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Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young EliteXC fight booked for CBS Saturday Night Fights Posted: 27 Mar 2008 08:17 AM CDT The most recognizable female mixed martial arts fighter in the world, undefeated Muay Thai specialist Gina Carano, will compete against Kaitlin Young (4-1) during the EliteXC show debut of “Saturday Night Fights” on CBS this May 31, according to MMAWeekly.com. Before losing her most recent match to Sara Schneider via submission (armbar) last month, Young dominated an eight-woman tournament put on by BoDog Fights in November 2007. She won all three fights in the same night all with T(KO) stoppages inside of the first minute of the fights. Young boasts a strong stand up game and will get the chance to test her skills against a top female striker in the sport. Carano is already known in the network TV world as American Gladiator “Crush,” making her place on the first ever network MMA show inevitable. She has done a lot to help put female mixed martial arts on the map. In fact, She was a part of the first sanctioned female MMA fight in Nevada, beating Rosy Sexton of England via technical knockout in the second round that night. “Conviction” has since reeled off three more wins all under the EliteXC banner. Carano is a Muay Thai champion and knows her way around the cage. She’s not scared to hit or be hit. She’s also fun to watch and should provide some excitement when she locks pigtails with Young at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.. It’s a nice addition to an already stacked card that includes Kimbo Slice, Robbie Lawler, Scott Smith, Ninja Rua, Phil Baroni and others.

Win a trip to UFC 83 in Montreal aboard The Ultimate Fight Train Posted: 27 Mar 2008 08:03 AM CDT Here's your chance to win tickets aboard The Ultimate Fight Train to UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2″ in Montreal at the Bell Centre on April 19 — the event that sold out faster than any other in the history of the promotion. It’s a hot ticket to say the least. The Toronto Sun in association with MMA Fight Gear Canada is running a contest that starts today and runs until April 14. If you live in the Toronto area make sure to pick up the paper and enter the contest. The contest is open to all legal residents of Ontario, Canada. All of the rules, regulations and contest details can be found in The Toronto Sun's sports section or click here. This is a great opportunity to win a fight fan's dream trip to UFC 83 –- don't miss out! Sean McManus is the Director of Media Relations for MMACanada.net. For more information on the MMA scene up in Canada check out MMACanada.net.

Cesar Gracie: Nick Diaz medical marijuana card possibly the reason forced out of Strikeforce event Posted: 27 Mar 2008 07:59 AM CDT Props: Sherdog.com Quoteworthy: “He’s got a medical marijuana card…. Nick is a naturalist by heart. He thinks Ritalin is an amphetamine. He thinks that’s really bad for you. People with [Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD0] are kind of hyper, so he has trouble sleeping. He got the medical marijuana card and he takes his pot to go to sleep and be more focused. It’s completely legal in California. Voters voted it in. The commission is actually supposed to obey that, so this will probably open up a legal case. If it was something small, OK, f—- it, whatever. But if they’re not even going to allow him to test clean, that doesn’t make sense. That’s overstepping their boundaries.” Nick Diaz was a surprise late scratch for his upcoming bout with Jae Suk Lim on the Strikeforce: “Shamrock vs. Cung Le” event this Saturday (March 29) at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, Calif. His trainer, Cesar Gracie, blames the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) for the decision because his fighter smokes pot to treat an ADD condition. CSAC Executive Director, Armando Garcia, claims Diaz’s medical papers were not submitted in time as the reason. The report indicates that Diaz never submitted a urine sample nor did he tested positive for marijuana (it’s a banned substance in mixed martial arts). He is expected to return on the June 14 show. Drew Fickett is now booked to fight Kim in Diaz’s absence.

WEC 33 recap: All American dethrones the Rhino Posted: 27 Mar 2008 12:04 AM CDT In a fight that was destined to be a stand up war, all it took was a perfect left hook by Brian Stann to drop Doug Marshall for good in the main event of tonight's WEC 33 to capture the 205-pound title. The result came in 1:35 of the very first round via technical knockout in a fight that began with both men looking to find their range in the early going. Stann — using his three inch reach advantage — kept Marshall at bay until the two met in the clinch. It was in the clinch where it was the beginning of the end for Marshall. Both men were trading big shots back and forth at the break until Stann caught Marshall with the left hook. It was from there with Marshall on the ground, Stann would deliver two more big shots until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight. From there it was a sign of emotion as Stann would go on one knee and was in tears after the victory. The future is bright for Stann who is just six fights deep into his professional mixed martial arts career and he is already a champion. As for Marshall, look for him to get back up and climb the ladder for another shot at Stann. Marshall showed the class of a former champion by helping wrap the strap around the new titleholder. Pure class from the former champion, but tonight was a good night to be a Marine. With everything to lose, including a title shot, Chael Sonnen put on a clinic against up and comer Brian Baker. From the first minute of the fight and on, Sonnen took control with relentless takedowns and brutal ground and pound. Sonnen would deliver devastating elbows and punches from the guard of Baker to end the first round. In the second, it was much as the same as Sonnen once again took the fight to the ground. Even toward the middle of the second Sonnen delivered an exciting suplex while transitioning into Baker's guard. It was from there that Sonnen continued to pull away with textbook ground and pound. In the final stanza Sonnen did not relent as he continued to takedown Baker and overwhelm him en route to a dominating decision win. The scores tallied 30-26, 30-25, 30-25 and now Sonnen looks to redeem himself in a rematch with current WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho sometime later this year. Give credit for Baker to withstand the barrage of Sonnen to be there until the final bell. The future is bright for Baker and it will be a learning experience for him. With this win, Sonnen can make a case of being one of the most underrated middleweights in the world and will certainly give Filho problems in the rematch like he did in their first encounter before getting caught. In lightweight action, Marcus Hicks solidified his place as possibly next in line for a title shot. Being the aggressor for most of the fight, Hicks delivered haymakers that landed on the chin of Ed "9 MM" Ratcliff. Hicks dropped Ratcliff with overhand lefts and right, almost ending the fight on two occasions with the guillotine choke. Hicks then landed one more left hand haymaker that dropped Ratcliff to the canvas as and sunk in a guillotine choke to end the fight at 1:42 left in the first round. Hicks ends the undefeated streak of Ratcliff and preserves his own undefeated record. Look out for the “Wrecking Ball,” Jamie Varner. Also on the card, Sergio Gomez and Richard Crunkilton engaged in a lightweight war that ended with a unanimous decision win for Crunkilton. It was a night for takedowns, as Crunkilton would takedown Gomez with ease and was in dominant positions for most of the fight. He would also deliever a big elbow in one of those exchanges on the ground, opening a big gash on the back of Gomez' head. Gomez' best opportunity to win the fight was on the feet where he was getting the better of those exchanges. But it was Crunkilton who would weather the storm and dropped Gomez to the ground once again on both occasions. Gomez showed a lot of heart but it wasn't enough on this night. The night started off with a bang as Steve Cantwell and Tim McKenzie went toe-to-toe standing. Cantwell was stalking McKenzie from the opening bell and was looking to bang. Cantwell then threw left head kick that forced McKenzie to shoot for a takedown. But Cantwell was having none of it as he sprawled back to his feet where he felt comfortable. Cantwell then threw another high kick that rocked McKenzie and it was textbook from there. Cantwell would clinch with McKenzie and deliver knees that knocked McKenzie to the ground. Cantwell would then pounce on McKenzie and gained full mount. With no where to go and getting peppered with shots by Cantwell, McKenzie gave up his back. Cantwell then applied the rear naked choke for a submission victory in the first round. The light heavyweight division is very thin when it comes to contenders, and Cantwell could very well be in the mix. All in all, a great night of fights that saw only two of the five fights going to decision. Marcus Hicks and Chael Sonnen are now at the front of the contender line in their respective divisions. And Steve Cantwell and Brian Baker showed that they are the future of the WEC even though both men had mixed results tonight. Brian Stann and Doug Marshall gave the fans what they came to see. Yet in the end, the former Marine pulled through once again like he did for his country and is now champion. The sky's the limit for Stann, and only time will tell how far he can go. With one hell of a chin and a determination that cannot be measured; Stann is one fighter to watch out for in the WEC. For complete results of all the WEC 33 action this evening, including the under card bouts, click here.

Redbelt take 2: Alternate movie trailer for David Mamet’s MMA drama Posted: 27 Mar 2008 12:01 AM CDT It looks like David Mamet may have finally lost his marbles — and that might not be a bad thing. Here is a second look at the upcoming mixed martial arts drama Redbelt featuring exiled UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy "The Natural" Couture and PRIDE veteran Enson Inoue. Anyone that’s seen the first trailer back in February will recognize that this new, alternate trailer is focused more on character development and less on marbles.

UFC Quick Quote: Tim Sylvia to make huge announcement this Friday Posted: 26 Mar 2008 10:55 PM CDT “On Friday, around 12:00, I’ve got a couple of big announcements to make about my career. So all of my loyal fans will want to stay tuned to my website because this is huge.” – Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia — who has one fight remaining on his current contract with the promotion — reveals via his official Web site that “huge” news about his career is forthcoming. Setting a date and time seems a bit strange … wonder what it could be?

Nick Diaz scratched from Strikeforce March 29 show for undisclosed reasons Posted: 26 Mar 2008 10:27 PM CDT The talent raid on the upcoming Strikeforce: “Shamrock vs. Cung Le” fight card continues with Nick Diaz being the latest fighter scratched from the March 29 event at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, Calif., according to MMAWeekly.com. Drew Fickett — who was slated to challenge Diaz’ training partner, Jake Shields, for the 170-pound EliteXC title — will now fill-in and take on Jae Suk Kim. Shields bowed out of his bout with Fickett earlier this week because of a back injury. There was no reason given for the Diaz withdrawal at this time. Diaz and Shields join Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (visa issues) and Joe Riggs (spinal injury) as high profile scratches from the show that will air at 10 p.m. ET on the Showtime premium cable network. The showdown between Fickett and Kim will be featured during the televised portion of the broadcast. More bad news for this show … Diaz is quite a draw. However, two titles will still be up for grabs in the Golden State this weekend. Check out the most recent Strikeforce: “Shamrock vs. Cung Le” card after the jump. Hopefully, there are no more surprises. Main card (Televised): 185 lbs.: Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le 155 lbs.: Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez vs. Gabe Lemley 170 lbs.: Drew Fickett vs. Jae Suk Lim 265 lbs: Mike Kyle vs. Wayne Cole 185 lbs.: Joey Villasenor vs. Ryan Jensen Under card (May not be broadcast): 170 lbs: Luke Stewart vs. Tiki Ghosn Jesse Jones vs. Jesse Gillespie Darren Uyenoyama vs. Anthony Figueroa We’ll have total LIVE on-the-scene coverage of this show over the weekend. Definitely hit us up for all the latest news, results and recaps.

WEC 33 results for Marshall vs. Stann LIVE tonight! Posted: 26 Mar 2008 06:48 PM CDT WEC 33: "Marshall vs. Stann" will air LIVE tonight (March 26) from The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on the Versus network at 9 p.m. ET. The under card is already underway and results are beginning to flow below. We’ll have a detailed recap of all the main card action later on this evening at the conclusion of the show, including the 205-pound showdown between WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Doug Marshall and challenger, Brian Stann. In addition, top middleweight contender, Chael Sonnen will be in action a bit later on, taking on last-minute replacement, Bryan Baker. Ed Ratcliff and Maurice Hicks will also throwdown in a lightweight clash. WEC 33 quick results after the jump. Brian Stann defeats Doug Marshall via technical knockout (strikes) in round one Chael Sonnen defeats Bryan Baker via unanimous decision Marcus Hicks defeats Ed Ratcliff via submission (guillotine choke) in round one Steve Cantwell defeats Tim McKenzie via submission (rear naked choke) in round one Hiromitsu Miura defeats Blas Avena via knockout (punch) in round one Brock Larson wins via disqualification over John Alessio because of an illegal knee in round one Richard Crunkilton defeats Sergio Gomez via unanimous decision Alex Serdyukov defeats Ryan Stonitsch via submission (triangle choke) in round one Chris Manuel vs. Kenji Osawa is ruled a draw Logan Clark defeats Scott Harper via technical knockout (strikes) in round one Enjoy the fights and remember to share your thought on the action in the comments section below.

Matt Serra vs. George St. Pierre I was no fluke Posted: 26 Mar 2008 04:46 PM CDT Props: SetantaSports.com "It is crazy! Last year may have been an upset but, believe me, it was no fluke. What is a 'lucky punch?’ Who do these people think I was trying to punch in the face if not Georges? Seriously – where did the luck come into it? I got him hurt and didn't let him off the hook. Seriously, you tell me, if you aim at something, and then hit it time and time again, was it luck or did you just do what you were trying to do?… All the pressure is on GSP. He has to live up to all this BS about him, he has to step into the Octagon with a man who punched his lights out last time. I'm rematching a guy I beat inside one round, where's the pressure? No-one is looking at me to do anything, for whatever reason, so there's zero pressure on me.” UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra makes the case for his rematch with Georges St. Pierre at UFC 83 in Montreal, Quebec, at the Bell Centre on April 19. It’s hard to disagree with the statement above, which is not to say that Serra is going to win. He just makes a good point.

Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver WEC fight confirmed for June 1 Posted: 26 Mar 2008 02:07 PM CDT The wait is over as the WEC finally confirmed the date for arguably its biggest fight ever. Urijah “The California Kid” Faber (20-1-0) will defend his featherweight title against MMA legend and former UFC lightweight champion, Jens “Little Evil” Pulver (22-8-1), at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif., on June 1. Although Faber is regarded as one of the top 145-pounders in the world, Pulver is undefeated in the division (8-0), submitting Cub Swanson in 31 seconds during his WEC debut back in December 2007. Miguel Torres (33-1-0), fresh off a dominating performance against Chase Beebe to earn the 135-pound strap, will be on the card as well. He will make his first WEC bantamweight title defense against Mexican slugger Manny Tapia (10-0-1), who is coming off a split decision victory over Antonio Banuelos at WEC 32. WEC 34: “Faber vs. Pulver” will air at 9 p.m. ET on Versus. This should be one the biggest nights in the short history of the WEC, and it’s even a bigger plus for it to take place live on Versus. It’s hard to beat watching an MMA legend go against the future of the sport on free TV, right?

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