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Miguel Torres is the most exciting fighter in the WEC (Video) Posted: 25 Mar 2009 04:28 AM PDT

New Jersey State Athletic Control Board refuses to sanction Tim Sylvia’s boxing debut against Ray Mercer on May 30 Posted: 24 Mar 2009 07:25 PM PDT MMAmania.com has been able to confirm with the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (NJSACB) that former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia will not be allowed to make his boxing debut against former Olympic gold medalist and world heavyweight boxing champion Ray Mercer after the NJSACB has refused to sanction their main event fight scheduled for Adrenaline III at the Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. on May 30. "The Maine-iac" had agreed to box Mercer — barely one month after "Merciless" turns 48 years of age — not long after calling out Ken Shamroid last December. Sylvia has been on the shelf since getting steamrolled by Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction “Banned” last July and was not expected to fight an MMA match until a planned third event this summer. From Sylvia: I didn't have an MMA fight until July in the Affliction 3 (show), and we really wanted to fight before then. This opportunity came about – and I've always wanted to try boxing at a pro level – so we decided to take it and see what happens. I'm jumping in the deep end. I never have (done things half way). Look at the heavyweight (MMA) division; I've fought about seven of the Top 10. So I might as well jump right in there and fight a guy that's ranked in the Top 20 in the world." Mercer’s last bout was a majority decision win (boxing) over Richel Hersisiar last September in Nojesfabriken, Karlstad, Sweden, but is probably best known in the MMA world for getting choked out in an exhibition bout with Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson in July 2007. It will be interesting to see if there is an attempt to reschedule Sylvia’s boxing debut for a state with a more lenient sanctioning body. Regardless, it’s still more than two months until the Adrenaline III card — which is plenty of time to find a suitable heavyweight to replace Mercer if Sylvia remains in the main event under MMA rules. I hear Jason Guida is available.

Gina Carano skirting the issue on ‘Wormgate’ (Video) Posted: 24 Mar 2009 05:47 PM PDT Props: Cagewriter

UFC Fight Night 18 Q&A with Efrain Escudero on March 31 in Nashville Posted: 24 Mar 2009 05:31 PM PDT Props: UFCFightClub.com

UFC 98: Matt Serra still doesn’t like Matt Hughes Posted: 24 Mar 2009 03:46 PM PDT Props: Sherdog.com Quoteworthy: “The thing is this, this sport you deal with a lot of guys in this sport and most of them are cool. It's a rarity you find an a–hole and I found one. I'm going to get paid to punch him in the mouth. I'm going to do to him what you should do to every bully and that's not only in America but everywhere in the world. What should you do to a bully? You should punch him square in the mouth. I'm getting paid for it. So who's got it better than me? I want to know…. I'm not an idiot. I'll tell you I don't like the guy because I don't like the guy. But as a fighter I know the problems he brings to the table and I know what I got to watch out for. I know where he's really dangerous. What do you want me to say? He's a swell guy and I can't wait to fight him? F— him." Surprise! The animosity between former champions Matt Serra and Matt Hughes is alive and well. The pair have been feuding endlessly since their stints as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 6 back in 2007. Fast forward to UFC 98 on May 23 — the scheduled date that Serra and Hughes are expected to finally meet inside the Octagon to settle their epic grudge match — and we’re 17 months removed from the initial fireworks. That’s a long time.

UFC vets Hinkle and Fickett fall at ‘Beatdown 4′ over the weekend Posted: 24 Mar 2009 11:26 AM PDT NEW TOWN, North Dakota (March 24, 2009) – North Dakota-native Chris Tuchscherer captured the first Sovereign Nations Mixed Martial Arts (SNMMA) title by defeating veteran heavyweight Brandon "The Iron Lion" Lee Hinkle, headlining "Beatdown 4" last Saturday night before a sold-out crowd at 4 Bears Casino in New Town, North Dakota. SNMMA links federally recognized tribes throughout the United States and Canada. SNMMA's mission is to develop, promote and help regulate mixed-martial-arts in a fair and professional manner by federally recognized tribes that are sovereign nations. Former NCAA, Division II wrestling champion Hinkle (14-10-1, 8 (T)KO, 4 Submissions), fighting out of Columbus, Ohio, didn't have any answers for 2-time NCAA, Div. II All-America wrestler Tuchscherer (16-1-0, 5 (T)KOs, 7 Submissions), who hails from nearby Fargo. Tuchscherer, who trains regularly with UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in Minneapolis, controlled the action from start to finish, which came at 4:43 of the fourth round, when the referee stopped the fight due to a series of damaging strikes. "Chris is a great athlete who takes the sport and his career very serious like a true professional must in order to have any kind of future in this demanding sport," SNMMA president Pat Packineau said. "The SNMMA is honored to have the heavyweight title go to a person such as Chris Tuchscherer, who respects what the sport has to offer as he continues his journey to become one of the top fighters in the world." Minnesota Martial Arts Academy welterweight Nick "The Carnie" Lentz (15-3-1) won a three-round unanimous decision against ex-UFC fighter Drew Fickett (36-11-0) in the co-feature. Full results after the jump: MAIN EVENT Chris Tuchscherer, Fargo, ND 16-1-0, [6 (T)KOs, 6 SUBs] WTKO4 (4:43 – Strikes) Branden Lee Hinkle, Columbus, OH, [14-10-1, 8 (T)KOs, 4 SUBs] (Tuchscherer wins SNMAA heavyweight title) HEAVYWEIGHTS Karl Knothe, Eagen, MN, 8-6-0, [2 (T)KOs, 5 SUBs] WSUB1 (3:28 – arm lock) Jessie Wallace, Santa Barbara, CA, [3-1-0, 2 (T)KOs] Seth Harrison, Fort Yates, ND, [2-1-0, 1 (T)KO, 1 SUB] WSUB1 (1:37 – Rear Naked Choke) Tyler Barth, Minneapolis, MN, [0-1-0] LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS Bruce Nelson, Ada, MN, [18-25-1, 1 (T)KOs, 15 SUBs] WTKO1 (2:46) Jim Miltonberger, Minot, ND, [1-2-0, 1 SUBs] Dane Sayers, Fargo, ND, [4-0, (1 (T)KO, 3 SUBs] WSUB1 (1:12 – Guillotine Choke) Shane Deezee, Minneapolis, MN, 8-4-0, [3 (T)KOs, 6 SUBs] MIDDLEWEIGHTS Josh Rosaaen, Rapid City, SD, 3-3-0, [1 (T)KOs, 2SUBs] WSUB1 (4:05 – Arm Bar) Andrew Kapel, Minn., MN, 2-5-0, [1-2-0, 0 (T)KOs, 1 SUB] WELTERWEIGHTS Nick Lentz, Minneapolis, MN, [15-3-1, 4 (T)KOs, 7 SUBs] WDEC3 Drew Fickett, Tucson, AZ, [36-11-0, 3 (T)KOs, 25 SUBs] LIGHTWEIGHTS Marshall Martin, Fargo, ND, [11-5-0, 2 (T)KOs, 9 SUBs] WSUB1 (1:34 – Guillotine Choke) Dan Casey, Minneapolis, MN, [12-3-0, 1 (T)KO, 10 SUBs] Pablo Garza, Fargo, ND, [3-0-0, 2 SUBs] WDEC3 Jon Knutson, Rapid City, SD, [2-4-0, 1 (T)KO, 1 SUB] FEATHERWEIGHTS Yaolzin Meza, Phoenix, AZ, [12-4-0, 4 (T)KOs, 4 SUBs] WSUB1 (1:40 – Rear Naked Choke) Travis Reddinger, Minneapolis, MN, [10-1-0, 3 (T)KOs, 7 SUBs] Clint Godfrey, Rapid City, SD, [7-1-0, 2 (T)KOs, 4 SUBs] WSUB2 (1:09 – Rear Naked Choke) Rich Taylor, St. Paul, MN, [5-2-0, 3 KOs, 1 Submission]

Robbie Lawler vs Jake Shields Strikeforce fight possible for St. Louis on June 6 Posted: 24 Mar 2009 10:04 AM PDT Perhaps one of the most anticipated bouts of the year thus far — a middleweight battle between former Elite XC champions “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-4) and Jake Shields (22-4-1) — was recently announced to headline a Strikeforce event on Showtime in May in the Seattle, Wash., area. However, Lawler’s long time friend and training partner, Matt Hughes, revealed different plans for the Shields match-up via his blog at Matt-Hughes.com. Here’s a snip: “Just found out a few days ago that Robbie Lawler will fight Jake Shields on the Strikeforce card on June 6th, in St. Louis. It's great to have Robbie fight that close to home. We were worried that he would fight in the month of May close to my fight, so it actually turns out to be a pretty good schedule. As always, Robbie's a performer and puts on fights that people want to see.” Both Lawler and Hughes train at Hughes’ H.I.T. Squad in Granite City, Ill., which is right around the corner from St. Louis. Hughes — a “nine-time” UFC welterweight world champion — will face rival and fellow coach from “The Ultimate Fighter” 6, Matt Serra, in a featured fight on the UFC 98 card in Las Vegas on May 23. Pushing Lawler’s bout with Shields back a month, as well as bringing it closer to home, should allow the H.I.T. Squad gym a better opportunity to prepare both fighters for what they need to do in their respective upcoming bouts. For both men, by the time fight night rolls around, they will have each been sidelined for nearly a full year. Hughes was last seen getting demolished by current UFC 170-pound number one contender Thiago Alves at UFC 85 in June … amazingly, his third loss in four fights. While Lawler came away with a second round stoppage victory over Scott Smith in his most recent action at Elite XC: “Unfinished Business” last July. For more on the Lawler-Shields showdown on June 6 click here.

War Machine and Joe Scarola to fight for ‘MMA Big Show’ titles Posted: 24 Mar 2009 09:51 AM PDT The Cincinnati, Ohio-based mixed martial arts promotion “MMA Big Show” will feature two former contestants from “The Ultimate Fighter” (TUF) season 6 — War Machine (formerly known as Jon Koppenhaver) and Joe Scarola — on its upcoming “Conviction” card, which will take place at the Belterra Casino Resort and Spa in Belterra, Indiana, on June 20. The main event, which the organization is referring to as “the biggest fight in MMA Big Show history,” will be a five-round welterweight title bout between War Machine (7-2) and Big Show standout Roger Bowling (2-0). War Machine has been in and out of the headlines over the last few months for both good and bad incidents, including getting booted from the UFC last September for posting a controversial Internet message regarding the late Evan Tanner, as well as bad mouthing his former employer. The good news for the Las Vegas resident is that he has won two straight fights since his departure from the organization. First he knocked out David Anderson on a November Desert Rage card in little more than two minutes of cage time and then went on to fill in nicely for Phil Baroni at XMMA 7: “Inferno” in February by defeating Guillaume Delorenzi with a first round rear naked choke. Bowling recently signed an exclusive deal to compete for “MMA Big Show” after nearly a year on the sidelines. He brings an inexperienced — yet somewhat impressive — resume to the cage with him. Both of his pro fights have been first round technical knockout wins, which include handing Shamar Bailey (7-1) the first loss of his career last April. The co-featured fight of the night will also be a championship match-up, this time in the lightweight division, as Scarola (4-1) — the man who gave up the opportunity of a lifetime on TUF 6 by leaving the house for personal reasons — locks horns with Joe Ammerman (2-1). Ammerman won his first two pro fights under the MMA Big Show banner, but dropped the first match of his career to UFC veteran Diego Saraiva last March on the first American Fight League (AFL) card. Scarola is a submission expert who formerly trained under Matt Serra at Serra jiu jitsu. All four of his wins have come by way of tap out. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on MMA Big Show: “Conviction” as it’s announced.

UFC 97 video preview for ‘Redemption’ in Montreal (Extended) Posted: 24 Mar 2009 08:52 AM PDT

UFC Quick Quote: It’s time for Carlos Condit to fight the best in the world Posted: 24 Mar 2009 06:38 AM PDT "I felt like it was my time to fight the other top 10 welterweights in the world, and they’re in the UFC….To get a title shot I feel like I need to put together maybe three impressive wins. I feel like I’m definitely in the top five or six welterweights, but that remains to be seen, and I think fighting Martin Kampmann gives me a good chance to show what I can do…. Martin Kampmann is very well rounded, so I have to stay sharp in all aspects of my game. I imagine he’s thinking the same thing…. He’s very tough. He’s a solid fighter…. I expect it to be very fast paced and all over the place. We both have similar strengths as far as our skill sets and I expect a very exciting fight." – The last man to hold the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) welterweight title, Carlos Condit, talks to MMA Fan House about now being able to fight the best 170-pound fighters in the world. "The Natural Born Killer" will make his Octagon debut against Martin Kampmann in the main event match at UFC Fight Night 18: "Condit vs. Kampmann" after the WEC recently dissolved its welterweight class. Be sure to see if Condit can hang with the big dogs during the Spike TV telecast that is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on April 1 from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

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