When there’s an MMA event, medical suspensions are sure to follow. The Florida State Boxing Commission has dropped their list of suspended fighters from the EliteXC: Street Certified joint that happened in Miami last Saturday. (Props MMA on Tap)
Tank Abbott got a 60 day medical suspension because he got KTFO by Kimbo. Joining Tank on the 60-day list were James Thompson, Kyle Noke, John Doyle, and Edson Berto. Mario Rinaldi wasn’t KO’d but got the shit kicked out of him by Dave Herman, so he also earned 60 days on hold. On that note, Dave Herman and Jirka Hivati - who made $500 for the night - were told they must be cleared by a doctor before being allowed back in the cage. Herman due to a knee injury and Hivati because of a laceration on his face.
Let’s talk more suspensions, shall we? The California State Athletic Commission has fined and suspended two fighters for dancing with mary jane. The fighters - Mike Moreno and Jermaine Wilson - both fought last Saturday at the Total Combat 26 show that went down in San Diego. Mike Moreno will be out of action until May 16th and was fined $500 (maybe he can get Jirka Hivati to cover his fine). Jermaine Wilson is out until August 14th and was fined $1,000. Wilson’s penalty was a bit stiffer because it was his second marijuana offense in three months - his pro record is two fights, two lossess, and two suspensions due to drug use. That’s rollin’ Kendall Grove style.
Only four out of the fourteen fighters at the event were tested and half tested positive for drugs. And both fighters lost via submissions, so what does that tell you, Kids? If you’re going to toke it up, improve your takedown defense.
On a side note, Total Combat’s ring girls are called the Combat Dolls. They deserve close inspection…trust me.
— UFC Daily is reporting that UFC middie Chris Leben has inked a new deal with the organization that kicks his dough up to $25k to appear and $25k to win. That’s an increase of $15k per category. No word on how long the deal is for. The next fight for Leben is a mere week away - March 1st at UFC 82 versus Alessio Sakara. The colorful-haired fighter has been in the UFC since April ‘05 and is 7-3 in the organization. He’s 17-4 overall.
— Dan Henderson spoke to the Orange County Register about seeing Anderson Silva in PRIDE and why he thinks he’ll win next Saturday at UFC 82:
“I think he is a tough guy and very skilled but I wouldn’t consider him the top pound-for-pound fighter, just because I’ve seen more of his past than what the U.S. crowd has in the UFC. The guys he’s fought in the UFC really complement his style. I expected him to walk through most of those guys. He’s very skilled on his feet. The guys he’s fought aren’t very good wrestlers.”
This is a valid point and we know Henderson is one of the best. This is a war we’re jonsein’ for and it’s destined to be a classic. And who does Henderson think is the best pound-for-pounder? (more…)
One-time UFC middleweight title contender David Terrell has been released by the UFC, according to GraceFighter.com.
Here’s a snip:
“David Terrell has been officially released from his UFC contract…Plagued by injuries and unhappy with the financial terms of his bout agreements, Terrell sat out the remainder of his contract. Now focused on getting his career back on track, Terrell will be looking to signing and fighting with another organization.”
Terrell burst onto the scene in his UFC debut in 2004, knocking out Matt Lindland just 24 seconds into their bout at UFC 49. The upset earned him a shot at the middleweight title, which was vacated by Murilo Bustamante.
He lost that championship bout to Evan Tanner via technical knockout at UFC 51 in 2005.
Terrell — a jiu-jitsu student of Cesar Gracie — would fight just one more time after the loss to Tanner, submitting Scott Smith with a rear naked choke at UFC 59 in 2006.
He was scheduled to fight Ed “Short Fuse” Herman at UFC 78 in November 2007, but had to pull out of that bout with torn tendons. It marked the fourth time in his UFC career that he had to withdraw from a fight.
Terrell was replaced by MMA veteran Joe Doerksen, who was knocked out by Herman in round three of their middleweight contest.
“The Soul Assassin” has some sick ground skills and obviously some power in his hands as evidenced with his destruction of one of the top middleweights in the world, Matt Lindland.
However, with Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin and all of the other superb fighters gunning for the 185-pound title, it seems like the opportunity for greatness may have already passed him by.
At just thirty years old, Terrell still has plenty of time (and plenty of organizations) to get himself back on the map. We wish him good luck - and good health - wherever his career ends up.
A new Croatian interview with Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (translated here) sheds a lot more light on the heavyweight’s reasons for leaving the UFC and his goals in the new DREAM organization and beyond. Some highlights:
On non-financial reasons for parting ways with the UFC: “I was in full training and wanted to compete in March. However, the UFC couldn’t find me an opponent that fast and I didn’t want to stop my preparations and start all over again for a match in May. Besides I was HUNGRY for a fight and nervous (anxious) like a dog…I asked for a rematch with Gonzaga but that was not possible because he lost to Werdum. Then I asked for Kongo but that wasn’t possible either.”
On business practices that will eventually screw him: “Although I didn’t sign any contract [with DREAM] we came to an agreement for 3 fights in March, June and September. I never had written contracts with the Japanese because we have always done business by oral agreement.”
On returning to the UFC: “I’m going to go back to the UFC without a doubt…The date of return depends on a possible fight with Fedor. The fight should take place on 31st December if Fedor accepts. If that fails I’ll be back in the UFC by the end of this year.”
On his “psychological crisis”: “I lost that killer instinct. I lost 5kg (10lb) before the fight with Kongo, I had a hard time wanting to train and on the day of the fight I thought to myself: Why do I even need this, why am I fighting a guy I have never seen before. I was fed up with it all.”
On diplomacy: “I have managed to come to terms with Dana and I’m thankful for his cooperation and understanding.”
Wow, so Fedor could potentially get a legitimate opponent at the end of this year? Crossed fingers! Emelianenko previously won a lackluster decision over Filipovic at PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 — Fedor was injured, Cro Cop was jet-lagged — but whatever, it’s something. Filipovic will be fighting Mr. X at DREAM’s inaugural show at the Saitama Super Arena on March 15th.
… that he watched UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva, lose two of his five fights under the Pride FC banner in Japan before he became an undefeated (5-0) world beater inside the Octagon.
“I think he is a tough guy and very skilled but I wouldn’t consider him the top pound-for-pound fighter, just because I’ve seen more of his past than what the U.S. crowd has in the UFC. The guys he’s fought in the UFC really complement his style. I expected him to walk through most of those guys. He’s very skilled on his feet. The guys he’s fought aren’t very good wrestlers.”
Hendo, on the other hand, competed on the 1992 and 1996 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling teams. He also has a thundering right hand. Perhaps that’s the reason he’s called “Dangerous.”
Our earlier mentions of Chute Boxe and rope-a-dope reminded us of this light heavyweight match from Cage Rage 15 (2/4/06), which could easily earn a place in our greatest fights of all-time list. The first round features as much slugging as you’d expect from these two, but it’s the second round that makes the fight legendary. Cyborg and Melvin become so exhausted from whaling on each other that at one point they can do little more than stand with their hands down and suck air. Luckily, Manhoef has a little extra in the tank. Watch Cyborg baby-punch Melvin’s lifeless body at the end — totally adorable. (Fight starts at the 2:26 mark.)
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Yahoo!Sports have struck a deal to stream pay-per-view (PPV) events LIVE over the Internet, according to UFC.com, providing fans worldwide with opportunities to now watch the telecasts in real time.
UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” on Saturday, March 1 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, will be the first PPV available to watch under the new deal.
Here’s a snip from UFC President Dana White:
“This relationship with Yahoo! is an important step for the UFC to build its global distribution platform for live pay-per-view events. We are looking forward to working with Yahoo! Sports to expand our reach and bring the sport of mixed martial arts to fight fans in every corner of the world in every possible language.”
The cost of the online streams will be the same as the traditional PPV ($44.95), meaning that the buys and profits going forward could be astronomical on a global scale.
In addition, when fans purchase a PPV event on Yahoo!Sports.com they also receive 24 hours of unlimited archive viewing. To purchase UFC 82 next weekend click here.
Congrats to the UFC and Yahoo!Sports for taking the sport into the 21st Century and to an entirely new level.
(What do Mr. Glass and Dave Terrell have in common? Read on…)
Remember how Dave Terrell was going to be the next big thing in the UFC’s middleweight bracket? Well, happy days are gone according to GracieFighter.com. Terrell has been released by Dana’s organization.
Terrell went 2-1 in the UFC and got off to a great start - a quick KO of Matt Lindland at UFC 49. He was then sidelined for a while because of various injuries before a TKO loss to Evan Tanner and a ho-hum submission win over Scott Smith. But that last fight was almost two years ago. It’s now apparent that Terrell is made of glass because he kept getting injured and had to pull out of three fights - one due to a sinus infection, two to assorted injuries.
It looks like the Cesar Gracie-trained and BJJ black belt fighter will continue battling elsewhere and hopes to get a better contract next time out.
Plagued by injuries and unhappy with the financial terms of his bout agreements, Terrell sat out the remainder of his contract. Now focused on getting his career back on track, Terrell will be looking to signing and fighting with another organization.
5oz of Pain is making a case for Terrell heading to EliteXC. Nick Diaz and Jake Shields - Terrell’s teammates - fight for EliteXC already and could pull him over. Although that “unhappy with the financial terms” thing might get even worse with that organization unless he’s headlining events - which will be hard to do if he continues his injurious ways.
One-time UFC middleweight title contender David Terrell has been released by the UFC, according to 
