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John Koppenhaver legally changes name to ‘War Machine’ Posted: 28 Aug 2008 08:59 AM CDT “SO in case you didn’t notice in my last fight the UFC did NOT use my nickname when I fought. Turns out some gay ass wrestling federation threatened to sue them because they recently named one of their wrestlers The War Machine Rhino and trademarked the name. Too f*ckin’ bad that I have been using this name for 6 years, have it tatted on my body and it is what my fans yell out when I’m fighting. If you know my personality then you know damn well I am not gonna let some faggot ass, FAKE wrestler steal MY name. SO 6 weeks ago I filed a change of name request and today I had court to make my name officially WAR MACHINE. lol. F*ckin’ funny right? Didn’t really wanna have to do it but I am sure as hell not lose MY nickname." – Former contestant on season six of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and current UFC fighter, Jon Koppenhaver, has legally changed his real name to his nickname, “War Machine.” It’s apparently legit. TNA is the professional wrestling entity that has trademarked that name for one of its stars simple known as, “Rhino.” Koppenhaver, er, War Machine, must really, really, like his nickname.

Elite XC fight card takes shape for ‘Saturday Night Fights’ at Bank Atlantic Center Posted: 28 Aug 2008 08:19 AM CDT Five fighters will likely compete on the under card of “Saturday Night Fights on CBS III” at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., on October 4. In a 160-pound bout, BJ Penn-trainee Mike Aina (9-6-1) will face off against Florida native James Edson Berto (14-5-1) — this bout is official. UFC veterans Crafton Wallace (15-3-1) and Seth Petruzelli (9-4), as well as undefeated Muay Thai specialist Lorenzo Borgomeo (4-0), are also expected to be in action against yet to be determined opponents. Aina opened a lot of eyes with a strong performance against number one division contender Nick Diaz at Elite XC: “Uprising” last September. In fact, many people believe the Hawaiian got hosed in the split decision loss. He took a brief hiatus from competition and was able to rebound with a unanimous decision victory over Kaleo Kwan at “Return of the King” nine months later. Berto has been competitive in all four of his fights under the Elite XC banner, but has fallen victim to two highlight reel knockouts at the hands of now champion KJ Noons and former number one contender Yves Edwards. He was victorious in the other two bouts, finishing John Shackleford and Victor Valenzuela each in impressive fashion. Wallace was unsuccessful in two trips to the UFC octagon while facing stellar competition in Nate Marquardt and Martin Kampmann. Since the loss to Marquardt near the end of 2006, he has ran off four consecutive wins in the smaller shows. He is a great athlete and belongs in one of the top organizations such as Elite XC. Borgomeo is the childhood best friend of UFC fighter Alessio Sakara. Sakara introduced his pal to MMA, bringing him to the United States to train with one of the top camps around at American Top Team. He made his Elite XC debut in February at “Street Certified” with a second round submission victory over Mike Bernhard. Nobody has been able to last past the second round against the Italian. None of the four bouts are expected to make the CBS telecast, but each should be exciting fights for the fans at the Bank Atlantic Center on October 4. Elite XC usually streams the under card fights live on ProElite.com. However, the promotion has not officially announced plans to do that for this event, but we’ll let you know if and when they do. To check out the latest upcoming Elite XC “Saturday Night Fights” fight card and rumors click here.

Gone-ito: Jackson leaves Ibarra for UK’s Wolfslair Posted: 27 Aug 2008 08:51 PM CDT Props: Fighters Only Magazine Quoteworthy: “Those guys got it together. Michael Bisping took to me like a brother from the first time I met him. He and [Paul] Anthony were very hospitable towards me when I first came to the UK. I feel like Wolfslair can make me go farther than I have been; I’m really excited about being able to travel there to train. The guys on the team, they like to laugh and joke around but they train hard and that’s me, that’s what I like to do. What better team to join than one called Wolfslair? I’m a werewolf. It was my destiny. People don’t understand destiny but I do. Wolfslair is the most perfect team for me.” Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson reveals that trainer Juanito Ibarra has officially resigned (on amicable terms) and that “Rampage” has joined Michael “The Count” Bisping at the UK’s Wolfslair Fight Team. In addition to fight preparation, Wolfslair will also handle all of Jackson’s MMA-related business endeavors.

MMA Quick Quote: Kimbo Slice is the black Yeti Posted: 27 Aug 2008 01:09 PM CDT Excerpt courtesy of Five Ounces of Pain: “As for Oct 4th; that was our spot. Shamrock with his name and giant ego butted in line to get a slice of Kevin. At 103 years of age Ken usurped our rightful place against the YouTube champ. Our sincerest hope is that Ken whips Kimbo and then we can finally euthanize the "World's Most Dangerous Man" and relegate him to some MMA dinosaur exhibit. Maybe taxidermy him and Severn and place them on a rotating pedestal where they can endless circle each other. If Ken proves to be more sham then rock and Fergi beats him, then the Slice hype grows even greater. Dude is already more myth then Sasquatch, Chupacabra and a fucking unicorn combined. Kevin is the black Yeti…So go ahead [Kimbo] and make us wait while you fight Tank and Shamrock. Hell, why not fight Hackney, Harold Howard, Fred Ettish and the rest of Jurassic MMA? And while your shuckin' and duckin' we will be hustlin' and muscilin' and when the bell finally tolls the only real question left is … do you wake up looking at canvas or arena lights?” – Elite XC heavyweight Brett Rogers and his Minnesota camp, Team Bison, issued a letter to Five Ounces Of Pain voicing their disapproval over the company’s recent announcement of Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice for the October 4 card on CBS. Many people, including Rogers, believed “The Grim” would get the next crack at the “YouTube champion,” especially after the post-fight fireworks in Newark, N.J., at the inaugural “Saturday Night Fights” CBS event back in May.

Matt Hughes recovery from knee injury remains on schedule Posted: 27 Aug 2008 12:35 PM CDT Former welterweight champion Matt Hughes continues to monitor the health of his injured knee, hoping that it will return to normal on its own rather than undergoing a surgical procedure that could sideline him for months. Hughes injured the MCL and the PCL in a technical knockout loss to Thiago Alves at UFC 85: "Bedlam" back in June. Since that time he has had several MRIs, X-rays and stress X-rays on the knee to determine the best course of action. And everything appears to be going according to plan, which is great news for the aging former 170-pound division stalwart — going under the knife would have likely delayed his return for several more months and possibly cast a dark cloud over the future of his professional fighting career. As it stands as of yesterday, Hughes remains on track for an eventual return to action in early 2009, according to the blog on his official Web site. Here's the latest: "Last Wednesday, I went in for my second MRI and also a stress x-ray. It all came back very positive and looks as though I will not need surgery. I still have to go back for my three month check-up to find out more; but as of right now I can do more and start exercising a little bit." When he does return — very possibly on the same card as Georges St. Pierre vs. BJ Penn on Superbowl weekend — he will fight Matt Serra. Both veterans served as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 6 and were supposed to fight in the main event at UFC 79: "Nemesis" for Serra's welterweight crown. The fight never materialized, however, because Serra was forced to withdraw from the bout with a severe back strain. Since that time the pair has kept the feud alive and well, exchanging frequent barbs and taunts through the media. Let's just hope this time around there are no additional setbacks. And if there are the two should be allowed to go their separate ways and pursue new and different opponents.

UFC 91: Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson could return in Portland November 15 Posted: 27 Aug 2008 09:36 AM CDT Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will likely return to action at UFC 91 in Portland, Ore., on November 15, according to recent statements attributed to promotion president, Dana White, in a recent Yahoo!Sports.com article. This latest news comes hot on the heels of a recent court appearance, during which Jackson was charged with two felonies and four misdemeanors for a bizarre traffic-related incident that took place just last month. He's currently free on $25,000 bail. His troubles outside the cage, however, won't appear to slow his road back to championship gold inside the Octagon. Here's a snip from White: "Of course he'll fight. If he was doing drugs, if he had been drunk, if he had gone out there and done what he did because he was pissed off at someone, that would be a completely different story. But he was ill. And in this company, we support our friends and anyone who works for us when they're ill and have problems. He was ill, the incident occurred, and now he's fine. Rampage feels awful about the woman's baby, but he had nothing to do with it. And the (traffic incident) occurred because he was very ill and not with him in control of his faculties." For more background on "the incident" feel free to get up to speed right here. Of course, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua has been beating his war drum recently, telling several media outlets that he intends to return from a serious knee injury and face Jackson in December. It would set up a rematch of a fight under the Pride FC banner back in 2005, which Rua won in lopsided fashion with a crushing first round knockout. That's news to Jackson, however, according to a recent interview with Fighters Only Magazine. Here's his reaction: "I didn't know anything about Shogun, I was trying to get Wanderlei Silva, I was told I might be fighting him. But to be honest with you, I don't really give a damn who I fight, I just want to fight and show the world that Rampage is the best when he gets the best elements around him and the best training." Therefore, unless Rua intends to come back sooner rather than later, it appears that his plans for a rematch on New Year's Eve weekend could be dashed. That's because UFC 91 currently lacks a main event-caliber headliner. And the addition of Jackson would likely be the missing piece to putting together a solid pay-per-view (PPV) main card puzzle that already includes a lightweight clash between Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson, as well as a potential heavyweight showdown between Brock Lesnar and Cheick Kongo. Stay tuned for more details on this developing story.

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