MMA FanHouse http://mma.fanhouse.com MMA FanHouse http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://mma.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif MMA FanHouse http://mma.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Gilbert Yvel-UFC, Ricardo Arona-Strikeforce Rumors Debunkedhttp://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/08/20/gilbert-yvel-ufc-ricardo-arona-strikeforce-rumors-debunked/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/08/20/gilbert-yvel-ufc-ricardo-arona-strikeforce-rumors-debunked/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/08/20/gilbert-yvel-ufc-ricardo-arona-strikeforce-rumors-debunked/#commentsFiled under: , ,



PRIDE veterans Gilbert Yvel and Ricardo Arona, at least for now, have not reached agreements, respectively, with the UFC and Strikeforce.

UFC veteran David Bielkheden mentioned on his blog Wednesday after training in Brazil with Arona and the Brazilian Top Team that his good friend Arona has signed with Strikeforce. But that may be premature as Strikeforce director of communications, Mike Afromowitz, told FanHouse Wednesday that the promotion has not signed Arona to a contract.

Arona (13-5), who holds victories over Alistair Overeem, Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson, and Kazushi Sakuraba, is scheduled to face Marvin Eastman (16-9-1) at Bitetti Combat on Sept. 12 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Meanwhile, Yvel (36-13-1) informed FanHouse on Tuesday that he does not know when he's fighting next and that he has not heard anything about a UFC deal, though he would be interested in competing for them.

Yvel is coming off a knockout win over Pedro Rizzo in June and was set to face Paul Buentello at Affliction "Trilogy" until the cancellation of the event. The majority of the fighters on the "Trilogy" card have signed with the UFC, but Yvel is one of the few names the UFC has not been mentioned yet. However, Yvel is a free agent and his future plans could be revealed as soon as next week.

Gilbert Yvel-UFC, Ricardo Arona-Strikeforce Rumors Debunked originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>gilbert yvelGilbertYvelricardo aronaRicardoAronaRay HuiThu, 20 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST Dana White Still Has More News to Breakhttp://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/07/31/dana-white-still-has-more-news-to-break/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/07/31/dana-white-still-has-more-news-to-break/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/07/31/dana-white-still-has-more-news-to-break/#commentsFiled under: ,



Dana White may have another big announcement up his sleeve.

The UFC president announced on Friday that he had resigned Tito Ortiz, booked Vitor Belfort vs. Rich Franklin for UFC 103, and signed a new television deal with ESPN UK. However, his biggest announcement may be yet to come.

On a June 1 video blog (above), White said that he was working on a deal that would "literally change the UFC forever and mixed martial arts."

"[UFC CEO] Lorenzo [Fertitta] and I had a killer, killer meeting in Los Angeles today," White said. "And I was hoping that I would be able to tell you about it today, but the way deals go, they take time. So I can't tell you today, but I can tell you, it was a great meeting, and I'm feeling very confident that we're going to get this deal done."

When FanHouse asked White about the announcement on Friday's conference call, he replied, "We're very close right now. We're very, very close.

"We're still working on that. These things take longer than ... I actually thought we could crank it out faster than we did, but it's going to happen, and we're still working on it."

So, what could it be?

The fact that the meeting took place in Los Angeles has led some to believe that it has to do with a network television deal.

"We're always talking to networks," White said. "And I'm confident, I'm very confident that we're going to get a network deal. And like I've always said, once we get the right offer, we will be on network television. We haven't had the right offer yet."

Let me know your best guesses in the comments below.

Dana White Still Has More News to Break originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>dana whiteDanaWhiterich franklinRichFranklintito ortizTitoOrtizufc 103Ufc103vitor belfortVitorBelfortAriel HelwaniFri, 31 Jul 2009 16:11:00 EST Fans May Be in for Long Wait With UFC-Fedor Emelianenko Negotiationshttp://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/07/31/fans-may-be-in-for-long-wait-with-ufc-fedor-emelianenko-negotiat/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/07/31/fans-may-be-in-for-long-wait-with-ufc-fedor-emelianenko-negotiat/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/07/31/fans-may-be-in-for-long-wait-with-ufc-fedor-emelianenko-negotiat/#commentsFiled under: ,

Fedor EmelianenkoIt has been only one week since Affliction: Trilogy was canceled and the company's promotional arm closed up shop. One week. Seven days. Yet with the drama surrounding Fedor Emelianenko's will-he-or-won't-he saga, it seems like it's been an eternity.

In the time since then, huge contract offer numbers have been bandied about (the UFC never confirmed the offer's value, and Emelianenko's side denied any formal offer was made), Fedor traveled to and left the United States, and the two sides again were unable to meet in person.

In those seven days, nothing has changed. And that only serves to frustrate UFC President Dana White.


"Trust me when I tell you, we did everything to make this deal happen," he said during a conference call. "Everything. It's insanity to turn down a deal like this. To turn down a deal like this, you don't care about proving you're the best in the world, you don't want to fight the best in the world, you don't care about money. How do you deal with something like that?"

White said he went into the negotiations with Emelianenko's representatives with the feeling that he would finally be able to get the man he's been trying to corral for a few years now, and he went in as "the nicest Dana ever" after telling Zuffa co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta that he fully expected to get a deal done.

"I didn't wake up feeling good; I knew," he said. "I knew we were going to make that deal."

It all started off well. One by one, past negotiation sticking points were dealt with and put aside. The money was lucrative, Fedor could continue to participate in his beloved sambo, a title fight was offered from the get-go. The only non-negotiable point was that UFC would not - would never - agree to co-promote with M-1.

And that's when Emelianenko's team said, Thanks but no thanks.

"There's no compromise on co-promotion," White said. "Why the hell would I let anyone come in and co-promote. The Fertittas risked all their money. All the things we did in busting our ass in the 10 years we've been in this business, and these guys are going to walk in and say, 'We're going to be in business with you guys'?"

And if Emelianenko and crew dropped the co-promotion demand?

"It'd be done. We'd be announcing his fight right now, too," White said.

There is no questioning that Emelianenko is a great fighter. With a record of 30-1 with one no contest, the consistency of his excellence has been astouding, and M-1 clearly views him as its crown jewel asset. In that, even White could agree. During the course of the one-hour call, which was ostensibly to announce the re-signing of Tito Ortiz, a UK ESPN deal, and the signings of several ex-Affliction fighters including Vitor Belfort, White made it abundantly clear that he wants Emelianenko. Wants him badly, but doesn't feel like the feeling is mutual.

Just over two weeks ago, White swallowed his pride, ate his words and flew to Huntington Beach, Calif., to make peace with Ortiz and sign him to a new deal. In all his time in the sport, White has had no more publicized rivalry than that with Ortiz, but he was still able to put his personal feelings aside and bring him back into the fold. So, he says, he would have no problems doing the same with Fedor even though he's been jilted in the past.

But White also made it clear that now, the ball is in Fedor's court. The offer has not been pulled back. Each camp has dug their trenches, and it is simply floating in the space between them. It's now a high-stakes international game of chicken.

"They can call me right now. They can call me tomorrow. They can call me next month," he said. "I'm ready to roll. I'm ready to make this deal. The fans want to see this fight. It's my job to make this fight happen. It's what I do for a living, so I'm trying."

On Friday morning, Emelianenko's camp through his manager Vadim Finkelchtein put out a statement saying in part, "M-1 Global is still interested in continuing to negotiate with the UFC and while we are fielding offers from other major promotions, nothing has been decided. It is our hope that the UFC will remain in active dialogue with us as we try to find ways for us to work together."

M-1 has a somewhat checkered history. The company has been around in various incarnations for over a decade, but they have had little success in penetrating the US MMA scene. In October 2007, they first attempted to gain prominence on American soil when they signed Fedor (who is a part-owner), hired renowned MMA agent/promoter Monte Cox to be the president and CEO and installed Finkelchtein as part of the leadership team.

Within six months, however, the company was going nowhere, with rumors of discontent between Fedor's camp and M-1 management. In late March 2008, the company fragmented, with Cox leaving to start his own promotion, Adrenaline MMA, while Finkelchtein kept the M-1 name and began looking for ways to leverage Emelianenko. Eventually, he was able to negotiate a co-promotion deal with Affliction, but the brand was short-lived.

On Aug. 28, the company presents their first major live card, "Breakthrough" from Los Angeles. But clearly not them or any other promotion can offer Fedor the exposure or the money that UFC can. In the MMA galaxy, M-1 is just another satellite orbiting the UFC, but they're playing their trump card for all it's worth, and if anything, you have to admire their moxie.

White wants to make a deal, but he's already sick of the process. It's only been a week, but it's clear that things have already reached a breaking point. The offer is there, and it's unlikely to change. Both sides know what the other wants, and neither is blinking. Fedor says he has other parties interested, and White says Fedor won't find an offer better than his.

It's been seven days, and it seems like eternity, but it seems like the wait is just beginning.

"I don't even want to talk about it anymore," White said. "If he wants to call and make a deal, I'm in. I'm ready."

Fans May Be in for Long Wait With UFC-Fedor Emelianenko Negotiations originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:56:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Dana Whitefedor emelianenkoLorenzo FertittaMonte CoxTito Ortizvadim finkelchteinVitor BelfortMike ChiappettaFri, 31 Jul 2009 15:56:00 EST Paul 'Semtex' Daley Still in Negotiations with UFC, Othershttp://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/07/30/paul-semtex-daley-still-in-negotiations-with-ufc-others/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/07/30/paul-semtex-daley-still-in-negotiations-with-ufc-others/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/07/30/paul-semtex-daley-still-in-negotiations-with-ufc-others/#commentsFiled under: ,

British welterweight Paul "Semtex" Daley is still in negotiations with a number of promotions and a deal with the UFC has not yet been finalized, contrary to the reports Wednesday of a four-fight deal.

"These reports are premature, we have signed nothing," Daley's manager told FanHouse Thursday morning. "We're in talks with groups, one of whom includes the UFC."

Daley (21-8-2) was left searching for his next fight after learning Friday that his scheduled Aug. 1 bout against Xtreme Couture's Jay Hieron was off with the cancellation of the entire Affliction "Trilogy" event.

"I put a lot of effort into this camp, training and financially," Daley told FanHouse last week. "It's left me [expletive]."

The former Cage Rage champion quickly expressed interest in stepping in against Nick Diaz on the Aug. 15 Strikeforce card but Hieron has since claimed the spot.

Paul 'Semtex' Daley Still in Negotiations with UFC, Others originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>affliction trilogyAfflictionTrilogyjay hieronJayHieronnick diazNickDiazpaul semtex daleyPaulSemtexDaleyRay HuiThu, 30 Jul 2009 12:54:00 EST MMA Twitter Mailbag: Kimo Leopoldo Dead? UFC vs. Boxing? http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/07/21/mma-twitter-mailbag-kimo-leopoldo-dead-ufc-vs-boxing/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/07/21/mma-twitter-mailbag-kimo-leopoldo-dead-ufc-vs-boxing/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/07/21/mma-twitter-mailbag-kimo-leopoldo-dead-ufc-vs-boxing/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Our latest MMA twitter mailbag ventures into the never-ending discussion of whether MMA and boxing are competitors, but we start with the bizarre hoax about former UFC star Kimo Leopoldo dying.

MMAUSA: Are you surprised so many media outlets fell for the Kimo Leopoldo hoax? Or is that just what the media is these days?

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one. Based on what we know right now, the story started with this post at The Underground, claiming that Kimo Leopoldo died of a heart attack in Costa Rica. The story was picked up by a couple of Web sites, and Kimo Leopoldo dead became a popular search term in Google. Eventually, news outlets including TMZ, the New York Daily News, the Orange County Register and the TV station KTLA picked up the story as well.

But through it all, no one seemed to have any real confirmation: No one close to Kimo was coming forward to say he had died, but no one was coming forward to say they had seen him alive, either. The first definitive report I saw from a source I trusted was this post from Kevin Iole's Twitter page, saying, "Kimo Leopoldo is NOT DEAD, I've been told by his attorney."

We still have no idea, though, where Kimo is and what he's been doing all day. If people were spreading a rumor that I had died, I'd be calling up everyone I know to say the rumor is false. Kimo hasn't been doing that; people who know him have said they haven't heard from him today.

But as to the question of whether I was surprised, I'd have to say yes, I was. TMZ broke the story of Michael Jackson's death, so I figured they had a pretty good system in place for verifying such things, but I guess that system broke down. And I'm surprised reputable newspapers would pass along a story like that without any confirmation, but I guess the web traffic from getting "Kimo Leopoldo dead" into a headline was too good to pass up. So yes, that's what the media is these days: We get some irresponsible reporting in the rush to be first, but we also have good reporters like Iole using new tools like Twitter to correct the record. You take the good with the bad.

mdetura: Now that Pacquiao/Cotto is official for 11/14, do you expect UFC 105 to air ahead of it (live) on Spike... or against it?

 As you note, Manny Pacquiao will fight Miguel Cotto on November 14 in Las Vegas, the same day that UFC 105 is scheduled for Manchester, England. I think the UFC will air UFC 105 on tape delay at night on Spike, and go head-to-head with the live boxing match on pay-per-view.

That's what the UFC did on February 21, when UFC 95 took place in England and a boxing show featuring co-main events of Miguel Cotto vs. Michael Jenning and Kelly Pavlik vs. Marco Antonio Rubio took place on pay-per-view. I really don't think the UFC views boxing pay-per-view shows as much competition, and I think they more or less put on the cards they want whether or not there's boxing the same night.

It's also worth pointing out that UFC 103 is going head-to-head with Floyd Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel Marquez on September 19, and both are expected to air live on pay-per-view. I assume Mayweather-Marquez will get more pay-per-view buys than the relatively weak UFC 103 card, but if it's even close, that would be yet another strong sign that the UFC has knocked out Golden Boy Promotions in the fight to be the leading promoter of pay-per-view sports.

Want to be part of our next UFC Twitter mailbag? Post a question or comment on Twitter, and be sure to start it with @MichaelDavSmith.

MMA Twitter Mailbag: Kimo Leopoldo Dead? UFC vs. Boxing? originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Kimo LeopoldoMichael David SmithTue, 21 Jul 2009 20:30:00 EST Ultimate Chaos: Bobby Lashley Destroys Bob Sapphttp://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/27/ultimate-chaos-bobby-lashley-destroys-bob-sapp/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/27/ultimate-chaos-bobby-lashley-destroys-bob-sapp/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/27/ultimate-chaos-bobby-lashley-destroys-bob-sapp/#commentsFiled under:

Ultimate Chaos, a strange MMA event built around the massive main event of Bobby Lashley vs. Bob Sapp, turned out to be a fairly dull show that culminated with Lashley destroying Sapp with an easy first-round TKO.

Lashley, the former WWE star, and Sapp, the former Japanese kickboxing star, made for something of a freak show, and neither fighter looked particularly impressive. But Lashley was certainly the better fighter in the cage Saturday night.

Lashley immediately took Sapp to the ground, where he could use his amateur wrestling skills, while Sapp did nothing to stop him. Lashley just pounded Sapp on the head until the referee stopped it a couple minutes into the first round, and the crowd showered Sapp with boos afterward.

"I knew I had to take him down, cover him, keep him flat and pound him," Lashley said after the fight. "Go in there, ground and pound, get a quick win and get out of there."

Lashley, who improved his pro MMA record to 4-0, is a well-known fighter because of his World Wrestling Entertainment background. But in his fifth fight, he needs to find better opposition. Sapp just didn't look motivated to fight.

"No excuses," Sapp said. "He got me down, he controlled it, let's give it up to Bobby Lashley."

Before I'm ready to give it up to Bobby Lashley, I want to see him beat a game opponent. He didn't do that on Saturday night against Sapp.

Follow MMA? Follow me on Twitter.

Ultimate Chaos: Bobby Lashley Destroys Bob Sapp originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Bob SappBobby LashleyBobby Lashley vs. Bob SappBobbyLashleyBobbyLashleyVs.BobSappBobSappUltimate ChaosUltimateChaosMichael David SmithSat, 27 Jun 2009 23:30:00 EST Lee Murray Re-Arrested on $92 Million Bank Heist Charges in Moroccohttp://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/25/lee-murray-re-arrested-on-92-million-bank-heist-charges-in-moro/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/25/lee-murray-re-arrested-on-92-million-bank-heist-charges-in-moro/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/25/lee-murray-re-arrested-on-92-million-bank-heist-charges-in-moro/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Lee Murray's freedom was short-lived. The ex-UFC fighter who is one of the most wanted men in the UK for allegedly masterminding a $92 million cash depot heist in Tonbridge, has been re-arrested in Morocco following the hearing that refused his extradition.


"Lee was indeed rearrested right away, because the British Authorities did put [in] a formal request to the Moroccan Authorities to have him tried in Morocco for the alleged robbery," his attorney Abdellah Benlamhidi told FanHouse via email.


The Feb. 22, 2006 Securitas bank depot heist in Tonbridge, England netted a gang of thieves over £53 million, or the equivalent of over $92 million US at the time.

Five of the seven men involved in the direct raid have been sentenced for their crimes in the UK, while a sixth is still awaiting trial. Murray is the only one who has escaped the grasp of the UK legal system, which has spent much of the last three years trying to get Murray extradited in hopes of trying him under British law.

Murray, who fled to Morocco shortly after the robbery, claimed Moroccan citizenship in hopes of stiff-arming any attempts at extradition. His father, Ibrahim Murray, is Moroccan, and though Murray was born in the UK, Moroccan law holds that its citizens can not be extradited, no matter what the crime. On Wednesday, Moroccan courts ruled Murray to be Moroccan and briefly released him before re-arresting him.

Murray was originally arrested in Rabat, Morocco for cocaine possession in 2006 and sentenced to eight months. Since then, he has been held in prison while authorities determined his citizenship, and ultimately, his extradition status. In February 2007, British authorities offered to exchange suspected terrorist Mohmed Karbouzi for Murray, whom they considered the ringleader of the heist.

Ironically, just over a week ago, it was reported that Murray tried to escape from prison after small saws were found in his cell.

The 31-year-old was 8-2 with one no contest and one no decision in his career, and once went the distance in a loss to current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. In his only UFC fight, he defeated Jorge Rivera by triangle choke at UFC 46. Murray was invited back to the UFC but was never able to return and fight in the U.S. because of visa problems.

Murray gained a measure of cult fame in the MMA world before ever debuting in the UFC for his role in a London street fight with ex-UFC champion Tito Ortiz. In September 2005 -- just months before the heist -- Murray nearly died in a nightclub stabbing.

UK authorities are now expected to work with the police in Morrocco.

"I do expect the trial to start soon," Benlamidi told FanHouse.

Four of the Securitas thieves sentenced in the UK were ordered to serve sentences of a minimum of 15 years while a fifth will serve a minimum of 10. If convicted, Murray, however, will be sentenced under Moroccan law.

Murray's life and the bank heist are the basis for a movie currently under pre-production by Time, Inc.

Lee Murray Re-Arrested on $92 Million Bank Heist Charges in Morocco originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Anderson SilvaAndersonSilvaJorge RiveraJorgeRiveraLee MurrayLeeMurrayTito OrtizTitoOrtizMike ChiappettaThu, 25 Jun 2009 10:27:00 EST How Likely Is Vitor Belfort-UFC Deal? Just Follow the Evidencehttp://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/23/how-likely-is-vitor-belfort-ufc-deal-just-follow-the-evidence/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/23/how-likely-is-vitor-belfort-ufc-deal-just-follow-the-evidence/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/23/how-likely-is-vitor-belfort-ufc-deal-just-follow-the-evidence/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Last week, UFC President Dana White surprised a few people by saying that he'd like to put together a matchup between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and current Affliction middleweight Vitor Belfort.

The statement was surprising because White's been burned in the past announcing matchups that never happened and deals that fell through. Most recently, he did a verbal contract with Mirko Cro Cop prior to UFC 99, but the Croatian star bolted after one fight. Most famously, he had then-PRIDE fighter Wanderlei Silva enter the octagon at UFC 61 to announce a matchup with UFC superstar Chuck Liddell. But talks soon fizzled and White wasn't able to put the two together until after he bought PRIDE and acquired Silva's contract.

So what do those situations tell us about Belfort?


Even with Belfort having one fight left on his Affliction deal (which will end after his Aug. 1 matchup with Jorge Santiago), it is likely that some loose agreement is at least in place to bring him back to the octagon.

FanHouse has confirmed through a source that White recently met with Belfort in Los Angeles. The source could not confirm that Belfort has signed any sort of deal with UFC, but we can also examine Belfort's recent behavior for telltale clues.

In late May, when FanHouse broke the news that Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett had agreed to their match, we also noted that Belfort was likely to scrap with rising star Gegard Mousasi. That bit of news was given to us by the same reliable source that gave us the Emelianenko-Barnett scoop.

Within days, however, that fight was out the window. Why? Belfort said he would agree to the fight only if Mousasi would fight as a middleweight. Belfort likely made the statement knowing that Mousasi, who weighed in at almost 218 pounds during his DREAM 9 fight with Mark Hunt on May 28, could not and would not even try to make middleweight, saying at this point it was impossible for him to cut over 30 pounds.

Mousasi asked for a 195-pound catch weight, and Belfort declined, saying he was a middleweight and would only do the fight at 185. Again, Mousasi said he could not make the weight, and so Affliction was sent to search for a new opponent.

In place of Mousasi, Belfort agreed to fight Santiago, who has won nine in a row (Mousasi's won 12 straight), but is a smaller opponent to deal with.

It's certainly Belfort's prerogative to accept and reject potential opponents, and Santiago is not an easy matchup by any means, but given what's been said in recent days and weeks, it seems likely that there were more factors in play in making his decision than simple weight classes. Keep in mind that just three months ago, Belfort was willing to fight heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, but is now unwilling to fight a highly ranked light-heavyweight. Why? Just a theory, but perhaps he wants the least amount of risk to jeopardize a potential return to the UFC.

Going back to December 2007, Belfort has said that he'd like to one day fight again in UFC, telling Sherdog.com in one interview, "I really want to fight in the UFC. I want the title."

Just as telling is Dana White's recent statement. He has said repeatedly that he doesn't like announcing anything before he has contracts signed, and UFC rarely tips their hand at potential signings. The Belfort comment, which aired on The Ultimate Fighter season finale, wasn't an offhand remark; it was taped specifically for insertion into a show that was going to be watched by millions. White had the chance to pull it back before it reached the air if it didn't feel right or if he had second thoughts. Apparently he didn't.

Having been in many White press conferences and conference calls, I can tell you that he is not a "fantasy booker." He doesn't throw out random names of unavailable fighters for matchups with his current champs. Yes, if you ask him about Fedor, he'll talk about him, but he'll never flat-out say that he's targeting Fedor-Lesnar or Fedor-Mir.

So to sum up, we have:

--Belfort stating an interest in re-joining the UFC dating back to Dec. 2007
--White and Belfort meeting in L.A.
--Belfort turning down an oversized opponent for a lower-risk, lower-reward match
--White fantasy booking a fighter whom he does not have under contract

Dana White is no fool, and he'd be unlikely to make the same mistake he made with Cro Cop so soon afterward.

Perhaps there is no official contract in place, but all of the evidence, circumstantial though it is, just makes me believe that he knows he'll get his man.

How Likely Is Vitor Belfort-UFC Deal? Just Follow the Evidence originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Anderson SIlvaAndersonSilvaChuck LiddellChuckLiddellDana WhiteDanaWhitefedor emelianenkoFedorEmelianenkogegard mousasiGegardMousasijorge santiagoJorgeSantiagomirko cro copMirkoCroCopVitor BelfortVitorBelfortwanderlei silvaWanderleiSilvaMike ChiappettaTue, 23 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST UFC 105 Likely to Take Place at Mandalay Bay on November 21http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/23/ufc-105-likely-to-take-place-at-mandalay-bay-on-november-21/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/23/ufc-105-likely-to-take-place-at-mandalay-bay-on-november-21/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/23/ufc-105-likely-to-take-place-at-mandalay-bay-on-november-21/#commentsFiled under: ,

The UFC has requested the date of November 21 for UFC 105 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, according to a calendar on the Nevada State Athletic Commission's website.

The calendar notes that the date is not yet approved by the commission and is subject to change, but there are likely few roadblocks to stop it from going forward should Zuffa definitively want the date.

No matches have yet been announced or even rumored for the event, which will air on pay-per-view. But given the timeframe, it is very possible the card could be headlined by one of the winners from UFC 100's two title bouts, featuring Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir and Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves.

Less likely but also a possibility is a middleweight title matchup between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort. While currently under contract with Affliction, Belfort has just one fight left on his deal, an Aug. 1 matchup against Jorge Santiago. UFC President Dana White recently stated that he'd be interested in a Silva-Belfort fight, and since the two are fighting just one week apart, they could be ready to go by late November if White can get a deal done.

The UK paper The Sun earlier this month cited an anonymous UFC source in reporting that a Michael Bisping-Anderson Silva title fight could take place in Manchester, England in November, should Bisping emerge victorious from his UFC 100 fight with Dan Henderson, but it seems unlikely the UFC would host two major shows in the same month.

In addition to the November show, the Nevada calendar also notes that the UFC has requested a December 5 date for a show at The Palms for The Ultimate Fighter's Season 10 finale. That event, which will air on Spike, could draw a big number for the company, as it could possibly feature ratings draw Kimbo Slice, a cast member on the currently filming season.

The UFC will likely have one more pay-per-view before the end of '09: its usual end-of-the-year, blowout show. That event has taken place between Christmas and New Year's the last two years and is hosted in Las Vegas to cut down on holiday season travel for employees, but no date has yet been released.

UFC 105 Likely to Take Place at Mandalay Bay on November 21 originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Anderson SilvaAndersonSilvaBrock LesnarBrockLesnarDan HendersonDanHendersonFrank MirFrankMirgeorges st. pierreGeorgesSt.Pierrekimbo sliceKimboSlicethiago alvesThiagoAlvesUFC 100UFC 100s UFC 105Ufc100Ufc105Vitor BelfortVitorBelfortMike ChiappettaTue, 23 Jun 2009 06:01:00 EST Ridiculous Tim Sylvia vs. Ray Mercer Fight Now MMA, Not Boxinghttp://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/11/ridiculous-tim-sylvia-vs-ray-mercer-fight-now-mma-not-boxing/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/11/ridiculous-tim-sylvia-vs-ray-mercer-fight-now-mma-not-boxing/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/11/ridiculous-tim-sylvia-vs-ray-mercer-fight-now-mma-not-boxing/#commentsFiled under:



There's an unsanctioned fight Saturday night in Alabama between over-the-hill boxer Ray Mercer and former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, the kind of ridiculous fight that gives combat sports a bad name. But the fight just got even more ridiculous, because just two days beforehand, the promoters have changed it from a boxing match to an MMA fight.

The fight was scheduled to be a boxing match in Alabama because Alabama doesn't have an athletic commission, and no state that does have an athletic commission would sanction it. But promoter Monte Cox tells Sherdog that he just found out that he can get in trouble for trying to circumvent state commissions:
"I got a call from the Pennsylvania commissioner saying that the boxing match is illegal because we weren't getting regulated by a U.S. commission," said Cox on Thursday.
So now the fight will go on, but under MMA rules instead of boxing rules. That makes me fear for Mercer's safety, because Mercer's only MMA experience is a loss to Kimbo Slice.

About the only person who comes out of this looking good is ref Big John McCarthy, who told Sherdog, "As soon as it became apparent that that would not happen, I pulled out." I wish Sylvia, Mercer and Cox would do the wise thing and pull out, too.

Ridiculous Tim Sylvia vs. Ray Mercer Fight Now MMA, Not Boxing originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Monte CoxMonteCoxRay MercerRayMercerTim SylviaTimSylviaMichael David SmithThu, 11 Jun 2009 17:20:00 EST US Wrestling Gold Medalist Henry Cejudo to Skip MMA for Olympic Runhttp://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/05/us-wrestling-gold-medalist-henry-cejudo-to-skip-mma-for-12-olym/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/05/us-wrestling-gold-medalist-henry-cejudo-to-skip-mma-for-12-olym/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/06/05/us-wrestling-gold-medalist-henry-cejudo-to-skip-mma-for-12-olym/#commentsFiled under:

U.S. Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo's on-again, off-again flirtation with mixed martial arts has apparently reached an end, and the decorated wrestler will stick with his area of expertise.

In a story published in The New York Times, writer Greg Bishop states that Cejudo recently committed to continue wrestling in hopes of representing the U.S. during the 2012 London Games.

Perhaps more interesting in the story is the potential impact of a new medal fund that would pay wrestlers $250,000 for an Olympic gold medal, which the theory goes will keep wrestlers from bailing on the sport for the potentially bigger payouts of MMA.


The "Living the Dream Medal Fund" will also pay $50,000 for silver, $25,000 for bronze and also distribute cash prizes for world championship medals.

Cejudo was indecisive about his decision for several months, at one time voicing a desire to fight MMA, then talking about potentially boxing professionally. Late in 2008, he was serious enough about MMA that his representatives had talks with Japanese promoters about possibly fighting legendary featherweight Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto.

The 22-year-old Cejudo won gold in the 55 kg (121-pound) weight class.

To date, four U.S. Olympic gold medal wrestlers have transitioned to MMA: Rulon Gardner, Kevin Jackson, Mark Schultz and Kenny Monday. Only Jackson (4-2) fought more than five times.

While increasing the cash awards of medal winners is a positive development for USA Wrestling, it seems unlikely that alone would stop wrestlers intent on fighting in MMA from making the change. Amateur wrestling has never been a sport where money was a real option, so either world-class competitors will stay in it for the love that helped them achieve their high level of success, or they will decide its time to capitalize on their credentials and fight MMA.

USA Wrestling will never be able to offer the money that top-flight MMA fighters can make, but they will always be able to dangle something that its athletes consider priceless: Olympic gold. All things being equal, the decision will come down to finances or idealism.


US Wrestling Gold Medalist Henry Cejudo to Skip MMA for Olympic Run originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Henry CejudoHenryCejudoKenny MondayKennyMondayKevin JacksonKevinJacksonMark SchultzMarkSchultzNorifumi Kid YamamotoNorifumiKidYamamotoRulon GardnerRulonGardnerMike ChiappettaFri, 05 Jun 2009 12:08:00 EST Ken Shamrock Tests Positive for Steroidshttp://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/03/11/ken-shamrock-tests-positive-for-steroids/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/03/11/ken-shamrock-tests-positive-for-steroids/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/03/11/ken-shamrock-tests-positive-for-steroids/#commentsFiled under:

Ken Shamrock, the UFC Hall of Famer who is still trying to make a go of it in mixed martial arts at age 45, reportedly tested positive for three different anabolic steroids after his fight on February 13.

The California State Athletic Commission has suspended Shamrock for one year, and all other states will honor that suspension. Shamrock had been scheduled to fight his fellow former pro wrestler Bobby Lashley on March 21, but that fight is now off.

Shamrock has not commented publicly, and I was unable to reach him or his associates. Shamrock's outgoing voicemail message sounds like an allusion to his current plight: It says, "Hi, this is Ken Shamrock. I'm not in right now, but if you leave a name and number, I'll get right back to you. A little food for thought: Christians aren't perfect, but God, the one who forgives us, is."

But Shamrock's lawyer, Rodney Donohoo, told Sherdog that Shamrock denies taking steroids.

"Ken was taking legal over-the-counter products, and based upon our preliminary research, I'm investigating if those products were the result of these findings," Donohoo said.

Shamrock's positive test came after his fight last month with Ross Clifton. That fight gave Shamrock his first victory since 2004 and snapped a five-fight losing streak; Shamrock had been knocked out in the first round of each of his five previous fights.

UPDATE: Lashley says he may still fight Shamrock -- in Japan.

Latest UFC Images

    UFC Mixed Martial Arts Fighter Quinton "Rampage" Jackson arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere "Fast & Furious" at the Gibson Amphitheatre on March 12, 2009 in Universal City, California. "Fast & Furious" - Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals Gibson Amphitheatre Universal City, CA United States March 12, 2009 Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.com To license this image (16605173), contact FilmMagic.com

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    (FILES) Mixed martial arts figure Charles Lewis "Mask", co-founder of the TapouT clothing line arrives at the premiere of "Watchmen" at the Grauman�s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, on March 2, 2009. Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr., was killed early on March 11, 2009 when a $300,000 Ferrari he was riding in crashed in Newport Beach and was torn in half. The driver of another car was arrested for investigation of manslaughter. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS / FILES (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

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    COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 7: Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine (L) reacts after being defeated by Quinton "Rampage" Jackson during their light heavyweight bout at UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine at Nationwide Arena March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Quinton Jackson;Keith Jardine

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    COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 7: Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine (L) reacts after being defeated by Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (not pictured) during their light heavyweight bout at UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine at Nationwide Arena March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Keith Jardine

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    COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 7: Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine (L) battles Quinton "Rampage" Jackson during their light heavyweight bout at UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine at Nationwide Arena March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Quinton Jackson;Keith Jardine

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    COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 7: Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine battles Quinton "Rampage" Jackson during their light heavyweight bout at UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine at Nationwide Arena March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Quinton Jackson;Keith Jardine

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    COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 7: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (L) battles Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine during their light heavyweight bout at UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine at Nationwide Arena March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Quinton Jackson;Keith Jardine

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    COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 7: Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine battles Quinton "Rampage" Jackson during their light heavyweight bout at UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine at Nationwide Arena March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Quinton Jackson;Keith Jardine

    Getty Images

    COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 7: Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine (L) battles Quinton "Rampage" Jackson during their light heavyweight bout at UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine at Nationwide Arena March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Quinton Jackson;Keith Jardine

    Getty Images

    COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 7: Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine (L) battles Quinton "Rampage" Jackson during their light heavyweight bout at UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine at Nationwide Arena March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Quinton Jackson;Keith Jardine

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Ken Shamrock Tests Positive for Steroids originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Ken ShamrockKenShamrockMarch BadnessMarchBadnessMichael David SmithWed, 11 Mar 2009 22:08:00 EST Ken Shamrock-Bobby Lashley Added to Roy Jones Boxing/MMA Undercardhttp://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/03/02/report-ken-shamrock-bobby-lashley-added-to-roy-jones-undercard/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/03/02/report-ken-shamrock-bobby-lashley-added-to-roy-jones-undercard/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/03/02/report-ken-shamrock-bobby-lashley-added-to-roy-jones-undercard/#commentsFiled under: ,

A mixed martial arts fight between the 45-year-old UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock and the former professional wrestling star Bobby Lashley has been added to the undercard of a show that will be headlined by a Roy Jones boxing match, Bloody Elbow is reporting.

The card will take place on March 21 in Florida, meaning Shamrock is taking just six weeks off after his last fight, an easy submission win over a 380-pounder named Ross Clifton. That fight (and my reference to Clifton as a "fat slob") was a source of contention when I interviewed Shamrock last month.

Lashley isn't just a pro wrestler; he's a legitimate athlete who was a good college wrestler before signing with the WWE. He'll have about 50 pounds on Shamrock, and unlike Clifton, his excess weight is muscle, not fat. Lashley is 1-0 in his MMA career; he needed just 41 seconds to TKO a little-known opponent in his debut in December. Lashley would have to be considered the favorite over Shamrock, whose win over Clifton is his only victory since 2004.

The card is being promoted by Jones, who will box Omar Sheika in the main event, and it will be interesting to see how it sells on pay-per-view. Combined boxing/MMA cards have been tried before, but never with names as recognizable as Jones, Shamrock and Lashley. The MMA undercard is also scheduled to feature Seth Petruzelli vs. Doug Marshall and Roy Nelson vs. Jeff Monson.

So will all these fights translate to pay-per-view success? I'd wager that the card will do somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 pay-per-view buys. That's nowhere near the kind of pay-per-view success that Jones did in his boxing heyday, or that Shamrock did in his UFC heyday, or that Lashley did in his WWE heyday. But it's enough that, assuming none of the fighters are commanding exorbitant salaries, Jones will turn a profit by promoting this show. And that's what it's all about.

Ken Shamrock-Bobby Lashley Added to Roy Jones Boxing/MMA Undercard originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Bobby LashleyBobbyLashleyKen ShamrockKenShamrockMichael David SmithMon, 02 Mar 2009 18:45:00 EST UFC 99: B.J. Penn-Kenny Florian, Wanderlei Silva-Rich Franklin, Cro Cop?http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/02/18/ufc-99-b-j-penn-kenny-florian-wanderlei-silva-rich-franklin/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/02/18/ufc-99-b-j-penn-kenny-florian-wanderlei-silva-rich-franklin/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/02/18/ufc-99-b-j-penn-kenny-florian-wanderlei-silva-rich-franklin/#commentsFiled under: ,

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's first visit to Germany is shaping up as a good night of fights, as UFC 99 on June 13 is rumored to feature a lightweight title fight of B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian, a co-main event of Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin, and possibly the return to the Octagon of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

The Penn-Florian title fight is definitely going to take place this summer, the only question is whether Penn will be ready by June. Bloody Elbow is among a few sites today pointing out that Penn-Florian would make a lot of sense for the Germany show.

As for Silva-Franklin, MMA Weekly quotes Silva as saying the agreement is made. The only question is whether it would be done at 205 pounds, 185 pound, or possibly a catch weight. Although both Franklin and Silva are coming off losses and probably have their best days behind them, this is a fight that a lot of fans will want to see.

And then there's Cro Cop, who arrived in the UFC with great fanfare two years ago but left with a disappointing 1-2 record. Cro Cop is widely rumored to return to the Octagon at UFC 99, although no opponent has been named. (A lot of people think it will be Randy Couture, but that doesn't make a lot of sense; Couture is shooting a movie this spring and isn't expected to fight that soon.)

The one UFC 99 fight that appears to be more or less official (even though the UFC hasn't announced it) is Caol Uno vs. Spencer Fisher. If that fight is, in fact, joined on the card by Penn-Florian, Silva-Franklin and Cro Cop-TBA, the local fans will get a great show from the UFC's debut in Germany.

UFC 99: B.J. Penn-Kenny Florian, Wanderlei Silva-Rich Franklin, Cro Cop? originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>BJ PennBjPennKenny FlorianKennyFlorianMirko Cro CopMirkoCroCopRich FranklinRichFranklinUFC 99Ufc99Wanderlei SilvaWanderleiSilvaMichael David SmithWed, 18 Feb 2009 17:25:00 EST MMA Ref Big John McCarthy Is Back, and He Feels No Ring Rust http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/02/17/mma-ref-big-john-mccarthy-is-back-and-he-feels-no-ring-rust/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/02/17/mma-ref-big-john-mccarthy-is-back-and-he-feels-no-ring-rust/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/02/17/mma-ref-big-john-mccarthy-is-back-and-he-feels-no-ring-rust/#commentsFiled under: ,

Big John McCarthy, the referee who has been one of the most prominent faces in mixed martial arts for almost as long as the UFC has existed, talked to me Tuesday for a wide-ranging interview in which he discussed his feelings about returning to MMA after a long layoff, and his thoughts about his 15-year career in the sport.

McCarthy, who sat out most of 2008 while working as a commentator for The Fight Network, says he didn't feel any ring rust when he got back into the cage. I also asked him about working last month's Fedor Emelianenko-Andrei Arlovski fight, about the chances that he could work again as a referee in the UFC, about becoming famous enough that Round 5 has made figurines in his image, and about his own choice for the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The full interview is below.

Michael David Smith: Now that you're getting back to refereeing after taking time off, how much ring rust have you felt?
John McCarthy: I haven't felt any ring rust. I'd been teaching classes and doing a lot of things for referee education, and teaching has helped me a lot. I also did some refereeing for the U.S. Army for an event they had down at Fort Hood. So it felt very comfortable for me to get back in. I didn't feel any nervousness or ring rust or anything like that I'm just back to doing what I enjoy doing.

You've developed a high profile first through your years in the UFC and then working as a commentator and even having a merchandising deal to have your own figurines. Is it good for a ref to have a high profile or are there problems that can arise from that?
There are a lot of problems that can arise from that. I don't know if it's ever good. When the UFC was growing and I was the only referee, everyone recognized me as the one person consistently in there. A lot of people recognize me from the early days of the UFC, but I tell people all the time, no one watches the UFC because of the referee. I think the UFC realizes that and I realize it.

People have this perception of me like I could beat up the fighters. I've heard that, and that's ridiculous. That's a farce. Being that one face in the early days has caused problems for me. There are people who don't like the referee being noticed. That's fine and I understand why, but I've never tried to bring attention to myself and I don't think any referee is trying to do that. It can happen with people liking someone and it can happen with people not liking someone. Fortunately, most people like me.

And you are well-liked among fans. Is that good for things like getting a figurine deal and getting a job with the Fight Network?
Oh, absolutely. If no one likes you then no one wants to do anything with you. The popularity is nice. The figurine deal will work out well because they're doing a lot of things with championship sets. I was the dummy in the middle of those championship fights, so if you get the championship set it works for me to be there. I've been very fortunate that people have accepted me in the sport, and I've been very lucky. It's kind of funny but it's flattering.

What was the atmosphere like for Fedor vs. Arlovski?
It was great. Any time you have two guys of that caliber stepping into the ring, that's an exciting time for the fans, for the other fighters -- the other fighters all came out front to watch that fight because you don't have the opportunity to see two of the best guys going at it very often. It's the same with Georges St Pierre against BJ Penn. The fighters want to see that because you don't get that atmosphere all the time, and when you have it, it's a unique thing. The atmosphere was electric, and I was very happy to be able to do that fight.

You acted very quickly. Fedor's knockout punch came out of nowhere, and in an instant, Arlovski was unconscious and you were standing over him.
Well, sometimes you're just looking at the right thing at the right time. I was in a position to see Arlovski's eyes when he got hit, and his eyes showed me there was nobody home. He was out. Because he was up in the air, it was unusual because the punch actually turned him, and he turned towards me, luckily. If the punch had been a left hand, I wouldn't have seen what I saw. I saw the way he fell, and in the sport of mixed martial arts, the referee stops the fight if you cannot intelligently defend yourself. And you see the way Andrei fell, he fell face first with his hands at his side. He wasn't going to be able to defend himself, so stopping that is what I'm there to do, and fortunately I was able to do my job.

Who do you think is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world?
I always used to say that I thought B.J. Penn was the best pound-for-pound fighter there was. I thought he had the best skill set of anyone. I thought Georges St. Pierre was No. 2, and I picked him to beat B.J. because he was a bigger athlete. The way Georges took B.J. apart, I may have to change it a little bit. But I still say the top four guys are Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn, Fedor and Anderson Silva. Which one you want to put at the top doesn't really matter.

Do you think it's time for the UFC and Fedor to sit down and figure out a way to get him into the Octagon?
You know what? I would love to see Fedor in the Octagon. There's been so much said back and forth, and really it's promotional stuff. Dana White knows that Fedor is a phenomenal fighter. Dana White has tried to sign Fedor, and I understand why he couldn't sign him. It's not Dana. Fedor's management team, their promotion, M-1 Global, wants certain things and they use Fedor to get those things. UFC says, "We're not going to promote your promotion, we're going to promote a fighter."

Would I like to see Fedor fighting there? Sure. I want to see -- no matter what promotion -- the best fighters fighting each other. I don't watch promotions. I don't care what promotion is putting on the fight if it's a good fight. The thing the UFC brings to you is you know those three letters mean you're getting a quality product. They've worked hard for that and they deserve that. There are others that are doing that, too. Strikeforce is doing it. I think Affliction has put on two phenomenal shows.

Will we see you back in the UFC Octagon?
That's not up to me. I don't make those decisions. That's up to the athletic commissions. Or if Dana White and Marc Ratner go somewhere that doesn't have a commission, they can always call me. If they call I'll answer, and if they don't, that's OK too.

In your time working as a commentator, do you think you expressed any opinions that would make it difficult for you to be a neutral third man in the cage for the UFC?
No. Not at all. Being a referee, being neutral, that has nothing to do with your likes and your dislikes. You don't go off that, you go off doing your job. I was with the UFC for 14 years. I helped try to build the UFC. I broke my butt before the people who own it now were there. I love the UFC. I would never do anything to hurt them and I never did.

Do you think either fighters or promoters should be able to veto certain referees? For instance, Brock Lesnar has said he doesn't want Steve Mazagatti refereeing his fights after Mazagatti deducted a point from him in his first fight with Frank Mir.
I think the fighter needs to feel comfortable. It's a touchy situation. If you have something you can point to and say it's legitimate and affected you in a certain way, I can understand why you would say, "I would rather not have him referee." And I think the referee would say, "No problem." As a referee, I don't get personal. I don't think Steve got personal about the Brock Lesnar thing. ... If Brock doesn't like it, that's understandable. But Steve was absolutely within his right to make the call he made.

Who do you think is the best referee in MMA?
That's not a question to ask me. I think there are very good referees out there that do a very good job. Sometimes people look at the UFC as the benchmark of the best referees. I don't think that's completely true. I think there's guys outside the UFC that do a good job. There are a lot of good referees. And then there are a lot of guys who don't know the sport and aren't good.

Would you care to name any of the bad ones?
Nope.

Do you have a favorite fight you ever worked?
I get asked that a lot. I worked so many fights that have been fantastic fights. One that I really enjoyed the way the fighters competed was Pete Sell against Scott Smith (in the Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale in 2006). Just the way they competed, I thought was fantastic. I also really loved Tyson Griffin against Clay Guida. That was a great fight. Those are not big fights, like the Arlovski-Fedor fight, but the ones that I think of the most are Scott Smith-Pete Sell and Tyson Griffin-Clay Guida.

Do you ever think about fights that in hindsight, you stopped either too quickly or too late?
Oh, sure. Every fight I've ever refereed, unless there's no tape, I've gone back and watched it. If you don't do those things, you're making a huge mistake. You're not taking the opportunity to improve yourself and get better. You've got to go back and look at things. I've never said I haven't made mistakes. Of course I've made mistakes. I'm human, I make them, and if I do make them I try to be smart, look at how the mistake occurred and try to remedy it so it doesn't happen again.

What is your relationship with the Gracie family like?
Well, the Gracie family is so big. Helio's side, with Royce, I'm very friendly with Royce. Any time we see each other we stop and talk. I was a student of Rorion's and Royce's a long time ago, and when Rorion sold the UFC that was when we kind of split because he wanted me to do one thing and the people who owned the UFC wanted me to do another, so we parted ways, but I stayed very friendly.

You're a big, athletic guy. You studied Gracie jiu jitsu before there ever was a UFC. Did you ever want to fight in the UFC?
Yeah, at one point. And they told me, "Later on, maybe, but now I want you to referee it." And I started refereeing as a friend of Rorion's because he asked me to do it. I always said the greatest thing I did was stay as a referee and not fight. Because I wouldn't have had the career that I've had. I wouldn't have done the things I've done. And I wouldn't still be around.

If you trained with Royce Gracie, you must have a pretty good sense of how you would have done against the guys Royce Gracie beat.
Just because I have a sense of it doesn't mean it's true. Unless you step into that cage or ring, you don't know. You can think that you'd beat someone, and maybe you would, but you don't know.

You were the referee at UFC 2, 15 years ago. If I had asked you then, "What will the UFC look like in 2009?" what do you think you would have said?
You know, back then I was telling people about the UFC and they were like, "That's stupid." I thought in the beginning that people would get into this because I understood it, it was something I was interested in, and I wanted it to work, and to me it was important. But a lot of people didn't think it would work. When I did UFC 2, I thought, "I wonder if there will be a UFC 3." That was really my thought at the time. Did I ever see it being where it is now? No. I wish I was that good at prognostication. I'd be working in the stock market.

You were the referee for the infamous Keith Hackney-Joe Son fight at UFC 4, when Hackney kept hitting Son in the groin. Were you thinking to yourself, "We need more rules in this sport"?
If you go back and you look at the rules, the rules changed in each event, and it was always based on something that happened in the previous event. At the time there were no commissions or anything, and it was just the people who owned the UFC who were determining what the rules would be. ... There was nothing I could do because groin strikes were legal at the time. Eventually at UFC 14, we ended up taking groin strikes out. That's a good thing because there's no sport where hitting a man in the groin is fair.

There's actually a video of you on YouTube from before UFC 1: A news report from the L.A. riots, in which you appear on camera briefly. What do you remember of that?
Yeah, my son showed me that. There was a 7-Eleven that was being looted and I was working that, doing my job as a police officer.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't part of your job with the LAPD back then to use your Brazilian jiu jitsu expertise to teach officers to subdue suspects using techniques other than using their batons, to avoid incidents like the Rodney King beating?
No, you're right. That was the last 12 years of my career. I was at the academy teaching recruits and in-service police officers. I was part of the tactics unit. I loved a lot of the work I did there, but I'm also glad I've been able to have a career in MMA after that.

How much longer do you think you'll be refereeing, and will you be involved in MMA in any other capacity?
I don't think about it anymore. I made the decision to leave at one time, and right away I knew I was going to miss something. Now I'm back to refereeing and I'll do it as long as it's working for me and my family, and if God allows me to do it, I'll do it. When it's time for me to fade away, I'll know I was lucky enough to be part of something great. Most people don't have that luck. I'm a very happy person for what I've been doing.

MMA Ref Big John McCarthy Is Back, and He Feels No Ring Rust originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Michael David SmithTue, 17 Feb 2009 16:15:00 EST UFC 93: Will Shogun Rua-Mark Coleman Winner Fight Chuck Liddell at UFC 96?http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/12/29/ufc-93-will-shogun-rua-mark-coleman-winner-fight-chuck-liddell/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/12/29/ufc-93-will-shogun-rua-mark-coleman-winner-fight-chuck-liddell/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/12/29/ufc-93-will-shogun-rua-mark-coleman-winner-fight-chuck-liddell/#commentsFiled under: ,

All indications are that Chuck Liddell will return to the Octagon at UFC 96 on March 7 in Columbus, but we don't know who his opponent will be. Liddell himself has said that he wants to fight Keith Jardine, but Jardine's camp has indicated that Jardine will be fighting someone other than Liddell on that card, and during the FanHouse chat with UFC President Dana White, White didn't sound particularly enthused about the possibility of a Liddell-Jardine rematch.

So if Liddell's next opponent won't be Jardine, who will it be? One possibility that would make a lot of sense is the winner of the January 17 UFC 93 co-main event between Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Mark Coleman getting Liddell at UFC 96. If it's Shogun, that would give MMA fans a fight we've been wanting to see for years. And if it's Coleman, that would give the former NCAA wrestling champion at Ohio State a chance to perform in front of the fans in Columbus again.

The problem with this is that there's only seven weeks between UFC 93 and UFC 96. But Shogun and Coleman have both been out of action for so long that they'll likely be itching to get back into the Octagon as soon as they can after their January fight. Shogun, in particular, is only 27 years old and has a history in Pride of fighting very well after short layoffs. If Josh Koscheck can fight on October 25 and again on December 10, Shogun can fight on January 17 and again on March 7.

Of course, if the Shogun-Coleman winner suffers any kind of injury, there won't be any way for him to return to the Octagon in seven weeks, In that case, the UFC is fairly limited in its pool of potential opponents for Liddell. It almost certainly won't be any of the light heavyweights who fought at UFC 92; the UFC would love to have Liddell fight Forrest Griffin or Wanderlei Silva, but all indications are that neither of them will be ready.

It probably won't be the winner of the UFC 93 main event between Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson because White wants to get the winner of that one prepared to coach against Michael Bisping in Season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter. It also won't be Anderson Silva; White confirmed that Silva is fighting in April when the UFC returns to Canada.

And that means it might end up being Jardine after all, by default. Michael Rome has more on this subject.

UFC 93: Will Shogun Rua-Mark Coleman Winner Fight Chuck Liddell at UFC 96? originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Chuck LiddellChuckLiddellDana WhiteDanaWhiteKeith JardineKeithJardineMark ColemanMarkColemanShogun RuaShogunRuaUFC 93UFC 96Ufc93Ufc96Michael David SmithMon, 29 Dec 2008 16:17:00 EST Dana White Would Consider Gina Carano vs. Cris Cyborg WEC Fighthttp://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/11/13/dana-white-would-consider-gina-carano-vs-cris-cyborg-wec-fight/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/11/13/dana-white-would-consider-gina-carano-vs-cris-cyborg-wec-fight/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/11/13/dana-white-would-consider-gina-carano-vs-cris-cyborg-wec-fight/#commentsFiled under: ,

UFC President Dana White is softening his stance on women's MMA.

White has long said he has no interest in promoting women's fights, but in an interview with ESPN's Jon Anik on MMA Live, he wouldn't rule out promoting what could be the biggest fight in the history of women's MMA. Asked about the potential superfight between Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg, White said he could see doing it in the UFC's sister promotion, the WEC.

"I wouldn't be opposed to it," White said of promoting Carano vs. Cyborg. "And if I did do it, I'd probably do it in the WEC."

It's refreshing to hear White open his mind about women's MMA. It's also surprising, considering I just asked White two weeks ago if there was any chance women could fight in the WEC, and he said, categorically, that it wouldn't happen. But Carano vs. Cyborg is a fight that should happen, and if it happens in the WEC, that would be great for all involved.

Dana White Would Consider Gina Carano vs. Cris Cyborg WEC Fight originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Cris CyborgCrisCyborgDana WhiteDanaWhiteGina CaranoGinaCaranoMichael David SmithThu, 13 Nov 2008 16:31:00 EST Barack Obama Responds to Matt Hughes, Would President McCain Be Bad for MMA?http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/11/04/barack-obama-responds-to-matt-hughes-would-president-mccain-be/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/11/04/barack-obama-responds-to-matt-hughes-would-president-mccain-be/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/11/04/barack-obama-responds-to-matt-hughes-would-president-mccain-be/#commentsFiled under:


It's election day, and there are a few political issues in the mixed martial arts would we should mention.

First, Steve Cofield interviewed Barack Obama and asked him about criticism not from John McCain or Sarah Palin, but from Matt Hughes, who claims that Obama is a disrespectful tax-raiser. Obama was even-keeled in his response, which you can hear below:

Click below to hear Obama directly address Hughes' statements (ESPNRadio1100 w/Cofield & Cokin):



Secondly, Sherdog asks a bunch of people in the MMA world who they're voting for, and I find it interesting that most have nothing to say about the fact that McCain was America's most rabidly anti-MMA politician in the 1990s. UFC fighter Karo Parisyan says that's the main reason he's voting for Obama, but most people in the MMA world don't seem to hold McCain's opposition to MMA against him.

Of course, you could also make the argument that McCain was good for MMA because he forced it to be sanctioned and regulated. In that respect, the case could be made that McCain is the better candidate from the MMA perspective.

But I would still worry that a President McCain would be bad for MMA. McCain has made clear that even though MMA is now regulated, he doesn't like the sport, and his history as a legislator is to try to make things he doesn't like illegal.

Having said all that, I have a feeling that no one is actually basing their vote on MMA.

Barack Obama Responds to Matt Hughes, Would President McCain Be Bad for MMA? originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Matt HughesMattHughesMichael David SmithTue, 04 Nov 2008 06:36:00 EST Sergey Golyaev Beats Takanori Gomi at World Victory Road Sengoku 6http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/11/01/sergey-golyaev-beats-takanori-gomi-at-world-victory-road-sengoku/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/11/01/sergey-golyaev-beats-takanori-gomi-at-world-victory-road-sengoku/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/11/01/sergey-golyaev-beats-takanori-gomi-at-world-victory-road-sengoku/#commentsFiled under:


(Above: Kitaoka vs. Mitsuoka)
Takanori Gomi, the Japanese fighter considered one of the best MMA lightweights in the world, suffered a stunning upset at the hands of the Russian Sergey Golyaev today at World Victory Road's Sengoku 6 event.

The split decision loss is a very disappointing showing for Gomi, the former Pride lightweight champion. His record falls to 29-4, and it's the latest sign that the 30-year-old Gomi isn't the fighter he used to be; his last fight was a lackluster decision over Seung Hwan Bang, and his only fight in 2007 was a loss to Nick Diaz that was later turned into a no contest when Diaz failed a drug test.

In other World Victory Road results, Jorge Santiago and Satoru Kitaoka won the event's two tournaments, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira beat Moise Rimbon by unanimous decision.

Full Sengoku 6 results, courtesy of Sherdog, are below.


Jorge Santiago beat Siyar Bahadurzada by first-round submission (heel hook)
Kazuhiro Nakamura beat Yuki Sasaki by unanimous decision.
Kazunori Yokota beat Mizuto Hirota by unanimous decision.
Satoru Kitaoka beat Eiji Mitsuoka by first-round submission (heel hook)
Joe Doerksen beat Izuru Takeuchi by third-round TKO (strikes)
Jorge Masvidal beat Seung Hwan Bang by unanimous decision.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira beat Moise Rimbon by unanimous decision
Muhammed Lawal beat Fabio Silva by third-round TKO (strikes).
Sergey Golyaev beat Takanori Gomi by split decision.
Jorge Santiago beat Kazuhiro Nakamura by third-round TKO (strikes).
Satoru Kitaoka beat Kazunori Yokota by unanimous decision.

Below: Gomi vs. Golyaev:

Sergey Golyaev Beats Takanori Gomi at World Victory Road Sengoku 6 originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Sat, 01 Nov 2008 08:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Michael David SmithSat, 01 Nov 2008 08:47:00 EST Bobby Lashley to Make MMA Debut With Mixed Fighting Alliance in Decemberhttp://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/10/29/bobby-lashley-to-make-mma-debut-with-mixed-fighting-alliance-in/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/10/29/bobby-lashley-to-make-mma-debut-with-mixed-fighting-alliance-in/http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/10/29/bobby-lashley-to-make-mma-debut-with-mixed-fighting-alliance-in/#commentsFiled under:

James Iannotti of MMA Mania is reporting that former WWE start Bobby Lashley will make his mixed martial arts debut with the Mixed Fighting Alliance on December 13 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.

In other news, there is something called the Mixed Fighting Alliance.

No, I don't know what this Mixed Fighting Alliance is, and I find it interesting that the American Airlines Arena's web site doesn't have any events listed for December 13, but I agree with Iannotti that Lashley is an interesting MMA prospect if for no other reason than his similarity to Brock Lesnar: He was a good amateur wrestler, he's big, strong and athletic, and he'll bring in a lot of pro wrestling fans.

Of course, we've been hearing for so long that Lashley was ready to try MMA that at this point, I'll believe it when I actually see him in the cage. But at least we now (allegedly) have a date and place for his debut.

Bobby Lashley to Make MMA Debut With Mixed Fighting Alliance in December originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Bobby LashleyBobbyLashleyMichael David SmithWed, 29 Oct 2008 16:35:00 EST