» Archive for July, 2008

Russian heavyweight Aleksander Emelianenko (13-3) spoke with Life.ru last week about his absence from the Affliction: Banned card 19 July, where he was scheduled to face “Headhunter” Paul Buentello (26-10).

Emelianenko insisted that everything is in order with his health, and that the reason for his absence was his failure to meet the California State Athletic Commission’s deadlines.

“From a medical point of view everything is fully in order. I got through the medical board successfully and received my license to fight without any problems,” he said.

“But the fact is that in California the commission is very strict about allowing you to fight. One of the main conditions… is that you must pass all the tests on time. I should have been in America on the thirteenth [of July]. They gave me my visa only on the fourteenth, and our tickets were purchased only on the fifteenth of July. I was just late.”

The UFC confirmed Wednesday that “Joker” Jess Liaudin (13-11) and David Bielkheden (12-6) will meet in a welterweight bout 18 October in Birmingham.

Liaudin lost his last two fights, via first-round KO by “Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (16-4) in January, then by split decision to Paul Taylor (9-3-1) in June.

In his Octagon debut in March, Bielkheden was submitted via strikes by Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked welterweight “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (19-2).

Justin Levens (9-8) tested positive for the painkiller Oxymorphone and has been handed a fine of $1000 and a six-month suspension by the California State Athletic Commission.

As of Wednesday afternoon he had not appealed the ruling, according to CSAC Executive Officer Armando Garcia.

The cut-off level for Oxymorphone is 120ng/ml; Levens tested at 10,141ng/ml.

Levens’s scheduled bout with Ray Lizama (5-5) at Affliction: Banned 19 July was scratched because of time constraints, but he still received his full fight purse of $6000.

SpikeTV’s re-broadcast of UFC 84: Ill Will drew more viewers than the live CBS broadcast of EliteXC: Unfinished Business 26 July.

According to the SpikeTV press release, 27% more viewers in the key demographic of males 18-34 tuned in to the rerun, with SpikeTV’s total at 433,000 and CBS’s at 341,000.

UFC 84, which happened in May, was headlined by a lightweight match between Fighters.com’s second-ranked “Prodigy” BJ Penn (12-4-1) and fifth-ranked “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (32-3-1). EliteXC’s event featured a middleweight title rematch between sixth-ranked “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (18-4) and “Hands of Steel” Scott Smith (13-5).

The press release also stated that CBS ratings were down from its debut of Saturday Night Fights 31 May: 69% lower in males 18-34 and 57% lower in males 18-49.

The May event was headlined by EliteXC star “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0), who will fight in the organization’s next event 4 October, also airing on CBS.

“Sandman” James Irvin (14-5) has tested positive for the non-approved painkillers Methadone and Oxymorphone, according to the results of a post-fight urinalysis by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Irvin was knocked out in 61 seconds by Fighters.com’s Middleweight Champion and UFC Champ “Spider” Anderson Silva (22-4) in their 19 July fight.

Irvin has 20 days to respond to the findings and may be fined and/or suspended by the NSAC.

Methadone is a synthetic opioid used to treat opioid dependence, and can be prescribed to manage chronic pain.  Oxymorphone is a semi-synthetic opioid painkiller.

Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked heavyweight “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-3-1) has signed a five-fight extension with the UFC, Tatame reported Tuesday.

A clause in the contract states that if Werdum wins his next fight, which he says will be 25 October in Chicago “probably against Junior Cigano”, he will get a title shot.

Werdum wants that title shot to be against UFC Interim Champion “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1), which means Nogueira would have to defeat Frank Mir (11-3) when they meet as opposing coaches at the end of The Ultimate Fighter 8.

“I want to be UFC heavyweight champion.  A final against Minotauro would be like a dream, it would be great for me, because I fought against him at PRIDE [in 2006] and it was a great fight, he deserved the victory, and I want to say that [I’m] fighting for the belt against Minotauro, probably [in] March,” Werdum said.

After losing a unanimous decision to “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (13-5) in his UFC debut in 2007, Werdum posted TKO wins over tenth-ranked “Napao” Gabriel Gonzaga (9-3) in January and “The Truth” Brandon Vera (9-2) in June.

“Cigano” Junior dos Santos (6-1) would be making his Octagon debut.  He won his last fight by first-round TKO over Geronimo Mondragon (1-5).

While in So Cal for Affliction, Fighters.com drove north to San Luis Obispo to talk to “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-5), who runs his own website at MMAJacked.com.

Liddell treated me to a Central Coast tri-tip sandwich and told Fighters.com that he deserves a title shot if he beats “Sugar” Rashad Evans (13-0-1) in Atlanta 6 September and, just as emphatically, why “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (13-0) does not.

Checkout Chuck’s site: MMAJacked.com.

SpikeTV will air UFC 89 for free on tape delay from Birmingham 18 October, the UFC officially announced Monday.

The UFC also confirmed two more bouts on the card, between light heavyweights “Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (13-4-1) and “The Truth” Brandon Vera (9-2), and between welterweights “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-16-5) and Paul Taylor (9-3-1).

Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked Jardine looks to rebound from a 36-second knockout loss to fifth-ranked “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1) in May.

Vera won a unanimous decision over Reese Andy (7-3) at Ultimate Fight Night 14 last week.  He is 1-0 since moving down a weight class.

Lytle lost a unanimous decision in May to fourth-ranked Josh Koscheck (13-2).

Taylor won a split decision over “Joker” Jess Liaudin (13-11) in June.

The UFC announced Monday that newcomer Jon Jones (7-2) will face Andre Gusmao (5-0) in a light heavyweight match-up at UFC 87 in Minneapolis 9 August.

Jones replaces the previously-scheduled “Travolta” Tomasz Drwal (14-2) on the card.

Jones TKO’d Moyses Gabin (2-2) in the second round at the Battle Cage Xtreme event 12 July to win the USKBA East Coast title.

Fighters.com’s third-ranked heavyweight and former UFC Champion “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (26-6) expects to fight in Affliction’s 11 October event, he revealed in an interview with the Houston Chronicle published Sunday.

When asked whether he would be a part of Affliction’s next show, Sylvia answered, “Yeah, I believe so but I’m going to let Affliction do all the announcing.”

Sylvia was submitted in 36 seconds via rear naked choke by new WAMMA Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1) at Affliction’s debut event 19 July.