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Babalu boo-boo forces him off Strikeforce at the Mansion II card Posted: 10 Sep 2008 08:06 AM CDT The hits just keep on coming for Strikeforce. The latest setback for the San Jose-based mixed martial arts promotion is that Brazilian light heavyweight Renato “Babalu” Sobral has had to withdraw from his bout against Anthony “El Toro” Ruiz at “Strikeforce at the Mansion II” on September 20 because of a leg injury. CEO of K.O. Dynasty Sports Mgt., Mickey Dubberly, tells MMAmania.com that Ruiz will remain on the card — Strikeforce is already on the hunt for another replacement. However, perhaps Ruiz should be careful where he’s walking for the next week and a half or so. It seems like there is a curse on anyone who signs to compete in this match. They all keep getting hurt. Division champion Bobby Southworth was originally set to defend his title against Sobral in what more than likely would have been the featured main event of the night. But the champ also had to withdraw because of a leg injury he sustained in his preparation for the fight. Strikeforce found a reliable fill-in with Ruiz, who has been one of the hardest working men in mixed martial arts over the last few months. The bout with Babalu would have been his third in less than three months. Losing the Babalu and Southworth title fight was already a big enough hit for Strikeforce. Now with Babalu scratched and out all together this card is losing star power faster than Vincent Chase after the release of “Medellin.” What’s left of a once promising event will be streamed live on Sherdog.com beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on September 20. For the latest fight card click here.

Trainer: ‘I practically begged Matt to take Rich down’ at UFC 88 Posted: 09 Sep 2008 09:39 PM CDT Props: FightLine.com Quoteworthy: “No way Matt Hamill stands with a guy like Franklin. Matt is, by far, the best wrestler in the UFC’s light heavyweight division so our plan is simple; we’re going to take Rich down and work the ground and pound while avoiding submissions…. Matt got his start helping Rich work on his takedown defense. Those two go way back and Matt has a deep respect and allegiance to Rich…. He’s sponsored Matt with his company American Fighter and has been a kind of mentor to him, and to be honest, that has me a little concerned….. I practically begged Matt to take Rich down. I was screaming at him to stop fighting Rich’s fight and fight his fight. I can’t explain it. He just had this blank look on his face. I don’t know where he was, but the Matt Hamill that I know and trained for the past 11 weeks was not in that Octagon on Saturday…. I can’t explain it. The only person that knows why he didn’t come out to fight is him. I told him after the fight that his performance was uncharacteristic and that he really needed to do some soul searching to see if this is really what he wants to do. He had absolutely no fighting spirit, no killer instinct. He looked like a shell of himself and was just out there to get through it and that is very disconcerting.” Duff Holmes — a trainer for Matt Hamill — vents his frustration and bewilderment regarding the gameplan that his fighter executed against Rich Franklin over the weekend at UFC 88: “Breakthrough.” Hamill was finished in the third round via technical knockout after essentially going toe-to-toe with the former middleweight champion for most of the entire fight despite his superior edge in the wrestling department. And when he did attempt takedowns he could not finish them … Hamill appeared to be content just holding an ankle rather than driving Franklin into the cage or using it somehow to get “Ace” to the floor. Curious indeed. (Thanks to Tracy Lee once again over at CombatLifestyle.com for the pic.)

JET LI DVD ‘FIST OF LEGEND’ TWO-DISC ULTIMATE EDITION Posted: 09 Sep 2008 09:35 PM CDT A Chinese martial artist returns to Shanghai to find his teacher dead and his school harassed by occupying Japanese forces. He has but one choice – to avenge his master's murder and restore his school's honor. Widely regarded as the greatest film of two legendary careers, Fist of Legend teams superstar Jet Li with martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping (The Matrix) for perhaps the best fight scenes you will ever see (The final battle is ranked #5 Best Fight Scene Ever by Rotten Tomatoes). In this tribute to Bruce Lee's classic The Chinese Connection (aka Fists of Fury), Li radiates sheer power and coolness as a kung fu phenom living abroad who returns home to avenge the death of his master and save his martial arts school. Shifting effortlessly among diverse fighting styles, Li proves why he is heir to the throne in this martial arts masterpiece. Fist of Legend is an absolute MUST HAVE for any fan of Jet Li or Kung Fu Cinema and features the original language soundtrack with English subtitles. Bonus features: DISC 1 -Feature Length Commentary by Hong Kong Cinema expert Bey Logan DISC 2 -The Man Behind The Legend - An Exclusive Interview With Director Gordon Chan -Brothers In Arms - An Exclusive Interview With Kung Fu Impresario Chin Siu-ho -The Way Of The Warrior -An Exclusive Interview With Japanese Action Legend Kurata Yasuaki -The School Of Hard Knocks - A Screen Fighting Seminar At The Celebrated Kurata Action School -A Hollywood Look At Fist Of Legend With Director Brett Ratner & Critic Elvis Mitchell -Deleted Scenes -Trailer Gallery Running time: 103 minutes “Fist of Legend“ is now available for sale in our DVD store for $19.99 by clicking here. To check out our massive library of MMA DVD titles, including PRIDE DVD and UFC DVD click here. We also have Elite XC, WEC, Cage Rage, IFL, King of the Cage and other products for sale in our store. Looking for a title but don't see it in our store? Email us and we'll be happy to check its availability. Please keep in mind that we are only able to ship within the continental United States at this time.

Evan Tanner video tribute: 1971-2008 Posted: 09 Sep 2008 08:03 PM CDT This is hopefully the first of many touching tributes to the former champion. Let’s hope the UFC opens its video vault and does something to honor him correctly. In the meantime, note that there is also a petition going around to have him posthumously inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. GO SIGN IT RIGHT HERE!

Chuck Liddell vs Anderson Silva: Who wants to see it? Posted: 09 Sep 2008 04:26 PM CDT “Chuck you now look like the drunken frat guy at a party who hit on the wrong guy’s girl and ended up on queer street…. There’s now speculation that Liddell will try to get his cred back by challenging Anderson Silva. Chuck, my man, if you got any sense and you don’t want to end up nose flat on the mat, you’d be wise to stay as far away from The Spider as possible.” – Jim Rome running his mouth on ESPN’s “Rome is Burning” program today about the apparent “speculation” that Chuck Liddell wants a piece of UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva in a superfight now that his chances of recapturing the 205-pound bout anytime soon are all but dashed. Personally, I doubt Liddell is pursuing any fight so soon after his most recent defeat. He was knocked out cold this past weekend by Rashad Evans, which marked the third loss in his four most recent fights — a far cry from the clout he wielded just prior to the second loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in 2007. Options are limited at this time for the “Iceman,” however, making a fight with Silva certainly a possibility because it would be a cash cow. A trip up to heavyweight wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. Whatever it is … something needs to change.

Spencer Fisher vs Shannon Gugerty UFC 90 fight set with Melvin Guillard out Posted: 09 Sep 2008 02:58 PM CDT Spencer Fisher (21-4) will take on Shannon Gugerty (11-2) -– not Melvin Guillard as originally planned — at UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote" at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Ill., on October 25, according to the CEO of K.O. Dynasty Sports Mgt., Mickey Dubberly. No reason is known at this time for the opponent switch, but it appears on the surface to be a much safer fight for "The King.” Then again … who really knows in this sport. Fisher is fresh off a unanimous decision win over Jeremy Stephens at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 Finale in June. The Miletich Fighting Systems veteran has won two of his last four bouts, including a rematch against Sam Stout at UFC Fight Night 10 more than one year ago. He is a former 155-pound contender. And he'll need to put together back-to-back wins to prove that he still belongs among the division's elite. Gugerty made his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 14: "Silva vs. Irvin," submitting fellow newcomer Dale Hartt with a rear naked choke in round one. It marked the eighth straight win for the Total Combat promotion veteran who has finished more than 70 percent of his professional fights by way of submission. In fact, Gugerty has not lost a bout since meeting up with Cub Swanson back in 2006. For the latest UFC 90 fight card and rumors, which features the main event between 185-pound world beater Anderson Silva and Patrick Cote, click here.

Evan Tanner Website: Believe in the Power of One Posted: 09 Sep 2008 01:24 PM CDT Props: EvanTanner.net Head over there and share your thoughts on his untimely passing or continue to do so right here at MMAmania.com in the comments section below.

Patrick Cote UFC 90 video on Anderson Silva fight Posted: 09 Sep 2008 11:08 AM CDT

UFC 88 medical suspensions and injuries from GAEC Posted: 09 Sep 2008 11:03 AM CDT The Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission recently issued its list of medical suspensions for UFC 88: "Breakthrough," which took place on Saturday, September 6 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta. Unsurprisingly, former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell received the stiffest medical sentence, getting suspended for 60 days after his crushing loss to Rashad Evans in the main event of the evening. Thiago Tavares, too, appears to be a little worse for the wear after his war with Kurt Pellegrino, which also earned him 60 days on the sidelines. Other notables on the report include Rich Franklin for the grizzly "flap" gash over his right eye and his opponent, Matt Hamill. Here's the complete list of UFC 88 injuries and their medical instructions: Chuck Liddell –- "The Iceman" has been suspended for 60 days and is required to have an MRI or CT scan after sustaining a brain-jarring knockout. Rich Franklin -– "Ace" is suspended for 60 days because of a serious laceration above his right eye. Matt Hamill -– "The Hammer" is suspended for 30 days after being on the receiving end of a technical knockout. Martin Kampmann -– "The Hitman" is suspended 30 days after being on the wrong end of a ferocious technical knockout. Matt Brown -– "The Immortal" is suspended for 15 days because of a facial cut. Thiago Tavares -– The Brazilian is suspended for 60 days and will have to undergo a CT scan to determine whether or not he sustained any nasal or facial fractures. Michael Patt -– The UFC newcomer is suspended for 42 days because of a nasal fracture and is required to undergo a CT scan. Ryo Chonan -– "The Piranha" is suspended for 42 days because of a serious laceration near his right eye. Just a quick reminder: Fighters often return to action much quicker once doctors give them the green light. The lengthy suspensions are just a precaution in most cases. For complete results and coverage of the "Breakthrough" click here and here.

Dustin Hazelett vs Tamdan McCrory UFC 91 fight in the works Posted: 09 Sep 2008 09:35 AM CDT Dustin Hazelett (11-4) and Tamdan McCrory (9–1) have verbally agreed to hook 'em up in a welterweight tilt at UFC 91: "Couture vs. Lesnar" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 15, according to Sherdog.com. Hazelett – a Brazilian jiu-jitsu stud who trains out of the JG Mixed Martial Arts Academy & Fitness Center in Ohio – is a fast rising star in the crowded 170-pound division. At just 22 years old, he already has six fights to his credit inside the Octagon. And he has won half of those bouts via submissions, including his most recent ridiculous second round award-winning armbar finish of Josh Burkman at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 Finale back in June. McCrory – a 21-year-old college student at The State University of New York at Cortland (SUNY Cortland) who also moonlights as a full-time fighter – is also an Octagon veteran with three fights already under his belt. He most recently defeated Luke Cummo via unanimous decision at UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" last month. "The Barncat" has one submission loss on his record to crafty veteran Akihiro Gono at UFC 78: "Validation" in November 2007. It's clearly a weakness that Hazelett will more than likely look to exploit on fight night and one area McCrory will be working on improving leading up to the fight. Here's a snip from McCrory: "I'm a young talent with a lot of years left to grow. I have a lot of time to build my status in the UFC…. I've been working on my jiu-jitsu a lot. That's one of the parts of my game that wasn't as strong as I needed it to be. I've gotten 100 times better on the ground. My stand-up's still improving. Every day, I get better." UFC 91 will feature the major main even between heavyweight champion Randy Couture and pay-per-view (PPV)-drawing titan, Brock Lesnar. In addition, lightweights Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson will go to battle for the right to determine a clearcut 155-pound title contender. For the latest UFC 91 fight card and rumors click here.

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