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Sean Sherk vs Tyson Griffin UFC 90 fight likely Posted: 06 Aug 2008 08:45 AM CDT Two of the top lightweight contenders in the 155-pound category, Sean Sherk (32-3 –1) and Tyson Griffin (12-1), will likely mix it up at UFC 90: "Silva vs. Irvin" at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Ill., on October 25. Bout agreements have not been signed at this time; however, the important showdown within the stacked division is more than likely going to take place in the "Prairie State." Sherk -– a former lightweight champion -– failed to reclaim his title against BJ Penn at UFC 84: "Ill Will" back in May. It was his first fight since being stripped of the title and suspended for six months because of a positive test for steroids that he refuted vigorously. He won the vacant title back in 2006, outpointing Kenny Florian on all three judges scorecards in a blood-soaked five-round bout. His loss to Penn -– the first since 2005 -– snapped a three fight win streak – all of which were decisions. Griffin is also a decision monster, going the distance in his last five fights and winning four of them. He has strung together a four straight victories since losing to Frank Edgar at UFC 67: "All or Nothing" in 2007, which was among one of the most exciting contests of the year. And that's the thing with Griffin -– fireworks always seem to follow him. He's rewarded with several "Fight of the Night" bonuses. Perhaps the only thing keeping him out of serious title consideration is his inability to finish. Unfortunately, that trend could continue against a very tough and experienced Sherk. Regardless, it should be a solid fight between two of the more dominant players in the division and get the winner one step closer to a potential title shot. To check out the latest UFC 90 card and rumors click here.

Dana White to Vlog on UFC 87 and what its like to be UFC President Posted: 06 Aug 2008 08:01 AM CDT Here’s part two of a series of behind-the-scenes videos with UFC President Dana White as he heads into UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy” weekend. In this clip he is in Toronto, Canada, most likely working on deal to stage an event north of the United States border before 2008 expires: Check out his debut vlog episode after the jump.

Tito Ortiz to Affliction MMA official Posted: 05 Aug 2008 09:13 PM CDT Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz has officially ended his turbulent tenure with the most popular mixed martial arts promotion in the world, opting to sign with upstart Affliction MMA and reuniting with his on screen “boss,” Donald Trump, from the “Apprentice.” No specific details of the contract were revealed at this time; however, the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” told SportsIllustrated.com that deal is “like no other.” Here’s a snip: “I guarantee you that my contract will be like no other. It will be a ground-breaking record contract for sure, without a doubt. There’s so much money to be made right now in mixed martial arts and it’s all about the fighters trying to make that money. It’s going to be a long-term deal where I put my heart and soul into the company and help build them. That’s something I’m interested in doing. They’re going to bring me on, not just as a fighter but also doing some of the back work also.” That “back work” likely includes an opportunity to somehow help grow the business behind the scenes. Ortiz — one of the most recognizable and controversial faces in the sport — has been a part of several of the top-grossing pay-per-view (PPV) events ever. He can likely leverage that star power to contribute to the success of the promotion. The interesting thing here is that Ortiz is clearly set to likely make a lot of money, which is not uncommon within Affliction MMA. For its first show, in fact, the promotion shelled out an astounding collective payroll that exceeded $3.3 million, cutting into any potential profit significantly. And company Vice President Tom Atencio has been adamant that he’s not in the business to lose money. Furthermore, he has indicated that he intends to scale back the purses for the encore event, which is slated for the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 11. Can the promotion handle another huge salary? Time will likely tell that tale. Ortiz, meanwhile, is optimistic that his new home will soon become the best show in town. Here’s another snip: “Mr. Trump sees it as a business and no more than that. He understands that and there’s nothing personal to it at all and that’s what the UFC has problem with. The UFC takes the work they do very, very personal and in any business once you let your personal feelings get involved with it everything goes to [crap]. Mr. Trump is a strict businessman who respects the fighters. This is going to be one of the biggest losses [the UFC] has ever had to date and one of the worst mistakes they’ve ever made.” Ortiz has all of his professional fights, 22, under the UFC banner in a career that dates back to 1997. He has three wins, two defeats and one draw since he returned to action in 2006 from a brief hiatus. And those three victories have come at the expense of a past-his-prime, Ken Shamrock (twice), and a controversial split decision over Forrest Griffin. If this is indeed a mistake then he will have to prove it where he first made a name for himself — inside the ring. His first test could come against Renato “Babalu” Sobral at “Day of Reckoning” on October 11. Rest assured that everyone will be watching. However, if he loses, for how much longer? This appears to be yet another gamble that Affliction hopes will pay off in the long-term. Literally.

MMA Quick Quote: Asians are not scared of Anderson Silva Posted: 05 Aug 2008 05:14 PM CDT “I’m not sure if you watched the last couple UFC’s. I cornered one guy and he (Dana White) stuck me right next to BJ’s mom. He’s talked to me on the down-low because I do have a two year, four or five fight contract left with Strikeforce. My promoter is willing to be like, hey Gracie went into the UFC and fought Matt Hughes. We’re willing to do that too, but is Dana willing to do that? When I first sat down with Dana, he was like, I want you to fight. I want you to sign a six fight deal. I was like, I can’t do that, I have four fights left with Strikeforce and now it’s down to three. We’re at the three mark so let’s see where it goes. But of course, like you said, Anderson Silva is pound for pound ranked number one, but what I see is all four of his losses were to Asians. Those Asians are not scared of him. They will come in and they will engage to fight. Everyone in the UFC who is fighting him is fighting scared. I mean, I’m gonna go in there and I’m either gonna win or I’m gonna lose. It’s how am I gonna win or how am I gonna lose, because when I walk out of there I want to be able to carry my head high. I have nothing to lose. Anderson Silva is favored to win. I got nothing to lose. – Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le fields a question about a possible superfight with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. It’s no secret that UFC President Dana White doesn’t like to cross-promote with other organizations, but everybody wants to see if there is a 185 pound man in the world who can contend with “The Spider.” Some think Cung Le is that man, but is it ever going to happen? I say probably not. What say you?

Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller: Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza fights like a girl Posted: 05 Aug 2008 05:03 PM CDT Sounds like former Icon Sport middleweight champion Jason Miller is still a bit upset over his recent loss to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in the quarterfinals of the DREAM 4 middleweight grand prix back in June. “Mayhem” was making his case with the boys over at The Lights Out Show and he didn’t sound too pleased with either performance. Quoteworthy: “He punches like a girl, he kicks like a girl. He’s good at jiu-jitsu…that’s it. I was stupid enough to grapple with him. That was my fault. I’m retarded. (But) I showed the world that he don’t know how to box.” Miller thinks he’s exposed Souza as a one-trick pony and now wishes he had that fight to do over. Nonetheless, Souza scored the win and will be competing in the semifinals and possibly the finals of the middleweight grand prix at DREAM 6 on September 26 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Perhaps we’ll see Miller in an alternate bout, trying to get his way back into contention for the tournament championship. Stranger things have happened - just ask lightweight grand prix winner, Joachim Hansen. MMAmania.com senior writer Jesse Holland contributed to this report.

Matt Hughes unsure if Thiago Alves is a top five welterweight (Audio) Posted: 05 Aug 2008 02:48 PM CDT Props: MMARated.com (Note that he also indicates his knee injury should be healed around January 2009 at which time he intends to take on Matt Serra once and for all.)

WEC 35 bonuses and awards for ‘Condit vs. Miura’ Posted: 05 Aug 2008 01:35 PM CDT WEC 35 from the “The Joint” at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 3 has come to a close. And there was no shortage or exciting fights or bonus-worthy finishes. Similar to the UFC, the Zuffa-based WEC promotion often passes out awards for “Fight of the Night,” “Submission of the Night” and “Knockout of the Night” after each event. Sunday was no different — the promotion rewarded several participants on the card for their performances. In fact, in a rare move two of the three title bouts on the card received “Fight of the Night” honors, according to MMAWeekly.com. Here’s the list of fighters who earned some cold hard cash for their outstanding performances at WEC 35: Fight of the Night: Carlos Condit vs. Hiromitsu Miura and Jamie Varner vs. Marcus Hicks Knockout of the Night: Brock Larson Submission of the Night: Brian Bowles Each fighter received $7,500 for their efforts in addition to their respective base salaries, which you can check out right here. Not a bad cherry on top, but a far cry from the usual $40,000 to $75,000 dished out for bonuses at UFC events. For those who missed it, Bowles’ guillotine came out of nowhere. It looked like he was going to get slammed by Damacio Page; however, in mid air he secured the choke, which was impressive enough to win submission of the night over the other two under card matches that ended with a tapouts. A very explosive 37-second knockout from Brock Larson will not only earn him some extra scratch, but this impressive win should get him back in line for a shot at Condit’s title. It appears either Larson or a rematch with Miura is up next for Condit … there aren’t too many other options. Either way, it should be another great welterweight title fight for the WEC. For complete WEC 35 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here.

Randy Couture: ‘Biography’ episode debut Wednesday, August 6 Posted: 05 Aug 2008 11:05 AM CDT Props: Biography.com Quoteworthy: “He’s the five-time champ of America’s fastest growing sport. His fights sell out arenas and millions of fans in 36 countries worldwide tune in to telecasts weekly and pay top dollar for exclusive pay-per-view events. He’s Randy Couture: the Ultimate Fighting Champion. The simple title belies the near inhuman strength it has taken to kick, choke and claw his way to the top of professional fighting. From early days on his high school wrestling team to the Army and Olympics, this Washington native has built a career on years of training — perfecting his signature style referred to as the ‘ground and pound.’ Losses on and off the mat take their toll, but also drive Couture to cement his title as ‘the best fighter of all time.’” Check your local listings on how and where to watch this hour-long episode on the Biography channel, which debuts on Wednesday, August 6 at 10 p.m. ET. Sounds cool.

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