Bleacher Report - Articles by Marco Yanitelli

Overeem To Face Fedor: Over-Juiced, Overrated, and Out of His Mind

Marco Yanitelli — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:57:38 -0500

Alistair Overeem, otherwise known as the "Rapidly Expanding Man," has challenged Fedor Emelianenko to face him in an MMA event, preferably to take place in April of 2010. Overeem informed the press of his desire during an interview following his victory over James Thompson via guillotine.

When asked where Alistair would prefer to fight Fedor, he flatly answered, "Preferably in DREAM but Strikeforce if necessary." This comes as no surprise. Questions regarding his new physique are already causing quite a bit of controversy in MMA and K-1 circles. Answers such as the one he provided to that query only add fuel to an already hot fire.

The issue at hand is whether or not Overeem uses HGH and/or steroids. The fact is that out of around 30 fights, Alistair has fought in the United States only around three to four times. He has spent the majority of his career fighting in Japan.

Japan has extremely lax doping regulations. They might take a fight away from you (such as Nick Diaz when he defeated Gomi) for smoking a joint, but you can shoot all the juice you want without penalty.

Where is the evidence? Certainly, while being somewhat circumstantial, there is some solid evidence that indicates an abuse of HGH, if not a variety of drugs.

In late 2007, Overeem was fighting at 205 lbs. He was always tall and a bit lanky. Always ripped, as well, due to his excessive cardio training. While it is not impossible to gain 50lbs of muscle in two-and-a-half years, it certainly is not possible while training and fighting. How does one train cardio everyday and still gain so much mass?

The NBA tries it all the time, but it never works. Certainly, the league has a lot more cash to toss at the problem. If the NBA cannot put 20 lbs. of muscle on a 7'0" center in five years, then how can Overeem add 50 lbs. of muscle in half that amount of time?

Seriously, during his last fight vs. James Thompson, he literally dwarfed James. James is 6'4" and weighs around 290 lbs. Despite James' massive frame (his nickname is "The Colossus"), he looked small in comparison.

So is there any proof that Alistair is juicing? No. Overeem has passed every steroid test given him (all in the United States). While this may seem to exonerate him, it is widely known that steroid tests and HGH tests can be circumvented rather easily. The testing done at MMA events is very basic.

It is not the Olympics and it is not a random test. Therefore, not only is the test weak, but anyone wishing to get around it has plenty of time to prepare.

The fact that Josh Barnett recently tested positive for steroids has no bearing on this case. Barnett may have used different drugs and not prepared himself for the test. In fact, given the ease in which one may beat the tests involved, it leads a person to wonder just how dumb Barnett really is.

To judge someone without proof is the wrong thing to do. To believe in the concept of "innocent until proven guilty" is a noble American trait. Given this notion, it is hard to accuse Overeem of wrongdoing without some kind of evidence other than just his massive increase in size and strength.

The fact is that such evidence exists—and it is written all over Alistair's face.

The condition is known as Acromegalia; and it is clear that Overeem has been affected by it. What is acromegalia?

Acromegalia or Acromegaly (from Greek akros "extreme" or "extremities" and megalos "large"—extremities enlargement) is a syndrome that results when the pituitary gland produces or receives excess quantities of growth hormone (hGH)*. An individual with this condition suffers from a number of effects, which include some or all of the following symptoms:

1. Thickening of the skin.

2. Enlargement of body parts such as feet, hands, ears, nose, and lips. This is also often also associated with Gigantism, a natural condition resulting from overactive pituitary gland.

3. Thicker, deeper voice, and the slowing of speech.

4. Ocular distention.

5. General growth of skull.

6. Protruding eyebrows.

7. Teeth gaping.

8, Increase in jaw protrusion, often associated with another condition known as macroglossia. Macroglossia is basically a term used for the enlargement of the toungue.

9. Thickening of the neck (Many athletes regard a thick neck as a sign of juicing. The common belief is that if your neck is wider than your head, you have been juicing. This is obviously an incorrect generalization. The truth is that some people do acquire this condition. Some by cheating, some by lifting).

Has Overeem been affected by any of these conditions? Yes, absolutely.

The following interview took place following Alistair's victory over James Thompson at DREAM 12. Take a look at his face and neck. When you have finished, take a look at a picture of Overeem from two years ago. Decide for yourself.

What does any of this have to do with Fedor Emelianenko? Following his win over Thompson, Alistair, referring to himself in the third person (which he has not done before), discussed his desire to fight Fedor in April of 2010.

When asked why he wanted to fight at that time in particular, Overeem stated that due to previously scheduled MMA and K-1 events at the end of 2009, he simply would not have the time until April.

Should this be a matter of concern for Fedor? Yes and no. Yes it is a concern because no fighter wants to fight a cheater. The playing field should be level and Fedor knows it is not. He has watched Alistair for some time now, so surely he is well aware of what Overeem is or is not doing.

Either way, it does not worry Fedor. Why? The answer is simple. Fedor knows that no matter how huge, strong, fast, athletic, or durable a fighter might be, there is no way to train a chin.

Alistair can build all the muscles he desires. Cheating may be enough to put a guy like James down, but there is no way on Earth that he is going to sink a guillotine in on "The Last Emperor."

Fedor knows that Overeem has a questionable jaw. During a fight between them, it is likely that Fedor will see nothing else other than Alistair's weak chin. Fedor will hit that button and it will be over quickly.

A fan could study Overeem's K-1 striking, and see right away that he is not that hard to hit. Overeem leaves his face exposed far too much and it only takes one shot from Fedor. A stand up battle would probably prevail. Despite Overeem's ground skills, the last place Alistair wants to be is on the mat with Fedor.

Overeem has been KO'd more than five times in his career. It is apparent that Alistair is weak in that regard, and Fedor will waste no time in exploiting that weakness.

So why is Overeem overrated and out of his mind?

Truly it is difficult to say whether or not Alistair is currently overrated. He simply is not the same human being that fought two years ago (and prior). Allistair's record prior to 2008 really does not mean anything anymore.

There are other, smaller clues that show something is definitely amiss when it comes to Alistair. To begin with, if a person were to examine Overeem's record, one would discover that he suffered several losses in a row late in 2006-2007.

During that time, Alistair fought in the 205 lb. LHW division. 2008 arrives and suddenly Overeem is winning again. In fact, other than a no-contest vs. Cro-cop (Cro-cop found an excuse to get out of that beating), Alistair has not lost a fight since he moved up to 265 lbs. and entered the HW division. That is a 60 lb.-difference in two years.

Red flags can be found elsewhere, as well. While not a suspicious occurrence by itself, the fact is that Alistair has not fought a single match in a country that has anti-doping regulations since becoming a heavyweight. All but one of his fights took place in Japan, and naturally that is where he wants to fight Fedor.

Seriously, if a man grabs a girl's t-shirt by mistake, that doesn't make him a cross-dresser. Toss in some make up, high heels, a corset, and a giant red brazier and you get Alistair Overeem. Not a cross dresser, just a cheater. Overeem can now join the ranks of such illustrious athletes such as Barry Bonds, A-Rod, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGuire, and many, many more.

Look for Fedor to hopefully KO this medical nightmare in April of next year.

*as per Wikipedia

Top Five Tomato Cans In MMA History: Fighters Meant For The Meat Grinder

Marco Yanitelli — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:34:53 -0500

What is a Tomato Can? A Tomato Can is a fighter that is not expected to win a contest. They are generally found fighting up-and-coming talent. In this way, a "real" fighter can get some experience and pad their records without much risk of losing.

It is the closest to a sure thing that you will find in the sport of MMA.

The following five men have been abused, beaten, and battered by almost every opponent they faced. A few had hopeful beginnings but let it slip somewhere along the way. Instead of becoming champions, these men became stepping stones.

Honest, tough, and easily manageable, these fighters are the road on which elite fighters tread. Some are strong. Some are large. Some have tons of experience.

The quality that unites them under the term Tomato Can is that despite their best efforts they lose. Some have name recognition due strong starts to their careers. Others are freaks of nature. Earning a living being mauled by professional fighters.

Feel sorry for them if you want to. Respect them if you are so inclined. Regardless, the following fighters have officially attained Tomato Can status.

#1 Shannon "The Cannon" Ritch

Shannon Ritch is a 39 year old fighter with an astounding record of 44-67-4. He has fought almost everyone on his journey to becoming the worlds largest can of soup.

Just a few of the fighters he has received severe beatings from include: Brock Larson (TKO), Alex Shoenauer (Choke), John Alessio (TKO), Dan Severn (Choke), Dan Severn again (Keylock), Yuki Kondo (Kneebar), Hector Ramirez (KO), Evan Tanner (Triangle), Wes Combs (TKO), Diego Sanchez (Choke), Edwin Dewees (Armbar), Jason McDonald (Choke), Jake Shields (Choke), Yves Edwards (Choke), and the list goes on.

As you can see he has had the pleasure of being beaten up by some pretty famous people. Congratulations Shannon, you are finally number one. Ritch is by far the biggest Tomato can of all time.

#2 Bob Sapp

At six feet - five inches tall and weighing in at an immense 341lbs, make no mistake Bob Sapp is a monster of a man. He also cries when he gets hit hard. His record of 10 wins and seven losses might lead one to believe he doesn't deserve Tomato Can status. There really is no doubt, however, that Bob Sapp was used as a punching bag by several of today's biggest stars.

These beatings came from the likes of Big Nog (Armbar), Kaz Fujita (Submission by Strikes - as was mentioned he cries when hit hard), Mirko Cro-cop (K-1 KO), Remy Bonjaski (K-1 DQ'd), Hong Man Choi (K-1 Decision), Alain Ngalani (K-1 Decision), Ikuhisa Minowa (Kneebar), and most recently Bobby Lashley (Submission by Strikes. He cried again).

It should be noted however, that Bob Sapp has some interesting wins as well. These include victories over other Tomato Cans such as Ernesto Hoost twice, Akebono, Kimo, Seth Petruzzeli, Moo Soo -Kim (Brock Lesnar's first opponent), And even a win over our next fellow Tomato Can, Yoshihiro Takayama.

#3 Yoshihiro Takayama

Yoshihiru compiled a meager record of 0 wins and four losses. He has had the pleasure of being destroyed by Don Frye, Kaz Fujita, and even Bob Sapp.

While his record doesn't really qualify him as a complete Can, he is listed because of his incredibly famous battle with Don Frye. Takayama was so annihilated after after the fight that he looked more like a Tomato Can...with Rice. While that may cause you to imagine some fairly disturbing images, they surely don't match seeing the actual result of that fight.

Poor, poor Takayama.

#4 Paulo Cesar "The Giant" Silva

Dwarfing even Bob Sapp, Silva stands an astounding seven feet - three inches. Weighing in at 385 pounds, Silva is officially the biggest Tomato can on this list. In size if not in the number of beatings he took.

"The Giant" was a popular figure in the Far East for a short time. Often misunderstood, Silva is actually a fairly intelligent and well educated individual. That being said he was also a huge Can. He simply used his enormous physical stature to make some money and travel the world. Aside from the beatings he received, it wasn't such a bad deal.

The Japanese are well known for their fondness for strange and unusual fighters. Fights that involved gigantic differences between the height and weight of the two combatants were included in almost every major Pride production. In Japan, It is not unusual at all to see a 185lb man fighting someone 350lbs or more.

Paulo Silva compiled a 2-6 record as a mixed martial artist. His short career leads one to believe that Silva knew something the other Cans in this list did not - when to quit.

His losses include maulings by Ikuhisa Minowa (185lbs! Kneebar - what a shock...) and James Thompson (Submission by Strikes - Silva didn't cry though). He was also defeated by the final Can on our list, Heath Herring (Choke).

#5 Heath Herring

Heath Herring has had a very successful career but it has been over for awhile now. Apparently nobody told Heath though, and he continues to fight for what basically amounts to a paycheck.

Heath has thus far compiled a record of 28-14-1. Certainly respectable. Its the losses though, that draw more attention than the wins. He was beaten by Vitor Belfort (Decision), Big Nog three times! (Decision, Choke, Decision - respectively), Fedor Emelianenko (TKO), Mirko Cro-cop (TKO), Bobby Hoffman (Decision), and even a loss to the late Evan Tanner via verbal submission due to exhaustion.

Most recently Dana White opened this Can and used Heath to attempt to provide Brock Lesnar with some credibility. Of course Brock won via decision as we all know, but that's really the point here. Heath's winning record is not a defense against Tomato Can status. The fact is that he was used like a meat puppet by Dana White to specifically lose in dramatic fashion to his new puppy Brock Lesnar.

Sorry Heath.

So there you have it. For one reason or another these five men have reached the pinnacle of Tomato Can status. However, before you scoff or jeer at these men, remember that soup is good food.

Honorable mentions go to:

Moo Soo-kim

Tim Sylvia

James Irving

Forrest Griffin

The list has to end somewhere but its not here. Many of you know Cans that you feel should be on this list. Well go ahead, shout them out, and tell us all about your favorite Can of soup.

Additional Cans contributed by the Bleacher Report Community:

Shawn Salmon

Diesel Riggs

Chris Leben

Olaf Alsonso

Yosuke Nishijima

Ken Shamrock

James Irving

Sherman Pendergast

Mark Coleman

Stephan Bonnar

Elvis Sinosic

Cabbage

Eric Esch

Hong Man Choi

Dan Bobish

Mike Kyle

Brian Gassaway

Bo Cantrell

Gideon Ray

Jonathan Goulet

Gabe Rudiger

Thanks for the welcome additions!

Dana White Picks The Wrong Can Of Soup: Bisping To Face Chunky Beating

Marco Yanitelli — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:54:04 -0500

It is a fairly well known fact that Dana White has been using Michael Bisping to build his UK business. While this is true, Dana is always looking for new talent to replace the old.

For this purpose, and to get some of his proverbial eggs out of Bisping's basket, Dana staged a US vs. UK Ultimate Fighter show.

Despite the fact that there has not been a rivalry between the United States and Great Britain since the early 1800's, Dana managed to create one to boost his show and therefore his business in the United Kingdom.

Now instead of just Michael Bisping, he had a slew of new British fighters to market! Plenty of tomato cans to feed them as well. Enter Dan Hardy.

Ok wait one second here, did Hardy say something to make Dana angry? The question is raised because at UFC 105 he is going to get the garbage beaten out of him by Mike Swick. Sorry Dan—no tomato can for you. Looks like Hardy is in for a short career.

As for Michael, Dana made a big mistake. In choosing Danis Kang to fight Michael, he has displayed his lack of knowledge regarding the sport he so cherishes. It also exposes his desire to keep Bisping on the payroll a little longer. Certainly longer than Dan Hardy. Unfortunately for Dana, Denis Kang is no tomato can and Bisping is going to pay the price.

Glancing at Kang's record one might not be too impressed. Certainly Kang has fought in a prodigious number of events, winning 32 of 46 fights. The problem is that nobody has heard of most of his opponents.

The big fights that he has managed to get vs. Gregard and Alan Belcher resulted in disappointing losses. To his credit he was able to defeat Andrei Semenov, Marvin Eastman, and Akihiro Gono in spirited contests. So is he a can or not?

Most of the buzz circling around MMA circles seems to favor Kang. By Far. While this may certainly be the case it is by no means a certainty. Kang will have to finish Bisping or else face the notoriously biased English judges.

The problem with this fact is the manner in which Bisping fights (some call it running away).The casual nature of Kang's approach to events like such as these, Hints at an intentional attempt to arrange a fight that would go the distance. Only a very aggressive approach by Kang will give him the win. That he is aware of this fact, there is little doubt.

Should a very alert, aggressive, and determined Kang show up to fight Michael Bisping, it could result in another big dent in the UFC's UK marketing plan.

Since Hardy is almost certain to lose, you have to wonder what Dana was thinking when he told Joe Silva to pick this matchup for Bisping. Perhaps Dana knows something that no one else does.

More likely, however, it was a mistake, brought on by too much focus on money and not enough on the sport.

If Dana wanted a can well he got one. Unfortunately, for Dana, it looks like a can of Chunky. The soup that eats like a meal.

The Five Bloodiest Maulings In MMA History

Marco Yanitelli — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:43:07 -0500

These fights are not for the faint of heart. If the sight of blood disturbs you, these fights are not for you.

For the rest of you, please bear witness to the five most horrific, most terrifyingly nightmarish, sadistic beatings you will ever see in your entire life. Unless you are lucky that is...

#1 Don Frye vs Takayama

Don Frye performs plastic surgery in this fight. Rearranging Takayama's features free of charge! Can anyone say Pizza? Seriously, Takayama showed true grit, taking the beating of a lifetime. Ahhh the old days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFC0LbKWHXY

#2 Edwin Dewees vs Gideon Ray

For most people, watching this fight will just make them plain sick. For the rest of you (hopefully all in jail), please enjoy watching the following disgusting display. How in the world they did not stop this fight will always be a baffling mystery. This guy bleeds like a fountain and Gideon is just bathed in blood. His reaction is priceless.

http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/action_adventure/watch/v15611512HWjscx6S #

#3 Fedor Emelianenko vs Heath Herring

Let's face it, Heath is definitely a tough guy. Fedor gives him the beating of his life in this fight. Making his face look like more like a Meatball Sub than a human being. If you thought Brock Lesnar gave Herring a whipping, then you haven't seen anything yet. Take a gander at the following beat down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK3vL9qHMRo

#4 Aaron Burke vs Logan Boucher

Who is Aaron Burke? Who is Logan Boucher? Who cares??? Look if someone had thought to bring a bucket to this fight, they could have donated a good deal of red stuff to a nearby blood bank. This is one of the bloodiest fights ever recorded, so who cares who they are. That's entertainment!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beTwSXROpGc

#5 Gene Lydick vs Anthony Macias

Once again the question is raised. Who are these guys? Once again the answer is given. Who cares??? Why bother with details such as legitimacy. Why bother with pretense at all? This one is just about the blood so have at it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEZEj2cFErs

So there you have it. Maybe they aren't the bloodiest, most sadistic, nightmarishly horrifying fights that you have ever seen. So what. Surely at least one of these fights must be new to even the most hardcore of fans. So at least you saw something new.

You sicko's...

Dana White's Asian Nightmare: Bad Business and Bad Blood

Marco Yanitelli — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:39:25 -0500

Pride was a great show. The production itself was dynamic. It was entertainment and the people loved it. Unfortunately producing such elaborate fighting environments on such a large scale was not economically supportable. Pride was doomed to fail regardless of what Dana White did or didnt do.

That being said, when it came time to dismantle the Pride organization, Dana did not replace it with anything. Instead he gobbled up all of the contracts he could and dragged those fighters to Las Vegas to generally get their respective heads kicked in.

Many fighters rejected the UFC and won their freedom due to a just international legal system. Men such as Takanori Gomi, Fedor and Aleks Emelianenko, Joachim Hansen, Josh Thompson, Kaz Fujita, and others continue to fight in much smaller scale affairs outside of the UFC's influence.

Joachim Hansen once stated that he would rather die from a festering hemorrhoid than fight for Dana White. That is quite a strong statement and a much shared sentiment overseas as a result of Dana's mismanagement.

Now Asia has a new organization in the form of DREAM. Stars have emerged such as Shinya Aoki, Gregard, Joachim, Vitor Ribiero, Jeff Monson, Sergei, Blagoi, and others are becoming very familiar and popular figures in Japan, China, and Russia.

Even more obscure fighters are getting attention thanks to the void left behind Dana's pillaging spree. Ever hear of Alain "The Panther" Ngalani? Well maybe you should check him out- he has become a very well known fighter in the Far East. Recently he has begun training for a MMA career and has stated his desire to fight in the UFC.

He will probably take a three fight deal with M-1 Global first to get his feet wet much like Blagoi Ivanov. Who is Blagoi Ivanov? Well he is the only man to ever defeat Fedor in a Sambo tournament. He recently had his MMA debut against the tough veteran Kaz Fujita. Blagoi won a decision and still has two fights left on his contract with M-1.

The point is that Asia is rebuilding its own fight structure, and if Dana doesnt do something smart and do it fast he will be faced with a real competitor. It doesn't help that White is basically blamed -rightfully or wrongly- for the death of Pride. The fans in Japan, China, Eastern Europe, Russia, and other countries simply dont like him.

How Dana deals with this Far Eastern challenge, in addition to his new home front competition in the form of Strikeforce, will likely determine the very future of our sport. We could very well end up with a bipolar, or even tripolar, system (which means something different when applied to Dana). While that doesn't bother some fans, it does bring into question the validity of entities such as the UFC Hall Of Fame.

Finally, when it comes right down to the nitty gritty, if things keep going this way every fan will have the same question. "Who is the real Heavywieght Champion of the World?"

Is that the way MMA fans want it?

Five Fights I Want To See Before I Die

Marco Yanitelli — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:16:32 -0500

Well all of the Star Wars (tm) movies have come out. I saw both the Giants and the Yankees win Championships. Therefore there are naturaly only two things left to see in my life. One is the Knicks win a championship. I would also like to see the following fights before I kick that bucket.

Normally I wouldn't publish an article with any of the following words; I, me, my, mine, myself, or Marco (as in the third person, heh). This piece is an exception in that it is purely about what I, Me, Myself, etc want and nothing more.

Well, maybe not "nothing" more because I have a strong feeling you, yours, yourself, etc... might also find these matchups intriguing.

#1 Bader vs Hamill

While at first glance this might seem like a pure wrestling/grappling match, the truth is that most of their skills would cancel each other out making it a standup war. Hamill, clearly the better wrestler, would ensure this because of his penchant for throwing punches.

Bader is no joke. That being said I think this fight would go to Hamil based on superior skills. Bader might have an edge in conditioning, but Hamill is much, much stronger.

#2 Wanderlei Silva vs Michael Bisping

Sorry but I dont think Hendo dished out enough damage on Bisping. The fact that Bisping can still form a coherent sentence is evidence enough that he needs a few more blows to the head.

Seriously, Hederson was NICE to Bisping. Wandy would give Michael the beating he truly deserves.

#3 Alistair Overeem vs Cain Valasquez

Yeah I know you like that one.

I just can't seem to get this fight out of my head. I think it would be a barnburner, but we probably will never know. With Overeem fighting outside of the UFC, only a signing would enable a fight with Cain.

I just think it would be a great fight. Both men are excellent grapplers. I would guess that Cain would KO or TKO Overeem at some point during the fight, but its no guarantee.

#4 Wanderlei Silva vs Vitor Belfort 2

A lot of you have seen the first fight. I'm not sure Wandy was ready, heh. I think a second fight between them-to see who could fight Marquardt for the title shot-would be a blast. I think we were all cheated the first time.

What should have been a great fight turned into a one sided debacle. No one is absolutely sure if Wandy was hurt in that fight. It ended so fast no one could tell. A second matchup between the two would answer a lot of questions.

#5 Cabbage vs Herring

In one last hurrah from the brawlers-I would like to see these guys go at it. I can only imagine what might result. One thing is for sure-they would beat the ever living blank out of each other. No Doubt.

Both men are capable of absorbing immense amounts of damage. Any fight between them would likely go to a decision, but one filled with full power strikes. Too bad the original rules are not in effect-could you imagine an umlimited times limit, no rounds fight between these two guys?

Five other fights Id like to see?

1. Anderson Silva vs Ikuhisa Minowa

2. Machida vs Shogun Rua 2 (oh lookie lookie I get to actually see that one)

3. Tito Ortiz vs Chuck Lidell 3

4. Joachim Hansen vs BJ Penn (ufc rules or old Pride rules but definately NOT Dream)

5. Brock Lesnar vs Fedor Emelianenko (never going to happen but it would put that question to rest once and for all)

In any event those are some of the fights I would like to see, What about you?

Are Dana White and Brock Lesnar More Than Just Friends?

Marco Yanitelli — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:20:10 -0500

That's right. Brock Lesnar and Dana White are business partners, as well as friends, and lately business has been bad.

Originally scheduled to defend his title against Shane Carwin at UFC 106, Lesnar was forced to withdraw due to an unknown illness. Shortly thereafter it was reported that he will also likely miss UFC 108, which is surely causing White numerous headaches.

It is not the type of situation Dana White is fond of. Generally if a fighter stops earning for Dana, any friendship that might exist between the two will fade as fast as Roy Nelson in a foot race.

The story isn't very pleasant from Carwin's point of view either. Having been promised a title shot, Shane has been training for an event that will not happen. Though Carwin claims he is not over training, it is almost guaranteed that he will either peak too soon or get sloppy from inaction. Both are good for Brock.

With Tito Ortiz returning to dispatch Forrest Griffin in the main event of UFC 106, the general impression is that for now, at least, the focus will be taken off of the heavyweight division and placed back in the hands of the lightwieghts, welterwieghts, middleweights, and light heavies.

While there seems to be a good chance that the Lesnar vs. Carwin fight will happen eventually, it is not guaranteed. Four to five months is a long time. Something else could happen to one of them during that time. Cross your fingers if this is a fight you really want to see because right now there is only around a 50-50 chance it ever will.

Should, as some have speculated, Brock actually retire (pull a Ramapage act), it is unknown who Dana will market in order to sell his Heavyweight division. While Cain Valasquez and Shane Carwin are clear front runners, they are not widely known and therefore would not draw even half the people a Lesnar fight would.

Therefore Dana would need a new gimmick, a new angle. Maybe a Kurt Angle?

Whatever the case Dana will have to scramble to sell his Pay-Per-Views with no Brock to make it easy. Fighters such as Anderson Silva, BJ Penn, George St-Peirre, and Machida, while successful fighters, are not good draws and need more to make a card successful than just themselves.

Perhaps we will see multiple title defenses in a single show. Maybe the WEC will dissolve and a bantam weight division in the UFC will emerge. Fighters like Miguel Torres and Mike Brown would certainly add some spice to an otherwise bland roster.

Josh Koscheck? Diego Sanchez? Nate Diaz? Cole Miller? Sorry, they are not draws. Kosheck in particular has a very irascible personality that seems to rub fans and management the wrong way. No one likes a whiner, and he is becoming a rare vintage.

Wandy is a good sell—having "The Axe Murderer" as your nickname gets you attention. Many fans would like to see him fight whatever is left of Bisping following Michael's fight with Kang. Perhaps new stars could be found that fans could rally around such as Bader or Hamil. It is simply a matter of marketing.

Strangley enough, marketing seems to be a serious weak point in the UFC Organization.

The UFC has the talent, there is no doubt about that. Unfortunately you could have ALL the talent and still fail because of bad marketing. The UFC needs to get all of its eggs out of the Lesnar basket and spread them around.

Fedor could, of course, solve all of Dana's problems. However, rather mysteriously, Dana doesn't want to give an inch on the co-promotion concept with M-1 Global. As a result any Fedor signing is unlikely.

Perhaps Dana should stop thinking about what he would have to share in order to get Fedor on board and think more about what promoting the UFC with Fedor's name attached in the Far East could do for his franchise.

If Dana is smart and plays his cards right, he could end up being more than just friends with a lot of fighters instead of one sick, frightened one.

If he doesn't, he could see everything he has worked for fall down around his ankles.

In the Battle Between Fedor and Brett, the UFC May Be the One To Lose

Marco Yanitelli — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:36:42 -0500

When Fedor Emelianenko faces off against Brett Rodgers on Saturday, the UFC could be the biggest loser. Or they might win. It depends on how you look at it so lets try to break it down.

The entire country will be able to watch Emelianenko on network TV Saturday. He will be fighting Rodgers on CBS, in what should be a very short spectacle.

Short though it may be, it will once again put Fedor on national television. Once again it will not be under the UFC banner.

Strikeforce, a company destined for the "Round File," will temporarily usurp the seeming monopoly on North American MMA that the UFC currently possesses. Despite UFC President Dana White's multitude of MMA organizational accomplishments, getting the UFC brand onto network TV has never been among them.

The lack of UFC events on network television has also not been much of a priority for the UFC. Truth be told, there really isn't much need for the UFC to venture out into those old, stale, has-been waters. Sticking with Spike and Pay-Per-View has proved to be an unbeatable formula.

Don't let that fool you though. White and the rest of UFC management will be paying close attention to what happens Saturday night. At least until Emelianenko clobbers Rodgers.

They will be watching because there is actually something on the line for the UFC. No they are not going to crumble or catapult, but a win for Rodgers would most certainly be a win for Dana and the UFC.

A victory over Fedor adds further credibility to the UFC. Tarnishing the reputation of Fedor would justify Dana's continued failure to sign him. Though it might seem that Rodgers would have a lot to win by defeating Fedor, it is doubtful he would leave Strikeforce until his contract is up and/or Strikeforce goes under. As a result, any benefit Rodgers might receive would probably only be monetary.

It is highly doubtful that Rodgers could win such a contest though. While he is 10-0 and has yet to taste defeat, he is still far too inexperienced to handle an opponent such as Fedor. At 30-1 Fedor is still hitting his stride. His only loss coming by way of stoppage due to cut.

While being cut is a fair way to lose, most fans would be hard pressed to identify the opponent that caused that damage. That is because few people in the world give whoever that was even passing credit.The Japanese do not like to watch bloody athletes. Had the same fight taken place in the United States, it is highly unlikely that it would have been called.

In any event, should Rodgers pull off a miracle and beat Fedor, the UFC will be exonerated for not having signed Emelianenko. With his own champion on ice, little else would bring a smile to Dana White's face the way such a result would.

One can only hope, for Dana's sake, that he enjoys a good frown.

For The Brawler, The Gloves Are Off In MMA

Marco Yanitelli — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:01:44 -0500

Today's athletes are becoming increasingly skilled. They use scientific conditioning and training techniques. They come from elite high school and collegiate backgrounds.

Despite all of that, it seems something has been lost as a result of this evolution.

Today's fighter wants to strike fast; a quick KO or a grappling competition. They do not want to get hit. They take pride in the fact that they can go three fights in a row and not take a single shot. Fighters like Anderson Silva and Machida instantly come to mind.

The brawler in MMA is the animal that could not adapt and has probably seen its last days. Brock Lesnar is huge and scary but make no mistake, he is not a brawler. Heath Herring is a brawler ... soon to become a full-time announcer as a result.

No longer will fans witness fights with characters like Cabbage or Tank Abbot. No more Don Fryes, Wanderlei Silvas, or Fujitas. James Thompson, Mark Hunt, even Chris Leban—all gone.

No more vicious stand-up wars or massive mutual beatings. No, the sport is too upscale for that now.

Today, even when fighters do choose to stand toe to toe, it usually results in one or two strikes and a TKO or KO. They dance around each other waiting to counter. Eventually someone gets bored and swings thus ending the fight one way or the other.

Forrest Griffin, Rampage, and Chuck Liddell—all Gone. No more massive body slams or face kicking in the corner. Heck someone might get hurt.

No, instead we have a sport that is adapting to the scoring system rather than the spirit of the sport. It doesn't pay to get hit. It doesn't pay to exchange even if it provides an advantage.

The current UFC Champions all have one thing in common ... they are surgical destroyers of their opponents and generally do so with alacrity and not much fuss.

Takayama, Kimbo, and Baroni ... gone. Love them or hate them they had some pretty exciting fights. Event the brawlers the UFC had been developing are gone.

Where is Pete Cele and Chris Smith? I thought they had some pretty good fights. You have to love watching a Houston Alexander fight, who knows what will happen. The man could KO Godzilla, but get dropped by Cyborg. That's called FUN people.

Dana White was recently so disgusted with this growing trend that he set up his MW Champion Anderson Silva to fight former LHW Champion Forrest Griffin.

Don't let the division they fight in fool you, Anderson is usually around 220 pounds while Forrest could easily compete as a HW with his natural 240 frame. The result was pretty much as expected with Anderson Silva taking almost no damage while dismantling yet another brawler in Forrest.

Something about White might lead one to think he knew all along this would happen, but needed to build up hype for the PPV event. Would White ever actually deceive the public in order to make money?

Only Shogun seems to stand tall as one of the few remaining guys with that "bring it to win it" attitude. There is also hope in some newcomers such as Bader and Hamil. Henderson is still alive and kicking as are fighters such as Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar.

So perhaps the day of the pure Brawler has indeed come to an end along with the exciting fights associated with that style. On the other hand, as exemplified by the athletes mentioned in the last paragraph, perhaps a new form of brawler is developing.

Fighters with elite athletic backgrounds that are using the brawler within them and their skills as mere backup.

Perhaps as one day sets, a new day dawns.

The Top Five Pound-for-Pound Non-UFC MMA Competitors in the World Today

Marco Yanitelli — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:43:02 -0400

The UFC is a huge organization when it comes to MMA, but in truth, there are many more fighters who fight at a world-class level outside the confines of the UFC octagon. In fact, a majority of the top 50 MMA competitors are not part of the UFC organization.

That is not to disparage the UFC, which has grown geometrically in the USA and also, it seems, Canada and England. For some odd reason, the UFC seems determined, in contrast, to damage MMA's popularity in the Far East. Despite such an effort, the sport lives on and the rest of the world is watching. MMA in the Far East is alive and well, fortunately, and continues to produce some of the best fighters in the world.

The following is a list of the Top Five Pound-for-Pound MMA competitors that are still able to scratch out a living despite the efforts of the UFC to make that not so.

1. Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko

Clearly the No. 1 choice. Fedor, while once unknown to most North Americans, has become extremely familiar as of late. The press surrounding his Barnett match and possible UFC signing really advertised this man's existence.

This upsurge in familiarity has resulted in a type of education for a lot of MMA fans. As a consequence of this, his You Tube videos have become extremely popular. It is a rare thing indeed to find a fighter in any gym, anywhere, that would disagree that Fedor is the best fighter in the world bar none. It is not even close. At 30-1, Fedor is No. 1 'til he gets beaten, plain and simple.

Those fans that still believe Brock Lesnar could compete with Fedor are beginning to find themselves in the minority. Especially after Brock's recent attempt to dodge Shane Carwin.

2. Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki

Despite relatively little to no coverage of East Asian MMA, Shinya is actually fairly well known in the States. Certainly is is difficult to find an MMA gym that does not know of him and his tremendous BJJ skills.

Arguably the best BJJ player in the world, Aoki holds several titles in many different organizations including Dream.

In order to drive the point home, Shinya defeated Vitor Ribiero in a grappling contest at Dream 10. This win earned him a title shot vs the incredible Joachim Hansen. He defeated Hansen to become the first undisputed DREAM LW Champion.

It is questionable, however, whether or not his skills would transfer to the UFC with any success. The fact that he is basically a pure grappler would cause him a number of problems in the UFC, where the refs commonly stand-up competitors.

In such a setting, it is hard to see how he could defeat a fighter like Joachim or BJ Penn. He simply doesn't have the standup skils. Despite this weakness his accomplishments can not be denied.

3. Jeff "The Snowman" Monson

Jeff Monson is one of the greatest grapplers in the world.

Despite his increasing age, he is actually fighting more than ever. His win over Sergei Kharitonov at Dream 8 was a real shocker. Monson was not expected to win much less dismantle Sergei with such ease.

Unfortunately, Jeff's long winning streak recently came to an end when he lost a decision to Pedro Rizzo this past September.

Despite this loss, Monson has acquired an excellent record and has managed to avoid being KO'd or submitted in any fight since 2002.

It should be noted that Monson still had one fight left on his UFC contract when he broke it in order to fight Fedor. Such a fight never occurred and Monson has been on the outside looking in for some time.

4. Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen

Joachim once stated that he would rather die from a festering hemorrhoid than fight for Dana White.

This is a real shame because Joachim is a fantastic fighter that could easily compete for the LW Championship in the UFC. Only BJ Penn would have a chance at stopping him and even that is unlikely. Unfortunately, we will never know.

Joachim is a beast in the Ring with an awesome array of weapons. Standup or on the ground he is nearly unstoppable. He has truly vicious knees and strikes, but it seems his greatest weapons are timing and ferocity.

5. Vitor "Shoalin" Ribiero

Vitor is a straight up and down BJJ player that has amassed an incredible 20-2 record. His last win was a brutal victory at Dream 8 over Katsuhiko Nagata, a famous Japanese wrestler.

His style is not the most exciting. Indeed watching his fights could actually put fans to sleep. His loss to Shinya Aoki was a perfect example of this in which both fighters seemed to merely squirm around on the mat for ten minutes. The ref has to stand these guys up or a boring fight will inevitably result.

Whatever the case he has dominated opponents for a long time and despite claims by UFC announcers, Vitor has probably been hit less than any other man in the history of the sport. Especially after Machida was exposed by Rua in their latest engagement.

Honorable mentions should also go to Fabricio Werdum, Takanori Gomi, Nick Diaz, Renato Sobral, and Even Josh Barnett, despite the recent steroid controversy.

When The UFC Rules The World...

Marco Yanitelli — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 14:55:31 -0400

There is much speculation now with the dismantling of Affliction, as to what the future might hold for the UFC. Well , one scenario that could occur might go something like this:

1. Dec. 2009

The UFC announces it has purchased all of the contracts formerly held by Affliction.

2. April 2010

Fedor claims the UFC Heavyweight Belt. Lesnars next fight is a rubber match with Mir followed by a Lesnar vs. Couture 2.

3. July 2010

The UFC announces The Ultimate Fighter, Mexico. Heath Herring and Brock Lesnar will be the coaches during the flyweight centered season. Following the finally, Brock will beat Heath Herring and win a title shot against Fedor.

4. Jan. 2011

Fedor defeats Lesnar in his first title defense. Lesnar drops to the bottom again where he defeats Kimbo Slice which earns him a shot at Heath Herring to decide who will fight Fedor for the Belt.

In addition the UFC announces the purchase of Dream which has been renamed UFC DREAM. Sengoku and Shooto are both dismantled and also turned into clothing sponsors for the new UFC DREAM production. The UFC will also announce the purchase of Strikeforce and all of the fighter contracts held by that organization. Strikeforce is dismantled and turned into a clothing sponsor for the UFC.

5. Feb. 2011

The UFC announce it has cut some fighters from both the UFC and the UFC DREAM rosters.

500 fighters are released and their careers ended because they are considered unfit for the UFC.

Hong Man Choi and Zuluzhino open a Big and Tall men’s clothing store and become stinking rich.

So there you have it. The evolution of MMA and its outcome.

The UFC will want an organization that is overseas. They may even open up UFC EUROPE by then.

It is necessary in order to profit from those markets. Its not in the UFC’s interest to see all of the Asian orgs fail. It IS in their interest that most of them do and they are able to snatch everything up eventually owning it all. They will employ some of the same managers that set up the shows now but they will have control and will make the rules.

Because the UFC is so win oriented, many fighters that are out there today just will not make the cut and will have nowhere to go. Even armature fighting will eventually be controlled by them.

Then they will announce the purchase of Starbucks and McDonalds……

Kimbo, Ref Pay-offs, B/R Respect: James "The Colossus" Thompson Interview, Pt 2

Marco Yanitelli — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:08:20 -0400

I am just going to dive right in here for the second half of this article. Please feel free to read Part One, if you have not already done so.

On with the show...

Marco: So let me move on and get to the nitty gritty as it were...

James: You just said that with some crappy Mexican accent. That reminds me, thanks for telling me about that steaming pile of a movie. No actually it was pretty funny—escalito!

Marco: Nacho Libre rocks man and you shouldn’t laugh—the way things have been going for you lately, you might just find yourself in a ring with Satan’s Dwarfs!

James: I’m going to kick your ass for that.

Marco: ...OK, let me ask you my question!

There has been a lot of speculation in many expert MMA circles that you in fact tossed that fight with Kimbo Slice at the instruction of Kimbo’s manager/promoter. Is this true? Were you paid money to go easy on Kimbo?

James: Well...No. In fact I wanted to win that fight. I wasn’t paid any money to go easy on Kimbo. What we had was a sort of "gentleman’s agreement." I knew I was picked for that fight in order to build up Kimbo—I knew that since the very first phone call.

The thing is, I was asked to allow Kimbo to display a wider variety of skills. This meant that they wanted me to take it to the ground at some point. They also wanted a stand-up exchange. One of the reasons they picked me is that they knew I could provide both. They also wanted me to refrain from my usual "gong and dash" as it were.

They never said “Let Kmbo win.” There was no payoff, only a "gentleman’s agreement." I would find out later that making agreements with Kimbo’s manager is not a good idea.

Marco: So they wanted you to go easy on him and allow him to showcase different MMA skills? They never offered you money to do that?

James: Yes and no respectively.

Marco: OK, so you wanted to beat him—at what point did you start to turn it on?

James: Look, I wanted to win that fight from the start. Winning a main event in the States would have been very good for my career. I agreed to “go easy" on Kimbo for a while, but I never said I would throw the fight.

I knew something was not on the up and up when Kimbo tapped out from that standing guillotine I put him in. The ref is standing five feet away and he doesn’t see it. I'll tell you right now, that the ref for that fight was paid to “not see that sort of thing.”

I think that is pretty daft considering I could have snapped the man’s neck. For the sake of decency, I let up a little. I gave him some ground and pound and I knew I was winning by a wide margin going into the third round. All I had to do was not suffer a 10-8 round or get knocked out, you know, and the fight was mine.

Naturally it was stopped when my ear burst—I’m still very angry that I gave them the excuse, the way out as it were. I gave them a reason to stop the fight. I swear to this day that my bleeding ear did not affect my vision or my breathing at any time. They just didn’t want the fight to go to the scorecards, you know, because I had beaten his ass for the entire fight, even after allowing him to “showcase his skills."

So that was a bad day for me and it had later repercussions.

Marco: How is the ear now? And by the way I agree, that stoppage was crap. Almost as bad as another one I can think of, but won't mention yet.

James: I’m not sure I like where this is going (laughs). The ear will never be quite the same, but people don’t exactly run away from me. I have my charming personality to make up for it.

Marco: Yeah, I think I heard you mention that in a radio interview not too long ago.

Let me ask you this: What happened with Butterbean? I mean, you have the victory snatched away from you in the Kimbo fight and then the ref in your Esch encounter stopped the fight almost instantly following a small clip and slip that put you on the ground. Please explain this one to me.

James: Well the thing that is significant about that fight and the way it went had a lot to do with the ref. He had recently been fined and almost fired for allowing a fight to go too long. So he calls this one the first chance he gets.

I was so angry, I cannot tell you.

On my way back to the locker, I hear Esch suggest a rematch because of the controversial ending. I was pretty humiliated and extremely angry. I'll never go near that fat bastard again. That was a very bad fight for me to take because even if I beat his ass no one would give me any respect for that. I made $30,000 for that show; however, I can live on that much money for a whole year if I have to.

Marco: You mentioned repercussions that followed your Kimbo fight. Could you explain what you mean? I know myself, I just want to get it from the horses ass...er mouth itself. (chuckle)

James: I’m going to kick your ass for that…

Marco: I don’t think I am in your weight class, James!

James: I don’t discriminate. (laugh)

Really though, it all has to do with my last fight. Once again I was subject to a “gentleman’s agreement”. This time it was the result of the Athletic Commission deciding not to license the event, unless all generally accepted MMA rules applied.

They wanted a stand-up war, but in order to get the event produced they had to accept the commission’s decree so to speak, and the event was held under full MMA rules. Of course they never bothered to tell the crowd, which caused a mess later on.

Marco: What about the repercussions?

James: I’m getting to that. See we had this agreement as I mentioned, to keep it a stand-up contest even though it was under full MMA rules.

So I’m fighting this man and suddenly he puts me into a guillotine! He has broken the agreement, so my reaction was to slam him to the ground and start pounding him out. See I knew that he had the same manager as Kimbo did and I wasn’t going to get screwed twice by the same guy. Once he put me in that guillotine it was all cylinders so to speak.

The ref did nothing to stop it because he knew the fight was covered by general MMA rules, which allowed that. Unfortunately they never bothered to tell the crowd and we got bottled as I have heard you say a few times. The crowd went mad and the fight was called a no-contest.

That’s such a bad memory. I will never have anything to do with any fight involving that manager again.

Marco: So where do you go from here, James?

James: Well I have been lifting, swimming, and running every day. I’m currently about 290 pounds, but I am pretty lean. The extra weight is coming from the power lifting I’ve been dabbling in. I work intensively on my conditioning, however, and never miss my run or swim. I also started doing Yoga about six months ago and it's been a real aid in terms of flexibility and stretching out the muscles I have been building.

Marco: So you are bigger than Brock Lesnar?

James: I’m bigger than any heavyweight in the UFC. Bigger does not mean better though, I am a humble person. Losing four fights and getting one NC in a row tends to take the gas out of you. Your head shrinks a bit so to speak.

I always had a lot of respect for guys like Dan Henderson, Noguiera, and Heath.

Marco: Would you ever fight in the UFC?

James:Of course I would. I would jump at a chance like that. Especially since Mark Coleman has returned. I always wanted to fight him. It would have to be a heavyweight contest, however, as I am not about to cut 90 pounds.

Marco: Is there anything you want to say to the Bleacher Report MMA community in general?

James: Well at first I was pretty angry with some of the comments about me and my ability. Two men enter these fights and one man leaves, it isn’t always the best man and losing a few fights should not condemn a person who obviously has talent for the sport.

Many of you have bad opinions of me and I can't change that with words. I can only change that with action and I plan to do so over the next year and a half. You will see a new Thompson. I have a new trainer and I won't lose again for a long, long time. After I kick a few asses, I'll come back and see if anyone has changed their tune.

So to speak.

There was a lot more to this interview, but I think I was able to pick out the best parts. I wanted to mention he claimed his life was also influenced by a couple of books he had to read for school. Namely, The Catcher In The Rye, and The Outsiders.

In addition, he is not broke at the moment and has saved quite a bit of money from his winnings over the past couple of years. He lives in a modest flat with a modest Honda Civic in the driveway. The thing that really got me about James, was that he really wants to be liked.

He wants to earn everyone’s respect.

The problem I have with that, is he has already accomplished a tremendous amount, fought all over the world, and faced some of the greatest warriors on Earth. If that doesn't warrant some respect, I cant think of anything that does.

If anyone has any specific questions for Thompson, just post them and I'll search my notes or ask him directly when I talk to him again.

I think Thompson is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

He’s a gigantic man with an athletic physique and he studies all aspects of the game. He is still a kid and yet, he has an immense amount of experience. He will turn it around.

I have faith that the next man to get punched in the face by Thompson will be put to sleep in a very painful and shocking manner.

Exclusive Interview with James “The Colossus” Thompson—Part One

Marco Yanitelli — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:45:40 -0400

Normally I don't like to inject myself, so to speak, into my articles. I like to report. I don’t like to use the words "I", "I’m", "I am", "In my opinion", etc...this is a different situation; however, and I hope you are able to tolerate the seemingly personal nature of this interview.

Over the course of about five days, I spoke to James Thompson three times.

Each conversation was longer than the last and I was able to really dig into this man, his career, and the many controversial events that have transpired within it. I also discussed his background, his personal interests, and what his childhood was like etc...

It took quite a while for me to put this together—largely because I had many conflicting statements to deal with and he seemed to change his feelings about this or that in each conversation. He really and truly is a very well spoken individual with a large vocabulary and he is obviously a sharp guy. That aside…lets just say we all have our problems.

I hope you enjoy this interview, it was a lot of work, but worth it.

Marco:

Well it is nice to finally get a chance to talk to you James.

James:

It's my pleasure, I enjoy interviews.

Marco:

Well I am glad to hear that because this one should be a lot of fun and I hope, enjoyable for you.

I think we should start with your childhood—I know that we talked about that a couple of nights ago, but this being our final chat for awhile—I mean you can call me anytime that’s fine by me, but in terms of this interview I'll be wrapping things up tonight and asking some of the more poignant questions as you might have expected.

James:

Yes, I think you have worn me down a bit, you are very persistent. Please ask whatever is on your mind.

Marco:

Well as I said we should start with your childhood, what was it like growing up for you? I mean—in 500 words or less that is.

James:

Yes, very funny you are. Really though I didn’t have that bad of a growing up. I had my mum and she always supported me. My father wasn’t around much and he did have a tendency to be very strict and discipline was harsh.

Marco:

Harsh? You mean violent?

James:

Yes, something like that. Its not something I really want to talk about—I would rather focus on my fighting career. It doesn’t bring up good feelings and I don’t like to feel bad on purpose. In some ways my growing up was good and in some it was not. That’s how it is for most people isn’t it? I will say that I was kind of a loner as a child and I very much enjoyed reading.

Marco:

Really, what are your favorite books?

James:

I’m not sure people care about that, but I did enjoy The original Chronicles Of Narnia series, A Wrinkle In Time—which fascinated me, and of course The Lord of the Rings.

Marco:

We have that in common James. I read all of those and really liked them.

Were you a bully or a nerd then?

James:

Well I was a bit of a nerd I suppose, but perhaps one that you didn’t want to bother. I was very good at sports, and I grew almost every day.

Marco:

When you became an adolescent—did things change in your life at home?

James:

…Well yes of course. I seemed to grow exponentially and I was very good at sports. Every year I was bigger and bigger. I began to lift and that’s when I really became the large man I am today. I have been the same size since I was about 19-years-old.

Being that large and having a penchant for trouble because I didn’t like to be at home anymore. My father sipped the whisky quite a bit you know…he seemed to get worse all the time. Even with my mother there, I could not take it. She was worn down too. I didn’t want to be a burden upon her and I wanted to help at the same time. She had always been so good to me.

Marco:

So what did you do to help out? Get a job? Something else maybe?

James:

Quick to the chase it seems. It doesn’t matter though, the truth is I did some things I am not proud of and will also never admit to.

Marco:

Didn’t you just do that?

James:

Well yes I suppose I did. I don’t really care it's no secret that I have had a questionable past. The point is, I regret the bad side of what I did but at the time I needed money. I needed it for myself and for my mother. What can I say, I took the money and did my job.

Marco:

Bas Rutten said you were a “debt collector”. Ever break any thumbs?

James:

One or two. The point is that all that is behind me now. It was a long time ago. I saw a UFC show and it really made me want to fight. I knew I was going to fight in a cage from that day forward.

Part of the problems I have had in the ring have to do with my lack of a professional training camp for most of my career. I did not have a true team to help me, until I joined Extreme Couture last year.

Marco:

What happened with that association? I got an email from them saying they hadn’t seen you for months and didn’t have a clue where you were. The next day I get an email from Randy saying a friend of yours came into the gym and left your contact information for me to use in order to perform this interview.

James:

I lost that’s what happened. Really I cant say anything else, it was very unfortunate. Jim York put me to sleep and sent me back to the UK.

It is very frustrating when you felt at one point that you had a lot of momentum going.

My Problems started after I beat Yoshida. I thought I was going to pull off a string of victories after that fight. I was very optimistic you know. Unfortunately I was tossed a bomb when the ref for my Butterbean fight stopped that contest. It is the only time I ever wanted to hit a ref, well except after the Kimbo fight perhaps.

Marco:

What about the Brett Rogers Fight and Neil Grove?

James:

Look I really feel that I could have won those fights. I know I can win those fights. If I was to fight Brock Lesnar I would not be expected to win you know, but against those two it could have gone either way. I go for it and I am not afraid to get hit—see I think a lot of fighters, maybe even Brock Lesnar as great as he obviously is, might not enjoy what I like to call the Don Frye Experience.

Marco:

You don’t think Brock could handle a facial barrage?

James:

He is a very strong man. I would not underestimate his power and speed. Still, until his chin is tested, how will we ever know?

Marco:

Good point. Let me ask you about the Fujita fight.

Everyone I have spoken to that saw that fight thought you performed extremely well and had him shaking. A little more gas in the tank and maybe you win that fight no?

James:

See I don’t want to make excuses, but once again I did not have a professional camp and it is extremely difficult to train and do all the paperwork (visa applications and such) by myself. I had no support system. If I had professional trainers I would have defeated Fujita. He is a great fighter, but I think that I am just enough better to finish that one.

Marco:

Well that’s hard to debate—you seemed to have him beat several times, but you just couldn’t get that one shot that Fujita seemed to find. Have you examined your striking technique? If so what are your conclusions?

James: Yes, well don't forget Fujita has a very hard head and it is not easy to put him away. My striking needs work I am aware of this. I don't seem to deliver the power a person of my size should be able to generate. I know the reason, but I cannot seem to break certain bad habits.

Marco:

Such as?

James:

You claim to have seen the fights over and over so what do you think the reason is?

Marco:

Me? Are you serious? Ok.

I think the problem is you don’t use your hips. You fail to generate power because you don’t use your legs and body to swivel as you deliver a shot. Watch Fedor—he is not as big as you are, but when he swing he swings with his whole body. That’s what makes him so devastating and that’s what I think you seem to have trouble with...well just my humble opinion of course.

James:

Yes, well perhaps that was an error on my part, but unfortunately you are correct. I swing with my arms and not my body, but I have been working on that quite a bit over the past six months. My power has been measured and let me just say that I have more than doubled the amount of pressure I strike with. It is really amazing what you can do with a few pounds and some technology.

Marco:

Doubled? So I’m going to guess you are hitting for about 1,200 psi in that case. That’s an incredible number—is that what it is?

James:

I’m not going to say but it is over 1,000, yes.

Marco:

So let me move on now and get into the nitty gritty as it were. There has been a lot of speculation in many expert MMA circles that you in fact tossed that fight with Kimbo Slice at the instruction of his manager/promoter. Is that true? Were you paid money to go easy on Kimbo?

James:

Well...

Stay tuned for Part Two and the revealing answers to that question and much more.

The Five Most Ridiculous Moments In MMA History

Marco Yanitelli — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:24:27 -0400

As Monty Python used to say, "And now for something completely different..."

No.1 Heath Herring knocks out his adversary before the fights starts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udyVPmXiLKY

There have been probably over a million face off’s in combat sports over the past 10 years but none like this one. Don Frye and James Thompson had an amazing stare down and head mashing contest. The difference in Heath Herrings fight was that there was an actual kiss involved.

The is little doubt that just about everyone knows all about this, which is the main reason its No.1.

The truly funny aspect of it all is that after Herring’s opponent kisses him, Herring knocks him out with one shot before the fight started.

How exactly do you judge that?

Herring could be heard afterward complaining that he wasn’t a homosexual. Herring is not gay. Everyone remember that! Including you, GSP—we have all seen the way you look at him…

No.2 Matt Lindland tries to slam opponent and knocks himself out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZyMnUkCEeI&feature=PlayList&p=0A8E42B63F3C3A1F&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=58

Yes this is true and once again, a lot of people know about it.

Matt attempted a huge suplex but unfortunately landed on his head and knocked himself out.

What more is there to say about that except it was a good win for Vitale!

No.3 Kieth Hackney wins UFC bout vs. Joe Son by pounding his privates into mush.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4iZ-NEz-mg

Every time men of any age watch this fight they are simply put into a state of mind numbing shock.

Joe Son apparently either has a cast iron “member” or he has no genitals at all. How on Earth could he otherwise withstand 20 or so direct strikes to his personals?

Over and over his privates are bashed mercilessly. Punch after punch. Blow after Blow. It was simply the most horrifying event many fans have ever witnessed.

No.4 Charles Bennett mugs for the camera and does other ridiculous things at Bushido 7.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdoxq0E4ifg

It is well known that Bennett is a "Crazy” guy. His antics in and out of the ring are famous. At Bushido 7 however, he pulled out all the stops and became a one man circus.

He started by mugging for the camera as always, utterly ignoring the referee and the fighter in front of him. Despite this immense attention he paid to the camera it is impossible to make out what he is saying. Indeed, knowing Bennett he probably wasn’t saying anything at all.

He then starts out the fight by suckering his opponent into his corner where Bennett then uses the ropes to elevate himself and front kick his adversary in the chest. There has never been a move quite like it in any other MMA event.

He ends this fiasco by knocking out his opponent then running full speed at the ropes. He attempts to stop, but instead goes flying off into the darkness. Seriously the guy is 'touched'. He did manage to survive his flight into the abyss however, so fans of his can relax.

No.5 Michael Bisping wins a controversial decision against deaf man, and then talks smack to the guy’s back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5XR1XbVKY8

The clip does not show the entirety of Bispings antics but it is the best one available publicly.

This event drew a tremendous amount of ire in the direction of Michael Bisping. It was a fight in which he was tossed around like a rag doll. He was repeatedly taken down, and arguably only won thirty seconds out of the entire fifteen minute affair. Nevertheless he was given the decision over his opponent, Matt Hamill. It was such a horrible decision that many fans were literally sickened by it.

To top it off Bisping celebrated like a man possessed. He then yells and screams a bunch of trash talk at Hamill, who isn’t even facing Bisping. This is significant because as UFC fans well know, Hamill is deaf. In fact when interviewed, Hamill did not appear to have any idea what Bisping had done. Instead he proceeded to be a shining example of sportsmanship by swallowing the horrible decision and even complimenting Bisping’s performance.

Tsk, Tsk.

Thankfully for the sake of all MMA fans and Humanity in general, Henderson avenged this outrage with a thunderous knockout of Bisping that included an added forearm for additional flavor.

Well there you have it. The Top Five Most Absurd Moments in MMA History.

There are many other crazy, insane, unbelievable, and simply bewildering events that have occurred over the years but these represent the best and worst of them.

Fans are encouraged to seek these and other events out for their own entertainment.

Here is a clip all fans will likely enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76J66c7LuwE&feature=related

The Top 50 Pound for Pound MMA Competitors Today

Marco Yanitelli — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:13:21 -0400

Creating a Top 50 list of this sort should not be attempted at home. This stunt should only be performed by professionals or the utterly insane.

Sitting down prior to reading is suggested.

Enjoy!

1. Fedor Emelianenko

2. Miguel Torres

3. Anderson Silva

4. George Saint Pierre

5. Lyoto Machida

6. BJ Penn

7. Joachim Hansen

8. Josh Thompson

9. Jeff Monson

10. Brock Lesnar

11. Dan Henderson

12. Mike Brown

13. Josh Barnett

14. Vitor Shoalin Ribiero

15. Takanori Gomi

16. Aoki Shinya

17. Forrest Griffin

18. Mauricio Shogun Rua

19. Rampage Jackson

20. Antonio Nogueira

21. Frank Mir

22. Shane Carwin

23. Kituno Katsunori

24. Cain Valasequez

25. Carlos Condit

26. Demian Maia

27. Sean Sherk

28. Kenny Florian

29. Rich Franklin

30. Kazayuki Fujita

31. Alistair Overeem

32. Wanderlei Silva

33. Chris Horodecki

34. Brett Rogers

35. Urijah Faber

36. Diego Sanchez

37. Fabricio Werdum

38. Mirco Cro-cop

39. Frankie Edgar

40. Renato Sobral

41. Vitor Belfort

42. Ikuhisa Minowa

43. Joey Villasenor

44. Roger Huerta

45. Kieth Jardine

46. Thiago Silva

47. Rashad Evans

48. Randy Couture

49. Jon Fitch

50. Clay Guida

There it is! The absolutely non-definitive list of the top 50 pound for pound MMA competitors active today.

Please proceed to rip it apart.

Remember that this list is not definitive-input from readers in fine tuning this list is always studied and appreciated.

Blagoi Ivanov Faces Kazuyuki Fujita in MMA Debut at Sengoku 9

Marco Yanitelli — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:43:03 -0400

August 2, 2009, Sengoku 9, Saitama Japan.

The only man to ever defeat Fedor Emelianenko in the Russian combat sport Sambo will make his MMA debut against one of the toughest men in the history of MMA, Kazayuki Fujita.

To say the least, this should be an incredible matchup and a serious test for Ivanov despite his tremendous Sambo experience. Kazayuki is a very mean opponent that can headbutt a horse and KO it.

He is the only man to ever come close to KO’ing Fedor in an MMA match, and (should Ivanov be successful) it would be a fantastic start to a very interesting MMA career.

Many MMA fans in North America may not be familiar with these two men. That is unfortunate because this is likely to be one of the most exciting and anticipated bouts of the year.

While it still pales in comparison to the recent Lesnar vs. Mir fight, it should not be overlooked by serious MMA aficionados.

This should be a treat for everyone, and fans unfamiliar with the sport outside of the UFC can enjoy the fight for free on the Internet. It's not even available for Pay Per View in the USA.

So if you have recovered from UFC 100 and would like to see a good follow up fight in the near future, this one is it.

It should be a barn burner.

The fight can be broken down very simply. If Ivanov can utilize his Sambo skills while being beaten about the face and neck, then he will win.

Fujita can be submitted.

The point is that Ivanov will have to overcome not only a really strong, tough, and skilled fighter, he will also have to contend with Fujita’s immense MMA experience.

Don’t miss it!

For Michael Bisping, The Party Is Over and Its Time To Go Home

Marco Yanitelli — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:40:17 -0400

Dan Henderson signaled the end of the party for Michael Bisping. No longer will he be treated like a VIP at the Rainbow Room. Instead he will be tossed like a fat rabbit to the wolves.

Finally.

Ever since the horrible decision that gave Bisping an undeserved win over Matt Hamill, many fans have been waiting for a night like this past Saturday. The fact that he exploded with a Lesnar like outburst of stupidity at the back of a deaf man that complimented him adds a lot of TNT to an already explosive fan base.

Henderson defused that bomb with a right hand and an extra forearm that just made fans feel warm inside. It was kind of like drinking hot cocoa while watching the Yule Log on Christmas morning.

Bisping deserved it- he got it, and many fans are satisfied that he is down for the count in terms of being Dana's "boy". He will still get fights and still get paid for several years to come, however. This is basically unavoidable because of his continued popularity in England, but he will take a mighty beating in the process.

He will likely be knocked out again, and soon. Dana has a couple more Brits from the The Ultimate Fighter show to play with now. Fans should not be shocked to see one of them do the deed.

And in England.

Brock Lesnar Salvages Career with Vital Victory Over Frank Mir

Marco Yanitelli — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:51:07 -0400

UFC 100, Brock sent a message to the whole MMA world and also all “old school” MMA fans by beating Frank Mir on Saturday. In the process, Brock managed to salvage his MMA career which was on the brink of potential collapse. Had Brock lost to Frank, his career would likely be jeopardy.

Why? How would the UFC market a Lesnar vs. Mir 3 after Mir beat Brock twice? Seriously, though it may not be readily apparent given Brock’s enormous success, Brock was in serious peril.

Frank? He’ll be back and the UFC could certainly market a Lesnar-Mir rubber match. That’s an entirely different scenario than the one posed in the previous question regarding marketability.

So how did Brock’s victory “trample old school MMA” fan’s? Well, the fact that he won, and the way that he won, basically force fan’s to question the validity of fighters such as Sakuraba, Randleman, Cotoure, Fujita, Coleman, and yes, even Fedor. This WWE wrestler basically walked into MMA, took it over, then flipped everyone off.

So that’s how the UFC seems to be leaning these days. The addition of Kimbo Slice to Season 10 of TUF is a perfect example of this. Having Brock Lesnar as Heavyweight Champion—playing the Heel, as they say, is another. Now more people will tune into his next fight, just to see him get hammered. They will be disappointed, however, because the UFC will not allow Brock to face any serious competition for at least another year.

As reported by Alex Marvez on Fox Sports, the UFC will likely have Lesnar face the winner of Cotoure vs. Nogueira at UFC 102. This means that he will probably not fight again 'til next year. It also means that legitimate contenders for the heavyweight belt will be left on hold beating each other up while they wait for a crack at Lesnar.

Who are the fighters that could face Lesnar? There are several, but as Marvez also states, “Only hard core fans could pick them out of a police lineup.” These would include Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez, even Cro-Cop, and yes, eventually perhaps Gonzaga. No, the earliest Lesnar could possibly face one of those men would be in late 2011 or 2012.

Perhaps by then Affliction will have gone under and Dana will finally be able to get his hands on Fedor’s contract. Fan’s should not expect to see Lesnar vs. Emelianenko for at least two years, however. Still, one could say there is light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak, and eventually the UFC will have a champion fan’s can be proud of.

Whether it be one year, two, or three, knowledgeable fan’s and fighter’s from around the world would likely agree that the marketing for such a fight would be huge. They would agree that it would be hyped as the greatest MMA fight of all time.

They would also likely agree that the fight will not last 90 seconds, and Fedor’s hand will be high in the air at the end.

Wildwood Convention Center: Amatuer MMA in NJ

Marco Yanitelli — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:07:40 -0400

Yeah, training sucks.

In any event Reality Fighting is hosting "The Battle On The Beach" Aug. 1, at the Wildwood Convention Center in Wildwood NJ.

I will be fighting pending my physical—broke my nose again as u can see.

In any event its Regional so I thought I would let ya guys/gals know. Maybe you can attend?

I am out of credentials—one writer (Joe Lupoli) will be covering the event live for the B/R but it will also be televised online and covered by other minor sports agencies.

The crowd is expected to hit about 10,000 people! Should be a good time.

Anyone from the B/R that attends is welcome to join us at the after party which will be held at a fabulous Italian restaurant—then who knows.

Depends if I'm hospitalized or not.

I plan to represent though and I promise to do my best.

Until I pass my physical my name on the card is TBA but be assured I will be there and the Promoter has guaranteed my spot—just wants my pics and physical.

The Truth Will Set Us Free: Fight Fixing Exposed

Marco Yanitelli — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:27:15 -0400

James Thompson, he was supposed to call me an hour ago. I just got off the phone with Renzo Gracie and he's a real d-ckhead. He won't train me for my fight because he says I'll be representing Ivan Salaverry and not him. Jerk. It's a lot cheaper for me to train in NYC than to fly out to Seattle etc...

Besides Ivan isn't free. It's like 2k to help me get ready for a fight.

Anyway, I'm looking into other gyms including Serra's. It's hard cuz MMA is illegal in NY still.

As for Kimbo being anyone's hero? Man you need some new heroes. Kimbo is a slime ball and I'm going to expose him for what he is. As for Dana: he doesn't really have anything to do with what happened at EliteXC so he's safe and a non issue. Unfortunately.

Kimbo on the other hand is a fight fixer and a cheat. He has no business in the UFC and Dana is a freaking MORON for bringing him in. James is going to expose that guy for what he is. We are just trying to word the questions in a way that does not incriminate James.

Seth even said it was a fix of sorts. He couldn't go to far though because he wanted to get paid. Brett Rogers called Kimbo a cheat and it's true; James WON that fight when Kimbo tapped out in the first round due to standing guillotine.

Kimbo, in the UFC, is a disgusting, revolting, discrediting idea designed to attract even more morons to the sport and slap all intelligent educated fans square in the face.

Roy Nelson? He's a HW champ with 40 fights, what the hell is he doing in TUF? Where is James Thompson? Seriously something is truly screwed up here and the interview I publish will have effects far greater than those seen here on the B/R. This is gonna rock the MMA world and Dana won't be able to avoid the generated controversy.

You have any question you want asked?

-Marco Yanitelli "The Italian Scallion"

The Psychology of Sports Combat: Why Fight?

Marco Yanitelli — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:44:02 -0400

Are fighters sadistic? Masochistic? Both? What makes a man want to engage in physical combat with another man?

Perhaps combat is too strong a word. After all no one is expected to die, no borders are fought over, no religion is championed, no homes are protected, in fact no cause other than the accumulation of fame, money, and the boosting of the original promotional organization.

The rewards for fighting are unlike they have ever been before. While not even scratching the quantities of cash that the almost dead sport of boxing generates, it still trumps that sport in general popularity.

Money flows through the UFC, and profits from the pay per views continue to trickle in even days or weeks after an event is hosted. The bonuses that the UFC has been paying out are generous—if your name is Rich Franklin or Wanderlei Silva.

What if you are one of the thousands who fight for pennies with no fame to garner or accolades to acquire? Why do the masses of non TUF fighters even bother?

For some, it's a sense of competition. One man vs. one man. For some, it's the ultimate chick grabber. The ultimate in bragging rights?

Most fighters never make the big times. Some that make it don’t deserve it (Jorge Santiago). Some deserve the privilege but never get it (Joey Villasenor). Why do the vast majority of fighters even bother participating?

Are they just mental?

Well the answer is probably yes. The pioneers of any sport probably have had their sanity questioned. “You are going to do what with that stick, ball, and my mother’s mitten???"

The truth is that fighters participate for a variety of reasons which include some or all of the ones already mentioned. Even the most belligerent fellow would probably make more money as a night watchman for a Wal-Mart.

Whatever the reason, it will be a true shame when the maniacs of today are replaced by the athletes of tomorrow. As a sport, it stands on the cusp already. “Fighters” such as Lyoto Machida and Diego Sanchez have shown that physical punishment is not an interest of theirs. Money? Fame? Perhaps. They have gotten both but will they ever have the heart and fighting spirit of a Don Frye? Or even a Tito Ortiz?

When Shogun Rua meets Lyoto Machida, and Brock Lesnar meets Frank Mir, we will find out if heart will endure a bit longer or if pain avoiding “golfers” will prove to be the future of our sport.

—Marco Yanitelli “The Italian Scallion”

Five Non-MMA Sports Combat Competitors That Could Challenge Fedor

Marco Yanitelli — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:35:54 -0400

That’s right, sports fans, other types of sports combat still exist!

Is there anyone in the world who could defeat Fedor?

Possibly, but you have to look outside of MMA to find them.

Here is a list of five men that could challenge Fedor in a Mixed Martial Arts event.

1. Alexander Karelin

The toughest man in the world, so they say—and they could be right. Karelin is, without a shred of doubt, the greatest wrestler that has ever lived.

This man could pick up a prone Brock Lesner off the floor and suplex him. He has made a habit of grabbing writhing 300-pound bodies up into the air for a short painful ride.

If ever there was a man that would actually be favored in a fight against Fedor it would be this man.

Karelin possesses three Olympic Gold Medals. Karelin’s only Silver Medal was won at the Sydney Olympic games in 2000. In addition to his Olympic accomplishments, Karelin has won 21 World and European Championships.

He went undefeated for many years and was defeated only once in his entire career by an American wrestler named Rulon Gardner in the Sydney Olympics Gold Medal match.

Although Karelin is 42 years old, he is still in amazing condition and could certainly pose a large number of challenges for Fedor.

Even if Fedor fought Karelin in the man’s prime, I think Fedor would likely win because Karelin is obviously very one dimensional. However, as he says, “I train every day of my life as they never trained a day in theirs.”

If Karelin wanted to succeed in MMA there is little doubt that he would dominate. If he trained for MMA he would be champ. No question whatsoever.

Fedor would probably agree.

It is hard to disagree with the idea that Karelin is the toughest man alive. He is so strong and so successful he has often been referred to as a Russian “experiment.”

Whatever the case may be, Fedor would be hard pressed to defeat this monster of a man.

2. Alain N’Galani

This man has been nicknamed “The Panther” and he has displayed those animalistic tendencies in the ring many times. He is a two-time Muay Thai Champion and trains in a wide variety of martial arts disciplines.

He holds a black belt in Judo, Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin Karate, Koshiki Karate and Brazilian Jui Jitsu. He has also studied other disciplines that include kick boxing and even Savate. It goes without saying that he is a Muay Thai expert as well.

Alain is a citizen of China and fights out of Hong Kong. He is originally from the Ivory Coast, Africa, and has fought all over the world. He is a healthy 220 pounds and is only 33 years old.

During a recent interview, Alain indicated that he intends to eventually fight in the UFC. If any of these men described here could step into a ring with Fedor today and have a shot at winning, it is this man.

His training regimen is similar to Karelin’s in terms of its intensity. He has been known to push himself beyond safe limits, and quite possibly over trains at times, which could be a weakness.

That weakness hasn’t shown up in his Muay Thai battles, which usually end in a nightmarish knockout. He is a four-time African National Kickboxing Champion in addition to his world titles out of Hong Kong.

Keep your eyes on this fellow—you will be hearing more about him later, for sure.

3. Hossein Rezazadeh

Weight lifting is not exactly a combat sport, but when a man can clean and jerk almost 600 pounds you have to take notice. Considered the world's strongest man by many, with training he could pose insurmountable difficulties for Fedor. This man could stack two Fedors on top of each other, lift them up, and toss them out of the ring.

Conditioning is perhaps his greatest weakness, so Rezazadeh would be unbelievably formidable were he to spend a year training with Bas Rutten. In addition, his jaw has never been tested. It is very difficult, however, to look past this man due to his unbelievable raw strength and power.

Still, strength does not an MMA champion make, he would have to lose some weight and get his cardio up. He would need to learn to strike and wrestle. Probably too much to expect.

Maybe he should train with Hans Marrero.

In any event Hossein is an Olympic and world record holder. If he were to apply the type of dedication he displayed in order to obtain his medals and records, it is a sure thing that he would have posed quite an interesting challenge.

It should be noted that MMA is not legal in Iran, his native country.

4. Hans Marrero

Gunnery Sgt. Hans Marrero, formerly the chief instructor of hand-to-hand combat for the Marines, is considered by many to be one of the toughest men alive.

Take a gander at this demonstration. It's very impressive.

http://break.com/index/not_taser_tough.html

He has demonstrated this many times. Once, he was able to withstand multiple bare knuckle punches and didn’t flinch. They beat him, choked him, tried to break his limbs, they even Tasered him. He moved around at times but did not show any pain or fall.

Hans is obviously an expert at dishing out damage. The combination of his expert striking and seemingly endless resistance to pain make him a particularly difficult challenge. He would be giving up many pounds to Fedor, but he would not be giving up anything else.

Fedor could probably expose his weaker ground game, but he would find this man a difficult opponent to defeat. It is doubtful that Fedor could score a knockout but a submission might be possible. The problem with submitting Hans is that he does not tap. Break his arm, he does not tap. Choke him out, he does not tap.

In many people's opinion, Fedor would have to sink in a full guillotine and put Hans to sleep in order to get the win.

Please do not confuse this man with an MMA fighter by the same name. He is covered by Sherdog, but is not the same man.

5. Blagoi Ivanov

"Saving the best for last" is an old saying, but it certainly applies in this case.

Ivanov is a the current Sambo World Champion. On Nov. 16, 2008, he defeated Fedor Emelianenko in the semifinals of the World Sambo Championship held in St. Petersburg, Russia. He went on to win gold by defeating Stefan Janos, a German Sambo Player.

Being the only man to ever beat Fedor in a Sambo competition raises the eyes of martial arts fans around the world. If he could defeat Fedor in Sambo, could he repeat that success in an MMA event?

Well it appears that we may find out one day, as Blagoi recently signed a three fight contract and will begin his MMA career at Sengoku 9 on Aug. 2, 2009 against Kazuyuki Fajita.

Talk about being thrown to the wolves.

MMA fans will discover very quickly what potential Ivanov has when he is pitted against one of the toughest MMA competitors to ever live.

Kazuyuki is famous for his hard head and ability to strike. Fajita is the only man to ever truly come close to knocking out Fedor Emelianenko. As Joe Lupoli, of the Bleacher Report says, “He had him doing the fish dance.”

And he did.

In any event, Blagoi’s potential cannot be denied. Since he has beaten Fedor in Sambo, he very well could be a monster in the MMA ring.

Only time will tell.

There you have it. Five men who are not MMA competitors, that have the potential to be Fedor beaters. Will any of them get the chance?

What do you think?

Which MMA Organization's Ring Girls Reign Supreme?

Marco Yanitelli — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 11:43:33 -0400

While the fighters may duke it out in the Octagon, these girls entertain the crowd in between rounds and throughout the show. We already know that the UFC has the better stable of fighters, but do they win out when it comes to this integral part of any MMA event? Who has the best Ring Girls? UFC? KOTC? Let your voice be heard and your eyes dazzled as you try to decide which organization has the prettier women. I have displayed them from worst to first. It is completely subjective.

Begin Slideshow

The Real Iron Men: The Top Ten Toughest Chins In MMA History

Marco Yanitelli — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:35:49 -0400

This list is meant to reflect the most damage resistant fighters in MMA History. It's not just about avoiding a knockout—it's about requiring a hundred kicks from a horse to achieve one. Against these mighty warriors, damage is their middle name.

There are quite a few MMA stars that can dish it out.

This is a list of who can take it.

1. Fedor Emelianenko

If he didn’t have the strongest Jaw in the world he would have been defeated by now. He has taken amazing blows to the head and still pulled out a win. People could argue for hours about which fighter came closest to knocking out Fedor, but they can never come up with a fighter that did. He truly is, The Iron Man.

2. Dan Henderson

He has fought legends in the ring for years. He was the first man in Pride to hold two belts at the same time. In 31 professional fights against the likes of Nogueira, Wanderlei, Vitor Belfort, Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin and Rampage Jackson and has never been Ko'd or TKO'd by any of them. Only Fedor deserves more respect.

3. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

This man is a living legend. Much like Fedor, only slightly less immortal. Big Nog has never been knocked out in his entire career. He was recently TKO’d for the first time in his contest with Frank Mir. It is possible that age is catching up to Nogueira, but flawless is flawless and he certainly is in the Iron Chin category.

4. Kazuyuki Fujita

This man’s entire skull was composed of Cast Iron. The very structure of his head, neck, and shoulders seemed to stop anyone from hurting him. The entire MMA world is lucky that head butting is no longer allowed or this man would be Heavyweight Champion of whatever organization he wanted.

5. Hayato Sakurai

Many Americans may be unfamiliar with this fighter, but his record speaks for itself. He has only been KO’d one time and that was against Takanori Gomi. That’s like saying he's only been KO’d by Chuck Liddell. He is, in fact, still active and recently knocked out Shinya Aoki via knee strikes at DREAM 9 this past April.

6. Don Frye

Check out his fights. Watch him vs. Takayama and Thompson. This man has faced some serious heavy hitters in his career. Most of his fights involve a tremendous amount of damage to both competitors. Don Frye has fought monsters in the ring and survived. Only KO’d one time in his 13 year long career. That was via a kick from Gary Goodridge way back in 2003.

7. Mark Hunt

The original reason Mark did not make this list was because he has been stopped quite a few times. However his ability to withstand a beating is apparent. By popular demand as well. Mark Hunt makes the list for being able to shrug off damage that would flat line most other fighters.

8. Cabbage Correira

Cabbage is truly amazing in his ability to absorb blows. He is one of the Great Punching Bags of MMA. If one were to examine his record it would be evident that he never gives up, never surrenders. His corner has thrown in the towel, and the ref has stopped his fights several times. The problem is that he is almost always still on his feet when the fight is stopped. Watch his fight with Arlovski and you will see exactly that.

9. Heath Herring

The Literal Human Punching Bag. That’s Heath in a nutshell. He can take any amount of damage in the world—you could hit him with a 10 story building and it wouldn't matter. He would crawl out—mangled, bloody and broken. Ready for round two. He can take damage and it shows—all over his face and body. And any other bodily destruction that is forgotten at this time.

10. Wanderlie Silva

There was a time when Wanderlei could be hit with anything, beaten with insane ferocity, and then go out for coffee. You could knee him. You could kick him in the head, foot stomp his face forty times , break his arm, take out one of his eyes, and you would still be asleep before the fight was over. He had some kind of unnatural invincibility.

Honorable Mentions:

Patrick Cote

Forrest Griffin

Jeff Monson

Phil Baroni

Chris Leben

Anderson Silva

Marcus Davis

Jeremy Horn

Takanori Gomi

BJ Penn

Surely many fans would dispute this list. Claim that other fighters deserve the honor. Please tell everyone if you think a change should be made on this list, just please do not mention the names Arlovski, Sobral, or Eastman.

To err is human so they say, its possible the list requires adjustment. Make a convincing case and it could be changed.

Judging who gets hit in the face the best is a subject only MMA fans could ever dream up. Have Fun.

-Marco Yanitelli “The Italian Scallion”

UFC or KFC, Fedor Exposes Zuffa As a New Breed of Bird

Marco Yanitelli — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 07:16:38 -0400

Chickens come in all shapes and sizes. Some are big, some small, some are so big they look like turkeys.

Zuffa is a big fat chicken. I'll take a leg please....

Dana and Brock chat on Nevada radio shows as if Fedor doesn't matter. "You think Dana gives a bleep bleep bleep about bleep Fedor?" Brock told the interviewer between steroid shots.

Talk is big; so is Brock. Put your money where your big mouth is. Yeah that giant hole in your face Dana/Brock/Zuffa.

If they dont take a fight with Fedor, then the UFC is admitting defeat and they lose by default.

I don't ever want to hear anyone say the UFC has the best fighters in the world. Just the most frightened ones.

If the UFC Heavyweight Champ is a coward along with his management, then what does that say for the rest of the UFC and the illusion of UFC Superiority?

If they don't take on Fedor, then the UFC will look even bleepier than it does now.

In fact don't be surprised if Zuffa doesn't just drop the whole sports act altogether and just make TUF-style reality shows after awhile.

I mean, since they aren't really competing. There certainly isn't anything "Ultimate" or "Champion"-like about it. The only real champion is laughing his rear end off in Russia someplace.

The only real fighting done in the UFC is fighting to hide the truth. Fighting to stay away from legitimate competitors so that it doesn't mess up their video game.

Fighting to steal America's money with their WWE-style management. Fighting to stay as far away from Fedor as they can.

They say that if you take steroids, your...er...parts shrink. Brock must take so much that he shrunk the entire orginaization's...er...parts.

C'mon UFC, show the world you got a pair. Or show the world you don't. It's one way or the other, and like Brock, there's nothing in between.

-Marco Yanitelli "The Italian Scallion"

Chris Horodecki: A Serious Pain in the Neck

Marco Yanitelli — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:20:21 -0400

There is no workman’s Compensation in MMA. If you get injured and can't fight, there are no unemployment benefits to turn to.

How does this relate to Chris?

Well many MMA fan’s have heard of this young fighter before. He practically ruled the now defunct IFL (International Fight League). Like he said “I train hard, and I’ve got what it takes!”

While Chris (12-1) fights primarily out of Ontario, he was originally born in Poland. He is also a current member of Team Xtreme Couture, and is signed to a contract with Affliction.

Besides his obvious interest in MMA, he is also studying to become an Emergency Medical Technician and is a striking instructor. He trains with his friend Mark Hominick, also an Affliction product*.

There is a lot of confusion surrounding this “Polish Hammer” when it comes to his career as an MMA fighter. How good was he really?

He utterly dominated foes in the IFL, his only loss a result of showboating. Could he perform as well against other top MMA stars in his weight class? Could he fight BJ Penn? Sherk? Urijah? Brown? Its possible that fans will never know.

Chris suffered a bulging disc in his neck which reportedly caused him to lose 80 percent of the strength in his right arm. Despite this “Affliction” he still attempted to obtain a spot on the “Affliction: Day Of Reckoning” fight card

It was planned that he would make a comeback after a long layoff with a fight against Dan Lauzon (14-2) at the Affliction event. Unfortunately he was not able to pass the physical for this fight and was denied a license.*

From what is commonly understood by medical experts, his condition is highly unusual, especially for a such a young, healthy person. His ability to recover from this injury is not clear as back and neck injuries of this type can be very unpredictable and difficult to treat.

Hopefully his youth and conditioning will allow him to recover completely from his injury. It would be a shame to not see him back on the fight scene , perhaps next year.

For now though, his career is on hold and he has been removed from Affliction fight schedules.

“He coulda been a contenda!”.

-Marco Yanitelli, “The Italian Scallion”

* As per Wiki

The Top 10 MMA Competitors Since 1993

Marco Yanitelli — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:54:02 -0400

This is simply an opinion piece so please let me know if you disagree with the choices made.

No. 1 Fedor Emelianenko

Most fans would agree this is a no brainer. He is not only the number one fighter today, but also the greatest fighter since MMA began in 1993. His only loss coming by way of a doctor stoppage from a cut, Fedor has proven himself to be the closest thing to invincible that exists today. His recent thrashing of Arlovski shows he still has it.

No. 2 Wanderlei Silva

Wanderlei takes a close second as he has brought unique aggression to the ring. The greatest knee strikes in the game, and he has KO’d people of all weight classes. He has traveled the world, beating almost everyone with a name.

The thing that makes him so special is his desire to win. He has lost some fights recently but there was a time when you wouldn’t fight Wandy with a tank.

No. 3 Royce Gracie

Let's face it—there is no getting around what he accomplished. Back in the '90s, people thought Royce could beat anyone in the world. He was ahead of his time and helped to create the sport we now all enjoy.

The fact that he has lost a few fights—especially lately, holds no bearing on his place in history.

No. 4 Kazushi Sakuraba

OK all you young-lings, you might not know this man too well but he was a monster in the ring. Known by many as the “Gracie Hunter”, Sakuraba has wins over Royler Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Ryan Gracie, and Royce Gracie.

He was eventually defeated by Royce Gracie June 2, 2007. He also has wins over Vernon White, Carlos Newton, Vitor Belfort, Guy Mezger, Kevin Randleman, Antonio Schembri, Rampage Jackson, Ken Shamrock, and Ikuhisa Minowa.

Only one man ever seemed to have Sakuraba’s “number.” That man was Wanderlei Silva, who beat Sakuraba three separate times.

No. 5 Ken Shamrock

Love him or hate him but you cannot deny him. Ken helped bring attention to the sport almost as much as Royce Gracie did. He was an incredibly dangerous fighter- thus his nickname “Most dangerous Man In The World.”

At one point the Japanese even had a cartoon based on his likeness and fighting skill. Ken did not leave the sport quietly. Regardless of his recent losses, and antics, he is simply one of the greatest of all time, having lived up to his nickname many times.

No. 6 Randy Couture

This man inspired thousands of people to enter the sport of MMA. He fought and was champion, of both the Heavyweight and the Light Heavyweight divisions of he UFC. It seemed like half his fights were title shots or title defenses. Showing that if a man keeps himself in condition he can fight well past his so called ”Prime”.

He literally spanked Tito Ortiz during their engagement and shocked the world time and time again. You might think he doesn’t have a chance but I doubt you would bet money against him in any fight.

No. 7 Matt Hughes

This man was probably the greatest 170 lb fighter to ever live. He held the UFC Welterweight belt for so long he was able to change his intro music to country. With over 40 wins in the Octagon, he has taken on and defeated all challengers including George St Pierre, Matt Serra, Frank Trig, and holds multiple victories over BJ Penn.

His personality may leave fans a bit disappointed but his work in the Octagon never did. I’m giving credit where credit is due. Matt Hughes well deserves this honor (such as it is).

No. 8 Dan Henderson

While this placement may be questionable to some, he does deserve this spot on the list. He at one point held both the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Pride Fighting Championship Titles.

His notable victories include wins over the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Renato Sobral, Renzo Gracie, Vitor Belfort, and most recently, Rich Franklin. He has a few losses also—including defeats at the hands of Noguiera, Wanderlei, and recently, Anderson Silva. Soon he will add Bisping to his list of victories.

No. 9 Jeff Monson

If you are groaning- stop. This man deserves a spot on this list. He has fought for a decade and has a stellar win/loss record. He is probably the greatest pure Heavyweight grappler in the world. He has fought in almost every kind of organized combat sport there is.

His record, longevity, skill, strength, power, and ferocity make him a dangerous opponent for anyone in the world—including Fedor.

Monson has been trying for some time to get that fight but has thus far been unable to negotiate fair terms. Until then we just have to wait and ponder—could Monson beat Fedor?

No. 10 Tito Ortiz

The groaning is getting louder. This is probably the most controversial placement on the list—even more so than Monson. However Tito was a great champion with victories over extremely tough fighters such as Guy Mezger, Yuki Kondo, Evan Tanner, Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, Patrick Cote, and he beat Ken Shamrock many times.

His losses came by way of randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, and also suffered a Draw vs. Rashad Evans when he lost a point in a fight he had won.

Tito was always a controversial figure—did he duck people, did he maneuver events in his favor—well yes he did. He is a lot smarter than most other MMA competitors and knows his own value.

As a result of Dana White’s inability to control Tito, he was released from the UFC following his loss to Machida. Unlike most of Machida’s opponents, Tito went the distance and lost a decision.

Tito held the UFC Light Heavyweight title for years and the work he has done in movies, TV, and commercials also shows that he was a fighter with a business sense. Dana doesn’t like people that can think on their own.

So that’s the current Top 10 fighters since 1993.

Other people I thought about listing include:

Antonio Noguiera

BJ Penn

Chuck Liddell

Jeremy Horn

Dan Severn

Takanori Gomi

Miguel Torres

Bobby Hoffman

Kazuki Fujita

Please feel free to put in your own two cents, mine have been spent.

-Marco Yanitelli “The Italian Scallion”

Kimbo Slice: The Pete Rose of MMA?

Marco Yanitelli — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:15:07 -0400

After much investigation, information relating to Kimbo Slice and his affiliation with EliteXC makes it clear that many of the fights were fixed.

The levels of corruption involving EliteXC are many and deep.

According to Seth Petruzelli, he was practically ordered to keep the fight standing. Even after the 14-second demolition, he was quoted on Florida radio stations saying that some of the fighters received special instructions before their fights.

Seth was told to keep it standing. Apparently they forgot to tell him not to punch either because it didn’t take long to expose the Internet curiosity.

Kimbo’s fight with James Thompson was also a fix. James forgot about this and almost submitted Kimbo in the second round. In fact, Kimbo CLEARLY taps out right in front of the referee, who does nothing.

The fight should have been over, with Thompson as the victor, but the management made sure a third round would happen. Thompson, ahead on points, winning the fight- is suddenly declared tko’d due to a busted ear. They knew if the fight went to the judges that Kimbo would lose. The whole affair has to make one question the integrity of the EliteXC Organization.

Kimbo likes to gamble also—in fact Kimbo likes to bet on himself. Several Las Vegas Sport Books allegedly reported large wagers placed on Kimbo by members of his “entourage.” Betting on yourself when you know the fight is fixed?*

Pete Rose has been dragged over hot coals by fans for decades now because of his gambling and other baseball violations.

Are we now to accept Kimbo into TUF with open arms? Is there to be no recompense for the fighters that were used up and ruined by the EliteXC organization?

Did not Dana White himself go on a tirade regarding the EliteXC organization and the corruption they brought to the sport of MMA.

Now Dana is going to market Kimbo? What is wrong with this equation?

If the fans of the MMA world were suddenly to discover that Brock Lesnar’s fight with Moo Su Kim was fixed, how would UFC fans react?

The UFC, the Fans of the UFC, the Fans of MMA, the Fans of a clean sport, and the UFC itself need to seriously consider the precedent that they are setting by allowing this man entry into the organization in any way, shape, or form.

If MMA Fans reacted in similar fashion to baseball fans then Kimbo would be stripped of his professional record and placed on probation until a full investigation by the FSBC (Florida State Boxing Commission) can be completed.

To this date there has been no conclusion to this investigation, and it seems strange that Kimbo would be allowed to compete while under investigation for fraud and fight fixing.

Fans are welcome to contact the FSBC on their own to voice opinions, get information, and keep up to date on the progress of the investigation.

Lies. Promises. Money. That’s what the promoters of EliteXC were about and nothing else. They make Dana White look like a humanitarian.

There is not much else to do now except wait and see. Many fans might chose to email protests against this event.

What do YOU think—Should Kimbo be allowed to fight in the UFC?

-Marco Yanitelli “The Italian Scallion”

*Source was a manager of a very large world famous hotel. If necessary I can disclose his name and contact information, but I will not do so publicly in order to avoid any hassles he might have to suffer as a result.

Shawn Bias: A One Hit Wonder Who Wins a Fight for His Life

Marco Yanitelli — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:57:41 -0400

At first this writer’s investigation was to garner information for a bit piece. A small one. To my astonishment what I discovered was a fight not even Brock Lesnar would take.

Allow us to begin with the “bit” piece that was mentioned above. It was, after all, the reason the article was written. What this reporter witnessed on that hot, humid and muggy night was a great fight. A real fight.

That is to say, other than the antics of the fans that attended, the smell of bad beer everywhere, the absolute Hottest Ring Girls ever seen, it was a madhouse..

Several famous MMA stars were in attendance and the atmosphere was roucus. Rampage Jackson and Tito Ortiz were seen at the event supporting fighters from Team Punishment.

The crowd had just watched Rob “Razor” McCullough beat a hapless fool into the corner of the cage where the fight ended, tapped from strikes in about 40 seconds. It was a joke. The boy had no business being in a cage and to face Rob in your debut? Well, it was obvious management wanted some serious beatings to take place that night.

For example, the next fight featured a 155lb 0-1 fighter vs a 24-4 BJJ Master. Right. Not all of the fights were matched like this but you could just feel the crowd groan at the prospect of another sissy getting beaten senseless. They wanted a fight and were hungry for it.

The event was called KOTC:Prime Time. It took place in San Jacinto, Calif. on Aug. 5, 2005.

There were many good fights that evening. Some bad ones too. Fighters such as Rob McCullough, John Alessio, Thomas Denny, Joey Villasenor, Jorge Santiago…and Charles Bennet! (Charles’ fight ended in a DRAW against Victor Valenzuela). They all put on a good show.

The highlight of the entire night though was the fight between Shawn and John.

Shawn Bias is a mixed martial artist who has primarily competed in KOTC events. His current record stands at 13-8-1. Not stellar by any means.

He stands 5’9” and weighs in at 139 lbs.

It was an under card event, expected to be an easy win for John who owns and runs his own BJJ Studio. John came into the fight with a record of 24-4. Pretty Good. Shawn’s record? 0-1. In addition to this Shawn weighed in at 155 lbs, whereas John weighed about 167 lbs.

Other than his battle with De La O, the only other notable fight of Bias was a loss to Urijah Faber on Oct. 29, 2005 via Choke 1:21 into round one.

So if ever there were a fighter served up as meat for the slaughter it was Shawn Bias.

Fans cheered as De La O entered the ring. He had a large following at the event.

Shawn looked like he was going to be decimated by this BJJ expert and veteran fighter.

What match maker puts a guy with a 0-1 record, underweight by 10 pounds? No fans, no love, just another notch on John’s belt.

Shawn had other plans. After a short standup in which John made no attempt to land any blows, his focus entirely on submissions. John pulls guard to get Shawn on the ground. The fight would be over very soon.

John secured an extremely tight guillotine choke and held Shawn there for almost a minute. Shawn finally slipped his head out, lifted John off the ground and slammed him into the cage temporarily knocking him out.

Shawn proceeded to wake John up with a series of punches to the face from inside John’s now depleted guard.

John turns and gives up his back—Shawn SUBMITS him via a guillotine of his own—looked more like a full anaconda but they list it as a guillotine.

4:41 seconds and the BJJ master was submitted and sent home by the nobody they tried to sacrifice.

The crowd went insane. It was the most excited they would be all night.

It was extremely exciting and one of the best fights I have ever seen—definitely that night anyway—and this reporter saw about 20 fights that evening.

For one night anyway, Shawn was the greatest fighter in the world. Every dog has his day—and this day belonged to Shawn Bias.

Now for the bad news.

MMA fans should be happy that Shawn had his moment in the Sun because he ended up fighting in the hospital for his very life.

During an altercation with police following his defeat via triangle choke at PFC6: No Retreat, Shawn was assaulted by Police.

The following excerpt was reported by Josh Gross of Sherdog:

“Update 1/21 12:03 PM:

Sherdog’s Josh Gross has found that Bias was tasered and beaten before being arrested by Oroville police late Saturday evening, thus causing his heart attack and liver failure.

George Adkins, a training partner and close friend of Bias, told Sherdog.com that Bias was fighting for his life because Oroville Police Department officers Tasered Bias up to five times and struck him repeatedly with batons.

According to Adkins, who cited police, eyewitness and medical personnel accounts, Bias knocked on the door to the wrong party Saturday evening. Though Adkins said he didn’t know why, police were called to the scene. After finding his intended destination (another apartment in the complex) Bias purportedly went outside to apologize to officers who arrived on scene.

“Shawn allegedly took off running,” said Adkins, who acknowledged that he did not know of anyone who witnessed the incident from its inception. “They ended up getting him, and we don’t know exactly how or why he ended up being Tasered several times and struck several times.”*

*Credit Josh Gross, reporter for Sherdog.

Twenty-two years old and in a coma fighting for his life.

Apparently Bias was also sick for days before his fight in which he suffered minimal damage.

Shawn managed to shock the world for one night. He would later recieve a shock of a diferent kind.

He knocked on the wrong door—tried to apologize, police show up, and Shawn’s in a coma.

No information is available as to charges that might be set against the officer’s involved. There do not appear to be any plans for renumeration, special care, or internal discipline of the local police force.

This is a real tragedy and MMA Fans and people everywhere should be pulling for this kid to make it. He is an underdog once again, in the biggest fight of his life.

He fought and won.

Shawn was released in February from the hospital—a survivor of a condition so serious that doctors gave him a 30 percent chance to live.

“There was a lot of unnecessary tasing and use of force against me. Someone with not as much will or training might have died,” Bias said. “A parent could be mourning over their child right now. The police didn’t know I was a cage fighter and that shouldn’t matter. They knew nothing about me.” Shawn declared upon his release.

Apparently, a one hit wonder can hit two.

-Marco Yanitelli “The Italian Scallion”

UFC Survivor! Lesnar, Liddell, Lyoto and Others Battle To Survive

Marco Yanitelli — Sat, 30 May 2009 21:47:49 -0400

That's right you heard it here first—The UFC has done its own version of Survivor!, secretly taped over the past year.

The show is expected to be the first PPV event to be hosted by a major network, CBS.

A CBS Executive leaked spoilers for the entire season to his wife. This information was gained in a manner that for legal reasons we are not allowed to dis clothe, er disclose rather...

While the entire cast is unknown the following- SPOILER ALERT -spoilers include:

Week One:

Kongo is kicked off the island for failing the challenge. It was an unprotected genital kicking contest with Joe Son of UFC 4 fame. Sadly Kongo lost despite landing many many more solid shots than his opponent. Son did not appear affected by the duel.

Week Two:

Diego Sanchez disappears and is still missing to this day. Many suspect that he was taken off by the others and beaten to death in the darkness of the Jungle. As a result elimination that week is cancelled.

Week Three:

Brock Lesnar is tripped up and sent home when he fails a challenge to negotiate a contract with Dana White. In it he was to have total control of his own image and be allowed to take Sambo lessons...

Week Four:

Its Lyoto's turn to say Bye Bye after being caught red-handed using BJ Penn's toothbrush. Not cool man.

Week Five:

Chuck Liddell narrowly escapes elimination by winning a 5 round split decision victory over Bleacher Report's own Senior Writer Dorothy Willis in a Bare Knuckle Battle.

He celebrates by getting really fat and walking naked around the island for the rest of the show.

Whenever caught by the Camera- Chuck does his famous MMA Victory pose. In the nude while drinking 40oz Beers non stop.

Week Six:

Scandal Erupts when Brock Lesnar is allowed back onto the show after one cast member, Randy Couture, suddenly had to quit for contract reasons.

While many complain none dare say it to Brock's face! Only Chuck seems to frighten the HW Champ. "He's just so disgusting man I don't want him near me" says Lesnar.

Week Seven:

Brock is once again sent packing, having been caught red-handed using BJ Penn's toothbrush. Not cool man. A fight between the two has been set for the next date in which Kenny Florian might expect to get a shot at at the LW Title.

Florian's aspirations will have to wait at least a year or two while preparations are made for the Superfight of the Century.

"It will take at least that long for BJ to show up at his expected fight weight of 285 lbs", explained Dana White. "You think this is funny? You think this is a F'ing joke?

The only other info I have been able to obtain indicates that Kimo and Matt Hughs form a powerful Faith Based Alliance, and oh yeah- Chuck Liddel screws everyone over and wins...A SIX FIGURE CONTRACT WITH THE UFC!!!

This is all the information this reporter was able to obtain. I was able to witness many many Bleacher report writers Also "interview" the CBS Executive's spouse.....

Perhaps more information has leaked on them, er to them rather. If so feel free to report it- Any REAL MMA fan would wanna know what happens next.

-Marco Yanitelli "The Italian Scallion"