Though he honed his skills in backyard brawls and private gyms all over the South of Florida, Kimbo parlayed those skills acquired into a some-what successful mixed martial arts career which eventually saw the 36-year-old make his way into the UFC, the worlds largest MMA promotion.

Now, after severing ties with the organization and rumors of a professional boxing debut now squelched, it looks like that Slice will be venturing into some more unfamiliar territory when he competes now as a professional wrestler in the Japanese circuit.

MiddleEasy.com has reported that the UFC veteran will soon be competing in an eight-man title tournament which kicks off on February 5 when Slice takes on sumo wrestler Wakakirin.

Josh Barnett, who is currently participating in the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix is also said to be one of the active participants in the eight-man tournament, though it will likely conflict with his obligation’s with the San Jose based promotion.

This will mark the first public appearance of Slice returning to some form of active competition, albeit slightly more skewed to the entertainment side of things, since his release from the UFC in May of last year.

Kimbo began his UFC career with a decision victory over veteran Houston Alexander at the season finale of “The Ultimate Fighter 10″ in December of 2009, which Kimbo had participated in although he didn’t make it past the quarter-finals when he was pitted against eventual show winner and former IFL titleholder Roy Nelson.

Slice returned the next year, however succumbed to second-round strikes as he met with cast-mate and budding heavyweight prospect Matt Mitrione.

While professional wrestling seems like a stretch for even Kimbo, somehow, he’s still gotta make that bread.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the strange turn of events? Would you like to Ferguson compete in professional wrestling, return to mixed martial arts, or make his pro boxing debut? Sound off in the comment section below.

First, let’s get this clear right off the bat: Kimbo wouldn’t be making this move if he had been successful in MMA. Kimbo was a ratings machine, and helped both Elite XC and the UFC get some colossal ratings, but he was exposed in both promotions as someone who is almost all hype. Consider that, and consider also that the following comes from a man who gained a huge amount of respect for Kimbo due to how humble he was during TUF 10: Slice never would have made it in the UFC, or even Strikeforce, or even Japan. He brought some impressive punching power to the table, but that was it. His cardio was never that good. He had no ground game to speak of. When put in a bad position, he lost his aura of invincibility very quickly and didn’t do much other than turtling up and praying that the ref wouldn’t stop the fight.

It’s going to be a lot easier to hide his faults and embellish his strengths when he steps into a boxing ring. Perhaps most importantly, no one will be able to kick his lead leg out from under him. No one will be able to take him down and Ground and Pound on him. Pro boxing is very technical, there’s a reason it’s called “the sweet science”. But the simple fact of the matter is that Kimbo Slice excelled at one thing and one thing only, and that one thing is his striking. And striking is all you have to worry about in boxing.

So, will Kimbo finally find success in the land of legitimate combat sports when he steps inside the boxing ring? To be honest…probably not. As I said before, it’s the “sweet science”. Kimbo is a brawler that loves to bum-rush, and that style is just begging for an experienced striker to come along and counter-punch it all day every day. But if we’re being especially honest, let’s also consider that boxing isn’t what it used to be. In a world where it’s become the standard and not the exception to protect pro boxers by putting them against woefully mismatched opponents, Kimbo will probably be carefully coddled until all of his remaining market value is wrung dry. He’s big business as long as he keeps on winning, so I think all involved will do everything in their power to assure that Kimbo gets at least a few wins under his belt. Sooner or later, however, he’ll face someone with actual skill. And then it’ll be the Seth Petruzelli fight all over again.

But honestly, I’m not mad at Kimbo. I think this is a smart move. It prolongs whatever career he has left, and it’s a novel idea that should make for some fun freak-show fights. I just hope no one is kidding themselves and actually believes that Kimbo will be successful.

But what do you believe, fans and friends? How smart a move is this, and do you see Kimbo Slice being successful as a pro boxer?

When asked about the possibility of him returning to MMA, Shaw stated that instead of going back to being an MMA promoter, he would instead like to “cross over and go to MMA and pluck a couple of their fighters, and put them in a boxing ring.” When the interviewer then poised the obvious question, which was if Shaw was looking to grab up free agent and former Elite XC and UFC fighter Kimbo Slice, Shaw slyly replied “You said it, I didn’t. Look for some big news coming up pretty soon.”

I think this is a novel idea, and to be perfectly honest, it can’t do any more damage to Kimbo’s credibility that hasn’t already been done. Win or lose (and he’s lost big-time both in EXC and the UFC), it’s a proven fact that Kimbo Slice is a marketable TV star. He’s delivered massive ratings win or lose in every single one of his television appearances: he gave Elite XC their biggest rating ever; he gave The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 one of their highest ratings ever. Kimbo Slice has been relegated to a freakshow attraction, but there’s no doubting that he’s one of the most successful freakshow attractions ever to compete in professional Mixed Martial Arts.

And let’s face facts: it’s going to be a lot easier to protect Kimbo in boxing than it was to protect him in MMA. It’s been proven time and time again that anything can happen in MMA. Boxing, especially when you consider the state boxing is in right now, is a lot more formulaic. If Kimbo Slice is put against cans, he’ll beat them. And I don’t see him getting much in the way of competition other than spoon-fed opponents meant to make him look good. However, like his stint in MMA, I think his stint in boxing will come to an abrupt halt once he faces anyone with actual skill. But he’ll probably make both himself and Gary Shaw a lot of money in the process.

So, yeah, I’m actually in favor of seeing Kimbo Slice in a boxing ring. It honestly can’t get much worse than getting KO’d on national television, TKO’d on a major cable television network, going to a three-round ultra-boring decision on the same network, and then getting TKO’d on Pay-Per-View. Somehow it baffles me how Kimbo Slice still manages to stay so popular. I suppose it is what it is. If Kimbo Slice is coming to a boxing ring near you, it probably won’t be the greatest fight you’ll ever see, but I have no doubt that it will be a very entertaining spectacle. And that’s a lot more than you could say for most boxing fights these days.

And what do you think, fans and friends? Are you for or against Kimbo Slice transitioning to boxing, and how successful do you think he’ll be in a boxing ring?

Slice won a unanimous decision over “Assassin” Houston Alexander (9-6) in a 215-pound catchweight fight at SpikeTV’s The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale in Las Vegas December 5.

Mitrione knocked out former Tampa Bay Bucs first-round draft pick “Big Baby” Marcus Jones (4-2) at the same event.

Judges scores were 29-28 twice and 29-27 all in favor of Slice.

The first round was barely mentionable as Alexander circled outside and waved leg kicks while Slice stood firmly in the center of the Octagon looking for a brawl.  The two fighters clinched twice, but briefly and uneventfully.

But, round two…wow!  Alexander came out of his corner to take another walk around the Octagon; but, Slice came out like Alexander was in Kimbo’s backyard.  Slice clinched and took Alexander to the mat in full mount, landing a few shots.  Alexander wormed back to his feet; but, Slice took Alexander’s back and suplexed him.  Alexander shot for a single-leg in the scramble; but, again, Slice stood and fell atop Alexander on the mat and passed to full mount.  Alexander gave up his back after Slice began landing shots to Alexander’s dome.  Slice briefly worked a guillotine, but decided to mount Alexander and land short elbows before the bell ended the round.

Alexander’s strategy finally paid off in round three when he dropped Slice with a solid leg kick.  Slice didn’t so much stand up, as shoot for a single leg takedown directly from his butt.  But, after a lay’n'pray from both fighters, referee Josh Rosenthal compelled them to their feet.  It was obvious Slice could barely stand on his lead leg after Alexander’s kick early in the round; but, Slice engaged Alexander for an exciting, if sloppy brawl that ended when an Alexander elbow sent Slice backpedaling and bell saved both fighters.

The final episode will air for two hours and feature fights that will determine the two athletes who will fight for a six-figure UFC contract at at SpikeTV’s The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale in Las Vegas December 5.

The remaining heavyweights include James McSweeney (3-4), ex-NFL defensive tackle Matt Mitrione (0-0), “Big Baby” Marcus Jones (4-1), “Titties” Darrill Schoonover (10-1), “Big Country” Roy Nelson (13-4),  and Brendan Schaub (3-0).

Wednesday nights episode will feature matchups between McSweeney and Mitrione and Jones and Schoonover, then the winners of those fights in semi-final matchups with Nelson and Schaub.

Though a plotline forced by the show this season has been the return of “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-1) after his first round loss to Nelson,  light heavyweight “Assassin” Houston Alexander (9-4) has confirmed he’ll fight Slice December 5.

Fighters.com will post live coverage of the final fights of season 10 tonight.  Return to Fighters.com tonight for discussion of the final fights and the season.

The matchup is rumored to be held at a 215-pound catchweight.

Alexander TKO’d “Tank” Sherman Pendergarst (11-15) at Adrenaline MMA 4 in Omaha September 18 after losing three consecutive in the Octagon by first-round stoppage.

Slice was TKO’d by “Silverback” Seth Petruzelli (11-4) at EliteXC in Fort Lauderdale in October 2008 and lost again in an exhibition bout versus “Big Country” Roy Nelson (13-4) on SpikeTV’s The Ultimate Fighter 10.

According to a source, the matchup was originally scheduled as a light heavyweight bout, but Slice indicated he couldn’t make the 205-pound limit and the fighters agree to fight at 215-pounds.

On a media conference call in September promoting Slice’s exhibition bout versus “Big Country” Roy Nelson (13-4) on The Ultimate Fighter 10, Slice indicated he would be willing to drop to 205-pounds if a promoter asked him to do.

Alexander TKO’d “Tank” Sherman Pendergarst (11-15) at Adrenaline MMA 4 in Omaha September 18.

Slice was TKO’d by “Silverback” Seth Petruzelli (11-4) at EliteXC in Fort Lauderdale in October 2008.

The matchup has been rumored, but not confirmed by Fighters.com.  The Times of Northwest Indiana has broke stories about Alexander before and Fighters.com considers the publication a good source for information about Alexander.

Also confirmed is a previously reported welterweight fight between “Superman” Dennis Hallman (41-12-1) and “Doomsday” John Howard (12-3) and a lightweight matchup between Mark Bocek (7-2) and Matt Veach (8-0).

Fighters.com broke the news of the UFC’s signing of Wallace and followed him as he prepared for Vendetta FC’s eight-man tournament and eventual victory in Aruba September 5 when he tapped out “Juggernaut” Antwain Britt (11-3) in an armbar in the tournament’s finale after disposing of Gregory Milliard (1-2) by decision in the first round and Team Quest’s Aaron Stark (9-5) by decision in the semi-final.

Former WEC champion Stann won a unanimous decision over “Robot” Steve Cantwell (7-2) at UFC Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City September 16 in the third iteration of a trilogy that began in the WEC in 2007.

Hallman returns to the Octagon four years after losing a UD to “El Conquistador” Jorge Rivera (16-7) at UFC 55 in Uncasville. He tapped Justin Davis (11-10) in a rear naked choke in just 27 seconds at Strikeforce Challengers in Seattle 19 June.

Howard won a split decision over “Barncat” Tamdan McCrory (11-3) at UFC 101 in Philadelphia 8 August, his second Octagon win in as many outings.

Heavyweight “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-1) is all but confirmed to make his UFC debut at the event, but his opponent remains a mystery.

The two finalists from the current season of SpikeTV’s The Ultimate Fighter 10 will also fight for a six-figure UFC contract.

MMA Gospel host “Reverend” Turk Vangel confronted Brown with the rumor that “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-1) brought a gun into the American Top Team gym at which both Brown and Slice train after Slice was tapped out during a sparring session.

“It didn’t happen.  I was there that day,” Brown denied the rumor.  In fact, he thinks the rumor is hilarious.  He chuckled and remarked, “That’d be pretty crazy!  Like, ‘Whoa!  No one tap out Kimbo!’”

Brown called Slice a humble guy.  “If you watch him, you’ll notice he never insults anybody.  As much as people talk about him, he never responds to them.”

Brown will defend his WEC title for the third time versus Aldo and he related the difficulty preparing for the Brazilian fighter who fought primarily in small shows in Brazil before debuting in the WEC last year.  Brown said because Aldo has been ripping through the division so quickly – fighting just six minutes in his last three stoppage victories – there’s not a lot of good video on Aldo.

“We don’t know how he is on the ground yet,” Brown stated.

Brown also indicated the only additional training he’s doing for the fight is knee defense.  “If you fight your game well, you don’t have to worry too much about their game,” Brown stated.

Brown is excited about the prospect of a 2010 WEC pay per view event and is open to moving up to lightweight to fight WEC champ “Worm” Jamie Varner (16-3) or down to featherweight to fight champ Brian Bowles (8-0) or former champ Miguel Torres (36-2).

“All I care about at this time in my career is to take fights the fans care about.  No matter who it is. Where we both get paid, because you have a limited amount of time to accumulate wealth in this sport,” said Brown.

WEC 44 will take place at The Pearl at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas November 18.

MMA Gospel can be heard every Saturday from 5:00-7:00 PM at MMAGospel.com.  “Reverend” Turk Vangel of MMA Gospel contributed to this report.

Something Slice said on Wednesday night’s episode of TUF 10 was even more illuminating than his fight versus “Big Country” Roy Nelson (13-4).  In a conversation with Marcus Jones (4-1) in the TUF 10 house, Slice commented about MMA, (and I’m paraphrasing a bit) “The flips, the kicks, the armbars, there’s too much going on.”

Jones comforted Slice, telling him he’s picking up the ground skills he’ll need to compete at the top of the heavyweight division, but is Slice really learning those skills?

During another scene, Team Rashad sat around the pool while Nelson described his gameplan for beating Slice.  He told his teammates how he would take Slice down, put him in the crucifix position, and count off the unanswered shots he would score to the referee.

And, during the first round of the Slice/Nelson showdown, Nelson took Slice down, put him in the crucifix position, and counted off the unanswered shots to referee Herb Dean.  Some will argue Dean should’ve stopped the fight after Nelson’s undefended punches entered double-digits.  But, Dean gave Slice the benefit of the doubt.

Then, in the second round, Nelson again took Slice down, put him in the crucifix position, and counted off the unanswered shots he scored.  That time, Dean had little choice but to end the fight.

Nelson is a genuine UFC-quality heavyweight with a ground game that gave Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked heavyweight “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-7)  trouble before Arlovski knocked Nelson out at EliteXC in Fort Lauderdale in October 2008.  But, with all due respect to Nelson, he didn’t do anything particularly spectacular on the ground versus Slice.  It was all pretty basic MMA, though effective.

Now, what’s troubling for Slice is that he was absolutely clueless in his defense of Nelson’s strategy…twice!  Slice has been training mixed martial arts full-time for two years, getting personal attention with quality training partners at EliteMMA, which is a good gym run by former UFC champion “El Guapo” Bas Rutten (28-4-1), and getting intensive training on his ground game in particular.

Think of it in this context: Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) learned the basics of the ground game from video tapes in a garage before refining his grappling with Jorge Gurgel (13-5).

Slice has been given opportunities to improve his skills that no other heavyweight on The Ultimate Fighter 10 has been given and few fighters have ever been given.  Yet, Slice still thinks “there’s too much going on” in MMA?   If Slice hasn’t at least been able to put together a mental framework of the sport that allows him to understand what’s going on, will he ever be able to?

Fighters have to fight; and, as I said, Slice is a fighter.  But, mixed martial arts isn’t the best sport for every fighter to express their need to fight.  Though his only loss was at the end of a punch from “Silverback” Seth Petruzelli (11-4) at EliteXC in Fort Lauderdale, Slice is certainly talented on his feet.  Perhaps Slice could compete succesfully as a professional heavyweight or cruiserweight boxer.  Perhaps Slice could score some wins as a K-1 kickboxer in Japan.  But, at 35-years old with two years of high-level, intensive training and little percievable improvement in crucial skils to be a successful mixed martial artist, Slice should consider how his need to fight is best expressed.

The Ultimate Fighter 10 was taped in June and I don’t know the outcome.  I could be forced to eat crow if Slice is given a second chance in the contest and is fighting in the final in Las Vegas December 5.  But, from the first YouTube-broadcast backyard brawl to the loss to Nelson on Wednesday night’s TUF 10 broadcast, Slice’s slow progress in MMA hasn’t matched the time, effort, and devotion he’s invested and the time, effort, and money that’s been invested in Slice by others to make him a top heavyweight.  Maybe it’s time for Slice to cut his losses in MMA.

“I feel like shit,” Slice admitted after the loss, though an “L” won’t show on his record.

At the opening bell, Nelson waved a jab in Slice’s face as Slice sized up “Big Country”.  The first hard shot was a leg kick landed by Slice to Nelson’s lead leg.  Nelson bent over to snatch-up a leg and got tagged again with a Slice uppercut.  But, Nelson bullied Slice to the cage and tripped him to the mat and mounted.  Nelson landed a left punch and passed to side mount and pinned Slice’s right arm beneath his knee in the crucifix position.  Nelson counted off 10s of unanswered pats on Slice’s noggin as referee Herb Dean urged Slice to work.  The round ended in that predicament.

Slice exited his corner with urgency for round two.  He landed a straight right flush to Nelson’s jaw; but, Nelson bum rushed through Slice’s assault and ran right over the street fighter as Slice launched a knee strike.  From side control, Nelson smothered Slice with his “big ass belly”, as coach “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-7) called it.  Nelson again pinned Slice’s arm beneath his knee in the crucifix position and patted on Slice’s skull.  This time, Dean stepped in an ended the fight.

Nelson celebrated his “W” by ordering a Burger King Whopper with cheese from UFC President Dana White, who said Nelson hit like his daughter after the fight.

Fighters.com has kept intentionally out of the loop about who wins the fight that occured in June and will air Wednesday, but Monday on a UFC media conference call, Slice seemed to tip his hand about the outcome when he answered a question about fighting the tournament favorite, Nelson, saying, “If I have to lose, I want to lose to the best.”  However, Slice also commented that, “This is my best fight so far.”

As has been Slice’s legacy, the hype around him has overshadowed a five-year veteran mixed martial artist with an impressive record.  Though Nelson enters the fight on the only two-fight losing streak of his career, the losses have been in impressive performances versus top heavyweights “Snowman” Jeff Monson (28-8) in a three-round decision and tenth-ranked “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-7) by second-round KO.  Like Nelson said on TUF 10, episode 1 after Slice was announced in the tournament, “I thought I was the big announcement.”

Slice fights for the first time since his nationally broadcast first defeat, a 14-second TKO by “Silverback” Seth Petruzelli (11-4) at EliteXC in Ft. Lauderdale in October 2008.

Since the loss, Slice has switched training camps from “El Guapo” Bas Rutten‘s (28-4-1) EliteMMA in Los Angeles to American Top Team in Miami.  Monday, Slice said, “I’m in camp now.  I’m just planning for my fight in December.”

The fight card is headlined by former WEC welterweight “Beast” Mike Campbell’s (6-2) return to the WCF versus Mike Medrano (5-3).

Campbell tapped in a triangle choke to “Showtime” Anthony Pettis (9-0) at WEC 41 in Sacramento 7 June. In his last WCF cameo, Campbell TKO’d Rich Moskowitz (10-5) in Wilmington in June 2008.

Medrano won a three-round decision over “Wicked” Phillip Wyman (4-3) at Elite Fighting Challenge in Norfolk, VA 27 June.
On the undercard, featherweight Dan Bonnell (6-5) will take on Bellator vet Josh LaBerge (3-4).

Undefeated WCF prodigy Kevin Corrigan (2-0) and fellow undefeated prospect Saul Almeida (4-0) will fight to keep their zeros intact.

Welterweights Dennis Olsen (7-1) and Ryan Schieding (5-1) will also square off.

Tickets starting at $40 can be purchased at Tix.com or by calling 800.595.4849.

ProElite, Inc. is the parent company of the EliteXC promotion that is nationally broadcast in the States on CBS, as well as owner of the MMA brands King of the Cage, CageRage, ICON, and Spirit MC.

ProElite’s website is functioning and has no mention of the company’s bankruptcy.

However, Gracie Fighter, the website of EliteXC fighter Nick Diaz‘s  (18-7) manager, Cesar Gracie, posted Monday evening, “We are confirming that EliteXC has folded.”

The cancelled event was to have taken place in Reno and aired on Showtime featuring title fights in two weight divisions.

Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked middleweight “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-4) was scheduled to defend his title from challenger Joey Villasenor (26-6); and, Fighters.com’s third-ranked lightweight Eddie Alvarez (15-1) and Diaz were to have fought for the vacant 160-pound title.

EliteXC debuted 10 February in Southaven, south of Memphis, and has held 17 events.

Recently, the promotion’s most popular star, “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-1), was knocked out by late replacement “Silverback” Seth Petruzelli (10-4) in 14 seconds in Sunrise, north of Miami, 4 October.

The failed company was the most prominent challenger to the UFC.  It exposed millions to the sport of mixed martial arts via it’s relationship with CBS.

However, CBS EliteXC Fight Night was a production of CBS’s entertainment division, not it’s sports division; and, ProElite was often criticized for heavily promoting Kimbo Slice, a fighter who gained initial fame through videos of backyard fights broadcast on YouTube.

After Slice was KO’d by a UFC castoff, UFC President Dana White remarked to the Boston Herald, “These guys have lost $60 million trying to get this thing off the ground.  They’re building their promotion around a guy who can’t fight.  It’s kind of fucking stupid, isn’t it?  You’re in the fight business and you’re building your business around a guy who can’t fight.”

ProElite, Inc. executives were unavailable for comment at the time of publication.

Fighters.com: On November fifth you’re facing “California Kid” Urijah Faber (21-0) for the WEC featherweight title.  Some analysts have labeled Faber the best MMA featherweight in history.  Does facing a popular fighter like Faber bring intimidation or do you find motivation in the potential dethroning of a champion during the peak of his career?

Mike Thomas Brown:  I love being the underdog.  I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Urijah is a very tough guy; but, I train with tons of tough guys.  It’s just another day at the office.

Fighters.com: Would you say that the approaching title bout is the most important fight of your life?

Mike Thomas Brown:  Every fight is important because each fight aligns you with the next.  This is for the WEC featherweight title, the most prestigious title for those in the 145-pound division.  The guy who holds that title is number one in the world.  This is my goal.  It’s the final piece of that puzzle.  It’s been a long, long journey.

Fighters.com: It must have been a real letdown to have the title fight rescheduled back in September due to Hurricane Ike.

Mike Thomas Brown:  I was crushed.  I poured everything into it.  I live down here in South Florida so I was here and ready to fight.

Fighters.com: How has the rescheduling affected you mentally?  Has the extra time provided you additional determination?

Mike Thomas Brown:  It is what it is.  It’s almost like training for an entirely new fight, but there is no extra determination.  This was already the biggest fight of my life.

Fighters.com:  You’re currently on a winning streak numbering seven fights and spanning nearly three years with the bulk of your only losses coming early in your career against big names such as “Neo-Samurai” Genki Sudo (15-5-1), Hermes Franca (18-7), and “J-Lau” Joe Lauzon (17-4).  What do you say to those critics who possibly do not see you as top contender alongside these fighters you lost to many years earlier?

Mike Thomas Brown:  I’m one of those guys that have kind of slipped through the cracks.  I just haven’t had the big media push like other guys.  I think the majority of people’s opinions are molded by the media.  Most of my fights haven’t been televised.  I just haven’t had that media push.  Hardcore fight fans know what I’m capable of doing; but, some people don’t know anything beyond The Ultimate Fighter television show.

Fighters.com:  Both you and Urijah share recent wins over “Big Frog” Jeff Curran (29-10-1).  Yours by decision; Faber’s by submission.  Do the recent and mutual fights against Curran provide any insight for you when preparing for Faber?

Mike Thomas Brown: Its hard to make comparisons in the fight.  Every fight is different and who knows.

Fighters.com: Some insiders are saying that Urijah has the edge over you in wrestling; whereas, others have stated that you are sneaking in under the radar with an edge in power and natural strength.  What do you say to such opinions?

Mike Thomas Brown: Uriah is a great fighter; but ,I honestly think I’ll be the stronger fighter in this fight.

Fighters.com: Of course, there are those who also say that you may bring more aggression in the fight as well.  Is this an accurate assessment?

Mike Thomas Brown: Well, I have nothing to lose and I’m a big underdog; and, so, it’s easy to throw caution to the wind and get wild.

Fighters.com: Do you train sometimes with veterans such as “Snowman” Jeff Monson (26-8) at American Top Team?

Mike Thomas Brown: I am a featherweight, so I actually don’t train much with any of the heavyweights here at American Top Team.  We have about twenty world class fighters around my same weight.

Fighters.com: Speaking of Monson, most MMA fans recall the prank video he put up on Youtube.com calling out “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-1).  Then, of course, you put up a video a few days later calling Jeff out.  What’s the inside story behind these hilarious videos?

Mike Thomas Brown:  (laughing)  The “Munson” video was funny.   Here at American Top Team we are always busting balls and making fun of everyone and everything.  So, I came in one day; and, we were out back watching the Monson video and we thought it would be funny if I were to retaliate and call out Monson. It was pretty funny.

Fighters.com: What did you think about the recent devastation of Kimbo Slice at the hands of a fellow American Top Team fighter, “Silverback” Seth Petruzelli (10-4)?

Mike Thomas Brown: I kind of thought it was going to happen.  I just thought it was going to happen on the ground.  Kimbo has some decent boxing; so, I figured he would be okay there.

“Everyone said what it was.  It was an opportunity for me to step up,” said Petruzelli after the win.

Petruzelli and Slice agreed to fight just 40 minutes before CBS EliteXC Fight Night went live after Slice’s original opponent, “World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock (26-13-2), bailed with a cut over his eye suffered while warming up Saturday.

Shamrock’s brother, EliteXC broadcaster Frank Shamrock (23-9-2), called Ken “a discrace” on air.

“Honestly, man, it was a crappy situation for both us,” Petruzelli said.  “It was unfortuante what happened to Ken.  This is professional fighting.  It’s not supposed to be like it is on the streets.”

But, if it was like a street fight, Slice, the “YouTube street fighting sensation”, should’ve had the advantage.

Slice pressed Petruzelli at the bell and ate a front kick immediately.  Petruzelli followed with a straight right that sent Slice to his hands and knees.  Slice never got back up as Petruzelli rained right hooks, then lefts to Slice’s skull.  The referee stepped in to end the fight; and, Slice, stunned, grabbed the referees leg.

After his first MMA loss, Slice told his hometown crowd, “It’s all good.  It’s all good.  It was unexpected.”  Then Slice plugged his sponsors and after party.

For MMA aficionados, Slice’s loss wasn’t so much an upset as a confirmation that mixed martial arts can’t be picked-up by any fighter off the streets in a year.

The undefeated EliteXC heavyweight is still waiting for his shot against mainstream MMA poster boy ”Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0).

In June, at a Minnesota MMA event, Rogers announced that he would be fighting Ferguson in October and “that motherfucker is getting knocked out.”

In Sunrise, north of Miami, 4 October, Ferguson will step into the cage to fight UFC Hall of Famer “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock (26-12-2).

“You know what, man?  I really, honestly can’t tell you what happened.  I just know that it didn’t happen.  I’m a little upset about that and I’m going to take some frustration out on Mr. Slice when I get my hands on him.”

Though the fight fell through; and, Rogers isn’t currently scheduled to fight, he holds no ill-will towards EliteXC.

“I’m not hating on Elite.  They put me out there.  They’ve taken care of me.  I can’t hate on ‘em.  It’s a great show.  It’s the first time [MMA] has been on a national network; and, for me to be a part of that first show, that was an honor.  I can’t hate on that.”

Rogers is hoping that he will be fighting again by November, but realizes that it could be until January before any fights are scheduled for him.  However, Ferguson remains on his mind.

“I’m just to the point where I can’t wait for that fight to get over with so I can move on with my life.”

Team Bison head trainer Mike Reilly laid out exactly where their aspirations lie, saying, “We got into this to fight the best.  We would love to fight [EliteXC Heavyweight Champion "Big Foot" Antonio Silva (11-1)] for the title, but it doesn’t matter who holds the title.  It matters whose on the top of the poster.  And, as long as Kimbo is on the top of the poster, that’s who we want to fight.”

As far as Rogers’s feelings about Shamrock taking his place in the cage, he told Fighters.com, “I still don’t understand why [Shamrock] is back.  He’s a man that has the feeling that he don’t want to stop.  I say he should just go on to coaching.  I have a little grudge against him, too.  If he wins I’m gonna take out a little frustration on him, too.”

In the meantime, Rogers is staying patient, continuing his training, and working specifically on his ground game.

“I’ve been working my ground game and I’m looking to play with [Slice] a little bit on the ground.  I know [Ferguson] don’t like the ground.  Teach ["Colossus" JamesThompson (14-9)] how it’s done.

Rogers pointed out how grateful he is to his sponsors and managers who have stood by him and given him his opportunities.

“Big Black, Rockstar, OTM- they gave me my first mouth guard and it still feels good, my MMA managers, Mike Reilly, much love.  I hope we can work together in the future, because, without them, I wouldn’t be going nowhere.  I’d be out there scufflin’ and hustlin’.”

UFC Hall of Famer and “World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock (26-13-2) was named as “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson‘s (3-0) opponent for the night’s main event.

Fighters.com’s third-ranked welterweight Jake Shields (21-4-1) will defend his EliteXC title for the first time against Brit “Semtex” Paul Daley (18-6-2).

Benji Radach (18-4) will make his EliteXC debut against “Ninja” Murilo Rua (16-8-1) in a middleweight match-up.

After Shamrock lost his last three fights in the UFC, he lost once more to “Buzz” Robert Berry (12-8) by first-round KO in March.

“Kimbo Slice” will look to win his fourth in a row after his third-round TKO over “Colossus” James Thompson (14-9) in May.

Shields won his tenth consecutive fight in July when he submitted tenth-ranked “Goat” Nick Thompson (36-10-1) in 1:03 with a guillotine.

Daley has six straight wins, the last one over the previously unbeaten “Zelva” Bojan Kosednar (6-1) by first-round knockout in July.

Ex-IFLer Radach lost his first fight in six when “Suave” Matt Horwich (23-10-1) knocked him out in round two in December.

Rua, EliteXC’s first middleweight champ, handed “The Gun” Tony Bonello (16-1-1) his first career loss in June via first-round TKO.

It will take place at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, FL, near Fort Lauderdale.

“Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0) and Gina Carano (6-0) will feature on the card, although no opponents have been named yet. Both fought at EliteXC’s network television debut in May.

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.

Rogers added his confirmation to Slice’s and EliteXC President Gary Shaw’s that the showdown Rogers called for last month will get on in October.

When questioned by the ring announcer, Rogers panned Slice, “You gotta be able to do everything… stand up, ground game, whatever.”

Rogers called Slice “garbage” immediately following EliteXC’s CBS broadcast on 31 May, claiming that Ferguson had tapped out to “Colossus” James Thompson (14-9) in the second round.

Thompson had lost his preceding fight to Rogers by knockout; but, for his effort, Rogers fought first on CBS while Thompson scored the main event versus Ferguson.

Couture graciously confronted and answered questions about his beef with the Zuffa, LLC and UFC President Dana White and third-ranked “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia‘s (24-4) and his own prospective fight with sixth-ranked “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (27-1), shared opinions about fifth-ranked welterweight Matt Hughes (42-7), “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0), and Brock Lesnar (1-1), and made picks on future fights.

Fighters.com: You’ve said you’ve accepted that you might get a bad court ruling and not fight again. Have you lost some competitiveness from being inactive for so long?

The Natural: I still want to compete. I’m still in training as much as I can be with all this other stuff going on. I still seem to be able to hold my own, even with the lack of serious, hardcore training, with all the top guys that I have in the gym. I’m having fun being in the gym learning new tools, new skills and being there with a lot of the other guys that have been there for me, so I’m not too worried about that. The courts are going to do what the courts are going to do. We’ll deal with it when it comes in.

Fighters.com: Not many fighters have wives who also train. Does that give you both a different perspective and more understanding?

The Natural: I think it’s pretty cool! Not many guys can actually go and punch their wife in the head. No…she’s training hard, she’s doing a great job and having fun. It’s been good for her physically and, I think, emotionally to get a lot of her frustrations and have something of her own to work with. It’s been a lot of pressure too because she’s dragging around my last name. It puts a lot more pressure on her and she’s been able to take that all in stride and deal with that very well as well. I’m excited for her, looking forward to her next fight on June 20th at the Thomas & Mack. It’s going to be great.

Fighters.com: At home, do you two ever move the furniture out of the way and have a training session?

The Natural: We end up wrestling on that damn bed all the time!

Fighters.com:At the Xtreme Couture website there’s a video center that is streaming the pro sessions daily. What are viewers likely to see?

The Natural: Well, they’ll can tune in and watch me in a class that’s on main mat and, certainly between 4:00 and 6:00 PM Pacific Time, is when our pros train and a lot of the top guys from Forrest Griffin and Mike Powell and Jay Hieron, Gray Maynard, and Tyson Griffin, Wanderlei Silva and the list just goes on and on of the top guys in the Vegas area who train on our mat. If you want to see technically what the pros are working on and what our MMA workouts are like, and get idea of what to do, it’s a great place to go.

Fighters.com: Do you think Fighters.com Light Heavyweight Champion “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-6) and “Maximus” Marcus Aurelio (16-5) have already bought their subscriptions?

The Natural: I don’t know! Maybe… I think Forrest and Tyson (future opponents of Jackson and Aurelio respectively) do the majority of their hardcore technical training in the cage, not on the camera. So, at least right now, you probably won’t see a lot of them on the mat.

Fighters.com: Did you watch Hughes lose to sixth-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3) Saturday?

The Natural:I missed the fight Saturday. I was traveling. I was very happy to hear [Xtreme Couture middleweight] Martin Kampmann won his fight against Jorge [Rivera]. That was a big fight for him coming back off the knee reconstruction. I did hear about the Hughes fight and the flying knee; but, Alves is a tough cat. I kind of picked him to win that fight.

Fighters.com: Hughes isn’t that old, but is his age or the number of fights catching up with him? Or, is he just in a funk he’ll shake out of?

The Natural:Well, I think that’s on Matt. I think Matt is now running his own school. He’s kind of become the big fish in that little pond, where, I think, before, when he was training with Miletich he had a bunch of guys in there who were stepping up and challenging him when he was there training and making him better. I think that’s the environment that he needs to progress as a fighter. I just don’t know that he’s continuing to progress. Everybody else is. These guys are all getting better. They’re younger, they’re stronger, bigger, and they’re figuring it out. I think Matt is capable of doing whatever he wants to do. It’s just a function of applying himself.

Fighters.com: UFC President Dana White told Sports Illustrated that he spoke to you at UFC 84. Is that awkward? What do you two talk about? Is there any genuine friendliness left in the relationship?

The Natural:It’s not personal on my part and I don’t think it is on his part either. I think he’s an emotional guy who sometimes says things that he wishes he could take back or wishes he didn’t say and he’s made stupid comments. And, you know, yeah it’s a little weird going to the UFC shows. I feel like a leper. They work pretty hard to keep me off camera when I corner my guys and they don’t show any of the clips they could of me. They don’t let Goldie or Joe mention my name at all or where my guys are training. So, you know, those are conscious things that Dana has tried to do. I think they’re silly; but, he’s going to do what he’s going to do. I don’t have any control over that. So, I don’t take it personal. I talked to him, Lorenzo [Fertitta, Zuff, LLC co-owner], and Frank [Fertitta, Zuffa, LLC co-owner] at the last UFC. It was a great card. You know? It is what it is.

Fighters.com: White has also said that he’s ready to put you back in the Octagon at any time; but, you just don’t see yourself going back to the UFC?

The Natural:You never say never, but there’s a lot of things that’ve got to change. I’m in a position now that if the courts rule in my favor I can control my own destiny and make one of the biggest fights to ever happen on my own. And, get all of the benefits of being in a position to do that. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense for me to go back and give it all back to the UFC and let them walk away with 90-plus percent of everything that comes from those fights.

Fighters.com: You’re starring in The Scorpion King 2, soon to be released to DVD? Is that in the can?

The Natural:It’s done. It’s in the can. I filmed it in October and November of last year. I just saw a pre-screening of the movie last week and was very excited about the way it came out.

Fighters.com: I worry with you, Tito, Rampage, and others getting into acting. Do you think the higher pay for less pain of Hollywood is going to start stealing fighters from MMA?

The Natural: I don’t know. I think most of the fighters have a passion and love for what they do as fighters; and, if you were to achieve some goals and open those doors to the acting realm and have the opportunity to try that, it better work. I don’t think everyone is going to have the opportunity to crossover. You know, I know that Tito has made a foray with The Crow: Wicked Prayer and some of the other stuff he’s done when given the opportunity. Chuck’s been in a few things now. And, Rampage, you know, obviously, he definitely has the persona. And, I think the camera would be pretty friendly to him.

Fighters.com: Have you picked a winner of Sylvia versus Emelianenko in your own mind?

The Natural:Most people expect Fedor to find a way to take Tim out, and I can see that too. With his submission skills and the dynamic style of fighter that he is, I can see that happening. Tim poses some interesting problems and is certainly going to have something to say about that. He’s not going to be an easy fight. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes.

Fighters.com:Do you fault Emelianenko for not fighting top guys the last two years while you and Sylvia and other heavyweights were fighting each other?

The Natural:I think he’d have rather been fighting top guys. Bodog kind of going the way it went and PRIDE getting crushed by Zuffa, I don’t think he’s really had the opportunity to fight any top guys. I think if he’d have had his druthers, he’d have fought top guys. I’m sure he’s excited about the opportunity to fight Tim and certainly expressed a lot of interest in being able to fight me at some point. I don’t think it changes the fighter that he is or the guys that he’s beat. He’s beat Nogueira twice and Cro Cop and right on down the line. He’s beat a lot of top guys, just nobody recently.

Fighters.com:You just opened Xtreme Couture Toronto. Is that your first Canadian gym?

The Natural: It’s our first Canadian gym. We’re talking to some folks in Montreal who’re interested in franchising a gym there; but, we’ll see what happens. We’re very excited. The Toronto gym looks terrific! A huge facility! Thirty-thousand square feet. So, it’s a great big gym.

Fighters.com: Will there be any fighters training in Toronto?

The Natural: Chris Horodecki, and Mark Bocek, and Mark Hominick are all going to be training and teaching there. There’s a newer Russian kid coming up who lives in Canada who looks to be a very physical, and have the potential as a fighter as well, to be teaching there. So, I think a lot of the top fighters in the area of Toronto are going to end up there.

Fighters.com:You’re an elder in the sport. What do you think of “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0)?

The Natural:I like Kimbo! I think Kimbo has a great attitude. You know, he’s trying to do all the right things to be a well-rounded mixed martial artist; and, I think he’d be the first to admit that he’s not there yet, as James Thompson pointed out on CBS two weekends ago. He’s got some holes in his game still; but, I think his popularity has a lot to do with EliteXC marketing him as a street fighter and the Internet kind of street fights, YouTube phenomenon, if you will, that he is. I don’t think the two really cross over. If EliteXC wants to market him that way, I just don’t think it really crosses over. They need to be careful what they do with that because it could potentially harm the sport. But, that’s not Kimbo’s fault, that’s EliteXC’s fault.

Fighters.com:How about Lesnar in the UFC?

The Natural:Well, the similarities…Brock is a big name because of WWE. He’s still a good athlete, just like Kimbo, who’s being marketed because of his celebrity with the World Wrestling Entertainment. But, just like Kimbo, he’s got a lot of holes in his game and it was silly to kind of put him out there with Frank Mir. You know, I think Mir was underestimated. Everybody thought he was going to fold under the pressure and not take the shots that Lesnar was going to dish out too well. Mir showed why he’s an excellent submission guy, a great fighter, and a former world champion. I think, given the time, both Lesnar and Kimbo will be very, very good fighters in the heavyweight division. They both have the right attitude. You know, Lesnar is taking this seriously. He wants to be a real fighter and he’s taking that terrific wrestlers base that he has and trying to learn all the other pieces.

Fighters.com:Where’s the future of this sport? Is the current buzz going to level off? Does it have the potential to be a long-term nationally-broadcast sport?

The Natural: I think if the CBS ratings are any indication, it absolutely has the potential to be that long-term broadcast sport. I think it’s a function of who’s going to step-up and do it right. I think there’s some work that needs to be done with how the fighters are treated and paid; and, the person who kind of gets that combination and all that sorted out can take it to the next level. Obviously I think a lot of the fighters, at least the ones in a position to voice their opinion, aren’t too pleased with kind of being owned, being taken advantage of. I don’t know. We’ll see what happens; but, this is definitely the combative sport for this generation.

Fighters.com: Your response brings up another question. At the post-UFC 84 press conference, ninth-ranked light heavyweight “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) was voicing a lot of the same concerns you’ve spoken out about concerning fighter pay as a percentage of total revenue. A reported asked Ortiz, “If you’re not happy with your pay, what is an acceptable amount?” And, Tito balked, saying, “I don’t know. You’d have to ask my lawyers.” Is that irresponsible to complain about your pay, but not have an idea of what your pay should be?

The Natural: You know…probably. Maybe Tito didn’t have a handle on all the numbers; but, it appears to be that on any given UFC, just on the pay-per-views alone, the UFC makes in the neighborhood of $40 or $50 million. And, Tito and I are two of the very, very few athletes that get a little piece of that pay-per-view and we’re lucky if we make $1.2 or $1.3 million. So, percentage-wise, it’s a very, very small percent of the total revenue. Now, Dana’s argument that the UFC is different than boxing, I think that held water before. You know, the UFC was having to pay site fees, do all their own marketing, all their own promotion, and spend money to keep a staff of 100 people; but, that climate has changed now. People are clamoring to get the UFC into their venues to sell out the arenas. I think there are TV outlets who’ll take the risk, do the marketing, and see the wisdom, just like boxing. The fighters could be getting paid a lot better! If I were getting $5 or $10 million dollars to fight out of that $40 million, I’d certainly feel a lot happier. It’s frustrating for me to see a guy like Floyd Mayweather. You know, I feel like we’re just as dedicated and work just as hard and have everything going for us other than not being in boxing and we’re in MMA. Floyd makes $20 or $30 million from one fight. That’s frustrating. We’re both combative sports and can be promoted in the same way, shape, and form. Now, I understand the UFC is still trying to spend money with Marc Ratner to get this sport sanctioned in every state and province on the continent, and all the other things that they’re doing. And, I think those are admirable things that are going to continue to grow the sport and have established this foundation that you, me, and EliteXC, and everybody else who wants to put on a show is standing on. I see that picture clearly, but I think the timing is right for someone to set the change for bigger shares of the purses that are derived from a fight from DVD sales all the way down, the ancillary rights, and all the other stuff that gets controlled and taken by the UFC and given back to the fighters, the guys who put it on the line, whose careers span five years if they’re lucky.

Fighters.com: Affliction’s payout has reportedly reached six or seven million dollars for the Banned card. We’ve seen this business model and it’s failed. Are you optimistic Affliction can build a financially sustainable promotion while paying fighters so much?

The Natural:Well, I’m certainly skeptical. Obviously I have a strong relationship with Todd [Beard, Affliction co-owner] through my partnership with Xtreme Couture clothing. And, I sat with Todd and told him, “Look, I’ve seen people do this before and I’m worried you’re going to lose this money. You know? The marketing piece, the brand piece is the big component. You need to generate interest in these fighters so people have a vested interest. That’s why the 24/7 with Golden Boy was so successful, because people wanted to tune in and see these guys fight. You know, get Fedor Emelianenko some exposure and get people to like Tim Sylvia…or hate him! One of the other if you want people to buy this pay-per-view.” Todd is a great marketing and sales mind. Obviously, Affliction is a very successful clothing line. This whole thing started because Dana thought he was hurting me and banned the Affliction clothing line. That got the hackles up on Todd’s neck and he decided, “OK, to hell with him then. we’ll do our own show if he wants to play that way.” The ban didn’t hurt me any. All those clothes and all those shirts, and denim, and all that stuff is in all the major market retail outlets across the country. The only person [Dana] hurt was the fighters Affliction was sponsoring in MMA. Took the money right out of their pockets. So, now [Dana] has a potentially formidable opponent that he created because he pissed [Todd] off and made him want to spend the money and throw a show. He signed a lot of the top heavyweights that were free agents and some of the other free agents out there that are going to put on a good card. I think [Todd's] marketing sense and ability to sell things is remarkable. Teaming up with FOX and streaming the undercard on the Internet on FOX is something new nobody’s tried yet and has the potential to be something huge. Yeah, I think we’re all anxiously waiting to see how successful Todd is with his show in July and how big the pay-per-view is. Now Trump is buying in and buying a piece of the MMA company. Obviously he brings a lot of juice and a lot of things to the table that could potentially put it over the hump. So, like you, I’ll be anxiously watching for a couple of reasons July 19th.

Fighters.com: Do you want to make some picks on upcoming fights?

The Natural: OK.

Fighters.com: Evan Tanner (32-7) versus “Spider” Kendall Grove (8-5)?

The Natural: I’m going to go with Kendall Grove. I think he’s long and rangy and will use his range well. I think his moving back to Hawaii was probably a good thing for him, I hope. I think Tanner, although I have a lot respect for Evan and his abilities, I think he has not put himself in a great position or a great environment to thrive and be in top shape as an athlete. So, I’m going to go with Kendall Grove.

Fighters.com:“Gumby” Jeremy Horn (79-17-5) versus “Boogieman” Dean Lister (10-5)?

The Natural: Wow! Tough fight! Both guys are great submission guys. I’m going to go with Dean Lister. I think he’s got naturally heavy hands. Both guys’ submission skills are great; but, I think Dean’s are a little better and that tends to be Jeremy Horn‘s strength, so I’m going to lean towards Dean Lister.

Fighters.com:Third-ranked welterweight “Kos” Josh Koscheck (10-2) versus “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-15-5)?

The Natural:Tough fight, but I’m going to have to go with Koscheck. I think he’s shown remarkable improvement, even in the face of losing a couple of times. I’m sure that losing to Georges lit a fire under him. As much as I like to see Chris Lytle come out and lay it all on the line, he’s going to have trouble with Koscheck’s wrestling ability and I think Koscheck is going to end up putting him on the ground and establishing that good, solid top position and wearing Chris down.

Fighters.com:A couple of your old nemesi, fifth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (21-5) versus “The Rock” Pedro Rizzo (16-7)?

The Natural: Yeah, that’s a tough call. It kind of depends on Josh Barnett. If he tries to go in there and stand with Pedro, it’s going to end like it ended last time, [Barnett knocked out]. Pedro is nobody to mess around with in the striking exchanges. Josh has the ability to transition and take Pedro to the ground, out of his game. I think, if that’s what Josh does, Josh will win that fight. Having not seen Pedro in awhile…actually, quite a while, it’s harder for me to pick that fight.

Fighters.com: Fourth-ranked heavyweight “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (12-5) versus Ben Rothwell (29-5)?

The Natural: I like Andrei. Ben is a big strong kid, but he’s still pretty green. I think Andrei’s on a mission. I think mentally he’s still a little held back by the results of the two Tim fights and he’s not pulling the trigger and really getting after it like he was. As far as pure boxing, he’s one of the best pure boxers we have in our sport. I’ll be excited to see him back out there. I think, overall, he’s got to be ready to go. He’s got to be in great shape. Rothwell is going to be in great shape and ready to bring the fight; but, Andrei has the tools to pull this off.

Slice was referring to Rogers’s post-fight comments last weekend in Newark, outside of New York City, in which he referred to Slice as “garbage”, even questioning Slice’s manhood.

Slice won a third-round TKO over “Colossus” James Thompson (14-9) and Rogers TKO’d Jon Murphy (4-3).

Slice referred to Rogers’s outburst as a marketing ploy, saying, “He’s going to get big money to fight me.  From a business point of view, who’s ever in his ear, they did their part.”

The fight will “probably be in October,” Slice added.

“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.

CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights will be the North American broadcast television unveiling of our sport.

“This is more than a spectacular opportunity for Kimbo to be in front of a potential audience of 100-million plus eyeballs,” said EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw, also on Thursday.

“I think it sucks,” White concluded.  “Kimbo Slice isn’t a mixed martial arists.  This is a guy who was fighting in your back yard three months ago.  Now he’s headlining on CBS.”

For those behind White, the argument runs: MMA has gone from groin strikes to Unified Rules since UFC 1, from Kevin Rosier (2-6) to “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2).  Kimbo Slice erases the last 15 years of the sport’s evolution.

How many years does Brock Lesnar (1-1) erase?  At least 12, back to the beginning of the powerful Hammer House era.

Lesnar headlines the UFC’s August card in Minneapolis versus Hammer House’s original “Hammer” Mark Coleman (15-8).

But, an argument that either Slice or Lesnar is going to convince the mainstream that MMA peaked in 1996 is misguided.

That’s what they already think.

We’re blinded inside the MMA bubble to the reality that Slice and Lesnar still represent what the mainstream thinks MMA is.

A backyard brawler or former pro wrestler sell tickets and PPV buys because that’s still the mainstream expectation of MMA.

Despite the last three years of North America  MMA eruption, the mainstream still considers MMA a blood-thirsty, no-holds-barred duel of brutes.

Few minds will be changed, but continued mainstream ignorance may be encouraged.  There’s still so many to educate about the sport.

Notes From Around MMA

* Last Wednesday on TAGG radio, “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-1-1) became the latest UFC fighter to complain about his compensation, saying, “It’s kind of sad, you know, when the company comes out on the cover of Forbes, and then you definitely just know where all the money is going to. It’s kind of like, ‘What the hell?’”

* TUF 7 cast member Jesse Taylor (6-2) told the North County Times, “”Let’s just say I’m undefeated so far,” about his record on the SpikeTV reality competition show.

* When asked by Eastside Boxing what his most satisfying moment was, “Stitch” Jacob Duran said, “For MMA the most satisfying moment came during the Forrest Griffin/Mauricio Rua fight.  I was working Forrest’s corner during this fight when he received a lightning bolt gash on the center of his forehead.  It was a really bad cut and the fight was close to being stopped.  I managed to get it under control for about four minutes, and Forrest went out and submitted Rua.”  Fifth-ranked light heavyweight Forrest Griffin (15-4) thanked Duran with a card and gift certificate to an upscale restaurant.

* “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1) is urging UFC President Dana White to make a fight between UFC Welterweight Champion St. Pierre and UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (21-4), the top-ranked welterweight and middleweight respectively.  “If Dana can make that fight, I’ll be in the line to buy a ticket,” Silva told Yahoo!Sports.

* “Techno Goliath” Hong Man Choi (1-1) was discharged from the South Korean military two days after reporting for mandatory service.  Officials cited Choi’s brain tumor pressing against his optic nerve as the reason for his dismissal.

With respect to MMA’s classiest act, I disagree.

The UFC’s stranglehold over the top of the sport has ensured the best fighters fight each other.

The best match-up in boxing right now is WBC welterweight titlist Floyd Mayweather, Jr. versus WBA and IBF welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto.

For those not in the boxing know, it ain’t happenin’.

Mayweather is ducking the young bull Cotto for more lucrative, less competitive rematches with Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.  Those happen to be match-ups Mayweather is more likely to win.  Hell, he’s already beat them both.

It’s the UFC’s umbrella over the sport that has made sure champions fight contenders, not pretenders who allow champions to hold on to belts maximizing the marketability of their reign.

You see, when free agent fighters and their management pick their opponents, whether in boxing or MMA, they tend towards safe fights.

Exhibit A:  Everyone’s favorite MMA ducker, sixth-ranked heavyweight “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (27-1).

While a showdown with third-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (21-5) has been an option, Emelianenko has picked fights against middleweight “The Law” Matt Lindland (20-5) and kickboxer “Techno Goliath” Hong Man Choi (1-1).

Such is matchmaking when managers and free agent fighters seek to prolong their marketability versus the safest reasonable opponents.

I mean, Lindland and Choi are both world champions, right?  Nevermind that their championships were in a different weight class and sport respectively than Emelianenko.

I’m not advocating for the UFC.  I could care less about which promoter logo is atop a fight card.  It’s the card itself that interests me.  The fact is, the UFC’s centralized organization of the sport has produced the best fights and, by definition, avoided “becoming a fractured sport the way boxing has.”

Notes From Around MMA

* Top Strikeforce lightweight contender “The Punk” Josh Thomson (14-2) maintains “The Carpenter” Clay Guida (23-9) oiled up before their March 2006 title fight, won by Guida by UD.  Thomson claims, “I mentioned it to Clay’s brother one time.  I said, ‘Clay was really slippery in that fight…’  He just looked at me, shrugged, and said, ‘You do what you have to do to win.’  I just thought, ‘Whatever, douche bag.’  But, Clay…I think his career has leveled off.  He got a few big wins, but he’s taken some losses the last couple of years.”

* Couture (16-8) told IGN he’s pursuing a video game deal with EA Sports.  He also claimed, “I don’t care where the fight happens,” in response to a question about fighting sixth-ranked Emelinanenko in the UFC.  Couture had previously expressed his desire not to fight Emelianenko in the UFC.

* UFC middleweight Rob Yundt (6-1), who lost his UFC debut in February to “Cachorrao” Ricardo Almeida (9-2), will return to the Octagon 21 June on the TUF 7 finale versus one of the TUF contestants.  The UFC won’t reveal Yundt’s opponent to him until that fighter is eliminated on the show.

* The Tennessee House of Representatives passed a bill to legalize and sanction MMA in the state by a vote of 95-2.  The bill is held-up in the Senate by Senators Dewayne Bunch of Cleveland and Bo Watson of Hixson.  The two southeast Tennessee legislators have attached an amendment earmarking the profits from MMA events for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Division I wrestling team.  According to the Nashville Post, the amendment may violate NCAA rules.  Tennesseans are urged to contact their state Senators and urge the passing of the bill next week without the earmarking amendment.

* Fourth-ranked welterweight “The Terror” Matt Serra (9-5) and UFC light heavyweight “The Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-1), both New York state residents, and UFC executive Marc Ratner were lobbying New York state Senators Tuesday to legalize and regulate MMA in the state.  A bill legalizing and regulating the sport in New York has passed the state’s assembly, but is opposed in the senate.

* Canadian kickboxer “Black Sniper” Michael McDonald (1-1), 2002 and 2004 K-1 North American Grand Prix Champion, won a decision over American kickboxer “The Jet” Rick Roufus (1-1) in an MMA bout fought under the radar in Romania last month.

* “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-5) and “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (1-1) will go head-to-head 31 May in a ratings battle.  SpikeTV will air Ultimate Iceman to compete directly with CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights at 9:00 PM EST.  SpikeTV will air an entire day of UFC programming on 31 May, beginning at 11:00 AM EST.

* Star magazine reported that actress/singer Mandy Moore has a crush on top-ranked welterweight “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2).  Moore was in the UFC 83 crowd last month when St. Pierre claimed the UFC welterweight title from Serra (9-5).

* You know it’s a slow MMA news cycle when eighth-ranked lightweight “The Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (32-2-1) testing negative for steroids in a Nevada State Athletic Commission test is a headline.  Of course he tested negative!  The headline is if he had tested positive…again.

* As I concluded after the first episode of this season’s The Ultimate Fighter, Jeremy May (5-5) is a douche bag and nothing could’ve made me happier than seeing him get smashed by fellow-Cincinnatian Matt Brown (9-6) last night.

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!”

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.