IFL -- MMA FanHouse

Kimbo Slice vs. Roy Nelson Will Be Huge for 'The Ultimate Fighter'

Posted: Sep 23rd 2009 11:30 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: IFL, UFC

Update: Kimbo Slice vs. Roy Nelson results.

UFC fans will finally see Kimbo Slice inside the Octagon on the September 30 edition of The Ultimate Fighter, and when Spike shows Kimbo taking on former International Fight League heavyweight champion Roy Nelson, it will be one of the most-watched fights in the history of mixed martial arts.

The Kimbo vs. Nelson bout, which was announced at the end of this week's Ultimate Fighter, matches the man who might be America's most famous MMA fighter with the man who was widely regarded as the most accomplished mixed martial artist of this season on the UFC's reality show.

Ultimate Fighter 10: Roy Nelson Is the Best, Who's Next?

Posted: Sep 11th 2009 11:33 AM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: IFL, UFC

7 COMMENTS

Kimbo Slice is, of course, the biggest name on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. But every hard-core MMA fan I know is in agreement that the TUF 10 cast member who has accomplished the most in MMA is Roy Nelson, who was the last heavyweight champion of the IFL, has 13 professional victories and was competitive in all four of his losses.

But after Nelson, who's the next-best contestant on The Ultimate Fighter, which begins Wednesday on Spike? One web site may have the answer.

Roy Nelson Happy Taking TUF Road

Posted: Jul 27th 2009 8:40 AM ET by Ariel Helwani (RSS feed)
Filed Under: IFL, MMA Videos, UFC, FanHouse Exclusive

3 COMMENTS

Roy Nelson may be one of the most decorated fighters to ever appear on "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show. The former IFL heavyweight champion, who holds a 13-4 professional MMA record, will be one of the 16 fighters competing for a UFC contract on the tenth season of TUF. The series premieres September 16 on Spike TV.

FanHouse recently spoke to "Big Country" about why he decided to appear on the show and living with Kimbo Slice. Check out the full video interview below.

March Badness: Jeff Monson Beats Roy Nelson by Unanimous Decision

Posted: Mar 21st 2009 11:59 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: IFL, MMA Gossip

2 COMMENTS

Former IFL heavyweight champion Roy Nelson lost a hard-fought unanimous decision to former UFC No. 1 contender Jeff Monson Saturday night at the March Badness event in Florida.

Justin Levens 'Never the Same' After Suicide of Fellow IFL Fighter Jeremy Williams

Posted: Dec 18th 2008 1:35 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: IFL

10 COMMENTS

The death of Justin Levens, a mixed martial arts fighter who was found in his home, along with his wife, in a possible murder-suicide, is bringing back painful memories of the suicide of another MMA fighter, Jeremy Williams.

Sports Deaths in 2008

Dec. 17: MMA fighter Justin Levens and his wife are found dead in their California condominium in what police believe is an apparent murder-suicide.

Jeff Gross, Getty Images

Sammy Baugh, Dec. 17: Perhaps the greatest Washington Redskin of all time and the last surviving member of the first Pro Football Hall of Fame class dies at the age of 94.

Chris Richardson, Dec. 11: The Harlem Globetrotter, and former standout at UNLV, dies in his sleep. It is believed he died of natural causes.

D. Clarke Evans, NBAE / Getty Images

Billey Joe Johnson, Dec. 8: The High school football star from Alabama dies at a police stop.

Rivals.com

Ted Rogers, Dec. 2: Rogers, the founder of Canada's largest cable company and the owner of the Toronto Blue Jays since 2000, dies in his home at the age of 75.

Adrian Wyld, The Canadian Press / AP

Pit Martin, Dec. 2: The 64-year-old four-time NHL All-Star dies after his snowmobile plunges into an icy lake near his home in Quebec.

Steve Babineau, Getty Images / NHLI

Armand Guidolin, Nov. 24: He was the youngest player to ever play in the NHL and went on to coach Boston and Colorado.

Will Barrow, Nov. 22: The rising lacrosse star was only 22 years old. A cause of death has yet to be released.

Jim Rogash, Getty Images

Bob Jeter, Nov. 20: The NFL cornerback, seen here late in his career with the Bears, started in Super Bowls I and II for the Packers.

NFL

Pete Newell, Nov. 17: The Hall of Fame basketball coach led California to a national championship in 1959 and the United States to Olympic gold in 1960.

Dino Vournas, AP

Mike Chiappetta of NBC Sports reports that Levens was devastated when Williams, his friend and International Fight League teammate, committed suicide last year:

An anonymous source that spent time with Levens in recent months told NBCSports.com that he was "never the same" after the suicide of one of his close friends, former IFL fighter and teammate Jeremy Williams.

Williams shot himself in 2007. Levens, who briefly appeared in the UFC, hadn't fought in more than a year, was not under contract to any MMA organization and was currently serving a suspension for testing positive for the painkiller oxymorphone.

Pat Miletich Will Fight Thomas Denny at December 11 Adrenaline MMA Show

Posted: Oct 31st 2008 10:40 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: IFL

1 COMMENT

Former UFC welterweight champion Pat Miletich will return to the MMA cage for the first time in more than two years on December 11 when he fights Thomas Denny in Adrenaline's second show on December 11 at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois.

As first reported on HDNet's Inside MMA, the 40-year-old Miletich will fight for the first time since losing to Renzo Gracie in September of 2006. Denny last fought in July when he lost to Nick Diaz in an EliteXC bout.

Miletich is well known in MMA circles, but in recent years he's become known more for being a coach and for founding Miletich Fighting Systems than for actually fighting. Miletich hasn't won a fight since he knocked out Shonie Carter in 2001.

Other fighters who will appear on the Adrenaline card include Ben Rothwell and Ryan McGivern.

Today in MMA: UFC 92, Mark Cuban Buys IFL, Eddie Alvarez, Urijah Faber, WEC on PPV

Posted: Oct 31st 2008 9:02 AM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: EliteXC, IFL, UFC, WEC

0 COMMENTS

Here's the complete lineup for UFC 92, which features Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira-Frank Mir, Forrest Griffin-Rashad Evans and Wanderlei Silva-Rampage Jackson.

Mark Cuban's HDNet bought the remaining assets of the International Fight League for $650,000.

Says Eddie Alvarez of the demise of EliteXC, "It just sucks. It happens to companies like this a lot. I think if this was the first time I'd been through this, I'd be more shaken. I was with Bodog Fight when they went under about this time last year. I just have to keep my head up, keep training and fight whenever I can. I can't get down."

This weekend's Sengoku card is set.

Will Golden Boy promote a boxing show the same night as Affliction: Day of Reckoning?

MMA Live Chat: Elite XC in Honolulu

Posted: Jun 13th 2008 12:35 PM ET by Josh Alper (RSS feed)
Filed Under: MMA, MMA/Boxing, UFC, Elite XC, IFL, Affliction for MMA

0 COMMENTS

Elite XC returns from its trip to network television tomorrow night with a card from Honolulu on Showtime. The main event will feature lightweight champion K.J. Noons against the veteran Yves Edwards. That match will be preceded by an undercard featuring Nick Diaz vs. Muhsin Corbbrey, Murillo "Ninja" Rua vs. Tony Bonello, Rafael Feijao vs. Wayne Cole and Dave "Pee Wee" Herman vs. Ron Waterman.

We'll be talking about that card at 1 p.m. today during a live chat. We won't limit the discussion to that show, however, so feel free to drop by to talk about Donald Trump's foray into the MMA world via a stake in Affliction, Dana White's still mysterious announcement, the potential demise of the IFL and anything else on your mind.

So drop by at 1 where we'll be chatting after the jump.

IFL Cancels Event, Could Declare Bankruptcy

Posted: Jun 10th 2008 7:51 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: IFL

1 COMMENT

The International Fight League announced today that it has canceled its next scheduled event, and there are ominous signs that the organization could go bankrupt.

In its announcement, IFL said it has canceled its August 15 event at the Izod Center in New Jersey, "in light of the company's current financial condition." It then adds, "the company may seek protection from its creditors through a court proceeding."

IFL tried to do some interesting things, like organize fighters into teams and brand itself as the rare American promotion that uses a ring, not a cage. But it was hemorrhaging money, and it's probably about to go belly-up.

IFL says it is working with other organizations to help find places for its fighters to stay active. IFL's biggest name, heavyweight champion Roy Nelson, is a talented but overweight fighter who has been mentioned as a possible opponent for Kimbo Slice. This makes that fight more likely.

MMA Schedule: UFC, EliteXC, Affliction, WEC, IFL, StrikeForce, More

Posted: Jun 4th 2008 11:01 AM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: UFC, Elite XC, IFL, WEC, Dream, Affliction for MMA

0 COMMENTS

Here's a look at the upcoming events in mixed martial arts:

Saturday, June 14
EliteXC: Return of the King, K.J. Noons vs. Yves Edwards, Nick Diaz vs. Muhsin Corbbrey, Honolulu, 10 p.m., Showtime.

Adrenaline: Jeff Monson vs. Mike Russow; Daiju Takase vs. Terry Martin Chicago, 7 p.m., no American TV.

Sunday, June 15
Dream 4: Shinya Aoki vs. Katsuhiko Nagata, Japan, HDNet.

Saturday, June 21
The Ultimate Fighter 7 finale: Evan Tanner vs. Kendall Grove, Diego Sanchez vs. Luigi Fioravanti, Las Vegas, 9 p.m., Spike TV.