I have nothing against Kimbo Slice, but I would love to see James Thompson run right out and smash Kimbo in this fight. However, I don’t think that is going to happen. Both fighters are exciting to watch, I predict James Thompson will rush out and try to trade punches with Kimbo, and inevitably Kimbo [...]
Now 5 Ounces is reporting that Maurice Smith has pulled out due to sickness related to old age (okay, I added that last part). But it gets better. Nick Lembo, attorney for the New Jersey Athletic Control Board, confirmed that Smith was dropping out, but then said the other Smith had been resubmitted. Pat Smith’s charges had been taken down a notch to misdemeanors so he would be able to compete. In case you’re lost by now, Patty would be fighting Oleg Taktarov at the show.
Gary Goodridge has yet to be replaced, but rest assured that the replacement will be well into his forties, if not fifties. Skip Hall should keep his phone on.
YAMMA 1 is scheduled for April 11th at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City and we’ll wait until the 10th to publish the fight card, because it just might change. More importantly, those that care about Bob Meyrowitz should put him on round-the-clock suicide watch. This is just too much for one man to absorb.
If there’s one lesson that can be taken from the recent arrest of MMA veteran Patrick Smith, it’s this: Always bring along your prescriptions if you plan on leading police on a wild high-speed chase while taking your crotch rocket out for a spin.
As previously reported, 45-year-old Smith agreed to face Oleg Taktarov at next month’s YAMMA Pit Fighting debut after Don Frye backed out of the match due to a shoulder injury. But, according to MMAJunkie:
[J]ust hours after the announcement, KXII TV 12 in Sherman, Texas, reported that Smith had been arrested after a high-speed police chase. Smith was clocked at speeds of up 130 mph while fleeing on his sports motorcyle, police said. He’s been charged with felony attempting to elude, possession of a prescription drug without a valid prescription, and reckless driving.
It’s not yet clear whether Smith will still be able to compete in the YAMMA event, but in case Bob Meyrowitz needs to find another replacement, Teila Tuli, Ron van Clief and He-Man Gipson are available and ready to work.
Bonus: Patrick Smith pounds Scott Morris’s face into burger at UFC 2. Fight starts at the video’s 3:30 mark and ends shortly after.
(“The Predator” hanging out with a member of the Gay Yakuza, Godzilla, and Godzilla’s girlfriend.)
Sherdog has learned that Don Frye will no longer be fighting in YAMMA Pit Fighting’s inaugural shit-show, which is scheduled to go down April 11th. Frye was slated to face UFC old-schooler Oleg Taktarov, who will now be fighting Patrick Smith (14-13), a 45-yr-old fighter notable for his participation in UFC 1, 2, and 6. At UFC 2’s marathon 16-man tournament, Smith choked out Ray Wizard in 58 seconds, knocked out Scott Morris in 30 seconds, and choked out Johnny Rhodes in 67 seconds before losing to Royce Gracie (submission due to strikes) in the final.
No word yet on what led to Frye’s pull-out, though BloodyElbow is floating the theory that EliteXC poached him to be Kimbo Slice’s opponent for their first CBS show on May 31st. Yes, another old man for Slice to beat on. But Frye is a legitimate legend — talented and tough as nails — and he could easily put Slice in trouble. Just think of the potential staredown! We’ll let you know more as it develops…
Our 16 favorite noms de guerre, and our favorite photos found through Google-image-searching those words/phrases. High concept, we know, but stay with us and click on the links.
9. Don Frye
Full pints of 40-year-old ball-sweat have passed through the Predator’s Old Glory nut-huggers. Just seems a little disrespectful, that’s all.
8. Ken Shamrock
Watching Ken sport these old-schoolers transports us to the time we spotted the 80-year-old next door during one of her “spells.” Those are some granny panties we’ll never get out of our mind.
7. Rich Franklin
Half badass, half…pink? He earned the right to get his ass handed to him by Anderson Silva. But he was a hit at the post-fight pride parade.
FiveOuncesOfPain.com (www.FiveOuncesOfPain.com) has learned that Don Frye will not return as an IFL coach in 2008. He had been serving as the head coach of the Tucson Scorpions, which finished the 2007 regular season with an 0-3 record.
Frye, a legendary competitor who holds a pro MMA record of 17-6-1 with matches for the UFC and PRIDE, is expected to remain with the league in various capacities. He’s expected to stay with the league in an instructional role while also representing the company during functions with the military and continuing his highly-popular “Dear Don” column on the IFL website.
