MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Jake Shields on scuffle with Paul Daley, possible move to middleweight

So what do you when you're one of the world's top five welterweight fighters -- with little or not top-tier competition available to offer a challenge?

If you're EliteXC welterweight champion Jake Shields, who's already largely cleaned out the organization's 170-pound class, you considering jumping a weight class.

Shields discussed a possible move to middleweight, as well as scuffle with Paul Daley at this past Friday's "EliteXC: Heat" weigh-ins, while a guest on today's edition of TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Shields (22-4-1) picked up his 11th consecutive victory on Saturday at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. The CBS-televised fight added Daley, a former Cage Rage champion, to Shields' growing list of big-name victories, which also includes the likes of Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Nick Thompson, Hayato Sakurai and Mike Pyle.

Although former UFC fighter John Alessio or reigning IFL champion Jay Hieron could be EliteXC's next option for Shields, the 29-year-old fighter hasn't ruled out a move to middleweight -- especially considering the UFC's stronghold on the world's top welterweight fighters.

Shields doesn't necessarily want to move to middleweight; he just sees few other options for a challenge.

"It's more (due to) a lack of people for me to fight," Shields said. "I have no problem fighting at 170 (pounds) if I had the right fights. But unfortunately, outside the UFC, there just really aren't any big fights right now. And, there really are some good 185-pounders out there outside the UFC.

"It puts me in a situation where I'm kind of stuck. I have to go up in weight or fight guys who don't hold the same name recognition. If you want a big fight, you have to fight guys with equal name recognition. I'm kind of stuck in a situation where I need to go to the UFC or fight up a weight (class)."

Although Shields hasn't formally requested a fight with current EliteXC middleweight champ Robbie Lawler, he knows the organization may be open to the idea.

"I guess we'll start talking now," said Shields, who's contracted to EliteXC for another two fights.

Not long ago, Shields had been a rumored opponent for middleweight Matt Lindland for the recently postponed October "Affliction: Day of Reckoning" card. The chatter appeared to be more wishful thinking than anything, but Shields is open to the idea and said his father, who's also his manager, may pursue the fight. However, there's currently no formal discussion for the bout.

"But in my mind, it's certainly a possibility," Shields said.

As for Saturday's fight with Daley, Shields broke out of his normally even-tempered mold. During Friday's weigh-ins, the two fighters posed for the customary staredown photo, and when Daley began predicting a bold finish for the fight and closing the distance between the two fighters, Shields gave him a shove.

"I just didn't like the guy," Shields said. "He was totally disrespectful and talked a lot of crap. Before I fought him, I didn't like him, but now I've got nothing against him. I think he's a good fighter, but he definitely has a little bit of an attitude."

The two fighters were quickly pulled off the stage by their respective teams, but the scuffle continued backstage. As the backdrop to the weigh-ins began swaying violently, EliteXC officials realized something was up and darted through the curtains.

"At the weigh-ins, he said he was going to knock me out, and he got in my face, and we started to push each other," Shields said. "Backstage, he was still talking crap. I dumped a water in his face and threw some water, and it got broken up."

Some crushed Aquafina water bottles notwithstanding, Shields left the weekend fairly unscathed. He controlled the fight, which was spent mostly on the ground, and eventually forced Daley to tap out from a second-round arm-bar.

For more about the fight, and his plans for the future, download Monday's edition of TAGG Radio, available for free in the TAGG Radio archives.

 

[Shogun Locc]

FIRST MMA REVOKATION FOR DOUBLE DRUG FAILURE

John George, who last competed for MEZ Sports Partners on June 14, 2008 in Upland, Calif., has had his license revoked by the California State Athletic Commission. George becomes the first athlete in California to test positive twice for anabolic agents and the first athlete to have his license as a professional athlete revoked for the repeat steroid violation.

He is eligible to reapply for licensure after Sept. 23, 2009. Due to having tested positive twice and having his license revoked, however, before any subsequent application for license is approved, George will need to appear in front of the California State Athletic Commission. A majority vote of the Commission will determine if his application for license is granted and if he is reinstated for competition.

Two other fighters, Alijah Reni and Jeremy Tavares, have also been fined and suspended by the CSAC.

Reni, who last competed for War Gods on Sept. 12, 2008, in Salinas, has been suspended for adulterating his test for drugs of abuse. He has been fined $1,000 and suspended from the conclusion of the bout through March 11, 2009.

Tavares, who last competed for StrikeForce "Young Guns" on Sept. 13, 2008 in San Jose, has been suspended for his second marijuana violation and for attempting to adulterate his test for drugs of abuse. He has been fined $1,000 and suspended from the conclusion of the bout through March 12, 2009.

CSAC representative seemed especially concerned relaying that, “In the case of the Tavares and Reni suspensions, during the entire weekend, only two bouts were selected for drugs of abuse testing and lo and behold, it produced two positives out of a total of four athletes tested.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

CURRAN FIGHTER MIKE STUMPF SIGNS WITH ELITEXC

Welterweight prospect Mike Stumpf has signed a three-fight deal with EliteXC. The XFO veteran is coming off of an impressive win over Dom O’Grady at Adrenaline MMA’s inaugural show.

“I am excited! I have been waiting patiently for something to happen. This is just what I need to get motivated and start taking my game to the next level,” said Stumpf.

“The CBS cards and the fights I have seen seem very impressive. The talent is top guys and the production looks exciting to fight for.”

The Team Curran fighter will make his ShoXC debut on Oct. 10 in Hammond, Ind. Stumpf, who comes in as a late replacement for Mark Miller, will take on King of the Cage veteran Anthony Lapsley.

"Mike is 10-1, and personally I think he deserved a shot at something a few fights ago, but I couldn't get him signed,” commented Jeff Curran, Stumpf’s manager and trainer. “This opportunity with EliteXC is great and I look forward to seeing Mike rise up."

Stumpf aspires to do great things. He has taken his wrestling pedigree and evolved himself into a well-rounded fighter; constantly improving his skills as he strives to establish himself as one of the best welterweight prospects today.

“Stay tuned guys. I am coming out to make a name for myself. Thanks for all your support everyone.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva steroid hearing with CSAC set for Oct. 22

Elite XC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Silva’s appeal hearing will take place at the Ronald Reagan State Building in Los Angeles, Calif., on October 22, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. PT. The champ tested positive for the anabolic steroid Boldenone following his win over Justin Eilers to capture the first-ever (and this vacant) strap on July 19.

Since that time “Bigfoot,” his management team and American Top Team (ATT) camp have claimed innocence. Here’s a statement released from the Brazilian after the test results were revealed:

“Dear Family, Friends, Fans and Public, I did not use the steroid Boldenone, or any other steroid of prohibited substance. I don’t agree and never have agreed with the use of this kind of product in order to win, for this is cheating. I will go to the full extent of my power and the law to prove my innocence in this matter.”

Silva’s case is based around the fact that he suffers from the medical condition known as Acromegaly, which is more commonly referred to as “Gigantism.”

Here’s an explanation of the disease given on Wikipedia.com:

“Acromegaly is a syndrome that results when the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone (HGH) after epiphyseal plate closure. A number of disorders may be affecting the pituitary to create this circumstance, although most commonly it involves a GH producing tumor derived from a distinct type of cells (somatotrophs) and called pituitary adenoma. Acromegaly most commonly affects adults in middle age and can result in severe disfigurement, serious complicating conditions and premature death if unchecked. Because of its insidious pathogenesis and slow progression, the disease is hard to diagnose in the early stages and is frequently missed for many years, when changes in external features, especially of the face, become noticeable.”

Silva’s manager Alex Davis maintains that, “It would be completely insensible or even dangerous to make use of any other steroids or substances that could worsen that kind of problem.”

We’ll find out on October 22 if his argument can stand up in a court of law. Traditionally, the California commission has been one of the toughest states on steroid use, but this sounds like medical proof that he at least would have an abnormal level in his system.

Whether that means he did or did not take anything extra on top of that is for the commission officials to decide.

Elite XC has stood by its champ throughout this difficult time and he was even seen this weekend at “Heat” in Sunrise, Fla., carrying around his championship belt. For now, he remains the company’s Heavyweight Champion until the CSAC hands down its final decision.

He faces a 12-month suspension and fine if the finding is upheld.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Nissen Osterneck tapped as new opponent for Jake Rosholt during Nov. 5 WEC event

A new opponent has been secured to take on former NCAA wrestling champion Jake Rosholt in his WEC debut on Nov. 5 in Hollywood, Fla. at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Rosholt had been slated to face American Top Team jiu-jitsu black belt Danillo Villefort but will instead square off against 5-0 middleweight Nissen Osterneck.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com confirmed the news with multiple sources, including Rosholt’s manager and Team Takedown founder, Ted Ehrhardt.

Ehrhardt also confirmed to Five Ounces of Pain that Rosholt’s appearance with the WEC on Nov. 5 will be his first and last with the promotion. According to Ehrhardt, UFC Vice President of Talent Relations Joe Silva has informed Rosholt’s camp that he will be moved to the UFC’s middleweight division following his fight vs. Osterneck.

Rosholt, who was also a multi-NCAA All-American while wrestling at Oklahoma State, is 4-0 in his young martial mixed arts with all victories ending via TKO or submission.

For Osterneck, who competed on for Mark Cuban’s HDNet Fights during the promotions second-ever card last December, the fight will mark his WEC debut as well. He had been scheduled to fight for the promotion previously but was scratched from the card due to injury.

WEC 36, which had been scheduled to take place in September but was postponed due to Hurricane Ike, is scheduled to be headlined Urijah Faber defending the WEC featherweight title vs. number one contender Mike Thomas Brown. Other bouts include Paulo Filho defending his WEC middleweight title vs. Chael Sonnen, Jens Pulver vs. Leonard Garcia in a highly-anticipated featherweight bout, and Donald Cerrone vs. “Razor” Rob McCullough in which the winner will be named the number one contender to the WEC lightweight title currently held by Jamie Varner.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Johny Hendricks vs. Alex Serdyukov moved to WEC’s Dec. 3 event; Shane Roller vs. Mike Budnik added

The debut WEC debut of former NCAA champion Johny Hendricks has been postponed for the second time, as his planned welterweight bout vs. Russian Alex Serdyukov has been moved from WEC 36 on Nov. 5 in Florida to WEC 37 on Dec. 3 in Las Vegas.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com confirmed the news with Hendricks’ manager, Team Takedown’s Ted Ehrhardt, after being alerted to the news by an unnamed source earlier in the day.

Hendricks and Serdyukov had been scheduled to face each other past September at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. but the entire fight card had to be postponed as a result of Hurricane Ike.

Hendricks was a standout wrestler at Oklahoma State and is a perfect 3-0 since making his MMA debut in September of 2007. Known for being a charismatic competitor throughout his All-American career, Hendricks has won all three of his pro fights inside the distance.

Serdyukov is 8-4 overall with a lifetime record in the WEC of 5-2. He holds notable victories in his career over the likes of Mark Weir and Scott Norton with notable losses coming against Scott Norton and John Alessio.

Ehrhardt also revealed that Team Takedown’s 155 pound weight class representative Shane Roller has been added to WEC 37 against Mike Budnik.

Roller, who like teammates Hendricks and Jake Rosholt also attended Oklahoma State, is 4-1 in his pro MMA career. While Rosholt and Hendricks have yet to make their WEC debuts, Roller appeared at WEC 35 this past August, where he submitted Houston’s Todd Moore with a guillotine choke at three minutes of round 1.

His opponent, Budnik, is a perfect 7-0 and had been considered for a spot on the current season’s cast of The Ultimate Fighter reality television show on Spike TV. Like Roller, he won his WEC debut this past August by submitting Greg McIntyre via triangle choke in the third round.

WEC 37 will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and will feature WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres defending his title vs. Manny Tapia.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Bas Rutten believes Kimbo’s decison to fight Petruzelli was the right one

If you were expecting Bas Rutten, one of Kimbo Slice’s trainers, to throw him under the bus following his first-ever career professional loss this past Saturday, you’re sadly mistaken.

Rutten, a former UFC heavyweight champion who has prepared for all three of Slice’s professional fights and his exhibition debut, still believes the decision to face ex-UFC light heavyweight Seth Petruzelli during EliteXC and CBS’ Saturday Night Fights this past weekend was the right call to make.

“I think it was the right decision because people were there to see him right,” said Rutten during an exclusive interview with FiveOuncesOfPain.com. “I think that 80 percent of the people in the place were there for Kimbo. And they found a replacement for Ken (Shamrock) so let’s put the fight on?”

When asked if he was surprised in the manner in which Slice was knocked down — a right jab by Petruzelli — Rutten indicated that he certainly was.

“I think everyone in that place was surprised with that,” he responded. “We’ve seen him in street brawls get hit much harder and still stay up. This was literally what they call a fluke shot. Was it a lucky shot? People might say it’s a lucky shot but it’s not. He aimed for it and I’ve always said that if you aim for it and you hit it then it’s not a lucky shot. It was a weird position to punch from but for some reason it took the wind out of him. It was very weird.”

While many are writing off Slice in light of the disappointing effort, Rutten is standing by Slice and believes that the outcome could have been worse.

“Some people cannot win regardless of the outcome,” Rutten began. “It’s a no-win situation. Everyone is bagging on him. If people are smart, they will look at the fight. It lasted 14 seconds. It was a flash knockout. It was a weird punch but because he was running in and there was some power on it, it knocked him down. Look, if this guy had come in and it was a 1-2 to the body followed up by some punches to the head and another one to the body and you saw Kimbo standing there messed up and then get hit with a clean 1-2 and then go down, then I say that’s going to hurt him. This isn’t going to hurt him. It was more of a push instead of a punch. It’s not a big deal.”

Rutten was also asked whether there were any training issues that might have contributed to Slice’s performance on Saturday night.

“He trained hard,” answered Rutten. “I was gone for a little bit and some things popped up. We trained 80 percent for the ground so that we could defend those leg locks and other submissions. That was the gameplan and we decided to devote the other 20 to striking. Now people will look back and go ‘Oh, was that the reason that he lost against Seth Petruzelli?’ and it’s not. Kimbo’s striking is good enough. In fact, I think his striking is very decent. So that was not the problem at all but it was a total gameplan change in his mind. But even that doesn’t stop you from getting hit by such a weird punch.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

EliteXC Denies Paying Petruzelli to Stand

Seth Petruzelli, who stopped Kimbo Slice on Saturday in Sunrise, Fla., said in an interview Monday that EliteXC officials had paid him to stand with Slice instead of taking him to the ground.

“My original plan was to throw out push kicks -- they’re called ‘teeps,’” Petruzelli said when asked about his strategy during the Monsters in the Morning Show on 104.1 FM in Orlando, Fla. “Throw out push kicks, have him think that I’m going to throw them to try to rush in more and then shoot in on him obviously.”

Petruzelli was then asked whether he wanted to avoid Slice’s standup, and he noted his training with professional boxers as evidence in his confidence.

“I knew I would do all right, actually, standing up with him, but the promoters kind of hinted to me and they gave me the money to stand and trade with him. They didn’t want me to take him down -- let’s just put it that way. It was worth my while to try to stand up and punch with him.”

Petruzelli, a 28-year-old from Fort Myers, Fla., accepted the matchup on extremely short notice. He was supposed to fight on the undercard, but Slice’s scheduled opponent, Ken Shamrock, was cut over his left eye and medically disqualified from competing just hours before the event.

EliteXC officials scrambled for a replacement, and Petruzelli took the fight. Compared to Slice -- who, while popular, had only three professional bouts going into Saturday and was known strictly as a puncher -- Petruzelli was the more experienced and well-rounded competitor.

In the opening seconds, Petruzelli dropped Slice with a short right hand and then finished him off with strikes on the ground.

“Obviously we didn’t pay [Petruzelli] to stand,” EliteXC Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen told Sherdog.com on Monday when informed of Petruzelli’s comments. “Kimbo had trained for months to fight a guy who’s fighting on the ground. We don’t care if people stand or take people down or what. It doesn’t matter to us. All we want is an exciting fight.”

Petruzelli had not returned calls from Sherdog.com at the time of this report. However, in a follow-up interview with FiveOuncesOfPain.com, he suggested that his statements during the radio interview had been twisted and he denied that EliteXC had tried to influence his strategy with money.

“What was meant to be said was that I wanted to keep the fight standing for myself because I knew that was what the crowd, the promoters, and everyone wanted to see because that’s more exciting than just taking someone to the ground,” Petruzelli told FiveOuncesOfPain.com. “That was my thing only. I wanted to keep it exciting, so I decided to keep it standing. It had nothing to do with anybody else. That was all me.”

According to the Florida State Athletic Commission, Petruzelli was paid $50,000 for his win over Slice, which included a $15,000 win bonus. During the 104.1 FM interview Monday, he said he was paid in the “six-figure range,” though it is common for fighters to be paid additional compensation that is not reported through athletic commissions.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Givanildo Santana Interview

After 11 victories in the MMA career, Givanildo Santana knewe his first loss. The BJJ black belt for the first time let the fight go to the judges’ decision, and left the last ShoXC with a loss to Jaime Jara, at September 26th. With a polemic split decision loss, Giva guarantees he learned some lessons with the fight. “I always dedicated everything on my training because I knew it’d happen some day, nobody is unbeatable… I don’t like to lose, but this loss will he an important thing to me”, said the fighter. Check below the complete interview with Giva.

How was your fight at ShoXC?
I did a good fight, a tough one, maybe the fight I needed to show the promoters that I can fight stand too, and give me better opponents too, because they saw I have conditions to do good fights.

The result was very polemic… Why do you think they gave the victory to your opponent?
I don’t know. Like I said before, it was a tough fight, but I won the first round for sure, hit some kicks on the ribs, two takedowns and a good ground n’ pound game. On the second one he hit me with a good punch and I had to sit to don’t complicate, and the third and decisive one my corner said to me that the fight was tie and I needed to win. He walk in my direction and I decide to work hitting him back, and he didn’t hit me on the third round, and on the other hand I hit some punches and kicks forcing him to go back. I did some elbows, open cuts in his face. Everybody that saw that fight said I win, but only the judges didn’t saw that. I didn’t understand the result yet. Colin Oyama (Giva’s coach) was so indignant that he send a letter to California Athletic Commission, demanding an explanation for the points. When we finished the second round, both of us were with clean faces, and on the third one he finished with a hurt and deformed face.

When did you face your first loss in MMA?
I always dedicate a lot on my training because I knew one day it’d happen, nobody is unbeatable. My goal was to keep the invincibility the most I can and get the best opportunities. The sad thing is when you watch the fight again to analyze when you missed and realize that you actually didn’t lose. I did some mistakes, I’ll correct them so that I don’t do it again, it was important to fight three rounds, I never fought more than one, I learned a lot with that. I don’t like to lose, but this loss will he an important thing to me.

This loss frustrated your plans to fight for the belt?
I think so, because nobody that loses gets a title shot, you need to keep winning so that they see you and give you a chance. But that’s no problem, difficulties are only another reason to train more, and an unfair result too…

How is your relation with EliteXC now?
This was my last fight on the contract, and they always threat me well. Let’s see what happens, if they do a new contract, or if I’ll go after other opportunities. I believe I’ll have other opportunities to do my work.

When do you come back to fight?
I wanna fight as soon as possible. I fought three round and I’m not hurt, rest one week and I’ll be back this week on training.

How is your training? Are you living in United States?
I’ll start today a new routine. I spoke with my physical coach, Luciano Matheus, we’ll do some strength training and work on my explosion. I’ll have this weekend to develop my Muay Thai and Wrestling to get more complete. I’m not living here US yet because my wife is in Brazil and the gyms where I teach too. I’m doing some training here and in Brazil, but this year I’m more here in US, because I have to do some BJJ corner from other fighters at Team Oyama and some BJJ classes at No Limits. To stay here full time, it’ll depend on the work proposals, but I wanna fight a lot and don’t depend on this now. I wanna thank the opportunity TATAME give to the fighters. Thank my family for the support, specially my wife Yolanda. All Lótus Club team and my students for the support and support.

 

[lenbiasyayo]

EliteXC Denies Paying Petruzelli to Stand

Seth Petruzelli, who stopped Kimbo Slice on Saturday in Sunrise, Fla., said in an interview Monday that EliteXC officials had paid him to stand with Slice instead of taking him to the ground.

“My original plan was to throw out push kicks -- they’re called ‘teeps,’” Petruzelli said when asked about his strategy during the Monsters in the Morning Show on 104.1 FM in Orlando, Fla. “Throw out push kicks, have him think that I’m going to throw them to try to rush in more and then shoot in on him obviously.”

Petruzelli was then asked whether he wanted to avoid Slice’s standup, and he noted his training with professional boxers as evidence in his confidence.

“I knew I would do all right, actually, standing up with him, but the promoters kind of hinted to me and they gave me the money to stand and trade with him. They didn’t want me to take him down -- let’s just put it that way. It was worth my while to try to stand up and punch with him.”

Petruzelli, a 28-year-old from Fort Myers, Fla., accepted the matchup on extremely short notice. He was supposed to fight on the undercard, but Slice’s scheduled opponent, Ken Shamrock, was cut over his left eye and medically disqualified from competing just hours before the event.

EliteXC officials scrambled for a replacement, and Petruzelli took the fight. Compared to Slice -- who, while popular, had only three professional bouts going into Saturday and was known strictly as a puncher -- Petruzelli was the more experienced and well-rounded competitor.

In the opening seconds, Petruzelli dropped Slice with a short right hand and then finished him off with strikes on the ground.

“Obviously we didn’t pay [Petruzelli] to stand,” EliteXC Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen told Sherdog.com on Monday when informed of Petruzelli’s comments. “Kimbo had trained for months to fight a guy who’s fighting on the ground. We don’t care if people stand or take people down or what. It doesn’t matter to us. All we want is an exciting fight.”

Petruzelli had not returned calls from Sherdog.com at the time of this report. However, in a follow-up interview with FiveOuncesOfPain.com, he suggested that his statements during the radio interview had been twisted and he denied that EliteXC had tried to influence his strategy with money.

“What was meant to be said was that I wanted to keep the fight standing for myself because I knew that was what the crowd, the promoters, and everyone wanted to see because that’s more exciting than just taking someone to the ground,” Petruzelli told FiveOuncesOfPain.com. “That was my thing only. I wanted to keep it exciting, so I decided to keep it standing. It had nothing to do with anybody else. That was all me.”

According to the Florida State Athletic Commission, Petruzelli was paid $50,000 for his win over Slice, which included a $15,000 win bonus. During the 104.1 FM interview Monday, he said he was paid in the “six-figure range,” though it is common for fighters to be paid additional compensation that is not reported through athletic commissions.

thats gay, he seems kinda not right in the head, but i dont want dudes to be takin falls and thrownin fights like the shit that happened when boxing was a great sport. i know UFC wont do that weak ass shit

 

[Shogun Locc]

Italy's Ivan Serati to debut at UFC 93

The UFC's latest European roster addition will make his octagon debut at January's UFC 93 event in Dublin, Ireland.

Ivan Serati (10-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has been added to a fight card that currently features a main event of Rich Franklin vs. Dan Henderson and a co-main event of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Mark Coleman. It's the UFC's initial foray into the country.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) learned of the booking from Serati's manager, Alex Burzotta.

No opponent has yet been confirmed.

Serati, a former pro boxer, signed with the UFC in September. Debuting in 2006 on the European circuit, he made an explosive start to his career by stopping his first five opponents with strikes. Not a single opponent survived more than 60 seconds.

However in his sixth career bout, at an April 2007 Cage Rage event, Serati suffered his first loss -- a first-round TKO to former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort (17-8).

However, Serati has rebounded and is currently on a four-fight win streak. He's stopped all four opponents in that stretch -- with three of the wins coming in the first round.

Serati becomes only the second Italian (Alessio Sakara) to compete in the world's premier MMA organization.

 

[Shogun Locc]

thats gay, he seems kinda not right in the head, but i dont want dudes to be takin falls and thrownin fights like the shit that happened when boxing was a great sport. i know UFC wont do that weak ass shit

actually some people believe that franklin vs shamrock was a worked fight.

 

[Shogun Locc]

"EliteXC: Heat" scores 4.56 million viewers and wins in key demos

With a 59 percent increase in ratings from its July installment of "Saturday Night Fights," EliteXC and CBS scored an overall 2.7 rating and drew 4.56 million viewers for this past weekend's "EliteXC: Heat" event.

The Oct. 4 broadcast was the day's No. 1 rated sports and entertainment event on both broadcast and cable in the key demographics of adults 18-34, men 18-34 and men 18-49.

EliteXC today released the ratings, which were provided by Nielsen live plus same day ratings.

In those key demographics, "Saturday Night Fights" topped MLB playoff games, a series of NCAA football games, and a replay of UFC 86 that aired on Spike TV.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported earlier this week, ratings for "EliteXC: Heat" were up sharply from the second EliteXC-CBS broadcast in July. "Unfinished Business," which took place in Stockton, Calif., flopped with just 2.6 million viewers.

Instead, with EliteXC stars Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson and Gina Carano back in action, this past weekend's event came close to matching the record-breaking "Saturday Night Fights" debut in May. "EliteXC: Primetime," which took place in Newark, N.J., drew 4.85 million viewers to make it the highest-rated event in U.S. MMA history.

Ferguson and Carano were featured prominently in that first event, much like they were this past weekend. Although Ferguson suffered a humiliating 14-second TKO loss to late replacement Seth Petruzelli in the night's main event, Carano again dazzled with a victory over Kelly Kobold. The event also featured victories for EliteXC welterweight champ Jake Shields, Andrei Arlovski (in a featured Affliction bout) and Benji Radach.

Initial ratings for "EliteXC: Heat" pegged the number of viewers at 4.3 million viewers. However, the ratings for the final 20 minutes of the broadcast (which included the Ferguson-Petruzelli fight) were not available at that time.

Earlier this year, CBS and EliteXC entered into an agreement to air four live MMA events as part of a "Saturday Night Fights" series. "EliteXC: Heat" was the third event, and the fourth is slated to air in the first quarter of 2009.

 

[Shogun Locc]

BIG JOHN EXITS FIGHT NETWORK, CONSIDERS REFFING

Big John McCarthy on Tuesday announced that he is leaving The Fight Network, and could possibly make a return to refereeing.

McCarthy is one of the most highly regarded referees in the sport of mixed martial arts, making his debut as an official at UFC 2. He retired late last year from refereeing to take a position as an analyst and production member for The Fight Network.

It seems that he hasn’t left his new employer on the best of terms. In his final blog entry on The Fight Network website, he said, “Well this is my farewell from the Fight Network. While I will not miss what has happened or transpired at the company, I am really going to miss some very special people that I have come to know and respect in my short time with them.” Later adding, “To all of the higher ups that have taken over the Fight Network over the last year I only have this to say... Shame on you.”

Perhaps more interesting to MMA fans is McCarthy leaving the door open for a possible return to refereeing. “A few people have said that I have attacked the UFC. That is simply not true. I have never said anything bad about the UFC. I spent 14 years of my life trying to build up the UFC and make people understand how incredible the fighters of MMA were. I considered myself very lucky in the fact that I was able to be around the UFC for as long as I was and you never know maybe I will go back to refereeing and someday work another UFC.”

A return to refereeing could only serve to bolster the ranks of officiating in the sport, often considered by many to be one of MMA’s weaker links. McCarthy was one of the first referees to really push for some of the rules and guidelines that helped to shape MMA as we know it today, and helped introduce a standard for professionalism for officials.

McCarthy was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.

 

[Shogun Locc]

UFC Quick Quote: Gabriel Gonzaga interested in Brock Lesnar clash of monsters

“[Brock Lesnar] was never proposed to us, but Gabriel Gonzaga would love to fight him because he’s a big name and I think it would be a clash of two monsters. I think it would be a huge fight so if the UFC gave Gonzaga that honor he would be happy to fight Brock Lesnar.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Petruzelli disputes reports he received a bribe to keep Slice fight a standup affair

Seth Petruzelli created quite a stir following his improbable 14-second TKO against Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson during this past weekend’s Saturday Night Fights on CBS. He also added to the controversy following an interview during an interview on 104.1 FM in Orlando with the Monsters morning show.

When asked by one of the show’s hosts whether he was concerned by Slice’s standup skills and wanted to focus on getting the fight to the ground, Petruzelli indicated that he wanted to keep it standing. However, he also phrased his answer in a way that left many wondering whether EliteXC officials had offered him a bonus to keep the fight standing as opposed to taking it to the ground.

“… I knew I would do alright standing up with him,” Petruzelli said during the radio interview. “The promoters kind of hinted to me, and they gave me the money to stand and trade with him. They didn’t want me to take him down, let’s just put it that way.”

Upon being contacted by FiveOuncesOfPain.com for a followup, Petruzelli indicated that he felt his words during the 104.1 FM interview are being twisted and he categorically denied accusations that EliteXC somehow tried to influence his strategy through financial considerations.

“What was meant to be said was that I wanted to keep the fight standing for myself because I knew that was what the crowd, the promoters, and everyone wanted to see because that’s more exciting than just taking someone to the ground,” Petruzelli said. “That was my thing only. I wanted to keep it exciting so I decided to keep it standing. It had nothing to do with anybody else. That was all me.”

Upon being asked directly whether EliteXC officials had even hinted that he could receive a bonus by keeping the fight standing, Petruzelli clarified that no such act had taken place.

“No,” he responded. “Look, even the UFC gives knockout bonuses. Everyone gives knockout bonuses. There’s knockout bonuses, submission bonuses, all sorts of bonuses. I just wanted to keep it standing because I felt I could beat (Kimbo) at his own game.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

State of Florida has no immediate plans to investigate EliteXC bribery accusations

While many columnists and writers have called for an investigation in response to vague comments made Monday by Seth Petruzelli during a radio interview on 104.1 FM in Orlando that many feel suggests he claimed EliteXC officials offered him a bonus to keep the fight standing, the state of Florida has no immediate plans to do so.

“The Department has not received any official complaints regarding the fight Saturday night,” Department of Business and Professional Regulation Press Secretary Alexis Antonacci revealed exclusively to FiveOuncesOfPain.com via e-mail in response to a request for comment. “At this time, we have no reason to believe that any wrongdoing occurred. If we did receive a complaint, we would conduct a thorough investigation of all allegations.”

Five Ounces of Pain also spoke with Petruzelli again Tuesday morning during a full-length interview that will be appearing later today. During the interview, we asked Petruzelli to further clarify his initial comments made during the Monsters morning show.

We specifically asked Petruzelli if he had been contacted by EliteXC following the 104.1 FM interview and before he issued comment to us Monday afternoon.

“No, not at all,” he responded. “Honestly, when I woke up in the morning my words were jumbled and obviously my head was in a daze from drinking (laughs) the entire night. Reading the transcript, I actually now feel I worded it perfectly in what I wanted to say. I wanted to keep the fight standing and they offered a knockout bonus and I wanted to get the knockout bonus.”

We also asked Petruzelli about a descrepancy between the listed compensation in his bout agreement that we obtained from the Florida State Boxing Commission ($50,000) and the six-figure total he claimed he received for the fight during the 104.1 interview.

“The knockout bonus was the additional money,” Petruzelli said. “And my sponsors — I added my sponsors in there too for it. So it was a knockout bonus plus my sponsorships that I got.”

Petruzelli also indicated that he would have received the same exact bonus had he submitted Kimbo Slice in his fight with him this past weekend during CBS’ airing of Saturday Night Fights.

EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw also left a voice mail in response to a message we had left for him earlier in the day seeking comment. According to Shaw, Petruzelli was not encouraged in any way to keep the fight standing.

However, the idea of a potential conspiracy gained additional traction late last night after Bryan Alvarez reported in the premium section of Figure 4 Online that Ken Shamrock also had been offered a bonus to stand with Slice.

“Seth Petruzelli said that he was paid to stand with Kimbo,” Alvarez writes. “Well, he said that and then he claimed he never said it. For what it’s worth, we heard in the days leading up to the fight that Ken Shamrock was going to be paid to stand with him as well.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Ninja analyzes his loss for Radach

Coming from two victories, Murilo ‘Ninja’ Rua went to EliteXC to fight Benji Radach focused on a new victory to get his chance to fight for the belt. But Radach postponed this with a TKO victory on the second round. “It was a tough fight, but I had trained a lot of Jiu-Jitsu Boxing and weight reduction, I was really well”, said the fighter, that believes he did one mistake in the second round, that gave him the loss. “I was well, going after him in the second round, but unfortunately I missed one step and got hit on the chin. I had hit him hard in the beginning, but he recovered well, and I think it was a good fight, I got out of there applauded from the crowd”, commented Ninja, who believes he’ll come back to fights only in 2009. “I’m waiting, but I think I’ll fight again next year. I hope I have a chance to fight against Radach again and then fight (Robbie) Lawler”, finished the athlete.

 

[Shogun Locc]

FEG Tanikawa had an interview with Kamipro.

I was happy to see that Funaki and Nakahara won because I brought them to DREAM. I was amazed to see Nakahara's performance! It seemed to me that DREAM.6 couldn't arouse enthusiasm in the crowd. I wish Mighty Mo could participate in the event and Akiyama chose someone stronger. Akiyama said he wanted to fight Yoshida. I think DREAM will never arrange Yoshida for him. It's obvious that Akiyama played to the grandstand. I'm interested in what Aoki said. He fully understands what kind of fights DREAM wants to present. I want to watch Aoki vs Akiyama.

 

[lenbiasyayo]

actually some people believe that franklin vs shamrock was a worked fight.

never seen that fightt before so i just watched it on you tube and it seemed like they were both trying hard to win