MMA Light Heavyweight Ranking

The light heavyweight division’s title won’t be up for grabs at UFC 100 in a few weeks, but there is a rumored fight for the title at UFC 104 in October 2009 between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and current champ Lyoto Machida.

While many fans wanted to see Quinton “Rampage” Jackson take a few swings at “The Dragon,” he will instead take on Rashad Evans in a grudge match after coaching Kimbo Slice and other heavyweights on The Ultimate Fighter TV show this fall.

So where does that leave the UFC’s most stacked division? Read on to find out who’s the best of the best right now in the league:

1. Lyoto Machida (15-0)

It was pretty much assumed that Machida would defend the light heavyweight title for a long time but the Shogun matchup seems to have many analysts and fans intrigued. Machida would be the favorite in that matchup, however, and he has the ability to make a run at the likes of Fedor Emelianenko and Anderson Silva as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world if he keeps winning.

2. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (30-7)-

His match with Keith Jardine at UFC 96 was a bit needlessly close and many feel he will need to work on some of his flaws in order to beat Machida some day. But Jackson is still diversifying his game with the Wolf’s Lair training camp in England and still is one of the most powerful and intimidating fighters the UFC’s ever seen.

3. Rashad Evans (13-1-1)-

There’s no shame in losing to Machida but Evans seemed totally outclassed. He’ll be the underdog going into the Rampage Jackson fight but Evans’ smarts and knockout power shouldn’t be underestimated in that fight.

4. Forrest Griffin (16-5)-

With a fair size advantage and his heart and all-around skills, Griffin could make things very interesting against living legend Anderson Silva at UFC 101 in Philadelphia. He will make Silva earn the victory this time around, that’s for sure, and you can’t say that about Silva’s last opponent Thales Leites.

5. Shogun Rua (18-3)-

Is his easy victory over Chuck Liddell enough proof that Shogun is back among the division’s elite? Possibly. If he can at least survive five rounds against Machida in their rumored upcoming fight and maybe do what no one else in the UFC has done and actually win a round, that would be proof enough.

Up-and-comer to watch: Jon Jones (8-0)

Jones is still raw in a lot of ways but he is a creative striker and an explosive wrestler who made a win over UFC vet Stephan Bonnar look easy in his last fight. If he tightens up his striking and jiu-jitsu game and improves his cardio, he will shoot up in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.

Former Ultimate Fighter Ryan Bader is another one to watch in this weight class.

Ultimate Chaos Fight ( Bobby Lashley Vs Sapp

Bob Sapp is fighting stateside in just a few days. It's good to see "The Beast" back. But don't be shocked if you see a smaller Sapp against pro wrestler Bobby Lashley on Saturday at Ultimate Chaos in Biloxi, Miss. After years of fighting in the 350-380 pound range, he's down to 320. It's a necessary move. Sapp's gas tank has always been shaky plus he's 35 years old now. All good reasons to trim weight plus when you break a toilet, you're too big.

Listen to Sapp with Larry Pepe on ProMMARadio:


Sapp told Pepe that once he broke a porcelain throne it was time to go on a sushi and ramen diet. Believe me, I'm an expert on fat slobs working in radio, the home of gluttonous pigs. Sapp isn't the first guy that I've heard broke a toilet. It was long rumored that a "big" time Southern California radio host made a toilet tap. There's another story of a national radio host breaking the chair that he was sitting in during his job interview. Both of the hosts now work for one of the three big national radio networks.

It's a little different with Sapp, we know the guy is an athlete. He was never Tank Abbott fat. Anyone who's rocking abs at 350 pounds is freakish. Of course, there are also some who may say that Sapp cleaned up his "supplement" diet knowing he was coming to the states. Either way, he should have a little more stamina facing a high energy guy like Lashley.

Watch Tuf Fight Diego Sanchez VS Clay Guida ( Fight Of The Night )

It didn’t take long for Diego Sanchez to establish himself as a legitimate threat for the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title after beating Clay Guida in one of the most dramatic fights in company history at the Palms on Saturday night.

Sanchez noted that Kenny Florian, who faces B.J. Penn for the title on Aug. 8 in Philadelphia was the same fighter he defeated easily in 2005, in the finals of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, at a time when both competed as middleweights.

“He’s had two title shots and I owned him,” said Sanchez (23-2), who won his second fight in a row after dropping down from welterweight. “If he wins, it’s a natural rematch. The only other top contender for the winner would be Gray Maynard. And Nate Diaz beat Gray in the Ultimate Fighter, and Clay Guida beat Diaz and I just beat Guida.”

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Sanchez was at the time primarily a grappler, known for using his conditioning and relentless style to compensate for so-so striking.

But he’s a completely different fighter today, mixing punches, kicks and knees with his already strong submission game. He bloodied Guida badly from the first exchange, rocked him several times, and put him down with a kick, all in a frenetic first round.

The onslaught would have finished most fighters. But Guida (25-10) is not most fighters.

Guida, the human Energizer Bunny, barely got out of the first round, yet came back to win the second round, and came close to taking the third, leaving Sanchez with a split-decision win on scores of 29-27, 28-29, and 29-28.

About an hour after the fight concluded, when Guida came to the press conference after being stitched up, Sanchez went up to him and told him how much he respected him.

“We’re blood brothers now,” Sanchez said.

“I just got tremendous respect after tonight for Clay Guida,” said Sanchez. “I hit him with punches, kicks and knees right on the button and he kept coming. He’s known for his conditioning and he came prepared. I was prepared, but I wasn’t prepared for him to survive the onslaught I gave him.”

“If you can’t go 15 to 25 minutes, you’re in the wrong line of work,” said Guida. “I never felt tired. I was ready to go two more rounds.”

Guida, smiling, despite having a fat lip, a bloody nose and stitches above the right eye, didn’t seem down in the slightest over losing a split decision in what would have been the biggest victory of his career had he pulled out the fight.

The match drew natural comparisons to his Dec. 2007 showdown with Roger Huerta, a fight-of-the-year caliber affair that Guida lost in the third round. That match was also the main event of an Ultimate Fight Night card at the same venue. “This will be a learning experience just like the fight with Huerta,” said Guida.

“It was similar,” said Guida. “It was in Las Vegas. It was a night with some great fights. And he got a bloody nose on the third punch. This time I got a bloody nose on the third punch. The Roger Huerta fight taught me about the fine line between relentless and reckless. And I’ll learn from this. I still feel I’m the top fighter in the division and I want to win the strap.”

Guida, one of the most popular fighters in the company despite having only a 5-4 record, saw the crowd explode as he opened the second round with a takedown and kept Sanchez on his back, winning the round on all three judges’ cards.

Sanchez said he learned from watching last year’s Kenny Florian-Joe Lauzon match where Florian was able to open up Lauzon with elbows from the bottom en route to victory. While on his back, Sanchez threw elbow after elbow at Guida’s face, trying to open him up, to the point his right elbow was hurting after the fight. Guida responded with punches and elbows from the top.

The third round saw Guida connect with some good punches, although Sanchez still had the advantage. Sanchez’s best offense was working for a choke, as well as a Kimura, although the latter never came close. The fight ended with Guida on top throwing down blows, but Sanchez had done enough earlier in the round to win it on two of the three judges cards.

Even though Guida was the favorite to the majority of the crowd, the crowd seemed to accept Sanchez winning as the right decision.

“I don’t know how many stitches I got,” said Guida. “I don’t think it was that many, but when I asked the doctor, he said he lost count. I don’t like the blood. It’s the first time I’ve been cut since I was 18 and I graduated high school.”

For the first time in UFC history, company officials decided to give three best match of the night bonuses. Along with Sanchez and Guida, also getting $25,000 bonuses were Joe Stevenson, Nate Diaz, Kevin Burns and Chris Lytle.

Lytle (37-17-4) survived being knocked down in the first round and being in trouble to win rounds two and three over Burns (8-3). In the third round, Lytle threw a punch that left a huge gash over Burns’ right eye. He targeted the cut and won the decision on straight 29-28 scores.

Stevenson vs. Diaz was more a grappling match. Stevenson used his superior wrestling to take the first two rounds, but was unable to finish the elusive Diaz with his pet move, the guillotine, sunk in tight in the first round. Stevenson kept control for most of the second round to clinch the decision provided Diaz couldn’t finish him in the third. Stevenson (35-10) survived both a choke attempt and a guillotine by Diaz (10-4) and took the decision on straight 29-28 scores.

UFC 99 Highlights and MMA news info !

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic’s return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship was a short one.

Not long after stopping Mostapha Al-Turk in the first round of UFC 99 on Saturday at Lanxess Arena in his first fight in the UFC since back-to-back losses in 2007, Filipovic informed UFC president Dana White that he had signed a three-fight contract with the Japan-based DREAM.

White had signed Filipovic less than a month ago to a one-fight deal, the first time in more than nine years that he’d done that. He had worked out terms on two additional fights, but said he’d only put pen to paper for Saturday’s bout.

He brought Filipovic back because he knew the Croat is still very popular and Filipovic insisted he wanted to make a run for the title.








That proved not to be the truth. After turning down much tougher opposition, including Cain Velasquez, who defeated Cheick Kongo later on the card, he wound up with the lightly regarded Al-Turk.

But instead of getting a shot at big names like Randy Couture or Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and fighting his way into title contention, Filipovic opted to bolt for Japan.

“Isn’t that a dirty [expletive] thing to do?” White asked rhetorically after being queried about Filipovic’s deal with DREAM. “He [expletived] me. The first time in the history of the company I do one over the phone. He promised me a three-fight deal and he [expletived] me.”

Filipovic looked unsteady and hardly impressive in defeating Al-Turk, who is winless in the UFC. He never landed one of his vaunted kicks and the fight ended not from a punch but when he poked Al-Turk in the eye with his finger.

Referee Dan Miragliotta didn’t see the poke, so it was regarded as a clean blow and Filipovic won by stoppage.

Filipovic was fighting five months to the day after knee surgery, one of several injuries he said kept him from performing at his best in his first stint in the UFC. Before the fight, he called his 1-2 UFC record “the black spot” on his career.

While speaking with reporters on a prefight conference call, Filipovic enthused about his return and said he was gunning for a title shot. All the while, he apparently knew he was in it for a one-fight deal.

He texted White on White’s cellular phone and told him he wanted to return. White said Filipovic declined numerous opponents.

Apparently, Filipovic, who is from Croatia, wanted to fight in Germany and use the UFC bout as a tuneup. He did and is now Dream bound, but he’ll almost certainly never fight in the UFC again.

“He didn’t keep his word,” White said, who said he’d had a two-hour talk with Filipovic on the day Filipovic texted and asked to be able to return. “He talked about honor and all this other [expletive] and he [expletived] me.

“He fed me this bull [expletive] about wanting to take a run for the title, and what I think he did was, he went out and did this. He turned down every other [expletive] fighter I offered him, because I needed him to fight Cain. He didn’t just poke Al-Turk; he poked me, too.”

As is his custom, Filipovic skipped the postfight news conference and could not be reached to comment on the DREAM deal.

Hardy played mind games: Dan Hardy won his grudge match against Marcus Davis, pulling out a split decision. He won 29-28 on the scorecards of judges Doug Crosby and Tony Weeks. Davis prevailed on Andy Roberts’ card by the same score. Yahoo! Sports also had it 29-28 for Davis.

There was bad blood between the two because of a war of words on the Internet. Hardy said he was just trying to provoke Davis because he figured correctly that Davis would take it seriously and that it might affect the way he fought.

“I used a lot of psychological warfare and it bothered him,” Hardy said. “My intention was to bother so it would have an effect on the fight.”

Davis stormed from the cage and declined to shake hands with Hardy. He also failed to appear at the postfight news conference, though he issued a statement in which he demanded a rematch.

“He came into my dressing room to talk after and I said I won,” Davis said in his statement. “He said it was close and he wouldn’t argue. That took something, I guess, but he’s not apologized for going too far with the talking. I won the fight.”

Bonus babies: Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva had an entertaining slugfest before the crowd of 12,854 and wound up winning Fight of the Night honors. They took home an extra $60,000 each for that.

Mike Swick, who stopped Ben Saunders in the second round, won Knockout of the Night. The Submission of the Night went to Terry Etim, who defeated Justin Buchholz with a D’Arce choke. Swick and Etim also earned an extra $60,000.

Big fights: Swick said he was looking for a big fight after scoring back-to-back wins over Jonathan Goulet and Saunders in fights in which he was the bigger name and had the most to lose.

He said he’d like a fight with former welterweight champion Matt Hughes, saying it would be an honor for him.

White had another suggestion since Swick kept talking about big fights.

“Swick is going to fight Rich [Franklin] next at 170,” White said, jokingly, since Franklin fights at light heavyweight
There is little doubt that Wanderlei Silva is, physically at least, nowhere near the fighter he was three or four years ago, when he was dominating the PRIDE Fighting Championship’s middleweight division.

He’s long been among a handful of the most popular fighters in mixed martial arts, but his popularity may be at an all-time high despite losing to Rich Franklin in a 195-pound catchweight bout Saturday at Lanxess Arena in the main event of UFC 99.

The crowd of 12,854 roared its approval when Silva walked to the cage and then cheered him vociferously throughout the back-and-forth slugfest.

Franklin, the former UFC middleweight champion, used movement and more accurate punching to pull out the win in the entertaining fight. But as he spoke to in-ring interviewer Joe Rogan after the bout, the crowd booed lustily.

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It is rare to ever hear Franklin booed, as he’s long been one of the UFC’s top attractions and entertaining fighters. Such was the love the crowd had for Silva, who has now lost five of his last six, that it scorned Franklin in favor of the Brazilian.

Franklin said it didn’t bother him and that he actually half-expected it, given Silva’s rock star status among MMA fans.

“Wanderlei has done more in this sport than I have,” Franklin said. “I have a lot of respect and admiration for him as a fighter, much like the fans.”

Every now and then, Silva rocked Franklin with one of the powerful rights than helped him score some of the most dramatic knockout victories in the sport’s history. Too often, though, Silva threw only one punch at a time and Franklin, using his lateral quickness and cage awareness, would dance easily out of range.

If Silva were a two-fisted puncher, he may have had a chance to change the outcome. Instead, Franklin was able to circle frequently away from danger and, except for brief moments when he was on queasy street, he was never in serious jeopardy.

Silva at one stage said he wanted a rematch with Franklin, though he later said he wasn’t sure what the future would hold for him.

“I don’t know about my future,” he said softly, picking at welts and abrasions that covered his face. “My fans are the reason I fight. I love it. The emotion inside the octagon is unbelievable. I love it and I love to share the emotion with the fans. The fans understand this and because of that, the fans respect me.”

So, too, do his opponents. Franklin agreed to meet Silva at a limit of 195 pounds on Saturday as Silva is transitioning from 205 pounds to 185.

Franklin conceded he felt the power at 195 and said he thought Silva could make a major impact at 185.

“He’s always coming forward and once his arms start moving, he’s quick, he’s explosive and he’s dangerous,” Franklin said. “I got caught up in it in the second round and he rocked me a little in there.

“I’ll tell you what: Wanderlei’s been fighting at 205 pounds and he’s a strong fighter. Moving down to 185, he’s going to be strong in that weight class. He’s dangerous. He has knockout power for the 205-pound weight class. When he gets down to 185, it’s going to be even that much worse [for Silva’s opponents].”

Whether he’ll ever make it into the cage for a 185-pound match remains a question, however. Unlike in April, where he said at the postfight news conference following UFC 97 that ex-light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell would retire, UFC president Dana White wasn’t willing to end Silva’s career on Saturday.

He said he’d have a conversation with Silva soon in Las Vegas, where both men live. Silva is one of the sport’s treasures and White needs to do right by him.

What the right answer is, though, is ticklish. No doubt, when he recovers from Saturday’s bout, Silva is going to want to fight again.

One of the reasons he’s so beloved is because he’s always ready to go to battle.

Occasionally, though, fighters like that need to be saved from themselves. He’s been knocked out hard three times in his last six fights and has lost all but one of those.

He’s a wealthy man and said he won’t have to work again once his fighting career is over. Fighters take a risk every time they step into the cage, but the risk increases after a lengthy career and a fighter ages. Silva has lost at least a half-step of quickness and is now getting hit more flush than ever.

With the quality and precision of strikers at an all-time high in the sport, that’s not a good sign for a guy who makes his living standing in front of an opponent and throwing knockout blows.

If Silva opts to fight again, which I suspect he will, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva (no relation) will have to choose his opponent very carefully. And he’ll have to pay particular attention to Silva’s reflexes.

Silva has done far too much for the sport to be trotted to the gate just because he’s a draw. The minute the UFC brass sees the signs of deterioration, they need to go to Silva and pull the plug on a wonderful career.

That night may not be here, but it’s clearly near.
Yahoo.com/MMA

Results for UFC 99:
Rich Franklin vs Wanderlei Silva - Franklin (Decision)
Cheick Kongo Vs. Cain Velasquez - Velasquez (Decision)
Mirko Cro Cop Vs Al Turk - Cro Cop (TKO)
Mike Swick Vs. Ben Saunders - Swick (TKO)
Marcus Davis Vs. Dan Hardy - Hardy (Decision)
Spencer Fisher Vs. Caol Uno - Uno

Brett Rogers KO's Andrei Arlovski - Highlights from Strikeforce

Brett Rogers’ new mixed martial arts gym in Egan, Minn., is named Ambition MMA, an appropriate moniker for a place that houses a guy looking to move to the top of the heavyweight division.

There is little doubt what the future holds for the undefeated Rogers, who scored a spectacular first-round knockout of former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king Andrei Arlovski Saturday on a Strikeforce card at the Scottrade Center.

More serious questions surround the future of Arlovski, who has now been knocked out in each of his last two fights.

Arlovski, the former UFC heavyweight champion, is good enough to beat the majority of the world’s heavyweights. He doesn’t look like a guy, though, who is prepared to beat the elite men in the important bouts.

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Rogers needed just 22 seconds to dispose of Arlovski on Saturday. He blasted the Belarusian with a left hook that sent the popular former champ staggering back into the cage. Rogers finished him with a flurry of punches, including a left-right-left combination that nearly left Arlovski’s head spinning like a top.

Rogers, the one-time Sam’s Club employee, guaranteed himself another high-profile bout with the nationally televised victory. He may get a shot at Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem on an Aug. 15 card that also features a women’s showdown between Gina Carano and Cris “Cyborg” Santos.

“I’m ready for whatever, man,” Rogers said after improving to 10-0 with his ninth knockout. “I was planning on picking that (heavyweight title) up today, but it was kind of pushed back. I hope he’s keeping that belt good and clean for me.”

Arlovski is only 30 years old, and there’s no reason he couldn’t continue to fight at a high level for four or five more years. But when a man has scaled the heights that Arlovski has, it’s often difficult to accept being a middle-of-the-pack guy.

That’s what Arlovski appears to be at this stage. He was knocked out by Fedor Emelianenko in Anaheim, Calif., in January and suffered a similar fate on Saturday to a man with a far less impressive résumé than Emelianenko.

Many fighters who get knocked out as hard as Arlovski was by Emelianenko are never truly able to take a hard shot again.

It’s hard to question Arlovski’s chin on Saturday because the punches Rogers hit him with were powerful enough to knock down a schoolyard wall. The psychological effect, though, of another knockout loss figures to have a far more lasting impact than the physical damage sustained.

Rogers, though, inflicted plenty of that. He made little pretense of what he intended to do and then simply went out and overpowered Arlovski.

“He wasn’t moving much,” Rogers said.

That’s probably because the first clean punch Rogers landed, a left hook to the cheek, appeared to put Arlovski out on his feet. He was back against the cage when Rogers waded in firing heavy shots, forcing referee John McCarthy to jump in and stop the carnage after Arlovski dropped to the mat.

“I wanted to show everyone I’m not in there to play around,” Rogers said.

If he gets past Overeem in August, he’ll have positioned himself to fight the biggest names available. Though Rogers’ record isn’t filled with big names, he’s only been out of the first round once in 10 fights, and that has to count for something. You can bet that the Showtime television executives have taken note of that.

What clouds Arlovski’s future is that those same executives undoubtedly were carefully watching his last two outings. Because of his past he commands big money, but fighters who make big money in MMA do it by fighting top-shelf competition.

But after back-to-back crushing knockouts, it’s doubtful Arlovski is going to get another fight of similar magnitude anytime soon.

He was so confident of a victory on Saturday that he’d already agreed to a boxing match on June 27 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. That, too, went out the window when he got knocked out by Rogers.

Arlovski’s boxing handlers were excited by his potential and believed he had the skills to compete for a title. His confidence, though, is now as shattered as his chin.

Rogers has no such issues. His confidence soared with the career-defining win over Arlovski, and his prospects are exceedingly bright.

Rogers hasn’t proven he has a ground game, though the other way to look at is that he hasn’t needed to. If he keeps knocking guys out, he won’t have to worry about his ground skills.

He began training in his spare time while he worked in the tire department at a Minnesota Sam’s Club. He finally decided earlier this year to give the job up for good so he could concentrate on MMA full-time.

It clearly looked like a good move on Saturday, though Rogers doesn’t want to get caught up in the hype.

“I’m not the only guy who started in the working world,” Rogers said. “This was a perfect opportunity and this sport is all about timing. Definitely this is my time and I’m just going to keep on working.”

The only difference between now and six months ago is that he can do his work in a spiffy new gym and doesn’t have to worry about throwing tires around in an auto shop.

It’s the guy he beat on Saturday who might have to think about getting a job.

yahoo.com

StrikeForce Weigh In ! highlights

All fighters were on weight today at the weigh-ins for Strikeforce:Lawler vs. Shields. There was the usual drama, but the men who provided the drama may surprise you. Lawler and Shuelds, previously fairly quiet and respectful to one another, engaged in an intense staredown. Shields finally broke away, though I wonder if Lawler was in a staredown or if he just had on his usual, stoic face.

Phil Baroni came out in a bathrobe, and yelled at the Showtime employee trying to direct the fighters for cameras. Nick Diaz responded to a fan who yelled, "Nick the [expletive]" by flipping the middle finger. Read on for full weigh-in results.

Nick Diaz and Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith weigh in one day before their live, Showtime televised fight at Strikeforce: "Lawler vs. Shields" at St. Louis's Scottrade Center


Robbie Lawler (182.75) vs. Jake Shields (181.75)
Nick Diaz (179) vs. Scott Smith (179.5)
Andrei Arlovski (244) vs. Brett Rogers (262)
Kevin Randleman (204) vs. Mike Whitehead (206)
Phil Baroni (168.75) vs. Joe Riggs (170)
Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante (205.5) vs. Mike Kyle (202.5)
Josh Baumgartner (173.5) vs. Jesse Finney (175.75)
Tyron Woodley (170.5) vs. Sal Woods (169.25)
Lucas Lopes (186) vs. Scott Ventimiglia (185)
Dave Cochran (153) vs. Pat Benson (155.75)
Booker DeRousse (204.25) vs. James Wade (205.25)

WEC fight Urijah Faber Vs Mike Brown

With the biggest fight in the history of the featherweight division coming up on Sunday, the question is what looms in the business future for World Extreme Cagefighting and the company’s most marketable fighter, Urijah Faber.

Sunday could be one of those perfect scenarios which only fall together on rare occasions. The former longtime champion and the company’s most popular fighter is attempting to regain the 145-lb. championship from the man who defeated him, Mike Brown, in his hometown of Sacramento.

But this rare instance of the top two fighters in the world in their division battling for the title isn’t getting the exposure that the ability of the two fighters and the stakes of the battle deserve.

It’s not anything lacking in the fighters or the story, but the lack of the initials “U-F-C” – the insignia that, at this point, seems to determine whether the majority of mixed martial arts fans are going to pay attention.

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Though WEC is a subsidiary of the same Zuffa corporation that runs the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Faber (22-2) is not as well known as Georges St. Pierre despite being equally marketable. Unlike the UFC’s champions, Brown (21-4) isn’t mobbed by fans everywhere he goes. It’s not a slight on WEC as much as it is the reality of the sport.

There will probably be more than a million people buying next month’s UFC 100 on pay-per-view, but the majority of those people will not be watching Sunday night’s free fight that, on paper, is every bit as good as any fight on that UFC card.

There were business reasons for how this situation developed. WEC, a small California promotion operating out of a casino near Fresno, was purchased by Zuffa at the end of 2006 – largely in the guise of being a completely different company so Zuffa could make a deal with the Versus network.

At the time, Versus was looking to make a deal with the International Fight League. The IFL had raided several key executives from UFC, and when UFC president Dana White is in a promotional war, he doesn’t exactly play by the Marquis of Queensbury rules. UFC had an exclusive contract with Spike TV, so the purchase of the WEC promotion allowed White to block the IFL from Versus without violating his deal.

From the start, the decision was made that the WEC would become the home to smaller fighters, and the organization lucked into the fact the Fresno promotion’s featherweight champion, Faber, possessed a star quality that few in the game have. That was great for both sides two years ago, since there was no avenue in the United States for anyone lighter than 155 pounds to make real money.

“Without the WEC, if you were a 145-pound fighter, you had to look at fighting as just a hobby,” Brown noted.

Faber, in particular, has come a long way in those two years. At UFC 73 – held at the Arco Arena during the summer of 2007 – when Faber was shown on the big screen in his hometown, well, crickets chirped almost as loud as the stunning lack of reaction. One year later, when Faber defended his title in the same building against Jens Pulver, he received a reaction comparable to the biggest stars in the sport. Faber vs. Pulver actually sold more tickets than the UFC event the year before, and nearly filled the arena with 12,682 fans, setting a record for a featherweight fight.

Now, when Faber is shown at a UFC event, the fans react like he’s one of the top fighters in the sport.

But his most recent fight, a second win over Pulver, on Jan. 25 – ending with a guillotine in just 1:34 – was viewed by 700,000 viewers. That’s less than half the number who watched The Ultimate Fighter reality show on Wednesday night. And that was the second biggest TV audience in WEC history, although Sunday’s number should be significantly higher.

With Faber as the challenger in his home arena, that attendance record is expected to fall. More then 10,000 tickets were sold by midweek, and if it doesn’t end up as a sellout, it will come just a hair shy.

If one year ago, starting with the first Faber vs. Pulver fight, you had put these same two fighters and their weight class on UFC pay-per-view shows, Sunday’s fight would be one of the biggest fights of the year to the general public. As it is, it’s only that to those who follow the sport closely.

“Well, I’d be getting paid a lot more if this was on pay-per-view,” Faber said. “But more people are going to see the fight on free television. But I hope pay-per-view is in the near future.” It’s Faber who over the past two-plus years has put the division on the map, with a combination of skill and hard work in the gym and – being one of the most charismatic fighters in the world – working tirelessly in promoting.

After his loss of the championship to Brown on Nov. 5 in Hollywood, Fla. (just minutes away from Brown’s home base in Coconut Creek), Faber flew to Mexico to promote a tape-delayed airing of the fight, talking to media and fans as if he was still champion, talking endlessly about getting ready for a title defense that he had already lost.

“I do a lot of interviews,” he noted. “I’ve been starting at 6 to 7 a.m., and then go back to sleep. I do a lot of promotional stuff. It’s part of the game. When you’re getting established, you have to do that.”

But at 30, the clock on his prime years is ticking – though he’s almost four years younger than Brown. He talks about the day when a featherweight fighter can earn the kind of money in MMA that a boxer at the same level or top pro athlete would earn. And some day, it’s inevitable that something close to that will happen. Whether it will be quick enough for Faber after paving the way to share in the spoils at the end is the question.

His chances, as well as those of featherweights around the world, increase markedly if he gets the championship back – and even more if he and his opponents in the division were to be exposed within the UFC brand.

As for the fight, it will be Brown’s power, both in grappling and one-punch power, against Faber’s speed and scrambling ability. The wild cards are Faber’s creativity and unorthodox offensive moves, and conditioning by the time it gets to the late rounds.

“I think I got out of position,” said Faber, who is a very slight favorite to regain the title after suffering his first loss at featherweight. “I knew exactly what I was doing. I did a spinning back elbow and got caught with a big punch.

“The last time I got caught for being careless. I sort of live by the sword and die by the sword.”

Besides his usual training regimen of four- to five-hour daily sessions, Faber went back to lifting weights, trying to increase size and power against Brown. The champion is stronger than most lightweights, and a physical monster against most featherweights.

“I’ve added a bit of weight in my legs. I’m eating a little better. Other than that, it’s the same stuff. I’ll probably have added two pounds of muscle, but that’s a big difference at this weight. I think I’ll have a little more power.”

“I felt fine in the clinch,” he added. “He’s a big guy for featherweight. I didn’t feel like he was overpowering me.”

Kimbo Joins Ultimate Fighter 10 ??

Challenge accepted: Kimbo Slice will be a competitor on next season's "The Ultimate Fighter" on Spike TV.
Slice (3-1) has signed on as one of 16 fighters competing on the heavyweights-only season, UFC president Dana White confirmed Monday to Yahoo! Sports.

What began as an insult hurled by White, has become a reality.

"I don't consider him a real athlete or anything," White said last October, back when Slice was arguably the most popular MMA fighter in the world. "He won't win 'The Ultimate Fighter.' The offer's out there if he wants to take it. He won't win it."

At the time it made no sense to go on "The Ultimate Fighter." Slice, who commanded $500,000 in his last fight with EliteXC, simply did not need to enter a competition to secure a fight contract.

But after his embarrassing loss to Seth Petruzelli and the subsequent fall of EliteXC, Slice's value began to diminish. He was also recently passed over by Strikeforce when he couldn't agree to a new deal that would have paid him less than his EliteXC terms.

Still the move comes as a shock since Slice could still make money in Japan and mid-sized promotions and recently said he would leave MMA for professional boxing.

Curiously, according to White on a radio appearance on The Carmichael Dave Show, Slice is not being offered big money to appear on the show.

"You come on 'The Ultimate Fighter,' you fight for the contract," White said. "You don't come on 'The Ultimate Fighter' to get paid. You get paid if you win 'The Ultimate Fighter.'"

The controversial Slice would certainly boost ratings for the UFC on Spike TV, luring viewers to see if Slice is more than just an internet phenomenon. Additionally, the presence of White as the host could lead to more drama for the show.

"I don't think he's a big Dana White fan either," White said on the Sports 1140 KHTK radio show. "How could you be, after all the things that have gone back and forth? So we're going to find out this season if he's for real or not."

Filming for "The Ultimate Fighter 10" began Monday in Las Vegas.Dana White, the UFC’s outspoken president, has repeatedly mocked Slice for his lack of fighting ability. Slice, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, became a cult figure by competing in street fights that were posted on YouTube. Slice’s “bouts” drew tens of millions of views and led him to turn professional.

He fought for the now defunct Elite XC, garnering massive media attention but getting mocked by White and others affiliated with the UFC for a lack of ability.

White has called him a “joke,” a “bum” and “not a real fighter,” among other less than kind descriptions. He said that Slice would “get murdered if he fought in the UFC” and suggested that his lightweight champion, 155-pound B.J. Penn, would “annihilate” the 230-pound Slice.

The UFC president has repeatedly insisted he would not allow Slice to compete in the UFC unless he won his way onto the show by competing on “The Ultimate Fighter,” which beings taping Wednesday and is scheduled to air in September.


Slice has called White’s bluff and will appear on Season 10 of the highly rated Spike TV series, White has confirmed. Fighters live in the same house and train together, and then fight during the show in a bid to earn a UFC contract.

His appearance, along with that of former UFC light heavyweight champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans as coaches, should guarantee massive ratings.

“It should be interesting, given some of the things I’ve said about him,” White said.

Slice, who has a 3-1 professional record, appeared in the main event of the first MMA card shown on network television in the U.S. when he fought James Thompson on May 31, 2008, on CBS.

Slice won by third-round stoppage in a bout that attracted a record 6.5 million viewers and remains the most-viewed MMA bout in history.

But Slice hasn’t fought since Oct. 4, when he was knocked out by a jab from late replacement Seth Petruzelli, a light heavyweight, just 14 seconds into another fight broadcast on CBS. The plug was pulled on Elite XC, which reportedly lost millions of dollars, in the aftermath of the fight.

White promised “some major surprises” as he announced on a Thursday conference call that Jackson and Evans, each of whom is a former light heavyweight champion, would serve as coaches on Season 10.

He declined to say anything further but urged reporters on the call not to miss media day, which is Tuesday at the UFC Training Center in Las Vegas.

White worked hard to keep Slice’s appearance on the show a secret, hoping to have unveiled him Tuesday. Season 10, which is being called “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights,” was originally slated to feature a cast of eight heavyweights and eight middleweights, but the UFC quietly informed the middleweights who tried out that it was going with an all-heavyweight show.

And unlike in recent seasons, where the competitors had to win a fight to earn their way into the house, there will be no such arrangement this time. All 16 fighters – Spike and the UFC are keeping names of the others a closely guarded secret – will automatically move into the house.

Though White goes to great lengths to insist that nothing on the show is scripted, it’s virtually guaranteed that Slice won’t fight early in the competition. Having him around and alive in the competition is going to keep ratings elevated.

If Slice is able to advance to the live Dec. 5 finale, with a chance to earn a UFC contract with a win, ratings would likely be the largest in Spike history.