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.

Here’s what Petruzelli had to say over at UFC.com: “I just want people to recognize me not as “The Kimbo Killer”… I want people to know me as a great mixed martial artist… I want people to know that I’ve been doing this for a long, long time, and it’s still my passion. I’ve been in martial arts since I was six and I want to be known as a great martial artist, someone who made it his career, did big things with it, and helped other people by teaching them and giving them advice.”

Petruzelli isn’t joking when he talks about his experience level, he’s competed in professional MMA fights for over ten years. Petruzelli has nineteen official fights on his record, with twelve of his fourteen wins coming by way of (T)KO. It’s true that he remains winless in the UFC, but the man is by no means untalented.

But here’s some brutal honesty: Petruzelli will never fully emerge out of the shadow of his “Kimbo Killer” moment. I certainly empathize with the man, I can’t even imagine how hard it must be to have your career defined by one quick victory over a flash-in-the-pan that, let’s be honest, never had any business stepping into a cage in the first place. But there’s simply no coming back from something like that.

No matter what Seth Petruzelli does in the future, he’ll always be known as “The Kimbo Killer”. It’s just too notorious of a story. Many fans and insiders consider the “Kimbo Killer” controversy both the biggest and the final nail in EliteXC’s coffin. When people think of the rise and fall of EliteXC, they think of Kimbo Slice vs. Seth Petruzelli.

And in the same vein as my earlier brutal honesty, I must ask the following: is it really so bad to be known as “The Kimbo Killer”? Sure, Petruzelli could be called a literal one-hit wonder, but isn’t five minutes of fame better than no fame at all? Would Seth Petruzelli even be in the UFC right now if he didn’t have the Kimbo Slice KO on his record?

In the end, I think Seth Petruzelli does have a right to complain… but not by much. It must be very hard to know that you’ll be defined by one thing for the rest of your career… but at least you’ll be remembered. If he can’t be famous, at least he’s infamous.

And what about you, fans and friends? Do you see Petruzelli ever getting out of the shadow of the Kimbo Slice KO?

The following is taken from a press release that has found its way onto several major news and business websites: “Boost Mobile, a leader in the no-contract wireless space with $50 Monthly Unlimited with Shrinkage, is joining forces with UFC®, the world’s fastest growing sports organization, as the official wireless sponsor. To celebrate its entry into the sport, Boost Mobile will present the heavyweight showdown UFC 121, featuring reigning champion Brock Lesnar against undefeated Cain Velasquez on Saturday, Oct. 23, in Anaheim, Calif.”

Bob Stohrer, one of the higher-ups at Boost Mobile, had this to say: “The popularity of UFC has exploded during the past few years, solidifying its position as a mainstream competitive sport. This is an ideal partner for Boost as the sport aligns well with our competitive nature and will give our brand heightened visibility with UFC’s avid and growing fan base.”

For fans who aren’t familiar with the cell phone scene, Boost Mobile is an “urban-themed” cell phone company with a focus on prepaid no-contract phones, and is owned by Sprint. Up until this partnership, Boost Mobile had been a proud sponsor of several MMA fighters, most notably former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Jackson and former MMA fighter, backstreet brawler, and ratings juggernaut Kimbo Slice.

I think this is a smart move for all involved. In particular, I think the UFC made a very wise choice by going with Boost rather than some of the heavy-hitters like Verizon. Despite their rampant popularity and mainstream acceptance, the UFC has maintained a bit of a counter-culture aspect to themselves for their entire history. While the UFC has taken great pains to increase awareness and legitimize Mixed Martial Arts as a sport, they’ve always had this distinct “underground” appeal.

I think signing with Boost Mobile is a further continuation of that trend. The UFC is hip, new, exciting, and growing whether you like it or not. They need a partner that is sleek and slick, maybe not as well known as the other heavy hitters in the game, but one with a definitive brand and appeal. With its focus on looking cool and attracting young well-to-do men and women, Boost Mobile is a perfect partner for the UFC.

I think it’s great to see that the UFC hasn’t stopped their drive for mainstream acceptance even as they amp up their focus on international expansion. While the UFC is on very stable footing in the US right now, their position could always be better. New and interesting partnerships like these will continue to build the UFC brand and allow more men and women access to it. And the best thing about this deal is that it’s strategically sound and makes sense.

So what do you think, fans and friends? Do the benefits of the right demographic and the right image make Boost Mobile a worthy partner to the UFC, or should the UFC had signed to a major, more well-known cell phone company?

First off, I think this fight is inevitable. It’s a total freakshow attraction, but it’s definitely a big-money fight. If this fight is rushed right out of the gate, it would capitalize on all the momentum both men have built up throughout the years. Even though he lost in perhaps the most embarrassing way possible, James Toney hasn’t been this much of a media magnet since he was in his prime over a decade ago. After flunking out of the UFC most people would agree that Kimbo’s fifteen minutes of fame are up, but he may be good for one last, big buyrate, and the sooner it comes the better, before he loses any more of his novelty.

Booking this fight immediately does have its fair share of problems, however. First off, James Toney is still a pro boxing champion. How much those belts actually mean is up to debate, but it’d send a pretty strong message that they’re not worth as much as a freak-show attraction if Toney tosses them aside to immediately fight Kimbo. Also, booking the match so soon would be such a blatantly obvious cash-in that it would not-insignificantly damage both fighter’s credibility, and their credibility is in pretty rough shape already.

Letting Kimbo and Toney get a few fights under their belts is a good idea. It allows Kimbo to get some experience in a boxing ring, and since protecting fighters by serving them up opponents that have no business being in the ring with them is by far the norm in pro boxing nowadays, Slice would likely go on a pretty decent win streak before challenging Toney. Likewise, Toney needs to gain back the boatloads of respect he lost at UFC 118 by getting some more KO’s under his record.

But this scenario has its fair share of problems too, chief of which is the simple fact that both men could lose. Slice already had one throw-away opponent beat him up and knock him out; other than his YouTube videos, his KO loss to virtual unknown Seth Petruzelli may be his most famous moment. James Toney is no spring chicken either, and in a few days it will have been over a year since he last stepped foot in a boxing ring. At this point, any losses on both men’s records would do a lot of damage to the money value of Toney/Slice, no matter how small those losses may be.

So, in the end, what’s the right call? Personally? I think all involved should bite the bullet and make the fight happen immediately. They need to strike while both men are in the news and on people’s minds, before they both fade back into relative obscurity. It won’t be a technical masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but it will probably be an entertaining fight at the very least. And with the way both men have fallen on hard times as of late, any publicity is better than no publicity.

But what do you think, fans and friends? How excited are you at the prospect of a James Toney vs. Kimbo Slice fight in a boxing ring? And do you think the fight should happen immediately, or that both men should get a couple of wins first?

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?

Petruzelli announced the fight, which takes place July 3, via his Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Seth takes the spot that had been reserved for “Robot” Steve Cantwell (7-3). Cantwell was expected to fight until the Nevada State Athletic Commission pulled him from UFC 108 in January. Since that time they had re-licensed Steve but this fight with UFC newcomer Romero fell apart in the past few weeks.

Petruzelli is not just known for his underdog victory of Kimbo, he made it to the semi-finals of “The Ultimate Fighter” (TUF) season two.

After the show he stepped into the Octagon twice, losing both times before being released. The losses were to “The Hammer” Matt Hamill (7-2) and Wilson Gouveia (12-8) with the last loss coming at UFC Fight Night 9 in 2007.

Since that time he has gone 4-0 with the hopes of getting back into the UFC. Many speculated that we might me see Seth back inside the Octagon after Kimbo’s stint on TUF. The UFC had a chance to put together a rematch that many would have liked to have seen. That did not happen and here we are with Seth about to fight a highly touted Romero.

Romero has signed a four-fight deal with the UFC and recently began training at AMA Fight Club with UFC veterans “The Mongoose” Jim Miller (17-2) and Dan Miller (11-4). Over half of Romero’s wins come via first-round stoppage.

What are your thoughts on Seth being back in the UFC? Should they have brought him back to face Kimbo before cutting him?

Matt Mitrione Versus Joey Beltran

Just days after they both won at UFC 113, Truefighting is reporting that Matt Mitrione (2-0) and Joey Beltran (10-2) are in talks to fight at UFC 117 in August.

Matt is coming off a TKO victory over Kimbo Slice (4-2) in which he looked much improved. The improvement came by training with kickboxing legend Duke Roufus and UFC heavyweight prospect “HD” Pat Barry (3-2).

Beltran was on the winning end of a unanimous decision over “The Thrashing Machine” Tim Hague (8-4).

Shogun

It was stated on MMA Live before the fight between “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-1) and now UFC light heavyweight champion “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (19-4) that the winner would defend their title based on the outcome of another fight. That fight would be the long-anticipated bout between “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-7) and “Sugar” Rashad Evans (14-1-1) which takes place May 29 in Las Vegas at UFC 114.

However after Shogun won via KO, UFC president Dana White was asked at the post-fight press conference about the match-up. He stated he was unable to answer that at this time and would have to wait and see what happened in that fight. Now it looks like we will see that fight after all. Dana was interviewed by Carmichael Dave and stated “The winner of the Rampage Jackson vs Rashad Evans fight will get the first shot at Shogun.”

The better fight from a promotion standpoint would Rampage versus Shogun as they met back in Pride:Total Elimination 2005 when Shogun knocked out Jackson in 4:47.

A win over Rashad would put Rampage on a three fight win streak and without a loss to Machida like Evans has, would make him a clear-cut contender for the title.

Randy Couture

Speaking of Shogun, former champion “The Natural” Randy Couture (18-10) heard that Shogun and his manager had been discussing a fight with him. Randy posted the following via his Twitter account: “Just finishing the deal for Toney and every ones talking about shogun . Love to fight him but toney first ! He must Have called me out and I missed it . Great performance by rua . Id love a crack at him after toney in aug . Maybe rua in oct ufc 120″

Randy has stated that his next fight is all but signed with former boxing champion “Lights Out” James Toney (0-0) in what many call boxing versus MMA.

Stay tuned to Fighters.com and MMA Gospel Radio as we keep you updated on all the latest around the world of MMA.

After the fight had ended a frustrated Daley threw a punch at Koscheck and had to be restrained by referee Dan Miragliotta. Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg did a much better job than what we saw Gus Johnson do when the Strikeforce brawl took place. Joe went so far as to say that Daley should be in jail for assault.

After the fights had ended Dana White made it clear that he was unhappy with Daley and that the UFC was not going to stand for antics such as that. “He’s done,” White said “I don’t give a [expletive] if he’s the best 170-pounder in the world. He’ll never come back here again.

“I don’t care if he fights in every show all over the world and becomes the best and everybody thinks he’s the best pound-for-pound best in the world, he will never fight in the UFC ever again,” White said. “He’s done.”

Technically you can say that Daley lost four times this evening as he lost a coaching spot on the
“The Ultimate Fighter” and a title shot as well.

Koscheck used his takedowns to put Daley where he has the least experienced, on his back. Koscheck is a former four-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler who has won a national championship. Once he got Daley down it was easy for him to blanket him and ride out the decision. It made for a boring fight as he used little to no ground and pound and the fans voiced their displeasure by booing.

Kimbo Slice (4-2) suffered a similar fate to Daley in a shocking announcement from Dana White. After being completely dominated by a much improved Matt Mitrione (2-0), who scored a TKO victory in the second round, Kimbo seems to have been cut from the UFC. During the post-fight conference Dana said ” That’s probably Kimbo’s last fight in the UFC”.

Kimbo is a former streetfighter turned internet sensation thanks to Youtube. Dana had been very critical of Kimbo when he was in the now defunct EliteXC, calling him a freak show. Since then his stance as changed.

Slice joined the cast of “The Ultimate Fighter 10″ and took the challenge Dana White had offered. Since that time Dana has earned respect for the former street king. “I said that I have a lot of respect for Kimbo and how he’s handled this whole thing – a lot of trash-talking for a couple of years, by me,” White said. “He took me up on my challenge. He came in to ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ and tonight he got beat by Matt Mitrione. Mitrione was 1-0, and he came in and took Kimbo out tonight.

“I’ve got nothing but respect for Kimbo. I like him as a person. He carried himself really well.”

Right before Dana left the press conference to be interviewed by ESPN he was asked once again about Kimbo and his response was “Yes, we are going to be cutting him”.

This is an odd move as Kimbo, like it or not, is a large draw when on television. He has been a part of three of the four most watched mixed martial arts events in the history of the sport. Last night many journalists and fans alike were questioning the validity of Dana’s statement especially since he loves to take things away from Strikeforce. “Slicing” Kimbo from the roster would essentially land Kimbo right back on national television as Strikeforce would take him and put him on a live CBS card. Dana could always say that Kimbo could not cut it in the big leagues but regardless he would be giving fans over to Strikeforce, a promotion he seems hell bent on squashing.

Kimbo was simply outclassed in the fight with Mitrione, who has been training with four-time Kickboxing world champion Duke Roufus. That training paid off as he chopped Kimbo down with leg kicks that took away any shot he had at going for the knock out. Once the power was gone Matt took the fight to the mat and ended up in full mount where Kimbo could do little but cover up and wait for the fight to be stopped.

Stay tuned to MMA Gospel Radio and Fighters.com for more on these stories and much more.

Granted, TUF 10 had Internet sensation Kimbo Slice (4-1) but TUF 11 has a crop of middleweight fighters that I feel is far superior to any season we have seen thus far on Spike TV.

According to Spike, 1.9 million viewers were watching “TUF 11″ which is an increase of nine percent over “TUF 9″

As I said earlier, I feel this season has a much better cast of prospects who seem to be more technical than those of previous seasons. However, maybe it is because I am a part of the mixed martial arts (MMA) media and at my very core a hardcore fan.

Many casual fans may not know some of the fighters appearing on the show and thus have no idea how good some of them truly are and how compelling their background stories will be once they receive air time.

One fighter in particular stands out when speaking of background stories. Court McGee (9-1) is a fighter that with the proper exposure could become an instant fan favorite. His story was something I ran across on Queen of the Cage. Court is a former drug addict who was actually declared dead from an overdose of black tar heroin. Since then he has found God and has been clean since Easter of 2006. Court hit the epitome of rock bottom and now is on his rise to the top where he hopes to talk to others about the dangers of drugs.

This story alone would be a very uplifting moment if given the time on the show and could be a positive story for MMA as a whole.

“The Ultimate Fighter 11″ on Spike TV features middleweights fighting it out for a six-figure contract with the UFC and the title of “The Ultimate Fighter”.

Coaches for this season are Fighters.com eighth-ranked and former UFC light heavyweight champion “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-7) and his nemesis, former UFC light heavyweight champion “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-7-1). Both men are coming off back to back losses inside the Octagon and are supposed to face off against one another after the season ends.

There are rumors that Tito suffered some sort of injury during the taping of the show and that his fight with Chuck may be put on the back burner but we will have to wait and see how this season unfolds before the facts actually come to light.

Stay tuned to MMA Gospel Radio each Wednesday from 8-10 PM EST/ 5-7 PT as we discuss the latest season of TUF and interview some of the top fighters in the business as well as the best new talent you may have not heard of yet. We can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel.

Slice had been slated to fight Matt Mitrione (1-0) at UFC 113 but many speculated that Kimbo would fight Toney in the street brawler versus pro boxer math-up since the Slice and Mitrione fight was not on the official fight card for UFC 113 at UFC.com. Well, let’s put that baby to rest as that fight is now official for UFC 113 on May 8 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

UFC 113 is a card headlined by the rematch between Fighters.com and UFC light heavyweight champion “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-0) and third-ranked “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (18-4). The first fight between these two took place at UFC 104.

This will give Canada their first live look at Kimbo Slice and leaves James Toney without an opponent at this time. This is something I am glad to see from the UFC.

Never did I want Kimbo to fight James Toney because I felt it was a fight tailored made for Toney to win. I feel the best thing to do is put him in against a more well rounded fighter to show the world just how tough it can be for a pure boxer in the sport of mixed martial arts. I am not saying they should make sure Toney loses but I do feel they have done the right thing by not giving him a tailored made win.

The one issue I have with Toney using his boxing in the UFC is that he is mainly a defensive striker that likes to lay back on the ropes and draw his opponent in to him so that he can then hit him with the stunning power he has. This “lazy” style of boxing will not work in the UFC inside the Octagon. He will have to change his game up completely so feed him a guy that has decent leg kicks and take downs to see just how serious he is taking this sport.

James Toney is a boxer who has had some issues in the past with steroids, weight and has been known to be quite an odd character. Him getting the chance to enter the Octagon has freak show written all over it and the battle with Strikeforce could be the reason that Dana has sunk to such a low when he usually looks down on other promotions that pull such a stunt.

Dana told Yahoo Sports writer Kevin Iole that he was told that Strikeforce had been in talks with Toney in order to negotiate a huge fight between Toney and Herschel Walker (1-0). This fight would have given Strikeforce huge numbers on CBS or even possibly on the first ever Strikeforce pay-per-view event. Allowing Scott Coker and Strikeforce to put on a fight between those two would have drawn in the traditional sports media which by and large has ignored MMA. I will be the first to admit I laughed at the thought of Walker signing with Strikeforce however the press it brought to MMA was quite amazing. ESPN was all over it only because Walker is one of the beloved heroes from one of the older traditional sports. Now this media will be forced to cover the UFC for James’ first fight inside the octagon. Former boxing champion versus MMA fighter in a battle to determine once and for all which is the best combat sport.

Mr. White has always been a fan of boxing but the sport he works in has taken a beating by the old guard of boxing. This seems to be a very credible reason for the non-exclusive contract they offered to Toney. He is allowed to box and fight inside the Octagon. The UFC had a chance to sign arguably the best MMA fighter in the world in Fighters.com top-ranked “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (31-1) and one of the requests he made was for a non-exclusive contract so he could compete in combat Sambo. Dana White was not going to allow that because if Fedor would have suffered an injury while competing outside the Octagon it would hurt his company and the ability to promote fights that fans have wanted to see for years now.

James Toney being able to still box leads me to believe that they are setting Toney up for failure to make a point. Rumors are flying that Toney will fight Kimbo Slice (4-1) in his first fight since Kimbo was supposed to debuting on pay-per-view at UFC 113 but that fight is not on the official UFC 113 card at UFC.com. I know this would be a highly marketable fight between the street brawler king and the boxing legend so to speak but I feel like they would ruining any shot at further promoting Kimbo after this fight. He has had trouble with strikers that throw clean straight punches and that is exactly what Toney does. I would think the UFC would put Toney in against a man with good stand up, great kicks and a high level wrestling background.

No matter who Toney first faces inside the Octagon you have to wonder what this will do for the sport of MMA. With the media circus we saw surrounding Strikeforce and Herschel Walker one would have to believe that this will be great for MMA and the UFC in particular. If Toney loses his first fight Dana White can say that this goes to show why MMA is the best combat sport in the world with the most well-rounded athletes. Now if Toney were to win his debut, this could set up a much larger fight for Toney in the UFC if he did not parlay the win into a another shot at the heavyweight title on boxing. It does not matter how you look at it. I fully believe it is a freak show fight but I know that it is going to be good for MMA as a whole and thus I can’t com plain to much.

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.

“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.”

FIghters.com: Jorge, your scheduled to fight at UFC 91.  This event is being hyped by the industry insiders as a UFC card with potential to set record pay-per-view sales.  What’s your thoughts on being part of this event?

Jorge Gurgel: To be honest.  It’s a huge honor to be part of the UFC.  Period.  My dream in life has always been to be part of the UFC and fight in the UFC.  As far as the event being the highest pay-per-view event ever, for me it’s just another fight.  You know, there’s so much on the line for fighters now days.  Every performance counts. The next fight is the most important fight every time.   My job is always on the line. I am very focused on my fight and my teammate’s fights: Dustin Hazelett and Kenny Florian.  I am worried about our performances and how the three of us are going to do and then everything else will take care of itself. 

FIghters.com: Your opponent, Aaron Riley, is coming off two straight wins; but, it’s his first fight in the UFC since 2006.  Do you think Riley’s time away from the Octagon plays to your advantage?

Jorge Gurgel: No, I do not.  I think Aaron Riley is a very, very tough opponent.  I think Aaron Riley is a very seasoned fighter.  He has fought Robbie Lawler at 170 pounds.  He has fought Spencer Fisher.  So, Aaron Riley returning to the UFC because he has so much experience makes absolutely no difference in the way he is going to perform.  You know, he’s got almost forty fights.  Wherever Aaron fights it really makes no difference.  It’s not like he is going to have first fight jitters returning to the UFC.  If anything it’s going to make him fight harder and better.

FIghters.com: Several months ago it was revealed within a UFC blog that you wanted to change training routines and start a new camp under Mark DellaGrotte.  Is Mark DellaGrotte part of your training for the upcoming fight at UFC 91?

Jorge Gurgel: Yes, I am here in Boston right now.  I’ve been training here in Boston for a while.  It’s been one of my goals to accomplish.  I have such a good strength and conditioning coach now too.  Kevin Kerns trains me and he also trains Nate Quarry, Kenny Florian, and Kurt Pellegrino.  I’m in good hands, man.

I live here in Boston in the gym right now.  I am living totally Rocky Balboa style. [laughing]  You know, with Mark Dellegrotte, I’ve got great training partners now.  I’ve got Kenny Florian here.  And Kevin goes out of his way to come get me because I don’t have a car here and he trains me three days per week at Studio Sityodtong.  And, I also work with Mark Dellegrotte and the entire Studio Sityodtong team at night.  So, I really feel this is the best camp I’ve ever had.  I am really happy to be here.

FIghters.com: You have been deemed a warrior following the epic fight at UFC 73 against Diego Saraiva (12-18-1) where you won following a broken jaw and, of course, you were later hospitalized due to injuries.  As a professional mixed martial artist, do you believe in the concept of heart carrying a wounded fighter through to victory?

Jorge Gurgel: You know what, I do believe in heart, but if I say it in front of my trainers they will yell at me. Marcus Davis is one of my best friends; and, he and Mark Dellegrotte have been trying to beat it into my head that everyone already knows I have heart.  And, Kenny Florian as well. 

You know, Kenny is in my weight class but he’s also a great friend.  And, he says, “Jorge, nobody questions whether you have heart.  Everybody knows you are one of the toughest guys out there.  You’re tough and you fight with a lot of heart.  Now it’s time for you to show them you can fight smart.” 

It’s my biggest challenge.  I understand my heart and my desire to win.  I understand my will to get out there and trade blow for blow to prove who’s got the biggest heart.  To win fights this way has earned me victories and fans, but it doesn’t carry me or give me longevity in the sport.  Let’s put it this way.  If I had to corner myself, I would have a heart attack. [laughing]  I corner a lot of people properly.  I corner eight or nine UFC fighters.  You’ll see me in people’s corners all the time.  But, if I had to corner Jorge Gurgel, I would probably walk out in the middle of the fight and say, “You, I am done with you.  I am not calling you any more because you are as dumb as it gets.”  [laughing] 

I am a very emotional fighter and I have too much fun and I tend to amend gameplans and then go to slug it out and fight with my heart only.  And, I am really trying to change this and learn from DelleGrotte and Kevin and the entire camp here.  You know, to fight smart and implement a gameplan so I can have longevity in my career.  Everybody knows I have heart and I fight hard; but, now I want to prove to them that I can follow a gameplan, be a coachable fighter and to fight smart. 

FIghters.com: Jorge, you were upset recently by Cole Miller (14-3) of American Top Team at UFC 86.  But you were highly favored going into that fight.  What did you learn from this loss?

Jorge Gurgel: Hey, I really won that fight.  But, I messed up.  I am not sure who it was or which philosopher said it originally, but you know the one who said, “Shit happens?”

The only thing that came out of that fight for me is that I believe shit does happen.  Because I was ahead on the scorecards.  But it took me one split second of losing focus to lose the fight.  I don’t know what happened to me.  I was dominating the fight.  I was 100% confident that I was the best mentally and physically that I’d ever been walking into a fight before.  Many say it was my best performance to date in the UFC. 

But, with fourteen seconds left in the fight, I got caught in a triangle and I never get caught in triangles.  Not even in practice do I get caught in triangles.  It’s just one of those things where people say, “tough break.”  It was all I heard all night from the UFC and the fans: “Tough break man, tough break.  Shit happens, shit happens.” 

I tried to get up and I slipped off of my right foot and made the triangle tighter and I remember thinking the whole time, ‘This is not happening, this is not happening.  I am going to get out of here.  This is not happening.’

But, then the triangle started getting tighter and tighter.  And, my family was there.  You know, it was the first time in my life I have ever become depressed.  I really felt depressed afterward.  It was really hard for me.  The best person to put things in perspective was my stepfather.  He’s a huge fan and it was the first time my parents had ever come to see me fight.  So this made the loss extra hard on me. 

My stepfather walked up to me after the fight, looked me in the eyes, and said, “Jorge, this is the first time in my life I have seen a fighter win and lose a fight in the same fight.”

I couldn’t say anything back for a minute.  I looked down at the ground and then I said, “You’re right Dad, you’re right.  I am sorry.  I don’t know what to say.  You know, I don’t know how that happened.” 

Rich Franklin came up to me and said, “Jorge the whole time until the last second I was saying you were going to get out.  Jorge never gets caught.” 

But, I did get caught.  I simply got caught.  I had one second of losing focus and I got caught in a triangle. More power to Cole Miller; but, up until that moment, I had control of the fight.  I think it doesn’t matter. Shit happens and I am over it now.  I am ready to move on to bigger and tougher challenges and to see how I do.  To see how much better and smarter I have gotten. 

FIghters.com: Speaking of Fighters.com’s second-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (25-3) and being an Ohio resident yourself and one of Rich’s training partners, what did you think of the fight between Franklin and “Hammer” Matt Hamill (4-2) at UFC 88?

Jorge Gurgel: That was great.  I like Matt.  You know, obviously Rich is my best friend.  I am always happy to see Rich perform and Rich win.  For some reason when I talked to Matt’s camp they were very upset that Matt Hamill didn’t perform.  They kept saying, ”Matt Hamill did not fight the Matt Hamill fight.”  But, what can we say?  Matt tried to do his thing; but, it’s very hard against Rich.

People underestimate Rich’s ground game tremendously.  It may be easy to take him down sometimes, but it is very hard to keep him there.  And, Rich keeps them going.  He’s a cardio machine.  He hit Matt Hamill with the right body shot.  Rich was like a robot.  I was very impressed how Matt Hume was calling the shots; and, Rich was very smart hearing everything Matt [Hume] was saying.  Rich implemented a gameplan perfectly, like Matt Hume said, and was able to put Matt Hamill away.  I was very happy.  There is nothing I’ll take away from that fight.  I think Rich fought a very, very good fight and came out with a good victory.

FIghters.com: What’s your assessment of Franklin’s upcoming fight against fifth-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (23-7) at UFC 93 in Dublin 17 January?

Jorge Gurgel: I have a lot of respect for Dan Henderson.  So does Rich.  I’m sure he will say the same.  Rich has a bit more size because the fight will be taking place at 205 pounds.  Dan Henderson is always extremely dangerous.  But, we know his weapons.  We know he’s a great wrestler and he has a great overhand right.  It’s no secret to anybody.  All I can say is that Rich is going to be ready.  We’ll all be together in Ireland hopefully witnessing another Rich Franklin victory.

FIghters.com: SInce 2005, we have seen the rise and stardom of numerous alumni from Spike TV’s The Ultimate Fighter reality show.  At UFC 92, two former winners of the show will fight for the UFC and Fighters.com light heavyweight championship.   What’s your personal take on the show where you also once starred yourself and it’s impact on the sport of mixed martial arts?

Jorge Gurgel: I will tell you the truth here and I might really shoot myself in the foot.  I thought the show was great up until maybe the third season or so.  But, now I don’t like to watch it at all.  I was always under the impression that being a professional martial artist is a full-time job.  And, every time some ignorant person comes in off the street and says, “Well, I got out of high school and I got a scholarship to wrestle in college; and, after that, it was either get a regular job or fight for the UFC.”  That makes me sick.  It’s ridiculous. 

I think fighting is a full-time job.  I think we should be seen as professionals too.  You know, people that give up a lot and sacrifice to make this a full-time job to be able to support their families.  But, lately I think the show has really watered down the values and everything that martial arts is all about.  We train hard.  But now on the show, there’s no Kenny Florian, no Forrest Griffin, and no me. 

You know, there was no breaking furniture and spray painting walls and throwing barbecue sets into the swimming pool when I was on the show.  Where I come from, that stuff costs money.  Where I come from, people have to work for food.  But, now I see a bunch of wannabes.  People that want to fight for the wrong reasons.  People that are on television to get a free Tapout shirt and some airtime.  They are not fighters. You know, people that really want to become fighters will collect the dividends of hard work in the long run. People that experience success too early will not. 

Many of the people on the show now don’t deserve to be there or don’t belong to be there and they are giving the UFC the very name that the UFC is trying to avoid.  You know, a bad reputation of punks, for lack of a better word, or uneducated people that don’t have the opportunity or the ability to get a good regular job and then decide to fight in the cage or Octagon instead.  The show does not portray a true and honest image of mixed martial artists.  The show does not do that at all. 

Now days there’s always an episode where somebody quits.  Then there’s the episode where the contestants talk badly to one another in the house.  There’s always episodes where they play pranks on each other too. There’s the episode where everyone gets in a fight in the backyard because they’re all drunk.  Then there was that episode once, of course, where the guy left the show because of his girlfriend.  [laughing]  There’s always the episode where the coaches argue with each other.  And, there is always an episode where a guy cannot make weight! 

So, everything is already pretty much staged. Every season there’s episodes where we already know what is going to happen.  It’s just a different set of people in the same episode happening over and over and over. 

Originally, I started martial arts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to do two things only: to test myself as a person in one-on-one combat against another person and to honor my school and my teacher.  To honor the school, where I came from, was important.  Now, the UFC has been going overboard in great, great lengths and in big places; but, the marketing that the reality show is putting out there and the way this show is being portrayed disgusts me.  It makes us professional fighters look like schmucks.  It makes the guys who really want to be “ultimate fighters” look stupid.  And, like I said, besides the first three seasons of the show, I think show has gone down tremendously and I do not care for it at all. 

FIghters.com: Some people say that there’s a bit of irony in the fact that UFC President Dana White predicts that by 2012 the sport of MMA will be a contemporary to organized sports such as football, baseball, and soccer.  While at the same time there are organizations such as EliteXC involved in questionable practices and equally questionable marketing campaigns.  Do you also find it ironic when Dana White criticizes EliteXC while similar controversies occur on The Ultimate Fighter television show?

Jorge Gurgel: Yeah, but there’s a big difference between the two.  And, I do not want to be misquoted here. EliteXC is literally doing wrong and shady things in the sport of mixed martial arts on live television.  But, the TUF show is just a TV show.  Just a reality television show.  They are two different things completely. 

On a reality show, regardless of whether it’s associated with mixed martial arts, it’s a situation where anything can happen and will probably happen.  Those TUF guys are going to do some crazy things eventually when put in front of a camera all day.  Those guys are going to fight at some point. 

You know, “Hey, let’s put itching powder in each other’s beds because we are thirty-years old and we have nothing better to do. Yay!”  [laughing]  “Let’s  go ahead and freeze each other’s underwear and open cans of sardines and put the juice on everyone’s beds.  Let’s throw somebody in the pool and fight and get drunk all night.  Yay!” 

Now, that’s reality television.  And, for the average American or whatever, that appeals to them, I guess.  But, at EliteXC there’s nothing worse than the joke of Kimbo Slice“.  A guy that got famous fighting in the streets of Miami for money, beating up people on the Internet, and he becomes huge, huge MMA figure.  A figure of mixed martial arts?  A representative of our sport?  Selling fights and making sponsorship money from Tapout and getting paid $500,000 to fight?  And, with no real training?  Come on, I have been fighting for fifteen years. 

FIghters.com: What about the rumors of EliteXC’s fight-rigging and those sort of controversies?

Jorge Gurgel: Yeah, well, if you knew me better you’d know that I am the least educated person when it comes to the Internet.  I don’t read the forums.  I do not read my interviews.  I mean, I give interviews, but I usually don’t read them afterward and often forget what I’ve said.  [laughing]

But, I do know that Seth Petruzelli opened his mouth and said EliteXC were offering him bonuses to keep the fight standing.  I do not doubt this for one second.  EliteXC was living off of the myth of Kimbo Slice.  Did you see the fight when Seth hit Kimbo close to the back of the head with one punch and that guy, whatever his name is, I think Shaw or whatever it is, the guy in charge of EliteXC, he was screaming, “In the back of the head ref, the back of the head!”

FIghters.com: Yes, it was Jared Shaw who is the son of Gary Shaw and a vice-president at EliteXC. 

Jorge Gurgel: Yeah, it became a joke.  Do you remember the next day?  On the front page of Yahoo it said something like: “Kimbo Slice has been exposed” or something like that. “The big lie has been exposed” or whatever it was. 

I think we both agree here.  I’m an advocate for martial arts.  I try to represent the sport as well as I can.  I have thirteen schools.  I have over 400 students.  I try to lead by example.  I hate with a passion anyone who takes mixed martial arts for granted or approaches this sport in a manner that’s not professional. 

So again, long story short, EliteXC and the TUF show, I do not care for whatsoever.  Of course, there are some exceptions.  There are some fighters there that absolutely want to be there and deserve to be there.  You can see the fighters that want to make it and want to do something for themselves.  And, then there’s the other majority of fighters that do not belong there.  They are only there to get a free t-shirt and some air time. 

The EliteXC situation and what’s coming out and what they are doing is totally unethical and unprofessional.  I disagree with it completely.  I just want the sport of mixed martial arts — which is the career that I chose for myself — to be a sincere and honest as I dreamt it was going to be when I was a kid.  So, a lot of this stuff frustrates me.  A lot of this hurts me tremendously.  But, I am just one person.  I can’t change everything.  And, I cannot make things change and make my opinions count.  I have to worry about my fights and my students and then carry on. 

FIghters.com: Earlier you mentioned the old honor of the martial arts school and martial arts teachers.  Do you think that old spirit or those sort of ethics will ever become status quo in modern mixed martial arts?

Jorge Gurgel: It will never come back.  I tell everybody that the next person I will actually spend my time teaching those values to will be my children when I have my own children.  I do have people like Dustin Hazelett, which is pretty much like my own son.  He’s my blackbelt and a UFC standout.  And, I have my other students that give it a try and train hard and that they believe in what I say.  When I speak they are there to listen to me.  And they are there to understand that I have been doing this for many years.  That I was born and raised in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, honoring my school and my teacher.  And also being respectful and being loyal.  Loyalty is everything.  But, now many people just want to sign up one day the the very next day they want to fight. 

“When can I fight?  When can I fight?  Can I fight now, Jorge?” 

This is not how things are supposed to be.  Things have really changed.  The sport of mixed martial arts has given me the opportunity to live a very good lifestyle.  I own a school.  I have a great house, a good car, and food on my table.  It’s given me the opportunity to fight for a living and get paid accordingly for my hard work.  But at the same time, the values have been extremely watered down.  And that hurts my heart tremendously because I remember how things used to be.  But now they are far, far, far from what they once were and I don’t think it’ll ever be back like it used to be again.  Ever.

“We’re excited to introduce broadcast television viewers to America’s fastest growing sport with this prime time event,” said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, CBS Primetime.  “EliteXC is putting together a lineup card that showcases the unique personalities, world-class athleticism, and raw power and emotion that characterizes mixed martial arts.”
  
Champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (15-4) will put his title on the line against “Hands of Steel” Scott Smith (13-4) in a middleweight championship bout.  EliteXC heavyweight phenom, “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0), will also participate in the May 31 event along with other stars from mixed martial arts.  Additional matchups will be announced at a later date.

“I am very happy for the highly trained fighters, who will finally get the kind of exposure they deserve, and, of course, the viewers, who will get the opportunity to learn that MMA is truly a sport that requires an abundance of skills, both mentally and physically,” said Gary Shaw, EliteXC Live Events President.

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.’’