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UFCs Dana White to produce Irish mob show for Spike TV Posted: 08 Oct 2008 08:39 AM CDT As if UFC President Dana White didn't have enough to do running the most successful mixed martial arts promotion on the planet, he has now added the role of television drama producer to his long list of responsibilities. That's right, White — who has strong ties to the Boston, Mass., area — will contribute behind-the-scenes this fall on a two-hour pilot project about the Irish mob in "Beantown" that could air on Spike TV if it gets the green light. And it's apparently a concept that has been in the works for about three years, according to HollywoodReporter.com. Here's a brief description of what to expect: "The untitled project, from MGM Television Entertainment, centers on the explosive fallout when a Boston mob boss vacates his position and rival factions face off in a battle to control the streets." Tom Lynch will serve as executive producer opposite White and Walter Hill — who is perhaps best known for his work on the film 48 Hours — will direct. Unsurprisingly, White intends to inject his influence in the program: "I know who I'm catering to, and that's 18- to 34-year-old males who are the ones watching Spike TV. We're going to push the limits on this show, like 'Nip/Tuck' and 'The Shield' — violence, sex, bad language. We're going to see how big Spike's balls are on this one." Go figure.

UFC 91 poster for ‘Couture vs Lesnar’ Posted: 07 Oct 2008 11:14 PM CDT

Elite XC denies paying Seth Petruzelli to stand in win over Kimbo Slice Posted: 07 Oct 2008 10:05 PM CDT Props: Sherdog.com Quoteworthy: “Obviously we didn't pay [Petruzelli] to stand. Kimbo had trained for months to fight a guy who's fighting on the ground. We don't care if people stand or take people down or what. It doesn't matter to us. All we want is an exciting fight.” Elite XC Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen says that there is no truth to reports that replacement fighter Seth Petruzelli was paid to stand with Kimbo Slice in this past Saturday’s main event at Elite XC: “Heat.” He has a solid point about Kimbo having been training for a ground fighter all along in Ken Shamrock. If Elite XC wanted someone to stand with Kimbo, would the promotion have even put him against Shamrock in the first place? Petruzelli is also claiming that he was misquoted on the radio program yesterday when the original story broke, but his comments were hard to misquote — they seemed to be pretty black and white. Nonetheless, the seed of doubt has been planted, which is just the latest of several big hurdles that the struggling promotion has had to overcome.

Visa issues prevent Danillo Villefort vs Jake Rosholt WEC fight and other Hurricane Ike fallout Posted: 07 Oct 2008 09:52 PM CDT Hurricane Ike is still reeking its havoc on the WEC 36 card scheduled for South Florida. The event was originally set to take place on September 10 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla., but the threat of the massive storm scared the promotion into rescheduling the show for November 5. Because of the switch, Danillo “Indio” Villefort (8-2) — who was set to face Jake Rosholt in a middleweight bout on the card — has now been forced to return to Brazil because his temporary visa has expired and he will be unable to file the necessary paperwork in time for a new one, according to InTheGuard.tv. Here’s a snip from “Indio:” “I'm sad, I was very prepared and with my visa ok [for September 10], but the hurricane postponed the show and my lawyer said I'd be irregular for November.” Now that the heavier weight classes, including middleweight, have been removed from all future WEC events, Villefort will likely miss his chance to compete in the organization. But he feels confident he’ll still make his way onto a Zuffa card under the UFC banner sometime in 2009: “The Hurricane threw the event for November and my fight to 2009, I believe. I'll come strong and I'll show my game in UFC or WEC, this is a promise.” Rosholt (4-0) — who was featured on episode four of season two of the popular TapouT reality show on The Versus Network — has yet to make his highly touted debut for the WEC and will await word on a possible replacement. If an opponent is not found to replace Villefort expect to see the former Oklahoma State University wrestling standout compete in the Octagon soon. Real soon. Johny Hendricks (3-0) — Rosholt’s former OSU teammate and current Team Takedown training partner who was also featured on the same episode of TapouT — was also set to fight at WEC 36 against Alex Serdyukov (12-4), but that bout has been moved to WEC 37 on December 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to FiveOuncesOfPain.com. Both Rosholt and Hendricks were national champion collegiate wrestlers as Cowboys. WEC 36 will be headlined by a featherweight championship match between champion Urijah Faber (21-1) and challenger Mike Brown (19-4), and WEC 37 will be main evented by a bantamweight title bout between champion Miguel Torres (34-1) and challenger Manny “The Mangler” Tapia (10-0-1).

Big John McCarthy Leaves the Fight Network Posted: 07 Oct 2008 07:52 PM CDT Big John McCarthy has said so long to the Fight Network … and it doesn't sound like it was on the best of terms. His farewell post is a heartfelt goodbye to the coworkers he'll miss (including original President/CEO Mike Garrow, color commentator Mauro Ranallo and radio host/producer John Pollock), as well as a big "F" you to "all the higher ups that have taken over the Fight Network over the last year" (okay, so he doesn't say "F" you, but rather "shame on you" — he is, after all, a family man). Big John's departure is just the latest name to leave the network — he joins Loretta Hunt, TFN broadcaster JT McCarthy (no relation), and others — following months of shakeup at the company, which involved new ownership and new management. His departure will no doubt fuel emerging rumors that the Fight Network could go off the air … and soon. Whatever the case, you might want to read McCarthy's post while it's still made available. And for all you diehard Big John fans out there, this could be the break you've been waiting for. He hints at a possible return to refereeing — even at a return to the UFC: "A few people have said that I have attacked the UFC. That is simply not true. I have never said anything bad about the UFC. I spent 14 years of my life trying to build up the UFC and make people understand how incredible the fighters of MMA were. I considered myself very lucky in the fact that I was able to be around the UFC for as long as I was, and you never know maybe I will go back to refereeing and someday work another UFC." Let's hope he hasn't burned any bridges with Dana White (even though it is the athletic commissions that choose refs, not the promotions).

Eddie Bravo: Joe Rogan is one bad mofo Posted: 07 Oct 2008 11:53 AM CDT Props: FightHype.com Quoteworthy: "Joe Rogan is a bad motherfucker and I'm not just saying that. He's one of my best students. He is a brown belt and he is just a nightmare in the gym … He hits harder than anybody I've ever held mitts for. If he wanted to do MMA, Joe Rogan could go straight to 170 and fuck up a lot of dudes. He can for sure.” Highly regarded jiu-jitsu instructor Eddie Bravo heaps praise on his good friend and student, UFC color commentator and comedian, Joe Rogan. It’s unclear if he’s talking about UFC-caliber fighters, but certainly not overzealous MySpace.com challengers.

Anthony Johnson vs Kevin Burns rematch slated for Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale Posted: 07 Oct 2008 09:33 AM CDT In the words of one Robbie Lawler, welterweights Anthony Johnson and Kevin Burns are penciled in to "run it back" after their fight at UFC Fight Night 14 ended in controversy earlier this year. MMAmania.com can confirm that Johnson and Burns are set to rematch at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 Finale at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 13. "Rumble" lost to Burns via third round technical knockout in their first encounter; however, video replays of the stoppage show that Johnson was felled by an unintentional eye poke and not an uppercut. The referee in charge of the action, Steve Mazzagatti, unfortunately did not have the benefit of watching instant replay and called a halt to the 170-pound bout. Johnson eventually had to undergo eye surgery to repair a damaged retina. He and his management, meanwhile, filed an appeal to have the technical knockout loss overturned and ruled a no contest. The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), however, was unable to grant the request, indicating that the regulatory body did not have the legal authority to change the result. It's important to note that Johnson and Mazzagatti crossed paths at a smaller show several weeks after the match and Mazzagatti apologized for the bad call. All things considered this is the best possible move by the promotion to erase any doubt and determine a clear cut winner. TUF 8 Finale will also feature the finals of the lightweight and light heavyweight tournament-style format that is currently in progress on the mixed martial arts reality series. It will air live on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET on fight night. Stay tuned for more fight card updates.

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