How The Hell Was Junie Allowed to Stay on The Ultimate Fighter?

Junie Browning's drunken exploits and out of control behavior has been the prominent focus of The Ultimate Fighter season eight. After his alcohol induced tirade attacking several housemates, most, including Browning, thought he would be kicked off the popular reality show on Spike TV. The decision to keep Browning in the house was made solely by UFC president Dana White, and according to White, "It had nothing to do with ratings."

White explained he got the call from the producer alerting him there was a problem in the house. White then viewed the tapes of the multitude of incidents that transpired that night. The Spike TV producer was prepared to send Browning packing.

"That day that I got there, she (the producer) said, 'okay, so we've got his plane ticket home. We've got everything set.' And I went in and said, 'I don't if I'm going to kick him off the show,'" explained the outspoken UFC president. "She was like, what? Everybody knew for a fact that I was kicking him off the show. They knew."

"I went to the house that day and said, I don't know if I'm going to kick him off," added White. "She said, 'what do you mean you don't know?' I said, 'I don't know. I don't know what is going on. I just don't know if I'm going to do it.' I wanted to go inside and see how he was going to act. If he was a punk, I was going to kick him off the show. I went inside. He was upset. He looked like he was going to cry. He was apologetic about it, so I didn't do it."

When Browning remained in the house after shattering a glass off of Kyle Kingsbury's forearm, causing a laceration, push kicked Tom Lawlor to the ground, while trying to start fights with Ryan Bader and Krzysztof Soszynski, the only rational explanation was he remained due to ratings. White said, "It had nothing to do with the TV ratings. It had nothing to do with it."

Either way, Browning remains and ratings continue to rise.

Anderson Silva Got TUF on Season 8 Cast

Beyond the opportunity to earn a six figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the fighters who make their way to the show also have the chance to train with world class coaches like B.J. Penn, Matt Serra, Tito Ortiz, Frank Mir, Antonio Rodrigo Nogeuira and others.

But as seen on the most recent episode of the popular reality show, the members of Team Nogueira got the opportunity to train with the best fighter on the planet when UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva stopped by to help them train their stand-up games.

Arizona Combat Sports based fighter Ryan Bader was shown sparring with the champion during the episode and he says that Silva really is just that good.

"He's just phenomenal, he's just so fluid and just so loose in there and elusive, it was crazy," said Bader recently on MMAWeekly Radio. "He's amazing and light years above anybody else that I've sparred with."

During the televised portion of the broadcast, Bader and Silva seemed to be having a pretty hardcore sparring session, with both fighters landing some pretty heavy shots.

"We were going pretty good and he was punching back and doing normally what you'd do, and the clip they showed was at the end of our workout when he was getting me a little bit and I was kind of getting frustrated so I started swinging kind of hard at him and then he kind of invited me to come and get him in a friendly manner, so that's what you saw on TV," Bader commented.

"I hit him pretty good a few times, but he's got a pretty good chin, he's hard to hit, I mean you go in there and he's very elusive. It was just awesome getting the experience training with a fighter like that."

Dana White on UFC 100 "All The Titles"

Along with popularity comes an exponential amount of rumor and speculation and the Ultimate Fighting Championship is no exception... by far. If anything, having such a hardcore following on the Internet only adds fuel to the speculative fires surround the MMA juggernaut.

Accordingly, UFC president Dana White spends a lot of his time answering questions about things that just aren't true or at least haven't even been considered yet. One such rumor has been regarding plans for the UFC's century mark in numbered events.

There has been a lot of chatter on the boards lately that the UFC has planned to put all of their titles on the line at UFC 100... a true "Night of Champions" type of fight card.

Not true said White recently in England. He said that he has, "No ideas for UFC100," but it's not going to be a case of all five of the current weight classes putting titles on the line. That would just be too long of a night.

All UFC title bouts are five rounds of five minutes each. If you were to factor in that all five bouts could possibly go the distance that alone takes up most of the time alloted to a pay-per-view event, leaving little or no time for introductions, pre-fight hype, or instances where a fight may have to be put on hold for a doctor's check or other unforseen circumstances.

In short... it ain't gonna happen.

Dana White On The Ones That Got Away

At an Q & A event for UFC Fight Club members on Friday in Birmingham, England, UFC president Dana White told the crowd who's invited to the Octagon party, and who's not.

Most promisingly, White acknowledged for the first time his desire to import Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto for a fight with Uriah Faber in the WEC.

Almost from the time he stepped foot inside the re-vamped organization, Faber has asked to fight Yamamoto. Politics and scheduling seem to have left the idea in the "what if" category of future fights, but White's desire could clear some of the roadblocks that have prevented the meeting.

In the "will happen when hell freezes over" category were Josh Barnett and Frank Shamrock. At one point or another, White has butted heads with the iconoclasts, and doesn't like either. In the media, Shamrock has trashed White at every opportunity. "I hate him, he hates me," White concurred.

White says he would sign Shamrock, but isn't holding his breath.

"I hate Tito too, and he fought for us," White continued. "Business is business."

White had little answer for the question of the year--when Fedor Emelianenko would grace the Octagon.

"It's not as easy as it seems," he said in a familiar retort. "The whole Fedor thing ought to be proof of that, how hard it really is to deal with some of these guys."

Ken Shamrock Opens New Den in Cali

Ken Shamrock's Lion's Den Modesto, California's premier Mixed Martial Arts training center is set to open this Fall. This state-of-the-art facility boasts over 12,000 square feet of training area, which includes 4,000 square feet of grappling and striking mat space, a 4,000 square foot free weight and cardio theatre, full circuit training area, a professional raised floor boxing ring and a full size competition cage for mixed martial arts. The Modesto Lion's Den Facility has it all, including a fully stocked MMA apparel store, carrying name brands such as Tap Out, Xtreme Couture and Affliction.

Lion's Den Modesto classes and world-renowned instructors are unparalleled. Classes are set up to accommodate men, women and children of all skill levels, from beginners to professional athletes. Members have the opportunity to train with the best instructors in the area and along side elite athletes. MMA fans can train at the same facility as the fighters they cheer on in competition.

Lion's Den Modesto MMA Classes:

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - Both Gi (training in the traditional kimono) and no-Gi classes are offered. This program is for men, woman and children of all skill levels.

Krav Maga- The most intence of all Martial Arts. Krav Maga is a practical and tactical system which teaches how to prevent and overcome violence and attacks. KM teaches self-defense, self protection, fighting and combat skills, as well as skills to defend others.

Kickboxing – A full body workout that incorporates martial-arts-style kicks and western-boxing-style strikes

Muay Thai - A form of martial arts that uses all parts of the body, including the elbows and knees, for both training and competitions

Grappling - A combination of multiple martial arts with influences from combat submission wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Mixed Martial Arts - MMA classes allow members to put all of their trained disciplines together (Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing, Muay Thai, and Grappling). Mixed Martial Arts classes are for advanced students that have acquired skills in each individual discipline.

Martial Arts Programs for Children: Lion's Cub classes are for ages 4-8 and Lion's Juniors classes are for ages 9-14. These age-defined programs include Kick Boxing, Grappling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Boxing.

Private Lessons: Private Lessons are offered for Kick-boxing and Jiu Jitsu.

"No facility in California's central valley can compete with the talent that our Lion's Den trainers bring to the table", says Lions Den Founder and MMA legend Ken Shamrock. "Lion's Den Modesto is the most advanced training center in the area and offers the best in mixed martial arts programs; not only will members train with some of the best instructors in the industry, they will have access to top of the line equipment, in which to perfect their skills."

For those interested in taking their MMA career to the next level, tryouts for the Lion's Den Elite team will be held at Lion's Den Modesto semi-annually. Athletes are required to put all of their MMA training to the test against other competitors in this elimination style format. Members of the Elite team will be chosen by Ken Shamrock himself and will compete professionally, while representing the Lion's Den.

The training center is located at 518 Kiernan Ave in Modesto California. Lion's Den Modesto will hold several exciting events during grand opening week. Free submission clinics instructed by Ken Shamrock will be held for local military, firefighters and police officers. In addition, the first annual Lion's Den Modesto Elite Team tryouts will be conducted at the new facility.

Pre sales are going on now, Monday-Friday 9:00am-7:30pm and Saturday 10:00am-3:00pm. The first 200 members to sign up will receive a V.I.P. Ken Shamrock Training Experience and MMA Uniform valued at over $1,000.00.

Chris Leben: Evolution Of An Icon (5)

Chris Staab and Double Vision Productions created a web-based documentary series on Chris Leben, who is slated to face Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 89 on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Birmingham, England. These are short five to six minute videos that give an interesting behind the scenes type look at Chris Leben and his Team Icon fighters in Hawaii.

In this fifth episode Chris gets tatted by world renowned tattoo artist Mike Ledger, and then works on his boxing skills.

Watch Chris Leben Evolution of an Icon: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4.

TUF 8: Guess Who Bought The Itching Powder

The eighth season of the "Ultimate Fighter" is under full swing now and the members of both teams are starting to pull pranks on each other, seemingly at a moment's notice.

But have you ever wondered who brought Krzysztof Soszynski the itching powder that literally got under everyone's skin on Team Nogueira?

Well funny enough it's the producers of the show who are more than happy to fill the grocery list of the fighters in the house with not only food, but any other material that the housemates request while spending their 6 weeks together.

"You have a little list for our food and what not and he asked for itching powder and they brought it to him," TUF 8 fighter Ryan Bader told MMAWeekly Radio recently. "Obviously, you know Spike wants to see some drama and they figure there might be some drama after that so they gave it to him."

There are a few restrictions however, but not many for what will surely turn into good television.

"Anything that's not too expensive and that's maybe going to start some drama and be good for TV, they'll definitely have that in there," Bader commented.

The same can be said for alcohol and other things the fighters request so long as it doesn't endanger anyone, but as Bader explained there was a reason why his teammates were so annoyed by the itching powder used in last week's episode.

"That itching powder's actually like little cactus and it's also fiberglass mixed in with it, like little tiny strips of fiberglass," Bader disclosed. "So you think itching powder, it can't be that bad, but it's not really powder, it's like little shards of fiberglass."

Ouch!

Frank Shamrock Was Clear to Fight Kimbo

Frank Shamrock offered to step up and fight Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson when adoptive brother Ken Shamrock was forced out of the bout due to a cut received the day of the event. Frank thinks EliteXC made a mistake making him the replacement and going with Seth Petruzelli instead.

"I thought the best decision of the night was to let me fight Kimbo which was definitely on the table," said the former UFC middleweight titleholder. "I think at the end of the day Kimbo got a little bit exposed. CBS threw MMA out there and that's what happens. That's what mixed martial arts is. I don't think network television gets it yet, but this is going to happen again. Weird, crazy stuff is going to happen again."

According to Frank, he thought he could be the replacement up until the moments before the broadcast began live on CBS. "Until an hour before the show I thought I was going to fight Kimbo as the main event," stated the San Jose resident. "I had hung my suit up and had the boys getting me shorts and mouth piece and stuff. I was going to pick one of two outfits and it was going to be a heck of a night either way."

EliteXC head of fight operations Jeremy Lappen previously stated that Frank Shamrock stepping in on such short notice was unrealistic and cited the inability to get Shamrock medically cleared in such a short time frame prevented the match up from happening. Frank Shamrock disagreed. "I got myself cleared, and I got everything ready to fight. But no one gave me the okay. No one gave me the lets do this thing."

"I actually called Armando (Garcia). He expressed concerned about my arm. I had my assistant call my doctor and had that cleared. All my medical stuff was still current," added the mixed martial arts veteran. "I had been medically cleared to fight, so it was just somebody making the decision. I think it was probably a pretty hefty decision to be made which is why it didn't get done."

The hold up was most likely the payout EliteXC would have had to give Frank to step in for the older Shamrock.

Michael Bisping's UFC 89 Video Blog (4)

Leading up to his UFC 89 bout with Chris Leben in Birmingham, England, Michael Bisping has started a video blog that has episodes on his official website, Bisping.tv.

This is great informal look at Bisping and what he's going through as the days narrow down and Saturday nears.

Continue to check back to the MMA Insider Blog for more video blog entries from Michael Bisping.

Michael Bisping's UFC 89 Video Blog: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3

Lee Murray vs. Anderson Silva? Uh, no...

Not too many of today's newer fans probably remember who Lee Murray is, but his name came up on Friday when UFC president Dana White addressed fans in the U.K.

A little background... Murray was a once promising British mixed martial artist with a professional record of 8-2-1. He holds wins over fighters such as Jose Pele Landi-Jons and, at UFC 46, Jorge Rivera.

Asked about Murray facing Anderson Silva again - Murray lost to Anderson in a Cage Rage bout in 2004, which was Murray's most recent MMA action - White told the crowd, while he is definitely a tough guy "fighting Anderson Silva is the least of his problems."

That's probably putting it mildly. To most MMA fans - and UFC fans in particular - Murray is probably most famous for a brawl with former UFC star Tito Ortiz outside of a bar in England after UFC 38. Tito denies the incident happened, but Murray and others say that the Brit dropped Tito during their fight before fleeing the scene.

What White was more likely referring to though is Murray's more recent legal troubles. He is currently in a Moroccan prison for his involvement in the largest cash heist in British history... 53 million pounds!

Less than two weeks ago The Sun newspaper in the U.K. reported that Murray and his partner, Paul Allen, were named in court as the masterminds behind the heist. Allen is being held in the U.K., but Murray is still in a Moroccan jail cell because he is actually a Moroccan citizen and a judge there has yet to determine if he can be extradited to the U.K. to face up to the alleged crime.

Below is his 2004 Cage Rage fight with Anderson Silva. The fight is broken up into three parts, thus the reason for three videos below.

Anderson Silva vs. Lee Murray Part 1:

Anderson Silva vs. Lee Murray Part 2:


Anderson Silva vs. Lee Murray Part 3:

UFC 93 in Dublin Tickets On Sale

Tickets for UFC 93 go on sale to the general public beginning Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 9 a.m. in Ireland and the U.K. There are presale options to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public.

Starting Friday, Oct. 17 at 9 a.m. in Ireland and the U.K., tickets for UFC 93 go on sale to UFC Fight Club members. And on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 9 a.m. in Ireland and the U.K., tickets go on sale to newsletter subscribers.

UFC 93 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Jan. 17 at the O2 Arena in Dublin, Ireland. It features two high profile fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship as the promotion kicks off 2009. Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson clash in the main event and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Mark Coleman will also do battle. Both fights are in the light heavyweight division.

Mix of Muay Thai and MMA Hits Chicago

Chicago's own MMA and Muay Thai Kickboxer Felice Herrig (Featured on Combatwire; World Combat league and Oxygen Channel's "FIGHT GIRLS") will face No. 2 World Ranked Katie Meehan in "RECKLESS FURY," the midwest's FIRST FEMALE IKF professional Muay Thai Title Fight on Saturday November 15th, 2008, at Chicago's historic landmark Congress Theatre, 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave., in Chicago.

About Felice, Oxygen Network said, "Felice is an adorable saucy, Italian who spends her days giving facials and making women feel beautiful. At night, however, she diligently trains in how to make women feel pain"

This event with 1 PRO MMA fight and 10 Amateur fights will feature hardcore MMA and Muay Thai fight action, with a special appearance by MMA superstar Mark Miller.

For more information, contact Tammy De La Garza at 773-307-9424 or tammy@ChiTownThrowdown.com

Sylvia In Talks With Dream and Sengoku

Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia might be making another big move soon--to the land of the Rising Sun.

Sylvia's manager, Monte Cox, confirmed to MMAInsider that Japanese promotions Dream and Sengoku have expressed interest in importing the tree-limbed fighter. No agreements have been signed, but negotiations are ongoing.

Sylvia's non-exclusive deal with Affliction allows the move, although Cox says he would also like to see Sylvia face off with Paul Buentello or Roy Nelson on Affliction's January card--i.e., someone a little less lofty than Fedor Emelianenko--to lay the groundwork for a comeback.

Save for a few marquee names, Dream and Sengoku's heavyweight divisions are paper thin. If Sylvia's in the mood for sushi, he might do some serious damage in Japan.

ESPN's MMA Live: UFC 89 & Gina Carano

The latest edition of ESPN's MMA Live has a preview of Saturday's UFC 89 taking place in Birmingham, England, and the crew sits down for a talk with EliteXC star Gina Carano.

Michael Bisping's UFC 89 Video Blog (3)

Leading up to his UFC 89 bout with Chris Leben in Birmingham, England, Michael Bisping has started a video blog that has episodes on his official website, Bisping.tv.

This is great informal look at Bisping and what he's going through as the days narrow down and Saturday nears.

Continue to check back to the MMA Insider Blog for more video blog entries from Michael Bisping.

Michael Bisping's UFC 89 Video Blog: Episode 1, Episode 2

Chris Leben: Evolution Of An Icon (4)

Chris Staab and Double Vision Productions created a web-based documentary series on Chris Leben, who is slated to face Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 89 on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Birmingham, England. These are short five to six minute videos that give an interesting behind the scenes type look at Chris Leben and his Team Icon fighters in Hawaii.

In this fourth episode Steve English (strength and conditioning coach at ICON Fitness Center) takes Chris and June to see his friends at Skydive Hawaii for a quick jump at 14,000 ft..

Watch Chris Leben Evolution of an Icon: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3.

Fedor Filming Movie In Thailand

Vadim Finkelstein, president of M-1 Global and master of all things Fedor, on Wednesday told MMAInsider his star client is currently at work on an action movie in Thailand.

Few details exist about the project, but Emelianenko is co-starring with perennial bad guys Rutger Hauer and Michael Madsen. The production will wrap at the end of November.

Meanwhile, Finkelstein is flying training partners out to Thailand for Emelianenko to cut his teeth on. Gerard Mousasi is reportedly there now, helping "The Last Emperor" prepare for his upcoming bout with Andre Arlovski in Affliction's first co-promotion with M-1 Global.

UFC 89 Staredowns

Here are some staredowns from the UFC 89 press conference. Fighters from both sides of the pond were downright British in politeness.

UFC 89 Report: Make Weight, Then War

As UFC 89 in England draws nearer, MMAWeekly.com had the chance to catch up with a number of fighters just about 24 hours away from the weigh-ins and everybody is feeling pretty solid about making weight for their respective fights.

Brandon Vera has been as low as 200lbs leading up to this fight and by his own admission has been eating huge breakfasts to keep the weight on, today he was at 206lbs and feeling fine so he wont be cutting at all in the sauna tomorrow.

Paul Kelly has been eating stupid amounts of food in preparation for this fight, even setting alarm clocks to wake him up in the middle of the night so he can hit the casein protein. He is officially sick of eating so much but it's the biggest he has ever been for a fight.

Paul Taylor is currently at 176lbs and feeling good, no major cuts this time, has kept himself around the fighting weight leading up to it, still sitting on the fence about fighting at 155lbs. It was mentioned before that he might have been considering the move, but it is all dependant on this showing at UFC 89. He prefers to stay at welterweight, but he isn't a big guy at that weight.

Jess Liaudin is walking around at 161lbs at the moment and when we spoke to him, he was off to Starbucks in search of "a cappuccino and a muffin with his name on it."

More updates from England should be coming in throughout the week and weekend.

Michael Bisping's UFC 89 Video Blog (2)

Leading up to his UFC 89 bout with Chris Leben in Birmingham, England, Michael Bisping has started a video blog that has episodes on his official website, Bisping.tv.

This is great informal look at Bisping and what he's going through as the days narrow down and Saturday nears.

Continue to check back to the MMA Insider Blog for more video blog entries from Michael Bisping.

Michael Bisping's UFC 89 Video Blog: Episode 1

Video: Keith Jardine Talks UFC 89

Keith Jardine talks about facing Brandon Vera at UFC 89 on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Birmingham, England. He carries a lot of respect for Vera, but is excited for the match-up and ready to put himself back in the hunt for the light heavyweight title.

MMAWeekly.com will have live play-by-play of UFC 89, but it will also air in the U.S. on a tape delayed basis on Spike TV on Saturday night.

15 Year Anniversary of Pancrase Video

Sports Action Network (SAN), a next generation online streaming network, has reached an agreement with iBN Sports to broadcast the 15 Year Anniversary of PANCRASE video on demand (VOD) pay-per-view. This historical project encompasses all of the past and present glory of the PANCRASE organization, featuring 90 minutes of nonstop fight action, highlighting the best moments in over 130 PANCRASE battles.

The release date and additional details will be announced soon. For further information on the 15 Year Anniversary of PANCRASE please visit www.sportsactionnetwork.tv or e-mail the Programming Director George Boley at programming@rbn-online.net.

Below is a preview of the the 15 Year Anniversary of PANCRASE:

Chris Leben: Evolution Of An Icon (3)

Chris Staab and Double Vision Productions created a web-based documentary series on Chris Leben, who is slated to face Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 89 on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Birmingham, England. These are short five to six minute videos that give an interesting behind the scenes type look at Chris Leben and his Team Icon fighters in Hawaii.

In this third episode Chris goes through some rigorous training with strength and conditioning coach Steve English.

Watch Chris Leben Evolution of an Icon: Episode 1, Episode 2.

Michael Bisping's UFC 89 Video Blog (1)

Leading up to his UFC 89 bout with Chris Leben in Birmingham, England, Michael Bisping has started a video blog that has episodes on his official website, Bisping.tv.

This is great informal look at Bisping and what he's going through as the days narrow down and Saturday nears.

Continue to check back to the MMA Insider Blog for more video blog entries from Michael Bisping.

Frank Shamrock Says Older Brother Ken Is Too Old School to Hang

Frank Shamrock was a candidate to step in for adoptive brother Ken Shamrock on the EliteXC "Heat" CBS card on October 4, from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. Ken was forced out of the main event against Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson due to a cut sustained the day of the scheduled bout.

Frank addressed the bizarre circumstances surrounding the cut and whether or not he thought the laceration was legitimately derived. "I came down on him pretty hard, but things do happen before fights," said the former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight titleholder. "If it were me, I would have had some superglue and some make-up, and I would have been out there fighting. But he's old and he's crusty. And I don't know if his cajones are hanging like they used to."

Calling his older brother's manhood into question aside, Frank didn't feel the cut was obtained by anything other than improper preparation, something that caused him to leave the Lion's Den with only a pair of boxing gloves in 1997.

"I don't think Ken is that sophisticated that there's some sinister play involved," commented the younger Shamrock. "I know he needed the money. I know this was a big moment for him. I just think he's a knucklehead like he's been forever. I think he was, you know, fighting the day of his fight as a warm-up. And that's just, it's just so old school. It's so yesterday that he's doing that."

Seth Petruzelli, who was originally supposed to fight on the undercard, ended up being Kimbo's opponent, knocking out the hyped street fighter turned mixed martial artist's in just 14 seconds.

Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale Tickets on Sale

Tickets for the Ultimate Fighter Season 8 Live Finale go on sale to the general public beginning Saturday, Oct. 18 at Noon PT. There are presale options, however, to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public.

Starting tomorrow - Thursday, Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. PT - tickets for The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale go on sale to UFC Fight Club members. And on Friday, Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. PT, tickets go on sale to newsletter subscribers.

The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Dec. 13 at the Palms in Las Vegas. It will feature the final bouts from this season's show and several other bouts, including a rumored rematch between Kevin Burns and Anthony Johnson.

NSAC's Keith Kizer On EliteXC Controversy

Following the controversy around Seth Petruzelli and whether or not he was asked/told/paid-off by EliteXC officials not to take Kimbo Slice to the ground during their recent bout on CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night fights, Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer informed MMAWeekly.com that he had brought the comments to the attention of EliteXC co-matchmaker JT Steele, who emphatically denied any payoff.

"Hypothetically, if that happened, and we found out later that one of the fighters or both were told, 'look, you need to fight a certain way,' or some incentive not to utilize part of your skills, I would file a complaint," Kizer said. "I would file a complaint against the promoter; I would probably file a complaint against the athlete as well."

Steve Cofield of Yahoo! Sports and ESPN Radio 1100 recently conducted a video interview with Kizer, where he went more in depth on the situation and talked about EliteXC's plans for a Nov. 8 event in his state in Reno.

EliteXC Pitches Reality Show

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The success of "The Ultimate Fighter" has spawned a hand full of knock-offs attempting to capitalize on the mixed martial arts craze. Some have been decent, others shamefully bad.

With its cable and network television roots, EliteXC has proven itself accessible to mainstream tastemakers. EliteXC CEO Chuck Champion recently told MMAInsider the company is attempting to capitalize on those connections once again with an MMA-themed reality show.

A pilot for the show is complete, and Doug DeLuca, Elite's former executive chairman, is helping it get seen around town. Reality kingpin Mark Burnett has also taken an active involvement with development.

"I've said it before in other industries," Champion said. "If the shoe fits, steal it. The UFC has figured out 'I've gotta have a way for these guys to start getting an audience following' in order to take them into a pay per view environment."

The premise of the untitled show as Champion tells it:

"It's a concept of you roll into town, some kid's been picked on all his life, and somebody picked on him. So let's put the guy who picked on him in the ring with someone who knows how to fight, see how he enjoys that."

Apparently, an EliteXC fighter will square off with the bully to determine the size of a cash prize that goes to the bullied.

"You can make money the longer you're in the ring. If you go into the ring, you're given so much, and you lose so much if you get taken down. So hypothetically, if I give you 10,000 bucks, you lose a thousand bucks every time you get taken down, you don't want to get taken down, do you? And you can make money for every fifteen seconds you can last standing with this professional fighter. You make money.

"So naturally, these professional fighters are selected very carefully, and the contestants are grilled to make sure that they're physically fit. The attendants are on to make sure no one gets hurt...seriously. I've seen the first couple episodes and it's a lot of fun.

"It's the dream we've all had. Who of us have not either picked on someone, or been picked on. I think it's something that will naturally burn deep in people, and Mark's done a fantastic job with production values. It's a very unique concept."

If the show gets picked up, it will not likely go into production until 2009. At that point, local bullies may want to relocate, or get ready for an ass-kicking.

Joe Rogan Is A Bad Man!

Joe Rogan is as sharp as the come on the microphone, whether it be in the comedy club or doing commentary for the UFC, but apparently he's also not the guy to mess with when it comes to training in the gym.

According to Conor Heun, one of Rogan's training partners at 10th Planet jiu-jitsu under famed trainer Eddie Bravo, the former "Fear Factor" host is a legit bad ass when it comes to mixed martial arts.

"He's phenomenal, he's absolutely amazing," Heun said recently on MMAWeekly Radio. "Up until very, very recently he was one of a very, very few people in the gym who I never caught."

"No disrespect, Joe, I love you to death, thank you for all the support, but I did catch him in a triangle recently, it was the first one ever and believe me it made my day."

Heun also commented that Rogan is a force the stand-up realm as well and could be a force if he ever decided to make his move into professional fighting.

"He comes for a traditional martial arts background, some sort of karate or tae kwon do, I'm not sure what it is exactly, but when you see him kicking the bag, the amount of power that guy generates is mind blowing," Heun commented. "His grappling is super technical and intense and he's strong as an ox."

"He's a bad man."

So if you're ever in the crowd for a Joe Rogan comedy show and he cracks on you a little bit, you may want to reconsider heckling him or you may just miss the rest of the show cause you've been knocked out!

Chris Leben: Evolution Of An Icon (2)

Chris Staab and Double Vision Productions created a web-based documentary series on Chris Leben, who is slated to face Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 89 on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Birmingham, England. These are short five to six minute videos that give an interesting behind the scenes type look at Chris Leben and his Team Icon fighters in Hawaii.

In this second episode Chris takes a few members of the Icon Fight Team on a mission to the top of Koko Head Crater. The mission... to replace a damaged heavybag that has been a the top of the mountain for years.

Watch Chris Leben Evolution of an Icon: Episode 1.

Video: Marcus Davis Documentary

Yes, we know this is a little dated, but this documentary on Marcus Davis and his fight team, Team Irish, gives some extensive insight into Davis' background. He talks in depth about his boxing career - more than 20 wins - and how his interest in MMA was sparked much like several other fighters... watching the UFC.

Marcus has made his fifth consecutive trip across the Atlantic for the UFC, as he is scheduled to fight undefeated Paul Kelly on Saturday night at UFC 89 on Spike TV. He is 6-1 in the Octagon, his only loss being a unanimous decision in a his last fight, to Mike Swick, at UFC 85. He looks to rebound against Michael Bisping's Wolfslair teammate at UFC 89 in Birmingham, England.

BetUs.com Betting Odds for UFC 89

Our friends over at BetUs.com have odds up for many of the upcoming UFC and WEC fights. Of course, they've got a couple of lines for Saturday's UFC 89 event in Birmingham, England.

The latest odds for UFC 89 as of Tuesday evening have Michael Bisping favored over Chris Leben, and Brandon Vera over Keith Jardine.

Michael Bisping: -220
Chris Leben: +185

Brandon Vera: -185
Keith Jardine: +145

Click here for the latest UFC 89 odds, and here for the latest MMA lines.

K-1 Readying Dynamite!! Minus Fedor

K-1 has a press conference scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 18, in Japan regarding its Dynamite!! 2008 event. This is K-1's big year ending New Year's Eve event, which is typically the promotion's biggest MMA event of the year.

The promotion had started pushing a possible year-end bout featuring the world's No. 1 ranked heavyweight in Fedor Emelianenko, who is extremely popular in Japan.

Fedor, however, has a contract with Affliction Entertainment in the U.S. His Affliction contract does allow for Fedor to fight elsewhere, especially outside of the U.S. Affliction though has partnered with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions and has Fedor vs. Andrei Arlovski slated for the new partnership's debut event, tentatively planned for Jan. 24 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Such a high profile bout would have to keep Fedor out of any New Year's Eve battles, because it would be extremely risky for Affliction and Golden Boy to put all of their marketing efforts into Fedor vs. Arlovski, only to have Fedor get injured on New Year's Eve.

So far, details of what K-1's plans are for New Year's Eve have been scarce at best, but are likely to come into the light on Saturday.

JZ vs. Hansen on New Year's Eve?

Just about a month ago, top ranked lightweight Gesias "JZ" Calvancante told MMAWeekly.com in an interview that he was eyeing a December return and a fight against Dream Grand Prix winner, Joachim Hansen.

It appears his dreams may come true.

While nothing has been made official by the promotion, JZ should be returning on the New Year's Eve card to face Joachim Hansen in a pivotal lightweight showdown.

Now the interesting part of the story comes in that the fight is likely to take place on the K-1 "Dynamite" year end show, so with no official affiliation to the Dream brand, the fight would be a non-title affair.

Many of the popular Japanese promotions have become notorious for changing things around last minute, so for now this fight is just a rumor, but all signs point to a JZ-Hansen fight to close out 2009.

UFC Hits the Blu-Ray Market in November

The UFC is heading to Blu-ray disc, according to High-Def Digest. The release of "UFC: Ultimate Comebacks" marks the promotions debut on the Blu-ray format, which earlier this year knocked out the competing HD DVD format.

UFC: Ultimate Comebacks will be released on Nov. 18 alongside the DVD edition of the title. It features highlights of fights that originally aired on Spike TV.

The disk is produced by First Look and will carry a list price of $24.98 for the Blu-ray version.

Blu-ray is basically the next generation in DVDs. It offers at least five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs making it much more suitable for high-definition video, according to Blu-ray.com.

Chris Leben: Evolution Of An Icon (1)

Chris Staab and Double Vision Productions created a web-based documentary series on Chris Leben, who is slated to face Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 89 on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Birmingham, England. These are short five to six minute videos that give an interesting behind the scenes type look at Chris Leben and his Team Icon fighters in Hawaii.

This first episode gives viewers an introduction to Leben and his surroundings at the Icon gym.

VIDEO: Ken and Frank Shamrock Talk Shop

Despite being adoptive brothers, Ken and Frank Shamrock have made no bones about the fact that they just don't seem to get along. Prior to what was supposed to be a fight between Ken and Internet legend Kimbo Slice at EliteXC's recent event on CBS Televsion, Ken and Frank sat down for a brief interview together. Although it didn't last long, it was a pretty emotional couple of minutes with the brothers talking about the family business... and each other.

Bisping Isn't Title Happy... Yet!

Since making his move to the middleweight division, popular British fighter Michael Bisping has had a very hard time keeping his name away from matchmakers across the globe putting him in a title fight against current UFC champion Anderson Silva.

Bisping takes the fans enthusiasm as a huge compliment, but also knows ultimately it's up to the UFC who he fights and when.

"Me personally, I take the compliment from it, but I don't read too much into it," Bisping said to MMAWeekly Radio recently. "Obviously, it's very flattering."

Never one to jump ahead of himself, the Brit admits that he'd always accept a title shot, but it's not something he wishes for yet at this point in his career as a 185-pounder.

"If a title fight was offered in my next fight, obviously I'd take it, but right now if I had a say in it, I wouldn't want that just yet," Bisping stated. "I'm still maturing as a fighter. I'd still want two or three more fights before I got that opportunity."

First things first, Bisping takes his shot at Chris Leben this weekend in England at UFC 89.

Nick Diaz FINALLY Gets Paid

In a brief news update on Caesar Gracie's website, he posted an update on the status of some of his fighters and what they have going on.

As we posted here in the MMAInsiderBLOG, Jake Shields opened up his new academy over the weekend. It is a new GracieFighter Academy located in Berkley, Calif.

Nick Diaz has been confirmed to fight Eddie Alvarez on the Nov. 8 EliteXC fight card in Reno, Nev., and now he's also been paid for his fight for Dream… which took place FIVE MONTHS ago! According to Gracie, Diaz has agreed to return to Japan, but leaves the door for speculation wide open as he says, "At this point it is unclear for which organization" that Diaz will fight for in Japan.

It has been oft rumored that Nick's brother, Nate Diaz, will be fighting on the Dec. 13 Ultimate Fighter Finale on Spike TV. The update indicates that Nate is still waiting to hear if he will actually be added to the card or not.

Another GracieFighter team member, Damien Douglas, is expecting to return to ShoXC on the November card. Douglas is 3-1 in MMA thus far, winning his most recent ShoXC outing, defeating Joe Schilling in September.

Surprise! UFC Likely to Ohio During Arnolds

Not that it's a big surprise, but Bernie Profato, head of the Ohio Athletic Commission, told the "The Plain Dealer" in Cleveland that the UFC has tentative plans to return to the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on March 7, the same weekend as the Arnold Sports Expo.

The promotion has run events in Columbus the past two years, both times the same weekend as the Arnolds, pulling from the huge crowds that flock there for the fitness expo. The demographic for both has a huge crossover, so it is a "no brainer" for the MMA juggernaught.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship debuted in Columus at UFC 68 in 2007, setting what was at the time a North American attendance record with 19,079 fans in attendance. The Octagon was set up again in Columbus in 2008 for UFC 82, drawing more than 16,000.

J-Lau, Rivera, Herring to Visit U.S. Troops

UFC lightweight contender Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon, 17-4, 4 KOs, 13 submissions), star of The Ultimate Fighter 5 television reality show, leaves Tuesday on a 10-day goodwill trip visiting U.S. military troops in Iraq.

Fellow mixed-martial arts fighters Jorge Rivera and Heath Herring are among the other athletes on the trip. "It's going to be an amazing experience," 24-year-old Lauzon said. "I can't wait to go overseas and see the troops in Iraq."

For more information about Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon, who has a Bachelor's degree in computer networking from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, go online and visit www.joelauzon.com or myspace.com/lauzonrsd.

VIDEO: Dana White On Kimbo Firestorm

UFC president Dana White, in a video interview that appears on YouTube.com, commented on the recent EliteXC controversy surrounding Seth Petruzelli and his knockout of Kimbo Slice. White explains what he believes to be the alleged illegality of the situation.

WARNING: A word of caution, in typical Dana White fashion, there is is some rather harsh language, laced with expletives throughout the video.

Live Wire Demo of UFC 2009 Undisputed

Most UFC fans realize that the promotion has been involved with THQ in developing a completely new video game based on the action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. If it lives up to the hype and the public demos, it is sure to be the best mixed martial arts based video game on the market.

This video has a demo of the game, extensive details about its playability, and ames many of the fighters - Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Quinton Jackson, Anderson Silva, more - that are slated to be included in the UFC 2009 Undisputed final roster.

The video comes to us via IGN.com and is the E3 2008: Live Wire Demo of UFC 2009 Undisputed.

Chris Leben Relishes Role as the Evil Villain

There's no denying that Chris Leben will be the one stepping into the lion's cage when he faces Michael Bisping at UFC 89 on Saturday night... and that's fine by him.

Bisping is far and away the biggest mixed martial arts star in England and the crowd will be whole-heartedly behind him when he and Leben enter the Octagon.

Leben addressed the crowd situation in a recent UFC conference call promoting the fight:

"Michael's a star over here and it's an honor to fight him over here. I wouldn't want it any other way. I've said it before, I'll say it again, I like being the bad guy. I really do.

There's nothing cooler than... he can make thousands of people scream, that's cool, but when, come the 18th, when I make 'em all go dead still and quiet, that's going to be something real special."

Of course, Bisping couldn't let that lie, and you could hear the Cheshire grin on his face through the phone line when he responded, "Well, just don't count on that experience."

Georges St. Pierre Gets His Black Belt On

UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre seems to find success wherever he goes, even when he isn't in the Octagon. He's been filming a new movie, signed with the highly touted CAA Sports alongside David Beckham and Derek Jeter, and is preparing for a likely mega fight against lightweight champion B.J. Penn.

On Saturday, however, he achieved another milestone in his martial arts development. St. Pierre was awarded his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, according to Gracie Magazine.

St. Pierre evidently went to train jiu-jitsu at the Tristar Martial Arts Academy in Montreal and, unbeknownst to him, his instructor, Bruno Fernandes, had determined it was to be the day that St. Pierre received his black belt in BJJ.

Laying out three of the high points of his career, according to Gracie Magazine, St. Pierre said, " When I received my black belt in karate, when I conquered the UFC belt, and today."

Fernandes is a Gracie Barra black belt and holder of several jiu-jitsu titles. He has been one of St. Pierre's instructors for several years.

UFC 90 Silva vs. Cote Promo Video

This is the Ultimate Fighting Championship's official promotional video for UFC 90 in Chicago. The Oct. 25 fight card features a main event between current middleweight king Anderson "The Spider" Silva and Canadian Patrick Cote.

The main card is scheduled to air live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT:
-Anderson Silva (#1 Middleweight in the world)* vs. Patrick Cote
-Thiago Alves (#3 Welterweight in the World)* vs. Diego Sanchez (#8 Welterweight in the World)*
-Fabricio Werdum (#6 Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Junior dos Santos
-Tyson Griffin vs. Sean Sherk
-Thales Leites vs. Goran Reljic

Check out the full UFC 90 fight card in MMAWeekly.com's Rumors section.

*Based on the MMAWeekly.com World MMA Rankings.

GSP and B.J. Throw Down at the Movies

Before UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and lightweight titleholder B.J. Penn step into the Octagon for their much anticipated superfight, they'll do battle in front of the camera. Not with each other, sadly, but in a movie coming soon to a theater near you.

St. Pierre spoke about the project Tuesday in a non-descript West Los Angeles hotel, where he roomed only steps away from former UFC champ Andrei Arlovski.

Tentatively titled, "Sex, Blood, and Fight" - a family film, no doubt - St. Pierre will appear in three scenes alongside other UFC veterans.

"It was very fun," St. Pierre said of his first film experience. "The producer of the movie really helped me a lot. In the movie, when you punch somebody, it isn't by the book when you learn how to punch. You don't keep your elbow close and you don't rotate with your core. You have to really show the move, totally the opposite of what you learn in the academy."

Penn's manager and brother, J.D. Penn, confirmed B.J.'s participation in the movie, but said he was not shooting any scenes with Georges. "I wish," he said.

Georges hopes his new relationship with CAA sports will open new opportunities for him in the entertainment realm. The talent agency is among the vaunted "big three" in talent agencies, and St. Pierre is the first MMA fighter they've signed.

It's unknown whether the movie is MMA-themed or not - heaven help us if it's a sequel to "Never Back Down" - but St. Pierre's participation certainly adds to MMA's visibility, and a shade of class to the project.

Unless, of course, he plays a psychopathic killer.

Fighting each other, though, you'd think B.J. and Georges would have a little less trouble getting into character.