heavyweight "Cro Cop" Mirko Filipovic (23-6-2) was granted release from his contract in February.  In March, third-ranked heavyweight "Maine-iac" Tim Sylvia was also granted release. Many of the UFC's unranked, but popular fighters have been released in the last month, perhaps perfectly symbolized by the widely reported release of heavyweight prospect "Irish" Jake O'Brien (10-1).  Yesterday, "The Serial Killer" Travis Lutter (9-5) announced he had been released too, to the dismay of many fans. OK, now hold both thoughts.  Let's review a few facts. Fact: Second-ranked heavyweight "The Natural" Randy Couture (16-8) is paid $250,000 per win in base salary by the UFC.  Couture thinks he's so underpaid that he's refused to continue fighting for that salary. Fact: M-1 Global formed to promote fights for fifth-ranked heavyweight "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko (27-1), but never produced an event due to Emelianenko's prohibitive purse rendering any event immediately in the red, according to Adrenaline MMA CEO Monte Cox. Fact: EliteXC offered Emelianenko $400,000 per win, which he turned down in favor of an undisclosed deal with Affliction.  (Emelianenko requested $2 million per fight according to ProElite Live Events President Gary Shaw.) According to two of the most popular MMA promotions, somewhere between $250,000 and $400,000 is the market price for a top heavyweight. But, the MMA market is more competitive than it ever has been and promotions are bidding up fighter purses. Emelianenko eventually signed with Affliction for an undisclosed amount before Affliction has staged a single event.  Assume Emelianenko was offered more than $400,000 per win, beating EliteXC's offer. That doesn't necessarily mean Emelianenko's presence on a fight card guarantees he'll make back the purse he'll be paid.  Remember the WFA? Promotions are in a rush to buy market share.  They have deep pockets and see MMA as a good investment. Companies can buy market share, but they'll pay a premium.  They'll overpay for fighters who can't deliver their salary in PPV buys. UFC President Dana White knows the market is more competitive and saturated than ever before and competing promotions are willing to overpay for any fighter they can slap on a poster labeled "former UFC". The UFC can either try to outspend the competition buying-up and holding on to fighters; or, flood the market with fighters and let the competing promotions outbid each other into bankruptcy to feature "former UFC title contender Travis Lutter" at their next event. The forum freaks who're appalled White would release Lutter after two losses know they're not going to shell out $44.95 to watch him gas after one round again. But, Lutter isn't going to bankrupt anyone.  It's the big guys who're the key to White's strategy. It's the thinning UFC heavyweight class that's confusing many fans. White paid "Cro Cop" $1,050,000 to beat Eddie Sanchez (8-1), get mauled by "Napao" Gabriel Gonzaga (8-3), and nearly retire in the cage versus Cheick Kongo (11-4-1).  Can even the most loyal Filipovic fan contend White got his money's worth? White had to drop $200,000 every time tough Sylvia won, but Sylvia is one of the most disliked fighters in MMA.  The UFC couldn't even headline the two-time champion's third title challenge versus "Minotauro" Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1) at UFC 81.  MMA rookie Brock Lesnar (1-1) was the main event. Remember too, Emelianenko's North American debut at PRIDE 32 broke no PPV or attendance records. The heavyweight class salaries are irrational based on the revenues heavyweights generate. White is chumming the MMA waters with fighters hoping sharks like Affliction, HDNet Fights, and EliteXC go on a feeding frenzy into bankruptcy like the WFA and BodogFight before them. ...

"The Serial Killer" Travis Lutter (9-5) announced on his MySpace blog this afternoon that his agent informed him yesterday he had been released from his UFC contract due to two consecutive losses. Last week in Montréal Lutter was TKO’d on strikes by Fighters.com’s second-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (23-3). In February 2007, Lutter tapped out amidst furious elbows launched by Fighters.com’s first-ranked middleweight “Spider” Anderson Silva (21-4). Lutter initially weighed-in two pounds overweight for his title shot versus Silva, which he won as a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback.  He couldn't make the weight limit and the bout was changed to a non-title bout. ...

Louisville-based Revolution Fight League has a new gem to polish in Welterweight Champion Roger Bowling (3-0). After a brief tussle with former 170-pound titlist Shamar Bailey (8-1) of Indianapolis, Bowling and his two fists convinced the referee to stop the main event title fight in the first round at Broadbent Arena Saturday night. With a resemblance to WEC Featherweight Champion "California Kid" Urijah Faber (20-1) and the Midwestern manners of fellow Cincinnatian "Ace" Rich Franklin (23-3), Bowling pops off event posters often graced by bad tats and Mohawks. At the initial bell in Lousiville, Bowling popped out of his corner windmilling combos, backing Bailey to the fence.  Bowling launched a right high kick as Bailey ducked to a single leg take down.  Bowling collapsed atop his opponent. Bowling tagged Bailey on the mat; and, Bailey scrambled furiously out from beneath the young talent.  But, Bowling smelled blood and ran Bailey down, pounding lefts and rights until the referee called a stop to the fight. Bowling dedicated his 170-pound title to his training team at Team G-Force.  The 24-year old's future is likely at 155-pounds as he steps-up in competition. For three five-minute rounds earlier in the night, bantamweights Orville Smith (9-0) of Indianapolis and Louisville's own Josh Ferguson (2-1) matched each other's tenacity, whether in Ferguson's zone throwing mean leather or on Smith's mat filing through submissions and dropping monster slams.   Their fight was a classic that neither warrior lost until the judges called it 29-8 twice and 28-29 for the visitor to L-town, Smith, by split decision. Smith told the booing partisan crowd that the "W" capped-off a 50 hour work week. Ferguson's brother, featherweight "Boogieman" BJ Ferguson (1-0), avenged Josh's loss with a unanimous decision over Brandon Bell (0-2) in an all-Kentucky slog. Ferguson, unlike his brother, seemed more comfortable on the mat, shooting out at the initial bell and working a G'n'P offense inside Bell's open guard.  Bell closed and tightened his guard and pegged Ferguson's skull with elbows until Ferguson postured up and swung three looping lefts in return fire. Bell walked up the cage to his feet.  Ferguson ran into a stiff jab, but managed to clinch up and land a knee to Bell's head to break. Bell countered aggressively with a 1-2-3 combo, but Ferguson clinched again and landed the same knee to Bell's head. In the second round, Ferguson consistently hammered Bell's skull with a knee in the clinch. Bell secured a body lock, but Ferguson dropped levels and slammed Bell.  Ferguson mounted, but got anxious for the death blow and attempted a premature armbar on his slippery opponent.  Bell rolled into Ferguson's full guard and postured; but, Ferguson again swung his legs into an armbar.  Bell yanked free and scrambled into full mount. Bell's mount was clumsy and Ferguson found an Achilles lock; but again Bell scrambled free into Ferguson's full guard.  The ref stood them after a period of inactivity. Again, Ferguson knocked Bell's noggin with a knee in the clinch. Bell was gassed for the final chapter.  He managed a stiff right cross that drove Ferguson back on his heels; but, Bell advanced into Ferguson's clinch and got nailed by that knee again, followed by a Ferguson double leg takedown that ended with Bell inside Ferguson's full guard. Ferguson attempted two more armbars before the final bell. The judges' scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28, all for Ferguson. Featherweight Charles Nutt (2-1) of Rory Singer's Georgia-based camp ruined Brandon Walker's pro debut (0-1) when Nutt's G'n'P barrage forced walker to surrender an arm for a first-round armbar tapout. In heavyweight tussle to begin the night, rookie Mike Yanez (1-0) of Louisville took an overpowering and surprisingly agile brawl to Craig Schoonover (0-1).  Yanez followed a first-round haymaker to the clinch, took Schoonover to the mat, popped into full mount, and pounded until Schoonover surrendered an arm to an armbar at the cage. Light heavyweights "C.T." Craig Turner (1-0) in his pro debut and Derek Sawyer (1-3-1), both of Louisville, frustrated the crowd and the judges in a cycle that slowed to a Sunday stroll by round three. Sawyer, a wrestler, would shoot, followed by a great sprawl by "C.T.".  Sawyer would scramble into side control and easily pass Turner's guard to full mount.  Then...nothing.   By round three, Turner would stand after stuffing Sawyer's shot.  Then...nothing. The judges scored it a split decision "W" for Turner 29-28 twice and 28-29.  I scored it 29-28 for Sawyer, but gave an "L" for anyone who paid to watch. In amateur bouts, lightweight "The Machine" Tim Cook (0-0) of Louisville and Cincinnatian Nick Moeler (0-0) had a ground war for two three-minute rounds before the judges decided it 29-28 for the homeboy, Cook.  Both fighters came to battle. Lightweight Johnny Cardona (0-0) of Miami whooped Lane Splawn (0-0) in a 1:56 TKO.  Splawn assumed turtle guard and Cardona hammered fists through Splawn's defense until the referee stopped the bout.  Cardona shined on the amateur portion of the event. After controversy in the first round, when Joe Heink (0-0) caught Isaiah Combs (0-0) in an armbar, but released it thinking his opponent had tapped, Heink secured a guillotine choke to tap Combs in the second round.  Heink won the RFL amateur welterweight title. Liddell-style Lohawk-sporting Josh Ball (0-0) of Louisville wriggled free of a heel hook to pound Tommy Wales (0-0) to a first-round TKO. Featherweight Rob Smith (0-0) was too slick for boxer Billy Smith (0-0) of Louisville.  He shot for a single leg, transitioned to a double leg slam, landing in the half mount. R. Smith worked a choke to tap out B. Smith just over a minute into round one. ...

"There is nothing signed as of yet," Ron Weinberg, agent for Fighters.com's ninth-ranked lightweight "KenFlo" Kenny Florian (9-3), text messaged me Wednesday night in response to request for confirmation that Florian will fight "El Matador" Roger Huerta (20-1-1) in Minneapolis 9 August. However, in a coy, non-committal explanation, Weinberg explained, "Kenny wants to fight Roger.  Kenny is also eager to fight again soon.  So, August 9th would seem logical." Sources had informed Fighters.com that Huerta was in fact training with UFC Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (16-2) in Montréal with a 9 August Florian fight in mind. Thursday, in an interview with Arianny Celeste at MMA Rated, Huerta confirmed he's training in Montréal with "Rush". "It's possible," Huerta commented on a fight with "KenFlo".  "What better than to fight in August, in Minneapolis, Minnesota?  It's where I live." Though Huerta seemed to shy away from confirming the fight, he ended the interview claiming, "I'll be ready to fight Kenny in August." Florian issued the challenge to Huerta after his second-round TKO of "J-Lau" Joe Lauzon (16-4) in Denver at the beginning of April. Huerta had planned to take a long break after a rear naked choke submission of "The Carpenter" Clay Guida (23-9) in Las Vegas last December. ...

Friday the UFC announced two additional fights at UFC 85 in London. Fresh from a first-round TKO of "Chainsaw" Charles McCarthy (10-5) in Montréal, "The Count" Michael Bisping (15-1) will fight "Crippler" Chris Leben (18-4). Leben TKO'd "Legionarius" Alessio Sakara (12-7) in March. Also, "Sugar" Rashad Evans (11-0-1) has been added back to the card after his original opponent, "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-5), was pulled with an injury. He'll face "The Sandman" James Irvin (14-4), who comes off a UFC record eight-second KO of Houston Alexander (8-3) in Denver earlier this month. ...

Apparel-maker-turned-MMA-promoter Affliction announced the label for their 19 July premier event in Dallas Friday night.  Banned. It's a swipe at the UFC's apparent ban of the company's apparel due to Affliction's relationship with UFC heavyweight co-titlist "The Natural" Randy Couture (16-8), who is in litigation to tap out of his UFC contract. "The Law" Matt Lindland (20-5) made the announcement on Inside MMA.  Lindland is scheduled to fight in Dallas, though no opponent has been named. Fighters.com's fifth-ranked heavyweight "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelinenko (27-1) confirmed at his websitethat a match-up versus third-ranked "Maine-iac" Tim Sylvia will headline the card. However, Adrenaline MMA, Emelianenko's former promoter (then known as M-1 Global), won't release the Russian from his agreement with them until Emelianenko repays a $1.5 million signing bonus. Thursday, Adrenaline MMA VP Brian Patton told Fighters.com, "Fedor [fighting Sylvia] is still not official." Sylvia signed with Adrenaline MMAafter receiving his release from the UFC.  Adrenaline MMA's CEO, Monte Cox, is Sylvia's manager. Patton confirmed Adrenaline MMA's other heavyweight, Ben Rothwell (29-5), will also appear on the card if Emelianenko repays the final $500,000 he owes the promotion. "Rothwell is scheduled to fight in July; but, I would think Fedor's deal would need to come through in order to pull off both fights," Patton explained.  "Big difference only having one of those fights to promote as a promoter versus both fights." ...

Fighters.com's sixth-ranked lightweight "El Niño" Gilbert Melendez (14-1) will defend his Strikeforce title from "The Punk" Josh Thomson (14-2) 27 June in San Jose, Strikeforce announced today. Thompson has been Strikeforce's top contender at 155-pounds for awhile.  Last September "The Punk" TKO'd Adam Lynn (11-8) in front of Hef' and the bunnies at the Playboy Mansion. Melendez mopped up an over-matched Gabe Lemley (11-7) in March after losing his first professional fight last December to "Endless Fighter" Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-3-1). MMA Junkie reports Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth (8-5) will defend his title versus Anthony Ruiz (20-10) on the same card. ...

Fighters.com's fifth- and sixth-ranked welterweights, Matt Hughes (42-6) and "Pitbull" Thiago Alves (14-3) respectively, have stepped-up on late notice to fill the UFC 85 main event spot in London, Hughes announced moments ago on his blog. The original main event matched light heavyweights "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-5) and "Sugar" Rashad Evans (11-0-1).  Liddell was injured last week and UFC President Dana White pulled the fight, promising U.K. fans an adequate replacement. Hughes had aimed at former UFC welterweight titlist "The Terror" Matt Serra (9-5) after Serra's loss to "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (16-2) Saturday and has publicly and privately opposed a role as gate keeper in the UFC's 170-pound division. Alves knocked at the gate earlier this month, TKOing "The Heat" Karo Parisyan (18-5) in Denver. Hughes lost to St. Pierre by verbal submission in Las Vegas in December.  On his blog, he promised, "No matter what happens in this fight, I’ve got Serra next." ...

"Cro Cop" Mirko Filipovic (23-6-2) will return to the ring versus K-1 kickboxer "Geronimo" Jerome LeBanner (3-1-1) at DREAM.4 16 June in Tokyo, reported Cro Cop's sponsor MMA-ID today. The Croation and Frenchman tangled under K-1 rules 12 years ago, making the match-up a rematch of sorts. "Cro Cop" eked out a "W" by five-round unanimous decision in 1996 and is favored under MMA rules due to his experience. LeBanner has taken a two-year hiatus from MMA since knocking out "The Titan" Jimmy Ambriz (11-9-1) in K-1 Hero's. "Geronimo's" only loss was by submission to Tadao Yasuda (2-4) in LeBanner's 2001 MMA debut. The prolific kickboxer owns 73 wins against 14 losses in kickboxing. Filipovic comes off 56-second KO of Tatsuya Mizuno (3-3) at DREAM.1. ...

Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked middleweight “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (16-6) has been dropped from DREAM.2's Middleweight Grand Prix. Trigg had insisted to MMA Junkie over the weekend that he had never signed to fight on the card. "Twinkle Toes" had been matched versus BJJ stud "Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (7-1). Souza will now fight American amateur wrestler Ian Murphy, who has never competed in professional mixed martial arts. Murphy wrestled collegiately at Cal State Fullerton. Trigg was the only Fighters.com top ten ranked middleweight in the Grand Prix. ...

"I think I can beat Franklin.  I think I can beat Silva.  I’m not lacking for confidence," "The Serial Killer" Travis Lutter (9-5) told Fight Ticker's Pramit Mohapatra today. Saturday in Montréal Lutter was TKO'd on strikes by Fighters.com's second-ranked middleweight "Ace" Rich Franklin (23-3). In February 2007, Lutter tapped out amidst furious elbows launched by Fighters.com's first-ranked middleweight "Spider" Anderson Silva (21-4). Though Lutter oozes confidence, he lacks wins over those two elite 185-pounders. "I got caught," Lutter explains his loss to Franklin. After the fight, Franklin identified Lutter's conditioning as a weakness "Ace" aimed to exploit. "I don't think my conditioning is usually a reason that I lose," Lutter argued, but later explained, "I win in the first round against these guys, but I’m losing the war." Lutter also vented about "hate mail" he claims to have received, "Fans of this sport just suck.  The guy who is taking the time out of his day that lives in Kentucky to email me to tell me what a piece of shit I am.  You really have to question, what is his motivation?  How sad of an individual is that?" (In interest of full disclosure, the author of this article lives in Kentucky and thinks Lutter sucks.) Lutter back-tracked, "I’m not saying MMA fans.  I’m saying the people that are writing me this shit.  I think the average MMA fan rules." ...

UFC middleweight "Chainsaw" Charles McCarthy (10-5) announced his retirement to MMA Weekly after suffering a TKO due to an arm injury incurred while defending against "The Count" Michael Bisping's (15-1) knee attack. McCarthy is 27-years old, married, and runs an American Top Team affiliate gym in Boca Raton. McCarthy told MMA Weekly, "My goal in my career was always to be the best; and, you know, it just didn’t work out this time.  I’m okay with that." McCarthy appeared in The Ultimate Fighter 4, but was eliminated by "Drago" Pete Sell (7-4) in his only fight. McCarthy said, "It is now time for me to lay down my gloves and rededicate my attention towards my business, my fighters, my family, and my team." ...

Two of the most accomplished combat athletes in the world will fight on the undercard of the TUF 7 finale 21 June. With over 100 fights on his official record, "Gumby" Jeremy Horn (79-17-5) is one of the most prolific mixed martial artists of all time. In 2003, "Boogieman" Dean Lister (10-5) won the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Absolute Division championship by submitting "Cacareco" Alexandre Ferreira (16-5). The two mixed martial artists will face-off in the Octagon at the TUF 7 finale. Horn returned to the UFC last February, tapping out in guillotine choke to Nathan Marquardt (26-7-2). Lister comes off a unanimous decision "W" over Jordan Radev (11-3) last December. ...

There was one mistake made on the UFC 83 card in Montréal.  Though he's taking the heat, it wasn't made by Kalib Starnes (8-3-1). Starnes's match-up versus "Rock" Nathan Quarry (10-2) should've never been broadcast to begin with. At the risk of sounding like a Monday morning QB, I was confused why it was on the televised portion of the card before the event.  (Easy to say now, huh?) Though Quarry looked much-improved in his February KO of "Drago" Pete Sell (7-4), Starnes got picked apart last October by "The Talent" Alan Belcher (12-5). In an e-mail sent by Starnes to Fighters.com this morning, he contends, "I was then injured in the bout [with Belcher] and received a huge gash on my forehead, which caused the doctor to halt the bout prematurely." Starnes is wrong.  The doctor stoppage in October was entirely warranted because Starnes didn't do enough in the one round with Belcher to convince anyone further punishment may result in a Starnes victory.  Why let a fighter bleed out in the Octagon when there's no evidence he's in there to win? Why then match the same fighter versus a man who proved he's on a mission in his previous fight? At least three other 83 match-ups should've made the broadcast over Quarry v Starnes even before the fights were fought. The all-Canada rematch between "The Athlete" Jason MacDonald (20-9) and "El Dirte" Joe Doerksen (39-12) was bound to be a war. "No Love" Rich Clementi (31-12-1) and "Hands of Stone" Sam Stout (13-4-1) were on surges totaling six straight wins between them before Saturday when Clementi preserved his streak with a unanimous decision. Both "Road Warrior" Jonathan Goulet (22-9) and Kuniyoshi Hironaka (11-5) are tough bastards.  Goulet hadn't won or lost in the judges hands in nine straight. The results Saturday night prove my admittedly late assertion. All three "...of the Night" bonuses were awarded to fighters on the untelevised undercard, Goulet and Hironaka winning "Fight of the Night" and MacDonald pocketing 75 grand for "Knockout of the Night". Starnes claims, "Dana White...made comments after the fight insinuating that I would have been better served allowing myself to be knocked out." You've got to wonder if slumping Starnes was matched versus better-than-ever Quarry to serve a highlight reel KO to the broadcast audience? Starnes called Quarry, "...a real monster in the ring, I think that they should keep him in a cave somewhere and feed him raw meat!" Even if that's true, Starnes's performance was embarrassing.  If you don't want to be in the Octagon, don't take the fight. To be fair, I know fighters like Starnes have slim bank accounts and it's not easy to turn down a guaranteed purse.  And, Starnes maintains he had broken his right foot early in the match and was doing all he could to work his jab. All in all, the whole incident is a non-event.  A B-level fighter asks to be released from his contract after a pitiful performance.  Big deal. However, even if I don't particularly care to see Starnes fight again anywhere, it's hard for me to blame anyone who steps in the Octagon. Blame the UFC for a poor match-up that should've never been seen by anyone paying $44.95 for the PPV. ...

Despite reports, UFC middleweight Terry Martin (16-4) is still signed to a contract with the UFC. "I am still under contract with the UFC," Martin told Fighters.com.  "The UFC has allowed me to do boxing to work on my hands." Martin made his professional boxing debut 11 April with a first round KO of Ricardo Upchurch, who is 0-2 in boxing matches. "While boxing is my first love, I am not leaving MMA.  I will be back in the Octagon soon," Martin promised. In February, Martin dropped his second fight in the Octagon in a row after winning four straight.  He lost a unanimous decision to "The Beastman" Marvin Eastman (15-7-1). ...

 This week started with a recap of Jesse Taylor’s (6-0) choke-out of Mike Dolce (3-4).  The fighters all said Jesse’s superior wrestling allowed him to control the fight and grind out the victory.  He won $10,000 for himself and the right for his team to pick the next fight.  That night, he rewarded himself with some beers while “Chipper” Matthew Riddle (0-0) and Dante Rivera (10-2) traded some trash talk. The next day, “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (29-6) put his team through some circuit training to “see what they are made of.”  The team discussed who they thought Forrest would pick to fight.  They speculated that Forest would put up one of his strongest fighters against one of Rampage’s weakest to maintain control of the matchmaking.  They decided that Rivera versus Patrick Schultz (5-1-1) was the most likely match-up. Back at the house, Riddle said he wanted to fight next.  At fight selection, he learned he would get his wish versus BJJ black belt Timothy Credeur (9-2).  The memory of Chipper’s violent knockout of Dan Simmler (0-0) was still fresh in everyone’s mind.  Credeur saw Riddle as a challenge and said he went there to fight the toughest guys. The night before the fight, Riddle was relaxed.  He knew that he was young enough that he could lose and still be successful in the sport.  Credeur knew his clock was ticking and said if he lost he’d have to re-evaluate life as a fighter.  Everyone was anxious to see if the greenhorn, Riddle, could use his knockout power to overcome the fight experience and proven ground game of Credeur. "Chipper” Matthew Riddle (0-0) VS Timothy Credeur (9-2) Round 1: Right off the bat, Riddle shot for a low single and got to Credeur’s back for the takedown.  Tim loosened one of Riddle’s hooks and spun out to get back to his feet. Credeur landed a jab and a few leg kicks.  Riddle countered with a leg kick of his own and shot for another takedown.  After a brief scramble, “Chipper” slammed Credeur with a hip-toss.  Tim escaped to his butterfly guard and back to his feet. A few punches were exchanged and Credeur tripped Riddle and got top position against the cage.  After another scramble, Riddle appeared to momentarily have Credeur’s back; but, Credeur rolled and looked to attack Chipper’s leg with a submission.  Riddle defended and got top position in Credeur’s open guard.  “Chipper” tried to pass; but, Tim used the opportunity to pull off a nice butterfly sweep and take the mount on Riddle.  Tim was throwing and landing punches and elbows form the top and bloodied Riddle’s nose.  Looking lost under the mount, Riddle tried to block some of Tim’s shots.  With fifteen seconds left, he gave up his back to stop the punches. Credeur worked the rear naked choke; but, Riddle was able to fend it off for the remainder of the round.  The atmosphere during the fight was intense.  You could barely hear the coaches over the screaming of the other fighters. Round 2: Riddle stormed out and landed a right head kick and took Credeur down. Credeur looked for a lower body submission; but, Riddle defended and wound up on his back near the cage with Credeur in his guard.  Tim landed some shots. "Get up!  Get up!" shouted Rampage.  He wanted Riddle to get the fight back to his feet where he had a better chance of beating the ground specialist. "Chipper" ate some punches and elbows and his nose started bleeding again.  Things looked bad for Matt; but, as Credeur stepped back to throw a bomb, Riddle turned to his knees and pushed Credeur off. "He’s done!" exclaimed Rampage. "Chipper", now back on his feet, started throwing bombs.  Credeur was gassed!  Riddle landed a few punches, got Tim in the clinch, landed a knee to the body, and took him down. Rampage shouted for Chipper to let him up. Riddle started connecting with body shots and some elbows to the face.  Credeur attempted a triangle that Riddle quickly slipped out of.  Tim stayed tight to Riddle and used his triangle escape to take the mount and look for the armbar form the top. "No! No!" shouted Forest.  He wanted Tim to maintain top position and win the decision rather than go for the risky finish. Credeur’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu took over and he extended the arm, forcing Riddle to tap. Winner by tap out due to armbar: Timothy Credeur Rampage and Juanito Ibarra, Team Rampage’s striking coach, were disappointed because Riddle fought hard, but made a huge mistake and didn’t follow the game plan.  He took the fight to the ground against a BJJ black belt at the critical point of the fight.  Team Rampage lost another fight, and a promising fighter.  Team Forrest took a 2-0 lead and retained matchmaking rights for the next round. ...

Either "The Snowman" Jeff Monson (24-7) fights cheap or has the best manager in MMA. While it seems to take a trained hostage negotiator to get a deal done between "Maine-iac" Tim Sylvia (24-4) and "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko (27-1), "The Snowman" has picked up three fights in five weeks. Count'em: 24 June versus "The Monster" Kevin Randleman (16-12) at Godz of War in Charlotte. 12 June versus Michael Russow (9-1) at Adrenaline MMA in Chicago. And, today World Victory Road announced Monson will fight Fighters.com's fourth-ranked heavyweight "The Babyface Assassin" Josh Barnett (21-5) 18 May at Sengoku II in Tokyo. Monson last fought MMA in December, picking up a unanimous decision over Hakim Goram (4-3). ...

The UFC has announced three additional fights on 5 July's UFC 86 card in Las Vegas. Fighters.com's fourth-ranked welterweight "Kos" Josh Koscheck (10-2) is set to face rugged vet "Lights Out" Chris Lytle (25-15-5). Both fighters come off exciting TKOs in their previous bouts. In February, Lytle ran roughshod over UFC debuting Kyle Bradley (13-5) in just 33 seconds. "Kos" and "McLovin" Dustin Hazelett (10-4) traded evenly for a round before Koschek tagged "McLovin" with punches and kicks 1:24 into round two in March. Hazelett's trainer, Jorge Gurgel (12-3), will fight 6'1" "Magrino" Cole Miller (13-3) at 86. Miller of Georgia comes off his first UFC loss to Jeremy Stephens (13-2), a second-round TKO in January. Gurgel won a unanimous decision over John Halverson (16-6) in March. Rising middleweight "Cachorrao" Ricardo Almeida (9-2) will face streaking "The Predator" Patrick Cote (12-4) on the card. Cote has won four straight, three consecutive by first-round stoppage.  Most recently "The Predator" devoured Andrew McFedries (6-3) in 1:44. Almeida returned to MMA after a four-year hiatus to submit Rob Yundt(6-1) in a guillotine choke in February. "Cachorrao" boasts wins over Fighters.com's eighth-ranked middleweight "Grabaka Hitman" Kazuo Misaki (19-8-2) and UFC title contender Nathan Marquardt (26-7-2) in the early '90s. ...

None of us should fool ourselves into believing there's a difference between combat sports and an ol' fashion street punch-up.  True, combat sports are the artistic expression of our most base intuitions, like lobster bisque is to an ol' fashion lobster boil. You know what though?  Sometimes, you just want to boil a live lobster, slather it in butter, and make a mess. "Kimbo Slice" Kevin Ferguson (2-0) hasn't elevated his MMA to an art form, like "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (22-5) has; but, "Slice" keeps us all honest. When "Slice" tells Liddell, "We can always take it back to old school.  That'll work for me," I believe him.  In fact, I'm not convinced he won't show-up at "The Pit" if Liddell responds to this video: "Thousand Oaks, California!  Elite MMA!  I'm right he'ah!" ...

On 29 March, Cung Le (6-0) forced Frank Shamrock(23-9-2) to quit in his corner with a broken arm from Le's relentless kicking offense. Le won the Strikeforce middleweight title. Though his two children were sick, Le took time to talk to Fighters.com. Fighters.com: Your MMA career has always been leading to the battle of San Jose with Shamrock. Now it's over. Is there relief, a sense of accomplishment? Are you thinking about what's next? Cung Le: Relief and accomplishment. I'm just trying to take a break, but no break yet. I'm not thinking about what's next. There's a lot of negotiating and setup in an organization to schedule a fight; and, I'm just letting Strikeforce handle that. Fighters.com: It didn't look like Shamrock had much of a strategy more than "let's see what happens". Did you perceive he was trying to set-up anything or had a notion of a particular weakness? Cung Le: My coach, who used to coach Frank, said [Shamrock] looked as good as he's ever seen him. He was looking for openings and I just didn't give him any. Fighters.com: Did Shamrock do what you expected? Cung Le: Yeah. The only problem was that my coach told me he dips when he punches; so, a couple of times I got caught because I thought he was going to take me down. Fighters.com: It seems like your kicks snap more from the knee than the kicks taught to most mixed martial artists, which are more the roundhouse Muay Thai kick. Do you notice that? How do you analyze that? Cung Le: That's my secret! I'm not giving that up. Fighters.com: Let's be objective. How's your ground game? Cung Le: I'm just trying to be the most complete martial artist. No one comes to see me submit people. People want to seek knockouts and kicks. I can submit people. I took Sam Morgan to the ground and had him in a crucifix. Fighters.com: Shamrock was grinning. Do you think he didn't take you seriously? Cung Le: I was having a good time too; but, never was it not a fight. Fighters.com: Shamrock is going to ask for a rematch, if he hasn't already. Is there any reason to rematch him immediately? Cung Le: I will give him one because he gave me this opportunity. I owe him that. Fighters.com: After the fight you mentioned your helicopter flight out of Vietnam under gun fire. Was that something you thought about immediately or something you planned to say? Cung Le: Definitely, it's apart of my training. It helps motivate me. Fighters.com: Have you been back to Vietnam since leaving? Do you enjoy returning? Cung Le: I've been back twice. My dad lives there. I enjoy it. It's very emotional for me. Fighters.com: Under the ProElite umbrella, you have fellow middleweight champions Robbie Lawler and Kala Kolohe Hose. Would you like to call either of them out? Cung Le: No. I haven't even thought about fighting them. Fighters.com: Have you faced anyone in MMA tougher than your toughest San Shou fight? Cung Le: Frank Shamrockis my toughest opponent. San Shou is different. The referee stops you after each take down. MMA is much harder. Fighters.com: San Shou is an exhibition sport at this Summer's Olympics. Any plans to go to Beijing? Cung Le: No. There's a lot of politics. They decided they want to play politics and I decided I didn't want to be involved. Under me we got four bronze and two silver. Under the current coach, no one placed. Fighters.com: Now that you've got some downtime, how do you split up your time between training, your gym, your acting career, and family? Cung Le: I'm just trying to find some down time! I've got two boys that are sick; you can hear in the background. I'm sure everyone knows about my divorce and I got full custody. I've got a lot of great people around me. I don't mind doing interviews. Media and my fans are what got me here. Congratulations Cung on being Fighters.com featured fighter! ...

Today the UFC announced the match-up between Fighters.com's seventh-ranked heavyweight "Vai Cavalo" Fabricio Werdum (10-3-1) and "The Truth" Brandon Vera (8-1) will be the main event in London 7 June. The former co-main event was promoted after "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-5) was removed from his match-up versus "Sugar" Rashad Evans (11-0-1) with a pulled hamstring. Vera, whose father is Filipino, is in the Philippines promoting the fight. Evans has been removed from the official card and there's no word whether he'll be matched against a light heavyweight replacement for Liddell. ...

With barely enough time to sleep through a few six A.M. cardio sessions after grinding out a split decision "W" over "Hands of Stone" Sam Stout (13-4-1) in Montréal Saturday, "No Love" Rich Clementi (31-12-1) has already agree to replace Robert Emerson (7-6) in Las Vegas 24 May. The UFC did not divulge the injury that has forced Emerson out of his scheduled fight with Terry Etim (10-1). Clementi rides a five fight win streak into Vegas beginning with a rear naked choke submission of Kyle Gibbons (9-2) in September '07. Etim of Liverpool returns from his first loss, a unanimous decision to Gleison Tibau (15-5) last September. ...

World Victory Road has named Japan's Ryo Kawamura (8-2-2) as "The Monster" Kevin Randleman's (16-12) Sengoku II opponent 18 May. At a press conference last Friday, WVR PR guy Takahiro Kokuho mentioned Randleman was itching to know his foe. Kawamura won a unanimous decision over Antonio Braga Neto (5-1) at the original Sengoku last March.  He's a Pancrase vet who has usually fought at middleweight. Randleman has fought at heavyweight and light heavyweight. ...