Brock Lesnar

It was announced on MMA weekly that former WWE star Brock Lesnar is joining K1 and Pro elite. Brock will be facing off with Hong Man Choi (Techno Goliath).

Hong is 7 ft 2 in and weighs 364 lb. Brock is 6 ft 2 and weighs around 300 lb.

Lesnar’s previous trainers included Martial Arts Academy’s Greg Nelson coach to UFC Lightweight champion Sean Sherk and with University of Minnesota Head Assistant wrestling coach Marty Morgan.

Currently Lesnar is training with Royce Gracie.

Diego Sanchez Cage Talk Interview

Very extensive interview with The Nightmare - Diego Sanchez.

Props to Cage Talk!



Part 2:


Part 3:


In case you missed it, here is Diego Sanchez training with Oscar De La Hoya

Dana White Pride FC Press Conference

Dana White, UFC President speaks in Japan about the recent acquisition of Pride FC. Dana talks about matching up the best fighters in the world from Pride and the UFC.

Dana White declares that the UFC is coming to Japan to kick Pride's ass. So, the East Coast / West Coast battle continues while Zuffa collects on both sides of the fence.




Sakikabara, Pride FC and DSE President explains the reasons for the acquisition and answers quite a few questions that have been stirring in the minds of many MMA fans

Cro Cop Documentary

Here is a pearl for ya... Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic as subject matter for an upcoming fight against the living legend, Fedor Emelianenko. This behind the scenes documentary shows the average life of the number two heavyweight in the universe and also his training in preparation for the greatest MMA fight that has ever happened.

There are no subtitles in the documentary but then again, Cro Cop speaks more with his feet than with his mouth anyway so the 30 minute documentary is easy to follow along... except for the scene when Mirko was getting his ass massaged, that was unnecessary in my opinion... I mean to show it... not that I am against ass massages at all so let's be clear :)




Cro Cop lost the decision to Fabulous Fedor when they fought at Pride: Final Conflict 2005 on 8/28/2005.

“UFC ain’t shit” - Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Ok, it's bound to happen... professional athletes trash talking each other but to take a swing at a totally different sport and at fighters that would never, ever meet unless it was outside of a night club fighting over an ex-porn actress, well...

I understand what Floyd is doing. He's not stupid. He's trying to hype up his pay per view fight against Oscar De La Hoya on May 5th and also draw in some of the record breaking Pay Per View audience that Mixed Martial Arts currently has that Boxing is trying to regain.

Here are some gems that spewed out of the mouth of Floyd Mayweather Jr. recently in a conference call this past Wednesday.

Here are some notable quotes from "Pretty Boy Floyd":

“UFC ain’t shit,”

“It ain’t but a fad. Anyone can put a tattoo on their head and get in a street fight.”

“We should put Liddell against a good heavyweight, under Mayweather Promotions, and if Chuck wins, then I’ll give him a million dollars out of my own pocket.”

“These are guys who couldn’t make it in boxing, so they do (MMA). Boxing is the best sport in the world and it’s here to stay.”

You can read the rest of the swill from the mouth of PBF right here.

MMA is multi-dimensional and deserves more respect than what Floyd mentioned so for that, I hope De La Hoya punches him hard over 500 times in the face the night they fight and wins... sweet science? NOT!

Does MMA Need to be Off TV?

Apparently it does according to "The TOOL of the DAY", Nick Frost from The Gateway Online.

Nick Frost

For the past few years—with the re-emergence of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and the Spike TV reality hit, The Ultimate Fighter—mixed martial arts have been steadily gaining popularity with their crossover into the mainstream, yet, I still don’t understand why. There isn’t any sort of appeal involved in watching two guys swing at each other—and miss most of the time—for 30 seconds, and then drop to the floor and hold the same grapple on each other for the remainder of the match.

And it’s not like I haven’t tried to catch the UFC craze, either. I sat through an entire fight once thinking that maybe, just maybe, it would lead to something absolutely spellbinding and satisfy my bloodlust. Instead, I kid you not, the two men involved in the fight locked each other into a grapevine maneuver and stayed frozen in that position for four fucking minutes. Spooning is permitted elsewhere, guys, not on my TV screen. Not to mention, this scenario repeated itself round after round until a panel of older, more out-of-shape men apparently decided that one guy did a better job of spooning than the other. What a joke.

Don’t think for a minute, though, that I don’t think that any of these guys could kick my ass, or that their different fighting techniques—in a perverse sort of way—can be considered as part of an art form, like Japanese martial arts. It’s just that, like some forms of art, it’s just not entertaining to watch at all.

Ok, I hear this kind of ignorant crap all the time from people who have not spent 5 to 10 minutes trying to seek to understand the strategy and technique of mixed martial arts. I usually then put them into a rear naked choke, put them to sleep for a while and when they awake from the abyss, they would have forgotten the drivel that spewed out of their meat head and given MMA another chance.

Let's collectively render people unconscious to change their minds about MMA. (This was said in jest however, it doesn't mean that I don't imagine following through in my mind as I listen to another ignoramus go on about "Ultimate Fighting" as they call it).

There needs to be more coverage of MMA on television not less.

Nick Frost deservedly earns MMA Fever's dishonorable distinction of being "The TOOL of the DAY"

Reggie Warren Jr. - The Lighter Side

There's nothing more romantic than a bottle of Jack Daniels and a heartfelt tune belted out over an electronic synthesizer trying to woo back yer chick. Priceless.

Reggie Rocks!

Pride Purchase Price

According to a post on Sherdog.com the price for Pride was 65 million. Not a bad price if you ask me. The Fertitas (Lorenzo J. Fertitta and Frank J. Fertitta, III) have obtained the valueable Pride Brand name and all assets.

The assets include the extensive Pride® fighting library, Pride® trademarks, copyrights, fighter contracts and other specified assets.

Tito Ortiz is a LOSER!

Could someone just be honest with Tito Ortiz and tell him that he is a loser. Really, Tito Ortiz is a loser. Not only is he a one-dimensional fighter, he is also a crybaby loser business person.

In a nutshell, Tito was the one who backed out of the boxing match with UFC President, Dana White. TITO ORTIZ BACKED OUT, NOT DANA WHITE!

Ortiz goes on to say that Dana said the fight was not to be televised and it would be for charity and no purse monies were to be offered for either fighter. So, the Huntington Beach loser DID NOT have a contract with Dana White to outline the particulars of the fight. NO CONTRACT!

Tito wouldn't have known to have a contract drawn if it wasn't for his business savvy girlfriend and former porn actress, Jenna Jameson. So, The former porn actress calls up the UFC President to finalize the details of the fight in the form of a legitimate, legal contract.

Image, you are Dana White, UFC President and you get a call from a former porn actress to start contract negotiations for a boxing match with the porn star's boyfriend. "CLICK", that's the sound Jenna would hear after I hung up the phone on her while burning Tito's UFC contract. Why, because Dana can.

Who trains for a fight, cancels promotional paid gigs while in training WITHOUT A CONTRACT? Looooooooooooooooser!!!!!!!

Tito Ortiz is set to fight Rashad Evans at UFC 72 on July 7th and Tito's fight record (minus the Shamrocked fights) is indication that Tito's time in the UFC is up when he is defeated by Rashad Evans. Bye, bye Tito, welcome to becoming the newest Vitor Belfort of the MMA world.

Hey Tito, your next move is to align yourself with Seymore Butts and get in 'the backdoor' of the porn industry 'cause you ain't a fighter anymore. You're too soft and too stupid for today's MMA. Listen to whatever Jenna Jameson says dude, seriously... don't hurt yourself anymore.

Here are absurd entries from the loser, Tito Ortiz on his MySpace blog:

03/26/2007

Only doing business!!!!!!!!!!!

So, everyone is giving me shit for the Dana fight... No one knows what really went on.

Let me tell my side of what really went on. Me and Dana had this argeement to box eachother. I told Dana we should put it on video and sell it. He said "yes that a good idea". So Spike came to Big Bear before the Chuck fight for two days. Used my time from training to shoot for the Spike special. I said that was fine.

I took two week off after the chuck fight. Then started my boxing training. You all have to understand that Dana was almost a pro boxer. I was going to take this fight serious. Jenna was helping me with the deal because I seen this as a big money maker. She asked if there was a contract for the fight? She made a call to dana to get the deal done. Craig from Spike called Jenna back to discuss the deal. She asked for executive producer rights for me, since it was my idea. Help to promote Punishment Athletics for the fight and other deal points. Craig said he would talk to Dana and get back to us.

After that I cancel a few appearances that I had to do. Alot of money was givin up. So I could train for the fight. I had to get all of my medicals done as a normal fight. I got my eyes done then we got a call from Craig. He said that Dana say that they are not going to shoot the fight or cover it in anyway. So this was a real lose,lose situation for me. I lost out on money for appearances. Now I was losing out on promotion and big dollars for the PPV.

He didn't want to cut me in on the deal. So as a business man I couldn't do the fight. I have a very big fight with Evans. Why would I risk my health and fight for free? I wasn't going to make anything for it? I was not going to get taken advantage of as a fighter or a business man. You tell me if I made the right decision? Hopefully this will get ironed out and will be done right the next time. Just trying to do business.....
Tito Ortiz

www.PUNISHMENT.COM

03/27/2007

More news!!

I just got off the phone with The Scott Ferrall show( Sirius radio). He said the fight with Dana was going to be for charity! That is the first time that has ever been brought to my attention that this fight was in any way shape or form going to be viewed by the public, or any proceeds made and given to a charity house. All of my fans know that I spend a huge amount of my time dedicated to charities. I help under priveleged childred, do bi-annual blood drives and many many other things that come from my heart.

This wasn't about charity. This is obviously about Dana White trying to save face. He did not want this fight to be viewed by you ( the public) for fear of being punked. I came up with the idea to box Dana, and he agreed wholeheartedly. and dealpoints were discussed. We came to the conclusion that the training would be filmed and shown on Spike TV and the fight would be aired for PPV on UFC's website and punishment.com. He then , a week before... pulled the plug, without an explaination. Well, to me THAT is punking out. And now he has the balls to try to lie and say it was initially for charity? That is LOW, VERY LOW.

I have been getting paid for fighting the last 10 years. Im not going to start fighting for free now. But I will box Dana's head for free if it goes to charity. Im trying to fight for what I believe in and I get held down on a consistent basis by Dana. Jealousy? I don't know. But it isn't right. I feel sorry for all the fighters that get taken advantage of, but I will not be that guy. I have gotten quite a few very negative comments by people here on my site, and it bothers me since I really go out of my way to do the right thing, not only for me, but for my family.

This is not a hobby for me, it"s my Career! PERIOD! If I don't look out for myself no one will. Love me or Hate me, I will still be fighting, kicking ass and taking names. I've been doing it for the last ten years.. and I will continue to dominate and be the best man I can be.

Tito Ortiz

www.PUNISHMENT.com

UFC scores TKO - Fox Sports

Must read article from Fox on the buyout.

"The UFC now oversees a staggering collection of talent, including nine fighters in FOXSports.com's world pound-for-pound Top 10 ratings. And their vision for the rules of the sport on a worldwide basis — or at least the Unified rules accepted by American state athletic commissions, with five-minute rounds and uniform weight classes — will be implemented in both groups effective immediately. "

"What the transaction does not do, despite what you may read elsewhere, is give the UFC anything close to a monopoly over the business.

This deal went down in large part because several other well-heeled players have gotten into the American mixed martial arts game, from Gareb Shamus' International Fight League (which airs on FOX Sports Net) to the Showtime-backed Elite Xtreme Combat to offshore gambling magnate Calvin Ayre's Bodog Fight promotion.

It was likely no coincidence the announcement of the purchase was held just hours before a press conference in Los Angeles announcing an ambitious Showtime-backed show in June at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum featuring MMA legend Royce Gracie.

Ayre's group has thrown around big money signing the likes of Pride star Fedor Emelianenko (to a one-fight deal) and American middleweight standout Matt Lindland. EXC reportedly offered UFC heavyweight Brandon Vera, who has one fight left on his deal, a $1.5 million signing bonus. Shoring up Pride's stable of fighters will slow down the contractual bedlam."

"In the short term, not much will change for the average viewer aside from rules changes, which means the foot stomps and kicks to the heads of downed opponents that distinguished Pride from the UFC are no more. Zuffa will continue to run the Japanese company as a separate entity, with its separate roster of fighters separate champions, and separate office staff. Pride will continue to air in America on FOX Sports Net, and Zuffa officials indicated they are working on getting the brand back on Japanese TV.

UFC - Pride Super Bowl?

Interesting commentary from NBC Sports on the merger comparing the merger to the AFL - NFL merger. Most importantly it speaks to the potential of future explosive growth.

"Well, the Pride deal is finally, officially done.

The Fertitta brothers will create a new company called Pride FC Worldwide Holdings LLC that will run the group independently of UFC. Lorenzo Fertitta told reporters and fans at the press conference that they will look to put on the dream fights fans have always wanted to see.
Speculation has surrounded this move for months now, and while many fans doubted that Pride would be sold to any US-based interest, it quickly became apparent that UFC would be the best match from both financial and business standpoints.

Perhaps another group could have offered more, but that would have meant handing over the keys to the company to someone who'd never put on a show at a similar level. Only UFC could promise to continue running the company at the same high level and show its experience as proof it wouldn't fail. Because this wasn't only about money; it was also about growing the sport.
Perhaps one day this will be looked back upon like the NFL-AFL merger, as Lorenzo Fertitta compared it to. Because what the Fertittas did in one fell swoop is position themselves to dominate both the U.S. and international markets.

While many fans rued the day such a thing would happen, history has shown that at least in sports, such a setup has resulted in explosive growth. Football, basketball and baseball at one time all featured more than one professional league. And the continued rise of mixed martial arts should help smaller leagues because of the interest. In fact, UFC and the new Pride FC Worldwide will have a vested interest in the health of such groups as feeder organizations.
This is a historic day in MMA. If one day it is to become a major sport alongside the NFL, MLB and NBA, today is the day it will begin."

UFC has bought Pride - Its official

Well MMA Fans,

its official Pride has been bought up by Lorenzo J. Fertitta and Frank J. Fertitta, III owners of the ratings whore UFC.

Here is a good article summing it up from our Friends at Review Journal DOT COM.

UFC acquires Pride Multimillion-dollar deal includes all assets. The owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship scooped up their primary rival Monday, reaching a multimillion-dollar deal to purchase the Japanese-based Pride Fighting Championship.

UFC president Dana White said he and partners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta formed a new company, Pride Worldwide, that purchased the assets of the Pride FC.White, who said the deal was completed about 1:30 p.m. PDT Monday, would not reveal the purchase price, but intimated it was an eight-figure deal.

"I don't like to talk about money, but it was a lot of money, I can tell you that," White said by telephone from Japan. "It was a hell of a lot more than Barry Bonds is making." Bonds, the second-leading home run hitter in baseball history, signed a $15.8 million, one-year deal with the San Francisco Giants in February.

The UFC deal transfers all Pride assets, including fighter contracts, fight video library and trademarks, to the new company. White said he would retain Pride's Japanese employees and that the company's planned April 7 show would go on as planned in Tokyo.

Pride has many of the sport's best fighters, including heavyweight champion Fedor Emialenenko, Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson, Shogun Rua, Takanori Gomi and Hayato Sakurai, signed to promotional contracts.

White said Pride would adopt the same rules that are used in the United States and expressed a desire to use the so-called unified rules around the world. Soccer kicks and knees to the head were legal in Pride fights in Japan, but they were outlawed in two shows that were held at the Thomas & Mack Center. However, White said any fight held with the Pride banner would continue to be in a ring. UFC fights are in a cage.

"This is a sport and we're going to follow the unified rules that were established in New Jersey and then in Nevada," White said. "It's a sport -- mixed martial arts -- and the sport should have the same rules everywhere. As far as I'm concerned, if an organization doesn't follow these rules, it's not MMA. It's something else, but that's not MMA."

White said he will create a "Super Bowl" of MMA that will match the best fighters in Pride against the best in the UFC. White said he hadn't had time to think through the logistics, but said the concept could become the biggest annual event in the sport. He said he has the option to use Pride fighters in UFC shows if he chooses, but plans to run distinct brands.

"Pride is a powerful brand," White said. "The winners in this are the fans, because they're going to see the question answered. How many times have I heard someone say, 'Pride is better,' or 'UFC is better?' Well, wherever you come down on that, we'll answer the question because we'll make certain we put them in with each other and get an answer."

One of Pride's downfalls in the last year in Japan was the loss of its contract with Fuji TV. White said it was one of the new ownership group's leading priorities to negotiate a new television deal in Japan.

The Karate Kid & MMA

It's been almost 23 years since The Karate Kid exploded on to the silver screen and instantly became a martial arts movie cult classic in North America and around the world. The Karate Kid movie was an inspiration to young kids who were bullied and overcame that fear by kicking the bully's ass much the same as our good friend Daniel LaRusso.

Following the movie's release and immediate success, Karate dojo's started to fill up in droves which also saw an increase in other martial arts training centers receiving the spill over traffic. I am sure that some of our favorite MMA fighters of today were also inspired by The Karate Kid movie to commence with their martial arts training.

It was an exciting time for martial arts on the big screen with Chuck Norris, Steven Segal, Jean Claude Van Damme (who can forget Frank Dux from the movie Bloodsport), and a bunch of others that came and went with the slew of Ninja movies that excited martial arts fans and movie lovers alike.

Arguably, the most famous movie of all the classic 1980's martial arts movies has to be, The Karate Kid

Here is the final scene of The Karate Kid with Daniel up against Johnny of Cobra Kai:



Sad to say (and watch) but Sean "Smoked" Salmon used the crane kick (made famous by the character Daniel LaRusso of the Karate Kid) unsuccessfully against Rashad Evans. It was embarrassing to watch but who knew he'd get knocked the fuck out for it in the next round. Mr.Miyagi was not impressed with the fillet of Salmon.



So, we fast forward a few years to the present and we have a very clever music video that ties in not only the Karate Kid theme but also the original cast members such as Johnny, Daniel LaRusso and the whole Cobra Kai team - very cool



Here is a guilty pleasure of mine, Reggie Warren Jr. explaining what his experience was like at the tournament with Daniel LaRusso and that guy that said, "Get him a body bag" - Killer stuff

UFC Doesn't Want to Buy Pride FC...

In my opinion, they have to in order to get Fedor Emelianenko who is the greatest living legend MMA fighter EVER and would destroy any current Heavyweight in the UFC including Mirko Cro Cop. Yes, I said it because it had to be said and nobody has had the sack to say it up until now.

Nobody grounds and pounds like Fedor, nobody can block out pain like Fedor, nobody can beat Fedor!




Fedor is set to lay a serious beating on Matt "The Law" Lindland in a Bodog Fight event scheduled for APRIL 14, 2007 IN ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

Here is the status on the fight card:

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Matt Lindland
Aleksander Emelianenko vs. Eric Pele
Eddie Alvarez vs. Nick Thompson
Roman Zentsov vs. Bobby Southworth
Mike Brown vs. Rodrigo Damm
Amanda Buckner vs. Hitomi Akano
Julie Kedzie vs. Julia Berezekova
Bill Mahood vs. Steve Steinbeiss
Dmitry Samoilov vs. Ray Steinbeiss
Andrei Semenov vs. Jorge Santiago
Derrick Noble vs. Eric Oganov
Daniel Puder vs. TBA

Nobody beats Fedor in his own backyard, NOBODY!

This ain't a Rocky IV movie ya know!

Rashad Evans: "I'm gonna put Tito out"

That was a quote that came from "Sugar" Rashad Evans on MMAWEEKLY radio talking about Tito Ortiz and their upcoming bout at UFC 72 - JULY 7, 2007.

Some notable Rashad Evans quotes captured by MMA fans that listened in to the podcast:

"I'm gonna beat Tito like he owed me money"

"I'm gonna put Tito out"

"I don't think Tito wants to win. Cuz if he wins, he's gonna have to fight Chuck again!"

"I got Dana on the win by verbal KO" (Talking about the Dana/Tito boxing match)

"I'm gonna show Tito what a real wrestler can do. I'm gonna take his soul. I'm gonna show him what a real wrestler can do."

"Tito doesn't wanna fight anymore. He wants to hang out with his girlfriend"

Rashad is coming off an impressive win over UFC newcomer Sean "Smoked" Salmon by way of right high kick that would be sure to impress the man, Mirko Cro Cop. Thankfully, Salmon is now fully recovered and ready to get taken out once again by Eric 'Red' Schafer at UFC 71 on July 7 in Vegas. I hope Sean's melon will be in tact to watch the Liddell/Rampage fight.

I think Rashad is an excellent developing fighter that has evolved with the sport of MMA and in my opinion is the better fighter than Tito Ortiz. Tito on the other hand has been livin' in the 1990's and needs to find another place to train and should stop being Big Poppa to up and comers at BrokeBack Mountain... err... I mean Big Bear so he can focus on his own development.

Then again, I am sure some people have tried to tell him that except the information couldn't get absorbed within his thick head... and he does have a very thick head.

I do hope that Dana White boxes the crap out of Tito Ortiz tomorrow in their publicity stunt exhibition boxing match and by the way, Spike will air the grudge match between UFC president and former Ortiz Manager, Dana White and the Huntington Beach Bad Boy, Tito Ortiz on Spike TV - April 14.

The Banana Split Submission

MMA veteran Bill Mahood surfaces in this fresh video as he demonstrates The Banana Split submission in ménage à trois fashion. Personally, I wouldn't want to see two dudes pulling that submission on each other however, this video shows you how creative you can be with submissions inside and outside of the octagon.

UFC 71 Presale Tickets

Tickets for UFC 71 go on sale to UFC Fight Club members on Monday, March 26 @ 10:00 am PT.

* Pre-sale tickets are not guaranteed. All pre-sale ticket purchases are subject to availability on a first come, first serve basis for select performances only. Limited to six (6) tickets per event, per membership.

All shows are subject to cancellation or postponement without notice. Please consult with the relevant venue for seating information prior to purchase and any changes to the show schedule.

UFC.com newsletter members will receive second crack at the tickets on Wednesday, March 28 @ 10:00 am PT.

Ticket sales to the general public will start Monday, March 30 @ 10:00 am PT.

UFC 71 will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas... what happens in Vegas on the night of May 26 will be known throughout the MMA world!

Here is the UFC 71 fight card in development:

• Chuck Liddell vs. Quinton Jackson
• Karo Parisyan vs. Josh Burkman
• Ivan Salaverry vs. Terry Martin
• Chris Leben vs. Kalib Starnes
• Eric Schafer vs. Sean Salmon
• Keith Jardine vs. TBA

UFC 69 Predictions by MMA Girls

MMA Fever presents MMA Girls' UFC 69 predictions. I have to say that I truly enjoyed the last part of the video that gave a very descriptive visual impression of Josh Koscheck's fighting style

Diego Sanchez Hits from the Bong!

I am not sure if Diego likes to take hits from the bong or roll up a sweet ass doobie or maybe a bucket or two however, he does like the spice that makes him feel nice according to Orange County's - OC Register

"UFC welterweight contender Diego Sanchez tested positive for marijuana after his first-round KO over Joe Riggs on Dec.13 at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. Armando Garcia, the executive officer of the California State Athletic Commission, said Sanchez paid a $500 fine and served a three-month suspension, so he has been cleared to fight Josh Koscheck at UFC 69 on April7 in Houston."

Recently, Nick Diaz also tested positive for the wacky tobaccy is his piss sample following his fight with Takanori Gomi at Pride 33.

Hmmmmm.... there's got to be Something About Mary...Jane

Diego Sanchez vs. Josh Koscheck UFC 69 Preview Video

This will be the premier fight of the UFC 69 event. Diego Sanchez and Josh Koscheck from The Ultimate Fighter 1 have bad blood with each other and they admit that they do NOT like each other so this fight could be the fight of the year. I predict another barn burner just the same as Diego and Karo Parisyan had in 2006 which was the fight of the year according to UFC.com

Matt Serra is No Chimp or Chump

When I saw this video I thought of 5'6" Matt "The Terror" Serra. If you look closely, it looks a lot like Matt's fighting style but let's be real here, there's no way that Matt would ever beat GSP at UFC 69 much less this Kung-Fu fightin' Chimpanzee.

I will probably go to a very warm place for posting this video and commentary however, if Matt Serra pulls off a win against Georges St.Pierre then I won't have to worry too much 'cause then I will know for sure that Hell has actually frozen over. Sorry Matt :)

Matt Serra & GSP UFC 69 Preview Video

Here is the UFC 69 Preview video clip of Matt Serra & Georges St.Pierre

The Mark & Matt Hughes Mullet

Here is a high school photo of the identical twins Hughes brothers sporting identical mullets - Reggie Warren Jr. would be very proud.

Pride Sold? "It's Bullshit"

Jerry Millen (also known as Gary Millen) announced recently that Pride was in fact, not sold.

Early unsubstantiated reports have the Fertitta brothers (majority owners of Zuffa LLC) purchasing Pride FC for 65 million including the fighter contracts, video library, and the name of the organization.

This rumour has buzzed through the MMA online community since it originated from Sherdog.com's "The Savage Dog Show" early Monday morning.

From Graciefighter.com:

In an exclusive interview, Pride USA Vice President, Jerry Millen, commented on the speculation that Pride has been bought by the Zuffa organization.

"It's bullshit. You can't beleive what you read on the internet and as a matter of fact I just got off the phone with Japan and unless I'm being lied to Pride has not been sold and is not being sold to anyone, especially to Zuffa. We are in the process of making some ground breaking deals that will be bringing in large sums of revenue to the company and making it stronger than ever."

Here is a recent article on the Fertitta brothers from CNN Money

Honestly, I cannot see Pride going tits up THAT easily. There is definitely more to this rumour and MMA Fever will be on top of the action as usual. Stay tuned!

*** That's Frank Fertitta on the left and Lorenzo Fertitta on the right in the photo above***

Rubber Guard Explained

Eddie Bravo, the author of "Mastering the Rubber Guard: Jiu-jitsu for Mixed Martial Arts Competition" explains in this instructional video how to use the rubber guard to your advantage.

B.J. Penn uses the rubber guard technique quite often and demonstrated its effectiveness against Georges St.Pierre when they fought at UFC 58 as GSP almost lost the fight to Penn in the last few seconds of round three in Penn's rubber guard.

The rubber guard is often misunderstood by most MMA fighters today but it offers more opportunity to win on your back than any other style today in my opinion.

Let Eddie show you how:

WANTED: MMA Writer - Mad Squabbles

There's a line in the movie Hustle & Flow that goes, "It's hard out here for a Pimp" and the same is true for some of the best MMA writers and also, up and coming MMA writers of today.

It can be very challenging juggling one's time with personal and professional lives while staying on top of the pulse of the MMA scene and I for one can attest to that fact.

For the most part, I am a one-man show however, I do have two guest writers to back me up when I am not around. That is a luxury that most cannot afford to have and most, if not all noteworthy MMA sites have more than one writer to offer differing perspectives on the complex world of MMA to give the readers what they want - fresh, timely content.

With all that being said, there is an opportunity for a guest writer over at Mad Squabbles. Now, this site is on the verge of exploding just the same as MMA Fever is experiencing the same explosive growth so if you are interested in becoming an MMA writer for Mad Squabbles then click right here and let Luke know that Greg from MMA Fever sent you ;)

From one MMA writer to a future MMA writer, there's nothing like it!

I'll look forward to reading you someday...

Penn Vs. Pulver 1 - TUF 5 Coaches Square Off

As you are well aware, The Ultimate Fighter 5 is set to begin its new season at 11:00 pm EST on April 5th following the Ultimate Fight Night 9 event.

There is a reason why B.J. Penn and Jens Pulver were chosen as the TUF5 coaches for the up and coming lightweights... they have a history together!

Most argue that B.J. Penn is the best lightweight in the world today. Personally, I would challenge that claim however, it doesn't stop me from marvelling at Penn's flexibility in the ring and the awesome things he can do while in the rubber guard that would surely make Eddie Bravo proud.

Jens fought B.J. way back in 1/11/2002 at UFC 35 - Throwdown and was at that time, the undisputed UFC Lightweight Champion.

Here is a snippet from Jens Pulver's wiki page on his fight with Penn:

Pulver vs Penn

Pulver’s second title defense came against B.J. Penn.

Penn was the most highly decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner in America (he was the first non-Brazilian to win a world title at the Black Belt level in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu)at the time. Penn had burst onto the scene, already known for his grappling, he quickly stunned the MMA community by show casing incredible striking skills; quickly knocking out Din Thomas (a man who had submitted Pulver in 2000) then knocking out Caol Uno within eleven seconds of the first round. In fact, heading into the fight with Pulver, Penn had never fought longer than the first round. Penn was a 3:1 favorite at most sportsbooks, and most MMA experts were writing Pulver off as having no chance.

Pulver’s performance in the fight is considered the high point of his career. Penn pressed the action early; taking Pulver to the mat numerous times, achieving a full mount on him twice in the second round, and securing a straight arm bar completely hyper-extending Pulver’s arm as the seconds ticked off the clock ending the second round.

Pulver battled back in the third round. Successfully defending Penn’s attempts to take him to the ground, and even scoring defensive takedowns on Penn. Pulver frustrated Penn with nothing more than sheer will power by not only winning the rounds but out grappling the world-renowned Penn in the third and fourth rounds. In the fifth round, Penn, frustrated and down on points, choose to stand and trade with Pulver. For the entire five minutes of the fifth round the two stood toe to toe exchanging lighting fast kicking boxing techniques. At one point a left hand from Pulver staggered Penn, but the round drew to a conclusion and the fight went into the judges hands.

Pulver would take a majority decision win. Breaking into tears during the post fight interview Pulver stated “I’ve been beat on my whole life, this is nothing.”

The TUF5 coaches will have a rubber match and fight each other again at The ULTIMATE FIGHTER 5 LIVE FINALE - JUNE 23, 2007 ON SPIKE TV at The Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada

Here is a video clip of Penn and Pulver's first encounter in the octagon:

Bisping Talks Tough to Trolls

I was doing my rounds today and I stumbled upon a simple post titled, "Bisping" at Sherdog Forums. The thread starter noticed that Michael Bisping was online on the forum and wanted to say hello to The Count in a new thread to catch his attention.

"Was just cruising around the background of sherdog and noticed Bisping was online
Just thought I would drop a "what's up" and Can't wait to see you live Mike.(fighting live that is)

Never mind. gone now
Go ahead and Sh!t can this thread lol"

Well, if you've ever been to Sherdog Forums or even *gasp* participated in the forum then you'll know that this kind of post can leave someone open for attack and it did.

The corresponding post was, "Get laid in your own time princess."

Then Bisping chimed in and found the response to be amusing and wrote, "get laid in yout own time princess, lol.
how we doing guys?

Quickly, the pack of wolves gathered and a lead wolf opened with a question that was burning in the minds of Sherdog regulars:

"Lets get down to it. Why is the UFC feeding you a can? Don't you think you can beat better?"

Michael Bisping responded to the question about his upcoming fight with Elvis Sinosic at UFC 70 in the U.K. on April 21:

"hi, and thanks for all the support. For all the haters, oh well its to be expected.

There has been a lot of talk about elvis being a can and a silly match up for me. I think the poeple with this atitude are completely wrong. He is a tough well rounded experienced fighter who has faced some of the worlds best. Sure he hasnt got the best record but look at some of the guys he's fought.Also a little more respect for the guy as a long standing mma fighter wouldnt go a miss.

Training going well. Obviously one or two hiccups here and there but thats always the way. Looking forward to the fight and im sure you guys wont be dissapointed. Elvis always comes to fight and I sure as hell do so expect fireworks.

Also, all the guys bitching on sherdog constantly need to stop being so pety and look at all the positive developments that are happening in the ufc and mma in general. Its an exiting time for the fans and the fighters so just enjoy it and stop moaning for fuck sake.

the count."

Just so you know, many professional MMA fighters are well connected to the MMA online community and will from time to time participate in discussion with the real fans of mixed martial arts. I noticed this recently at the UnderGround Forum with Joe Lauzon jumping in on page 3 to support a post and also Jorge Gurgel popping in to UFCMania in defence of his friend and fellow fighter Joe Riggs.

Also, you can be sure that the fighters of the TUF5 series starting April 5th will also be active within The Ultimate Fighter Forum and you too can have the chance to chat with your favorite fighter or two.

MMA is a sport unlike most professional sports where you can actually talk with the fighters, hang out with them at MMA events and be treated with respect when you approach them. I have to tip my hat to the professional MMA fighters of today who are doing a valiant job of promoting MMA around the world the way is should be... with respect to the fans. Other professional sports could learn a thing or two about the honour these fighters give back to the fans and their sport.

Cheers!

Iceman Vs. Rampage 2 - It's On!

The rematch between Chuck Liddell and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will happen on May 26 at UFC 71 in Las Vegas, Nevada according to Juanito Ibarra, who is Rampage's Manager and Trainer.

This is the Iceman's only unavenged loss of his career and he is watering at the mouth for this one to happen to bring closure for himself in his MMA career. Chuck has lost only three times and successfully avenged those two previous losses with Jeremy Horn and Randy "The Natural" Couture.

Liddell lost to Rampage Jackson on 11/09/2003 at PRIDE Final Conflict 2003 by TKO due to corner stoppage (they literally threw in the towel, watch the referee pick it up when the fight was called).

Here is the video clip of Chuck Liddell's loss to Rampage



The UFC 71 fight card is shaping up quite nicely and here are the other unconfirmed but most likely matches that we will see at the end of May.

Chuck Liddell vs. Quinton Jackson
Karo Parisyan vs. Josh Burkman
Ivan Salaverry vs. Terry Martin
Chris Leben vs. Kalib Starnes
Eric Schafer vs. Sean Salmon
Keith Jardine vs. TBA

Don't go Drinking with Bas Rutten

Seriously, Bas will mess you up and have fun doing it too. This is a bar fighting instructional video by the one and only 'El Guapo' Bas Rutten, former mixed martial artist, MMA legend, former commentator of Pride FC and now the current commentator and new face for the International Fight League after stepping down just yesterday as the coach for the IFL's Los Angeles Anacondas.


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Touchless Knockout Video

I am not a believer of the Touchless Knockout. When I saw this I thought it was cool and a great carnival side show but certainly not worth raving about because one can only challenge the validity of the claims in the video. Funny that the touchless knockout only works on the students of the instructor who is performing the electrifying move. To me, touchless knockouts belong with touchles car washes and touchless titty bars (my girlfriend is gonna kill me for that one) :-)



Now, we move away from the absurd to what appears to be the possible with the modern day one-inch punch with a little psycho kinetic energy thrown in the mix. Still, I am a doubter of the touchless knockout sorry to say.



This is a cool documentary video illustrating the origins of the one-inch punch along with short distance striking from the Kung Fu martial art. This documentary of the one-inch punch includes the famous Bruce Lee video and some random clips from Kung Fu movies for nostalgia Sunday!

Matt Hamill the Sponsorship Scammer?

Here is a post from the Underground Forum that caught my attention. The thread starter opened the thread with the title, "Dont' worry, Matt Hamill is done". Apparently, Matt Hamill is an opportunist and a shady business partner... see for yourself:

Dont' worry, Matt Hamill is done

I just want to let everyone know on the UnderGround, especially possible sponsors, that Matt Hamill is probably the most dishonest, greedy, self-absorbed loser in the sport. Dealing with him first hand, I've realized that he has lied to sponsors, friends, and coaches to further his wallet size. Don't get me wrong, go where the cash is, but don't make a deal and then not honor it. I have been involved in the sport for the last 5 years and have made many friends and established good relationships with the MMA community.

That being said, Matt is probably the only one that has lied repeatedly to our business and those that were close to us. He is also not man enough to reply to anyone that he's screwed in the process. I want to add that our close team sponsor Streetwise Fightwear has also dealt with Matt. He has repeatedly try to screw his first real sponsor by making a deal with Ray Newkirk (President of Streetwise) and then turning around and not living up to the deal he made with his close friend and sponsor. The reason I'm posting is not because he was dishonest to us, but that he has shit on some close friends of mine. I want to end this message with the hope that Bisbing will KO him and end his career, so he cannot cheat anymore of the MMA community.

Ryan Ciotoli CNY MMA Team Bombsquad

I will give you some details, just so you don't think I am full of shit. When we (Bombsquad) started out we wanted to help Matt achieve his goal of making it to the UFC. They told him that he needed a couple of fights to get on the Ultimate Fighter. Knowing Matt from wrestling I wanted to help him out. I scheduled fights for him and he wanted me to manage his career for the time being. I agreed to help him out knowing full well that he might end up leaving and joining another team, which was fine because we weren't established at the time. He lived with me for about a month and trained with some of our fighters.

I took him to his first 2 fights which was about a 12hour drive each time. I also lent him some money and paid for a lot of his expenses, which he never gave back. I thought at the time we were friends, since we spent a lot of time together. I told him that he may get a lot of offers thrown his way, especially with the number of people that knew him from the Ultimate Fighter. I told him that I would let him know what the offers were and we would decide what the best situation was for him. He decided to speak with sponsors without my knowledge and then lie about not making deals with them. One such sponsor was Streetwise. He told me that he wasn't dealing with them and said they were bothering him.

Streetwise said they were sponsoring him and I thought they were taking advantage of him since they didn't go through us. Basically, what Matt was doing was playing both sides. I finally contacted Streetwise and we got our stories together and it made sense. When I confronted him, he played dumb and blaimed it on his disability like he did on the ultimate fighter. After that I was sick of the dishonesty and the hard work I was putting into him, and he never tried contacting me after that. All he had to do was let me know what was up and what he wanted to do. As a friend I would have supported whatever he decided. The one good thing that came out of this was that we developed a relationship with Streetwise and now are fortunate enough to deal with Ray Newkirk and his company.

I am not going to lie, it would have been nice to add someone like Matt Hamill to our team before I knew him. That being said, we are doing great without him. Having someone like him would be a headache and a cancer to anybodys team. I started the thread because of his interactions with certian sponsors that he has screwed.

I totally understand that point. He could of let me know, but again he was too much of a coward to let me know what his deal was. I really don't care anymore what Matt does, but I just heard the other day of how he tried fucking Streetwise. Streetwise is our team sponsor and it pissed me off. I just wanted to let the public know how dishonest and cowardly Matt was. You can take what you want from it.

It was a weird situation. At the time I ran a school sponsored club at Ithaca College that I did for free. I trained fighters for fun, and coached wrestling at Ithaca College. I enjoyed MMA and donated my time training, cornering, and driving athletes to shows. I heard Matt Hamill was interested in getting into MMA and I was willing to help him. His college coach was friends with me and he thought Matt would be good at this sport. As a fellow wrestler I wanted to help him out. I contacted him and he was interested in training with us. He stayed with me for about a month and I loaned him money to help him train. We became friends at that time and I really wasn't looking to gain anything from it.

I took him to his fights and he got on the ultimate fighter. In the meantime I met a striking coach and he wanted to get a school together, especially with the popularity of MMA on the rise. While Matt was on the show, we got a school up and running and thought having Matt as a teammate would be great for business. When are relationship started it was more friendship than a business opportunity. This is when we tried to sign him to a contract and manage his career. He agreed that we would manage him and start the process of getting him sponsors. Like I said, it was a weird situation. We asked him if he wanted to join someone else or stay with us. He wanted our help and we scheduled an appointment to sign a contract. In the meantime he started making deals without our knowledge.

We just wanted him to let us know what deals he made, so things didn't get screwed up on his end. That's when he made a deal with Streetwise and didn't let us know. Streetwise was advertising that Matt was sponsored by them and we asked Matt and he said no. I could care less who sponsored Matt. What he was doing was saying that he didn't have any sponsors so everyone (sponsors and friends) would pay him. He was playing both sides. I never said that this wasn't a good opportunity for us, but as his friend I was mad that he would do that. When I asked him about it he played dumb and didn't know how to answer any of our questions. He never contacted me after that and I never contacted him after our last exchange. Last week I heard that he pulled some shit with Streetwise and it angered me that he was doing the same bullshit. That's why I started the thread.

Mixed Martial Entertainment - MME

I was holding off on posting this story because it is absolutely ludicrous and I don't mean Ludacris. MMA is a sport that is above the rented bling bling and the crappy hip hop music swill. To top it all off, the only person mentioned that has ever thrown a punch is Kimbo (Kevin Ferguson) Slice, the Miami backyard bare knuckles street brawler who knows NOTHING about mixed martial arts. Sad, very, very sad.

From the Fight Network:

COMING TO A TV SCREEN NEAR YOU - KIMBO

Black Entertainment Television (BET) is the latest outlet to dive into the MMA fray, commencing auditions this week for a reality TV series entitled “The Iron Ring.” Under the New Jersey Athletic Control Board’s eye this past week, hopefuls sparred and grappled for the camera in the hopes of being selected. The hook is these fighters will be relegated under hip-hip celebrities who will oversee their training, culminating in a round-robin tournament.

In N.J., musical artist Ludacris attended auditions; while in Florida, Baltimore Ravens’ linebacker Ray Lewis and infamous Internet brawler Kimbo Slice will have a hand in the selection process. In Los Angeles, comedian/actor Eddie Griffin and musical artist Snoop Dog have been enlisted.

The project is being spearheaded by Zilo Network Co-Founders and Executive Producers David Isaacs and Campbell McLaren, who with Semaphore Entertainment Group, produced some of the Ultimate Fighting Championship events throughout the 1990s.

Here is Kimbo doin' it "All Day":

Six Degrees of Spratt & GSP

GSP fought Pete Spratt on 11/29/2003 at TKO 14 - Road Warriors in only his 5th professional MMA bout of his young career. Pete Spratt was a contender on The Ultimate Fighter 4 - The Comeback reality series along with Georges St.Pierre who was one of the coaches for Spratt and 15 others.

GSP is set to defend his Welterweight title against the TUF4 Welterweight winner, Matt Serra on April 7 in Houston, Texas for UFC 69. What is also interesting about UFC 69 is that Pete Spratt will be fighting on the preliminary card (not broadcast) up against the Irish Hand Grenade - Marcus Davis.

Georges St. Pierre Instructional Video

GSP shows and tells us how to strike, take down an opponent and also stay in tip top condition in various ways with training partner David "The Crow" Loiseau. Enjoy!

Really, I just get a kick out of hearing GSP talk :)

Happy St. Patricks Day!

For all of you Irish or soon to be Irish tonight, Spike has a special treat for you today starting at 3pm.

Spike TV will be replaying the back to back to back to back Ultimate Fight Night's today, that's right, four episodes of the 2-hour UFN's starting at 3pm for 8 hours of pure Irish goodness.

The events will include the following main cards:

UFC Fight Night 6
Diego Sanchez vs. Karo Parisyan
3 to 5 p.m.

Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3: The Final Chapter
Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock
5 to 7 p.m.

UFC Fight Night 7
Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Riggs
8 to 10 p.m.

UFC Fight Night 8
Rashad Evans vs. Sean Salmon
10 p.m. to midnight

Go Fighting Irish!

Only on Spike TV...

TUF 5 Website Launched

As you may know already, The Ultimate Fighter 5 series begins on Thursday April 5 following the Ultimate Fight Night 9 event. TUF5 will showcase the world's best up and comping 155 Lb Lightweight fighters vying for a chance to break into the UFC.

The Ultimate Fighter 5 (homepage)

The Ultimate Fighter 5 (Fighter profiles)

There is also a forum to discuss the TUF series and pretty much anything else under the sun. It is a forced 'friendly' site with active moderators so you can feel free to post anything you want without some jerk kid living in his mommy's basement, using mommy's computer and Internet access trying to make fun of you for kicks. Very cool!

"Forum fan clubs are designated for positive feedback, encouragement and support to the fighters.

Positive Comments Only - Negative comments will be removed"


PREMIERE EPISODE

Thursday, April 5 at 11PM ET/PT
Following UFC® FIGHT NIGHT™

Sixteen of the best up-and-coming mixed martial artists in the lightweight division (155lbs) from around the world will be featured in Season 5 of Spike TV’s hit original series, “The Ultimate Fighter,” premiering Thursday, April 5 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT. Former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver and former UFC Welterweight Champion B.J. Penn will serve as coaches.

In the Ultimate Fighter competition, sixteen men endure a grueling regimen of jiu-jitsu, judo, muy thai, karate, boxing and wrestling. The intense competition between the fighters continued after they left the gym -- at The Ultimate Fighter House. These warriors were forced to live together, knowing that any day they might be forced to fight each other in the famed UFC Octagon™.

Diego Sanchez Training with Oscar de la Hoya

WOW!

I am a huge Diego Sanchez fan and now I am convinced that he will become the Rocky Marciano (undefeated boxing career - 49W,0L,0D, 43 KO's) of the MMA world. Diego currently has 19 wins with no losses in his MMA career and sets out to make that an even 20 wins with an unblemished record after fighting Josh Koscheck at UFC 69 on April 7.

I am convinced that Diego can achieve this undefeated record because of his intensity, intelligence in the fight and now and probably most important, the people he chooses to train with that can help him evolve as a bulletproof mixed martial artist.

Before Oscar de la Hoya, Diego Sanchez was set to train with Pride FC Heavyweight Champion and pound for pound toughest fighter in the world, Fedor Emilianenko before Diego went to battle with Karo Parisyan at Ultimate Fight Night 6.

Unfortunately, Diego did not get the chance to train with Fedor as Fedor himself stated in a recent interview for his fans at his website that he did not train with Sanchez:

Q - Young undefeated UFC fighter Diego Sanchez trained with you. What do you think of him and of George St. Pierre?

FE - We never trained together, but I saw his fights. I think he is a good, promising fighter.

Training with Oscar is sure to help Diego improve upon his stand-up skills and give him the added technical & psychological advantage going into his fight against Kos... as if he really need it anyway. It's great to see good fighters doing everything they can to become great by constantly striving to reach their own undiscovered MMA potential so expect Diego Sanchez to impress us once again and again, and again, and...

Here is a link to the video of Diego Sanchez training with Oscar de la Hoya

Don't Be Hatin' - On Tim Sylvia

The MMA fanscape is going through major MMA event withdrawl at the moment and most are snapping at the easiest target they can find and that huge target of the day is Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia.

Mad Squabbles captured most of the hatin' goin' on with their recent post titled, "Did Tim Sylvia fuck your mothers?"

Now, I admit to taking a shot or two at the big man when he deserved it and the only shot I took at him was when Tim told Joe Rogan that he was injured coming into the fight immediately following his loss to the new Champion, Randy Couture at UFC 68. I did it because he deserved it. Period!

Tim admitted it too in a recent interview with the Baltimore Sun:

Q. After the match, in your post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, you alluded to your back injury. Do you think it was a mistake to bring that up right after the fight?

TS. Yeah, not that it was a mistake … Randy beat me fair and square. Plain and simple. He was the better man that night. He beat me. So, I shouldn't have even brought it up.

That's about as far as I would go on Tim Sylvia who is also a favorite fighter of mine. I have given big Tim some really good press on this site and I also supported him to beat Randy at UFC 68. Yeah, I backed Tim Sylvia and I am not ashamed to say that I did... check that, I backed what I thought was a healthy Tim Sylvia... there is a difference.

Honestly, I feel cheated now that I discovered that Tim was withholding what he knew was an serious injury that he should not have gone into UFC 68 with against Couture. Do I blame Tim or the marketing machine that is the UFC? Well, I blame the UFC and Tim.

If the injury was that bad, bad enough that he could not fight up to his own potential then do the right thing and withdraw. Here's the dilemma... if Tim withdraws, UFC 68 goes down the tubes and so does Tim's payday and potentially his future with the UFC if he pisses off Dana White and makes him look bad.

I almost feel like Randy Couture's victory deserves and asterisk beside it just like Rogers Maris had beside his name for the longest time for beating Babe Ruth with the most home runs in one regular season. Then again, why penalize Randy after all, he owned Tim the whole 5 rounds.

According to Tim, Randy beat and already beaten Tim Sylvia. This places a huge dark cloud over Randy's win and to me, it would be best for Tim to keep his mouth shut and accept the loss because he had a chance to bow out of the event and CHOSE NOT TO!

Q. Did you consider pulling out of the match?

TS. Yeah, I did.

So does Tim deserve the hatin' that's been going on in all the MMA fan sites... well, yes and no. Tim does deserve what he gets as a professional fighter for casting a negative veil over Randy Couture's win however, Tim does not deserve the personal attacks that some have been writing about him on the MMA fan sites in my opinion.

Keep it above Tim's Heavyweight belt tan line please!

UFC 69: SHOOTOUT Main Card Line-up

This just in from UFC's recent Press Release. These are the bouts that you will see when you purchase UFC 69: Shootout. Of course, you may see a preliminary fight or two if the main card fights end quickly.

UFC 69: SHOOTOUT MAIN CARD LINE-UP

GEORGES ST-PIERRE vs. MATT SERRA
DIEGO SANCHEZ vs. JOSH KOSCHECK
ROGER HUERTA vs. LEONARD GARCIA
MIKE SWICK vs. YUSHIN OKAMI
ALAN BELCHER vs. KENDALL GROVE

SATURDAY, APRIL 7 LIVE FROM TOYOTA CENTER IN HOUSTON

Las Vegas, NV – In just a few weeks the Toyota Center in Houston will be a sight to see when Ultimate Fighting Championship® fans from all around the world pack the house to watch as UFC World Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre attempts his first title defense when he faces The Ultimate Fighter® 4 “The Comeback” winner Matt “The Terror” Serra in a heated battle for the welterweight crown. The UFC® organization will present UFC 69: SHOOTOUT live from Houston at the Toyota Center Saturday, April 7, 2007.

UFC 69: SHOOTOUT main card also features exciting match ups with Josh Koscheck vs. Diego Sanchez, Roger Huerta vs. Leonard Garcia, Mike Swick vs. Yushin Okami, and Alan Belcher vs. Kendall Grove.

Georges “Rush” St-Pierre (13-1-0), fighting out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada makes his first welterweight championship title defense against his former The Ultimate Fighter 4 team member Matt “The Terror” Serra. St-Pierre capitalized on his chance for a title at UFC 65: BAD INTENTIONS when he obtained the title with a second round stoppage of welterweight champion Matt Hughes. St-Pierre aggressively fought to put himself back in line for the title, also defeating former champion BJ Penn, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Frank Trigg and Sean Sherk. This fight with Serra will be no different as they go head to head in the Octagon®. Serra, fighting out of Long Island, New York is a UFC veteran and winner of The Ultimate Fighter 4. He carries a 15-4-0 record including victories over the highly touted Yves Edwards and Ivan Menjivar. Serra reached The Ultimate Fighter 4 semifinals by defeating Pete Spratt via tapout due to strikes, and then avenged his previous loss to Shonie Carter by defeating him with a series of takedowns and scoring a unanimous decision with the judges. He faced Chris Lytle in The Ultimate Fighter 4 finale and defeated him by split-decision, thus earning a chance at a title shot in the process. Now he takes on the toughest fight of his career in an attempt to make a true comeback when he squares off against St-Pierre April 7.

To many fight fans, ground fighting ace Diego “The Nightmare” Sanchez (19-0-0) is the future when it comes to the UFC’s 170-pound weight class, especially after his August win over Karo Parisyan in one of the most exciting fights of 2006. Undefeated, and the winner of bouts against John Alessio, Nick Diaz, Brian Gassaway and Kenny Florian, the 24-year-old has blitzed his competition thus far, and he and middleweight contender Mike Swick remain the only fighters from the first season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series to retain an unbeaten UFC record once the show ended. In December, the Albuquerque, New Mexico native scored a stunning first round knockout over the always dangerous Joe Riggs to earn his 19th win without a loss. Josh “Kos” Koscheck (10-1-0) fighting out of Fresno, Calif. is one of the most athletically gifted fighters in the sport of MMA today. A former NCAA Division I National wrestling champion, Koscheck is rapidly developing the type of mixed martial arts game that will make him a force to be reckoned with in the years to come. Winner of ten pro MMA fights, with his only loss coming in the final seconds of a bout he was winning against Drew Fickett in 2005. Koscheck’s improvement was evident by his August clash with Jonathan Goulet, where he rocked the Canadian vet early with an overhand right and then finished him off with strikes at 4:10 of the first round. In his last bout, at UFC Fight Night™, Koscheck ran his UFC winning streak to four with a clear cut three round unanimous decision over Jeff Joslin.

Leonard “Bad Boy” Garcia (13-1-0), fighting out of Lubbock, Texas is a UFC newcomer. Over the course of a seven year career, the “Bad Boy” has trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since he was 16, and he has used that experience to put together an eight fight winning streak leading up to this fight. Garcia knows that a win over Huerta would not only make it nine, but would herald the beginning of an exciting new chapter in his mixed martial arts story. Lightweight Roger “El Matador” Huerta survived a harrowing upbringing in Mexico, El Salvador, and Texas before finding wrestling in high school and setting his life on a positive path that would eventually lead him to the UFC. Now 2-0 in the Octagon, with a convincing decision victory over Jason Dent and a 19 second destruction of John Halverson, this Related News
UFC's Rising Latino Stars Featured in ESPN's Deportes la Revista
UFC Announces UK Fight Card
'The Pearl' to Hold UFC Fight Night April 5th
UFC launches events in HDTV in the US & Canada
THQ TEAMS UP WITH ZUFFA, LLC TO CREATE VIDEOGAMES BASED ON UFC

well-rounded protégé of former UFC middleweight champion Dave Menne is not only carving out a niche as one of the most exciting young lightweights in the sport; he has shown that with the right dedication and motivation, a less than ideal past doesn’t have to dictate someone’s future.

Mike “Quick” Swick (10-1-0), fighting out of San Jose, Calif. is a middleweight contender that has certainly lived up to his nickname ‘Quick.’ In his first four UFC bouts, it only took him a combined five minutes and 10 seconds to take out Alex Schoenauer, Gideon Ray, Steve Vigneault, and Joe Riggs. In bout number five, Swick also showed he had the right stuff to survive and thrive in a three round war of attrition as he pounded out a unanimous decision over former world title challenger David Loiseau. On the fast track to a shot at UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, Swick will be counting on the support of his hometown Houston fans when he squares off against Yushin Okami (20-3-0). Fighting out of Kanagawa, Japan, Okami is a patient warrior with a well-rounded attack that includes deceptively punishing power. Okami followed up a decision win over Alan Belcher at UFC 62 with clear cut third round stoppages of Kalib Starnes and Rory Singer, and with his stamina and late round ability to take opponents out, his bout against fast-starter Mike Swick is one of the most intriguing on the UFC 69 card. A win over the hometown hero may put the 25-year old Okami in line for a shot at a man he already holds a win over, UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva.

Alan “The Talent” Belcher (9-2-0) fighting out of Biloxi, Miss. is one to watch out for. With one swift and powerful kick to the head at UFC Fight Night, Belcher delivered one of the most stunning knockouts of 2006 and also earned his first Octagon win over tough Brazilian Jorge Santiago. The exciting 22-year old is far from a one-dimensional striker, as he recently received his blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Helio Soneca. Defeating a high-profile opponent like The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove, Belcher’s mission is clear to get the victory by any means necessary, whether taking it to the mat or banging it out while standing. Grove (9-3-0) on the other hand, has made a seamless transition from reality television star to the big league MMA of the UFC due to talent, size, and hard work. This 6”6” middleweight with the range to give anyone a rough night of work, followed up his memorable The Ultimate Fighter 3 finale win over Ed Herman last June with a just as memorable one-sided beat down of Chris ‘The Exorcist’ Price in October. With Grove’s charisma and talent, the future continues to look bright for this proud Hawaiian. “Da Spyder” looks to continue on his positive development as a fighter when he takes on Belcher,

Tickets for UFC 69: SHOOTOUT are on sale now for $450, $350, $250, $150 and $50 and will be available online at www.toyotacentertix.com, by phone at 1-866-4HOUTIX, at the Toyota Center Box Office or select Houston area Randall's locations. As of 1:00PM CST today, more than 6,400 tickets have already been sold for UFC 69.

UFC 69: SHOOTOUT is available live on pay-per-view in Standard or High-Definition (HD) where available at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s Choice Canada. The suggested retail price for Standard Definition is $39.95 ($39.99 CAD) and $49.95 for HD.

The undercard bouts for UFC 69: SHOOTOUT will be announced in the near future. All bouts are subject to change.

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® brand is the world’s leading professional mixed martial arts organization and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., the UFC® organization produces approximately twelve to fourteen live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed through cable and satellite providers. In addition to its U.S. distribution, UFC fight programs are distributed throughout the world including broadcast on WOWOW, Inc. in Japan, Globosat in Brazil and Bravo in the United Kingdom. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit www.ufc.com.

Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa™, The Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners.