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Din Thomas was willing to drop his drawers for Javier Vasquez at ‘Ultimate Chaos’ (Exclusive)
‘Ultimate Chaos’ recap and final thoughts
Gilbert Yvel scores brutal knockout of Pedro Rizzo at ‘Ultimate Chaos’ …
‘Ultimate Chaos’ results and discussion thread for ‘Lashley vs Sapp’
Din Thomas a last minute scratch from fight against Javier Vazquez at ‘Ultimate Chaos’
Jake Shields explains the reason he is not in the UFC … yet (Video)
UFC Quick Quote: Gina Carano will ‘get more press and media attention than UFC 100′
UFC 101 video trailer for ‘Declaration’ on Aug. 8
Shark Fights bites again with ‘Frey vs Evans’ on June 27
Limp Bizkit concert at the Mandalay Bay Beach on UFC 100 weekend cancelled

Din Thomas was willing to drop his drawers for Javier Vasquez at ‘Ultimate Chaos’ (Exclusive)

Posted: 28 Jun 2009 01:22 AM PDT

“I got to 146.6 and when I asked the athletic commission if I was okay, they said ‘yes.’ It made sense because some commissions allow you a two-pound allowance. So I left the stage and started drinking right away to get rehydrated. Javier’s camp then apparently told the commission that they wanted me to cut the extra half-pound. So I tried and damn near killed myself in the sauna. It didn’t make sense — if Javier wanted me to cut the weight why wasn’t I told on the stage? I would have dropped my drawers and made it.”

Din Thomas reacts to getting pulled from his featherweight bout against Javier Vasquez at last night’s (June 27) ‘Ultimate Chaos’ pay-per-view event from Biloxi, Mississippi. "Dinyero" became ill after a difficult weight cut to make the 145-pound limit — something he apparently had to do twice after rehydrating at the conclusion of his first attempt. Thomas was of the understanding that he had a green light from the commission despite the overage – the Vasquez camp saw otherwise. Mark Kergosien was called in as their new opponent after Thomas fell ill from repeatedly cutting weight and was scratched from the card.

‘Ultimate Chaos’ recap and final thoughts

Posted: 28 Jun 2009 01:05 AM PDT

Ultimate Chaos: "Lashley vs. Sapp" from The Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Miss., on June 27, has come to a close.

Prior to the live pay-per-view (PPV) event, headliner Bobby Lashley referred to his main event fight against Japanese icon Bob Sapp as a ‘train wreck.’ In an unintentionally humorous case of foreshadowing, “The Dominator” had also perfectly labeled the entire production.

Or as I labeled it, “whack-on-whack crime.”

Credit to Lash — he lived up to his moniker by dominating Sapp from the opening bell. As usual, “The Beast” came barreling forward like a man on a mission, then folded up faster than the American flag at an Arlington burial once the former WWE wrestler took him down and started grinding him into little pieces.

All part of the plan according to Lashley:

"Going up against Bob, you always expect the big bulls. I had to take him down, cover and pound. The first thing is to win: ground-and-pound to wear the big man down. He has a big punch. I used my ground-and-pound and got out of there."

It was hardly mixed martial arts finest hour, but you can argue that it was forward progress for the aspiring Lashley. He puts another feather in his cap while Sapp has to go back to the drawing board and try to figure out where to go from here.

The former K-1 superstar has been finished in three of his last four bouts — and hasn’t looked even remotely competitive in any of them. Whatever mojo he had that kept him pugnacious against Jerome Lebanner and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira earlier in the decade seems to be long gone.

And “The Beast” isn’t making any excuses:

"I got a good shot in the eye and was unable to see. He got me in the eye. No excuses, He got me down today and controlled it. Give it up to Bobby Lashley."

Speaking of fighters who are now a mere shell of their former selves, we should probably address Pedro Rizzo and his inability to chew solid foods after being bludgeoned into unconsciousness by Gilbert Yvel.

I don’t want to call his knockout over “The Rock” brutal, but it looked more like Afa the Wild Samoan trying to crack open a coconut with his bare hands than an actual MMA fight.

The big topic of discussion following this fight will of course be the late stoppage.

Yes, the referee could have probably gotten in there in time to prevent the last one or two punches and yes, Yvel probably could have spared Rizzo the extra punishment, but I’m leaning more towards “heat of the moment” than “foul play,” especially in wake of the Sokoudjou incident at DREAM 9.

“Resident” Yvel remarked in his post-fight comments that he’ll be facing Paul Buentello at Affliction ‘Trilogy’ on August 1, whereas Rizzo will likely be facing a CAT Scan and a lengthy suspension.

After that, “The Hurricane” wants a crack at a title:

"I want to move up to (fight) the champions because I want a belt. I'm learning the ground game. What I did tonight was be patient, relax, and kick-off."

Also coming out of Saturday’s event a little worse for the wear was Randy Hedderick. Despite dropping “The T-shirt guy” in the first round with a couple of stiff rights, he was unable to finish the gutsy Affliction Veep and had the tables turned in the latter part of the second round.

Atencio managed to survive the early scare and shatter Hedderick’s nose after some rough-housing and ground and pound to finish the second frame. When Hedderick was unable to answer the bell for the third, the Internet boards immediately lit up with the word “FIX” because as we all know, whenever a fighter is injured and unable to continue, it automatically means someone has been paid to take a dive.

I would caution any conspiracy theorists that did not watch the actual broadcast to try and catch a replay. No promotion that broadcasts an event that grainy and staffed with commentators that inept has enough money to pay anyone off. I would be surprised if they had enough green to cover the fighter’s purses.

It will probably be a little easier now that they don’t have to spend any money on Din Thomas.

In what for now looks to have been an unfortunate misunderstanding, “Dinyero” came in a bit heavy, got a verbal “OK” from the commission to continue, then was forced to try and re-cut the extra weight after re-hydrating following a request by the Javier Vasquez camp.

He didn’t make it.

Thomas became seriously ill trying to lose the weight and was pulled from the card. Fortunately for Vasquez, Mark Kergosien was on stand-by and ready to fight in his place.

Not that he did anything I would consider fighting — Vasquez choked him out in just under a minute with a suffocating guillotine.

And that pretty much sums up the overall event: It ended and there wasn’t really anything to show for it. Things moved at a brisk pace due to all the finishes but it was the stoppages that made this event tolerable and not the actual fights.

The production values were one step above the “Sylvia vs. Mercer” video promo for Adrenaline III, the announcers were annoying and clueless (save for Petruzelli) and the fights were mostly lopsided affairs. Bobby Lashley predicted a ‘train wreck’ and that’s exactly what we got.

The man may not have great skills just yet, but he does have great insight.

Gilbert Yvel scores brutal knockout of Pedro Rizzo at ‘Ultimate Chaos’ …

Posted: 27 Jun 2009 09:35 PM PDT

… that even had the referee frozen in time:

Props: Sherdog.com

Was the official asleep at the wheel or were Yvel’s violent head bouncers just too quick to stop sooner?

‘Ultimate Chaos’ results and discussion thread for ‘Lashley vs Sapp’

Posted: 27 Jun 2009 05:29 PM PDT

Ultimate Chaos: "Lashley vs. Sapp" is set to go off tonight (Saturday, June 27) from The Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Miss., at 9 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV).

MMAmania.com will pass along LIVE results of all the televised action as it happens below. Feel free to join us and talk about the fights and anything else “Ultimate Chaos”-related in the comments section below.

Enjoy the show, Maniacs:

ULTIMATE CHAOS QUICK RESULTS:

Bobby Lashley defeats Bob Sapp via submission (strikes) in round one
Gilbert Yvel defeats Pedro Rizzo via knockout in round one
Javier Vazquez defeats Mark Kergosien via submission (guillotine choke) in round one
Chris Horodecki defeats William Sriyapai via submission (rear naked choke) in round one
Waachim Spirit Wolf defeats Brett Cooper via technical knockout (strikes) in round one
Tom Atencio defeats Randy Hedderick via technical knockout in round two (Hedderick refused to answer the bell for round three because of a broken nose)
Brandon Harder defeats John Harris via submission (arm triangle choke) in round two
James Orso defeats Danny Abbadi via unanimous decision

Remember that MMAmania.com will also provide a detailed recap of all the noteworthy action from “Ultimate Chaos” shortly after the event concludes.

Din Thomas a last minute scratch from fight against Javier Vazquez at ‘Ultimate Chaos’

Posted: 27 Jun 2009 05:11 PM PDT

Mixed martial arts and UFC veteran Din Thomas has been forced out of his featherweight showdown against Javier Vazquez just hours before it was set to go down tonight (Saturday, June 27) at Ultimate Chaos: "Lashley vs. Sapp" from The Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Sherdog.com reports that “Dinyero” became ill after a difficult weight cut to make the 145-pound limit — something he apparently had to do twice after rehydrating shortly after the first attempt.

Here’s a snip from Romie Aram, a representative from the Vasquez camp:

"Din pulled out. He had issues making weight and got himself sick."

Thomas actually became so sick when he began to cut weight the second time after already rehydrating that he reportedly required medical attention. Hopefully, he recovers fast and returns to action even faster.

Vazquez is still slated to compete later this evening despite the bad news — Mark Kergosien, a local Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter, has apparently agreed to step in on literally hours notice.

Jake Shields explains the reason he is not in the UFC … yet (Video)

Posted: 27 Jun 2009 02:46 PM PDT

UFC Quick Quote: Gina Carano will ‘get more press and media attention than UFC 100′

Posted: 27 Jun 2009 02:42 PM PDT

“Does it have something to do with her looks? Absolutely….. Most importantly, Gina has intensity. People like to watch her fight. That's something that isn't taught. You just have it or you don't. Gina has the looks, the skills, the intensity, and one more thing — the timing. She is resonating with people now, people who are finally ready to watch female fighters. I believe Gina when she tells me she chose Strikeforce over the UFC, because she thought it was a better decision for women's MMA in general…. I guarantee you she will single-handedly garner more press and media attention than UFC 100. Just wait and see. The interest Gina generates will turn a whole new section of fans onto Strikeforce and MMA, and I wholeheartedly believe we will be watching Carano, Robbie Lawler, Jake Shields, and the rest of Strikeforce's expanding stable on CBS by January 2010.”

– Loretta Hunt over at Sherdog.com guarantees that female mixed martial artist, Gina Carano, will ultimately snag more headlines and create bigger buzz than the 800-pound gorilla’s historic centennial pay-per-view show on July 11. Carano competes under the Strikeforce banner, which has a network television deal with CBS. In fact, her five-round title fight against Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos will actually headline the next show on Aug. 15. So what do you think — is being a talented female fighter who is cute and competes on CBS enough to eclipse the interest and coverage of UFC 100 generates within the next two weeks?

UFC 101 video trailer for ‘Declaration’ on Aug. 8

Posted: 27 Jun 2009 02:15 PM PDT

Shark Fights bites again with ‘Frey vs Evans’ on June 27

Posted: 27 Jun 2009 10:51 AM PDT

Regional MMA will be on display tonight in the Panhandle of West Texas when Shark Fights presents “Frey vs. Evans,” the fifth installment from the upstart organization out of Amarillo, TX. In addition to eight MMA fights, the "Outdoor Bash and Brawl" from Gamboa's Outdoor Event Center will feature live music from three different bands.

Shark Fights took a much smaller bite for this event whereas their last card was held in Lubbock, TX at the Citibank Coliseum and featured former UFC fighters Don Frye and Jesse Taylor along with former NFL player Rex Richards.

Still, there are a couple of well known fighters on tonight’s card including former Zuffa employees Nissen Osterneck, Doug Evans and Lodune Sincaid.

Nissen started out his MMA career going 5-0 but stumbled in his WEC debut getting T(KO)ed by Jake Rosholt at WEC 36. He got a chance to redeem himself at UFC Fight Night 18 when he took on UFC veteran Jorge Rivera but dropped a split decision. Osterneck will look to get his career back on track when he takes on undefeated newcomer Kyle Bracey.

The main event will crown Shark Fights first featherweight champion.

Douglas Frey will take on Doug Evans — who despite a losing effort gave Roger Huerta all he could handle at The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale two years ago.

They will battle to determine the best 145-pound fighter currently competing in the Lone Star State. With that title to being decided tonight, Shark Fights will have champions in place for their featherweight, welterweight and heavyweight divisions.

TJ Waldburger will be making the first defense of his welterweight title after capturing the welterweight belt at Shark Fights 4 when he submitted Shannon Rich in the first round.

The upstart organization's most promising fighter is their heavyweight champion Darrill Schoonover.

Schoonover, who holds a perfect 10-0 MMA record, defeated Rex Richards to capture the heavyweight strap at Shark Fights 4. He is currently a competitor on season ten of The Ultimate Fighter alongside Kimbo Slice. For Shark Fights, while they are wishing the best for their heaviest champion, they have to be hoping he doesn't go 'all the way' and win a UFC contract.

While this event may not have the Texas-sized heat in terms of marketable fighters, don't be lulled into a false sense of a tepid future for the young organization. Shark Fights has big ambitions in the MMA world so be sure to keep an eye on the little fight promotion that could.

Here is the complete line up for Shark Fights 5:

145 lbs.: Douglas Frey (5-1) vs. Doug Evans (9-4) to determine Shark Fights Featherweight Champion

205 lbs.: Lodune Sincaid (14-7) vs. Marcus Sursa (9-4)

185 lbs.: Nissen Osterneck (5-2) vs. Kyle Bracey (6-0)

170 lbs.: Anselmo Martinez (4-1) vs. TJ Waldburger (10-5) to determine Shark Fights Welterweight Champion

265 lbs.: Brian Humes (4-0) vs. Elmore Nicely (0-0)

170 lbs.: Derek Campos (3-1) vs. Thomas Grissom (5-2)

170 lbs.: Oscar Granado (1-2) vs. Heath Dodgen (1-0)

205 lbs.: Conan Kano (3-3) vs. Edgar Santos (0-0)

For more on Shark Fights click here.

Limp Bizkit concert at the Mandalay Bay Beach on UFC 100 weekend cancelled

Posted: 27 Jun 2009 07:11 AM PDT

The Limp Bizkit concert scheduled for UFC 100 weekend at the Mandalay Bay Beach in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday, July 10, has been cancelled, according to Ticketmaster.com.

No reason was provided for the scratch; however, the "rap-metal pioneers" have not performed a concert in North America in more than eight years and were re-uniting this year for its "Unicorns N' Rainbows" tour.

Perhaps there was more trouble behind the scenes … time will tell.

There is no telling if the promotion will attempt to book a new act on such short notice — UFC 100 is just two weeks away. Furthermore, it could be difficult to market and sell tickets on such a condensed schedule.

Regardless of what the UFC plans to do in response to this latest news — if anything at all — fans in “Sin City” for the historic weekend will have no shortage of things to keep them busy.

The UFC 100 weekend extravaganza will feature the promotion's first-ever grappling tournament in conjunction with the Grapplers Quest organization as part of the UFC Fan Expo — a two-day fan exposition of mixed martial arts activities that starts on Friday, July 10.

In addition to the meet and greets with legendary UFC and WEC fighters, MMA demonstrations, fan-inspired special events, training and development sessions, and other exciting opportunities and entertainment, UFC officials plan to enshrine two more of its greatest stars in the Hall of Fame, coinciding with the colossal pay-per-view (PPV) event scheduled for Saturday, July 11.

For more on UFC 100 and everything else that's going on click here.