Where in the World is Shonie Carter?

Ok I'm back again. Fellow MMA Fanatic "The Garv" has the craziest post about Shonie Carter check it out here.

WEC Tonight on VS

Wow, been awhile since I've posted here. I'm down with all the MMA I can get my hands on but work has been insane and leaves me with little energy to post. Anyway....

Just watched the first fight between Pasternak and Rosholt, won't post a spoiler here but it was a great fight. WEC events have always been exciting, better than a UFC ppv sometimes and it's free to boot!

Looking forward to Pulver vs Garcia which is coming up next and then Urijah Faber and Mike Brown. Can anyone stop Faber? Guess we will find out shortly.

Mike
(MMA Fanatic)

Rampage picked up by So. Cal police again

Apparently Rampage Jackson was picked up by police again yesterday afternoon and taken to a hospital for a mental evaluation. Around 4:30pm yesterday some friends of Rampage flagged down an officer because they were worried about his behavior.

Officers determined that he posed a threat to himself and others and at that time decide to have him taken in for an evaluation. Rampage was cooperative with police the whole time.

Wow, this really may answer some questions about his behavior that led to his arrest on Tuesday. He must be having some kind of breakdown over his decision loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86. One bright spot is that so far there doesn't seem to be any drugs or alcohol involved which would only serve to complicate and make matters worse or him.

Regardless I hope he gets the help he needs and gets back on the straight and narrow.

Mike
(MMA Fanatic)

Former UFC Champ Quinton Rampage Jackson Arrested after Car Chase

Rampage Jackson got himself arrested earlier today after a short car chase around around southern California. He's been charged with reckless driving, hit and run driving, and felony evading arrest... ouch. What possible reason could he have for not stopping when instructed to do so? Well details are emerging now and more will come out later.

Read the story at Yahoo.
See pics of the arrest on TMZ

Mike
(MMA Fanatic)

Ruckus in The Cage Rocks Raleigh With MMA

The 2nd MMA fight in Raleigh in the last 30 days takes place tonight at Dorton Arena. Ruckus in The Cage is bringing their hard hitting promotion to Raleigh and I have cage side seats. Hopefully they will allow cameras and I'll have pics to share later.

As soon as we get home from that I'll have UFC 84 all recorded and ready to watch. It will be MMA overload tonight!

Mike
(MMA Fanatic)

Tito Ortiz has a special surprise for Dana White at the UFC 84 Weigh In

Just got done watching the weigh ins for UFC 84 Ill Will and Tito Ortiz had a special message for Dana White. When Tito got on stage and took off his sweat shirt he had a t-shirt on underneath with this in huge letters:

DANA
IS
MY
BITCH

I just about fell out of my chair laughing and oddly enough Dana was not present at the weigh in probably because he knew something like this was going to happen.

Gonna be a good time tomorrow night...

Mike
(MMA Fanatic)

Brandon "The Truth" Vera Training Video

Brandon Vera's camp released his newest training video where he is preparing for Fabricio Werdum who he'll be facing at UFC 85 Bedlam.

I have always been impressed with Brandon's kicks and this video gives you a taste of what this guy can do. His cardio is awesome and it looks like he uses that oxygen deprivation training method similar to the one Wanderlei Silva uses.

Check out the video of Brandon Vera training.

Mike
(MMA Fanatic)

"The Return" MMA Rocks North Carolina for the first time in 14 years

Carolina Fight Promotions held it's first event last night and it was also the first MMA event to be held in North Carolina since being banned after UFC 3 in Charlotte NC 14 years ago.

CFP founder Doug Muhle and Jason Culbreth were instrumental in lobbying the NC state legislature for over 2 years to get MMA legalized in NC again.

The whole show seemed to go off without a hitch after slightly late start to complete Dr's pre-fight exams. Every fight was good featuring local guys especially from one local camp Team Roc.

My wife and I arrived in the arena at 5:45 about 15 mins after doors opened. I waited too long and didn't get ringside seats so we got premium floor instead. We got to select a pretty nice pair of seats right against the fence that formed the aisle for the fighters.

It was great first show, the fighters really left it all in the cage and there weren't any pussies plus these guys had some real talent. All of that bodes well for future MMA events planned for Raleigh in May in terms of local fighter talent.

Also IFL Champ Tim Kennedy was there as well, I didn't get a chance for an autograph but I did get to slap hands with him as he came down the fighter isle towards the big screens behind us... very cool.




Next fight coming up on 5-24 is Ruckus In The Cage also at Dorton Arena. For that fight we got cage side seats and they are assigned unlike the CFP show last night and I should be able to get some great pics.

To see over 40 more pictures from last night visit my flickr page.

Carolina Fight Promotions "The Return" Tonight in Raleigh

The wife and I are getting ready to head out to CFP "The Return" of MMA to Raleigh. This is my first live event so I'm excited to see how the action will be. Hopefully I'll have some pictures and maybe a little video later this evening or tomorrow of the show.

Mike
(MMA Fanatic)

Dana White Cuts Starnes From UFC Contract

Well I'm not surprised this happened, we all know how much disdain Dana has for pussies and poser fighters. He made the right move however you simply CANNOT run from your opponent the whole fight. Sprinting away once or twice to re-group is one thing but not straight running away.

Take a lesson from Matt Serra Kalib, when you are in the cage getting a beat down you take it like a man.

Read the whole story at MMAjunkie.com

Mike
(MMA Fanatic)

Kalib Starnes Signs For His Next Fight, Exclusive Video

Just got word that UFC Fighter (ahem) Kalib Starnes has signed for his next fight, see exclusive video of his opponent below. Starnes has already indicated that he may have to run away from this fighter as well. If he thought Nate Quarry was tough he ain't seen anything like this kid.






Mike
(MMA Fanatic)

Matt Serra is Going to Beat GSP...Yeah I said it!

I can't remember ever being this excited for a UFC and I am so looking forward to Serra and GSP. Let me just say first that I think GSP is a great fighter, a class act and is great for the sport of MMA.

However I found his comments made in the days and weeks after his loss to Serra to be very revealing. The big issue I have are the excuses: My cousin died, my dad was sick, I had other problems etc. etc.

Well if your cousin died and your dad was sick why not go in there fired up and ready win one for your family? That would have been all the motivation I needed.

As a fan I don't want to hear excuses, who cares that the media kept asking and asking. All Georges had to keep saying was that Serra was the better fighter that night and sometimes you get caught, thats MMA... period. Get back to camp, get your head right and get ready for your next chance.

Another reason why I think Serra can take this fight is that GSP has all the pressure here. He's fighting in his hometown, in his home country, to a record sell out crowd that are all there to see him and ultimately that could be a problem.

Serra on the other hand seems totally relaxed and focused on the task at hand, he's feeding off the boos from the Canadian fans. Even though this is a title defense for him he's taking it all in stride and staying loose.

I really don't think this fight will go close to 5 rounds and I don't think it will be over in the first. My thoughts are that the fight will go to the 3rd and Serra will win by submission possibly a triangle choke or arm bar. Watch for Serra's black belt BJJ experience play a large factor in this fight.

Mike
(MMA Fanatic)

Banned for 14 Years MMA Returns to North Carolina

I got a much welcomed surprise while watching UFN last night. A commercial came on with Royce Gracie introducing MMA back to NC with an organization called Carolina Fight Promotions.

I'm so stoked for this, it's not the UFC of course but it's going to be great to go to a live event right in my hometown of Raleigh, NC. My wife and I are buying ringside tickets and hopefully they will let us take some pics and maybe a little video.

Not to mention the fact that they sometimes schedule UFC fighters to make special appearances. CFP's first fight will be April 26th in the Dorton Arena at the NC State Fairgrounds. Of course I'll report on as much of the event as I can.




Carolina Fight Promotions was instrumental in getting MMA legalized in NC again, here is a statement form their website regarding their efforts:

"Carolina Fight Promotions was successful in helping the law makers of our state to see the positive impact of MMA on our state's economy. As a result, in December 2007, Governor Easley signed a bill that allows Mixed Martial Arts back to North Carolina. We are now poised for the explosive growth of this sport in our state.

Carolina Fight Promotions Inc. was the sole sponsor of the bill getting mixed martial arts allowed in North Carolina. It took over 2 years of dedicated efforts for this successful outcome. Our law makers voted unanimously recognizing the undeniable revenue and economic value of MMA sport events."

If that wasn't exciting enough there is also a 2nd promotion that will be putting on fights called: Ruckus In The Cage They will be holding an event in Raleigh on May 24th which I also plan to attend.

Here is a sample from one of their fights on 2-9-08




Now, if we can just get the UFC to come here....

Mike
(MMA Fanatic)

Irvin Ties for Fastest UFC Knock Out in Controversial Decision.

James Irvin knocked out highly touted and heavy handed Houston Alexander in just 8 seconds at last nights Ultimate Fight Night. Irvin opened up immediately with a right that folded Alexander and sent him to the mat, Irvin followed up with two more hard shots and Steve Mazzagatti quickly called an end to the fight.

Alexander popped right up and protested the call but you can clearly see Houston's arms locked straight in the air because his brain got rocked and he was making no attempt to defend himself. I can understand his anger, it must be frustrating as hell to train so hard and get finished in 8 seconds but fighter safety must come first.

All in all it was a great card and I would have been happy even if it had been a PPV. Big props to Nick Diaz and Matt Hamill both guys are tough as hell and never give up. And how about that split lip Hamill had! Yikes! He'll carry the scar from that fight for the rest of his life.

But boy do I feel bad for "Farm Boy" Tommy Speer, talk about deer in the headlights. Anthony Johnson just put a whoopin on Tommy and left him slumped out cold against the cage... not flattering at all. I think Tommy needs to head back to farm because he just doesn't have what it takes to compete with the big boys.

Mike

(MMA Fanatic)

CBS Inks Deal with Elite XC and MMA Goes Prime Time

The big MMA news today is the CBS announcement that they will broadcast Elite XC events. The initial deal is reported to be multi year with about 4 live events to be aired on CBS. This is pretty big news in my opinion right on par with the UFC getting the Spike deal for The Ultimate Fighter and Ultimate Fight Nights.

Provided the ratings are good this could bring MMA even more into the mainstream, cable is one thing, but a big 3 network like CBS has to be the ultimate in terms of potential exposure.

Read more about the deal and some great points over at Yahoo Sports.

Mike
(MMA Fanatic)

Quinton Rampage Jackson at "Magic"

The Ultimate Fighter 7 Preview

This post is courtesy of James "Kensei Neiko" moderator of the Yahoo group Extreme Fighting Fan. Check out his group for for more great MMA discussions.

With the start of the NEW TUF series and every MMA fans secret indulgence getting ready I thought I would introduce you all to the rumored cast of hopefuls. First off the judges are Forrest Griffin and Quinton Jackson, so you know that the coaches will show some entertaining character during the show. That I would tune into see any day...here are the fighters in no particular order....

Paul Bradley: 5/0 2 subs and 2 TKO/Kos. Great wrestler and NCAA stand out in wrestling. Bradley spent some time with MFS but opted to join an Iowa based team called C-4 MMA.

Matt Brown: 5/6 2 TKO/KO and 3 subs from Team Jorge Gurgel. Brown recently battled to a loss against Chris Lytle and is stepping up from Welterweight to take on the TUF fighters. Brown also fights out of IMB part time as well as training with team Gurgel.

Steve Byrnes: 6/1 From Hawaii with 1 UFC fight which was his loss. Team MMAD. With Anthoney Torres. Byrnes was actually going to be on Season 6 but a knee injury kept him on the side line. His one UFC fight was a loss on a UFN and the decision loss was a close one. His BJJ is very good and his stand up is not bad at all.

Timothy Credeur: 9/2, 7 subs and 2TKO/KO, fights with Chael Sonnen, This Louisiana Gladiator academy athlete, He is one of the more experienced guys on the show and comes in with a BJJ black belt and worked with Alan Belcher and Rich Clamenti as well as training other athletes to compete.

CB Dollaway: 6/0 1 sub 4 TKO/KO. With drew Ficketts Arizona Combat sports in Tempe. CB was an all American wrestler who has battled on HDNet and a few other smaller organizations. One of his victory KOs was by Slamming the guys head threw the mat with only 17 seconds off the clock.

Mike Marrello: 5/1/1 4 subs, with Team Curran with Jeff Curran "Big Frog". Marrello trained in TKD and Karate before going into the army. When he came out he started training with Curran, a BJJ black belt with a good record in MMA. Marrello was also an accomplished Wrestler in High school.

Prince Mclean: 4/5 4 TKO, While Prince may not seem like much with a 4/5 record it is important to note that 2 of those losses were due to a shoulder injury that stopped the fights. McLean is a Team Gurgel fighter as well and while all of his wins were by KO he is very comfortable on the ground having been an outstanding wrestler in High school and also training with Gurgels BJJ team.

Aaron Meisner: 2/0 2 TKO/Kos

Jeremiah Riggs: 1/0 TKO, Riggs is an ex-sheriff Deputy out of Mississippi that has a good armature record and recently made the jump to the pros. His one fight ended when he beat the other guy into the mat and caused a tap out when the other fighter was over come with "PAIN". He was slated to move into the IFL and join Frank Shamrocks team but the "crazy country boy" did not get a chance as the IFL disbanded the team prior to his joining when they did not win a single team match up that season.

Dante Rivera: 10/2 5 subs, 3 TKO from Renzo Gracie fight team

David Roberts: 5/7 Roberts is the guy that brought Jackson into the world of MMA and now he might be coached by the very guy he introduced to the sport. Nine years ago Roberts fought in the UFC and lost his only fight in that organization.

4 of his 5 wins were by submission and he views this as his last shot at stardom. Jackson was introduced to the world of MMA when Roberts asked him to get ready for a fight nine years ago. Obviously Jackson has had more success than Roberts.

Amir Sadollah: 0/0 as a pro Amir qualified to be in the draft pool of the IFL but choose to go to the TUF show. His armature record is 4/0 with 1 ko, 2 subs and a D to his record. Sadollah seems to have won his spot on the show by being in the face of an ESPN.COM reporter that was filming the try outs and was painted as the clown of the group. This made him fodder for the drama-cons that run some of the TUF selections.

Brandon Sene: 2/0 1 TKO and 1 sub is a Florida based fighter. Sene trains out of the Gracie Tampa, the same club that Matt Arroyo trains out of. He was a marine sniper in Iraq before coming back and getting into MMA. Both his fights were first round stops and he has big hands as well as great Jitsu.

Dan Simmler: 0/0 Pro. Simmler has two Armature MMA fights and won both. He is a student of Matt Serra and runs his own club in Massachusetts. In BJJ he holds many titles including Pan am Titles, North American and many regional titles. Simmler almost made it onto season Three but just fell short. Let’s hope that Serra has better luck with this student.

Luke Zachrich: 7/1 3TKO 4 subs with Ohio’s Team Xtreme, team that Rich Franklin is on. Zachrich is the XFO middle weight champion and won this honor with a first round KO of the then champion. Zachrich made the move to Team Xtreme after having trained with UFC legend Dan Severn for several years.

Some rumored changes include a tournament of 32 right off the bat with the winners from the tournament staying on the show and the rest going home. This means that the first few shows will house pure fights to see who can stay on the show for the "house" time and TV time. Could be interesting… The list above is supposed to be the final cast, but I will keep you all posted.

Extreme Fighting Fan

UFC & WWE Collide at UFC 81 Breaking Point

Finally tonight MMA fans get to see the much anticipated fight between former UFC Heavyweight champ Frank Mir and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar. This is going to be a difficult fight to pick a winner, Mir has been lackluster in his last few fights after returning from a serious motorcycle accident. And Lesnar while being a former WWE superstar and award winning collegiate wrestler is still an unknown and untested MMA fighter in the cage.

Mir has come off an intense training camp and appears to be in excellent condition, in fact he says he's fully healed and back at a full 100%. If that is in fact the case then Mir stands a good chance of winning this fight.

I believe that he will likely keep the fight standing as long as he can and use his striking to soften Lesnar up in preparation for some kind of submission on the ground provided he can maintain a dominant position there.

I would expect Lesnar to come out a do what he does best and that is to use his considerable strength and bigger size to take Mir down keep him on his back and G n' P him to a ref stoppage.

I can easily see this fight going either way but my money and my fantasy pick will be on Lesnar.

The Main event on tonights card is the bout between former heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia and former Pride heavyweight champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

I can easily see this fight going well into the late rounds as I don't expect to see much different from Sylvia other than jabbing to keep Nog at a distance in between squeezing him against the cage in a fashion similar to his fight with Brandon Vera.

Despite the fact that I generally can't stand Tim Sylvia I must grudgingly admit that he will prevail in this fight and once again go home with the HW belt.

All in all this looks to be an exciting card hopefully we'll get a bunch of KO's like UFC 80

Mike
(MMA Fanatic)

George "Rush" St. Pierre and Colorado Friends

Story courtesy of Dan Magnie at ColoradoFightEvents.com by Ann Dain

January 9, 2008: What a wonderful departure from my day-job when I received a phone call at my office from Dan Magnie, President of ColoradoFightEvents.com extending an invitation from Keith Schmelzer of Rocky Mountain Bad Boyz to interview George St. Pierre the next day at T’sKO Fight Club in Wheat Ridge. WOW! Was it hard to concentrate for the rest of the day? Did I carefully choose what I was going to wear for the interview? George St. Pierre? What brought him to Denver? I couldn’t wait to find out!

After a call to ensure local sports photographer Kathy Framarini was available, we agreed to meet at the gym at 10:30 on that Thursday. Trevor Wittman, the owner, head trainer and striking coach at T’sKO had invited us for 11:00 but who could wait? The day before, not only was George St. Pierre working out at T’sKO but also the ferocious Keith Jardine, Nate “the great” Marquardt, Duane “Bang” Ludwig, Diego Sanchez and Greg Jackson. For an MMA enthusiast, this was the Power Ball!

Read More...

See pictures from the event here.