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BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk UFC 84 fight is nuts (Video) Posted: 23 Apr 2008 08:05 AM CDT I dare you not to get fired up for this showdown after watching this promo: x x x

Rashad Evans vs. James Irvin UFC 85 fight booked Posted: 23 Apr 2008 06:23 AM CDT As we mentioned earlier, James Irvin (14-4) will replace an injured Chuck Liddell and tangle with Rashad Evans (11-0-1) in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 85 at the O2 Arena in London, England, on June 7. Liddell suffered a torn hamstring and would be unfit in time for the scheduled main event. He was originally booked to scrap with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua; however, he too was injured during training and was replaced by "Sugar." Irvin was in action just this month … although his fight with Houston Alexander at UFC Fight Night 13 didn't last too long. In fact, "The Sandman" registered the fasted knockout in UFC history, finishing the "Nebraskan Assassin" in only eight seconds. It was a big win for Irvin who battled severe injuries and freak incidents inside the cage throughout his fight campaign in 2007. Evans — season two heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) — is still undefeated since his stint on the mixed martial arts reality series. Stephan Bonnar, Jason Lambert and Michael Bisping are just a few of his notable wins. He fought former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz to a disappointing draw at UFC 73: "Stacked" in July 2007. And a win — or a solid performance — against a highly regarded fighter such as Liddell would have landed him on the short list of top 205-pound title contenders. Evans will have to now go through Irvin first. To check out the latest UFC 85 card, which includes a possible last-minute main event between Michael Bisping and Chris Leben, click here.

Rich Clementi vs. Terry Etim UFC 84 fight confirmed Posted: 23 Apr 2008 06:19 AM CDT No rest for the weary. Rich Clementi (31-12-1) — who just defeated Sam Stout via split decision this past weekend at UFC 83: "Serra vs. St. Pierre 2" — will fill-in for an injured Rob Emerson and fight Terry Etim (10-1) in a lightweight bout at UFC 84: "Ill Will" on May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. No cause of the Emerson injury was revealed. Clementi is on a sweet five-fight win streak, three of which were inside the Octagon. "No Love" has wins over Melvin Guillard and Anthony Johnson in addition to his win over Stout at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. In fact, UFC.com has even labeled him a "contender" in an extremely talent-rich 155-pound division. Etim will look to rebound from his first career loss when he locks horns with the former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 4. He most recently dropped a unanimous decision to Gleison Tibau at UFC 75: "Champion vs. Champion" in September 2007. Prior to the loss he notched his first career UFC win against Matt Grice in April 2007. UFC 84 features the main event between UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn and former division belt keeper, Sean Sherk. A pair of light heavyweight match ups between Wanderlei Silva and Keith Jardine, as well as Tito Ortiz and Lyoto Machida, also highlight the pay-per-view (PPV) card. To check out the most recent UFC 84 card click here.

UFC 85 fight card rumored updates Posted: 22 Apr 2008 06:57 PM CDT The hamstring injury to former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell has forced the promotion to shuffle the UFC 85 deck once again for the show at the 02 Arena in London, England, on June 7. And while no official announcements have been made about what to expect, MMAmania.com has learned a few things throughout the day. A 185-pound showdown between Michael Bisping and Chris Leben — a match up we teased earlier this afternoon — is expected to headline the show. In addition, James Irvin has agreed to step up and replace Liddell to take on Evans. In addition, and this is the shakiest bit of information we are passing along, the show will possibly air on SpikeTV for FREE similar to UFC 75: “Champion vs. Champion.” If all this pans out — and there is still one fight to be announced — fans would have little to complain about. It’s a solid card even though it may lack a “big” name such as Liddell or Georges St. Pierre. Stay tuned.

Kalib Starnes: Dana White ‘wouldnt cross the street for $10,000′ Posted: 22 Apr 2008 03:07 PM CDT Props: FightNetwork.com Quoteworthy: "In my opinion, it was inappropriate to make public statements regarding my character and my future and so on the way that he has, especially without having the courage and the respect to call me up and speak with me personally," Starnes said. "All of these comments come from a man that has never had a fight in his entire life who claims to be the ultimate authority on fighting and courage. I couldn't be happier than to be released from the most oppressive contract I've ever been under in my life…. Dana White wouldn't stand and trade with a guy [like Quarry] who had an 80 or 90 percent knockout ratio with injuries like I had Saturday night. He wouldn't cross the street for $10,000. I don't have anything to prove to anybody. I'm not about to stand there and get smashed to pieces. After I knew my foot was broken, I was trying to back up and work off the jab and keep moving so I didn't get knocked out." Former UFC middleweight Kalib Starnes responds to comments UFC President Dana White made about him after a very weak performance at UFC 83 this past weekend. Starnes claims he requested to be released from his contract, while White insists he was cut. Whatever. Starnes reveals that a broken foot was the reason he essentially refused to fight Nate Quarry during their middleweight match up on April 19 and has fueled this entire fiasco.

UFC 85: Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben? (Update) Posted: 22 Apr 2008 11:51 AM CDT Preface: This is a theoretical post for the most part and not a fight announcement. UPDATE: MMAmania.com has just learned that Leben has signed a contract to fight in London … hmmm. Sherdog.com is reporting that James Irvin is being considered as a possible replacement for the injured Chuck Liddell to take on Rashad Evans at UFC 85 in London, England, on June 7. That doesn’t seem to make much sense … not as a main event, anyway. Of course, options are limited because there aren’t too many marquee match ups that can headline a major UFC event with about six weeks notice. Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch for the welterweight title would be the logical fight — both fighters are in shape. However, “Rush” has complained about some injuries (shoulder/hand) in some post UFC 83 fight interviews. And it’s doubtful that he would risk further injury and take a big fight less than 100 percent on short notice. Moving the 205-pound showdown between Wanderlei Silva and Keith Jardine slated for UFC 84: “Ill Will” is an option. However, booking a 185-pound tilt between sluggers Michael Bisping and Chris Leben might be a better one. Why not? Sure, it doesn’t have a Liddell-type draw … but what fights do besides others that include Tito Ortiz? And we all know that’s not going to happen. Leben called out Bisping and “The Count” is a popular local attraction. “The Crippler” is one of the best personalities to market a fight — love him or hate him — and is on a nice little run. No matter what happens it’s safe to say that fans are going to complain short of a title fight. And those chances are slim. In short, the ace up the sleeve right now is to include Bisping on this card and hopefully add another solid match up (who knows — that could be Evans vs. Irvin after all). Let’s remember: There are some nice fights already slated for this event such as Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick, Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum, Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites … this list goes on. Add two more solid, high-profile fights — one that includes Bisping (who has already been a main eventer in New Jersey of all places) — and that might be the answer. Time will tell.

Big John McCarthy UFC comments on Dana White and more (Video) Posted: 22 Apr 2008 09:37 AM CDT Props: TSN.ca

UFC Quick Quote: Din Thomas considers move to 145 Posted: 22 Apr 2008 09:08 AM CDT "The UFC's lightweight division is the most complex division in the world. There's like four different roads to a title shot going on right now and within any of the roads, no one can afford to lose. While I know I can win against any lightweight in the world on a given day, I fell twice in a row. Therefore, I'm going to bow out. Good luck to those guys. I'm going to drop down to 145 lbs and see if those guys down there will embrace me." – UFC lightweight fighter, Din Thomas, tells MMAonTap.com that he would like to drop down 10 pounds and compete in the 145-pound division. “Dinyero” competed as a welterweight on season four of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and was later considered a force at 155 pounds inside the Octagon before dropping back-to-back fights to Kenny Florian and Josh Neer. If he does indeed compete at featherweight he would more than likely join Urijah Faber, Jens Pulver and the other 145 pounders in the Zuffa-owned World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) promotion.

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