Not familiar with Overeem?  That’s not surprising.  He hasn’t defended his Strikeforce title in nearly two years, not since winning the belt when he forced “Headhunter” Paul Buentello (27-10) to give up due to murderous knee strikes at Strikeforce in San Jose in November 2007.  Most recently, Overeem tapped out Tony Sylvester (10-2) in guillotine choke at Glory 11 in Amsterdam October 17.

Fighters.com’s source also confirmed that “Colossus” James Thompson (14-9) is Overeem’s most likely opponent, though no contract has been signed.

The glass-jawed “Colossus” was crumbled in a knockout loss to “Big” Jim York (9-2) at Sengoku Seventh Battle in Tokyo March 20, his fourth consecutive stoppage loss.

DREAM.12 will be broadcast on HDNet in North America.

Thompson lost his last fight in May against “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0) via a third-round TKO that burst his cauliflower ear.

Kusmierz lost a unanimous decision to Stav Economou (7-0) at Cage Rage last month.

Is this a victory for the UFC or a problem?

The MMA nation cringes when a newbie refers to mixed martial arts as “ultimate fighting”.

(On teleconferences, I parse the serious fight writers from the general press corp by just that phrase.  One would expect a sports journalist at bare minimum to know what the sport they’re covering is called.)

For years the UFC encouraged the press to refer to MMA as “ultimate fighting”.

Now that the UFC is the Kleenex® of MMA, UFC President Dana White gets his silk boxers in a bunch when the general audience can’t tell the difference between EliteXC and the UFC, and now Affliction and the UFC.

I watched EliteXC’s CBS debut with a friend who invited others who don’t follow the sport and, sure enough, one asked, “What time does the UFC start?”

Careful what you ask for, Mr. White.

White is afraid that the mediocre skill level of a main event between say “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0) and “Colossus” James Thompson (14-9) will tarnish the brand name of the sport’s premier promotion.

On top of that, don’t forget that the UFC actually has an event scheduled 19 July to compete against the Affliction card: Ultimate Fight Night 14: TiVo’d, as I’m calling it.

Me?  I’m encouraged that the general public gives as much of a flip about what logo is bugged on their TV screen as I do.

Just make good fights!

Affliction has made Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked heavyweight“Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (27-1) face his bloated hype versus third-ranked “Maine-ac” Tim Sylvia (24-4) this Saturday.

The UFC has countered with a rigged-up IFL card headlined by a couple of good fighters making weight class changes.

All you need to know is that I’ll be covering Affliction live for Fighters.com; so, if you decide to watch the UFC, set-up your laptop for live results at Fighters.com.

“I know Scott had a hurt leg from throwing kicks and Scott started to look very frustrated.  I think Scott’s aches and pains and frustrations had maybe a little to do with the stoppage.  That’s just my opinion.”

Hughes trains Lawler and was cageside cornering his H.I.T. Squad student.

No one has been willing to state blatantly that Smith encouraged the controversial doctor stoppage Saturday night in Newark, outside of New York City, after he was poked in the right eye by Lawler’s thumb.

However, Hughes’s opinion bolsters New Jersey State Athletic Control Board Counsel Nick Lembo’s description to Fighters.com of events inside the cage immediately after the eye poke.

Lembo told Fighters.com Monday, “You can’t keep telling doctors you can’t see and your vision isn’t improving.  Fighters know what to say [if they want to keep fighting.]”

Both Hughes and Lembo intimate that Smith wanted to end the fight after breaking his foot when his kick was blocked by Lawler’s elbow.

Hughes also addressed the other controversial stoppage giving “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0) a third-round TKO “W” over “Colossus” James Thompson (14-9) in the main event.

Hughes posted, “I don’t know how fair the ref was in the fight.  Looks like Kimbo could have tapped out with the guillotine attempt and I don’t know how Thompson got stood up when he was cross sides throwing elbows.  It looks to me like there was maybe a little bit of favoritism.”

Slice’s trainer, MMA legend “El Guapo” Bas Rutten (28-4-1), posted his opinion on his blog about referee Dan Marigliotta’s decision not to stop the fight at the end of round two:

“People ask me if the fight should have been stopped at the end in the second round.  I say ”yes” because those are the rules.  It should have been stopped because Kimbo didn’t do anything to improve his situation.   But, I think what made the ref not do it was the fact that Kimbo was giving his thumbs up the whole time to let the referee know that he was OK.”

Rutten also addressed Marigliotta’s decision to finally stop the fight:

“[Slice] finished with hitting Thompson with a four punch combination with the last one of those being a hard right upper cut.  Thompson staggered back and the referee stopped the fight.  Was it too soon?  I thought it would be great to see a few more shots just so that he was down for real.  But I guess the referee had the two or three times that Thompson was hurt in the earlier rounds in his head, plus that he also got hit on his cauliflower ear that busted open and he had a different look in his eyes.”

The exciting stand-up war was stopped by doctors at 3:26 of round three for a no contest.

“I can’t see,” Smith told Dr. Angela Gagliardi, the first doctor in the cage, according to Lembo.

Lembo wanted a second opinion and, after 30-seconds or so, called on veteran fight doctor Sherry Wulkan.  “I told her, ‘This is a title fight,’” Lembo stressed.

According to Lembo, Wulkan asked Smith, “What’s wrong?”

Smith told the second doctor, “I can’t see!”

“You took a finger in the eye,” Wulkan explained.  “What do you mean you can’t see?  Is your vision blurry?  Dark?”

Smith repeated, “I can’t see.”

Wulkan asked, “Is it getting better?”

Smith told Wulkan his vision was not improving.  By that time, it had been a full minute since Lawler’s thumb poked Smith’s eye.

Wulkan told Lembo, “His vision isn’t getting better and he has a broken foot…”

Both Wulkan and Lembo had seen Smith break his foot in a kick blocked by Lawler’s elbow.

Wulkan explained to Lembo, “I tried to give him an out.”  If Smith had told Wulkan his vision was improving, Smith would’ve been given more time to recover.

Lembo emphasized Monday, “You’re not guaranteed five minutes [for being poked in the eye].  You get up to five minutes.  You can’t keep telling doctors you can’t see and your vision isn’t improving.  Fighters know what to say [if they want to keep fighting.]“  Lembo added, “Scott is a warrior.”

Smith was paid his win bonus by EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw in honor of the valiant performance.

Lembo assured Fighters.com that the officiating for MMA’s national prime time debut wasn’t interfered with by CBS or EliteXC executives.

“I chose [referee] Dan [Miragliotta] for the main event because I think he’s the best in the business,” Lembo said.

Saturday night’s main event, refereed by Miragliotta, was the most controversial stoppage.

EliteXC’s biggest name “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0) stopped “Colossus” James Thompson (14-9) by TKO at :38 of round three after Slice stung Thompson with a combo that popped Thompson’s cauliflowered ear causing blood to trickle down.

“The ear wasn’t even why it was stopped,” Lembo said.  “Dan told me at the end of round two that both fighters were at their ends.”

Miragliotta was prepared to stop that fight in round three if either fighter put together a barrage; and, Slice did.

Miragliotta has since been dubbed “Mr. Fix-it” by some MMA media, frustrating Lembo.

“If Dan were trying to let Kimbo win, he let it go awfully long, didn’t he?”  Lembo asked.

Lembo broached the subject of round two’s finish with Thompson in half-mount striking Slice at the cage.

“I suggest those elbows couldn’t have cracked an egg.  It was right in front of me and I looked up at Dan and said, ‘Those strikes aren’t doing much damage.’  He nodded in agreement,” Lembo said.

“If either fight was stopped too early, I’ll take that criticism.  I’d rather have a fight stopped one punch too early than one punch too late,” Lembo stated.

According to Nielsen, ratings for Saturday’s first nationally broadcast, prime time MMA event lead in all key demographics.

Perhaps most importantly and telling, like the original The Ultimate Fighter finale that lit MMA dynamite in North America three years ago, viewers of CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights increased as the night went on.

Mikey liked it!

The face of EliteXC, heavyweight “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0) got a scare from as close to a mixed martial artist as he’s been locked in a cage with, “Colossus” James Thompson (14-9).

Thompson isn’t a great martial artist, but the big lug has cage cred having stood across from Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked heavyweight Aleksander Emelianenko (13-3) and “Ironhead” Kazuyuki Fujita (15-6) and even beating Hidehiko Yoshida (7-6-1) and “Predator” Don Frye (19-6-1) in the September of the former UFC champion’s years.

With what looked like about two weeks of jiu-jitsu and an intensive course in basic wrestling with the cauliflowered left ear to prove it, Thompson beat Slice for two rounds before Slice popped Thompson’s ear with a right hook and the prime time neutered ref waved the fight over.

In the post-fight press conference, the fighter who had kayoed Thompson in Thompson’s previous fight, “The Grim” Brett Rogers (7-0) called slice “garbage”.

On the undercard Saturday, Grimm also TKO’d Jon Murphy (4-3) in one minute.

Now, EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw has a choice to make.

He and UFC President Dana White are old boxing guys.  The difference between the way the’ve promoted MMA is stark.

White has consciously shunned the old boxing strategies of event and personality marketing in favor of promoting a league where champions fight top contenders and undercard fights mean something in contender standings.

It’s a familiar proposition to the fan: The champion is fighting the top challenger; and, the other two fighting on the undercard are fighting to become the next title challenger.  There’s a thread of continuity among events.

Shaw has stuck to what he knows, creating the name “Kimbo Slice” with favorable matchmaking and mass marketing.

That’s why boxing is no longer one of America’s most spectated sports.

It doesn’t work in MMA either.  PRIDE went belly-up on match-ups like then-world’s number one “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (27-1) versus world’s…nothing “Zuluzinho” Wagner da Conceicao Martins (4-4).

Saturday night’s event erased any excuse Shaw had for continuing to protect Kimbo Slice from legitimate challengers for business reasons.

Shaw’s foot is now in the door.  He can open it by matching the best fights and letting the cards fall as they may.

The most legitimate challenger for Slice in EliteXC is Rogers.

If Slice wins, he’s legitimized as the top heavyweight within the organization; but, win, lose, or draw, EliteXC is legitimized as an MMA organization.

Make this fight!  Rogers called Slice out and the fight leads EliteXC across the bridge from marketing spectacle to legit MMA contender to the UFC.

Want to play matchmaker?  Send me your match-ups and 100 words why it’s a good fight to make.  Include your name, city, and country and e-mail chad@fighters.com.  I’ll publish some of them next Monday morning.

In the main event, “Colossus” James Thompson (14-9) exposed “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0) in a third-round stoppage loss.

Former Ultimate Fighters Lawler and Smith fought to a controversial no contest halted when Smith absorbed a finger in his right eye from a defending Lawler.

Smith protested the end of a fight that was building into the primetime MMA era’s sequel to Griffin v Bonnar, while Lawler hung his head in disappointment.

“Hands of Stone” opened round one of his title challenge establishing his high kick.  Lawler was cagey in defense, pawing a jab and feigning a takedown.

It wasn’t long before the fireworks shot off and didn’t end.  Lawler countered a Superman punch from Smith with a straight right.  Smith belted back with a right high kick, backing up the champion.  Lawler threw haymakers in defense, then clinched up to throw hooks to Smith’s head.  The warriors traded body kicks to end round one.

Lawler established his jab in round two, setting up an uppercut.  Smith defended with Thai clinch in which he landed knees and elbows as Lawler struggled to free himself.  The fighters crashed into the cage and dirty boxed, Lawler landing uppercuts while Smith countered with elbows.

The fireworks came to an anti-climactic end in round three as doctors inexplicably called an end to the fight after Smith took a Lawler finger to the eye.

Slice Has “A Lot To Learn”

“I’ve got a lot to learn, a long way to go,” Kimbo Slice admitted after enduring a spirited assault from “Colossus”.

Thompson kept his pre-fight promise early, putting Slice on the mat with a single-leg takedown.  Thompson postured up and pounded Slice; but, Slice easily stood out of Thompson’s mount.

Thompson pressed Slice to the cage and worked a standing guillotine; but, Slice battled out with an elbow to Thompson’s head.  Slice ate another punch and the pair went back to the mat.

Slice worked an interesting neck crank from side control; but, Thompson defended and the two scrambled back to their feet before Thompson dropped Slice again into side control and hammered elbows.

Thompson committed to an Americana; and, Slice rolled Thompson into half-mount, attempting his own Americana while Thompson worked a Kimura.

Slice was able to get back to striking at the beginning of round two; but, Thompson took Slice down at will.

The final minute-and-a-half of the round, Thompson pinned Slice’s right arm beneath his knee from half-mount and pounded fists and elbows to Slice’s skull.

“I didn’t know he was going to be that strong on the ground,” said Slice.

Slice threw from the round three bell, landing a right overhand that caused blood to trickle from Thompson’s left, cauliflowered ear.  Slice followed with a series of straight lefts and right uppercuts before the referee stepped between the fighters at :38.

Thompson pushed the referee in protest of the stoppage.

Slice said, “I knew I busted his ear.  The ref did a good job, because I was going to aim for it again.”

Baroni Smoked by Villasenor

“Smokin’” Joey Villasenor (26-6) TKO’d “New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni (10-10) at 1:11 of round one.

Baroni scored the early advantage catching a “Smokin’” high kick and dumping Villasenor to mat.  Baroni followed with rights, but backed off and allowed Villasenor to stand.

Villasenor jawed Baroni with a short left.

“It was all about fighting at range.  Me and me coach been workin’ on that,” Villasenor said.

Baroni backpedaled and Villasenor closed to a standing guillotine.

Villasenor admitted, “I knew the choke wasn’t going to be secure enough to make him tap, but I knew he was going to be wheezing after that.”

Villasenor released the choke and hammered a 4-1-2 combo that dropped “NYBA”and ended the fight.

Grim Ending for Murphy

“The Grim” Brett Rogers (7-0) knocked out Jon Murphy (4-3) at 1:01 of round one.

“This mean a lot to me.  I’m movin’ up and up and up,” Rogers said.

Murphy scored a right punch early, leading to a clinch at the fence.  Rogers pummeled off the fence and slipped a right hook to Murphy’s jaw during an exchange.  Murphy collapsed and the referee ended the fight by TKO.

Murphy danced in the cage in celebration.

The main event, reported last week by Fighters.com, will match “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (2-0) versus “The Colossus” James Thompson (14-8) in a heavyweight scrap sure to end before the final bell.

“The Grim” Brett Rogers (6-0) earned a spot on the broadcast card when he knocked out “The Colossus” in February, though it evidently wasn’t enough to challenge “Slice” in the main event.  He’ll fight Jon Murphy (4-2), who comes off of a KO over Dave Huckaba (4-2) last August.

Also previously reported, Fighters.com’s number six middleweight “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (15-4) will defend his EliteXC championship versus “Hands of Stone” Scott Smith (13-4).

Finally, “New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni (10-9) will try to bounce back from his recent TKO loss to Icon Middleweight Champion Kala Kolohe Hose (6-1) versus “Ninja” Murilo Rua (15-8-1), who last crossed the Atlantic to pickup a stoppage in CageRage after Lawler knocked him out in his EliteXC debut.

“In terms of recognition and perception, I believe May 31 is the biggest and single most important MMA fight card ever,” said Gary Shaw, EliteXC Live Events President.  “It will forever change the landscape of the sport and how it is perceived.”

Given the pedestrian fight card and spectacle of a main event, let’s all hope not.

The card will air live in America at 9:00 PM EST/PT.

The website cites sources close to one of the fighters.

The fight has been rumored for weeks.

Thompson has a notoriously weak chin, which was exploited in his last fight by “The Grim” Brett Rogers (6-0) who KO’d “The Colossus” in two-and-a-half minutes.

The exciting event, which was presented by Los Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.’s EliteXC, aired on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).  It will be replayed a few times in the next several days, including Wednesday on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

As far as homecomings go, it doesn’t get better than this, as the incredibly popular Pride of Perrine, Fla, gave the raucous but well-behaved fans what they came to see: a devastating knockout win.

A YouTube legend and legitimate mixed martial arts superstar, Kimbo’s performance put an exclamation point on what was an excellent night of MMA action.

“We promised the fans a good, classy show and we delivered a great one,’’ said “EliteXC Live Events President and University of Miami alum, Gary Shaw.  “EliteXC showed tonight, once again, what MMA is all about.  There were great fights with dramatic finishes, a little bit of everything for everybody.

“As a promoter, you want the fans to leave with a good taste, and I truly believe that each and every person in attendance here tonight left the venue happy and completely satisfied.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the athletes, who acted like world champions before, during and afterward, or the fans, who turned out in record numbers.  We look forward to returning to Miami again.

“This was just a tremendously exciting night from start to finish.  Honestly, I don’t think any organization puts on better, more competitive fights that we do.’’

Kimbo (2-0), who may indeed be more popular than sliced bread, wowed the crowd en route to demolishing Abbott, an MMA icon who entered the cage to win.  But Tank spent more time on the ground than on his feet, going down three times from legitimate punches and a couple other times from slips.

“I wanted him to get up, I wanted to bang,’’ Kimbo said.  “I had to push him off because we were too close.   Then I just knocked him down.  It was great fighting in front of the hometown fans.  I’d be lying if I told you they didn’t jack me up. Miami, you are my home. 

“I have a lot of respect for Tank.  This was one of my dream fights, along with Mike Tyson.  But I am ready to fight anybody and ready to fight again really soon.

“I want to thank Showtime and EliteXC for making this night possible for me and my family.” 

Abbott (9-14), of Huntington Beach, Calif., gave it his all, as expected.  “I tried to take it to him at the start and take him to the ground, but then I just said, the heck with that and started to fight,’’ Tank said.  “But I ran into one and that was it. I was just getting started.

“It is still too early to know how good or great Kimbo will be.  But what I do know is that I absolutely want to keep fighting. Maybe I will go after Ken Shamrock.’’

In other Showtime fights Saturday, “Big Foot” Antonio Silva (10-1), a highly touted Brazilian who lives in Coconut Creek, Fla., recorded a hard-fought three-round split decision over former champion Ricco Rodriguez (27-8), of Staten Island, N.Y., unbeaten Brett Rogers (8-0), of  St. Paul, Minn., blasted out England’s “The Colossus” James Thompson (16-8) in the first round, “Hands Of Steel’’ Scott Smith (15-4), of Sacramento, Calif., knocked out Australian “The Ozzie” Kyle Noke (14-4-1), the bodyguard of the late Steve “Crocodile Hunter’’ Irwin, in the second round and Yves Edwards (33-13-1), of Conroe, Tex., stopped  ”Little Tiger” James Edson Berto (14-5-1), of Tampa, Fla., in the opening session.

In non-televised undercard fights that aired for free on MMA Internet site,  ProElite.com: Moyses Gabin (2-0), of Miami, registered a 2:32, first-round knockout over Jirka Hlavaty (1-2), of Miami, Lorenzo Borgameo (3-0), of Miami, won by submission (triangle) at 4:11 of the second round over Mike Bernhard (3-1), of Miami; Eric Bradley (3-1), of Las Vegas, Nev., took a unanimous  decision over Mikey Gomez (6-4), of Orlando, Fla.; Dave Herman (10-0), of Indiana, scored a third-round TKO over Mario Rinaldi (6-3), of Miami, Yosmany Cabezas (5-0), of Tampa, Fla., won by second-round submission (rear naked choke) over Jon Kirk (10-3), of Houston, and Rafael Feijao (4-1), of Brazil, knocked out John Doyle (6-2), of Allentown, Pa., at 2:17 of the first round.

All the fights were scheduled for three, 5-minute rounds.

 Silva, whose initial nine victories had come in the first round, got the nod on two of the judges’ cards by the scores of 30-27 and 29-28. The third judge had it for Rodriguez, 29-28.

“Ricco is a dangerous fighter,’’ said Silva, who was making his second start since dropping down after competing as a 300-pound super heavyweight.  “I knew it was going to be a tough fight.  I fought hard and came out with a victory, but it was a difficult fight for me. 

 “I want that belt.  I am sorry that this was not the best night of fighting for me, but I promise I will deliver in my next bout.  I want that heavyweight title.”

Rodriguez entered the cage with a vast advantage in experience, having fought and defeated some of the biggest names in MMA, including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Tim Sylvia, Jeff Monson, Andrei Arlovski, Pete Wilson, and Randy Couture. 

“The reality is, I didn’t train as long for this fight as I needed to, but I think I showed that I am still dedicated and can fight,’’ Rodriguez said.  “I am in this for the long haul and appreciate the opportunity EliteXC is giving me.  I wouldn’t be surprised if we fought a rematch.  I would love to fight Silva again.’’

Smith, who has won all 16 of his fights inside the distance, knocked out Noke in devastating fashion.  After losing the first round, he came out blazing in the second.  Two brutal right hands did all the damage.  The referee halted matters at 0:07 of the round. 

“I’m sorry for that first round, that’s not the way I fight,” Smith said.  “I didn’t start to get comfortable until toward the end of the round.

“When I got to my corner between rounds, I told my trainer that I had found my range.  I came out pumped and made up for it.  I was fighting way too much on the outside, but once I got inside — bam, I knocked him down.”

Noke had a four-fight unbeaten streak (3-0-1) end.  “This is a different feeling for me,’’ he said.  “I’ve never been knocked out by a punch before.  I felt good after the first round, but I got caught in the second. Scott is a good, strong fighter.”

Edwards earned his fourth consecutive victory by knocking out Berto with a knee and punch combination at 4:56 of the first round. Berto had a three-fight winning streak snapped.

“I am back and ready to fight anybody,’’ Edwards said.  “I’d love to fight [EliteXC lightweight champion KJ] Noons.  He’s the guy with the gold.  If you’re not doing this to be a world champion, you better do something else.’’ 

In an upset in the first Showtime fight, the hard-hitting Rogers spoiled the United States debut of Thompson, bringing “Colossus” down to size with a flurry of powerful combinations at 2:24 of the first round.

“I don’t think I have to say anything; it showed for itself,” Rogers said.  “He’s got a weak chin and I knew it was going to happen.

“All he kept trying to do was wrestle me to the ground.  I got back up and I knocked him out.  When I touch him, he’s going down.  There’s going to be more of Brett Rogers on EliteXC.”

Thompson offered no excuses.  “He caught me with good punches,” he said.  “He hits a lot harder than I thought.  I’m very disappointed.  My confidence isn’t where it should be or where I would like it to be since after my last fight.  I would fight him again in a rematch.’’