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UFCs Arianny Celeste Maxim Hometown Hottie Contest Posted: 25 Apr 2008 10:27 AM CDT Props: Maxim.com (VOTE NOW!)

Travis Lutter: ‘I was a half-inch from breaking Rich Franklin’s arm’ at UFC 83 Posted: 25 Apr 2008 09:19 AM CDT Props: FightTicker.com Quoteworthy: “… I got caught – I haven't watched the fight yet but some of my buddies told me I got caught with a pretty good punch about 18 seconds in…. I thought I had him. I was really surprised when he was able to roll out. It's pretty rare for somebody to get out. It's just one of those things. Golf clap for Rich for getting out…. I was probably a half-inch, maybe even a quarter-inch, from breaking Rich Franklin's arm. If we played that fight again I think I've got a real good shot at beating him. How close was I to getting my arm raised in both those fights? Sometimes luck is … And, I'm not saying that Rich got lucky. I don't want people sending me hate mail saying I was saying Rich got lucky. I'm just saying I got unlucky.” The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 4 middleweight winner, Travis Lutter, talks about his technical knockout loss to UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2″ on April 19. In addition to discussing the loss, “The Serial Killer” goes in to details about all the unnecessary hate mail he receives for his past two losing performances.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson Strikeforce fight booked for June 27 Posted: 25 Apr 2008 08:49 AM CDT Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez (14-1) and Josh Thomson (14-2) are booked to scrap during the main event at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, Calif., on Friday June 27. The 155-pound tilt between "Bay-area archrivals" was supposed to go down on March 29; however, "The Punk" has to undergo surgery to repair a left shoulder injury. "El Nino" went on to defend his title against Gabe Lemley with a second round technical knockout. Here’s a snip from Melendez: "This is a very big fight for the fans, for the promotion and for Josh and me. Josh is a great fighter, but I'm the champ and I plan on remaining the champ for a long time." Thomson is on a six-fight win streak, finishing five of those fights inside the distance mostly with submissions. He stopped Adam Lynn with a technical knockout his last time out at Strikeforce: "Playboy Mansion" in September 2007. Here’s a snip from Thomason: "This fight with Gilbert has been a long time coming and we're ready to do it. It's not as if we need a feeling out period. We both know each other very well. We've trained together, we've sparred together. We're gonna come out ready for five rounds, but we're gonna bang it out." Oh yeah … this is a dynamite match up between two of the most exciting 155-pound fighters in the world. Can’t wait. Stay tuned for more details. To purchase tickets for the “mega-card” head over to StubHub.com or Ticketmaster.com right now.

Frank Shamrock and his ‘Right Hand of Death’ (Video) Posted: 25 Apr 2008 08:19 AM CDT Nine head staples, broken right arm, 30 stitches, titanium plate and six screws all thanks to Cung Le: (Thanks to BloodyElbow.com for the assist.)

Cage Rage 26: ‘Ross Pointon Returns’ on May 10 Posted: 24 Apr 2008 07:40 PM CDT That’s not really the name of the event. Repeat: That’s not really the name of the event. However, the ever popular contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 3 and former UFC fighter, Ross Pointon, has healed from the ax wound he suffered his last time out and will be back in action at Cage Rage 26: “Extreme” from the NEC Arena in Birmingham, England, on May 10. The event will be streamed LIVE on ProElite.com for FREE on fight night. There are 11 total bouts on the card, including a main event light heavyweight title fight between champion Ian “The Machine” Freeman (18-7-1) and challenger Paul Cahoon (10-10). “The Machine” is a Vale Tudo-style fighter with a wide range of finishing abilities. Of his 18 wins only three have gone to decision. He has eight submission victories and seven wins by way of T(KO). Freeman has tested himself against some very tough fighters since joining the professional MMA world in 1999 such as Andre Arlovski, Vernon White, Melvin Manhoef and others. He’s a six-fight UFC veteran and holds a 3-2-1 record inside the Octagon, including a victory over former heavyweight champion, Frank Mir. Cahoon is a kickboxer who started off his career losing nine of his first 12 fights. He has since righted the ship reeling off five straight wins and seven of his last eight. The lone loss was to the powerful Manhoef. It’s a solid main event and an undercard that has some decent fighters and a middleweight title fight. Check out the rest of the card after the jump. Mark Epstein vs. Matt Ewin for the Cage Rage middleweight title Ch’e Mills vs. Marios Zaromskis at welterweight Rodney Favorus vs. James Zikic at light heavyweight Ross Mason vs. Ross Pointon at welterweight Henrique Nogueira vs. Marc Goddard at light heavyweight Paul Reed vs. Brad Pickett at featherweight Kev Sims vs. Popek Rak at heavyweight Roman Webber vs. Scott Fairclough at light heavyweight Chris Rice vs. Edegelson Lue at middleweight Havey Harra vs. Gary Kelly at lightweight

MMA Quick Quote: Kimbo Slice has a surprising ground game Posted: 24 Apr 2008 07:22 PM CDT “We’re continuing to work on polishing his striking and we’ve changed his stance, which has made him an even better striker. He is more explosive now and fit. But for a guy who has had only two MMA fights, Kimbo continues to do everything right. He is going to surprise everybody with his ground game, especially those who believe he doesn’t have one.” – Bas Rutten — former UFC heavyweight champion, MMA legend and trainer for Elite XC fighter Kimbo Slice — talks in a recent press release about how his fighter has come a long way and is prepared to fight on the ground if need be, which goes against popular opinion that the YoutTube sensation is nothing more than a street brawler. Kimbo added this statement and challenge: “To all the MMA fighters who continue to disrespect me, to all those who say I don’t have a ground game, I lack this, I lack that, I say, ’stop talking and bring it on. I’m ready.’” It’s now how an MMA fighta eat.

Kalib Starnes answers the critics, has no excuses Posted: 24 Apr 2008 07:13 PM CDT UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2″ had it all: Record attendance, quickest sell-out, crazy fans and from what I can ever remember, the first ever 30-24 scorecard. Of course, the dubious score was one of the three given in the unanimous decision for Nate Quarry over Kalib Starnes in a fight that has ignited a wave of criticism from fans and promoter (UFC President Dana White) alike. There’s been a lot of back-and-forth about what happened — rather waht didn’t happen — inside the Octagon last Saturday night. Kalib recently released a statement in response to all of the negative press he has been receiving since his poor performance. Here's a snip: "… I trained really hard for my fight. I know that there were many people, including myself, who were disappointed with my performance, and I would like to apologize to my coaches, trainers and the fans for what happened. It was by far the worst fight of my career, much to the credit of my opponent who proved to be a real monster in the ring…" Kalib also commented on the backlash he received from fans: "There is a winner and a loser in every fight. I tried to win but on that night I couldn’t do it and I lost. Instead of allowing me to lose with dignity I was booed and called names and ridiculed beyond anything which seems reasonable to me." He continues on in his statement about breaking his foot during the fight and simply being out classed by Nate Quarry, who subsequently stole all of the “Rocky” banter that Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra were tossing back and forth by becoming the hero in his opponent's backyard. "If I can change, and you can change, everybody can change!." Classic. Anyway, to check out Starnes’ complete statement click here. This hopefully is the last we hear about this situation; however, something tells me we’re not that fortunate. 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.

Charles McCarthy retires from MMA competition Posted: 24 Apr 2008 02:58 PM CDT Props: MMAWeekly.com Quoteworthy: "I would like to announce my formal retirement from Mixed Martial Arts competition. I have achieved many of the goals I set out to accomplish in this sport and found others just out of reach. It is now time for me to lay down my gloves and rededicate my attention towards my business, my fighters, my family and my team. The successes I have found in my career are due in large part to all the great people who have helped me along the way. Being involved with the true champions at American Top Team has guided me to become a better father, husband, teacher and friend. Without the great generosity of ATT my life would have had a void. I hope that everyone reading (this) can one day feel the love of a great family as I have…. My goal in my career was always to be the best, and you know it just didn't work out this time. I'm okay with that. I kind of hit the whole glass ceiling in my career and I don't feel like dwindling on past my usefulness." Former contestant of season four of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), during which he was dubbed “Captain Miserable” by his castmates, Charles McCarthy announces his retirement from professional mixed martial arts competition. He most recently lost to Michael Bisping via first round technical knockout at UFC 83: “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2″ this past weekend. He compiled a winning record (10-5) since his career began in 2003; however, he was not as successful inside the Octagon (1-2). Good luck, “Chainsaw.”

Paulo Filho: Chael Sonnen WEC fight will need ref intervention (Video) Posted: 24 Apr 2008 02:49 PM CDT No pun intended. There’s also some good background on his chemical dependency: Paul Filho on rehab, Sonnen rematch - Watch more free videos (Thanks to MMAmania.com reader “Roy” for the assist.)

Sengoku II: Josh Barnett vs. Jeff Monson Posted: 24 Apr 2008 12:45 PM CDT World Victory Road has scheduled former UFC heavyweight champion and PRIDE superstar Josh "The Babyface Assassin" Barnett (21-5) to face fellow UFC veteran Jeff “The Snowman” Monson (24-7) at Sengoku II on May 18 at Tokyo's Ariake Coliseum according to the official Sengoku Web site. In addition to being one of the most sought-after free agents in mixed martial arts (this side of the Iron Curtain), Barnett has already tasted victory at Sengoku I where he defeated Judo master Hidehiko Yoshida via heel hook back in March. Aside from three losses to Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Barnett has only been defeated by two other men: Current UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira in 2006 and Pedro Rizzo way back in 2001. Opposing him will be the venerable Monson, who last competed at PFP: Ring of Fire taking a unanimous decision victory over Holland’s Hakim Goram. Monson was riding a sixteen-fight win streak prior to being outpointed by Tim Sylvia at UFC 65. No doubt submissions will be the order of the night. Monson has 15 of his wins coming by way of tapout and Barnett has 14. However if the Sylvia fight is any indication, Monson may have trouble with the distinct size disadvantage as Barnett towers over him by six inches. The Sengoku II fight card as it currently stands is as follows: Kwang Hee Lee vs. Eiji Mitsuoka Satoru Kitaoka vs. Ian Schaffa Jorge Santiago vs. Yuki Sasaki Yoshihiro Nakao vs. Jim York Dan Hornbuckle vs. Mike Pyle Ryo Kawamura vs. Kevin Randleman Josh Barnett vs. Jeff Monson Roger Gracie vs. TBA

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