September 13th, 2007
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I conducted an interview with EliteXC fighter Nick Diaz several days ago. I think it’s one of the best interviews I’ve ever done and it’s now available by clicking here.
I know Nick recently did a radio interview with the Beatdown crew at Sherdog.com and a lot of people who have heard said he rambled on a lot. I haven’t heard it so I can’t make any sort of judgment. All I can say is that Nick was pretty concise in the interview that I conducted with him. He held nothing back and addressed everything I threw at him in a no holds barred fashion.
Nick gave a lot of answers that I know will be considered controversial and I plan on writing an article on the back story behind the interview and my thoughts on some of the things he said.
In the meantime, here are some of the more notable exchanges from the Q&A. In this one question I asked Nick to comment on some accusations that had been floated out there that he got high right before his fight:
Q: The assertion by the Nevada State Athletic Commission was that your THC levels were so high that you were numb to the pain you experienced during your fight against Gomi. And while NSAC didn’t make accusations publicly, there were some rumblings that people felt you had actually gotten high right before the fight. Was there any truth to that?
ND: How would I have done that!? I’m sure they want to push that as much as they can and they wanted to that at my hearing, too. My hearing was pretty ridiculous. I didn’t know whether they were going to go easy on me or what? I just knew that they had all the control so I didn’t go in there trying to argue anything. I just went in there to say “Hey, sorry and please give me a lighter sentence because I’ve got bills to pay and a family to take care of and support. This isn’t easy out here. I train harder than everybody else and I’m not out drinking like everybody else. It’s obvious to you guys sitting at this table that you can see the rest of these fighters out there and what they’re doing. You’ve got some of them testing positive for steroids and a lot of them go out and get drunk and hammered and doing a bunch of coke and then popping Vicodins.”
Diaz also believes he’s tested positive for marijuana before:
ND: …But I wasn’t really worried about it, because I give them dirty piss tests all the time in the UFC and every show I’ve ever fought in. So I don’t see what the problem is. They weren’t testing for it before. All of a sudden when they wanted to suspend me, they suspended me.
Q: So you’re saying you’ve tested positive for marijuana before?
ND: That’s the thing, nobody tested for it. There was no testing for it (marijuana). Nobody gave a s— if there was. So I’ve given about nine tests in my life and only one of them came up positive but for every one (of the tests) I had been smoking weed. And at least in the same month, so they had to have come up (positive).
I really think this is an intriguing interview that you’ll all enjoy and I recommend you check it out by clicking here.
I also encourage everyone to leave their feedback here and let me know what they think about how the interview went and your thoughts on Diaz’s comments.
Written by admin on September 13th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Nick Diaz and EliteXC and MMA.
The UFC held a combined conference call for the media today in regard to both UFC Fight Night 11 next Wednesday on Spike TV and UFC 76 next Saturday on pay-per-view.
Involved with the call were Chuck Liddell, Keith Jardine and Kenny Florian. Dana White and Din Thomas had been advertised for the call but did not attend. UFC PR rep Jennifer Wenk indicated that White was on another call. At one point they thought he might be able to join in later in the call, but that wasn’t the case. There was no word on why Thomas was not available.
There was nothing all too earth-shattering, but here’s a general rundown of several things the fighters said:
(to read the rest of this article, just click here)
Written by admin on September 13th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on UFC 76 and UFC Fight Night 11 and Keith Jardine and Chuck Liddell and UFC and MMA.
Props: BloodyElbow.com
Quoteworthy:
“Responding to previous allegations that his lifestyle affected his performance at UFC 71, Chuck admits he’s at the clubs, but that he’s drinking water. Says he goes to bed late, but also gets up late when he’s preparing for a fight. Says he doesn’t drink at least a month before the fight and probably has only three drinks in the three months before a fight. Says loss to Rampage had nothing to do with that fight and that he was in great shape and prepared. Chuck says he’s committed to getting the title back.”
– Former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell talks about his upcoming fight with Keith Jardine at UFC 76: “Knockout” on September 22 during today’s conference call to promote the event. To read all about what was said head over to BloodyElbow.com. To listen to what was said click here (Liddell audio) here (Jardine audio) and here (Kenny Florian audio).
Written by admin on September 13th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on UFC Lightweight Division and UFC 76 and UFC Pay Per View (PPV) Events and Keith Jardine and Chuck Liddell and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.
It had been rumored for quite some time, but Pro Elite officially announced today the acquisition of King of the Cage…
LOS ANGELES (Sept. 13, 2007) – ProElite, Inc. [PELE.PK], a sports entertainment and media company dedicated to producing world-class mixed martial arts (MMA) events, today announced the acquisition of King of the Cage, Inc. (KOTC), a prolific MMA promoter with an established stable of world-class fighters and global brand equity.
As part of the agreement, KOTC will promote events in conjunction with Los Angeles-based ProElite’s respected and highly acclaimed live events division, EliteXC, which broadcasts MMA events on Showtime Networks. KOTC will also provide live-streaming video content through ProElite.com.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“We are extremely pleased that KOTC is joining the ProElite family, a natural extension of our brand as we continue to move forward with our global growth strategy,” said Douglas Deluca, CEO of ProElite, Inc. “Pound for pound, KOTC is the best brand out there and brings a deep breadth of industry experience to ProElite, providing a built-in infrastructure that will strengthen the impact of our organization on the world of MMA.”
Founded in 1999 by renowned MMA promoter Terry Trebilcock, the Fontana, Calif.-based KOTC is widely regarded as a pioneer in the sport having discovered and showcased some of the world’s premier fighters including Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Diego Sanchez, Rashard Evans, Joe Stevenson, Rico Rodriguez, Urijah Faber and more.
KOTC annually promotes more than 35 shows, 13 of which are pay-per-view events, and prior to 2007 drew the largest cumulative live audiences per annum of any MMA organization in North America. To date, KOTC has sold more than 1.5 million DVDs and continues to promote MMA events on four continents, including Australia, Asia, Europe and North America.
“Terry and KOTC have captured audiences’ attention around the globe, consistently discovering and showcasing some of the best fighters in MMA,” said Gary Shaw, EliteXC Live Events President. “There is no question that this acquisition will bolster EliteXC’s exposure domestically and abroad, serving as an entrée to fans and fighters who look to EliteXC as a destination for the finest entertainment that the MMA industry has to offer.”
Said Trebilcock, CEO of KOTC: ““ProElite’s EliteXC is an ideal fit for KOTC, and we are honored to join such a talented team of dedicated professionals. ProElite is unmatched in its commitment to the sport, its fans and fighters, and we are thrilled to grow in lockstep with the company.”
Written by admin on September 13th, 2007 with comments disabled.
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Steve Sievert in his Brawl Sports Blog on the Houston Chronicle web site is reporting that UFC lightweight contender Frankie Edgar has signed a three-fight extension with the UFC.
Edgar is scheduled to fight next at UFC 78 against Spencer Fisher this November in Newark, NJ.
Written by admin on September 13th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on UFC 78 and Frank Edgar and UFC and MMA.
The big news coming out of today’s combined UFC 76/UFN 11 media conference call was that Dana White was not on the call even though he had been promoted before hand as being involved. According to Jennifer Wenk, the UFC’s PR director, Dana was on another call.
Din Thomas was also not available even though he had been advertised. Chuck Liddell, Keith Jardine, and Kenny Florian were all on. There was nothing Earth shattering coming out of the conference. I reported on it for MMAjunkie.com and my notes on it should be available there soon.
Written by admin on September 13th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on UFC Fight Night 11 and UFC 76 and UFC and MMA.
Props: UFC.com
(Note: This debuts at midnight on Thursday, September 20 to promote his upcoming light heavyweight bout with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 76: “Knockout” on September 22. “UFC Countdown” will air the same night (9/20) an hour before at 11 p.m.)
Written by admin on September 13th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on UFC on SpikeTV and UFC All Access and Forrest Griffin and UFC 76 and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and MMA.
There’s a bunch of MMA-related news stories making the rounds right now. How about a quick review?
- MMAWeekly.com is reporting that IFL commissioner Kurt Otto has informed the site that Shawn Tompkins has been released from his duties as head coach of the LA Anacondas.
- The IFL will be releasing its first DVD next Tuesday. “IFL: Greatest Knockouts and Extreme Action” will be available through Warner Home Video at Best Buy, Netflix.com, Amazon.com, Borders, Wal-Mart and other fine retail outlets.
- The Fight Network is reporting that BodogFIGHT will have a hand in Strikeforce’s card on Sept. 29 at the Playboy Mansion. Bodog has sponsored Strikeforce events before and it looks like they will be lending some fighters to the event. According to the report, Matt Lee will fight Jorge Masvidal. Already scheduled for the show is Gilbert Melendez vs. Tesuji Kato, Joe Riggs vs. Eugene Jackson, and Josh Thomson vs. Adam Lynn. Daniel Puder and Bobby Southworth are scheduled for separate bouts.
- UFCMania.com is reporting that Nathan Marquardt is looking to return to the UFC in January.
- Sean Salmon has a new column available on MMAjunkie.com talking about his recent loss to Travis Wiuff on an IFO show in Vegas and an even more recent win on a smaller show in Ohio. He also talks about his involvement with Mark Cuban’s HD Fights but makes no mention of his current UFC status. Bummer.
- Pro wrestling web site PWInsider.com recently posted a one sentence blurb claiming that Brock Lesnar is “finalizing” his UFC contract.
- According to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Scott Junk will replace Justin McCully against Christian Wellisch on the UFC 76 undercard next Saturday.
Written by admin on September 13th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Shawn Tompkins and Jorge Masvidal and Nathan Marquardt and Sean Salmon and Kurt Otto and IFL and Matt Lee and Strikeforce and MMA.
“I think so in some ways. Obviously there’s still something for me to do, so I need to fight those top guys – the Joe Stevensons, the Spencer Fishers, the Din Thomases – those guys I still need to face to prove to everybody. The only way to do that — to prove you’re the best — is to fight the top guys and beat them. The guys I’ve been facing right now I’ve been beating, obviously with the exception of Sean Sherk. I want to fight those guys. I think I have to do that in order to prove that point.”
– Lightweight Kenny Florian tells MMAMadness.com that he is still out to prove himself as a dangerous and respected mixed martial artist. Now a 155-pound fighter, Florian made it to the finals during the first season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) against Diego Sanchez as a middleweight (185 pounds). Florian will face Din Thomas during the main event at UFC Fight Night 11 on September 19.
Written by admin on September 13th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Kenny Florian and UFC Lightweight Division and UFC Quick Quotes and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.
The banner above says it all.
In case you missed UFC 75: “Champion vs. Champion” last weekend tomorrow is your chance to see what all the fuss is about.
Spike television network will re-air the special event Friday, September 14 at 9 p.m. ET.
Of course, the Michael Bisping split-decision win over Matt Hamill has received most — if not all — of the attention following the September 8 show from the O2 Arena in London, England.
But I will remind everyone again to focus on the Marcus Davis-Paul Taylor welterweight showdown, as well as the 205-pound unification bout between Rampage Jackson and Dan Henderson.
Those were two great fights that got lost in all the controversial brouhaha.
To revisit the UFC 75 results and live blow-by-blow commentary click here. For more post-fight reaction click here.
(NOTE: Spike TV will also feature a marathon of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 that begins at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday morning.)
Written by admin on September 13th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on UFC on SpikeTV and UFC 75 and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.
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