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My name is Mark Chalifoux and I have been covering fighting since its inception (Adam vs. Eve, Battle of the Sexes 1. Adam won by TKO strikes at :34 in the first round). OK, so I just lied in my first sentence on this blog. Instead of lame jokes, I will try to give you the bare essentials. The first mixed martial arts fight I actually covered was UFC 68 in Columbus, Ohio (I’m based in Cincinnati). I had some experience in MMA before that night but it was that event that got me hooked. I’ve been in the sports media business for a number of years and have written for The Athens News, ESPN.com, SI.com, The Cincinnati Enquirer, and the Chalifoux Family Christmas Newsletter. My goal for this blog is to keep you updated on the world of mixed martial arts through a variety of different features, many of which will be works in progress. In addition to staying on top of MMA news, I hope to have a number of colorful and entertaining Q&As and cover some of the more unique aspects of the sport, all without being overly pretentious (and scaring away the newer fans to the sport). If there are any stories you want me to look into or fighters you want me to add to the interview queue, drop me an email at mark_chalifoux@hotmail.com. We will get rolling more in-depth next week, but in the meantime, a few things to keep an eye on. UFC 84 is this Saturday. It’s a stacked card with three huge fights: B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk, Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida, and Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has a nice panel discussion on the three big fights. For the money (I think they give out money for random fight predictions, right?), go with Penn, Machida and Silva. The story lines in a nutshell are as follows:

MMA Weekly is reporting that the UFC gathered a total of $3.7 million at the live gate last night for UFC 84: “Ill Will”.  UFC President Dana White reported the figure at the post-event press conference at The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.  The event was headlined by a UFC Lightweight Title fight featuring [...] - [Read more]

(Voted most likely to give you lice that he picked up in a foreign youth hostel.)

UFC 87 may have lost its Mark Coleman-Brock Lesnar match-up, but another interesting lightweight contest has been added, says MMA Junkie. Ultimate Fighter winner Mac Danzig has reportedly agreed to a bout with Clay Guida to take place on the August 9 event.

This adds to an already strong fight card featuring a welterweight title contest between Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch, as well as a lightweight showdown between top contenders Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta and Heath Herring stepping in to replace Coleman against Lesnar.

This will be Danzig’s first real test since fighting his way into the UFC. Guida has had his share of tough bouts lately, with mixed results. While it’s still a few months away and as vulnerable as any other card to the typical assault of injuries, imprisonments, and other unfortunate happenings, you have to admit that as of now it looks like a solid lineup. Now let’s just hope that nobody gets struck by lighting in the meantime.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com was informed by Rear Naked Radio, a weekly MMA show heard every Saturday from 7-9 p.m. CT on Live 105.3 FM in Dallas, that former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz was offered a contract by the UFC in the days leading up to last night’s fight against Lyoto Machida. While listening to the [...] - [Read more]

• Wanderlei Silva, Rousimar Palhares, Goran Reljic, and Wilson Gouveia took home $75,000 bonuses for their efforts at UFC 84. Silva won “Knockout of the Night” for his 36-second KO win over Keith Jardine. Palhares was awarded “Submission of the Night” for his slick armbar win over veteran Ivan Salaverry. Reljic and Gouveia took home “Fight of the Night” for their back-and-forth battle that Reljic won via second-round TKO.
• UFC 84 drew a live gate of $3.7 million, the fourth best MMA gate ever in Nevada.
• The announced attendance for UFC 84 was 14,773.
• Tito Ortiz caused quite the commotion at the post-UFC 84 press conference. After reportedly being banned from the event, Ortiz showed up anyways and began fielding questions from reporters before the press event had begun. UFC officials reportedly attempted to stop Ortiz from answering question but ultimately allowed him to field questions briefly before the official press conference go underway. Ortiz was allowed to stay for the event, though four Las Vegas police officers were brought in should things get out of hand.

• Rob Yundt will take on Alessio Sakara at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale.
• At UFC 87 Heath Herring will fill in for an injured Mark Coleman and take on Brock Lesnar, Clay Guida will face Mac Danzig, Jason MacDonald takes on Demian Maia, and Manny Gamburyan will be in action against an opponent to be announced.
• Adrenaline MMA has inked a deal with HDNet to air the promotion’s first three events on the network.
• Jeremy Lang has replaced Eric Schambari against Tim McKenzie and Danny Castillo has replaced Richard Crunkilton against Donald Cerrone on the WEC 34 fight card, which is takes place on June 1st.
• Ryan Ford will take on UFC veteran Drew Fickett at MFC 17 for the promotion’s vacant welterweight championship.
• DREAM has announced the official pairings for the second round of the promtion’s middleweight tournament. The matchups are Kazushi Sakuraba versus Melvin Manhoef, Jason “Mayhem” Miller versus Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Gegard Mousasi versus Dong Sik Yoon, and Zelg Galesic versus Taiei Kin.
• Antonio Rogerio Nogueria will fight Vernon White at Affliction’s debut event, “Banned”, on July 19th.
• ESPN The Magazine featuring Kimbo Slice on the cover is on newstands now.
• EliteXC President Gary Shaw revealed this week that the promotion is likely going to introduce a heavyweight title in 2008.
• MMA veteran Matt Lindland won the Republican primary for the Oregon House of Representatives by a 14-point margin and will not take on Democratic nominee Suzanne VanOrman in the November 4th general election.
• EliteXC will stage a ShoXC event in San Diego, California on June 27th. Hector Lombard will make his debut with the promotion at the event, Cyrille Diabate will face Jamie Fletcher in a main card bout, and King of the Cage middleweight champion Keith Barry will look to defend his title against Reggie Orr.
• UFC 88 will take place on September 6th at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

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• BJ Penn def. Sean Sherk via TKO - Round 3, 5:00
  UFC Lightweight Championship
• Wanderlei Silva def. Keith Jardine via KO - Round 1, 0:36
• Goran Reljic def. Wilson Gouveia via TKO - Round 2, 3:15
• Lyoto Machida def. Tito Ortiz via unanimous decision
• Thiago Silva def. Antonio Mendes via submission (strikes) - Round 1, 2:24
• Rousimar Palhares def. Ivan Salaverry via submission - Round 1, 2:36
• Rameau Sokodjou def. Kazuhiro Nakamura via TKO - Round 1, 5:00
• Rich Clementi def. Terry Etim via unanimous decision
• Yoshiyuki Yoshida def, Jon Koppenhaver via submission - Round 1, 0:56
• Dong Hyun Kim def. Jason Tan via TKO - Round 3, 0:25
• Shane Carwin def. Christian Wellisch via KO - Round 1, 0:44

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Welcome to MMAFrenzy.com’s fight-by-fight UFC 84 “ILL WILL” coverage. The 11-fight card is took place on Saturday, May 24, 2008 at the MGM Grand Garden arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and aired on pay-per-view.

MMAFrenzy.com provided quick results, extended results, and commentary of the entire event which included Tito Ortiz versus Lyoto Machida, Keith Jardine versus Wanderlei Silva, and a main event lightweight championship bout between current champion BJ Penn and Sean Sherk.

Additionally, MMAFrenzy.com gave away five copies of “FIT TO FIGHT” by Jason Ferruggia during the UFC 84 coverage as a reward to our loyal readers.

Continue reading for MMAFrenzy.com’s extensive coverage of UFC 84 “ILL WILL”…

QUICK RESULTS

• BJ Penn def. Sean Sherk via TKO - Round 3, 5:00
  UFC Lightweight Championship
• Wanderlei Silva def. Keith Jardine via KO - Round 1, 0:36
• Goran Reljic def. Wilson Gouveia via TKO - Round 2, 3:15
• Lyoto Machida def. Tito Ortiz via unanimous decision
• Thiago Silva def. Antonio Mendes via submission (strikes) - Round 1, 2:24
• Rousimar Palhares def. Ivan Salaverry via submission - Round 1, 2:36
• Rameau Sokodjou def. Kazuhiro Nakamura via TKO - Round 1, 5:00
• Rich Clementi def. Terry Etim via unanimous decision
• Yoshiyuki Yoshida def, Jon Koppenhaver via submission - Round 1, 0:56
• Dong Hyun Kim def. Jason Tan via TKO - Round 3, 0:25
• Shane Carwin def. Christian Wellisch via KO - Round 1, 0:44

NEWS AND NOTES

• Shane Carwin was touted as the next big thing in the heavyweight division by some of the industry’s most prominent analysts and he just went a long way in proving it on the biggest MMA stage in the world. Given the quick knockout and Carwin’s marketable status, this fight is a strong candidate for being shown during the PPV broadcast.
• Dong Hyun Kim also makes an impressive debut, thoroughly drubbing Jason Tan en route to an early third-round technical knockout win via strikes.
• It’s not a good night to be a UFC veteran against a newcomer as Yoshida becomes the third straight UFC rookie to score an impressive win over a UFC veteran in his debut. The fight is another candidate to be shown on the PPV broadcast, though Carwin’s win will likely be give priorty status. Whether or not the UFC opts to show this fight given the time during the broadcast will reveal whether they’re interested in promoting a new fighter in Yoshida or a familiar fan favorite in “War Machine”.
• Though his performance tonight was not overly-spectacular, Clementi is surely on the rise in 155-pound division after posting six-straight wins, including wins in the UFC over Melvin Guillard, Sam Stout, and, tonight at UFC 84, Terry Etim.
• After posting a late-first-round victory over Kazuhiro Nakamura, Sokoudjou called out Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
• At 37-years-old Ivan Salaverry has likely fought professionally for the last time in his career. He has expressed recently that retirement was looming and a first-round loss to a UFC newcomer doesn’t help his cause. With tonight’s loss he’s dropped three of his last four bouts, UFC losses to Nate Marquardt, Terry Martin, and now Palhares, and has fought just four times in the past 36-months.
• The heavy underdog Mendes looked good early against Thiago Silva, landing a solid head kick but it didn’t take long for the favorite, Silva, to capitalize on a botched judo throw and pound his way to a victory. Silva, now 13-0 in his career, will almost surely receive a step up in competition as he’s now emerged as a legitimate 205-pound contender.
• Though he nearly submitted his opponent Lyoto Machida very late in round three via triangle choke, Tito Ortiz was sent away from the UFC on a losing note as scripted. Stating that the feud between him and Dana White was personal, Ortiz surprisingly didn’t use what is likely his final octagon moment to ridicule his longtime rival. Instead, Ortiz thanked UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta as well as the UFC fans for their support. After Ortiz stated that he will be fighting for up to four more years in what he hopes are greener pastures, UFC commentator Joe Rogan sent Ortiz out on a high note, thanking him for his contributions to the sport and the UFC.
• In another bout between a UFC veteran and a UFC newcomer the newcomer was again the victor. After going back-and-forth for the entire fight and nearly being pounded out by Gouveia, Reljic, a protege of Mirko “Cro Cop”, returned to his feet and nailed Gouveia with a left to the temple that dropped him to the mat. Reljic then pounded his way to a TKO victory, his first inside the UFC octagon. A very impressive and entertaining debut by the Croatian newcomer.
• In a very surprising bout, former PRIDE champion Wanderlei Silva dropped Keith Jardine less than 30-seconds into the opening round of their featured bout and pounded Jardine out cold to secure a surprising, and much-needed, win.
• Penn’s victory over Sherk appeared to be inevitable from the outset of the match as Penn looked cool and collected, controlling the bout and doing most of the damage while evading the majorty of Sherk’s punches and takedown attempts. After being crowned the undisputed lightweight champ, and at the prodding of Joe Rogan, Penn laid the framework for a future welterweight fightahainst champion George St. Pierre. GSP, however, faces Jon Fitch in August while Penn likely has a future date with Roger Huerta or Kenny Florian pending their UFC 87 throwdown.

EXTENDED RESULTS

BJ PENN DEF. SEAN SHERK
UFC LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Round 1 - Sherk grabs Penn’s leg immediately but Penn avoids the early takedown. Penn connects with a kick. Sherk lands a solid hook. Penn comes back with some punches of his own but is rocked by a Sherk punch. Penn immediately comes back with another punch as the back-and-forth standup trades continue. Penn lands some mild combinations and jabs late to steal the round. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Penn.

Round 2 - The frantaic pace resumes in the second as Penn and Sherk go back and forth with combinations and hard punches. Penn starts to throw knees but they’ve yet to connect. The dirty boxing match continues and both Penn and BJ continue to go back and forth. Penn landing his jabs while Sherk’s hook is missing. The reach is helping BJ evade most of Sherk’s strikes. Solid kick by Sherk that is countered by Penn. Sherk is cut under both eyes. Sherk’s left hook finally finds its mark but Penn comes back with a kick. Sherk quickly looks for a takedown but BJ evades. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Penn.

Round 3 - Sherk finds the mark and Penn quickly counters. Neither is willing to take the fight to the gorund as both are content to stand and trade, albeit wildly. We pass the midway point and it’s more of the same as both continue to go back-and-forth with mild punches and an occasional kick. Sherk’s right hand appears to be injured as he’s transitioned to a leg kick focused gameplan as the title bout wages on. Penn presses the action late, pushing Sherk to the cage before landing a knee that crumples Sherk. BJ jumps on top and pounds on Sherk until the horn sounds to wrap up the round. Sherk appeared to have been saved by the bell but he’s unable to continue and the fight is called.

BJ Penn defeats Sean Sherk via TKO - Round 3, 5:00

WANDERLEI SILVA DEF. KEITH JARDINE

Round 1 - Silva immediately tags Jardine with a brutal right-left-right-left combination that drops Jardine to the ground. Silva goes to the ground and mounts his opponent and continues the assault. The referee steps in but Jardine is already out cold.

Wanderlei Silva defeats Keith Jardine via KO - Round 1, 0:36

GORAN RELJIC DEF. WILSON GOUVEIA

Round 1 - Gouveia opens with some solid leg kicks. Reljic swings wildly before landing a hard leg kick. Another body kick by Gouveia. A pair of head kicks by Reljic that land down on Gouveia’s shoulder. Hard left punches and kicks from Reljic. Both connect with punches. More hard kicks by Reljic. Gouveia connects solidly but Reljic pulls guard. Reljic attempts an omoplata just before the opening round concludes. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Reljic.

Round 2 - Little action early in round two and they trade mild punches back-and-forth. Reljic connects with a kick.s Gouveia returns with a flurry. He connect with a hard left that drops Reljic and Gouveia gets on top and starts to pound away. Reljic does a good job of controlling Gouveia’s head and minimizing damage. Reljic gets back to his feet but eats a right. Back on his feet, Reljic quickly connects with a left to the temple that knocks Gouveia to the mat. Reljic pounds away and Gouveia is able to defend early but the barrage is too much and the referee stops the bout in favor of yet another UFC newcomer.

Goran Reljic defeats Wilson Gouveia via TKO - Round 2, 3:15

LYOTO MACHIDA DEF. TITO ORTIZ

Round 1 - A brief feeling out perios to open the fight. Machida works leg kicks early while Tito looks for a takedown. Tito grabs a leg on several occasions but Machida is able to work out of the attempts. Machida throws a head kick that is blocked by Ortiz. Machida lands several switch kicks late then easily takes Ortiz to the ground, immediately claims side control, and pounds on Ortiz to wrap up the round. Ortiz is (likely) saved the the bell at the end of round 1. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Machida.

Round 2 - Machida opens with a solid body kick. Ortiz charges but Machida evades him. Lyoto continues his offense with another kick to maintain the distance. Ortiz is chasing Machida around the octagon but Machida is remaining active and carefully employing his offense. Ortiz pulls guard late following a takedown but it’s too little, too late for Ortiz. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Machida.

Round 3 - The pair dance early and there’s excitement early on as referee Yves Lavigne falls and quickly returns to his feet. Ortiz clinches and works body shots against the cage. They trade kicks then Ortiz lands a knee. Ortiz grabs a leg but Machida is again able to slip away. They clinch and trade with Ortiz getting the better of the lockup. They stall and are separated. Machida lands a shot that knocks Ortiz to the mat and he immediately follows with some punches but is unable to finish Ortiz. Ortiz secures what appeared to be a near-fight-ending triangle choke but the slippery Machida was able to escape and survive the round. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Machida. All three judges agree with MMAFrenzy.com’s 30-27 scoring and award Machida the unanimous decision win.

Lyoto Machida defeats Tito Ortiz via unanimous decision

THIAGO SILVA DEF. ANTONIO MENDES

Round 1 - Mendes lands a head kick that sends Silva to the mat but he’s able to recover and returns to his feet. They clinch against the cage and Silva ends up on top of Mendes after Mendes fell while attempting a judo throw. Silva quickly moves to mount and unleashes some hard ground and pound that eventually forces Mendes to tap to the barrage.

Thiago Silva defeats Antonio Mendes via submission (strikes) - Round 1, 2:24

ROUSIMAR PALHARES DEF. IVAN SALAVERRY

Round 1 - Palhares secures an early takedown and transitions into mount. After giving up his back, Salaverry successfully defends a rear naked choke attempt but Palhares secures a fight-ending armbar during a scramble. Salaverry taps out midway through the opening round.

Rousimar Palhares defeats Ivan Salaverry via submission - Round 1, 2:36

RAMEAU SOKOUDJOU DEF. KAZUHIRO NAKAMURA

Round 1 - Sokoudjou connects with a series of kicks to open the fight then closes in and lands some strikes. The fight slows but Sokoudjou connects late with a strong kick to the body and a hard right to the head that stuns Nakamura and sends him to the mat. Sokoudjou pounces and quickly lands several more punches before the round ends. The round concludes but Nakamura is unable to continue and referee Steve Mazzagatti stops the fight.

Rameau Sokodjou def. Kazuhiro Nakamura via TKO - Round 1, 5:00

RICH CLEMENTI DEF. TERRY ETIM

Round 1 - Etim works kicks early before clinching with Clementi. They quickly break and Etim attempts to use his reach to his advantage but Clementi closes the gap and secures a takedown. They stall on the ground and are re-started on their feet. Etim resumes his earlier strategy and connects with a combination that knocks Clementi down. Etim lands several more punches before Clementi returns to his feet and they briefly trade before the first round concludes. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Etim.

Round 2 - After briefly trading to start the second round Clementi secures a takedown. Etim attempts a guillotine but Clementi escapes and they again stall and are re-started. Etim pulls guard and again applies a guillotine. It looks deeper than the first but Clementi again escapes. In Etim’s guard, Clementi is finally able to connect with some solid punches though Etim keeps Clementi in his guard to minimize the damage. It’s a close round that could go either way. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Clementi.

Round 3 - Clementi gets a takedown to open the final round but is unable to do little damage from Etim’s guard. The majority of the round is spent on the ground with little damage being done by either fighter. At the crowds urging, the fighters are again stood up.  Etim connects with a knee but Clementi again takes his opponent down and maintains control to finish up the bout. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Clementi. It’s 29-28 Clementi on our scorecards and the judges agree, awarding Clementi the unanimous decision win with 29-28 scores on all three cards.

Rich Clementi defeats Terry Etim via unanimous decision

YOSHIYUKI YOSHIDA DEF. JON KOPPENHAVER

Round 1 - Koppenhaver and Yoshida standup briefly before they clinch and Yoshida tosses Koppenhaver to the mat. Yoshida immediately applies a guillotine choke and Koppenhaver is unable to escape the submission. Yoshida rolls and switches to an anaconda choke before putting “War Machine” to sleep after he refused to tap.

Yoshiyuki Yoshida defeats Jon Koppenhaver via submission - Round 1, 0:56

DONG HYUN KIM DEF. JASON TAN

Round 1 - They touch gloves and Kim tags Tan with a punch that sends him to the mat. Tan grabs onto a leg to avoid major damage but Kim lands a series of elbows that opens up a cut. Kim continues to land elbows through the rest of the round from the top position and Tan narrowly survives. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Kim.

Round 2 - Tan is on the offensive to start the second round but does little damage before locking up his opponent against the cage for an attempted takedown. Kim instead secures the takedown and looks to pass guard. The flurry of elbows continues and Kim works to pass guard and uses ground and pound to dominate another round. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Kim.

Round 3 - Tan again comes out throwing but Kim quickly sends Tan to the ground again. Kim lands several more elbows on the ground and the fight is halted by referee Steve Mazzagatti.

Dong Hyun Kim defeats Jason Tan via TKO - Round 3, 0:25

SHANE CARWIN DEF. CHRISTIAN WELLISCH

Round 1 - The pair touch gloves and Carwin starts swinging. Wellisch dodges several of the punches but Carwin connects with a big right that drops Wellisch. The fight is immediately halted as Wellisch is out cold.

Shane Carwin defeats Christian Wellisch via KO - Round 1, 0:44

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Set to go down Saturday, May 24th (10 p.m. ET on PPV) live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, UFC 84 “Ill Will” promises to deliver huge hits with fans of mixed martial arts. The main event pits UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn against Sean Sherk. So what’s the deal with these guys? Sherk tested positive for steroids awhile back and it cost him his title. Penn has the title and is hell bent on defending it. So yeah, there’s a lot at stake here.

“I see both of these guys as having the potential to win this fight, for sure,” said lightweight contender Kenny Florian. “I don’t think it’s one of those fights where there’s a clearcut winner.

Main Event:
UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn (12-4-1) vs. Sean Sherk (32-2-1)

Main card (televised):
205 lbs.: Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1) vs. Keith Jardine (13-3-1)
205 lbs.: Goran Reljic (7-0) vs. Wilson Gouveia (10-4)
205 lbs.: Tito Ortiz (15-5-1) vs. Lyoto Machida (12-0)
205 lbs.: Thiago Silva (12-0) vs. Antonio Mendes (14-2)

Under card (may not be broadcast):
185 lbs.: Rousimar Palhares (7-1) vs. Ivan Salaverry (12-5)
205 lbs.: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-7)
155 lbs.: Terry Etim (10-1) vs. Rich Clementi (31-12-1)
170 lbs.: Jon Koppenhaver (5-1) vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (9-2)
170 lbs.: Dong Hyun Kim (9-1-1) vs. Jason Tan (5-2)
265 lbs.: Shane Carwin (8-0) vs. Christian Wellisch (8-3)

B.J. Penn (-250) is favored to win against Sean Sherk (+200), but this one isn’t going to unfold that easily. Sherk wants his belt back and Penn is going to make it extremely difficult for that to happen. My prediction? Penn by decision.

Earlier this week in an article published in the Long-Beach Press-Telegram, Dana White had this to say about Kimbo Slice:

"You know what would happen if he fought in the UFC?" White said to the newspaper. "I'd put him in against B.J. Penn, and (Slice) would get annihilated. The guy he is fighting, James Thompson, might get knocked out before he gets into the cage. Kimbo has no credibility at all in MMA. ... I am telling you, B.J. Penn would beat him."

While this may seem like an idiotic statement to make, it’s partially true. Would B.J be able to defeat Kimbo? It’s hard saying, however, it isn’t that far out of the realm of possibility. B.J. has fought at light-heavyweight and was able to hold his own against Lyoto Machida, but that’s another debate for another day.

The fact of the matter is that Kimbo is an unknown commodity. He has an intriguing personality, but he’s always going to take slack from hardcore MMA fans and veterans of this sport. I think it’s mostly due to people being jealous of his stardom in the sport. They’ve seen the veterans of this sport, the Chuck Liddell’s, the Randy Couture’s, the Tito Ortiz’s, put in their hard work and help grow this sport to what it has become today. Kimbo has burst onto the scene because of backyard fights on the Internet. Does that represent him as a person? No. Does that make the criticism of him valid? Maybe.

Kimbo is being brought along slowly. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. He hasn’t been training that long and has done nothing to draw the negative comments that have been directed at him. He’s simply done what he’s been asked to do, and that’s go out there and put on an exciting show and win fights.

EliteXC has also been matching him up with advantageous style matchups that suit his brawling and avoid having him being taken down repeatedly.  I think James Thompson might try to take him down, however; he’s going to have to get close to take him down. The closer he gets, the better chance Kimbo has of exploiting Thompson’s famous glass jaw. Thompson’s wrestling also isn’t that great, so it could be a quick night for Kimbo once again.

Gary Shaw had this to say when asked about Dana’s comments:

"Dana White is a jerkoff," Shaw said. "That's what Dana White is -- a [expletive] idiot -- and you can quote me on that. If he cared about mixed martial arts and the sport instead of caring about his big ass swimming pool and his own personal gains, he'd understand that statements like that make someone a jerk. First of all, I love B.J. Penn, and he is a friend of mine. Kimbo Slice, with one shot, would knock B.J. Penn out. But they are never going to fight. It is an idiotic statement from a complete idiot."

Woah, woah, woah there, Mr. Shaw. Are you implying that you really care about MMA and don’t care about the money? Get the [expletive] out of town.

This is the thing that really irks me about Gary Shaw. I love how all of the sudden he has come out and said that he is all about MMA and that he’s doing this all for the love of the sport. Wrong. He’s doing it for money, and I think he has ulterior motives. To me, he’s still “the boxing promoter” Gary Shaw.

As much as everyone criticizes Dana White, I really believe he loves the sport of MMA. Does he let his personal feelings get involved sometimes? Sure, but I think that just shows that he really loves the sport. He has been here through the thick and the thin, and I think it’s highly hypocritical of Gary Shaw to come out and say that Dana White doesn’t love the sport of MMA. I think he’s probably the biggest fan we have. He’s an impulse acting kind of guy, and that sometimes hurts his persona, but if you ask Dana White a question, you’re going to get a truthful answer.

Things are starting to heat up between the organizations and as the clock winds down to EliteXC’s debut on network television; I think the war of words between Dana and Gary will continue to worsen.

Leave some comments below and let me know what you think about each organizations front man. Is Dana wrong to call out Kimbo and his lack of experience? Is Shaw still the same sleazy boxing promoter some fans see him as? Can EliteXC ultimately compete with the UFC? Let me know, I’ll be sure to respond.

Get ready for some fireworks. According to DREAM’s official website, the Middleweight Grand Prix matchups for round 2 have been announced, and they won’t disappoint the hardcore fanbase in the least bit. Although I believe some of these fights could be flipped around to benefit other fighters, these matchups are definitely tailor made for the future. Here are the matchups:

• Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Melvin Manhoef
• Ronaldo Jacare vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller
• Dong Sik Yoon vs. Gegard Mousasi
• Zelg Galesic vs. Kin Taiei

Obviously, one of my favorite MMA fighters in Melvin Manhoef will be looking to destroy the Japanese legend that is Sakuraba. I’ve hyped up Manhoef enough in the past to make him seem like a MMA god, but the fact of the matter is that I love the guy for being a straight up monster when it comes to the striking game. It’s all or nothing for Manhoef… comparative to some MLB baseball players like Ryan Howard or Adam Dunn… damn you Howard for screwing my fantasy team.

Unfortunately for Manhoef, Sakuraba is pretty able on the ground. DREAM may have seen this matchup as an easy win for Sakuraba to advance, but one Manhoef fist could end it. It should be an interesting style matchup.

Ronaldo Jacare vs. Jason Miller is going to be a tough matchup for “Mayhem”. While he has some slick jiu-jitsu and decent striking, Jacare is one of the best grapplers in the world. The ground game won’t be such a luxury for Miller in that matchup.

The “Dongbar” will be out in full force when he takes on Gegard Mousasi. Yoon has some solid judo skills and a good submission game, but I think Mousasi’s power in the standup along with some good submission abilities of his own will make this one of the more intriguing battles on the evening.

The Croatian striking Zelg Galesic will take on Kin Taiei for the second time in his career. In their first matchup, he stopped the fight via TKO in a little over :30 seconds. I don’t see how this will go too much different a second time around. Galesic will have a significant striking advantage.

June 15th should provide the hardcore fanbase with some great fights from Japan. For all the early morning fanatics, set your alarms and write DREAM 4 into your calendars.

ProElite's quarterly report was released today, and the outlook is not good. It was reported that the struggling umbrella to MMA promotions EliteXC, Cage Rage, Icon, and King of the Cage is claiming a loss of $5.6 million dollars in only the first quarter of 2008. While the actual promotion revenue was in the black at around $213k, the operating expenses added up to over $5.8 million dollars.

At this rate, ProElite could very well lose over $20 million dollars over the entire year unless the company ends up folding or is infused with some type of capital. It has become apparent that the CBS deal is the vital beating heart that the company needs in order to move into the black for the year.

If ProElite can manage to push a solid show on May 31st, they will at least has some chances at gaining some solid blue chip sponsors and likely provide their fighters with more sponsorship money from MMA-related sponsors. This, in turn, will lure some fighters toward the promotion and allow EliteXC to gain some bigger names for their events. Blue chip sponsors will obviously shell out some substantial dollars to have their name plastered all over your television, and if the event is wildly successful, advertising spots during the event should grab some nice revenue.

It'll be a tough proposition for ProElite to fulfill. The UFC will be running shows during the event's timeslot on SpikeTV to pull fans away from the CBS show, but EliteXC has a live event with some larger than life characters to draw fans. Kimbo Slice could very well be the answer, but EliteXC will also been using Gina Carano's new popularity with the male demographic to grab viewers as well. It's a great move from the promotion. Add in the potential for Lawler-Smith to be a slugfest of excitement, we could potentially see more stars surface to a new casual fanbase.

Waiting in the shadows will be the UFC. If ProElite doesn't grab the viewers it needs (reportedly around 3 million viewers), it's likely that CBS will cut the promotion's shows from the primetime lineup and from the network. All those Kimbo Slice rumors about the UFC potentially using him in their promotion could come true. As much as Dana White states the obvious that Kimbo doesn't have the experience, it's hard to doubt his pull with the casual fan and even the fan that rarely watches MMA at all.

The most interesting part about that proposition is what will happen to Gina Carano. Will she fade into Hollywood to pursue other interests that have come from her American Gladiators fame or will she seek out more MMA fights? Will the UFC try to build a women's division around her? Nobody knows, but for the sake of MMA fans everywhere, let's hope EliteXC can make a solid effort and hopefully become a hit. Sure, Kimbo Slice may not be the man you want headlining a card, but I believe he has legitimately made the effort to become a complete fighter. The exposure can only help our sport that we love so much.

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Tomorrow night’s Vault episode features another bout from Strikeforce’s “Four Men Enter - One Man Survives” San Jose event. This time, it’s a middleweight bout between Josh Neal and Eric Lawson. You can get this episode here in Standard, iPod, and HD downloads. Don’t forget that you can subscribe to The Vault on iTunes and get [...] - [Read more]