SPOILER!!! - Yarennoka! Results - Fedor vs. Choi Video

• Fedor Emelianenko def. Hong Man Choi - Armbar Submission @ 1:54 of Rd. 1
• Hayato “Mach” Sakurai def. Hidehiko Hasegawa - Unanimous Decision
• Shinya Aoki def. Bu-Kyung Jung - Unanimous Decision
• Kazuo Misaki def. Yoshihiro Akiyama - KO (Strikes) @ 2:12 of Rd. 1
• Mitsuhiro Ishida def. Gilbert Melendez - Unanimous Decision
• Makoto Takimoto def. Murilo Bustamante - Split Decision
• Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Luiz Azeredo - Unanimous Decision.
• Mike Russow def. Roman Zentsov - N/S Choke Submission @ 2:58 of Rd. 1

HDNet will replay the HDNet Fights: Fedor Returns Yarennoka! event at 3pm today and again Friday and Saturday of next week.

Chuck is a Dancing Queen!

Just don't say that to his face if you still want to have your head connected to your neck. Chuck looks antsy as he is ready to party like Chuck Liddell in the post UFC 79 party titled, "One Night Stand With Chuck Liddell" in Vegas at Studio 54.

John "The Pit" Hackleman Talks Post UFC 79 Liddell/Silva

Bas Rutten Self Defense for New Years!

I couldn't resist sharing some of El Guapo's famous self defense tips with you as you embark on a night that is sure to put you in one or all of the situations that Bas helps you get out of with ease




If you missed how to kick the shit out of anyone in a bar then you should really watch this too for the next time you encounter a bunch of MMA posers in Affliction T-Shirts interrupting your good time while watching UFC 80 in January, 2008.

Fedor VS Hong Man Choi

Choi is one big dood. Good luck to Fedor on New Year's eve.


FEDOR EMELIANENKO Q: What is your impression of Choi? FE: He's big.

Q: Do you think your punches would reach his face given his height?
FE: I'll have to get in the ring to know that.

Q: Do you have any plans on changing your strategy due to his size? FE: No. I'm going to fight like I trained for in Russia.

Q: Is he bigger than you had expected? FE: He's as big as I had imagined; He wasn't bigger than I'd expected. He smiled at me but I know he'll do his best to beat me once he gets in the ring.

Q: Do you expect any problems with the height disadvantage? FE: No, I don't expect any problems.

Qo you think you will be able to take him down? FE: I won't know without actually fighting him. I might keep the fight standing and make it a striking bout.

Q: What is your impression of K-1 and Yarennoka's collaboration for this event? FE: I've fought fighters who fought in K-1 like Semmy Schilt and Gary Goodridge so I don't feel any different about it.

Q: K-1 Dynamite, Yarennoka, and UFC are all held on December 31. Do you think you are the main attraction for this day? FE: I hope so. I trained to be the main fighter, and I want to give a good showing that would make the fans happy.

SYLVIA VS. NOGUEIRA FOR UFC INTERIM TITLE - MMA WEEKLY

LAS VEGAS – Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White on Saturday night confirmed that Tim Sylvia will meet Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 81 on Feb. 2 for the interim heavyweight championship.

“(Sylvia) will fight Nogueira for the interim title … Super Bowl (weekend),” said White.

Although it is likely that the offer is now part of the legal maneuvering between the UFC and current heavyweight champion Randy Couture, White also indicated that the winner between Sylvia and Nogueira would challenge Couture for his belt.

Whether Couture accepts or not, of course, is another matter entirely. The embattled champion has publicly stated that he is waiting out his current contract.

“I am not retired,” he said at the HDNet Fights show in Dallas, Texas. “I am waiting for my UFC contract to expire. I will fight Fedor Emelianenko.”

White is well aware that it isn’t as simple as crowning an interim champion and putting him in the Octagon with a reluctant couture.

“This is in the hands of the lawyers now. We gave him a half-million dollar signing bonus to fight four fights for us,” he stated. “I think the honorable thing for him to do is to honor his contract and fight the winner of Nogueira/Silvia.”

How this all plays out between Couture and the UFC remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain, the fight between Sylvia and Nogueira will take place at the Mandalay Bay Event Center on Super Bowl weekend.

Don't You Feel Like a Silly Motherfucker? - Pic of the Day!

Goes to Wanderlei Silva for his Scuba Mask apparatus contraption that is meant to improve his endurance in the Octagon and also make him look like a fuckin' tool at the same time.

The now famous Wanderlei Silva scuba pic (because I am shamelessly making this famous) was highlighted by Rachelle Leah's UFC All Access show and now I firmly believe that there is an "All Access curse" for any fighter that goes on this show.

Back to Silva, I was disappointed with Silva's fight. He didn't press the action or use his Muay Thai like he's been known to do instead, he sat back to block Chuck's shots with his face. Not a smart strategy but then again, check the picture above to understand why.

The fight went as I predicted in that it would go the distance and I am very relieved that I will get to see Chuck Liddell fight again very soon and hopefully, Keith Jardine will be that guy.

Who know's what's up next for Wanderlei Silva but if the UFC/MMA gods are smiling on us all in 2008 then they will give us Wanderlei Silva vs. Shogun Rua to quash the looming question in all of our minds which is, "Who is the better Light Heavyweight?"

UFC 79: Nemesis Fight Videos

GSP vs. Matt Hughes


Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva


Lyoto Machida vs. Sokoudjou


Rich Clementi vs. Melvin Guillard


Manny Gamburyan vs. Nate Mohr


More to come for you whiny MMA Fever bitches!

Liddell vs. Silva HL

Sorry about the music however the video is excellent. What a battle. Chuck is back.

UFC 79 Through the eyes of Tylenol Cold

I didn't matter how shitty I felt I was not going to miss this PPV, so I dragged myself out of cold sweat soaked sheets and infected my friends for the final UFC of 2007. The night started out with a grudge match between Rich Clementi and Melvin Guillard, these guys have had a long standing feud over something no one gives a shit about and wasted no time bringing the class level of this event down to WWE standards.

Now I personally can't stand the Young Assassin and enjoyed watching him get tapped out this time almost as much as when Joe "Daddy" did it but would prefer to leave the crotch cross to the professionals at an afore mentioned organization (I'll admit a shameful chuckle when he waved goodbye to Melvin and instructed him to do what we all assumed he would have by now and train some jiu jitsu but no man is an island).

Melvin's problem is he already believes he's great and no matter how many times he's proved wrong his opinion doesn't change, you can't improve if you don't think you have anything to learn.

I would like to see a rematch between him and the always improving Marcus Davis and then Melvin can spend the rest of his days telling everyone at the Walmart he'll be working at how he was the greatest fighter in the world and would have been champ if everyone wouldn't have kept landing lucky submissions on him. This fight was followed by a match between Lyoto Machida and the Predator.

Now I don't know how the Aliens fared against him but Lyoto kicked some ass Arnie style. I think everyone was amazed at the way Machida overpowered the enormous African Assassin and then dominated him on the ground. Soko looked like a fish out of water on his back and couldn't even control the stand up getting caught with a left hook (forgive me if it was a right Tylenol cold remember) before succumbing to an arm triangle. Score 2 for BJJ.

Now I think I nodded off a bit during the next fight but I'm told Sanchez won. Love those Heavyweights, just a tip don't smother someone against the cage if you suck at infighting and have a 10 inch reach advantage. On a side note the nickname "Manic Hispanic" really? I don't think the word manic which can mean being in a state of impaired judgement is ever a good way to describe your fighting style. Now Chuck vs Wandy. No fight could ever live up to the hype surrounding this fight but it was definetly an exciting 3 Rounds.

I can't believe we didn't see any knees from Silva and Chuck taking someone to the matt to secure a decision if only they'd thought of that a couple of months ago. In the end the fight looked a lot like how we all imagined it would before Liddell vs Jackson and Jardine made some of us wonder whether the Iceman was done. Then the main event.

GSP must be a fan of fellow Canuck Greg Clarke because he seemed to agree with him on the armbar being the way to finish this one. You could see him looking for it several times in the fight until finally setting it up through the use of a leg triangle and Kimura.

GSP out wrestled, muscled and every other 'ed Hughes you can think of. Then in a rare moment of humbleness in a night where so many had something stupid to say to their opponents (ie study karate in the jungle, and that whole smile thing I still don't understand) Matt Hughes showed nothing but class saying he gave 120% and St.Pierre was the better fighter, not even following it as so many do with "this night", just the better fighter.

Way to go Matt maybe all those boo's at the weigh ins got through to you. The night was capped off with a quick leg lock victory by the Manvil, not wanting to be out done by fellow armenian Roman Mitichyan.

I haven't read yet what injury Nate Mohr suffered but Manny gentleman that he is apologized for breaking his leg, though it looked more like a knee dislocation (I see your ankle sprain Roman and raise you a broken leg). Now if only these 2 could teach Karo how to end a fight.

I'm going back to bed

UFC 79 Nemesis Results

-Georges St-Pierre def. Matt Hughes by Submission (Armbar) at 1:54, Round 2
-Chuck Liddell def. Wanderlei Silva by Unanimous Decision
-Eddie Sanchez def. Soa Palelei by TKO (Strikes) at 3:24, Round 3
-Lyoto Machida def. Sokoudjou by Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) at 4:20, Round 2
-Rich Clementi def. Melvin Guillard by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:40, Round 1
-James Irvin def. Luis Cane by Disqualification (Illegal Strike to Downed Opponent) at 1:51, Round 1
-Manny Gamburyan def. Nate Mohr by Submission (Ankle Lock) at 1:31, Round 1
-Dean Lister def. Jordan Radev by Unanimous Decision, Round 3
-Roan Carneiro def. Tony DeSouza by TKO at 3:33, Round 2
-Mark Bocek def. Doug Evans by Unanimous Decision, Round 3

UFC 79 Nemesis - Weigh-Ins

Part 1

Part 2

UFC 79 Retirement Party Picks!

My apologies for my absence from the scene... you see, I was literally "Down with the Sickness" for a week and now that the venereal disease is all but gone, here are my UFC 79 Retirement Party picks:

Harmonic Convergence - “the point at which the counter-spin of history finally comes to a momentary halt, and the still imperceptible spin of post-history commences.”

In MMA Fever terms, it means the ushering in of a new era for MMA and the UFC with the changing of the old guard that we all grew to love then love to hate as is the case for Matt Hughes and Chuck Liddell.

Main Card Bouts:

Georges St. Pierre (-200) vs. Matt Hughes (+190)

It is inevitable that Georges St.Pierre will win the UFC Interim Welterweight Championship. GSP is on a mission to reclaim the glory that was once his for a moment in time when he dethroned the former 9-time Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes decisively in a 2nd Round TKO victory at UFC 65.

GSP admitted that he was battling personal demons prior to his UFC 69 title defense fight against TUF 4: The Comeback winner, Matt "The Terror" Serra which resulted in GSP's poorest performance in his MMA Career to date and Serra's crowning moment as the current UFC Welterweight Champion.

Well, Serra slipped a couple discs in his lower back preventing the new champ from taking on Matt Hughes to defend his new title at UFC 79 so the stage was set for an Interim Welterweight title (giving Serra enough time to recover from the injury) and a savior that would hail from Saint-Isidore, Quebec, Canada - Georges St.Pierre.

This will be the third time GSP and Hughes have squared off in the Octagon with each recording a victory and now the drama is set to crown a new Champion and also a new era for GSP to eclipse the 9-time Welterweight Championship record going forward into his evolution of his mixed martial arts career.

GSP has been training with some big names in MMA recently with the likes of Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, Denis Kang, David Loiseau, Nate Marquardt, and a few other dudes that could kick your ass at a moments notice under the watchful eye of Jackson's Submission Fighting captain, Greg Jackson.

In contrast, Hughes has left (MFS) Miletich Fighting Systems to start up his own training facility with Ruthless Robbie Lawlor, TUF 6 loser - Tommy Speer and a few other dudes that like to meet and train on the weekends at the YMCA.

See the difference? I took some flack for an article I wrote explaining that Matt Hughes has not evolved as a mixed martial arts fighter and I still have yet to proven wrong by anyone over the age of 15... so there!

To be honest, there isn't anything left for Matt Hughes at 170 if/when he loses other than retire or even satisfy his ego to jump to 185 to fight Anderson Silva for another chance at UFC's greatest honor, the Championship Belt. Who knows, it could be Dan Henderson with the belt instead of The Spider which would be a helluva lot more attractive to Hughes to fight wrestler vs. wrestler instead of nose crusher vs. midget wrestler.

I predict that GSP will submit, that's right, submit Matt Hughes via Rear Naked Choke or even a cheeky armbar just like GSP lost to Hughes the first time. I'm hoping for the armbar because that would be the cherry on top however, If GSP comes out to fight Hughes the way he did when he DOMINATED Frank Trigg at UFC 54 then we're all in for a very special treat indeed!

Pick: GSP via submission in Round 1




Chuck Liddell (+100) vs. Wanderlei Silva (-125)

My man-love for Chuck Liddell hasn't ceased even though he's coming off consecutive losses to face the pride of Pride FC, "The Axe Murderer" - Wanderlei Silva. You see, when you're a Liddell fan, you come to accept a few things as fact... when your guy throws down like he does, someone is gonna fall and the chances of the IceMan falling isn't very likely given his natural sprawl 'n' brawl elusive fighting style with one-punch knockout power.

For the record, Chuck KTFO'd Randy Couture twice which is why I consider Randy a CAN. Couture needs to get off of his silicone-jugged Blonde bimbo wife to fight Chuck to avenge his overwhelmingly convincing losses, not Fedor for fuck sakes! Get me now?

I digress... Even though I get wood thinking about Chuck fighting, I can't seem to get it up for this fight against Wand. I'm actually scared for the Iceman because I know this will be the last time I see my hero fighting at 205 reminiscent of Couture who supposedly "retired" after Chuck whooped the old man's ass.

Wanderlei is in a similar situation as he too is coming off of consecutive losses and both know the highs of being Champions in their respective organizations and also the extreme lows of defeat when they fail to win. It's the addictive drug of excellence that drives these two to the pinnacle of their MMA careers to finally meet to determine who the best 205 Lber in the world is (Just forget for a moment what's happened over the last year with Rampage being the current Light Heavyweight Champion and all that because this fight should have happened a year ago).

Now, Wanderlei has been training with my favorite Can at Xtreme Couture as I am sure he has also been given an excellent game plan crafted out by arguably, the world's greatest MMA strategist, Randy Couture. (That was a compliment for the can... did you miss that?)

The pre-fight hype and the past history of fights of the two fighters will lead you to believe that this fight will end Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome style, "Two men enter, one man leave". I don't buy that crap for a minute. I predict that this fight will see a dominant fighter over a fighter who is struggling to save whatever pride is in tact to not go down in shame a third time which will result in a unanimous decision victory and also, the fight of the night.

Both men will be standing for the judges decision however, it will be Wanderlei Silva who will be the victor in what could very well be the bloodiest MMA match that you've ever seen and also and exit stage left for the former 5-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion to reevaluate his position in the UFC then on to make the jump to Heavyweight like the can he knocked the fuck out of twice before, Randy Couture.

As for Silva well, wouldn't you want to see him fight Shogun Rua in a few months after this fight with Chuck then in 6 months fight Rampage for the LHW strap? (Yep, I predict that Rampage will KTFO Griffin easier than Jardine did).

Pick: Wanderlei Silva by unanimous decision

Here's my favorite Wandy clip fighting Rampage Jackson for the second time and leaving him hanging when he was done.





Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (+100) vs. Lyoto Machida (-130)

Ryoto "Lyoto" Machida has been nothing but a sleeping MMA phenom racking up win after win against some very impressive opponents, the most noteworthy being that of B.J. Penn, Rich Franklin and Stephan Bonnar. Lyoto is currently 8-0 looking to add another win in his already impressive rise in the Light Heavyweight rankings.

Sokoudjou has a great deal of attention of his own with shocking performances at Pride 33 by knocking out Big Nog's little brother then on to Pride 34 knocking out Ricardo Arona with a combined 2 minutes 22 seconds for both showings.

Sokoudjou reminds me a great deal of Alexander Houston with one exception, Sokoudjou can roll on the ground as he is trained in the skillful art of Judo. Machida also has a deep martial arts training background in Karate under the tutelage of his father, a Japanese-Brazilian Shotokan Karate master, Yoshizo Machida.

Soku trains out of Team Quest with the most notable fighter being Dan Henderson as well, Machida trains with equally if not more impressive partners in Anderson Silva, Nogueira and Vitor Belfort from Black House.

I know Machida is a boring fighter on the surface but this dude can really fight and completely understands how to leverage the other fighter's weight and force to gain a dominant position in less than a blink of an eye which is totally awesome to watch if you know what you're watching that is.

Machida will as usual, be less than aggressive coming out of the gate unlike the African Assassin, Sokoudjou who will most likely blow his load in the first and second rounds only to gas in the third to drag this out by.... you guessed it, a unanimous decision victory, AGAIN by Machida marking his 5th consecutive win by decision.

Sokoudjou will eventually be a force in the UFC but not right now as he is still trying to acclimate to the live circus of MMA in America that is called the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Pick: Machida by unanimous decision yawn!

Here is Lyoto's last effort in the octagon at UFC 76 against the pot smoker Nakamura.




Melvin Guillard (-260) vs. Rich Clementi (+200)

Hey, my favorite pimp is back in the 8 and I'm delighted as a hooker on the rag to see that. Seriously, Melvin is one of those fighters who has shades of brilliance in his fighting style and approach especially timing and then... he doesn't. He's a Dr.Jeckle & Mr. Hyde type of fighter who seems to show up in either personality whenever Mr.Gump (Guillard's psyche) hands him a metaphorical chocolate from the "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get" side of his brain.

Clementi actually impressed me when he RNC'd Anthony Johnson (you know that dude who knocked the fuck out of Chad Reiner at UFN 10 in 13 seconds in the 1st round?). Melvin hasn't fought since he was subbed by Joe "Daddy" Stevenson way the fuck back in April of this year.

For the sake of Melvin who is highly susceptible to the submission, I hope he bates Clementi into a stand up pugilists competition because that is where Melvin shines however, if Clementi in any way gets close to Guillard then call it a night for the young pimp 'cause Melvin has left the building fo the 'hood and won't be coming back any time soon.

Pick: Melvin "The Pimp" Guillard via KO in Round 1

Here's a Melvin Guillard Highlight video:




Eddie Sanchez vs. Soa Palelei

Both fighters have similar fight records 7-1 and 8-1 respectively however, only one of them have faced and lived to tell about their loss against Mirko Cro Cop and that man is Eddie Sanchez. I felt sorry for Eddie a bit because he trained for that fight and knew better than anyone that he was gonna be a human kicking post for Mirko and sure enough he was but only for a short while.

I'm throwing my support over to Eddie Sanchez due to his experience in the 8 as well as his new found respect and maturity that comes with breaking the undefeated MMA record cherry that desperately needs a win to keep the food on the table down the line.

Soa Palelei is a huge mother fucker (265Lbs) from Australia who's only loss happened on the big stage when he fought in Pride against Mu Bae Choi (Mu who the fuck?) and also knows how to end a fight quickly however, I'm giving the nod to Sanchez for the Barrio will to win and to survive disaster in the UFC.

Pick: Eddie Sanchez via KO in the 1st round.

Here's Eddie with his one-punch power in the second round against Mario Neto.



Preliminary fights:

Dean Lister vs. Jordan Radev
Manny Gamburyan vs. Nate Mohr
James Irvin vs. Luis Cane
Roan Carneiro vs. Tony DeSouza
Mark Bocek vs. Doug Evans

Thanks for reading and now I have to put some more cream on my Johnson so go fuck off now and an enjoy the fights tonight and don't forget to get yer ass right back here for the posting of the UFC 79: Nemesis fight videos or else I'll call you a tool!

UFC All Access - Wanderlei Silva w/ Rachelle Leah

It's Time

How did you get on the naughty list?

I shoved a gerbil in my ass and spanked off to this ad. How about you?




(unaltered add from ufc dot com)

MMA Girls - UFC 79 Nemesis Picks

What ever happened to the other MMA girl? What do they continue to call this segment MMA Girls when there is only one girl? Well anyway this South African girl is sweet to look at and I love the accent. Enjoy.

Arianny Celeste, Stephan Bonnar, and BMX champion T.J. Lavin uFc 79 Nemesis Picks

Ah beautiful Arianny.

UFC 82: PRIDE OF A CHAMPION Poster

UFC Announces Another Champion vs. Champion - Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson

UFC 81: BREAKING POINT WORLD MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP ANDERSON SILVA vs. DAN HENDERSON

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – In a long-awaited super-fight to determine the undisputed king of the middleweight division, Anderson "The Spider" Silva, UFC Middleweight Champion, will take on PRIDE 183-lb. Champion Dan Henderson when the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) makes its third trip to the state of Ohio on Saturday, March 1, 2008 for UFC 82: PRIDE OF A CHAMPION, live from Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

Click here for the full article.

Reminder - "Countdown To UFC 79" Airs On Spike TV Tonight

Just a friendly reminder from MMA FEVER:

"Countdown To UFC 79" will premiere on Spike TV tonight at 11:00PM, with a replay running again on Thursday night at 6pm as well as a final replay the evening of the show, Saturday, also at 6:00PM.

The show will feature the UFC hype machine working to build towards the top fights on the card, which will be Matt Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre for the interim Welterweight title, and Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva.

Liddell vs. Wandy - Breakdown

Great article from UFC dot com breaking down the Liddell vs. Wandy showdown.

The Breakdown: Silva vs. LiddellAccordingly, Liddell and Silva will engage primarily in a Muay Thai kickboxing contest at UFC 79.

That is good news for the fans because this should turn out to be an all-action, old-fashioned slugfest that ends definitively with one man lying on the Octagon floor.

Liddell’s main keys to victory are keeping the fight at a comfortable distance, constantly circling to create angles for his big right hand and looking for effective counter punching opportunities.

The “Iceman” stands with a bit of an unorthodox stance for a kickboxer, keeping his shoulders very square to his opponent most of the time. As a result, his natural tendency is to throw his punches with a bit of an arc, rather than right down the pipe.

Many so-called experts criticize that style of punching by calling them “looping shots,” which implies an arm punch thrown with less-than-optimal power. But Liddell happens to have long arms and very wide shoulders. Because he stands with such a square stance with those long arms, he needs to add a bit of an arc on his shots, far from what any true boxing cognoscenti would call “looping,” in order to generate maximum torque with his hips and transfer that torque into a knockout punch.

What that means is that Liddell needs space when throwing punches. He can establish that space by employing a quick, snapping jab right from the start while regularly circling out of harm’s way, preferably to his left.

Circling to his left helps keep Liddell in good position to throw strikes, unlike circling to his right, which forces him to reset his feet and hips before he can throw a truly effective right hand and which constantly places him out of position to really fire his jab with any authority while moving.

Circling to his left also creates excellent angles to land Liddell’s best weapon – his concussive right hand.

Liddell’s right hand is his bread and butter. He delivers it with malice aforethought each time he pulls the trigger. By circling to his left, Liddell positions himself on the outside of Silva’s left shoulder, which allows him to deliver the blow in his traditional slightly arcing manner without worrying about Silva blocking it with his left hand. If it lands anywhere near the jaw or temple, a knockout is almost sure to follow.

Lastly, Liddell is a natural counter puncher. He needs to remain patient and calm in the face of what likely will be a furious Silva attack so that he can effectively counter.

The best way for Liddell to create opportunities to counter is to jab effectively and circle. That will cause Silva to attack wildly out of frustration. When fighters attack Liddell wildly, he picks them apart with surgical precision until he can fire one of his scud missile right hands, which usually brings things to a brutal, painful end.

Silva’s main keys to victory are very different than those for Liddell. To maximize his odds at victory, Silva needs to close the distance and wage calculated, but very aggressive assaults.

Silva is a savage Muay Thai fighter. He loves to throw hands in order to work his way to the inside for a Thai clinch. Once there, Silva unloads knee strikes like nobody else in the UFC—all due respect to middleweight champion Anderson Silva. The “Axe Murderer” fires the knees with bad intentions, and if one happens to find his opponent’s jaw, it is lights out. Just ask reigning 205-lb champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who was twice knocked out from Silva knee barrages.

Liddell has been tested in virtually every position inside the Octagon, except by an expert Thai fighter who possesses devastating knees. Silva knows that. He knows that the position will be an unfamiliar one for the former UFC champion. If he can put Liddell there, then he is at a distinct advantage.

The other main focus for Silva on Saturday night should be fighting with controlled aggression. Liddell is a counter puncher, so he wants opponents to pressure him. But there is a difference between wild pressure and unrelenting, controlled pressure.

The former is a death sentence against Liddell. The latter may be the best way to beat him.

Keith Jardine applied the same sort of pressure, albeit in spurts, in Liddell’s most recent bout. Liddell responded by planting his feet and firing back wildly. Jardine capitalized by keeping his composure and scoring with accurate punches, winning by a close decision.

If Silva chooses his spots, slips a Liddell jab and then attacks with controlled fury, Liddell will do what comes natural in the face of an onslaught, which is plant his feet and swing wide for the fences. Silva is at his very best during those exchanges because it opens the door for him to close the distance by stepping inside Liddell’s punches.

Here is the full article from Ufc.com

Esquire on Fedor

More than any of the other sweet sciences, mixed martial arts demands its practitioners learn to handle losing. None of the big names in the sport are undefeated. Few of them even boast the impressive records so common in boxing, where opponents are handpicked to ensure that the loss column remains nice and empty. Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell is 20-5, including two humiliating knockouts by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (who has lost six times himself). Indeed, the sport's living legend, Randy "The Natural" Couture, has a decidedly un-Rocky Marciano-esque record of 16-8.

Every rule has an exception, however, and Fedor Emelianenko is it. The Russian fighter is 26-1, the only blemish due to a doctor stoppage after a technically illegal elbow strike. Relying largely on the Soviet combat system Sambo -- the Russian acronym means “self-defense without weapon” -- Fedor has the potential to be to MMA what Woods is to golf and Federer is to tennis, only more so. After all, he’s the only member of that trio who literally pummels his rivals into submission.

And now, after avenging his only defeat and destroying the competition overseas, Fedor has come to our shores and finally found a worthy opponent: The Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Last month, Fedor landed the first punch in the battle when he turned his back on Dana White and company. Ignoring the $220 million the UFC cleared from pay-per-view last year (and countless additional millions they decline to discuss), Fedor signed a contract with MMA upstart M-1 Global. Fedor instantly established M-1 Global as a credible organization and, equally importantly, denied the UFC the man considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

The decision has already caused a seismic shift in the MMA landscape. Randy Couture, for years the public face of the UFC, quit the league, citing its inability to set up a fight with Fedor as the deciding factor. (Couture's belief he was making half what Chuck Liddell earned didn’t help.) Sides have been drawn and camps are getting testy. UFC President Dana White -- who once thought highly enough of Fedor to predict, “I’ll have him someday” -- has suddenly downgraded his opinion, saying, "I think that Fedor is completely overrated."

In person, Fedor looks smaller -- and more dangerous -- than his listed six feet. With his shaved head, perpetual poker face, and a body that, to use F. Scott Fitzgerald’s phrase, seems capable of great leverage, he appears the way Russian President Vladimir Putin must have visualized himself when he let the Kremlin release those photos of him hunting shirtless. Unlike the M-1 executives filling the room, Fedor's in a T-shirt and jeans. He is polite but reserved. He expresses great respect for Couture (“He’s one of the best fighters, and we will have to meet to find out who is the strongest”), less so for Brazilian Renzo Gracie (a member of mixed martial arts’ first family who claims he knows Fedor’s weaknesses and how to exploit them). The fighter who inspires the most intriguing response is Mirko Cro Cop.

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic is a former member of Croatia’s Anti-Terrorist police unit ATJ Lucko (hence Cro Cop), who became a member of the Croatian Parliament while breaking into MMA. He was 16-2-2 when he faced Fedor. He lost, of course, but it was a good showing, a loss by decision, which against Fedor practically counts as a victory. Cro Cop's record since then has been a mediocre 6-3, including defeats in his last two fights. Once poised to be a breakout star due to his devastating knockouts, he’s dropped back with the pack. What happened?
“He has to regenerate psychologically. After my fight with him, he just broke down. In his soul, something just broke down, cracked…There are some psychological problems when you have all the time fight, fight, fight, without rest."

M-1 Global hopes Fedor can quickly get back into the fight, fight, fight routine. As their most bankable star by far, the organization plans to make Fedor their centerpiece. This means arranging for him to take on the best fighters in the world, regardless of the organization that currently employs them. M-1 has made a point of putting the UFC on notice, announcing that they'll pay $1 million more than whatever the UFC is currently paying its heavyweight champion to take on Fedor.

This leads to the crucial question: Why would Americans warm to a taciturn Russian, when they’ve shown so little interest in the Klitschko brothers? (Whatever their other flaws, at least Wladimir and Vitali speak English.) The answer is on YouTube, where fans have been obsessing over Fedor's highlight reel. Watch his 2007 fight with Matt Lindland, shown below. Lindland opens a gusher over Fedor’s eye within the first 10 seconds. It’s the sort of injury that often results in a doctor’s stoppage (which is, again, the cause of Fedor’s only loss), so he needs to work fast. Within three minutes Lindland, who opened so strong, is tapping out to prevent his arm from being ripped out of its socket wookie-style. It’s thrilling because even though Fedor is desperate the victory still feels inevitable, like when the Bulls were trailing by one and ran a play for Michael Jordan.

Here is the full article from Esquire dot com.

Merry Christmas From MMA Fever!

News on the Mirko Front

What I’ve learned from my friendship with Mirko Cro Cop is that you can never be sure what is he up to. He prefers to keep his thoughts for himself; he’s always been a man of a few words. His absence in the media often results in completely misleading stories, coming from people who are giving their best shot in evaluating Mirko’s position and the nature of his future plans.

When I arrived to the caffe-bar “Virage” last Wednesday and shook his hand, I immediately noticed an abundance of pure energy coming from him. I don’t posses a Hannibal Lecter type of human scanner, but when I looked in his eyes, it was obvious that Mirko has refueled his “motivational tank” and that his fighting spirit has been reborn. This time he wasn’t there to talk about his retirement, which is what he used to do before and after his fight against Cheick Kongo.

We were talking about the change and Mirko confirmed everything that I saw on his face from that first sight. He said that he’s completely in the game again, focused only on how to get back on track. He doesn’t think about contract obligations, retirement, injuries and a few other things, which one shouldn’t think about if you are determined to give everything you’ve got in the cage or the ring. His day starts with a goal to be the best in MMA, and it ends the same way. Mirko Cro Cop is back to his Spartan-style training routine and motivation, I can tell you for sure.

So what was the problem, actually? Mirko said that he had been completely empty inside and that he had ran our of his motivation and his fighting spirit. Although he really wanted to get back on track after the fight against Gonzaga, he wasn’t mentally and psyhically ready to make it happen. He encountered more than a few obstacles that prevented him to provide a better performance against Kongo, and the majority of those obstacles were not related to the opponent directly, they appeared as a result of Mirko’s overall mental and physical condition.

What else is new? Mirko has a completely new training routine. He needed something new, a training routine that could wake up a sleeping power inside him. His training schedule now contains more sparring sessions, better cardio program and a whole different approach to an intensity level of his trainings and rest between the sessions. He’s continuing his cooperation with Vos gym’s head coach Ivan Hyppolite, who will assist him in the final preparations for the fight. Cro Cop Team now includes sparring partners Igor Pokrajac, Hrvoje Kisicek and Sasa Mucnjak, boxing coach Branimir Levak and Prof. Igor Jukic who’s in charge of conditioning.

So why did Cro Cop decide to give it another shot? It’s about pride and self respect, I’d say. After 11 years of a professional career, you just can’t get out of the game like this. Maybe Mirko can’t win the UFC belt and maybe he’ll never get his chance to fight for a title, but the most important thing is that he steps in the cage to fight and to give his best. That’s something that everyone should do, and if you do it, you are already a winner. The famous Croatian cop will make his comeback and what’s left is to see if others will only have the right to remain silent.

Full article is available from Nokaut.com.

I hope Cro Cop turns it around; he is one of my favorites however lately I am embarrassed to say so. I have said it before and once again: Mirko needs to adapt to the UFC, train in the cage, and train with a good camp. I am sure the Can and his camp would take him in.

Wandy - I need to WIN

It will have been just over 10 months since he last fought when he faces Liddell on Dec. 29, but the former Pride champion feels that will only improve his skills for the fight.Silva recently relocated to the United States to focus his training for this fight, leaving behind his former team, Chute Boxe, and joining forces with Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.

Working with the athletes of Xtreme Couture has improved many facets of his game according to Silva, who is currently riding a two-fight losing streak.

“Here has very good trainers, very good fighters (and) they opened the gym to me,” Silva stated. “The guys are willing to train with me and (it is) very good sparring. I’m in the best condition in my life.”

The rules changes will also be something different for Silva who fought under Pride rules for the last few years, but now he will have to adjust to the unified rules in the UFC.

“I’m going to change my game a little bit because I need to fight within the rules,” he commented. “There’s no problem for me. I train a lot of kicks to the body and to the face, and I’m going to use a lot of kicks in this fight.”

The excitement and anticipation for this bout can be summed up by the statements of UFC president Dana White when he was finally able to sign Silva to a contract earlier this year, for all intents and purposes, solidifying this bout.

“As crazy as this sounds, this is the pinnacle of my seven year career in this company,” said White. “He reminds me of Chuck Liddell, and he’s the kind of fighter that all fight fans love to see fight. He’s a gunslinger. He will get in harm’s way to inflict damage and pain.”

Click here for the full article from MMA weekly.

A little more buzz on Rameau Sokoudjou

Sokoudjou has trained with Team Quest who has brought us the CAN and Matt Lindland.

Sokudjou also helped PRIDE Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder Dan Henderson prepare for a 2004 title defense against Kazuhiro Nakamura.

Sokoudjou has knocked out heavyweights such as Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona.

Rameau who is also known as the "The African Assassin" is making his UFC debut at UFC® 79 NEMESIS.

The match pits Rameau Sokoudjou 4-1-0 vs. Lyoto Machida who is 11-0-0.

Here is the Assassin knocking out NOG (pride33).



Here is an article from Yahoo Sports on the up and coming star.

Pride: A Ten-Year Tribute

It seems fitting to include this video of some of the greatest moments in MMA history from some of the greatest fighters of today and now that Wanderlei Silva is back with the UFC, I so desperately want to see The Axe Murderer fight Rampage one more time.... ok, maybe a couple more times... it never gets old.


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One Night Stand With Chuck Liddell

This is the UFC 79 after party for the one and only "Iceman", Chuck Liddell. The way things are looking for Chuck heading into UFC 79 against Wanderlei Silva, I wouldn't be surprised if Chuck didn't show his mohawk anywhere near that place when the dust settles from this legendary battle.

MMAyweather

Part of me doesn't even want to mention this because I know it will never happen, but according to ESPN.com Pretty Boy is pondering a move to MMA. Now I'm not sure how much Cuban payed him to say this but the publicity it will generate for HDNet will hopefully cover the cost. Discussing the numerous reasons why Floyd will never make the transition (no grappling background, bad hands from years of boxing, etc.) is really just a waste of space because, have I mentioned this yet, it will never happen. Mayweather is apparently speaking to people about what it would take for him to make the transition so I would like to suggest he give Michael Jordan a call and ask "how that whole baseball thing worked out?". Though failing at baseball doesn't involve having your arm broke before you get choked unconscious.

Big John's Real Reason For Leaving?

In a recent Sports Illustrated interview when "Big" John McCarthy was asked what was "behind the career move" he anwsered,
"With the commission rules it got harder for me to do some things. Basically commissions thought it was a conflict of interest to do broadcasting of fighters if I would be refereeing those same fighters. So I got this opportunity with the Fight Network and it was time to make the move." Now he says it was getting harder to do both broadcasting and refereeing yet he wasn't doing both he was refereeing then left to be a broadcaster so the only thing the commissions were forcing him to do was choose one or the other. So the only real reason given for choosing broadcasting over refereeing was "it was time", and why was it time? Maybe the anwser to the question who his favorite fighter is can shed some light. "My favorite goes beyond ability to fight. It's his contributions to the sport, the way he treated people. If I were going to pick one it would be
Randy Couture." I say the answer to that question plus the shots he goes on to take at Dana White tell the real reason he decided to take the job at the Fight Network and "retire" from the UFC.

For the Love of MMA - Mainstream Media vs. Blogs

I was just blown away by Luke Thomas' recent post over at BloodyElbow.com.

I haven't read a decent passion filled MMA piece in a while so I have to tip my hat and bow to the literary genius that had me glued to every word on my monitor which ultimately made me feel pissed off that there wasn't more to read. When was the last time you ever said that about an article?

Funny though, I can't say that I've had the same experience when reading MMA pieces from Yahoo! or CBS Sports or NBC or some other well known MMA vanilla sites. Maybe it was the content that spoke to me that was so close to what I've been doing here on MMA Fever or maybe it's because I too am a fan of MMA and just need an outlet like this to share my MMA world with everyone... for the love of MMA.

Regardless, what is true is that there is a monumental difference between the reporting of today's MMA in the mainstream media than there is in the blogosphere like this one and like Luke's Bloody Elbow and many others that are sprouting up.

That difference can only be measured by the passion that jumps out at you from the words used by the MMA writer and I have to say as one who tends to go off quite a bit that, that's what makes Blog's rule the mainstream media coverage of mixed martial arts.

The difference is "MMA Fever"... some write for the love of MMA and others write about it from a distanced, almost sterile point of view that makes reading about MMA boring which, it certainly is not if you have the passion!

Check out Luke's rebuttal to a shot that Denny Burkholder of CBS Sports took at all Blogs that cover mixed martial arts news and content... you may actually 'feel' something instead of being fed something you never wanted from MMA's mainstream media.

Inside MMA Preview of Tonight's Show

Catch up on the week's news from the hottest MMA show On TV!

"Inside MMA" airs tonight, December 21 at 9:30 ET, only on HDNet. This hour-long program brings you the most comprehensive MMA news.

Tune in tonight for:

* A review of HDNet Fights: Reckless Abandon
* A preview of Sportfight XXI and the IFL Grand Prix
* "Toe to Toe" with "El Guapo" - e-mails to Bas

Tonight, your hosts Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten are joined by:

Jose Canseco - former MLB superstar will discuss his MMA aspirations as well as The Mitchell Report

Carlos Arias - an MMA writer for the Orange County Register

Why UFC Sucks At Fight Promotions...

I received this gem in my inbox today from Dana White & crew reminding me that UFC 79 is just 8 days away. Well, after I read that, I took an impromptu nap on my keyboard due to the boring nature of the sleepy reminder because the UFC clearly doesn't appreciate the art of marketing like many other companies around the world do.

Here we have what I am calling the biggest fight in MMA history between Georges St.Pierre and former 9-time UFC Welterweight Champion, Matt Hughes for the interim Welterweight title and also the fight that had the potential to be the biggest in MMA history between Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell vs. the return of Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva yet NOTHING is mentioned except that (the next line is meant to be read in a computer monotone voice) they-will-be-fighting-8-days-from-now.

Shit, I'm overwhelmed aren't you? Underwhelmed is more like it.

The UFC should be inundating the UFC fans with hyped up interviews, establishing a storyline as to why these fights are significant as well, pressuring the UFC/MMA fan to buy "The Greatest UFC Fight Card Ever" on Pay Per View. Hype it up Dana!

Publicity stunts with that tool, Criss Angel levitating Wanderlei & Liddell high above the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Vegas would be a good start don't you think?

Maybe even getting together a bunch of named celebrities to be interviewed about their predictions for the upcoming fights. Shit, get George Bush to issue a two second sound byte about the UFC or better yet, Senator John McCain... something! Anything!!

The UFC can't get national broadcasters (NBC,CBS,ABC) to carry their content on their channels well, buy some fucking commercial time on those channels promoting the pay per view event then you fucktards.

Alas, many people will miss out on a great night of perfectly matched fights that the buying public actually wants to see because the UFC has lost their touch with reality believing too much in the perception of the UFC brand that they feel carries more weight than any marketing effort.

Bullshit - you don't see Apple stopping the marketing train because they sold over a million iPods in the first year of release do you? How about Microsoft or Budweiser or some feminine hygiene rag that I see more often than the UFC promoting their only product - The fuckin' fights!

The TUF 6 Finale pulled in roughly 2.5 million viewers on Spike TV mostly because it was free and also the conclusion to a lot of time invested/wasted by the viewer to see who would be crowned the next Ultimate Fighter.

That statistic is fucking important because it falls on the heels of UFC 79 so knowing that you have 2.5 million households interested in the UFC, wouldn't you want to invest in hyping this shit up so the freebie watcher who enjoyed the best TUF Finale (Griffin/Bonnar notwithstanding) ever just can't help themselves to buy the UFC 79 PPV because they caught MMA Fever!

Dana White is fuckin' smart in many ways and deserves a lot of credit but in this case, he's way too fuckin' stupid to ever take the UFC to mainstream acceptance when he doesn't see the potential that lies before him in the fans that he already has for the UFC brand. The fans have spoken through their attention to the TUF 6 Finale, Dana White... are you listening?

WE WANT TO BUY EXCITEMENT... and the mainstream advertisers want in to sell their shit to us too which means more money for you to cover the marketing campaign necessary to build up anticipation and excitement for UFC 79 in the buying public, you dumb fuck!

Shonie Carter Cut From UFC Contract!

WOW!

We all know that Dana White doesn't like MMA news reporting on the Internet however, he must have caught wind of this exclusive interview by FightHype and decided to part ways with one of the most fearless, tenured and colourful fighters ever to grace the canvass within the wired fence of the UFC Octagon.

Shonie Carter on the UFC brass reaction:

"Yeah, they didn't like it. I pissed off Joe Silva and Dana and they cut me,"

Shonie Carter on the UFC Grinch that stole Christmas:

"They even took my tickets to UFC 79 when they cut my contract!"

For the rest of UFC pissing on Shonie Carter's Christmas, check out FightHype.com

Well, MMA Fever gives Dana White and Joe Silva the biggest cyber middle finger for their knee "jerk" reaction to a guy who just wants to put food on his table for himself and his kids.

GSP: "I want to take my revenge against Matt Serra."

Here's a quote from Georges St.Pierre in an exclusive interview with a U.K. tabloid rag called, "The Sun"

"I've never been so pumped up for a fight, and once I get through this I want to take my revenge against Matt Serra."

As usual, the story is filled with Mr.Humble St.Pierre because he doesn't want to fuel his opponent going into what I am calling the biggest fight in MMA history.

I find it very interesting that GSP is not only showing outward confidence about his abilities within the octagon but that he is downright vengeful (which is out of character for him) about avenging the loss that GSP attributes to personal problems brought into the cage which ultimately clouded his mind... and the few Serra shots to the chin didn't help any either :)

I wouldn't want to be Matt Hughes on December 29, 2007.. that's all I'm sayin'.

WEC 31 Fighter Payouts

Here are the WEC 31 "Faber vs. Curran" card payouts on December 12th:

Jens Pulver ($60,000) def. Cub Swanson ($5,000)
Urijah Faber ($40,000) def. Jeff Curran ($10,000)
Paulo Filho ($56,000) def. Chael Sonnen ($25,000)
Doug Marshall ($10,000) def. Ariel Gandulla ($4,000)
John Alessio ($26,000) def. Todd Moore ($4,000)
Charles Valencia ($12,000) def. Ian McCall ($3,000)
Bryan Baker ($8,000) def. Eric Schambari ($5,000)
Ed Ratcliff ($8,000) def. Alex Karalexis ($8,000)
Brian Bowles ($6,000) def. Marcos Galvao ($5,000)

Total reported pay out: $295,000

UFC All Access - Wanderlei Silva with Rachelle Leah

12/28/2007 10pm ET/PT on MTV2
Event Type: TV

UFC® All Access™ Wanderlei Silva Hosted by Rachelle Leah on MTV2 - Go behind the scenes with Octagon Girl Rachelle Leah as she hangs out with UFC light heavyweight fighter Wanderlei Silva. See what's happening with Wanderlei as he prepares to fight Chuck Liddell - the fight everyone in MMA has wanted to see for years.

Here's the Spike TV press release showing All Access on December 27th:

SPIKE TV PRESENTS UFC: ALL ACCESS, HOSTED BY RACHELLE LEAH FEATURING WANDERLEI SILVA

NEW YORK, NY, December 20, 2007 • On Thursday, December 27, anyone who has ever been curious about what it’s like to hang out with the “Axe Murderer” will get the chance, as Rachelle Leah goes behind-the-scenes to take an inside look at the lifestyle and training methods of UFC® light heavyweight fighter Wanderlei Silva in UFC All Access. Leah visits Silva as he prepares for his long-awaited return to the UFC in his showdown with the Iceman, Chuck Liddell, at UFC 79: Nemesis on Saturday, December 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas , Nevada . The matchup is one of the most anticipated fights in the history of mixed martial arts, as Liddell and Silva, two legendary figures, share the Octagon for the first time to settle all debates about who the more dominant fighter is. The bout is crucial to the careers of both men, each at a crossroads in the light heavyweight division.

Spike TV will give a unique behind-the-scenes look at the training of the infamous mixed martial arts superstar, Wanderlei Silva “The Axe Murderer,” on Thursday, December 27 (12:30 - 1:00 AM, ET/PT). Hosted by Rachelle Leah, the special goes behind the scenes to take an inside look at the lifestyle and training methods of UFC light heavyweight fighter. Leah visits Silva as he prepares for his long awaited return to the UFC in his showdown with “The Iceman,” Chuck Liddell, at UFC 79: Nemesis on Saturday, December 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas . The matchup is one of the most anticipated fights in the history of the UFC®, as Liddell and Silva, two legendary figures in the sport of mixed martial arts, share the Octagon for the first time to settle all debates about who the more dominant fighter is. The bout is crucial to the careers of both men, each at a crossroads in the light heavyweight division.

Rachelle Leah, a Las Vegas native, has served as host of the popular Spike series for over two years and has graced the covers of major magazines such as Men's Fitness, Flex, and Stuff.

UFC All Access hosted by Rachelle Leah featuring light heavyweight Wanderlei Silva will debut on Spike TV on Thursday, December 27, 2007, at 12:30 AM ET/PT and MTV2 the same day at 1 AM, ET/PT. For more info on UFC 79: Nemesis, visit http://79.ufc.com; for more information about Rachelle Leah, please visit http://www.rachelleleah.com/.

Spike TV is available in 96.1 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.

MMA Pic of the Day - Fedor vs. Hong Man Choi

Here's the fight card for Yarennoka on New Years Eve courtesy of MMAWeekly.com!

YARENNOKA: DECEMBER 31, 2007 IN SAITAMA, JAPAN
venue: Saitama Super Arena

-Fedor Emelianenko (#1 Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Hong Man Choi
-Hayato "Mach" Sakurai (#2 Lightweight in the World)* vs. Hidehiko Hasegawa
-Gilbert Melendez (#3 Lightweight in the World)* vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida (#9 Lightweight in the World)*
-Tatsuya Kawajiri (#4 Lightweight in the World)* vs. Luiz Azeredo
-Shinya Aoki (#5 Lightweight in the World)* vs. Gesias "JZ" Calvancante (#6 Lightweight in the World)*
-Kazuo Misaki (#8 Middleweight in the World)* vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
-Murilo Bustamante vs. Makoto Takimoto

-Ricardo Arona (#9 Light Heavyweight in the World)* vs. TBA
-Aleksander Emelianenko (#10 Heavyweight in the World)* vs. TBA

Main card airs live in the United States on HDNet

Sokoudjou's MMA Loss May Be Machida's Gameplan

The MMA phenom who swept through Lil' Nog at Pride 33 then wasted Ricardo Arona at Pride 34 is set to take on undefeated (11-0) Lyoto Machida at UFC 79:Nemesis in Vegas on December 29th.

There hasn't been any buzz about the debut of "The African Assassin" in the UFC anywhere so I thought I would start some shit that others will eventually rip from me per usual :)

Short of his fights in Pride and the one MMA loss Sokoudjou suffered at the hands of Glover Teixeira at WEC 24: Full Force, I only have a Judo match against our favorite Armenian, Karo Parisyan who stated on a recent Inside MMA show that Sokoudjou is a very strong opponent.



Machida has been criticized by many for his unimpressive fighting style however, nobody can say shit about the quality of fighters that he has defeated along the way (Rich Franklin, B.J. Penn, Stephan Bonnar) as he rises in rank in the UFC Light Heavyweight division - 205 Lbs.

Here we have Lyoto Machida dismantling Rich Franklin marking the first loss of Franklin's MMA career.




I am on the fence with this fight at the moment although, it is fitting that Lyoto Machida and Karo Parisyan are mentioned in the same post because both know how to drag a fight out to a decision.

Predictions for UFC 79 coming to you next week... stay tuned!

MMA Movie Posters

Say what? What's an MMA Movie poster?

Well Lil' chil'ren, it's a creative way of using Photoshop to place your favorite, and not so favorite MMA stars in shall we say, compromising positions or heroic poses superimposed on to a movie poster.

I am a regular Sherdog Forums shit disturber however, when I come across real Photoshop talent, I like to promote it because some of this shit is really art like the Anderson Silva movie poster that is perfectly matched to his fluidity in the octagon, his nickname and childhood hero.

I was PM'd by the Photoshopper(sic) for requests - see below:

Thank you for your positive feedback!

I love to put a smile on someones face, and if they are bored at work, and get a good laugh, then all my work is worth it.

This thread has alot more movie posters done by some more senior romoshoppers:
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=605210

But if you can think of a movie posters, and a fighter you would like on it then please PM me. I'll try my best to complete it within the day you give me the idea.

Thanks again.

Let me know of your requests in the comments below and I'll send the request on and also publish the original work right here for you because I'm cool like that as you already know!

Franklin out until June?

I'm a fan of Rich Franklin, but I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I heard he signed a new six fight deal with the UFC. Now, I'll admit, my disappointment stems from my own need to be the best at what I do, so if I lost twice to Anderson Silva and knew I'd given my all I would see no reason to continue fighting (maybe others are not so egotistical) but with another surgery apparently on the horizon (this not yet being reported on Franklin's official site) and the risk of injury every time you step in the cage, should he keep fighting? What is the ultimate goal of competition? I would hate to see Rich become a stepping stone when he has the potential to make a good living in so many different avenues of the sport. Like Dana White said "whatever Rich decides he will always have a place in the UFC".

Manny Gamburyan - Recovering TUF Psycho!

Quote from Manny Gamburyan on his TUF 5 experience:

“There were 16 dudes in the same house. I’m from LA. I go out every other day. There’s always something to do: partying ,clubs, and lots of things. Imagine being used to living like that and then being stuck in a house with 16 dudes. One day you’re eating with them and the next day you’re fighting them. I don’t even wanna remember that.”

“The Ultimate Fighter is no joke,” Gamburyan said. “If you would pay me $100,000 I still wouldn’t go back in that house again. The experience messed with my head. When I left the show I thought I was psycho. You don’t want to be in that house. It’s nuts.”

That is always what goes through my mind when I try to keep myself awake through all of the in-house bullshit antics that go on with 16 sequestered dudes living on top of each other. I never understood why these guys need to live the gay lifestyle and to this day, I will always respect that dude who was removed by Dana White from the house when he scaled the wall to get some poon.

Here's Manny's last fight at the TUF 5 Finale who I picked to win over Diaz until Manny popped his shoulder. Expect Manny Gamburyan to man handle Nate Mohr at UFC 79: Nemesis on December 29

Rich Franklin & MMA Rumor Bullshit Stories

I can't stand it when MMA sites publish rumors as fact to drive traffic to their sites while misleading fans because they lack journalistic integrity in not only accurate fact finding but also producing a reliable source for the reader to acknowledge that the story is in fact, credible.

Case in point is the rumor that Rich Franklin was going to fight Travis Lutter in March 2008. I will not name any sites at fault for rumor mongering to drive traffic to their sites but just Google "Rich Franklin vs Travis Lutter" and you may be interested in knowing that the rumor virus spreads faster than any STD and is often mistaken for fact when talked about enough times.

Here's a personal note from Rich "Ace" Franklin who happens to be the reliable source:

Hi guys. First off, I would like to thank everyone for the support. Thank you for the support leading up to, and since the fight with Anderson. He is a great fighter and deserves everyone's respect as a fighter, person, and ambassador to our sport. Also thank you for supporting American Fighter.

Todd tries to maintain our Myspace account because of my hectic schedule. Hopefully he is doing a good job for you all. He spends a good amount of time on here and does it for free. Sometimes he gets a t-shirt.

I am told there are rumors of me fighting multiple people in March. I have not signed for a fight in March. I don't believe that I am allowed to fight more than once in a night. I hope this clears up any confusion. I have not signed to fight anyone in March, or any other month.

Happy Holidays

RF

So, to all the pricks who say this site used to be a good source of news well, wake the fuck up and stop absorbing garbage information from the vanilla MMA sites that don't give a shit about delivering accurate information with reliable sources.

We only want smart readers at MMA Fever, thanks for coming out!

Couture Quote of the Day!

From Brawl Sports regarding Randy Couture's attempt to arrange a co-promotion fight (UFC & M-1 Global) between Fedor Emelianenko and Couture:

Here's what everyone's MMA hero said:

"We got an official offer from M-1 to the UFC to do a co-promotion for the Couture-Emelianenko fight, and they (UFC) rejected that offer. Really, the only thing standing in the way for that fight right now is Dana and the UFC. Obviously, M-1 is happy to do a co-promotion like that. It only serves to help them. I think the UFC is looking at it the other way, and it's like why do we want to help out another organization? The fans want to see that fight. At some point, you have to put that first."

Hey, Randy is interested in putting the fans first everyone!!!!

Oh, but that still means that Randy quit the UFC and still holds the Heavyweight belt which will not be contested for ohhhhh.... another year!

Thanks for looking out for the MMA/UFC fans Randy, MY hero!

"I Want to Fuck Chuck"- Wanderlei Silva Video

Yes folks, you might have read a few of my references to Wandy wanting to fuck Chuck and wondered why I would say such a despicable thing well, I'm only stating what "The Axe Murder" wanted when Wanderlei Silva embarrassed Dana White even further by wearing a Pride FC T-shirt (before the Pride purchase happened) during a surprise announcement in the middle of UFC 61.

Sadly, the fight didn't happen between the two despite Chuck beating Babalu Sobral because Dream Stage Entertainment (former owners of Pride) couldn't come to terms with the UFC for what Dana White called, "The biggest fuckin' fight in MMA History".

Check out the video of the sexual proposition from Wanderlei Silva and also, the full write up from MMA Weekly about the intimate encounter.

So, will Chuck get fucked by Silva at UFC 79?

Karo Parisyan Loves Women Too Much

MMA Quote of the Day - GSP

Georges St.Pierre was interviewed recently by CBS Sports and dropped a nice little quote that pretty much nails the argument that he's not a confident fighter shut when GSP says he's ready to be crowned the next UFC Welterweight Champion at UFC 79: Nemesis.

Q: You're going after the title again. Is there a different feeling going after it now compared to when you were first moving up the ranks and chasing it?

GSP: Absolutely there is a difference. With me I taste the ultimate glory and I taste the ultimate humiliation by losing to a guy I was suppose to beat when the odds was like 12-1. So I know I want and I know what I don't want and this is loss is the best thing that ever happened to me, it made me a way better fighter and a way more serious athlete and more professional fighter. Right now I cannot be any better than I am right now, I'm at the top of my game and I think that loss was for the best. I think right now I'm more mature, I'm only 26 but gained a lot of maturity with what happened recently and I'm ready to be crowned world champion and stay there for a long time.

Rua's Leave Shit Boxe..err.. I mean Chute Boxe

This just in from Sherdog:

Tuesday, December 18, 2007
by Gleidson Venga (gvenga@sherdog.com)

Brothers Murilo Rua (Pictures) and Mauricio Rua (Pictures) announced Tuesday that they have left Chute Boxe.

The brothers said their departure from the Brazilian team was friendly. They will form their own squad in Massachusetts.

"We regret the departure of Mauricio and Murilo Rua (Pictures)," said Chute Boxe trainer Rudimar Fedrigo in an official statement. "They are fighters born here at Chute Boxe and left the team to form their own in the United States. Remember that the doors of Chute Boxe will always be open to both, and I wish good luck and success in their new job."

Under the guidance of Fedrigo and other Chute Boxe trainers, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua rose to prominence as one of the best light heavyweight fighters in MMA. He sat atop most 205-pound and pound-for-pound rankings before Forrest Griffin (Pictures) submitted the Brazilian in September. Older brother "Ninja" recently relinquished the EliteXC middleweight belt to Robbie Lawler (Pictures).

Couture Prick Interview Video Found!

Well, it's not called "Couture Prick Interview Video" however, like I promised, as soon as I got my fingertips on the video of Couture acting like a prick (Click on this link and not the picture beside), I would post it. So Fever fans, here you go and please do not hesitate to comment... the more the merrier and that means you too Couture :P

FYI - Let the video sequence run through playlist 1 then it will continue on to playlist 2 and so on until the CNBC documentary, "Ultimate Fighting: From Blood Sport to Big Time" has finished. Where the edits happened was where they inserted commercials except in this case, there are no freakin' commercials.

Oh yeah, the Couture Prick Interview starts at 10:30 into the streaming video.

If you missed my brief but to the point commentary about the actions of the so-called UFC Heavyweight Champion then check this out and also check for future show times near the bottom of the literary passion piece if you choose to record it from TV for future amusement.

So, was I too hard on the Beave? Let me know in the comments below....

MMA Pic of the Day - Fedor & Cro Cop in Brokeback Mountain

From, "I must break you" to, "I wish I knew how to quit you, Fedor!"... that's right, I decided that Fedor was the pitcher and Cro Cop was the catcher on the 'Bareback' Mountain... got a problem with that?

Check out more fun with Photoshopping movie posters of your favorite MMA Stars. .

Inside MMA - Karo Parisyan, Sam Caplan, Amir Perets

Special guests include MMA fighter and lead writer/editor for ProElite.com, Sam Caplan, Inside MMA #7-ranked Welterweight Karo Parisyan and MMA and Special Forces Trainer Amir Perets. Inside MMA airs Fridays at 9:30pmET.

Karo Parisyan, you know, the welterweight fighter who is full of himself who thinks he can get a title shot at the snap of his fingers and also the guy who says, "Do you know who I am, Bro?" is well, very intersting to watch.

Karo certainly isn't a polished TV personality.

Monte Cox from M-1 Global talks about Fedor Emelianenko and what 2008 will look like for the world number 1 ranked MMA Heavyweight.

Who Cares About Couture or Shamrock, Bring on UFC 79

Let me get this over with as quickly as I can. Dana White will never let Randy fight Fedor anywhere but the UFC, this is the guy who produced an hour special just to make Tito look like a punk (will we see a Dana vs Randy; Bad Blood special), he will do whatever it takes to stop this fight or at least postpone it until not one person left on this planet cares. As for Shamrock, it is never a good idea to fight your brother. I don't know what their relationship is like, nor do I care, this is simply a bad idea.

Now that's finished let's talk Liddell vs Silva, or the fight Rampage ruined (twice?). I unfortunately didn't watch enough Pride back in 2003 to know what the thoughts on this fight were the first time Liddell lost to Jackson (who went on to lose to Silva later that night) but I do know the excitment when a superbout between the two was announced at UFC 61. I'll admit Quinton can't take all the credit for dulling the lustre of this fight, after the superbout fell through Silva's loss to Dan Henderson (at the time I at least was willing to look past the CroCop loss) dropped the Champ vs Champ billing that was at the core of the fight. Which organization had the better champion? Pride or UFC (ah, remember the old rivalry?) Then Zuffa purchased Pride and the possibility became a reality and along came Rampage, again. So though it lacks what it once had this fight still has interest and huge implications on two great fighter's careers. A loss for Liddell could mean the end but what does a win mean? Does a win over Silva put Liddell back in the title hunt or just close a chapter on a book that took to long to reach its climax? As for Silva as devastating as another loss would be he would not be alone amongst former Pride fighters who have looked less than spectacular in the octagon. We are willing to give CroCop and Shogun another chance would we feel any differently towards the Axe Murderer? Besides there is always the Tito rematch. What is probably the most interesting outcome is a Silva win, setting up an eventual third match with Rampage. Whether he beats Forrest or not this could happen especially considering Quinton's recent remarks about Pride referee's being to blame for the two losses.

Let's move on, Matt Hughes vs GSP 3. I have to admit I am a little disapointed this isn't Hughes vs Serra, so much time was invested in that fight it is starting to feel a bit like the afore mentioned Liddell vs Silva (a fight that may eventually happen but only when it doesn't matter as much). However, if Hughes can pull of the win (and that's a big if) than the fight may only have lost interest to the TUF crowd now engrossed in Jackson vs Griffin. That all being said I think Hughes vs St. Pierre is actually a better fight, I say this because I feel Hughes would have handled Serra fairly easily. I also thought St. Pierre would beat Serra easily, so much so I didn't even bother to order their fight. Imagine my surprise (just for the record I also said rollerblades were a passing fad that would never catch on)! So why is this fight so intriguing? Both of these fighters were promised a title shot and in a way both are getting it, this is a five round fight for the interim title, but what both of these guys want more than the title is a shot at Serra and that is what they are fighting for. Hughes wants nothing more than to shut Serra's filthy mouth before driving his John Deere off into the sunset and GSP wants redemption for an embarassing loss. So who's gonna win? The easy anwser would be St. Pierre. He's younger, dominated Hughes in their last fight and put on a clinic against Kos, while Hughes seemed to have no anwser for a confident GSP and was not overly impressive in his decision victory over Lytle. Hughes claimed during TUF that he hadn't trained as he should have in recent years. Will that make a difference in this fight? He also believes he has an advantge with GSP coming in as a replacement without a full camp, however, St. Pierre has stated that he did put in a full camp in case someone was injured and there was an opportunity to step in as a replacement. Is Hughes taking St. Pierre lightly again? It's the unanwserable questions that make this fight exciting. Will St.Pierre collapse mentally? Is Hughes able to reach deep down the way he used to or is he ready to retire and be with his family instead? In the end maybe GSP beats both Hughes and Serra and we'll just have to settle for three rounds of the two Matts.

Monday Morning Madness - GSP vs Hughes 3 Prediction

Cheers to The Lucifer Principle for dropping this one on my lap. Shit, I don't think I've ever thanked the devil for anything well, maybe for another GSP win over Hughes but that's it, I promise as God as my witness!

HDNet Fights: Reckless Abandon Results & Video

HDNet Fights put on a good show of MMA fights this past Saturday night that saw a couple of named fighters in the card have decent results in the "Reckless Abandon" event on Mark Cuban's high definition channel, HDNet.

I'll continue to add more HDNet Fights video as soon as they surface ;)

HDNet Fights: Reckless Abandon Results

Jason “Mayhem” Miller def. Tim Kennedy via unanimous decision
Frank Trigg def. Edwin Dewees via submission (kimura), 1:40 R1
Yves Edwards def. Alonzo Martinez via submission (rear naked choke), 3:04 R2
Krzysztof Soszynski def. Robert Villegas via DQ (refusal to fight), 3:15 R2
Pete Spratt def. Tristan Yunker via TKO (cut), 1:38 R1
Corey Mahon def. Chris Bowles via submission (armbar), 4:22 R2
Nissen Osterneck def. Freddie Espiricueta via submission (verbal due to strikes), 2:37 R1
Jay White def. Patrick Castillo via submission (armbar), :50 R1
Liam McCarty def. Jason House via TKO (cut), 3:00 R3
Marcus Lanier def. Lee King via submission (armbar), 2:58 R2

Frank Trigg vs Edwin Dewees - HDNet Fights



Yves Edwards vs Alonzo Martinez - HDNet Fights

Randy Couture & Ken Shamrock HDNet Fights Video

In an interview with Randy Couture and Ken Shamrock at HDNet Fights: Reckless Abandon, both fighters dropped a few bombs for the MMA world to stay tuned in 2008 for what can only be touted as, "Unfinished Business" for both fighters.

Couture says he's gonna wait until his contract expires then go after Fedor Emelianenko sometime in October 2008 when Randy's UFC contract expires.

Ken Shamrock says he'll fight his brother, Frank Shamrock in a sibling rivalry to see who is the better Shamrock fighter.

MMA in 2008 is gonna be Craaaaaaaaaaaaaazzzzzzzzzzyyyyyyyyy!!! (Shameless Joe Rogan impression)

GSP Vs. Hughes III Fan Preview

This is one of the finest pieces of MMA video that I've ever seen that captures the historical significance of the upcoming fight between Georges St.Pierre and Matt Hughes at UFC 79: Nemesis in two short weeks from tonight on Dec 29th.

This video really amped me up and I'm sure it'll do the same for you too.

"Never Back Down" Trailer (MMA Movie)

All I have to say about this movie clip is when will Daniel LaRusso come out to crane kick the prick kid in the nose.

Never Back Down appears to be a blend of what made The Karate Kid, Fight Club and The Fast and The Furious fun to watch.

Maybe they tried too hard? Let me know what you think...

Ryan Gracie Found Dead

According to www.graciemag.com Ryan Gracie was found dead at 7 am this morning in the cell where he was being held at a police station in Sao Paolo.

Sad news confirmed from Graciemag.com
15.12.2007
Ryan Gracie dies
Fighter was in jail in Sao Paulo


News to make the fighting world tremble. According to news carried by Globo TV, the black belt Ryan Gracie was found dead in the cell where he was being held at a police station in Sao Paulo after having been accused of car theft yesterday in the city of Sao Paulo. According to the Sao Paulo State Secretariat of Public Security, Ryan was alone in the cell.

GRACIEMAG.com sympathizes with the Gracie family and should be back shortly with further information as to Ryan’s death.

10:24

According to the G1 news website:

“Ryan was sent to the 91st PD, after having toxicology exams done at the central IML at around 2:30 am. He arrived at the police station in Vila Leopoldina at 3 am. According to the officer on call of the 15th Police District police officer Daniella Ranna, where the athlete’s case was registered for having tried to steal a motorcycle, he was sent to the 91st DP because it is a traffic station. From there, he would have been seen to the “most recommendable” location.

According to the Secretariat, at around 7am, when policemen at the station were checking the cells with their detainees, they found the fighter fallen in a corner. They entered and confirmed that he was dead. At around 10 am, coroners were already at the location to do the necessary exams and send the body to the institute.



*** The Ryan Gracie story was broken late yesterday afternoon, click here for details***

My thoughts on Bisping

Tito Ortiz's USO Helmet

I couldn't wait any longer to bag on Tito, it's a sickness I know that has no cure.

In all seriousness, Tito does play an active role in speaking with wounded soldiers and also, making sure that the troops who ensure our national & international safety and liberty and right to free speech (which I value the most) feel good about their roles in their difficult missions when he visits them over there.

Here's a recent press release highlighting Tito's second trip to Iraq bringing along with him fellow Team Punishment fighter, Justin McCully:

'Huntington Beach Bad Boy' Tito Ortiz to Embark on Second USO Entertainment Tour to Persian Gulf


The USO is a private nonprofit, charitable organization relying on contributions from individuals, organizations and corporations to support its programs for service members and their families around the world. The USO serves as the link between the American people and our men and women in uniform. The mission of the USO is to bring a touch of home to service members and their families. (PRNewsFoto/USO)

WASHINGTON, DC UNITED STATES

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mixed martial arts
favorite Tito Ortiz and fellow fighter Justin McCully are gearing up for
their second trip to the Persian Gulf to visit troops as part of a
USO/Multi National Corps - Iraq entertainment tour. In July 2007, Ortiz and
McCully took time out of their schedules to visit wounded service members
being treated in Washington, DC, and Bethesda, MD. In true patriotism, they
also visited thousands of service men and women stationed at Camp Liberty
in Baghdad and surrounding military installations, bringing smiles and a
much needed break from day-to-day operations.

Touched by their USO experiences overseas, the duo vowed to continue
supporting U.S. troops, reuniting to demonstrate insider fighting
techniques, shake hands with U.S. troops and chat with those stationed
abroad. The pair will also express their heartfelt gratitude, sign
autographs and pose for pictures.

"I look forward to returning to the Persian Gulf with the USO to visit
our nation's troops," says Ortiz. "The truth is, they give me more than I
could ever give them. They secure our borders, sacrifice their lives and
fight for our freedom, and I'll do what little I can to say thanks."

A native of Huntington Beach, CA, Ortiz is a legendary mixed martial
arts fighter. A former Light-Heavyweight champion, he spent most of his
career fighting for the Ultimate Fighting Competition organization. Admired
for his showmanship and athleticism, Ortiz has headlined numerous
pay-per-view championship events, appeared on the covers of countless
magazines and been profiled in such publications as "The New York Times"
and "Sports Illustrated," among many others. His acting ability and
charisma have also earned him roles in several films and TV series,
including CBS' "NUMB3RS" and his much anticipated appearance on NBC's
"Celebrity Apprentice," airing January 3, 2008 at 9 p.m.

Ultimate Fighting Championship newcomer, McCully, nicknamed "The Insane
1," is an accomplished fighter and holds a black belt in Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu. Far from an overnight success, McCully made his mixed martial
arts debut in 1997 in Tokyo.

Since 1941, the USO has brought quality entertainment to millions of
U.S. military service members and their families. In 2006, hundreds of
celebrities donated their time and talents to help the USO boost troop
morale and bring a touch of home to the men and women serving our country.

AT&T, Inc. is the official telecommunications sponsor of USO
entertainment tours. For a list of recent and upcoming USO tours, visit
http://www.uso.org/whatwedo/entertainment/. To find out how to support the
troops, visit http://www.uso.org.

About the USO

For more than 66 years, the USO (United Service Organizations) has been
providing morale, welfare and recreational services to U.S. military
personnel and their families. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable
organization, relying on the generosity of the American people to support
its programs and services. The USO is supported by Worldwide Strategic
Partners AT&T Inc., BAE Systems North America, Clear Channel
Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, DRS Technologies, Inc., S & K Sales
Co. and TriWest Healthcare Alliance. Other corporate donors, including the
United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381), have joined thousands
of individual donors to support the USO. For more information on the USO,
please visit our Web site at http://www.uso.org.

SOURCE USO

Tito Ortiz: The "Celebrity" Apprentice Preview

Goddamn Jimmy!

It's been a couple of days since I bagged on Tito so now that he's on the next season of The Apprentice, I'm gonna root for him because the list of celebrity Apprentices are losers except for Gene Simmons of KISS fame and former Boxing Heavyweight Champion, Lennox Lewis so Tito has a chance at winning something other than a new STD from Jenna Jameson.

Tito says he's gonna use his "Mental Skills" well, I think he's mental for dating a former porn queen who's about as worked in as a a well oiled catcher's mitt so Tito should do just fine being mental on Donald Trump's, "The Apprentice" Season 7 beginning January 3, 2008 at 9:00PM on NBC.

Best of luck to MMA Fever's Hall of Fame "Tool of the Day" inductee!

Here's Tito's Celebrity Apprentice preview:

Ryan Gracie Arrested for Carjacking

Below is a poorly translated version from the Portuguese site FolhaOnline in Brazil however, it gives us just enough to understand that Ryan Gracie is officially fuckin' loony tunes.

The translated version is kinda funny to read all by itself so here's the cliff notes version for the attention deficit disorderly folks that drop by MMA Fever quite often:


- Ryan Gracie pulled a knife and carjacked a 76 year old man in Sao Paolo, Brazil today.
- Ryan then smashed the stolen car into a concrete barrier (picture above)
- Immediately after the sudden crash, Ryan hopped out of the smashed car and tried to steal another car - a Fiat (Why the fuck would you steal a Fiat? That proves the motherfucker is certifyably crazy!)
- The fairy Fiat owner managed to get away from Ryan
- Motorcycle drivers nearby witnessed the theft in progress and surrounded Gracie.
- The Motorcycle gang took off their helmets and beat Ryan Gracie to the ground via verbal submission.
- The cops came and scooped him off to a luxurious Sao Paulo, Brazilian jail where he'll await trial for the charges against him for being a fuckin' lunatic to society.

Goodbye Gracie!

14/12/2007 - 16h06

Fighter of the Gracie family is accused to attack aged and to steal car in SP

of the Online Leaf

The fighter of jiu-jitsu Ryan Gracie, 33, was imprisoned in the afternoon of this friday under accusation to have attacked an aged one of 76 years to steal the car of it, in the Itaim Bibi, noble quarter of the zone west of São Paulo. It finished contained for motoboys and was imprisoned, after that, for the Military Policy. Ryan is member of the Gracie family, icon of the fight in the country.

According to PMs of 23º Battalion, for return of 13h30, Gracie approached the aged one -- that he was in a Corolla -- in the street Jacurici. Armed with a knife, it he reached a left-hand finger of the man. Gracie assumed the direction and ran away for the street Haroldo Veloso and avenue Enrique Chamma. In the avenue Juscelino Kubitschek, it it beat the car in a concrete wall.

In the sequence, Gracie left the Corolla and tried to approach the driver of a Fiorino Fiat, that obtained to escape. The fighter, then, knocked down one motoboy in the soil with the intention to take the motion, still in accordance with the p.m..

Others motoboys that they had witnessed the scene had stopped in aid to the colleague and had initiated one fight with Gracie. The PMs had arrived at the place after that and algemaram the fighter.

The fighter was directed for 15º DP (Itaim Bibi). The news article did not obtain to locate representatives of the fighter or to confirm if it already is folloied of lawyer.

Other cases

Ryan Gracie already had other problems involving its behavior.

In March of 2000, it was 18 days imprisoned in Rio De Janeiro, its native city, defendant of esfaquear a student during one fight that a house of parties in the Bar of the Tijuca destroyed.

In 2005 it he was accused to attack physically a civil policeman and to xingar a commission agent inside of 78º DP, in the Gardens, south zone of São Paulo.

"The Count" Down to 185

Our favorite fighter who kicked the living shit out of Matt Hamill at UFC 75 then lost a squeaker to Rashad Evans at UFC 78 in the Light Heavyweight division (205 Lbs.) has decided to cut out the fish & chips with Guinness consumption to properly prepare for his debut in the UFC Middleweight division (185 Lbs.) the next time we see him in the Octagon.

Here's some quick quotes from Michael "The Count" Bisping on his time at 205 and his long journey into Anorexia Nervosa by UFC.com

Bisping on his decision to drop weight classes:

“Even though I’ve never fought at middleweight, I’ve gone back and forth with the decision to go down pretty much my whole career,” Bisping said. “Even from my very first pro fight (April 2004), people were telling me that I was a little too small for the light heavies. But I kept winning and, at least before I stepped up to the UFC, I was winning easily so I didn’t really take much notice.”

Bisping on his support to drop to 185:

“Dana thought it was a great idea, he said I’d be ‘a monster’ down at middleweight. In fact all sorts of people like Rampage (with whom Bisping is close) were telling me this was the best thing for my career. Really, I knew middleweight was the place to be. When I went to train with Rampage in America over the summer, when we’d go eat he’d have half a lettuce leaf; I’d have a pizza or a couple of foot-long Subways and a couple of sneaky cookies.

Bisping on fighter nutrition:

“Even though I train as hard, if not harder, than anyone else for a fight, I wasn’t making sacrifices like other fighters do. I’ve had world class nutritionists like (boxer) Ricky Hatton’s strength coach Kerry Kayes tell me I could be so much stronger at middleweight, so I was getting this same advise from all sides.”

Bisping on his loss to Sugar.. dun,dun,dun,daaaa,dunnnn,daaaaa ahhhh.... Rashad Evans:

“I didn’t feel like I lost anything in defeat,” Bisping said. “I felt I performed very well against one of the best wrestlers in the UFC in Rashad. I regret not pushing it a little harder in the last round but, overall, I can’t complain about a controversial loss because I was coming off a controversial win. My performance again made me go back and forth about going to middleweight but, in the end, this is my career and how I make a living, and although it isn’t that I can’t hack it at 205 pounds, it doesn’t make sense to give every opponent an advantage when I don’t have to.”

Bisping on his bitchiness level when the weight cut happens:

“I weighed 197 pounds for my second fight with Mark Epstein three years ago but that’s the lightest I’ve fought at. I know 185 pounds is the weight I should be at, and I am actually looking forward to the extra challenge of making weight, but I want to apologise right now because I know I am going to be one moody SOB come fight week!”

MMA Pic of the Day - War Machine & Shamrock

It seems our favorite TUF 6 Finale fighter got himself into a little trouble with the law prior to the Spike TV Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale fight against "J-Roc" Jared Rollins.

According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, Jon "War Machine" Koppenhaver was charged with felony assault and battery after allegedly choking and hitting a man unconscious outside San Diego's Undisputed fitness and training center on September 2, 2007.

"The preliminary hearing was expected to continue later Thursday. If the case goes to trial and Koppenhaver is convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, said prosecutor David Williams."

Unfortunate for sure but somehow I'm confident that the dude who got choked and laid out looked nothing like Ken Shamrock(ed) in the Lion's Den picture above.

If you missed the TUF 6 Finale fight of the night, click here then scroll down past the TUF 6 Finale fighter paydays... shit, now War Machine's gonna have to use most, if not all of the after tax $16,000 he earned for the fight to pay his lawyers to defend him to keep him from major pounding in the ass prison.

Let's hope that War doesn't have to do any time 'cause I'd pay to see him choke someone out.

UPDATE: From The San Diego Union-Tribune states that War Machine pleaded guilty to the assault charge and the Judge showed some real compassion for War... I mean for Jon:

"Judge Frank Brown said the change in plea could result in a misdemeanor punishment. Zatkow told the court he thought a reduced punishment was OK because he believed a felony conviction would destroy Koppenhaver's career.

“I'm not interested in destroying somebody's life,” Zatkow said, noting that fighting should stay in the ring.

Koppenhaver is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 7 at 1:30 p.m. "

Randy Couture's a Fuckin' Prick!

Seriously, if you Couture scrotum suckers haven't figured it out yet that your homoerotic hero is a fuckin' prick then watch CNBC's Ultimate Fighting: From Blood Sport to Bigtime and come back to tell me he isn't (without his MMA figurine up your ass when you comment too).

Every MMA site is afraid to say he's a fuckin idiot and a prick! Who else has the sack but MMA Fever to call it like it really is and Randy Couture is a boner-fide prick.

Why am so hard on the Beave?

When the reporter, Scott Wapner (not to be confused with the good Judge Wapner of the People's Court) asked a few questions to Randy Couture, the prick Couture ignored Wapner instead, choosing to look away at two fighters in the cage sparring at the Xtreme Couture facility looking visibly upset about the hard driving questions that all MMA fans including the homo's that call Randy their hero want to know.

Randy gave a William Shatner (Also knows as Shat) and more recently, Horatio Caine (CSI: Miami baby!) calculated pauses before giving his short answers in a tone deserving of getting whacked upside the head with the end of the reporter's belt buckle.

I mean, Couture wasn't surprised about this interview... he knew it was gonna happen and acted like a complete prick on camera... sorry, Couture acted like himself on camera. Show some fuckin' respect first before you ask it of others you prick!

What a fuckin' prick!

As soon as I get my fingertips on the prick interview, I'll get that shit up here faster than Couture could ever prick someone with his crybaby attitude... and that's lightning fuckin' quick too.

If you missed one of the dullest UFC documentaries with the exception of Lord Prickness, Randy Couture, the CNBC documentary will be replayed again at the following times:

SHOW TIMES
Sunday, December 16th 10P ET
Monday, December 17th 9P | 12A ET
Monday, December 24th 1A | 4P ET
Tuesday, December 25th 5P ET

UFC 79 Fight Card Finalized

This press release is about the bottom end of the card (preliminary bouts) that most likely will not be televised. The televised card is stacked:

Main Card televised Bouts
Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Hughes
Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Lyoto Machida
Melvin Guillard vs. Rich Clementi
Eddie Sanchez vs. Soa Palalei

From our friends at UFC.com

ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP® ANNOUNCES FINAL BOUTS FOR UFC 79: NEMESIS


LUIS CANE vs. JAMES IRVIN

NATE MOHR vs. MANNY GAMBURYAN

JORDAN RADEV vs. DEAN LISTER

ROAN CARNEIRO vs. TONY DeSOUZA

MARK BOCEK vs. DOUG EVANS

LIVE FROM THE MANDALAY EVENTS CENTER IN LAS VEGAS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2007

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC®) organization today announced the remaining lineup of fights for the upcoming UFC 79: NEMESIS which features Georges St-Pierre battling Matt Hughes for the interim UFC Welterweight Championship. Also on the card are exciting match-ups between Luis Cane vs. James Irvin; Nate Mohr vs. Manny Gamburyan; Jordan Radev vs. Dean Lister; Roan Carneiro vs. Tony DeSouza; and Mark Bocek vs. Doug Evans. The UFC presents UFC 79: NEMESIS Saturday, December 29, live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

Tickets for UFC 79: NEMESIS are on sale now and are priced at $1,000, $750, $500, $300, $200 and $100. Tickets are available through any Mandalay Bay box office and all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers, Macy’s West at the Fashion Show Mall and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call the Mandalay Bay box office at (702) 632-7580 or Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.ufc.com, www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

UFC 79: NEMESIS is available live on pay-per-view 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 for a suggested retail price of $39.95 ($39.99 CAD) and $49.95 for HD where available.

Luis “Banha” Cane (7-0-0) 6’2”/205lbs., fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, comes to the UFC with a reputation as a fast starter and an even faster finisher. All seven of his victories have come by way of knockout, TKO, or submission. That’s music to the ears of fight fans looking for excitement, but bad news for opponents who will be forced to deal with the 26-year old’s intense attack. Cane, a protégé of Ryan Gracie, looks to carry on the tradition of Brazilian warriors in the UFC by scoring a victory over veteran banger James “Sandman” Irvin. Fighting out of Sacramento, Calif., the “Sandman” (12-4-1) 6’2”/205 lbs., is owner of some of the heaviest hands and most devastating knees in the light heavyweight division. Irvin tries to live up to his nickname of ‘The Sandman’ with every trip to the Octagon™. It’s worked for him against knockout victims Terry Martin and Hector Ramirez, but in a highly-anticipated battle against Thiago Silva in May, a knee injury suffered by Irvin ended the bout before it got a chance to heat up. Before 2007 ticks away though, Irvin is eager to get back on track and into the win column, which is bad news for his opponent Cane.

Nate Mohr (6-4-0) 5’9”/155 lbs., fighting out of Crystal Lake, IL., is a hard-hitting fighter who bounced back from a slow start to his mixed martial arts career by winning five of his last six bouts, four by TKO. Most impressive in this run for the 24-year old was a three round unanimous decision win over Luke Caudillo in June in which he put on a standup fighting clinic for UFC fans in Florida. Mohr, a two-time Golden Gloves and kickboxing champion, will be put to the test again by Armenian tank Manny “Pitbull” Gamburyan. What started as a dream run to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter’s® fifth season for Gamburyan (5-2-0) 5’5”/155 lb., soon turned into a nightmare when a severe shoulder injury forced him to submit in the second round of his final bout against Nate Diaz. Living up to his nickname of “Pitbull,” Gamburyan rehabbed the injury, got back in the gym, and requested a return to the Octagon as soon as possible. Now, at UFC 79 the fighting pride of Leninakan, Armenia makes his proper UFC debut against Mohr.

Jordan Radev (16-1-0) 5’7”/185 lbs., fighting out of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, made his UFC debut against knockout artist Drew McFedries in June, and he didn’t expect to come out with an upset defeat. Like a true warrior, Radev got back in the gym, eager for another shot in the Octagon. The former member of the Bulgarian Olympic Wrestling team gets his chance for redemption against seasoned veteran Dean “The Boogeyman” Lister. If Radev has his way, he will be the one laying the hurt down when the bell rings. Lister (9-5-0) 6’1”/185 lbs., fighting out of San Diego, Calif., is a true wizard on the mat who can make anyone a fan of ground fighting. “The Boogeyman” has the technique to give any middleweight in the world a tough night. But all the technique in the world can’t help you when you’re injured, and Lister has been through a tough year in 2007 that has only seen him fight once. Now, Lister makes his return against a tough Radev, and with a win he can start on the road back to the upper reaches of the 185-pound weight class.

Roan “Jucao” Carneiro (11-5-0) 5’9”/170 lbs., fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a veteran master of the Anaconda choke. Carneiro entered the UFC in 2007 after a stint fighting in Japan and in his home country of Brazil. “Jucao” steps into the Octagon with a 1-1 UFC slate after a win over Rich Clementi and a hard-fought loss to Jon Fitch. He has since moved to Florida to train with the renowned American Top Team and build on his already impressive Jiu-Jitsu game. A strong finish to the year
is definitely on the mind of the 29-year old Brazilian as he takes on Peruvian Tony DeSouza (9-3-0) 6’1”/170 lbs. After a year-long layoff where he refocused his energies and lent his expertise to up and coming fighters as an assistant coach on season five of The Ultimate Fighter, longtime UFC standout De Souza returns to the Octagon to battle it out with Brazil’s Carneiro. For 33-year old DeSouza, it’s an opportunity to once again show the form that saw him score wins over Steve Berger, Paul Rodriguez, and Dustin Hazelett, and begin an assault on the top names at 170 pounds.

Mark Bocek (4-1-0) 5’8”/155 lbs., fighting out of Woodbridge, Ontario, is a lightweight that has gained a worldwide reputation as one of the premier Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners on the planet, and has an endless list of accolades to prove it. After reaching the top in the grappling world, Bocek has his sights set on repeating his success in the world-famous Octagon. With four wins in his first five fights, this Canadian fighter is off to a good start, but he’ll need a win over Doug Evans (6-1-0) 5’9”/155 lbs. to keep the momentum going. Few people outside of his Anchorage hometown knew who Evans was before his UFC debut against Roger Huerta in June. Then after his spirited effort against the highly-touted “El Matador,” fans clamored to see the seven-time State champion wrestler back in the Octagon. Evans will face another stern test in seasoned grappler Bocek, but the ground and pound king from Alaska sees holes in his opponent’s game that he hopes he can exploit in order to earn his first UFC victory.

For more information about UFC 79 or any upcoming UFC event, visit www.ufc.com or uk.ufc.com. All bouts are live and 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 MAIN EVENT in Australia, Globosat in Brazil and Bravo and Setanta PPV in the United Kingdom. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit www.ufc.com or uk.ufc.com or www.ufcespanol.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.

M-1 Global's business model

The model:
Purchase the world #1 fighter (according to rankings systems we currently have to deal with) and keep him undefeated.

Am I missing something here?

I imagine a typical M-1 business meeting going something like this:
CEO: Is Fedor still undefeated?
Yes man: Yes, still undefeated.
CEO: Good, good. Is there still interest in him on those inter-tube blog thingies?
Yes man: Yes, absolutely by my latest figures.
CEO: Good, take an early lunch.

Norris Doesn't Know 'Chuck' About MMA!

The one and only urban legend, Chuck "Walker Texas Ranger" Norris was interviewed recently about his new fight league, "World Combat League" which is team based similar to the International Fight League (IFL) however, WCL doesn't include a cage or permit ground fighting as well, the fighters use boxing gloves to supposedly prevent concussions.

Chuck Norris on the UFC:

"Watching UFC over the last 20 years, when fighters go to the ground, they have become so proficient in avoiding submissions so it becomes boring," Norris said.

Chuck Norris on MMA's use of 4 Oz. gloves and cage fighting:

"That's way too dangerous from what I want," he said. "We also have an open area with no ropes and no wires that obstruct views."

Chuck Norris on the future of WCL:

"My heart has always been in martial arts and it's been part of my life for 47 years," he said. "I think if people come and see it, they'll become fans of the league. I hope they get behind their team."

Well Chuck, we all know you can the kick the crap out of anyone with merely a stern stare but this concept that you have created is nothing more than kickboxing without a ring... nothing new here except the resurgence of the Chuck Norris legendary Roundhouse Kick.

I would have included Chuck as the "Tool of the Day" except that Chuck would have done a a series of roundhouse kicks in the air out of sheer anger which would have created the world's most violent wind gusts causing a Tsunami somewhere on Earth, so for the sake of the innocent people and the holiday season, Chuck was spared being called a TOOL!

Here's some Chuck Norris endorsed knockouts from the World Combat League (remember, boxing gloves are used to prevent fighter concussions.... right?)



Here are 10 facts that you need to know about Chuck Norris by Chuck Norris!




Here's some more facts about the man who could very well be your Daddy.

Here's a link to the World Combat League if you're interested.

P.S. I had the most fun pulling this piece together because nothing is better in this world than Chuck Norris, not even MMA... well, chicks, beer and MMA are better but you get what I'm sayin'.

Step rightup! Step right up!

With the recent Sammy Vasquez tragedy the Fedor vs Hong Man Choi mismatch is not only looking ridiculously stupid but down right dangerous. Come on what's next for Fedor travelling from arena to arena challenging the audience to "Step right up and see if you can last ten minutes in the ring with the World's Greatest Fighter"?

Bring on the Feathers

Uriah Faber and Jens Pulver both won in impressive fashion Wednesday night setting up an inevitable clash between the two fighters. Now, if you're like me and have no idea what the hell the Versus network is and had to wait to see the fights here on MMAFEVER it raises the question; when are we going to see the top featherweights in the "big show"? No offense to the WEC but it is still the college football of MMA. Good fights with tough guys on their way to something bigger and for the 145 pounders looking to make that step right now it is literally to something bigger. With the UFC lightweight division, just 14 months into its rebirth, already stacked with incredible fighters putting on great fights what's the hold up? Bring on the feathers! Jens has a solid fan base, Faber's being touted as one of the top pound for pounders in MMA, could there be a better time? Come on Dana the UFC fans are ready to embrace the 145'ers. Boxing fans have been doing it for years. You don't want the boxing fans to beat us do you?
P.S. you could probably squeeze another TUF season out of it.

Tim's Introduction

I'm a new contributor to mmafever. Well, the pay has been shit so far, and I hope to be very opinionated in my stay. The good news is that I'm addicted to MMA and like to vent. Most likely my posts will remain numerous and short with lots of goofy photoshop work(go ahead, save yourself some money and download, Paint.net).
-Here's to good times Greg and Company :)

Is CMBC ready for the UFC?

YES!

WARNING SPOILER!!!

Sorry if you didn't know :(

WEC 31 Results

WEC 31
Wednesday, Dec. 12
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas

Charlie Valencia def. Ian McCall - Tapout (Guillotine Choke) 3:19 R1
Brian Bowles def. Marcos Galvao - KO 2:09 R2
Ed Ratcliff def. Alex Karalexis - TKO (Referee Stoppage - Strikes) 1:26 R2
Bryan Baker def. Eric Schambari - Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
John Alessio def. Todd Moore - Unanimous Decision (30-27 all)
Jens Pulver def. Cub Swanson - Tapout (North-South Choke) 0:35 R1

WEC Light Heavyweight Championship
Doug Marshall def. Ariel Gandulla - Tapout (Armbar) :0:55 R1

WEC Middleweight Championship
Paulo Filho def. Chael Sonnen - Technical Submission (Referee Stoppage - Armbar) 4:55 R2*

WEC Featherweight Championship
Urijah Faber def. Jeff Curran - Tapout (Guillotine Choke) 4:36 R2

* Sonnen refutes that he verbally submitted *

WEC 31 - Doug Marshall vs Ariel Gandulla

WEC 31 - Urijah Faber vs. Jeff Curran

WEC 31 - Jens Pulver vs Cub Swanson

WEC 31 - Paulo Filho vs Chael Sonnen

Mir is a big man

I watched WEC 31 last night. There were a couple of good featherweight fights.

Anyways, UFC heavyweight Frank Mir did the post fight interviews. The size difference was astonishing. The camera man literally had to leave the top of Mir’s head out of frame to get a good shot. The interviews reminded me of a father praising his 8 year old after a little league game.

All hail weight classes for evenly matched exciting fights!

Muscle Sherk

The charges have been filed and sentence issued. Sherk will deny using till the day he dies. I just want Sherk to know, that we know, and we will not forget.

Fedor's next opponent

This Kiai Master has amazing skill and only 1 loss to his name.

CNBC Presents: "Ultimate Fighting: From Blood Sport To Big Time"

AN ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY TAKES A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT THE BUSINESS BEHIND THE NATION’S FASTEST-GROWING SPORT

One-Hour Special Reported by CNBC’s Scott Wapner to Premiere on Thursday, December 13th at 10PM & 1AM ET on CNBC

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., December 10, 2007-In an unprecedented event, CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, takes a no-holds barred look at the business behind the nation’s fastest growing sports franchise: Ultimate Fighting. On Thursday, December 13th at 10PM & 1AM ET, CNBC presents an original one-hour documentary, “Ultimate Fighting: From Blood Sport to Big Time,” reported by CNBC’s Scott Wapner.

With unusual access, the program tells the story behind the rise of the Ultimate Fighting Championship as both a business and cultural phenomenon. From its controversial beginnings to its mainstream acceptance and millions of dollars in ticket sales, the UFC is making money hand over fist.

“As mixed martial arts’ most prominent league, the UFC, is not just exploding in popularity, but expanding as a financial empire,” said Josh Howard, VP Long Form and Special Programming. “This documentary exposes a dying franchise resurrected from violent and controversial beginnings to one of the most successful ventures in all of professional sports.”

CNBC profiles the Ultimate Fighting Championship President and popular frontman Dana White, a college dropout from South Boston, who has used a fighter’s instincts and shrewd business sense to overcome a series of hurdles facing the league, including the fact that it remains unsanctioned in a number of states.

The program examines Ultimate Fighting’s presence not just in the sporting world, but also on the landscape of popular culture. With a devoted fan base of young males, the franchise is in many ways an advertiser’s dream, though one that Madison Avenue has approached with some caution because of its controversial nature. CNBC takes a look at the range of promotions, endorsements and movie deals tied to the sport as well as at TapouT, the successful apparel company created by three hardcore fans whom turned their passion for mixed martial arts into a thriving multi-million dollar business.

CNBC takes viewers to fight night on the Las Vegas strip, where Ultimate Fighting has given the sport of boxing a run for its money and attracted the kind of attention and money critics once thought impossible.

“Ultimate Fighting: From Blood Sport to Big Time,” re-airs on Sunday, December 16th at 10PM ET and Monday, December 17th at 9PM & 12AM ET.

The executive producer of “Ultimate Fighting: From Blood Sport to Big Time,” is Mitch Weitzner. Josh Howard is the executive in charge of production and Vice President of Long Form and Special Programming.

For more information log on to: ufc.cnbc.com.

2.5 Million MMA Fever Fanatics Watched TUF 6 Finale

I guess you didn't realize that MMA Fever has spread like Chlamydia throughout the world, didn't you? Well, it sure has and unlike Chlamydia, there is no cure for MMA Fever except more mixed martial arts action and that's exactly what the 2.5 million folks got... ACTION!

That's a very impressive number given that the TUF 6 ratings were on the decline and the headlining bout was a couple of no-named Lightweights to the general public unlike the most watched Spike TV event, Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock(ed) III that drew over 4 million viewers.

Here are the results I received from a recent UFC press release:

“THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER®: TEAM HUGHES VS. TEAM SERRA” FINALE DELIVERS 2.5 MILLION VIEWERS

Draws More Men 18-34, 18-49, and 25-34 Than Anything Else on Television in its Timeslot

NEW YORK, NY, December 11, 2007 - Spike TV’s live telecast of “The Ultimate Fighter®: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra” finale on Saturday, December 8 (9:00-12:12am) drew 2.5 million viewers and reached more men in the hard-to-reach demographics of 18-34, 18-49, and 25-34 than anything else on television (broadcast or cable) in its timeslot. The telecast peaked with an impressive 2.9 million viewers at 11:30pm despite head-to-head competition from the Mayweather-Hatton pay-per-view boxing event.

Based on the ratings, more young men preferred the epic battle between UFC® fighters Roger Huerta and Clay Guida to Russell Crowe’s epic battles in “Gladiator” on TNT or the incredible athleticism of “The Ultimate Fighter” victor Mac Danzig to Keanu Reeves as Neo in the “Matrix” on A@E on Saturday night.

Overall, the three-hour Spike TV telecast drew a 1.8 HH (1.7 million) rating with a 2.7 rating (769,000) rating with Men 18-34, a 2.8 rating (471,000) with Men 25-34, and a 2.2 rating (1.2 million) with Men 18-49 and 2.5 million viewers.

Saturday’s “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra” finale at The Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas was headlined by a war between Roger Huerta and Clay Guida that will surely be one of the top candidates for “Fight of the Year.” After being dominated by Guida’s relentless style both on their feet and on the ground for the first ten minutes of the bout, Huerta stormed at his opponent at the outset of the final round and unleashed a torrent of strikes that sent Guida to the mat. There, he was able to submit Guida via rear naked choke 51 seconds into the third round, and remain unbeaten in the UFC.

Conversely, the finals of “The Ultimate Fighter” was a mostly one sided affair, with Mac Danzig making quick work of Tommy Speer, technique overcoming strength as Danzig was able to gain his opponent’s back and submit him via rear naked choke two minutes into the first round of their matchup. Danzig announced his plans to move down to the lightweight division after having his hand raised in the middle of the Octagon™ and being awarded a guaranteed six-figure contract with the UFC.

The highlight of the night’s undercard action featured another contender for “Fight of the Year,” a three round, seesaw affair between Jon “War Machine” Koppenhaver and Jared “J-Roc” Rollins. Both fighters left it all in the Octagon, trading strikes on their feet and going back and forth on the ground as each utilized a ground and pound attack. Two minutes into the final round, after Rollins seemed to have the fight won after rocking his opponent on the mat, Koppenhaver reversed position and rained down a series of blows which caused referee Steve Mazzagatti to halt the action. With both men bloodied and bruised, it was Koppenhaver who had his hand raised in victory to the thunderous applause of those in attendance.

I provided a recap of the TUF 6 Finale for you here so please check it out and comment on it over there, please!.

Kimbo Slice of Life - ESPN: E:60 Documentary & More...

From Miami street brawler to Bangbus bodyguard to EliteXC six-figure contracted fighter, here is the documentary of the life of the one they call Kimbo Slice. Special appearances by Bas Rutten, Joe Rogan and my favorite hall of fame Tool, Tito Ortiz who does nothing more than rag on Kimbo.




Here's the video that launched his career and legend in the Internet fight scene.



Here's the one loss that happened against Kimbo by way of 6'3" 265Lb Sean "The Cannon" Gannon... Gannon has a 1-1 MMA record and fought in the UFC a couple of years ago.



Here's the circus sideshow with Kimbo fighting former Boxing Heavyweight Champion,
Merciless Ray Mercer.



Here's Kimbo Slice's first MMA fight against 10-10, Bo "The Can" Cantrell in Kimbo's EliteXC debut.


>

TUF 6 Finale Payouts

The Ultimate Fighter Season 6 Finale payday has been announced which does not include any other bonuses that the fighters may have received. It appears that all of the TUFers got 8 grand to show with an 8K win bonus so that's even across the board however, Clay Guida got robbed from where I see the fighters dole.

One of the reasons I love this sport so much is due in part to the rawness that it exemplifies as well as the rawness of the fighters who make it all happen for our enjoyment. I mean, you have a guys that for the most part were barely employed and barely knockin' out the rent prior to joining TUF and now a guy like War Machine who was kickin' it on the beach somewhere before he got the call from Dana White's crew to replace the injured Roman Mitichyan gets $16,000 for what I thought was "The Fight of the Night".

Or how about a country boy in Tommer Speer who's trying to make money the only way he can to save the family farm from falling under financially. That's heart man! That's "every man", but most of all, that's me when I watch these guys. No difference except in the way they're going about knockin' out the rent.

Consider that these fighters get paid 8-10 thousand per fight yet only fight three times per year, have to eat, pay rent, taxes & bills to survive in the pursuit of their dream to one day be the best fighter they can be. Respect to all the fighters, man!

Speaking of heart and respect, check out what Clay Guida got for losing to Roger Huerta on his birthday.

Roger Huerta — $38,000 ($19,000 to show, $19,000 to win)
Clay Guida — $11,000
Huerta defeated defeated Guida via submission (rear naked choke) in round three

Mac Danzig — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Tommy Speer — $8,000
Danzig defeated Speer via submission (rear naked choke) in round one

Jon “War Machine” Koppenhaver — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Jared Rollins — $8,000
Koppenhaver defeated Rollins via technical knockout (strikes) in round three

George Sotiropoulos — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Billy Miles — $8,000
Sotiropoulos defeated Miles via submission (rear naked choke) in round one

Ben Saunders — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Dan Barrera — $8,000
Saunders defeated Barrera via unanimous decision

Troy “Rude Boy” Mandaloniz — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Richie Hightower — $8,000
Mandaloniz defeated Hightower via technical knockout (strikes) in round one

Matt Arroyo — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
John Kolosci — $8,000
Arroyo defeated Kolosci via submission (arm bar) in round one

Roman Mitichyan — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Dorian Price — $8,000
Mitichyan defeated Price via submission (ankle lock) in round one

Jonathan Goulet — $14,000 ($7,000 to show, $7,000 to win)
Paul Georgieff — $8,000
Goulet defeated Georgieff via submission (rear naked choke) in round one

Hat tip to MMAMania.com for the TUF 6 Finale fighter paydays

Anyway, congrats to all the TUF contestants and also to Mac Danzig for winning in convincing fashion and also receiving the six-figure UFC contract then dropping to 155 to give rise to a future welterweight force in the hick who overuses the word, "farm" in every interview - Mr. Tommy Speer.

Maybe Tommy can use some of that $8000 to buy new toys instead of the tires he plays with in the farmer's field.

Here's my Fight of the Night between War Machine & J-Roc!

Nick Diaz Quote of the Day

Nick Diaz, also known more recently as the big brother of Nate Diaz spoke in an interview regarding Rich Franklin from Fighter's Only Magazine from the U.K.

"He just lost again right? See what I mean? You are promoting Rich Franklin and this motherfucker, here he is, letting it ride and he's just trying to uphold his image.

The guy's a fucking teacher. He's a school teacher - that's what he is. If I was going to fight him I'd be pretty damn confident . I'm going to fight a teacher not a fighter. There are plenty of teachers I wanted to beat up"

Here's a gem of Nick Diaz going off on the use of artificial chocolate. Diaz has the propensity to lose it on just about anything and this was the first time I saw Mayhem Miller in an interview where he had very little to say.

Sherk's Title Strip is a JOKE!

Leave it up to the UFC to phrase shit like no other organization that I know in a post from Thomas Gerbasi from UFC.com:

...the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization withdrew recognition from Sherk as UFC Lightweight Champion.

Withdrew recognition is so much nicer than STRIPPED don't you think?

Here's some lip flapping from the dude who should have had the sack between his legs to announce that Sherk's title had been "withdrawn" instead of hugging Shek's nutsack by having Gerbasi tip-toe over eggshells in a bullshit post that will get buried in a day or so.

“I have nothing but respect for Sean Sherk and I believe he’s been honest throughout this whole process,” said UFC President Dana White. “But BJ Penn and Joe Stevenson will be fighting for the lightweight title at UFC 80 on January 19th and Sean Sherk will fight the winner for the title.”

The sad reality of this situation is that Sherk is guaranteed a title fight against the winner of the Penn/Stevenson fight that was originally announced to be an interim title fight.

So where's the punishment?

Taking away Sherk's title today makes no shred of difference in the grand scheme of it all because he will still be walking into the Octagon for a title fight when he returns from CSAC exhile.

Even CSAC showed Sherk some compassion by dropping his year long suspension to six months only to see the UFC and its President, Dana White reward the confirmed cheating bastard with a title fight; the same fight as he was promised during the CSAC hearings only this time, Sherk isn't fighting to defend the title, he's fighting for it.

What really pisses me off the most is that the UFC is taking a lackadaisical approach to cheating in professional sports. Dana White is of the thought that the State Commissions are responsible for discipline of the fighters. Bullshit!

Dana White, as the President of the company is responsible for the discipline of the "UFC fighters" and has the choice to use Sherk as an example for the rest of the 250+ fighters on UFC contract to stay far away from Steroid use because its bad for the UFC brand not to mention the sport of mixed martial arts.

The UFC will continue to be the WWE of mixed martial arts in North America and around the globe with this kind of blind tolerance and gift giving for a cheating champion that disgraced the sport, the fighters and most of all, the fans.

I hope that Penn or Stevenson crush Sherk like GSP did becaue we are desperate for a real Lightweight Champion that's willing to fight more than one time per year while remaining drug and State Commission hearing free.

Feedback S'il Vous Plaît?

Recently, I sold my soul and surrendered my services to a cool new site with an attitude called CagePotato.com and I would really appreciate your feedback about the piece I wrote about the TUF 6 Finale.

Of course, the article did go through the editor's meat grinder after I submitted it although I am happy with the outcome as the Editor didn't slay me too badly with their literary license to kill.

I'm hoping it rolls into something on a part-time/regular basis so please check out my bastardization of the English language and drop a comment or two about it, s'il vous plaît.

On a similar note, if you are interested in writing/posting MMA material, please drop me an email to mmafever@gmail.com and let me know why you would want to work for FREE for MMA Fever :)

I asked Fedor but he gave me some shitty excuse that he was busy preparing for a fight...

Now go and tell me what you think... Go!

Get outta here already!

Troy Mandaloniz vs. Richie Hightower - TUF 6 Finale Video

Not lovin' the blue hair so much as Rude Boy's straight left hand.



Ian, you asked for the Rude Boy "Hula Dance" gif so here you go sir!

Matt Arroyo's TUF 6 Audition Video

Very well done by Arroyo especially the bonus footage at the end of the video which surely got the attention from the decision makers at Zuffa to sign him on to The Ultimate Fighter 6 Spike TV reality series.

Check out Arroyo's fight last night at the TUF 6 Finale for more goodness after watching this gem.

Matt Arroyo vs John Kolosci - TUF 6 Finale Video

Sick armbars from Matt Arroyo... catch this while you can!

Roman Mitichyan vs Dorian Price - TUF 6 Finale Video

This one won't last long so tell your friends that Roman Mitichyan isn't a Poosie!

George Sotiropoulos vs. Billy Miles - TUF 6 Video

Mac Danzig vs. Tommy Speer - TUF 6 Video

Roger Huerta vs Clay Guida - TUF 6 Finale Video

Chuck Liddell & The Pit Fight Team Workout

As a confirmed Liddell fan, I was none too impressed with this workout video dated 11/24/07 by John Hackleman's Pit Fight Team. I mean really, how is Chuck ever going to stay on top in the UFC Light Heavyweight division with training partners like that?

Some dude is running in flip-flops ahead of Chuck too. Sad, really, really sad.

I hate to say this but my money is on Wanderlei Silva when Chuck meets him December 29th for UFC 79: Nemesis in Vegas.

Please, wake the Chuck up, and get outta there!

Warning: The music in this video will make you vomit in your mouth!

MMA Girls TUF 6 Finale Predictions

Happy Birthday Clay Guida!!!!

Clay "The Carpenter" Guida is set to fight Roger Huerta this evening at The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale on his birthday no less.

Clay turns 26 today and desperately deserves to be on the winning side of a decision victory like I predict he will be against Huerta tonight.

Happy Birthday Clay!

Check out the Full TUF 6 card which starts tonight @ 9pm on Spike TV.

MMA Fever will have the fight videos for you tomorrow when they surface as usual :)

It's Fuckin' Friday!

Time for a happy dance before I dive into a few too many beers in a couple hours to wash this week away.

Does anyone know who the fool in the video is?

TUF 6 Semi-Finals Video with Danzig & Speer

Tommy Speer and Mac Danzig are set to square off together in the TUF6 finale tomorrow night following their impressive wins over their opponents in the last set of fights on the now infamous Spike TV original, The Ultimate Fighter 6 reality series.

Here's the goodness in case you missed it...

Tommy Speer vs. George Sotiropoulos

Mac Danzig vs. Jonn Kolosci

Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale Press Conference

Mark Cuban Nails Fedor!

Hmmmmm... that didn't sound right but the truth is that Mark Cuban's HDNet High Definition television channel will exclusively broadcast the Fedor Emelianenko fight against the yet to be identified opponent for the Yarennoka! event on New Years eve in Japan AND HDNet has obtained the exclusive rights to broadcast all of Fedor’s future international fights.

Cuban on HDNet & Fedor:

“This announcement reinforces our commitment to becoming the home for live MMA action,” Cuban stated. “No one else but HDNet will have the return of Fedor live from Japan.”

Cuban on the IFL Grand Prix:

“This is a great opportunity to work with the IFL for the first time and to bring one of the best cards of the year live to MMA fans and HDNet customers,” said Andrew Simon about the broadcast of the IFL Grand Prix."

"HDNet Fights: Fedor Returns" will air LIVE on Monday, December 31 on HDNet.

This LIVE broadcast is made possible by a partnership between M-1 Global and HDNet Fights.

Visit their new Web site, http://www.hdnetfights.com

Hat tip to MMAWeekly

TUF 6 Finale Reminder!

Main Televised Card Bouts:

Clay Guida vs. Roger Huerta
TUF Welterweight Tournament Finals: Mac Danzig vs. Tommy Speer
George Sotiropoulous vs. Billy Miles
Jared Rollins vs. Jon Koppenhaver

Untelevised Preliminary Bouts:

Ben Saunders vs. Dan Barrera
Matt Arroyo vs. John Kolosci
Jonathan Goulet vs. Paul Georgieff
Troy Mandaloniz vs. Richie Hightower
Dorian Price vs. Roman Mitichyan

UFC Octagon Bling

Or a target for gettin' yer ass beaten as an MMA poser?



Here's the description from UFC Store:

We have finally released one of our most requested items! Same pendant worn by the fighters on The Ultimate Fighter reality series! Pewter pendant with comfortable leatherette strap.

"The UFC has yet to comment"

"The UFC has yet to comment and when asked about the situation late today, the UFC confirmed that Sherk remains the promotion's 155-lb. titleholder."

What the fuck does that mean?

Is it a contradictory sentence or is Sievert trying to tell us without any confirmed sources mind you that "The UFC" confirmed later in the day when earlier in the day "The UFC" had yet to comment.

Who the fuck is this person Sievert calls "The UFC"?

Sounds like a reporter's troll job to me given the fact that there aren't any "confirmed sources" that one could address a Christmas card to or even a nice little letter outlining their disgust with "The UFC's" decision to reward their Champion, Sean Sherk for cheating in the world of professional sports.

Sad really on many levels... I'll choose to wait for Dana White to personally sack up to this alleged boneheaded decision IF it's true which means that I am actually giving Dana White the benefit of the doubt over Sievert's piece for now.

Matt Hughes Wrote a Book... About Himself

Some say it's a self-written autobiography of Matt Hughes' life to date and others believe it to be nothing more than one man's documented obsession with combat sports, God and his tractor (but not necessarily in that order).

Hughes' self-written autobiographical account of his rise to mixed martial arts fame is set to be released on January 1, 2008.

Description

If you know anything at all about mixed martial arts and the UFC, then you know the name Matt Hughes. With devastating slams and ground-and-pound -- and nine championship belts to his credit -- Matt is the most dominant fighter in UFC history.

Matt was raised with his twin brother on a family farm in small-town Hillsboro, Illinois. Behind the postcard-perfect fields of corn, beans, and wheat stood a home consumed by bankruptcy, tension, and interpersonal struggles, but Matt reacted to hard times by playing hard and working even harder.

In high school and college Matt was an unstoppable wrestler, and he ended up a two-time Division I All-American. Whereas every year's top eight graduating college football players become instant millionaires, Matt got to stay on as assistant wrestling coach, doing electrical work on the side for fourteen dollars an hour. All of that changed the day he met legendary MMA manager Monte Cox, as well as Pat Miletich, a trainer who also happened to be the welterweight champion of the world.

Rising through the ranks of the independent fighting circuit and the UFC, Matt saw things that fans could only catch glimpses of -- until now. For the first time, a major UFC superstar has decided to answer all the questions the fans have about him, the organization, and the sport. You'll learn which fighter almost sent Matt packing from mixed martial arts; why he refused to speak to his role model, Randy Couture; and what his relationship with UFC president Dana White is like. He reveals in which match he found himself praying to God for help, why he originally refused a shot at the world title, and what it's like training at the Miletich Fighting Camp. Matt describes working on TV's The Ultimate Fighter, what really happened to Tito Ortiz during the legendary brawl on the streets of London, just how personal his rivalry with Frank Trigg became, and what it was like to go up against the mythical Royce Gracie -- and destroy him.

Matt discloses his most private thoughts and feelings during both his epic victories and his crushing losses. But when the gloves come off, there's Matt Hughes the man. He talks with unflinching honesty about his early hell-raising and his near-death experience, the moment he let God into his heart, falling in love with his wife, the birth of his daughter, and all the important events of his life -- and he shares personal photographs never before seen by the public.

A Christian, a family man, and a fighter, Matt Hughes could only have been made in America.

Click here to read an exceprt from the book and really try hard not to hear a country boy drawl in your head when you dive into this literary masterpiece that is sure to releive the pain of constipation on those difficult days.

You can pre-order the book right here.

Chuck Liddell Quotes on Axe Murdering Silva

“I hit hard and have a longer reach than him, and he’s fighting on emotion,” Liddell said. “He comes forward. That’s what he knows, and I tend to do better with opponents like that.”

“When you have a guy that fights on emotion, it’s hard to teach him something new,” Liddell said. “It’s harder for a fighter like him to stick to a gameplan, when a single punch can take him out of it. You can hit him, and he’ll go right back into what he knows and feels comfortable with.”

Something tells me that Chuck is gonna have his hands full with something other than Vegas whores clinging to his nutsack and that dude is The Axe Murderer himself, Wanderlei Silva @ UFC 79 in Lost Wages on Dec 29.

NyQuil will be in full effect after the fight regardless of the outcome I am sure.

Quotes courtesty of The Fight Network

"Let's Get it On" Big John, Gone?

Say it ain't so that the one they call 'Big' John McCarthy is set to call a press conference for this Friday to announce his retirement from the UFC as a referee according to the rumour first posted by MMAJunkie.com

McCarthy started as a referee in the UFC at UFC 2 and of the 100 total events the UFC has held, McCarthy ref'd 98 of them. Impressive.

No word on what he's thinking about doing post-UFC but you can guess that he'll stay close to his friend Randy Couture as both will skip and dance while holding hands in their MMA afterlife.

This is a lower blow than Jenna Jameson could achieve on Tito or the thousands of other dudes she's blown or even Kongo on Cro Cop or GSP on Hughes' little nads and to the fans and the fighters who have embraced Big John as their own.

Big John McCarthy is/was a true icon of "Ultimate Fighting".

Fuck, now we'll see more of Herb Dean's brand of MMA.

Timmah Confirmed for UFC 81: Boiling Point

That's right, Tim Sylvia, the fighter everyone loves to hate (except me of course) has told the world that he is confirmed to fight at UFC 81: Boiling Point... you know, the same event that Brock "Cocksword" Lesnar is on against Frank Mir.

Well, Sylvia being the true company man is keeping tight lipped about his opponent who we all know to be Minotauro Nogueira "Big Nog" because Randy Couture chicken shat his way out of the match.

Dana White had better make this Heavyweight fight a legitimate Championship match and stop giving hope that the love off his life, Couture will return back in his arms again to continue a relationship that even Plato wouldn't consider platonic.

Randy Couture did say in a round about way that he was tired of getting fucked by Dana didn't he?

I'm leaning toward Nog to win this fight... well, when the UFC confirms the match, of course *wink*

From the Maine-iac's blog:

December 03, 2007

I just want to apologize to everybody that i haven't been on my website or MySpace in a while. I just moved to a new house and don't have internet yet, because they have to run a new cable. So, I'm hoping in the next couple of weeks it will be up and running.

Just found out I'm fighting February 2nd, on the Super Bowl show in Las Vegas. I can't say who I'm fighting yet, but I'll let you all know as soon as I can.

P.S. To those people who know what I do for a living, the fact that Sylvia's cable installation is all fucked up really doesn't surprise me in the least. Too bad Timmah isn't living in Toronto 'cause I could hook him up faster than Sean Sherk's 'Roids dealer.

Thanks to MMAMania for the assist.

Joe Rogan's Canister of Cannabis

No shit, Mr. Fear Factor and UFC commentator Joe Rogan is interviewed by ProElite.com along with Jason "Mayhem" Miller when near the end of the interview, Joe shows us his inspiration in a little silver canister.

I always liked Joe Rogan 'cause he knows what he's talkin' about on the UFC PPV broadcasts, is a practicing BJJ student, actor and a comedian and also free as a bird and higher than a motherfuckin' kite to boot. I always suspected on a few UFC PPV's that Joe looked a little "red" when on camera. Now we know :)

All the power to you Joe.... now pass some of that shit instead of hoarding it... puff, puff, give muthafuckah!!

Sherk Suspension Shrunk to Six

No matter what I try, I can't stop using alliteration when it comes to slippery Sean Sherk. Mr.Sherk wasn't that slippery yesterday as CSAC (California State Athletic Commission) slapped him with a reduced sentence in the form of a six month suspension.

Sherk still proclaims his innocence along with a million U.S. prison inmates, Chris Hansens's Dateline NBC "alleged" predators and O.J. Simpson. Great crowd to be a part of Seanny!

Hint: Change "The Muscle Shark" nickname immediately to divert attention from yourself.

From MMA Weekly:

Following his July 7 Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title defense against Hermes Franca, Sean Sherk was suspended for one year and fined $2,500 for testing positive for Nandrolone, according to the California State Athletic Commission.

On Tuesday, he again went before the Commission. When all was said and done, Sherk’s suspension was reduced to six months, while his fine was upheld at $2,500, MMAWeekly.com’s Tom Hamlin reported.

An initial motion to uphold the one-year suspension failed. The second motion, to reduce Sherk’s suspension, initially failed in a 3-3 deadlock, but upon further discussion, it was re-introduced and subsequently passed by a margin of 4-2.

“You don’t know what you’re going to get until you get there,” said Sherk in the days leading up to the hearing. “I’m optimistic because we do have a lot of facts supporting my innocence.”

But he was also leery of the process, saying, “They don’t really have rules and regulations that they have to follow. All I want is a fair trial. I just want an opportunity to present facts that we have, supporting my innocence that I did not take Nandrolone.”

Apparently, Sherk believes that he wasn’t given the fair trial that he wanted. Following the hearing, he stated, “I’m not happy at all with (a six-month suspension and fine). This is not over,” indicating that he would be discussing possible legal action with his attorneys.

As it stands, Sherk will be eligible to return to action in early January.

UFC 79 LIVE at MSG with Matt Serra

Well, not exactly a "Live" event but the next best thing to it which is a broadcast of the live UFC 79 event to be shown at Madison Square Garden in New York City to be hosted by your crippled Welterweight Champion, Matt Serra.

FYI - It is illegal to hold live mixed martial arts events in New York State so the broadcast of this event in MSG is a HUGE nudge to the legislators of the State to wake up and lift the MMA ban which, I hope they do.

To reserve your tickets check out Ticketmaster for details as they will certainly go fast when the virtual booth opens on December 8 @ 10am EST.

GSP's Superman Punch Demo

Many apologies for not posting like a maniac today as I had to do the job of three people and didn't have the time to slack off however, I have something that even Matt Hughes would enjoy... a Superman punch demonstration from the one and only Georges St.Pierre.

Randy "The Can" Couture Officially Ducks Big Nog

Yep, the Couture hype wagon has lost its wheels since Randy declined the bout against who most forsee as the future Heavyweight Champion, Minotauro Nogueira.

Seriously folks, did you buy into the Couture hype thinking he was the best in the world because he won by Unanimous Decision against a crippled Tim Sylvia and TKO'ed a relative nobody who's claim to fame was a Right High Kick to the Left High Kick master in Mirko Cro Cop?

Fedor would have put Couture in a coma.

From MMAWeekly who broke this story about a 16-8 Can Who Quit.

======================================
In a meeting with Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White last Tuesday, current heavyweight champion Randy Couture turned down a proposed title defense against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 81 on Feb. 2, 2008.

There was also some fence mending to be done at the meeting. Following Couture’s resignation from the UFC in October, the two went a couple of rounds through the media, disputing the basis of the resignation. With the meeting, Couture said he was able to air out the issues addressed in his decision and looks forward to a cooperative relationship with his employer of eleven years.

“We’ve cleared the air, and hopefully we’ll move forward with some sort of relationship,” Couture said. “I’ve got a lot of fighters and a lot of things that hinge around mixed martial arts and the UFC as well. I want to continue to work with them and I think that they want to continue to work with me, so we’ll figure out how that happens.”

The magnitude of response to his resignation shocked the five-time UFC champ.

“This whole resigning thing took on a life of its own,” he said. “There were 72 media outlets trying to get a hold of me. [I was] on the cover of Yahoo, it was just insane to me. I figured I’d go away quietly, maybe MMAWeekly would cover it, Full Contact Fighter or something like that would do a blurb on it, but it would be confined to the small niche… of mixed martial arts. Truly a testament to how big the sport has gotten by the reaction of me stepping down.”

Since then, Couture has been busy taking meetings for multiple film projects he is slated to begin work on in the next year. He still wants to fight No. 1 ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, but says his UFC contract makes it unlikely.

“Obviously I have a contractual obligation with the UFC. There’s been some haggling and things going on with all that, and Fedor signing with M-1 made the possibility of that fight very difficult because of that and because of those contracts,” he said.

The experience has underscored his need to take a step back from full-time fighting and focus on his personal life.

“I think more than anything at this stage of things I want to slow down a little bit,” Couture said. “I’ve been burning it for three or four years now … I want to take some time and go on a vacation, spend some time with my wife. We’ve been married a year now and we’ve been together very, very little in that year; it’s been crazy. It’s been difficult on us. I’ve got a nice house and I don’t even get to spend any time in it hardly, so take a little time now and just smell the roses so to speak.”

It appears that a fight for the now-vacant heavyweight title is in the works. It now appears that Nogueira will most likely face Tim Sylvia, who earned his contender slot with a win over Brandon Vera at UFC 77.

For Couture, the lesson lies in trusting his internal compass.

“I can’t focus on or account for other people and their motivations and their actions,” he said. “I have to focus on myself and just worry about that, and not let the other stuff in … it will drive you crazy.”

========================================

Edith Larente: The Other Side

...of the new UFC Octagon girl who replaces Ali Sonoma.

Gentlemen, you are welcome... and Ladies too of course ;)

UFC 79: Nemesis Site is LIVE!

UFC 79: Nemesis site - Click Here

Frank Mir & Son Talk Brock

Frankie Mir-aculous predicts an armbar victory over Mr.WWE, Brock Lesnar
Frank Trigg @ 1:12 & Frank Mir & son @ 3:25

Exclusive: Shogun Parody Interview

This one has Fightlinker all over it!



Shogun is expected to hop back into the octagon for a second time next April for UFC 83 which is rumoured to take place in my backyard, Canada. No opponent has been mentioned for the second coming of Shogun in the UFC.

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs Karo Parisyan

I have no idea when this occurred however, this video shows Sokoudjou squaring off against the Judo phenom, Karo Parisyan in a Judo tournament and doing quite well at it too.

Sokoudjou, a former Pride FC phenom is set to fight undefeated Lyoto Machida at UFC 79: Nemesis on December 29 in Vegas. Lyoto has a strong Karate discipline and now that Sokoudjou has demonstrated his Judo prowess, this fight could very well be what we've all been craving, a true mixed martial arts scrap unlike the wrestling Lay 'n' Pray bullshit that's been going on in the last few cards.



If you missed the Judo video.... check it out here

UFC 79: Nemesis
DECEMBER 29, 2007 IN LAS VEGAS
venue: Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada

Georges St.Pierre vs. Matt Hughes (Interim UFC Welterweight Championship Match)
Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Lyoto Machida
Manny Gamburyan vs. Nate Mohr
Rich Clementi vs. Melvin Guillard
Tony DeSouza vs. Roan Carneiro
Dean Lister vs. Jordan Radev
Doug Evans vs. Mark Bocek
Eddie Sanchez vs. Soa Palalei

Couture at Broken Arm's Length w/UFC

Couture almost ready for gym

By Jeff Cain/MMAWeekly.com
December 2, 2007

In his Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title defense against Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74, Randy "The Natural" Couture suffered a broken arm while blocking a high kick in the second round of the scheduled five-round bout. Couture on Saturday confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that the arm still hasn't completely healed, but he believes he will be back in the gym training at full capacity in two weeks.

"I'm training again. It's not 100%, but it's good," said the current UFC heavyweight champion. “I just had it x-rayed again. I think in a couple of weeks it will be cleared 100%."

He added, "It feels a little strange in certain places, but overall it's good."

Couture's acting career has taken off, but it most likely hampered the healing process. He commented, "It would have healed faster I think if I allowed them to put a cast on it. With the acting gig, I couldn’t be walking around ‘The Unit’ and ‘Scorpion King’ with a cast."

Despite still being recognized as the UFC heavyweight champion, Couture – ranked as the No. 4 heavyweight in the world by MMAWeekly.com – is currently in the midst of determining his future, both with the company, and in the sport in general.

He submitted his resignation from the UFC, both as a fighter and in other capacities, in early October, saying, “I’m tired of swimming upstream at this stage with the management of the UFC.”

A public war of words has ensued since his resignation with both Couture and the UFC holding separate press conferences to detail their respective sides of the situation.

Couture since has reportedly been offered a title defense against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

For all the latest MMA news, check out MMA Weekly.

==================================================

Rumours abound that Nogueira may face Tim Sylvia at UFC 81: Breaking Point as the signing of the fighters has been completed. No word yet about Randy's decision to come back with his tail between his legs for another million dollar payday with the UFC.

UFC 81: Breaking Point Poster

First Fatality in MMA

TEXAS FIGHTER DIES


Sammy Vasquez, 35, Becomes MMA’s First Documented Fatality

By Anthony Armstrong

The Harris County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed today that Samuel Vasquez, a 35-year-old mixed martial artist from Houston, Texas, died on Friday, Nov. 30. A representative for the Joseph A. Jachimczyk Forensics Center verified the time of death at 8:15 p.m. CST. Vasquez’s death appears to be the first documented fatality resulting from a regulated MMA fight.

Vasquez (1-2) suffered a third-round knockout loss to Vince Libardi (4-3) during a Renegades Extreme Fighting bout on Oct. 20 at Houston’s Toyota Center. After the fight, Vasquez was taken to Saint Joseph Medical Center’s Critical Care Unit, where he began a 47-day struggle.

The official cause of Vasquez’s death has not been released, pending a determination from the medical examiner.

During his hospitalization, Vasquez’s wife, Sandra, is believed to have documented his status on a public comment board at TXMMA.com. She reportedly wrote that Vasquez underwent surgery to remove a blood clot that was not a result of the initial injury. This has led to speculation that Vasquez may have had a pre-existing condition.

According to the comments posted, Vasquez then suffered a second blood clot, fluid on his brain, brain swelling and a massive stroke that induced a coma.

The Vasquez family has not spoken directly to the press.

According to a report by Sherdog.com, Vasquez had been released to an area hospice on Nov. 29. Hospice care is traditionally provided for patients who have been given six months or less to live.

Paul Erickson, owner of TXMMA.com, photographed the event in which Vasquez was injured.

“There was nothing out of the ordinary,” Erickson said. “They scrambled and hit the cage. Sammy stood up and looked a little wobbly. Then he when down again and the referee called the doctor in. It didn’t seem like any was out of the ordinary. Sammy was winded and looked exhausted, but he wasn’t unconscious when they carried him out [on a stretcher]. Everyone was puzzled at the time because no one could tell when or where he was injured.”

Erickson, who has trained in and covered Texas MMA since 1997, also observed that “the cage was properly padded and reinforced, everything was inspected before the fights started, and there were no illegal moves or strikes. This is the frustrating part, in that there’s no easy explanation.”

In the sport’s 14-year history in the United States, there had been no serious life-threatening injuries. The only reported death occurred internationally at a non-regulated event in the Ukraine in 1998 after American Doug Dedge passed out shortly following his bout. Following his death, unsubstantiated reports claimed Dedge had a pre-existing medical condition.

In a previous interview, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation representative Greg Alvarez said the TDLR was monitoring Vasquez’s condition closely. “If Sammy’s condition takes a turn for the worse,” Alvarez said, “we will investigate [the incident] further.”

Alvarez had also stated that TDLR ensured all of the regulations, licensing and safety checklists were adhered to but had been reluctant to talk about the night Vasquez was critically injured.

Renegades Extreme Fighting is owned and promoted by Saul Soliz, a longtime striking coach to Tito Ortiz and Ricco Rodriguez and well respected figure in the MMA community. Renegades has held 23 events to date. Soliz has not returned repeated calls for comment.

In her last purported TXMMA.com posting on Nov. 17, Vasquez’s wife stated, “I do not hold anyone responsible for what has happened, and I know in my heart that Sammy doesn’t either ... Please do not speculate as to what, when, where, who or how. It’s part of life, things happen.”

Vasquez is survived by his wife, Sandra, and 7-year-old son.

POSTED -- 12/01/07