While the ufc is the largest and most popular organization on the planet in the realm of mixed martial arts, other promotions are now giving the chance for the true veterans of the sport to either start all over again, or continue their way back to the top. Israel FC, an upstart promotion out of--you guessed it--Israel has began to take on a steady stream of veterans in for their promotional debut in what is turning out to be an all star cast of competitors. ...

While Shine Fights went off without a hitch on Friday night, surprisingly enough, and put together an action night of fights, it may have been trumped by Shark Fights 13, which was held just the day after. Though both events were pay-per-view affairs, I would contest that Shark Fights probably pulled in larger numbers due to the heavy saturation of MMA notables littered on the card. While all bouts proved to be interesting in their own right, there was one fight that rose above the rest, and apparently the Shark Fights execs believe the same to be true. ...

It’s that time again, fans and friends. Another regional MMA promotion has taken their shot at the big-time, as Shark Fights just concluded its “Shark Fights 13” event live on Pay-Per-View, featuring a main event between hard-hitting veterans Keith Jardine and Trevor Prangley. Even though it was a night filled with decisions, there were some pretty good fights both on the live undercard stream on Sherdog.com and the main card on PPV. Here are all the results and my thoughts. ...

Today marks a pivotal turning point in the surging Shark Fights promotion, as weigh-ins were held to make their upcoming Pay-Per-View card “Shark Fights 13” official. Featuring a main event between Keith Jardine and Trevor Prangley, Shark Fights 13 looks to be a solid card admittedly filled with a majority of ex-UFC stars. However, they're some pretty intriguing fights for what they’re worth, and the only problem that arose during the weigh-ins was that Paul Daley once again missed the mark. ...

Shark Fights, a well respected regional promotion, is upping-the-ante as they now intend on making "Shark Fights 13" main card, a pay-per-view affair. ...

Strikeforce light heavyweight champion “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1), former Strikeforce champ and UFC challenger “Babalu” Renato Sobral (31-9), and “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-6) will compete in a light heavyweight tournament to begin at DREAM.15 May30, according to MMA Junkie. ...

UFC light heavyweight "Minotoro" Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (17-3) has emerged from a two-year hiatus from the top ten rankings, during which much of the new MMA fandom knew him only as the brother of Fighters.com's fourth-ranked heavyweight “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1). ...

Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1) TKO'd “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-5) by referee stoppage at 3:43 of round two at Strikeforce in Chicago Saturday night. Sokoudjou reveresed a trip takedown attempt by Mousasi at the cage, but Mousasi swept into top position and windmilled lefts and right hooks to Sokoudjou's body and head until the referee ended the fight. ...

Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) and fifth-ranked heavyweight “Grim” Brett Rogers (10-0) both made weight Friday before their matchup at Strikeforce at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates northwest of Chicago November 7. ...

As anticipation builds among MMA fans for Saturday night's M-1 Global/Strikeforce main event between Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (30-1) and fifth-ranked heavyweight “Grim” Brett Rogers (10-0), CBS continues its vigorous media push to make the primetime network broadcast a success. ...

Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1)  held his final training session Monday in Europe before leaving Tuesday for the United States for his matchup versus “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-4) at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates 33 miles northwest of Chicago November 7. ...

Fighters on DREAM.11's card weighed-in in Yokohama Monday in advance of Tuesday night's fight card.  All fighters made the weight limits. ...

Lightweight "Crusher" Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2) and "Barracuda" Melchor Manibusan (1-1) will matchup at DREAM 11 in Yokohama October 6, DREAM announced Friday. Also, "Beast" Bob Sapp (10-5-1) was officially announced as the replacement for injured “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1) versus "African Assassin" Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-4) in the Super Hulk tournament and “JZ” Gesias Cavalcante (12-2-1) was officially withdrawn due to injury from his matchup versus Daisuke Nakamura (18-9).  Both moves had been expected. ...

“African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou has signed to be “Babalu” Renato Sobral’s (30-8) new opponent, and welterweight Patrick Speight (7-1) will face Brett Cooper (6-3) at Affliction: Day of Reckoning 24 January in Anaheim, CA, the organization announced Thursday. Sokoudjou, Fighters.com's tenth-ranked light heavyweight, was recently released from the UFC after his second-round TKO loss to ninth-ranked "Banha" Luis Arthur Cane (7-1) at UFC 89 in October. Sobral last fought at Strikeforce: Destruction in November, winning Bobby Southworth’s (9-5) light heavyweight title with a referee stoppage due to a cut. Speight suffered his first career loss in October via unanimous decision to Alex Cisne (4-1) at King of the Cage. Cooper KO’d Dusty Arden (10-6-1) in round two in June. ...

Brazilian "Banha" Luis Arthur Cane (9-1) TKO'd Fighters.com's ninth-ranked light heavyweight "African Assassin" Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-3) in a second-round barrage ending at 4:15 at UFC 89 in Birmingham Saturday night. "I was going forward.  Sokoudjou was keeping the distance.  Everyone was expecting Sokoudjou to go forward; but, he was not the aggressor this time," said "Banha" after the "W". ...

All UFC 89 fighters made their weight today at the NIA for Saturday's card in Birmingham. "Count" Michael Bisping (16-1) 185 pounds v "Crippler" Chris Leben (18-4) 186 pounds "I'm glad you guys let me into your country," main event fighter Leben said at Thursday's press conference.  "I was a little worried on the plane." Leben was originally scheduled to fight Bisping in London 7 June, but opted to put to rest legal issues in Oregon stemming from an earlier DUI arrest to ensure a legal UK visa. But, the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of Brit Bisping, who told the press, "I am on a quest.  Losing this fight for me is not an option." Leben, wearing tight cornrows, chided his opponent, saying, "It seems to me that, when Michael Bisping fights, self-preservation is top on his list." A brawl would certainly benefit Leben.  Bisping's stand-up style is a bit more circle-and-poke, while Leben is happy to plant and throw bombs. ...

Fighters.com’s Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) won a decision over second-ranked "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (28-7), but was TKO’d by seventh-ranked "Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine (13-4-1). Jackson lost a decision to Griffin, but won a decision over third-ranked "Hollywood" Dan Henderson (22-7) and knocked out fourth-ranked "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-5)...twice. ...

"The Ultimate Fighter" is now truly the ultimate fighter in the UFC's ultimate weight class. In Las Vegas 4 July, Fighters.com's new Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) worked over now top contender "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (28-7) with leg kicks in a close unanimous decision. Though Griffin hopped seven spots to take the championship, the decision loss was close enough that Jackson only drops one rank. Jackson has declared his next opponent to be sixth-ranked "Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1), who drops a rank on Griffin's ascension; but, no official word has come from the UFC. Jackson versus Silva would make a trilogy that Silva dominated 2-0 in PRIDE. Griffin will probably fight the winner of fourth-ranked "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-5) versus "Sugar" Rashad Evans (11-0-1), which gets on in Atlanta 6 September, but may also take on the winner of fifth-ranked "Dragon" Lyoto Machida (13-0) versus tenth-ranked Thiago Silva (13-0) in Birmingham 18 October. The debate rages across Internet message boards about who the top contender to Griffin's title is: Jackson, Liddell, or Machida? ...

Tuesday the UFC announced three new fights for UFC 89 in Birmingham 18 October. Fighters.com's seventh-ranked light heavyweight "African Assassin" Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-2) will shake his big right fist across the Octagon at "Banha" Luis Arthur Cane (8-1). Welterweight "Outlaw" Dan Hardy (19-6) draws a tough Octagon premier in front of his countrymen versus Akihiro Gono (28-12-7). Undefeated heavyweights Shane Carwin (9-0) and Neil Wain (4-0) will try to deal the other their first professional loss. ...

Fighters.com was live in Las Vegas 24 May to witness the fights that shook-up June's Welterweight Rankings.  What a night! Of course, "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (29-6) remains Fighters.com's Light Heavyweight Champion and will defend his UFC title versus eighth-ranked Forrest Griffin (15-4) 5 July in Las Vegas. But, Jackson's nemesis from the past, "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1), closed in on a rematch with the champion he's conquered twice before. Silva demolished "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine (13-4-1) in 36 seconds, jumping five spots to the fifth ranking and sending Jardine down two rungs to number six. If he takes out Griffin, Jackson may first have to unravel the riddle that is his new top contender, "The Dragon" Lyoto Machida (13-0), before a rematch with Silva. Machida retired previously ninth-ranked "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) from the top ten and the UFC in a unanimous decision "W".  Can we all say "elusive"? Machida's win welcomed a fellow undefeated Brazilian, another Silva in fact, to replace "The Axe Murderer" at number ten. ...

“Satisfying!  Very satisfying,” described Fighters.com's fourth-ranked lightweight and UFC Lightweight Champion "Prodigy" B.J. Penn (13-4-1) after defeating fifth-ranked "Muscle Shark" Sean Sherk (32-2-1) by TKO after the third round at UFC 84 in Las Vegas Saturday. Veteran referee Mario Yamasaki determined that Sherk was unable to continue after a Penn flurry at the cage that left Sherk on the mat at the end of the third round. The three five-minute rounds were fought entirely standing up, resembling a boxing match. Penn worked a slicker boxing style set-up with a long, snapping jab.  Sherk threw left and right hooks in a stiff, technical style. Penn established his jab in the first round as Sherk pressured. Sherk clinched to muffle “The Prodigy’s” reach advantage; but, Penn landed an uppercut to break the clinch. Sherk attempted to counter with his own jab, but threw it short as Penn followed down the pipe with his left.  Sherk clinched again; but, Penn threw him off. Sherk began round two with a cut under his right eye from Penn’s relentless jabbing.  He shrugged his shoulders before the bell, disappointed with his first-round performance. But, the Minnesotan took the fight to Penn in the second round.  Penn clinched inside Sherk’s left/right hook combo and hammered knees to “The Muscle Shark’s” body. Again, Penn clinched; but, Sherk overwhelmed him with a flurry.  Penn pushed out of the clinch. Unable to solve Penn’s boxing riddle, Sherk began to test his leg kick; but, Penn answered with a left hook. Penn had all the answers Saturday night. ...

Fighters.com was live Friday at the UFC 84 weigh-ins at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Fighters.com's seventh-ranked lightweight "KenFlo" Kenny Florian (9-3), former UFC Middleweight Champion Evan Tanner (32-7), and "Hammer" Mark Coleman (15-8) signed autographs and third-ranked lightweight "JZ" Gesias Calvancanti (14-2-1) was in the crowd with his smokin' hot girlfriend. ...

The suspects are usual on Fighters.com's May light heavyweight roster; but, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2) fell three rungs to the seven spot as fourth-ranked "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine's (13-3-1) 2006 loss to "American Psycho" Stephan Bonnar (11-4) and fifth-ranked Forrest Griffin's (15-4) 2006 loss to ninth-ranked "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-5-1) passed their two-year expiration dates. Of course, 205 king "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (29-6) is matched versus Griffin for July; and, we all await fireworks between the two jolly light-giants on season seven of TUF. Third-ranked "The Dragon" Lyoto Machida (12-0) and Ortiz cross paths at the end of May as their careers cross roads. Who says UFC President Dana White doesn't make big fights in his fighters' last contract fights?  A win for Ortiz before his promised exit to greener pastures could reignite "The Bad Boy's" box office appeal. A notch in Machida's belt may mean he has to shop for a new belt, a shiny, gold one. Jardine and tenth-ranked "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1) will tell the same tale of fighters colliding as their careers move in opposite directions. Sixth-ranked "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-5) was yanked from his match-up versus "Suger" Rashad Evans(11-0-1) in London with a pulled hamstring, leaving on the table the originally scheduled UFC 85 main event between Liddell and eighth-ranked "Shogun" Mauricio Rua (16-3), also on the disabled list, to be fought in September. Before being bumped down the Fighters.com rankings, Sokoudjou got bumped off the televised card at UFC 84, where he's matched versus fellow judoka "Kaz" Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-7). The next three months could turn the 205-pound division upside down with all of the top ten action. May Light Heavyweight Rankings 1. "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (29-6) Jackson is 4-0 since bringing his "Rampage" to the cage. He’s out-wrestled Olympians Lindland and Hendo and became the only man to put Liddell on ice twice. He’s earned Fighters.com’s top rank, but losses to Rua and Silva whisper questions from the past. 2. "Hollywood" Dan Henderson (22-6) To think 205 is Hendo’s other weight class is astounding. A UD to Vitor Belfort paved a path for him to hold the PRIDE belt after a KO of long-time champ Silva. Henderson came up just short of unifying titles in a slog with ‘Page.  Until next time? 3. "The Dragon" Lyoto Machida (12-0) Versus Sokou, the undefeated “Dragon” proved he could fly high and finish. His measured style is as tough for opposition to decipher as it sometimes is for fans to watch. His “W” column reads like a who’s who of MMA, but Machida needs stoppages to ascend. 4. "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine (13-3-1) A blip on Jardine’s record to Houston Alexander belies focused performances over Liddell and Griffin; or, is it the other way around?  Regardless, “The Dean of Mean's” roller coaster will play bumper cars with "The Axe Murderer" this month. 5. Forrest Griffin (15-4) The TUF 1 champ dug himself out of the “one hit wonder” abyss with an impressive stoppage of touted Rua and earned a UFC gold run versus Jackson.  But like Jardine, Griffin has proven beatable on any given night. 6. "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-5) Liddell has faced the toughest schedule the last two years, but fell consecutively to Jackson and Jardine.  He looked tough in his return to winning in the long-awaited face-off with Silva. 7. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2) Sokou had been punching fighters out of their top ten ranking until he ran into Machida, but there’s no shame in tapping to “The Dragon”. His career has been too brief to predict whether his future is north or south of his Fighters.com #7 ranking. 8. "Shogun" Mauricio Rua (16-3) Whether injury, energy, or focus was the issue, Rua debuted in the UFC with a loss to then-struggling Griffin after earning the kudos of many with PRIDE wins over the likes of Alistair Overeem and Kazuhiro Nakamura.  His injured knee leaves him off active duty until a probable September date with Liddell. 9. "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-5-1) Ortiz has served as gate keeper to the UFC gold in a win over Griffin and draw with Rashad Evans, but was unable to last three full rounds with then champ Liddell.  Machida at the end of May will show whether Ortiz is ready for another run at the top. 10. "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1) It hasn’t been a bloody mess for “The Axe Murderer” that last two years, but he’s been the victim of two of the best light heavyweights in the world in Henderson and Liddell. ...

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. ...

The light heavyweights fall in line in Fighters.com's April rankings, the only rankings that matter. 1. "Rampage" Quinton Jackson (29-6) Jackson is 4-0 since bringing his "Rampage" to the cage. He’s out-wrestled Olympians Lindland and Hendo and became the only man to put Liddell on ice twice. He’s earned Fighters.com’s top rank, but losses to Rua and Silva whisper questions from the past. 2. "Hollywood" Dan Henderson (22-6) To think 205 is Hendo’s other weight class is astounding. A UD to Vitor Belfort paved a path for him to hold the PRIDE belt after a KO of long-time champ Silva. Henderson came up just short of unifying titles in a slog with ‘Page. Until next time? 3. "The Dragon" Ryoto Machida (12-0) Versus Sokou, the undefeated “Dragon” proved he could fly high and finish. His measured style is as tough for opposition to decipher as it sometimes is for fans to watch. His “W” column reads like a who’s who of MMA, but Machida needs stoppages to ascend. 4. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2) Sokou had been punching fighters out of their top ten ranking until he ran into Machida, but there’s no shame in tapping to “The Dragon”. His career has been too brief to predict whether his future is north or south of his Fighters.com #4 ranking. 5. "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine (13-3-1) Blips on Jardine’s record to Houston Alexander and Stephan Bonnar belie focused performances over Liddell and Griffin; or, is it the other way around? Regardless, “The Dean of Mean” has ridden a roller coaster of inconsistency the last two years. 6. Forrest Griffin (15-4) The TUF 1 champ dug himself out of the “one hit wonder” abyss with an impressive stoppage of touted Rua and earned a UFC gold run versus Jackson. But like Jardine, Griffin has proven beatable on any given night. 7. "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-5) Liddell has faced the toughest schedule the last two years, but fell consecutively to Jackson and Jardine. He looked tough in his return to winning in the long-awaited face-off with Silva. 8. "Shogun" Mauricio Rua (16-3) Whether injury, energy, or focus was the issue, Rua debuted in the UFC with a loss to then-struggling Griffin after earning the kudos of many with PRIDE wins over the likes of Alistair Overeem and Kazuhiro Nakamura. 9. "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-5-1) Ortiz has served as gate keeper to the UFC gold in a win over Griffin and draw with Rashad Evans, but was unable to last three full rounds with then champ Liddell. 10. "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1) It has been a bloody mess for “The Axe Murderer” the last two years, but he’s been the victim of two of the best light heavyweights in the world in Henderson and Liddell. ...