Dana White's UFC 90 Video Blog (Ep 5)

UFC President Dana White presents his fifth blog for the UFC 90 weekend. In this edition, Dana takes us behind the scenes at the UFC 90 weigh-ins and the fighter rules meeting with special guests like Playboy covergirl Rachelle Leah, the Tapout Crew, Matt Serra, and more.

Dana White UFC 90 Video Blog: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4

JZ and Shaolin on Course for NYE in Japan

There is a star-studded cast of international fighters in Chicago this week for UFC 90, including a strong contingent of Brazilian fighters. A couple of the more prominent fighters from Brazil informed MMAInsider that, not surprisingly, they are heading to Japan for New Year's Eve.

Gesias "JZ" Calvancante said that he has healed up from his injuries and will be fighting during Japan's biggest MMA time of year. The deal hasn't been completely finalized yet, but he plans on fighting Dream champion Joachim Hansen, as previously reported by MMAWeekly.com.

Of course, with Japan's penchant for changing up fights at the last minute, you never know.

In town to corner Thales Leites, Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro said that he whole-heartedly plans on fighting in Japan on New Year's Eve as well. He still is under contract with Dream and will fight, but he has yet to be given an opponent.

Kind of sliding in under the radar is Shaolin's recent decision to pull up roots and come to America. About four months ago, according to him, he moved to Jersey City, N.J. and now has his own academy open in mid-town Manhattan.

Live Update From UFC 90: Leites & Fisher

MMAInsider is live in attendance for all the activities surrounding UFC 90 this weekend in Chicago. Friday was weigh-in day. Here are a few of the scoops and tidbits to come out of the event so far.

Thales Leites, coming off of a controversial split decision win over Nate Marquardt, had no trouble making weight on Friday, weighing in at 186 pounds for his fight against Drew McFedries. Leites spent a good portion of the rest of his day on Friday refueling and says he'll likely be about 202 pounds come fight time on Saturday night. That is a huge recovery in just 24 hours!

How does UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva relax when he's waiting around? He plays soccer of course... well, he plays soccer on his PSP.

MMAInsider ran into Spencer Fisher and Matt Hume at Boarders after the weigh-ins. Fisher trained specifically with Hume for this fight. Though he is a representative of Miletich Fighting Systems, Fisher felt he needed to get out and try something new to freshen up his game.

Manager Monte Coxe and associated fighters like Rich Franklin, who has also traveled northwest to Washington state to train with Hume recently, suggested Hume. Fisher says he really benefited from the change in scenery and working with Hume.

We shall see at UFC 90 as Fisher steps into the Octagon to face Shannon Gugerty, who arrives with an 11-2 record and Dean Lister in his corner.

Fighter Sitings - other fighters in town to work the corner, show support, or just hang out include: Gina Carano, Kim Couture, Randy Couture, Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, Tim Sylvia, Gesias "JZ" Calvancante, Dave "The Crow" Louiseau, Rory Markham, Miguel Torres, Jay Hieron, Mike Pyle, Matt Lindland, Dan Henderson, Matt Hughes, Clay Guida, and more.

Lame Siting: Just 24 hours before the UFC takes over Allstate Arena, who is occupying the building? Not much of an opening act for the toughest sport on the planet... New Kids on the Block.

Cain Velasquez Gives Back to the Community

Cain Velasquez is just returning to light training after tearing his meniscus last month.

The rising UFC heavyweight was forced to pull out of a fight with newcomer Mustafa Al-Turk on the Dec. 10 "Fight for the Troops" event at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Doctors have said he will not be ready to fight again until February. No UFC card has been announced for that month, but a return at UFC 94 on Jan. 31 seems plausible. Sources from his camp agreed that the Super Bowl weekend card was a good fit.

In the meantime, Velasquez has agreed to do some community service. Along with trainer Tom Ortiz and Arizona State University assistant wrestling coach Brian Stigh, Velasquez will read to underprivileged kids at the UMOM center in Phoenix, Arizona. Velasquez was a two-time All American at ASU, and often returns to Tempe to train with for former teammates Ryan Bader, CB Dolloway, and Aaron Simpson.

"It's a good experience to go in and give back to the less fortunate," Velasquez told MMAInsider.

Velasquez said he will be in Arizona until November, when he goes back to American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California to begin hard training for his next fight.

Dana White's UFC 90 Video Blog (Ep 4)

UFC President Dana White presents his fourth blog for the UFC 90 weekend. In this edition, Dana heads over to the UFC 90 press conference and talks with the media in attendance about the downfall of ProElite and EliteXC, and then does ESPN radio with Steve Cofield.

He really layed into EliteXC again, saying, "Guys that (expletive) fix fights shouldn't be in the business... I don't need scumbags like that blowing it for everybody."

Dana White UFC 90 Video Blog: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3

Be Tito Ortiz for Halloween (Yes, This is Real)

As Halloween approaches this year, many MMA fans are left trying to think of the perfect outfit to wear to the big party this year. Or maybe you still have to dress up the kids in the best MMA outfit to go Trick or Treating?

Well look no further as Punishment Athletics has provided the ideal outfit for the MMA fan who can go as none other than former UFC light heavyweight champion, Tito Ortiz.

From PunishmentAthletics.com

Costume includes:
Original black flame shorts, Tito Ortiz UFC 84 after fight shirt, Titos trademark yellow beanie, Punishment black socks, 2 new Punishment wrist bands

Fight gloves not included.

(Note: Outfit does not include Jenna Jameson as date for Halloween party)

Photo courtesy of PunishmentAthletics.com

MMA Live Episode 24

MMA Live from ESPN hits with the latest episode featuring special guest analyst, Stephan Bonnar. The crew talks Elite XC and UFC 90 coming up this weekend.

Live From UFC 90 Update

MMAInsider is live in attendance for all the activities surrounding UFC 90 this weekend in Chicago. Today was the pre-fight press conference and these are a few of the scoops to come out of the event so far.

- UFC 90 currently has sold 10,081 tickets for a live gate at this time of $2.7 million, the largest in Allstate Arena's history.

- Thiago Alves has answered the question many times already, but he once again reassured the crowd in attendance that he would indeed make weight for his fight against Josh Koscheck on Saturday night.

"I'm going to make weight," Alves said simply.

- UFC President Dana White is also virtually guaranteeing Alves makes his weight saying, "If he doesn't, we're going to drag him downstairs and stone him to death."

(On a sidenote - please make weight Thiago)

Stay tuned to the MMAInsider's Blog for more information as it becomes available from UFC 90.

Yamasaki To Ref Couture vs Lesnar at UFC 91

At the Nevada State Athletic Commision meetin on Wednesday, the Commission determined that Mario Yamasaki would be the referee in charge of the action when UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture defends his belt against Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 on Nov. 15 in Las Vegas.

Also called to work for the bout were judges Jeff Mullen, Cecil Peoples, and Tony Weeks.

The bout marks Couture's return to the Octagon following more than a year mired in legal battles with the promotion.

The winner between Couture and Lesnar will face the winner of the bout between interim champion Antinio Rodrigo Nogueira and challenger Frank Mir, who are fighting on Dec. 27 at UFC 92. That unification bout will likely take place in early 2009.

Dana White's UFC 90 Video Blog (Ep 3)

UFC President Dana White takes you behind the scenes of UFC 90 as he prepares for the production side of the show. Also catch training footage of UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, and other fighters competing on this weekend's card.

Dana White UFC 90 Video Blog: Episode 1, Episode 2

"It's A Good Day These Guys Are Gone"

As the building blocks of Elite XC continue to crumble since the announcement of the promotion going out of business came out on Monday, just about everybody under the sun has had an opinion of the short lived MMA organization.

One person in the business who is likely the most important voice to listen to, UFC president Dana White, commented in his personal blog on Wednesday about the company's downfall.

"Obviously today is a great day in MMA, Pro Elite is dead," said White.

Never one to hold back his thoughts, White also unloaded on former Elite XC live events president, Jeremy Lappen, who has seemingly not had much success in the MMA business, and Dana thinks his college degree might come in handy.

"Jeremy Lappen, the three time loser," White commented with a laugh. "This guy was in a company called "Battle Management", then the WFA, and now Pro Elite."

"Jeremy, you have a law degree, go get a real (expletive) job. Go get a real job, your parents must be bummed out, spend all that money on a law degree, and you're (expletive) around in MMA, trying to screw up this business. Go screw up somebody's (expletive) court case or go do something else."

White also threw in a few comments on the future of former Elite XC vice president Jared Shaw, who along with Lappen have remained silent since their promotion folded earlier this week.

"And then the little rapper kid, you got a rich daddy, you can just live at home with your mom and dad, and live in the basement," White joked. "You don't even have to get a job, you can hang out at nightclubs and DJ and go back to the basement and go to sleep, you little (expletive)."

Of course the former head of Elite XC, Gary Shaw, who still has a prominent place in the professional boxing arena, got a shot as well.
"Gary Shaw, he's going to be around for a long time in boxing. As long as he stays in boxing, all us MMA people can be happy."

Following speculation that the company paid a fighter to stand-up in a sanctioned bout, an investigation into the allegations by the Florida State Athletic Commission and mounting debt, Elite XC had no other choice but to close up shop, and White is more than happy with the result.

"It's a good day these guys are gone."

Florian Martial Arts Center Brings MMA To The Masses

UFC lightweight contender, Kenny Florian, and his brother Keith, have opened their own training center in Brookline, Mass to help build and teach MMA to new students throughout the area.

In the following video, Keith demonstrates some grappling techniques while Kenny explains what students will learn training while at the Florian Martial Arts Center.

Dana White's UFC 90 Video Blog (Ep 2)

UFC President Dana White presents his second blog for the UFC 90 weekend. In this edition, Dana talks about the downfall of ProElite and EliteXC as well as a beef with radio host and former Yamma announcer, Scott Farrell.

"Obviously today is a great day in MMA, ProElite is dead... so today is a good day," says White in this latest edition of his UFC 90 video blog.

Dana White UFC 90 Video Blog: Episode 1

Fighters Hiding Injuries May Face Disciplinary Action in the Future

The Nevada State Athletic Commission at its meeting on Wednesday raised the issue of fighters that lie about injuries on the pre-fight medical examinations. Despite fighters having to undergo a medical exam prior to fights, not everything can be detected in this exams. Some fighters apparently choose to hide injuries that they think they can fight through.

The Commission deemed the frequency of such occurances and the seriousness of it enough to bring it up for consideration.

Though nothing much new materialized from the discussion, the Commissioners reiterated that they have the right to pursue disciplinary action against any fighter or trainer who fails to disclose an injury that was suffered in training, and that they may have to exercise that right in the future.

"Seth (Petruzelli) was paid to stand up."

MMAWeekly.com talked with EliteXC consultant T.Jay Thompson on Monday night about the fallout from ProElite (EliteXC) closing its doors. Thompson was the founder of SuperBrawl, which later morphed into ICON Sport. He sold ICON to ProElite and now it is mired in the mess of the EliteXC meltdown.

Thompson was around at the final EliteXC show, "Heat," where Ken Shamrock withdrew from the main event at the last minute and UFC dropout Seth Petruzelli was tabbed to fight Kimbo Slice at the last minute.

Unless you were under a rock, you know Petruzelli KO'd Kimbo and then a firestorm ensued when he went on a Florida-based radio show talking about how he was influenced to keep the fight standing against Kimbo.

Thompson relayed his insights on the issue, and let's just say they offer no relief to the parties involved that have been trying to say that nothing of the sort happened:

"I was there cageside and watched the whole thing happen," Thompson told MMAWeekly.com. "Watching Jared Shaw jumping up and down and screaming as a representative of the company, I think was disgusting and embarrassing." He continued, "I don’t have a smoking gun, (but) I've been around long enough; I've talked to enough people that were there, I won't name names of executives in the company that I know. Seth was paid to stand up. I'm confident of that. If the commission wants to talk to me, I'll tell them what I know."

Affliction Releases Promo Video for Fedor vs. Arlovski

It's already been pretty well know for a while now, but Affliction has released a promotional video for the Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski fight. The bout will headline Affliction's second effort, which is scheduled to take place on Jan. 24 at The Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Video: Brock Lesnar on ESPN's E:60

Brock Lesnar on Tuesday night appeared on ESPN's magazine show E:60. The segment on Lesnar provides some great background on the man who is challenging UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture at UFC 91 on Nov. 15 in Las Vegas.

Go To Sleep In The Cage...Literally!

Have you ever dreamed about competing in the cage or the octagon? Now you have the chance to actually dream about it while sleeping in your own octagon bed courtesy of the great folks at TapouT.

For only $950.00 you can have your own cage bed with octagon headboards.

http://shop.tapout.com/index.cfm?fa=Shop.detail&productId=3914

No one can ever knock MMA clothing and accessory companies for their lack of creativity.

Although you might have a hard time convincing your girlfriend or wife going for this one, but it is definitely the ultimate MMA fan's bed for sure!

Dana White's UFC 90 Video Blog (Ep 1)

UFC President Dana White's UFC 90 video blog. This first episode focuses on The Ultimate Fighter tryouts in London for season 9 including some great behind the scenes footage showing some of the fighters grappling and sparring. Plus a little bit with Michael Bisping talking about the stitches in his ear following his UFC 89 fight with Chris Leben.

UFC 92 The Ultimate Tickets on Sale

Tickets for UFC 92 "The Ultimate 2008" go on sale to the general public beginning Saturday, Oct. 25 at 10 a.m. PT. There are presale options to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public.

Starting Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. PT, tickets for UFC 92 go on sale to UFC Fight Club members. And on Friday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. PT, tickets go on sale to newsletter subscribers.

UFC 92 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Dec. 27 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It features three of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's highest profile fights of the year. Forrest Griffin puts his newly won light heavyweight championship on the line against Rashad Evans, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defends his heavyweight interim belt against fellow Ultimate Fighter 8 coach Frank Mir, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson returns to the Octagon to try and avenge two brutal losses to Wanderlei Silva.

ProElite Shutting It's Doors Today (Tuesday)

EliteXC executive JT Steele informed the Nevada State Atheltic Commission on Tuesday of "the unfortunate confirmation that the November 8, 2008 EliteXC event will be canceled. It is with great regret that I must also inform you that ProElite, Inc. will be closing our operation today."

There had been some speculation that ProElite may run out the week, but it looks like that's not going to happen, not that it made any difference to the parties involved anyway.

It's a little early to tell how the closing of ProElite will effect the various fighters and promotions involved, most of them are spending a considerable amount of time today - and probably in the coming days - either on the phone with or in the offices of their lawyers trying to determine what their options are.

King of the Cage and Cage Rage have both gone on record to MMAWeekly saying that they will persevere, although it is unclear in what form or fashion.

Jake Shields told MMAWeekly on Tuesday that he is hoping to be set free from his contract and not be a part of the liquidation of ProElite's assets, as he'd like to fight against as soon as possible and has his sights set on the UFC.

Business As Usual for King of the Cage?

Despite the downfall of ProElite and EliteXC, King of the Cage, via the following press release on their website on Tuesday, says that it will continue operations as normal, despite being a subsidiary of ProElite:

King of the Cage, Inc. (KOTC) is fully aware of the reports surrounding the financial difficulties of ProElite, Inc. (PE) and the reports that PE has filed or may soon file a bankruptcy case. KOTC is currently reviewing and investigating the situation and has determined that no bankruptcy case has yet been filed by PE . Although KOTC is a wholly owned subsidiary of PE, it has maintained its own independent operational structure since its acquisition by PE. While there may be some short term impact on KOTC's operations, KOTC intends to fulfill all of its existing obligations and to conduct all of its scheduled events. KOTC further intends to resume normal business operations as quickly as possible and to continue to grow its brand as it has for the past 10 years. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available.

Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra in April... Maybe

Ever since their words of war on The Ultimate Fighter, there has been a tremendous wall of friction between former UFC welterweight champions Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. Both fighters and fans seem to think the only way it will be resolved is in the Octagon.

Well, that may just happen. Matt Hughes posted the following information on his official website Monday night, indicating that the UFC is looking towards a battle between the two Matts this spring:

"This week, I talked to Joe Silva at the UFC and a possible date for Serra and I is in April. I don’t know the exact date right now or venue. So, that is something that I can look forward to and I can set my training up for that schedule."

"Out of a job, will fight for food."

To all of the people who are now out of a job due to ProElite, Inc. (EliteXC, King of the Cage, ICON Sport, Cage Rage, etc.) closing its doors, it's surely not a humorous subject. The bungling of the way the company was run, driving it into bankruptcy, affects a huge chunk of MMA history, as well as its future.

There are now hundreds of fighters looking for work. But British fighter James Thompson, who suffered a controversial loss at the hands of Kimbo Slice when they met in the first CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night Fights, tried to inject a little humor into the situation.

For people using the Facebook social networking site, there is a feature called "What are you doing right now?" that lets you send out a blast to all of your Facebook friends, basically just telling them whatever you want at that moment.

Thompson on Tuesday morning sent out the following "What are you doing right now?" blast:

"James Thompson is out of a job (will fight for food)."

Here's hoping that Thompson and the other fighters that were under contract through ProElite's various entities are able to break free and find work sooner rather than later.

Mike Swick Has Harsh Words For Marcus Davis

American Kickboxing Academy standout Mike Swick might have been the only one not cheering for Marcus Davis after his UFC 89 fight with Paul Kelly.

On the DQ list after a longstanding injury to his right elbow forced him into surgery, Swick had healed enough to accept a fight with Jonathan Goulet at "UFC Fights for the Troops" on December 10. His last fight, a unanimous decision victory over Davis at UFC 85, had been a positive step forward in his career as a welterweight. But when Davis gave a victory speech on Saturday, his opinion of the popular welterweight changed.

"I would have never mentioned it had he not said anything, but it really upset me," Swick told MMAInsider on Monday. "The first thing he said is 'it's really tough coming off a loss and an injury.' He talks about being a warrior, and as soon as he loses, he starts making excuses."

In interviews leading up to the Saturday night fight, Davis said a shoulder injury had contributed to his loss, a statement Swick bristles at.

"That's very disrespectful to take the fight away from somebody when they dominate you," Swick said. "It's especially disrespectful when a guy who dominated you is more injured than you are. I was told not to even take the fight. I took the fight, I never said a word about anything, and then after the fight, I went straight back here and had surgery. Basically just recovering enough to fight in December, and he gets done with the fight and takes another fight instantly. And he's gonna go with all these excuses about being injured. I just don't think it's very warrior-like."

Swick was particularly caught off guard by the comments because Davis had been so friendly in the past. In the ensuing chatter after Davis' most recent fight, Swick says the comments have armed critics who were looking to bash him at every turn. He felt he had to fire back.

"You're talking about a guy who says we're going to fight chin for chin, then for the first two rounds, he tries to take me down," Swick said. "What's up with that?"

Though he hasn't written off Davis completely, Swick says the experience was an eye-opener.

"You can't knowingly take a fight and if it doesn't work out in your favor, cry injury," Swick said. "That's just the bottom line."

Jardine Unsure Who's No. 1 Light Heavy

Typically, most people automatically say whoever holds the title in the UFC is the No. 1 guy in that division, at least in the UFC, right?

Well, Keith Jardine isn't so sure... and that's not because he's bragging and saying that he is the No. 1 guy in the UFC's 205-pound division.

Obviously referring to a crazy round-robin of wins and losses, the UFC's light heavyweight division does make for some strange MMA math. Rampage beat Liddell who beat Wanderlei who beat Jardine who beat Forrest who beat Rampage and is the champ. Say what?!

"This was a huge fight," said Jardine after his win over Brandon Vera at UFC 89 before adding, "The division is weird. Forrest (Griffin) is the champ right now, but who knows who the best guy is? It could be the number one guy. It could be the number ten guy. There's a lot of undefeated guys. There's a lot of guys coming up. I think it's going take a year or so to sort this thing out."

Parisyan To Return at UFC 94

MMA Insider caught up with Karo "The Heat" Parisyan this weekend at the opening of Renato "Babalu" Sobral's new MMA gym in Cerritos, California.

The Armenian welterweight recently signed a new eight fight deal with the UFC and will return at UFC 94 on January 31 in Las Vegas against an unnamed opponent.

Parisyan says he's fully healed from a back injury that forced him from a fight with Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 88. Like Ken Shamrock's "light sparring" debacle at EliteXC's "Heat," Parisyan claims he was rolling with a larger training partner the day before the weigh-ins and aggravated his sciatic nerve when attempting an overhead throw.

"I cried, bro," Parisyan said. "It's the only time I've cried because of an injury."

The UFC was reportedly very disappointed in the cancellation, mostly because 30 or so Japanese journalists had shown up to cover Yoshida's fight.

Since his loss to Thiago Alves at Ultimate Fight Night 13 and the subsequent injury, Parisyan has been less outspoken about getting a title shot. He's got to climb the welterweight ladder again, and mend a few fences. Hopefully, he's taken his Shamrock lesson to heart.

Bisping Doesn't Want to be Handed a Shot at Anderson Silva

Every time he turns around someone is asking Michael Bisping about getting a shot at the UFC middleweight title held by current king Anderson Silva. As he said after his win over Chris Leben at UFC 89, if he had a pound for every time someone asked, he wouldn't really need to be fighting.

"I'm happy with the way it's going," Bisping said at the UFC 89 post-fight press conference. "You've got to win your fights and that's what I'm doing. I just take it one step at a time. I don't want to get ahead of myself."

"Whenever it comes I'll be happy. If they said next fight, I'd be happy. If they said five fights, I'd be happy. As I've said, you've got to earn that right at a title shot. Have I done it yet? I probably haven't. I don't think I have. That's what I want to do. I want to earn it. I don't just want to be given it because I'm from the U.K. or whatever. I want to earn that right, and I want to beat the best guys in the division."

Leben played all his cards against Bisping

Chris "The Crippler" Leben went into UFC 89 with the intentions of knocking Michael "The Count" Bisping out, but found himself at the end of the Englishman's punches and unable to solidly connect with his looping strikes.

Frustration mounted in the waning moments of round two when Leben dropped his hands and walked in without defense into Bisping's jabs in an effort to get The Ultimate Fighter season three winner to exchange with him.

Leben would repeat the same tactic in the final seconds for round three. "He had landed more shots during the fight. I knew he had probably won those other rounds, so I said, I've got to draw him in somehow," explained Leben.

"I was playing ever card I had. At that point I was like screw the straight. I was trying to get him to come in and bang with me a little bit and maybe I can land that shot," he added. "Sometimes you do and sometimes you don't. This time I didn't. It was Bisping's night."

"You never know what the judges are looking at."

You hear it in mixed martial arts and boxing all the time, "Don't leave the fight in the hands of the judges."

A veteran of nearly 50 bouts in MMA alone, and having competed in boxing as well, Chris Lytle has learned that lesson the hard way, having been on the losing end of several controversial decisions.

Lytle said after his fight with Paul Taylor at UFC 89 that he really enjoyed the fight, "He dealt out as much as he was taking. It was a fantastic fight. I loved it. He's a very tough guy. He has a much better chin than I was expecting."

But enjoying the fight and feeling confident in his performance gave Lytle no false sense of security that he would be handed the victory. "You know, you can never be confident in a decision... I've learned. There's been fights that I thought I won easy and I didn't. So, I wasn't real confident. I mean, I thought I won, but like I said, you never know what the judges are looking at."

Lytle did win the fight, but both men had to go home at least somewhat pleased having earned Fight of the Night honors that scored each of them a $40,000 bonus check.

Frank Shamrock, "We're doing sports entertainment... not sports."

Frank Shamrock was close to the Seth Petruzelli and Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson situation being Ken Shamrock's adoptive brother, offering to step in for Ken after a cut forced him out of the scheduled main event on CBS on Oct. 4 and being one of the broadcasters who called the action that night. Shamrock gave his opinon on Petruzelli's original comments alleging EliteXC paid him to stand with "Kimbo Slice."

"I've had promoters tell me all kinds of crazy stuff. But you don't listen to the promoters. You listen to your coach. You listen to your trainer because the promoter is out for the promoter," acknowledged Shamrock. "Did something weird happen? I doubt it. But it makes a great story and it makes great news."

At this point, it doesn't matter what actually transpired. Public perception is all that matters. And the public perception is that EliteXC paid Seth Petruzelli to fight a certain way. "People are always going to believe what they want to believe about a sport that's so sexy and dangerous, that walks the line in society," said Shamrock. "We're always going to have people that are butting up against the back of the sport for their own reasons. The truth is, when there's a lot of money involved all kinds of weird stuff happens."

Shamrock continued, "I know for a fact that the commissions and most of these promoters are good guys looking after their guys. And you know what? There's always bad business inside of business. I just don't think bad business happened here. I think, you know, uneducated encouragement happened here. I think zealous promotion happened here, but we're in the business of that. It's like we're doing sports entertainment. We're not doing sports."