MMA Junkie brings word of Rodriguez’s arrest.  According to their report, Rodriguez assaulted a taxi driver that was taking him to a bar. Rodriguez apparently threw the man to the ground and resisted arrest when the police arrived. Rodriguez would later be charged with both assault and resisting arrest.

You think that’s bad, fans and friends? It gets far worse in the case of Hermes Franca.

We head to the one and only Sherdog for an official report.  Apparently, Hermes Franca was recently arrested and charged with “seven counts of sexual abuse in the first degree and two counts of unlawful sexual penetration in the second degree.” The report also states that Franca’s bail has been set at a quarter of a million dollars.

The Examiner, the first outlet to break the story, shed some interesting light on what type of jail time Franca is looking at if he is convicted: “Both crimes fall under Oregon’s Measure 11 mandatory minimum sentencing for serious crimes, carrying a minimum term of 75 months each.”

Multiple sources have also been reporting that the Maximum Fighting Championship promotion, one of several promotions Franca fought in post-UFC and the promotion where he was in fact scheduled to fight for a championship in his next fight, has issued a press release stating that Franca has been fired and is no longer welcome at MFC.

There’s a single, simple word that perfectly summarizes my reaction to both these news stories.

“What?”

But it’s not as simple as that, not really. It’s more of a “Whhhhaaaaaaaaaaaat????!!!”

This is an incredibly bizarre pair of stories, and I really don’t know how to react to them. I was never a big fan of Ricco Rodriguez, but I never had any real problem with the man. He seemed to be winning a lot lately and he seemed to be lobbying pretty hard to get into the UFC again, but that’s definitely off the table now. Rodriguez is a massive Heavyweight, so I don’t doubt that it took several police officers to restrain him if he resisted arrest.

Letting your temper get the better of you is bad enough, especially for a professional athlete, but I’m utterly shocked at the charges against Hermes Franca. I think I’d even be outright sickened if Franca was convicted of them. Like Rodriguez, I was never a big fan but had no real problems with the man and was even entertained by him a time or two. But seven counts of sexual abuse? That’s “scum of the earth” material right there. You just don’t come back from that if you’re convicted, and in the court of public opinion, you’ll probably never come back from that period.

I’m not going to rush to any snap judgments. Call me a hopeless optimist or an idiot, but I believe in this country’s legal system and I think everyone will get their fair day in court. But if Ricco Rodriguez is found guilty, I think he needs to take a long, hard look at his life and hopefully learn to keep his anger inside the cage and not outside of it, hurting men that aren’t professional fighters and are well below his massive size. And if Hermes Franca is found guilty, I honestly hope he rots in jail.

And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your reaction to this pair of stories?

Israel FC, an upstart promotion out of–you guessed it–Israel has began to take on a steady stream of veterans in for their promotional debut in what is turning out to be an all star cast of competitors.

MMAFighting.com first reported the event and it’s full lineup reads as the following:

Jeff Monson vs. Sergey Shemetov
Frank Trigg vs. Roy Neeman
Ricco Rodriguez vs. Daniel Tabera
Hermes Franca vs. Moshe Kaitz
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Valdas Pocevicius
Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett vs. Ariel Abergel
Daniel Gracie vs. Martin Wojcik
Shonie Carter vs. Jeremy Knafo
Thiago Meller vs. Fabrice Riconneau
Vitaly Shemetov vs. Alexandro Ceconi
Joshua Hewlett vs. Ido Pariente
Akop Stepanyan vs. Marc Berger
Serob Minasyan vs. Vitali Krbrsky

Hermes Franca, perhaps one of the most notable veterans on the card, is coming out of retirement to return to action here in Israel against the unheralded Moshe Keitz. Franca was last seen inside the UFC when he lost to lightweight standout by knockout at UFC 103.

It was only the second time the Brazilian had ever been knocked out, however, when Franca aimed for a comeback after his UFC release, he suffered an additional knockout victory, against Eric Wisely. In a rematch, Franca lost yet again to Wisely just three days ago at an SFC event, however made it to see the final bell. He lost on points, when Eric took home the unanimous decision victory, and left Franca with his third loss in a row.

So, MMA peeps, any other fighters stand out to you here? Looks like Trigg is aiming for a comeback, following his own UFC release, which ended a two-fight losing streak, which included two-knockout losses to Josh Koscheck and Matt Serra, respectively. The former two-time UFC title challenger brings a worlds of experience into the cage, as well as a chin that has seen better days.

Sound off, and let your opinions be heard in the comments section below.

Fighters.com: Jeff, the last time we spoke was just before your win over “Smashing Machine” Mark Kerr (14-9) at Vengeance Fighting Championship in Concord, north of Charlotte, 27 September.  You have a fight coming up at Mixed Fight Alliance  in Miami 13 December against Ricco Rodriguez.  It’s a rematch of a fight you originally lost at UFC 35 in 2002.  What are your thoughts on facing Rodriguez again?

Jeff Monson: Well, I like Ricco.  He’s a good fighter and a big name; but, I’d like to get back at him for losing to him the first time.  [laughing]  Hopefully it’ll be a different result this time around.  But I don’t really have revenge in mind or anything.  It’s been seven years or whatever.  But, I think I definitely put a lot more into my fighting than I think he does, so, you know, I should to go out and get the win.

Fighters.com:  You’re on a two-fight win streak in recent months with the Kerr victory and a win over “Titan” Jimmy Ambriz (12-8) at Beatdown in New Town, northwest of Bismark, 11 October.  Where do you think a victory over Rodriguez will put your career?

Jeff Monson: Well, I need to win a few more in a row.  So, I want to take them, you know, like the old cliché, “one fight at a time.”  I’m taking this particular fight very seriously.  Ricco’s a big name.  And he kicked my ass before.  It was probably one of the worse beatdowns I ever experienced in a fight from start to finish.  [laughing]  So, I know he’s capable of doing well.

Ricco has fought a lot of big names.  He’s beat about everybody and, even the fights he’s lost were to top fighters, you know, so Ricco’s tough.   I just think I need to win every fight right now.  My career cannot take another loss at this point.  Saying that, I am taking this fight very serious.  I know I need to win a few in a row to get a shot at a title somewhere or get back to the top again. 

Fighters.com: Will a win in December take you back to Sengoku in Japan?  The last loss on your record was to Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked heavyweight ”Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (19-5) at Sengoku in Tokyo 18 May.

Jeff Monson: Yeah, well, I’m fighting in Sengoku in March regardless.  Win or lose the fight with Ricco Rodriguez.

Fighters.com: There’s been some drama on the business side of things in the world of mixed martial arts recently.  What are your thoughts on the demise of EliteXC? 

[Note: EliteXC maintains that it's parent company, ProElite, has not filed for bankruptcy.]

Jeff Monson: I think Elite’s going under is good for mixed martial arts.  I don’t think they were ever good for the sport in the first place.  They were out there selling sex and violence and promoting fighters that did not belong there.  I mean, Kimbo?  I don’t want to say he was a victim in the matter.  He participated along with the entire situation.  And, Kimbo is a legitimate fighter, but he’s not a legitimate name to base an entire organization around.  So, when he lost, the whole show went under. 

Elite’s television commercials and marketing were not good for MMA either.  They were trying to promote things like WWE or something.  Which is fine in its own right, because people know what they are watching when they watch WWE.  But its not fine when you have people legitimately training and fighting in an MMA event.  You know, they had some really good fighters on the cards.  Gina Carano and Robbie Lawler and so on.  And all of these fighters got lost in the hoopla and the way Elite was promoting its shows.  Even a lot of the fighters on the actual cards questioned what EliteXC was doing. 

Fighters.com: There’s a big buzz this week over UFC 91.  And, of course, there is a divide amongst fans over the heavyweight title fight.  One side of the spectrum says Brock Lesnar (2-1) doesn’t deserve the fight this weekend; and, another side says Lesnar is the future of the sport.  As a veteran of the UFC yourself, what are your thoughts on Brock Lesnar getting a title shot so soon in his career and who do you think will win the bout between him and fourth-ranked UFC Champion ”Natural” Randy Couture (16-8)?

Jeff Monson: Well, Lesnar does not deserve the shot yet.  Let’s see, he won his first MMA fight, then he lost his first fight in the UFC, and then won his second fight.  So, he’s one and one in the UFC.  I mean, he lost by submission within a couple of minutes and then won a decision.  And now he’s fighting for a UFC title.  It’s all based on potential, I guess.  He’s a physically immense guy and really strong and powerful.  He’s training in a good camp too.  So no, he doesn’t deserve the shot.  But, saying that, I do think Lesnar is going to win the fight against Couture. 

This is just one of those fights that’s a match-up nightmare for Couture.  Randy normally wins against the fence.  He clinches against the fence.  He grounds-and-pounds his opponents against the fence, wears them out, and then takes their hearts away.  Then, he gets them on the ground and finishes the fight.  It’s pretty much standard; and, Randy is so damned good at it that an opponent can know he’s going to do these things and Randy will still get away with it.

Randy is one of the smartest fighters out there. Every time I have picked Randy, he always ends up winning. But, I don’t think he’s going to win this time against Lesnar. 

You know, if Randy does win the fight, it’s because he is in great shape.  I am sure he’ll be in top shape.  And he could win maybe by outlasting Lesnar, making him tired, and getting on top of him.  You know, nobody’s seen Lesner on his back.  So, who knows what can happen there.  I think if Randy gets him down, he can possibly make some things happen.

Randy’s not a big striker though.  He’s okay.  But Lesnar’s shown that he can punch.  Randy’s not a submission guy like Frank Mir either.  You know Frank was getting his ass kicked but was still able to pull off a submission on Lesnar and survive.

On paper, it simply looks like a really tough fight for Randy.  I don’t know how Randy wins other than gassing out Lesnar, outlasting him, and then taking it to him when he’s got him tired.  But, if Lesnar is in shape, it’s a match-up nightmare for Randy.

Fighters.com: Well of course Randy has been criticized in the past for coming up short against larger heavyweights, but he did very well against ninth-ranked “Napao” Gabriel Gonzaga (9-3).  And Gabriel Gonzaga is a large heavyweight that was just coming off of a devastating win over “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic (23-7-2) when they faced one another.

Jeff Monson: Yeah sure, but I mean, Gonzaga is a different fighter.  Gonzaga’s not a wrestler.  He’s a big, strong guy, but he’s not a wrestler.  I have seen Gonzaga at Abu Dhabi; and, he pulled guard on everyone. Lesnar as a wrestler, right now at his age, is probably a notch higher than Randy or at least the same level. And Lesnar’s going to be at least thirty or forty pounds heavier going into the fight.  So, Randy’s not going to put him up against the fence for any length of time or ground-and -pound him there.   So, that’s what I am talking about when I mention the match-up problems for Randy.

The things that Randy does well to win fights, he’s not going to be able to do in this fight.  So, Randy has to figure out a different way to win; and, the different ways to win this fight are not Randy’s fortes.  You know, knocking Lesnar out or getting a submission, things like that.  So, that’s what we are looking at here.  On paper, how can Randy win? 

But, like I said earlier, if Randy does pull out a win, I think it’s because he outlasts Lesnar.  You know, maybe Lesnar gets tired; and, Randy gets on top and sinks a choke from the top.  Or maybe Randy punches him out from the top; and, the referee stops the fight or something.

Randy is the smartest guy out there, but he’s got to know on paper that he’s not going to be able to put Lesnar up against the fence and do what he normally does.  It will be interesting to see what Randy comes out with.  Certainly, if anyone can do it, Randy can.  He’s done it time-and-time again.  But, it’s going to be a tough one. 

Fighters.com: Since we are talking about future UFC title fights, I have an interesting question for you. Early in your career you lost a decision to current UFC and Fighters.com Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin (16-4).  There’s a reasonably historic light heavyweight title fight coming up that features two previous winners of The Ultimate Fighter reality show when Forrest defends the title against fourth-ranked “Sugar” Rashad Evans (12-0-1).  Who do you think will win this fight?

Jeff Monson: I think Forrest will win.  Rashad has looked absolutely fantastic lately; but, if Forrest fights and trains the way he has for his previous fights the past year or so, I say Forrest will win.  If Forrest has not let winning the title change his approach to training and fighting, then I think he keeps the title.  And I don’t know how really.  Probably a decision.

Fighters.com: Some analysts are saying that Forrest might win a war of attrition by wearing Rashad down and landing a submission in the late rounds.

Jeff Monson: Yeah, maybe.  I mean, they are both tough-minded guys. It will be a very interesting to watch. I think Forrest wins in a pretty close fight. I mean, I think the odds on that one are going to be really tight. But I think Forrest wins because he trains so damned hard.  [laughing] 

Fighters.com: A good friend and teammate of yours and current WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Thomas Brown (15-4) just shocked “California Kid” Urijah Faber (21-2).  What are your thoughts on this fight and how things happened?

Jeff Monson: I thought Mike was going to win a decision.  But, what I mean by winning a decision is that I thought Mike was going to win most of the rounds.  Mike has just improved so much.  He’s beat a lot of good fighters.  I think he’s just flown under the radar for a long time.

Mike has obviously been working on his boxing.  He just doesn’t get a lot of credit.  Most people, except for his teammates at American Top Team, don’t know how good Mike really is.  Now everybody knows. He’s a nice guy and a good teammate.  I couldn’t be happier for him. 

Mike’s the kind of guy to have as a teammate that you’re happy to see win the title.  I mean, I am always  happy to see a teammate win but Mike’s got a special place with me.  You know, he tore his bicep over a year ago.  So, he’s coming off a complete bicep tear where he was in a cast for a while.  And now he’s completely repaired and won a bunch of fights in a row to earn the shot at Urijah Faber.  And he won it. 

When Mike tore his bicep, he never gave up.  He didn’t quit.  He was working out a few days later, working his legs and stuff.  He was immediately trying to find out what he could do to get better.  He always maintains a positive attitude.  He always has a positive attitude towards everyone on the team.

Mike helps everyone out as well.  He drills with people extra and so on.  Mike is the epitome of a great teammate.  I think everyone on the team is really happy for him to win the title.  He deserves it.  He’s worked really hard.  And he’s just a great guy. 

Fighters.com: Before we part, I have a question about the World Grappling Championship in Switzerland. Honestly I was surprised to discover that you are competing in a grappling tournament just days after your fight against Ricco Rodriguez in December.  Can you explain the tournament a bit and how you earned a spot?

Jeff Monson: Yeah, it’s exactly what happened last year.  [laughing]  I lost a fight to “Rock” Pedro Rizzo by technical knockout.  [laughing]  I had nineteen stitches on my left eye and then went to Turkey the following weekend to compete in the World Grappling Championship.  Hopefully this year I’ll come in a little better shape than last year.  [laughing] 

The United States team is set.  We’ve already had the national tournament.  The winners and the guys who came in second are part of the U.S. team that go over to Switzerland.  There’s fifty other countries involved: Russia, Turkey, Japan, England, Switzerland, Ireland, and so on.  The place winners from these countries’ national tournaments make up their teams as well.  It’s like an Olympic games for grappling, so to speak. It’s set up just like the Olympics, similar to how wrestling is done. 

Myself and Brandon Ruiz are representing the U.S. in the heavyweight division.  Brandon took second place in the nationals.  So, the top two guys are going over to the tournament.  Brandon and I can possibly meet in the finals.  I mean, if we meet it will only be in the finals because we’ll start at opposite ends of the brackets. So yeah, the top two guys in the U.S. are going over to Switzerland to compete. 

Fighters.com: Jeff, thanks for the enthusiastic interview.  Best of luck in your upcoming fights.

Jeff Monson:  Thanks, anytime. 

The event is headlined by “The Snowman” Jeff Monson (24-8) and one-time UFC Heavyweight Champion “Suave” Ricco Rodriguez (28-9). Rodriguez is the replacement for “The Monster” Kevin Randleman (17-12), who had to withdraw due to injury.

Also on the card: former UFC Middleweight Champion Murilo Bustamante (14-7-1) facing TUF 3 competitor “Bring the Pain” Josh Haynes (9-10).

No reason was given for the postponement, although Monson’s hand injury, which caused him to pull out of last weekend’s Adrenaline MMA event, may have been one factor.

In non-tournament action, forty-four-year old original Ultimate Fighter challenger Patrick Smith (15-13) submitted 417-pound “Butterbean” Eric Esch (10-6-1) with strikes.

And, “The Russian Bear” Oleg Taktarov (16-5-2) also won by submission over “The Titan” Mark Kerr (15-7).

The tournament featured one-round fight-offs into the semi-finals.

Wiuff drew Brazilian Marcel Pereira (0-1) and pummeled the jits player on the mat over five minutes for the unanimous decision.

The tourney had commenced with an Alexey Oleinik (7-4) front-choke submission of “The Tank” Sherman Pendergarst at 4:18.

Chris Tuscherer (13-1) had dominated Tony Sylvester (10-2) for a unanimous decision.

And, former UFC Heavyweight Champion “Suave” Ricco Rodriguez (28-9) had taken George Bush (5-1) down at will to score a UD.

The second round also featured one-round fight-offs pairing Oleinik versus Tuscherer and Wiuff versus Rodriguez.

Again, Tuscherer dominated his opponent in G’n'P fury for a unanimous decision; and, Wiuff similarly overwhelmed the veteran Rodriguez, also for a UD.

In the three-round tournament final, Tuscherer didn’t do more than frustrate the seemingly fresher Wiuff.  Wiuff closed out round one with a left-right combo that bloodied Tuscherer.  Rounds two and three were fought mostly on the mat, with Wiuff unloading ground’n'pound in spurts while Tuscherer was somewhat effective tying him up.

At the final bell, Wiuff took all three judges’ cards 30-27 twice and 29-28.

In the event’s “Masters Superfight” main event, Smith shredded Bean’s pillar-like legs with kicks that eventually fell the massive man.  Esch was helpless on his back as Smith beat him to verbal submission at 3:17 of round one.

After absorbing a massive right from Kerr in the other “Masters Superfight”, Taktarov swept into a side kneebar to tap “The Titan” at 1:50 of round one.

The night had popped-off at the end of a “Philly Badass” Lamont Lister (4-3) overhand right that dropped Russian Oleg Savitsky (1-2) in a tournament alternate bout.  “Badass” finished him on the mat for a 33-second TKO.

In the other tourney alternate bout, Bryan Vetell (4-3) won a one-round unanimous decision over Antwain Britt (3-1).

“Bob Meyrowitz [YAMMA Pit Fighting CEO] is just pissed off right now,” Rusich said about the situation.

Goodridge was knocked out in the second round last Sunday by Mu Bae Choi (7-2) in KHAN, a South Korean MMA promotion.

NJSACB told Five Ounces of Pain it intends to protect Goodridge’s health and safety after the KO.

“Gary is embarrassed about [the KO],” Rusich related.  “Apparently he beat the guy up pretty good in the first round and the guy just wouldn’t go away.”

Goodridge is also scheduled to headline a 19 April King of the Cage card in Los Angeles versus Team Oyama’s Tony Lopez (5-2).

Rusich stated, “He’s probably not going to be allowed to fight then either.”

No one at the California State Athletic Commission was available this afternoon to comment on Goodridge’s eligibility.

The NJSACB also told Five Ounces of Pain that the announced main event between “The Russian Bear” Oleg Taktarov (15-5-2) versus “The Titan” Mark Kerr (15-6) has not yet been sanctioned either.

The fighter under review, Kerr, comes off a 29 March keylock submission victory over Chuck Huus (0-1) in Caged Combat Championship Fights.

Monday YPF announced that “Suave” Ricco Rodriguez (27-8) would join the eight-man heavyweight tournament.

Rodriguez returns from a 16 February split decision loss to “Junior” Antonio Silva (10-1) in EliteXC.

The promotion also revealed details of “The YAMMA”, a sloped fighting surface that Meyrowitz hopes will “keep the fighting more explosive and continuous.”

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.’’