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Diaz dust up at UFC Fight Night 15 post-fight presser Posted: 19 Sep 2008 08:48 AM CDT Props: SportsIllustrated.com “In what was a baffling and undoubtedly rare moment for the media, Nate Diaz was short of salacious quotes about his latest win and opponent Josh Neer. Diaz’s time was limited in dropping four-letter bombs. Why? Because Nate had barely taken his seat in front of reporters at the post-fight press conference when his older brother Nick launched into a tirade that disrupted the interview and left the UFC staff with the unenviable task of keeping the Diaz clan from causing a scene. Good luck with that one. Nate abandoned the press conference as his brother shouted profanities at no one in particular, and together they took their rant into the hallway. Yes, the notorious potty-mouthed pair struck again. Maybe this was Nick’s way paying his family back for their feud with the Noons’ at EliteXC on Showtime in June. All about reciprocities in the Diaz household.” Several reports indicate that Nick and Nate Diaz were involved in some type of situation after UFC Fight Night 15: “Diaz vs. Neer;” however, it’s unclear at this time what triggered the reaction. Nate apparently answered just one question at the post-fight press conference and then Nick “caused a scene” at which time the brothers up and left. Nick is an Octagon veteran who now fights under the Elite XC banner. Nate — The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 winner — is a fast-rising star in the UFC 155-pound division. We’ll provide more context to this hopefully soon as more information becomes available.

Showtime in talks to purchase Pro Elite Posted: 19 Sep 2008 08:03 AM CDT Showtime Networks has informed the Securities and Exchange Commission of its intent to begin negotiations for the purchase of Pro Elite Inc., according to Sherdog.com. Pro Elite — the parent company of Elite XC, Cage Rage, Icon Sport, Rumble on the Rock and King of the Cage, which also has solid working relationships with Strikeforce and the Japanese-based DREAM — is in debt to the tune of about $55 million since it began operations nearly two years ago. Pro Elite began its foray into mixed martial arts with Elite XC and the Sho XC Challenger Series, trying to make its way into the fight promoting business. It wasn’t until later on when the company went on a spending spree and acquired the other organizations. Showtime is already a 20 percent owner in Pro Elite Inc. — events often air on the premium cable network. In addition, Showtime’s parent company — CBS — also has options to buy company stock as part of its network television deal. So it’s obvious CBS and Showtime already have a pretty sizable investment in Pro Elite Inc. And perhaps the executives who run the show there are unhappy with the way the operation is being handled. Whatever the case may be, it’s becoming apparent how difficult it is for the little guys to survive as organizations in mixed martial arts. And despite Showtime’s apparent attempt to salvage its investment, Pro Elite may already be a sinking ship. On the other hand, maybe new ownership is something that can help Elite XC survive. Maybe with new leadership Pro Elite can figure out a way to reverse the negative image and prosper as a legit competitor to the UFC. But for now Pro Elite is still the same old Pro Elite. And for them the main focus right now should be delivering a successful October 4 event in Sunrise, Fla., on CBS.

MMA Live on ESPN Episode 19 (Video) Posted: 19 Sep 2008 06:58 AM CDT

HDNet strikes deal with CompuBox Posted: 19 Sep 2008 05:45 AM CDT HDNet continued its climb to become the elite mixed martial arts network on television when it recently announced a deal with CompuBox Inc. that will allow them to use the state of the art real-time CompuStrike stats for the next 10 MMA events. Basically it’s a computer program that compiles real time statistics such as punches, kicks, takedowns, submission attempts, etc. during a live MMA match. It’s an innovative way for fans to not only be more aware of what’s going on during an actual fight, but it’s also an easy way for them to learn more about the sport as they watch. CompuBox has been a part of live boxing events for more than 20 years and decided to join the MMA world in 2007. It only makes sense that they would want its product on HDNet, which is one of the leading networks for MMA coverage. Here’s a snip from Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights: “We’ve worked with CompuStrike on many of our previous fights and were so pleased with the results that we decided to extend our deal with them. The real time stats definitely enhance the viewing experience for all of our loyal MMA fans.” And here’s Bob Canobbio, president of CompuBox Inc. commenting on the deal: “HDNet has been extremely supportive in bringing live statistics to mixed martial arts. Stats are such a significant part of other mainstream sports and, with this agreement in place, it will be no different for MMA.” That’s a great point. Can you imagine watching a football or basketball game without any real time stats? It just wouldn’t be the same. It was only a matter of time before the fast-paced evolution of our sport brought us to that same reality.

Kimbo Slice video on Ken Shamrock Elite XC fight preparation Posted: 18 Sep 2008 11:59 PM CDT Props: MSN Sports

‘Inside MMA’ preview explores partnership between Affliction MMA and Golden Boy (Video) Posted: 18 Sep 2008 08:44 PM CDT

Demian Maia vs Nate Quarry UFC 91 fight possible Posted: 18 Sep 2008 07:48 PM CDT Undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Demian Maia (8-0) will likely return to middleweight action against The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 1 alum, Nate Quarry (10-2), at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 15, according to Tatame.com. Here’s a sip from Maia on the match up: “I didn't study his fights yet, I'll receive a DVD with his fights, but I only watch my opponents' fights when the fight gets closer. I'm training a lot my stand up game like for the last fight, but every time I can I do some BJJ trainings.” That’s a smart approach to this type of fight because Maia — a 2007 Abu Dhabi tournament winner — doesn’t need to improve much on the ground. He has won all three of his 185-pound bouts inside the Octagon since his debut with the promotion at UFC 77: “Hostile Territory” back in October 2007. And he’s come out on top in each one of those contests in style, defeating Ryan Jensen, Ed Herman and Jason MacDonald by way of submission and earning “Submission of the Night” honors for all of those wins. It’s a remarkable streak, which he will look to keep intact against the heavy-handed “Rock.” Quarry is undefeated (2-0) since a nearly two-year break from competition to recover from a serious injury that required “spinal fusion” surgery to repair. He stopped Pete Sell via come from behind third round knockout in his return fight and outpointed Kalib Starnes on all three judges scorecards in his most recent performance. This is a fine addition to a card that already includes the “Biggest Fight in UFC History” between heavyweight champion Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar as the marquee attraction. To check out the rest of the UFC 91 card line up and rumors click here.

Counter programming alert: UFC 86 to air at same time as Elite XC: ‘Heat’ Posted: 18 Sep 2008 01:06 PM CDT If you watched UFC Fight Night 15 or “The Ultimate Fighter” (TUF) 8 on Spike TV last night then there’s a good chance you saw the commercials showing that UFC 86: “Jackson vs. Griffin” will be replayed for free on October 4 on Spike TV beginning at 9 p.m. ET. That “coincidentally” happens to be the same date and time that Elite XC will air perhaps the most important event in its history, Elite XC: “Heat” on CBS. Of course, this isn’t the first time that Dana White and the UFC have attempted to sabotage the competition with counter programming. In fact, it was only two months ago when Affliction MMA was set for its first live pay-per-view (PPV) event. The t-shirt company turned MMA promotion had big plans to make a splash in the MMA world only to to have the UFC plan a free “Fight Night” on Spike TV the same night. To make matters worse (for Affliction) the UFC headlined the card with one of the most popular fighters on the planet, Anderson Silva. Apparently the plan worked because Affliction’s PPV buys did not reach expectations and the UFC’s free “Fight Night” pulled in better numbers. While this isn’t a live event being put on by the UFC, it’s still counter programming and there will still be fans who opt to tune in to the replay of a card headlined by one of the better fights of the year between Rampage Jackson and Forrest Griffin instead of eyeballing another potential disaster main event involving Kimbo Slice. It’s clear the UFC wants to clear the world of any and all competition. And if there’s an organization out there capable of pulling that off, it’s definitely the good ole’ Zuffa boys.

UFC 92: CB Dolloway vs Jorge Rivera Posted: 18 Sep 2008 11:35 AM CDT The Ultimate Fighter 7 runner-up CB Dollaway (7-1) will make his third straight Octagon appearance when he takes on UFC veteran Jorge Rivera (15-7) at UFC 92 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on New Year's Eve weekend according to WrestlingObserver.com. “The Doberman” was unsuccessful in his bid to win it all at the TUF 7 finale on June 21, but he was able to rebound and score an impressive submission victory over Jesse “Yellow Submarine” Taylor less than a month later at Fight Night 14. Facing him will be a very tough albeit inconsistent fighter in Rivera. “El Conqistador” came up short against Martin Kampmann at UFC 85 after a very impressive KO victory over Kendall Grove at UFC 80. This should be a good test for Dollaway. Rivera has knockout power and has ended 10 of his 15 wins by (T)KO. No doubt Dollaway will try and utilize his wrestling to keep things on the ground until he can find a submission against the crafty veteran. UFC 92 is scheduled for December 27 and features the light heavyweight championship bout between Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans as well as the heavyweight tournament elimination bout of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir. For more on UFC 92 click here.

Ultimate Fighter castoff Jason Guida inks deal with Elite XC Posted: 18 Sep 2008 11:15 AM CDT Light heavyweight fighter Jason Guida (17-17) — brother of UFC lightweight contender Clay Guida — recently squandered perhaps the biggest opportunity of his fighting career when he was booted off the first episode of “The Ultimate Fighter” (TUF) 8 for failing to make the 205-pound division limit. However, apparently Elite XC officials felt he still had enough talent and name recognition to sign him to the Pro Elite roster, according to FiveOuncesOfPain.com. Guida has had an up and down career (as evidenced by his record), but he has proven in the past that he can hang with some pretty decent fighters. In fact, he holds wins over Marvin Eastman, Ron Faircloth, Ron Fields (twice) and Mike Van Meer. None of those guys are at the elite level, but they all have a ton of experience and are tough as nails. He’s also been in the cage and came up on the losing end to guys like Vernon White, Travis Wiuff, Terry Martin, Thales Leites and Eric Schafer. In short, he’s not worried about too much when he’s in there. Guida pretty much just comes to fight, and win or lose, he leaves it all in the cage. Last night’s TUF episode didn’t do him any favors as far as winning fans over. Unfortunately for him perception is reality. And the show made him look unprofessional and lazy. That’s certainly a far cry from the workhorse mentality and complete professionalism his brother has shown during his time in the UFC and perhaps Jason shares those same attributes. Time will tell.

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