“Tito is a f—ing idiot. He’s one of the dumbest human beings I’ve ever met. Everything that comes out of his mouth makes no sense…. I put up with his s— when he was a good fighter. He’s not anymore…. He’s not in anybody’s Top 10. I have no interest whatsoever in being in the Tito Ortiz business…. I’ve never wanted to see anyone get their ass kicked worse than I want to see Tito get his kicked next Saturday night.”
– UFC President Dana White beat around the bush in a recent UFC 84: “Ill Will” conference call earlier this afternoon when Tito Ortiz was mentioned. White decided to remain tight-lipped about his thoughts on who he wants to win when Ortiz steps inside the Octagon for possibly the last time against Lyoto Machida at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 24. Perhaps closer to fight night we’ll get a better feel for what he really thinks about the match up and “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy.” Stay tuned.
Ok, not really mixed martial arts, but an MMA legend got a shout-out in the 1989 movie Say Anything starring John Cusack and Ione Skye. I just recently re-watched the movie (don’t ask) and noticed Maurice Smith, former UFC heavyweight champion, was mentioned. In the movie, John Cusack’s character is a kickboxer, and in one [...]
NBC Sports is putting out some good MMA-related video these days. The Pulver-Faber stuff might be old news to some of you, but fast-forward to the 5:55 mark for a pretty well-put together segment on “A Day in the Life of Chris Horodecki.” The special effects during the fight clips are annoying, but what can you do.
Also, Sean Tompkins’ hair is really blond. I realize this might sound like a stupid question, but does he die it to purposely make it look like that, or is it the lights in the arena or something? You know what, nevermind. I don’t really want to hear your answers, you smart-asses.
UFC president Dana White participated in a media conference call along with B.J. Penn and Sean Sherk this afternoon, and we learned a little something about everyone before it was all said and done. For instance, is it awkward for Sherk and Penn to be on a call together after everything they’ve said about one another in the past few weeks? Kind of, yeah.
For instance, B.J. Penn is legitimately angry about Sean Sherk’s (alleged) steroid use. And no, there doesn’t seem to be any doubt in his mind about Sherk’s guilt:
“As a guy who’s never taken performance-enhancing drugs, I’m used to waking up everyday and being sore and being in pain, and to think that someone out there is using performance-enhancing drugs, it bothers me. I’m a purist. I live to fight. I really think I’m a better fighter than I am an athlete. To think that someone would take this pure thing that I love and pervert that, I can’t deal with it.”
Sherk responded, sounding more tired of steroid questions than anything else:
“I know what I did and I know what I didn’t do. I went above and beyond what I needed to do to prove my innocence. I think anyone who looks at the evidence knows that. I think the commission knows I didn’t do it. They shorted my suspension, but they didn’t want to overturn it because then they have to worry about a lawsuit.”
The Affliction: “Banned” poster in its current form looks incomplete, but perhaps not for long.
May 19 to be be exact, which is just four days from now.
Former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski could ink a deal in this time with the new promotion and take on Ben Rothwell at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on July 19, according to SportsIllustrated.com.
Here’s the snip:
“May 19 is the day when Andrei Arlovski could sign with Affliction, SI.com has learned. That is, assuming the UFC declines to match what is believed to be a deal that pays the former UFC champion in the low-to-mid six figures for the first of three non-exclusive bouts…. Should Arlovski and Affliction complete their deal, the Belarusian is expected to appear at next Tuesday’s press conference at the in Century City, Calif., to announce a fight against former International Fight League heavyweight champion Ben Rothwell.”
This speculation has been swirling for some time; however, now with this report it appears to give it a little more substance, and at the very least, provides us with a timeline of when we can expect an official announcement regarding the future of “The Pitbull.”
If indeed accurate, the addition of a bout between Arlovski and Rothwell will make this one hell of a fight card.
Pro Elite — the parent company of MMA organizations such as Elite XC, King of the Cage, Cage Rage, Icon Sport and others — recently announced that its Web site (ProElite.com) will now feature a video On Demand section.
The upgrade will allow fans to access past fights from each of various promotions, which includes bouts that involve notables such as UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn and many other MMA superstars.
In addition, fans will be able to view under card bouts from Elite XC and other Pro Elite events that weren’t aired on the original broadcasts. Fans will have the option to view single fights starting at .99 cents or entire events for just $4.95.
That’s hard to beat.
Unlimited access will also be available in the form of a “Pro Elite Fight Pass,” which is normally $12.95 a month, but will be on sale for $7.95 a month at an introductory price.
Here’s a snip from Douglas Deluca, Pro Elite executive chairman:
“We have hand picked hours upon hours of high-quality MMA content and provided a compelling online product that is accessible to fans on a global scale. With more than 50 hours of combat currently available and 20 hours added monthly, our Fight Pass offering allows MMA fans to gain instant access to all of the MMA action they can handle.”
Head over to ProElite.com for more information and details.
Our beloved content partners at MMARated have some new shots of Georges St. Pierre and Roger Huerta training together at Greg Jackson’s camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jackson is known as a game-plan master, and hopefully Huerta is picking up some solid tips on how to deal with Kenny Florian’s style when they meet on August 9th. (Our game-plan would be to stay as far away from Florian’s elbows as humanly possible.) Click here for the full set, and while you’re there, we recommend checking out Ariel Helwani’s interview with one of our favorite ring girls, Nicole Craner.
By the way, if any of you knuckleheads think “those are the gayest pictures I’ve seen all day,” we have but one thing to say…
(Photoshop continues to make its case for best invention ever.)
We know, you’re getting sick of all the Affliction news lately. So are we, but this is too good to ignore. Si.com’s Josh Gross is reporting that former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski could sign with Affliction as early as May 19 if the UFC decides not to match the offer. That fits right in with what we’ve been hearing, which is that Arlovski vs. Ben Rothwell is all but official.
Gross points out that if this comes to fruition Arlovski will be the third former heavyweight champ to leave the UFC in eight months. He’ll also be the only one to complete all fights on his current contract and wait out the negotiating period. Expect more information on the Arlovski front when Affliction holds their first press conference in Los Angeles next week.
But wait, there’s more. Fox Sports Net executive George Greenberg is also expected to attend the press conference, which suggests the possibility of Affliction having some connection to the cable network that has been particularly friendly to MMA in the past. Could FSN end up airing the non-pay-per-view portion of Affliction’s first event on July 19? Gross seems to think so.
Greenberg was instrumental in getting the IFL and Pride on FSN, as well as making The Best Damn Sports Show one of the first mainstream sports programs to include MMA coverage. If FSN is really cozying up to Affliction, the question then becomes whether they’ll air the event live or revert back to the tape-delay format they used for the IFL.
We voted in favor of “live.” Then we were informed that because we have no connection to FSN, we don’t get a vote. Really bummed us out.
Pro Elite — the parent company of MMA organizations such as Elite XC, King of the Cage, Cage Rage, Icon Sport and others — recently announced that its Web site (
