UFC 89 Bisping vs. Leben Promo Video

This is the Ultimate Fighting Championship's official promotional video for UFC 89 in England. The Oct. 18 fight card features a main event of Ultimate Fighter alumni Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben.

The main card is scheduled to air on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET/PT on a tape delayed basis:
-Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben
-Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (#8 Light Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Luiz Cane
-Keith Jardine (#10 Light Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Brandon Vera
-Marcus Davis vs. Paul Kelly
-Paul Taylor vs. Chris Lytle

Check out the full UFC 89 fight card in MMAWeekly.com's Rumors section.

*Based on the MMAWeekly.com World MMA Rankings.

VIDEO: Brandon Vera Talks Keith Jardine

ESPN.com has a UFC video interview with Brandon Vera, who is slated to face Keith Jardine in a light heavyweight showdown at UFC 89 in England next week.

As he told MMAWeekly.com, weight cutting was a problem for Vera in his last fight, he hadn't cut weight in nine years, fighting primarily at heavyweight. Vera says he's ready for Jardine's awkward style and has a game plan for the Greg Jackson-trained fighter.

Mike Swick's Official Video Blog

Mike Swick is one fighter that has always been on the cutting edge of media. Taking advantage of the vast resources available on the Internet, Swick has started his own video channel over at YouTube.com.

Included here is Mike's first video blog, where he confirms his participation against Jonathan Goulet at Dec. 10's UFC Fight For The Troops. As Mike says, the event is actually a fundraiser for a very good cause. Rising up above the current fiery election season, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund raises money to support U.S. troops and their families.

Watch the video above for Mike's blog, but check out the Fallen Heroes Fund website for more information and to make a donation.

One of These Guys Has To Be Right, Right?

The ever-evolving story between EliteXC and the controversy surrounding the Seth Petruzelli-Kimbo Slice fight keeps growing with major media outlets picking up on the alleged payoff story more and more each day.

The other problem with the entire situation is the ever-changing story that continues to flow from both the fighter and the promotion.

Originally, on Monday, Petruzelli appeared on a local Orlando radio station making the following statement:

"The promoters kind of hinted to me and they gave me the money to stand and trade with him," Petruzelli said on "The Monsters in Orlando" show. "They didn't want me to take him down, let's just put it that way. It was worth my while to try to stand up and punch with him."

Since that time, Petruzelli has recanted that statement saying that his comments were misconstrued.

"All it was, was a knockout bonus that I just didn't say it was a knockout bonus," said Petruzelli while appearing on MMAWeekly Radio on Tuesday. "The UFC offers that, they offer submission bonus, they offer for fight of the night, and all I was saying was that I wanted to take the knockout bonus and not take him down.

"So it kind of got misconstrued as me saying that they wanted me to just stand up to get it, but that was just all me saying I wanted to try to get the knockout bonus."

EliteXC Head of Fight Operations, Jeremy Lappen, categorically denied the original report and released a definitive statement from the promotion about the situation with Petruzelli.

"Seth Petruzelli was offered a fee to fight Kimbo Slice, plus a knockout bonus, a common practice throughout the industry. EliteXC organizes and promotes fights. We have not... do not... and will not suggest or dictate fighters' strategies or tactics. How the fighters perform in the cage is at the sole discretion of the athletes involved."

So Petruzelli and Lappen both agree that it was a knockout bonus that prompted him to stay standing with Kimbo Slice in the main event of CBS Saturday Night Fights, right?

"We offered Seth Petruzelli a knockout bonus, a submission bonus and fight of the night bonus. If we were trying to influence the fight, why would we do that?" said Lappen in an interview with Franklin McNeil of ESPN.com on Thursday.

When asked directly on Tuesday if EliteXC offers submission bonuses, Lappen responded by saying, "We have given submission bonuses, but our bonuses that we tend to give are knockout bonuses."

So which story is true? Was Petruzelli offered a higher bonus for a knockout? Was he offered a submission bonus at all? The answer may never be known for sure, although after the onslaught of controversy, the state of Florida is now opening an investigation into the whole situation.

Ken Shamrock Apologizes To Fans

Ken Shamrock on Thursday issued an open letter explaining the occurences at the recent CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night Fights in Florida that kept him out of the scheduled main event with Kimbo Slice. He also apologized to his fans:

The scheduled bout with Kimbo on the EliteXC/CBS Saturday Night Fight card was a great opportunity, and it is unfortunate that I was unable to face Kimbo as planned. I want to apologize to all of my fans, and to the EliteXC and CBS executives who worked so hard to put this fight together. I also want to apologize to Kimbo, Bas Rutten and their entire camp for what happened. I recognize that I put them in a very bad situation, particularly Kimbo. It's difficult to walk into the ring after training for one opponent only to find out hours before the fight that you have to face some you don't know or have never seen fight.

Over the years there have been many great times as well as disappointing times and I know Saturday the fans were as disappointed as I was. I was worked up so I decided to train with my partners in order to stay focused on the fight. I was just doing a light roll to check holds when I got caught by a head butt. It was a freak accident and I didn't think anything of it until I saw drops of blood. It appeared to be a deep laceration so I had my physician look at it and we immediately went to the emergency room. When they said the cut would require stitches, my heart sank because I knew that the Florida Boxing Commission would not let me fight. I was disappointed because I knew this was an opportunity to give the fans, my friends, and my family something to cheer about. It has been a hard couple of years for me, and for my fans. I have suffered some disappointing losses. I definitely regret my decision to train on the day of the fight.

I promise that I will make this up to all my fans. I know that there is nothing I can do about what occurred, but I plan to get back into the ring soon. I would like it to be against Kimbo Slice. Hopefully EliteXC/CBS will still be able to put a fight together. It's is the right thing to do. The fans want it and I want it.

Strikeforce Playboy Show on NBC

The hard-hitting middleweight (185 lb. limit) battle between Terry Martin (17-6) and Cory "The One" Devela (9-2) will highlight the premiere of Strikeforce's second affair at Hugh Hefner's world-famous Playboy Mansion on NBC tomorrow night.

The all-new "Strikeforce on NBC" episode will also include a feature segment on Martin, one of mixed martial arts' (MMA) most compelling stories. A former gang member, he survived five gun-shot wounds that nearly took his life at age 15 on the streets of his native Chicago, Illinois.

Martin has since earned a bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University and pursued a dual career in professional boxing and MMA. At 28 years old, he is also a candidate for a master's degree in psychology.

Devela's appearance at the Playboy Mansion marked his second start for Strikeforce. During the promotion's debut in Tacoma, Washington on February 23rd, the 24-year-old protege of MMA superstar, Dennis "Superman" Hallman, stopped Joe "Diesel" Riggs with a hard throw in the first round that forced an incapacitated Riggs to verbally submit.

Following its production of the first-ever MMA event at the Playboy Mansion on September 29, 2007, Strikeforce returned to the Beverly Hills, California venue with a star-studded affair on September 20, 2008.

"Strikeforce on NBC," the first 52-week mixed martial arts series in network television history, airs every Saturday, immediately following NBC's hit poker tournament series, "Poker After Dark" (check local listings).

Rampage Lays In To TMZ Reporter

The wheels of justice slowed a bit Thursday as Quinton Jackson's pre-trial hearing was postponed until Oct. 24.

As Jackson prepared to exit the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, Calif., with his lawyer, a female reporter from TMZ.com approached him asking for comment.

"Why you guys gotta do me like that?" Jackson told the reporter, glaring. "You guys always try to make me look stupid. That's the reason I don't talk to y'all. You try to make everybody look stupid. We're just people like everyone else."

An awkward pause ensued.

"I wrote that you were getting better," she responded, attempting her best smile. "Sometimes they just, you know, have to..."

Jackson continued glaring.

"He's the nicest client I've ever had," Jackson's attorney, Carol Lavacot, interrupted. "With my pro-bono mindset, I'd probably take the case for free. I've had thousands of clients, and he's the nicest one I've ever had."

Jackson finally smiled. "You're just being nice cause' I'm paying you a lot of money," he said with a laugh. The lawyer and reporter joined in nervously.

Whew, that was close.

When Jackson became a UFC star, his relationship with TMZ started cordial, but relations eventually soured. After the site posted some questionable off-the-cuff remarks of his outside a club, Jackson changed his tune. Things deteriorated further with TMZ's coverage of the car chase that landed him in the Orange County courthouse. Jackson was splashed all over the page, pictures of him arrested by Orange County police officers front and center.

Jackson just got back from the United Kingdom, where he helped Paul Kelly and Michael Bisping prepare for their fights at UFC 89 and 90, respectively. The former champ recently signed a management contract with Bisping's home gym, the Wolfslair.

Most celebrities chased by TMZ have more of a hate-hate relationship with the muckraking gossip site, so Jackson's reaction was not new. When your business is the superficial, you're bound to get on a person's bad side.

Jake Shields Opens New School Saturday

The Grand Opening of EliteXC welterweight champion Jake Shields' new gym (with partner Jason Manley) is Saturday at noon in Berkeley, Calif.

The Shields-Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy is located at 2438 Durant Ave. (1/2 block off Telegraph and one block from The University of California Berkeley). It will offer Gracie BJJ taught by black belt instructors.

There will also be classes in boxing, kickboxing, submission wrestling and MMA. Jake will teach submission wrestling and MMA classes. There will be classes for all levels, from beginners to advance and professionals.

Class schedules will be up soon on Jake's website at www.jakeshields.com and www.myspace.com/jakeshieldsajj

Shields is a Cesar Gracie BJJ Black Belt and consensus top five MMA fighter, who hasn't lost a fight since 2004.

Jason Manly will manage the day to day operations of the gym and will also teach submission wrestling classes. He is a University Of California Berkeley graduate.

While at UC Berkeley, he excelled in track, winning MVP honors. He ranks No. 7 on the men's top 10 all-time list in the 100 meters. Manley also excelled on the mat, training and competing under Cesar Gracie.

Ultimate Fighters Plot To Send Junie Home!

Junie Browning has become the focus of The Ultimate Fighter 8 and has turned the Spike TV reality show house upside down with his antics, drinking and aggressiveness toward his housemates. Light heavyweights Ryan Bader and Eliot Marshall confirmed on MMAWeekly Radio Thursday night that a plan was launched to rid The Ultimate Fighter house of Junie Browning.

"Krzysztof was like, 'You know what? We're going to make him go home for sure. I'm going to get him to swing on me and just try to rile him up a little bit,'" Bader told MMAWeekly Radio. "Junie thought he was out. You throw a glass at somebody and break it on somebody, you think you're out. He was trying to go out and bring people down with him."

"Kristof said he would take a punch just to get Junie out of the house so we didn't have to put up with him anymore," added Bader.

Fellow house guest and Junie Browning teammate Eliot Marshall confirmed Bader's statements. "That was our plan. We kind of had all set that up. After Junie threw the glass at Kyle and was walking around with a bottle, we were all like, he needs to go. Lets get him to punch us in the face. We were all kind of egging him on that way to try to get him to go home.

"Our plan was to get Junie to fight, fight somebody, punch somebody. That way he would get kicked off. That was the plan," added the Colorado fighter.

Efrain Escudero also confirmed the plog against Junie Browning.

UFC Vet Joe Son Charged In Gang Rape

Joe Son, who fought in UFC 4 back in December 1994 (famously receiving a brutal beating about the groin area from Keith Hackney), is being charged in connection with a gang rape that took place in 1990 after the former fighter and actor was arrested for a different crime all together.

TMZ.com has the scoop. Apparently Joe Son was arrested and charged with felony vandalism back in May. Part of the process had him submit a DNA sample and the investigators on the case were able to link his DNA to that of an unsolved gang rape from 1990 in which "a woman was pistol-whipped, raped, threatened with death and eventually blindfolded and released naked."

Here's the count of what he is being charged with in relation to the crime: five felony counts of rape, two felony counts of forcible sodomy, two felony counts of sodomy in concert by force, seven felony counts of forcible oral copulation, and one felony count of sexual penetration by foreign object by force.

If convicted, Joe Son faces a maximum penalty of 275 years to life in prison.

ESPN's MMA Live Focuses on Kimbo KO

The latest episode (#22) of MMA Live from ESPN features Jon Anik, Kenny Florian, and Franklin McNeil focusing on the Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock debacle that occurred at the recent CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night Fights in Florida.

WWE Star Joins ATT, Plans for December

Former World Wrestling Enterinament performer and amateur wrestler Bobby Lashley has officially signed with American Top Team and Miami-based First Round Management.

According to the ATT website:
"Bobby started training with us a week ago and decided this is where he needed to be to take the next step in his burgeoning MMA career. Bobby comes to us with a great background in amateur wrestling where he was a multiple NAIA National Wrestling Champion. Of course, most people know of him because of his time spent with the pro wrestling organization WWE and ECW."

A separate statement from First Round Management says, "Lashley is expected to make his professional Mixed Martial Arts debut in December of this year and will look to maintain a rigorous fight schedule in 2009 under the auspices of the American Fight League."

UWC Giveaway on MMAWeekly Radio Tonight!

Thanks to the great folks at the UWC we will be giving away an awesome prize package to the show taking place this weekend.

Listen to MMAWeekly Radio tonight live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT for your chance to win a VIP package to attend the show this weekend.

Before the fights start you will have the chance to go to a fully catered event with Urijah Faber, Carlos Condit, Nate Marquardt and other fighters.

Then tickets to the show itself taking place at George Mason University.

Following the show you can attend the post fight party with all of the fighters and celebrities in attendance.

Tune in tonight for your chance to win!

MMAWeeklyRadio.com

And a special thanks to the folks at the UWC for giving away this great package!

VIDEO: Gina Carano and Randy Couture Red Alert 3

EliteXC star Gina Carano and UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture are part of an impressive cast of actors that take part in the upcoming release of Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3. Above is a pre-release look at the women and men that portray various characters in the game slated for release on October 28. (Courtesy of GameTrailers.com)

CBS Bankrolled Kimbo's KO on EliteXC

With debt piling up, EliteXC has to hope that the recent ratings success of its CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night Fights is enough to pull it out of a tailspin. A report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday detailed how the promotion was able to pull of the Oct. 4 event in Florida... with a lot of help from CBS:

"Effective October 3, 2008, ProElite, Inc. (the "Company") entered into an amendment (the "Amendment") to a license agreement with CBS Entertainment ("CBS") originally dated January 10, 2008, as revised and dated February 21, 2008 (the "Agreement") in connection with the production and licensing of live world-class mixed martial arts fight programs.

Previously, CBS ordered an additional event under the Agreement from the Company scheduled to be presented on October 4, 2008, at The BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida (the "Sunrise Event"). The Company advised CBS that it was unable to deliver the Sunrise Event ordered by CBS for October 2008 under the current terms of the Agreement.

Accordingly, the Company and CBS agreed to amend the Agreement whereby CBS would assume all expenses for the event and receive all revenue from the event. CBS advanced the estimated event costs according to an agreed upon budget in order for the Company to pay expenses related to the event. Additionally, the Company and CBS waived mutual exclusivity under the Agreement for the Sunrise Event."

The question now is if it was enough. It would appear so, according to one network executive. After the initial ratings came out CBS executive Kelly Kahl told MMAWeekly.com, "Our contract calls for four shows. We've said all along we're planning to do four shows, and there's nothing in these numbers that would suggest we won't."

Carlos Condit Seeks Combat in Arizona

Jamie Varner. C.B. Dollaway. Ryan Bader. Aaron Simpson. Jesse Forbes. The list of top fighters at the popular Southwest camp Arizona Combat Sports is among the best in all of mixed martial arts - with a WEC champion and Ultimate Fighter alums - and the team may soon add another champion to their roster of fighters.

World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight champion Carlos Condit has begun to make the trip to Arizona to work with the world class team, led by trainers Todd and Trevor Lally, to help pick up his training and sparring as he gets ready for his next title defense.

While the move is still just a part time trip for Condit as of right now, WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner is excited to have a fighter like that to work with everyday.

"It's turning into a super-gym especially with Condit," Varner said recently about Arizona Combat Sports. "Me and Condit we were rolling, he sees my intensity, I see his intensity, and we were both telling each other our sparring sessions are going to be nuts. Cause neither one of us are going to give up, we both just don't know when to quit, we go hard 100% the whole time. Somebody's going to have to get dragged out of there."

Both fighters are currently waiting for a fight to be scheduled, but Condit will surely benefit from the training that will be provided from the camp at Arizona Combat Sports.

Frank Shamrock Offered To Fight Kimbo

When Ken Shamrock was forced out of the EliteXC on CBS main event against Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson due to a cut just hours before the two were scheduled to fight, another Shamrock offered to step in as a last minute replacement.

EliteXC Head of Fight Operations, Jeremy Lappen, told MMAWeekly Radio that Frank Shamrock offered to step out of the broadcasters' booth to step in for adoptive brother Ken.

"He did offer himself up," said Lappen. But it wasn't feasible to get Frank Shamrock cleared with the commission on such short notice.

Frank will be on MMAWeekly Radio on Friday at 9pm ET/6pm PT.

When Tito Calls, Nate Quarry Helps

About a month ago, Nate Quarry was minding his own business when he got a call on his cell with an unusual area code for him. "Hmm," he must have thought. "I don't know anybody from there."

"Hi, it's Tito Ortiz, and I'd like to ask you about your back," the voice said.

If you're Nate Quarry, it's not a call you'd expect to get. But he didn't miss a beat.

"You know, the way my life is, nothing really surprises me too much anymore," Quarry told MMA Insider Blog.

Ortiz opened up to Quarry about his longstanding back problems.

"He said 'hey, I've got some degenerated discs and I'm looking at their surgery where they want to cut my abdominals open and snake through the organs and get to the lower back,'" Quarry recalls. "And I said, Tito, man, take my word for it, you don't want to do that. So I introduced him to the people at NuVasive."

Ortiz took a tour of the facility, and ended up getting the surgery done, as he writes on MMAWeekly.com.

At least Ortiz could say he injured himself in a cool way, like fighting. Two months prior, Quarry fractured his left orbital floor at a picnic with friends. Someone had arranged a game involving a golf club, a whiffle ball, and... well, the game really didn't have a name. Quarry was stepping up to take his crack at the ball and walked right into the backswing of a woman on the opposing team. The club weighed five pounds.

"It dropped me to my knees," Quarry said. "I was seeing double for three weeks."

Quarry's old teammate, Randy Couture, suffered the same injury, but in a fight against Ricco Rodriguez at UFC 39.

"There's about a million cool ways to get that injury, and I chose the un-cool one," he said.

So, a consultation with Tito Ortiz wasn't a big deal after all.

Jake Shields says, "I had my own Nate Diaz moment" with Paul Daley

Before Jake Shields and Paul Daley went to battle last Saturday night, the two welterweights almost came to blows after they weighed in according the EliteXC champion during a recent appearance on MMAWeekly Radio.

Shields said the two fighters were squaring off following the weigh-ins and Daley kept saying "I'm going to knock you out" and eventually the two ended up with a pushing and shoving match in front of the media and crowd in attendance.

Shortly after the ruckus on stage, members of the media noted that the curtains behind the main staging area were flying and noise could be heard from the back.

Sure enough, Shields and Daley were going after each other, trying to get their fight going a day early.

According to Shields the fighters were never able to actually get at one another, but the California native says that a few water bottles were thrown between the two and although his teammate, Nate Diaz (who has water bottle chucking experience) wasn't there, he held his own and now has his "water bottle" story.

Another interesting note from the actual fight is that Shields says Daley was attempting to eye gouge him during takedown attempts.

Shields explained that Daley put his finger in his eye when he was shooting in for a takedown and that the referee issued a warning for the initial offense, but Daley committed the foul a second time during the bout.

In the end the champ suffered only a severe case of red-eye, but a dangerous foul nonetheless.

Chuck Liddell Seminar on October 18

DojoBuy.com, a Platinum-Level sponsor of Mixed Martial Arts Expo, invites you to take in a seminar with "The Iceman" Chuck Liddell at the Grand Opening of its new store in Waterloo, Ontario. And MMA Expo is pleased to have arranged for you to get a 10% discount off of the Chuck Liddell seminar fee. In fact, we have arranged for you to get 10% off anything you purchase at www.DojoBuy.com just by entering your discount code "MMAEXPO" at checkout.

Learn From the Legend ~ Saturday, October 18 at 11 AM
For the first time ever Chuck Liddell will give a seminar in Waterloo, Ontario and who knows when he will return again. Learn the secrets that have made Chuck Liddell one of the true legends of the UFC. Get personal instruction from Chuck and gain insight into his favorite moves... the ones that have taken him to the very top in the toughest sport on the planet.

Whether you're a beginner or seasoned fighter you will love Chuck's hands-on seminars. He is one of the best in the business and this is your opportunity to capture some of the secrets that have made him a UFC Champion. Learn the key striking techniques that Chuck is famous for as well as some of the more advanced intricacies of his winning style. He'll talk about the fight game, how to develop your skills, and he'll give you the inside info you need to be a better fighter.

Included with your seminar fee:

• Autograph signing in an octagon following the seminars. (Limited number, first come first serve)
• FREE photo with participation
• FREE demonstrations by local martial arts pros
• Experience a real Octagon on site and take photos
• Personal Photos of Chuck will also be available to purchase
• Further Discounts on souvenirs and the best gear in the business
• All Taxes

Seminar Fee: $125 - gives you all of the above PLUS the unique opportunity to be on the mat with THE champ.

Spectators are welcome: $10 gets you in the door to watch. Included is a discount coupon for $10 on any purchase in the store ($50 min). Doing the math... that's like free!

This really is a rare opportunity to share the mat with "The Iceman", a true UFC legend. Space is limited so don't miss out! To purchase your tickets at a discount just enter your special code "MMAEXPO" at www.dojobuy.com during checkout.

IMPORTANT:
Your special discount code "MMAEXPO" also gives you a 10% DISCOUNT OFF OF ANY PURCHASE YOU MAKE AT DOJOBUY.COM, now and in the future! You are also welcome to pass the MMAEXPO discount code along to any friends or family looking for top-notch martial arts supplies.