Florian and Stevenson Rematch Could Happen Sooner Than Expected... Sort Of

Avi Burk, IGN.com's official gatekeeper of roster announcements for the UFC's pending release "UFC Undisputed 2009," last week announced that Brock Lesnar has officially been made part of the game.

The game, set for a release in Spring of 2009, is being developed from the ground up by THQ. It will not be built upon any of the UFC's past efforts in the gaming industry and promises to be a leap forward in the genre.

Well, the real-life fight already played out at UFC 91 -- where Kenny Florian surprisingly finished Joe Stevenson with a rear naked choke near the end of the first round -- but fans, and even the fighters themselves, will soon be able to recreate the action as Burk says that Florian and Stevenson are the latest official additions to the UFC Undisputed 2009 roster.

Who knows, maybe Stevenson can use the game to help sharpen his strategy for a rematch. He and Florian are two of the brightest stars in the UFC lightweight division. They certainly have to fall into the "highly probable" category for a potential rematch.

(Photos courtesy of IGN.com)

GSP's Long Term Plans. Do They Include Anderson Silva?

Before Georges St. Pierre stepped into UFC 87 to defend his welterweight title against Jon Fitch, rumors began to circle about his current contract expiring after only 1 more fight following the August match-up.

Even back then GSP assured fans that he would make the UFC his home for a long time to come, and he didn't plan on fighting anywhere else.

"We'll end up to an agreement, I'm sure," St. Pierre told MMAWeekly Radio in August.. "I like the UFC, I'm glad I'm champion, I want to represent the sport and also the UFC well."

"The UFC, that's what made me known, and if possible I want to retire there."

While the UFC never really talks much about fighters' contracts, it would have to appear that St. Pierre has been locked into a new deal going into his title fight with Penn.

Also, recent comments from UFC president Dana White saying that if the Canadian was successful in his next bout, he could see a fight with pound for pound king Anderson Silva in his future, would almost solidify St. Pierre's long term plans with the company.

"If GSP beats BJ then you'll see Silva v GSP, possibly at a catch weight," White told The Sun, a British newspaper in October.

St. Pierre's manager, Shari Spencer, had no comment when reached by MMAWeekly.com, but with the Canadian's prospects for big fights in 2009 it looks like "Rush" will be in the Octagon for the foreseeable future and beyond.

Official Gate For UFC 91

Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer has released the final gate numbers for last weekend's UFC 91 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The final tallies are in line with UFC President Dana White's post-event quote of $4.8 million, making it the third biggest earner in Nevada's list of top MMA gates. Chuck Liddell's second encounter with Tito Ortiz at UFC 66 remains at the top of the list with $5,397,300 in revenue, trailed by Georges St. Pierre's rubber match with Matt Hughes at UFC 79 with $4,994,050.

Here are the final numbers for UFC 91:

Live Gate: $4, 815, 675

Tickets Sold: 10,845

"Comp" Tickets: 3, 427

Early pay per view numbers have not been released on the show, but speculation has indicated the UFC may miss its anticipated figure of 1.2 million buys.

Still, $4.8 million is nothing to sneeze at, especially in this wintry economy.

"Fight Professor" Stephen Quadros Takes On Dexter This Weekend

"The Fight Professor" Stephen Quadros, famous for his commentating skills for MMA events all over the world, will step out from behind the microphone to test his acting skills opposite Emmy nominated actor, Michael C. Hall this weekend on the Showtime hit series, "Dexter."

The episode entitled "About Last Night" will feature Quadros in a supporting role on the show.

According to the IMDB.com database, the former Pride, IFL and Elite XC announcer will play a character named "Speedball" so the episode should be interesting to say the least!

Tune in this weekend on Showtime when the "Fight Professor" meets "America's Favorite Serial Killer"!

Preview of Friday Night's Inside MMA

The latest episode of Inside MMA (Episode #245) on HDNet features WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown, rising heavyweight Dave Herman, and MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas, as well as the breakdown of UFC 91 Couture vs. Lesnar.

Add MMAWeekly.com News to your iGoogle Home Page

In their ever expanding attempts to give visitors to the site more options for staying informed on mixed martial arts, MMAWeekly.com now has an official MMAWeekly.com RSS gadget for those of you that want to follow the latest news on your iGoogle home page.

Reminder: Jamie Varner Charity Seminar This Weekend!

World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion Jamie Varner is giving back to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Toys for Tots, and doing a canned food drive, by holding a charity seminar in Arizona on Saturday, Nov. 22.

The champ spoke to MMAWeekly Radio recently about putting the charity seminar together, and doing something good for his community.

"I wanted to do something for the people here in Arizona to kind of get to know me and people around the nation to get to know me, and see that I’m more than just a fighter and that I have a big heart, a kind heart," Varner stated. "So it’s probably going to end up being a four to six hour seminar, free seminar. It’s going to be 100 percent charity derived."

The seminar will take cash donations, unopened toys and canned goods, to help the above mentioned charities.


To help or contribute please e-mail: info@lgsportsmarketing.com

Information on the seminar:

JAMIE VARNER 1st Annual Charity Seminar

Hosted By: Sunkist Kids

Where: Sunkist Kids Wrestling/ASU Wrestling Room (see below for details)

When: Saturday November 22nd, 2008

Time: 11:00 am

Schedule: You should arrive 30 minutes prior to your sessions start time. There are full locker rooms available (His and Hers) so come prepared or change when you arrive.

11:00-12:15 will be Beginners and Women and Children Self Defense Techniques. Jamie and his instructors will show basic moves and basic self defense techniques.

12:30-2:30 will be intermediate training, Jamie will take you through some moves from the various disciplines he trains (wrestling, boxing, jujitsu, and kick boxing) and him and his team will show you how to apply these techniques into MMA.

24 Hours Later: Jon Fitch Back With UFC

Fitch Back With UFC
by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com

Less than 24 hours after the news that welterweight stand-out Jon Fitch has been released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the situation has been resolved and Fitch is back with the UFC.

The news was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by members of Zinkin Entertainment, Fitch's management team, who said that the deal was brokered between their executives, Jon Fitch and UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta just earlier today.

Zinkin executive and American Kickboxing Academy trainer, Bob Cook, spoke to MMAWeekly.com on Wednesday after Fitch was officially invited back to the UFC.

"Jon and I spoke with Lorenzo Fertitta and we managed to put everything back together," Cook told MMAWeekly.com.

Cook also says that everybody from the American Kickboxing Academy, including Fitch, Cain Velasquez, and Josh Koscheck would be signing on to the video game contract that seemingly brought about part of this departure from the UFC.

"Yes, the guys will be part of the video game program and the conversation with Lorenzo, they're comfortable with the situation and everybody's moving forward," stated Cook.

The day started with a conversation between Fitch and UFC president Dana White according to Cook, and eventually UFC owner, Lorenzo Fertitta stepped in the negotiation as well and things were soon settled.

"I just think that Jon's and Lorenzo's personalities mesh a little better," Cook said of the negotiations.

Fitch first spoke to MMARated.com about his return to the UFC on Thursday afternoon saying, "Communication kind of broke down with Dana (White) so we talked with Lorenzo," Fitch explained to MMARated. "(I) just got off the phone with him and we came to an agreement. We're going to move ahead and I'll be back in the UFC."

On Wednesday, Dana White made several inflammatory statements about the American Kickboxing Academy, their fighters, the management and the team at Zinkin Entertainment. Cook says now with the situation resolved, he hopes to speak to White and get back to work.

"I've got a call out to Dana (White) right now, he's doing some interviews right now, but hopefully he'll give me a call back and we'll patch things up."

St. Pierre vs. Penn 2 Hawaii Presser Rescheduled - Venue Change

Due to the threat of inclement weather, the venue has been changed indoors to the Blaisdell Concert Hall

On Friday, November 21, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn, and UFC President Dana White will hit Honolulu for a public press conference and free viewing party at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Doors will open at 4pm HT, with a live musical performance by J-Boog and Fiji talking place from 5 to 6pm HT. The press conference will begin at 6:15pm, followed by a free large-screen viewing from the Shell of classic St-Pierre and Penn fights. UFC T-shirts will be given free to the first 2,000 fans in attendance. There are no charges to attend this event.

MMA Live Breaks Down UFC 91 and Previews Strikeforce

The latest edition of ESPN's MMA Live breaks down the post-fight coverage of UFC 91 and previews Friday night's Strikeforce event.

Affliction VP To Fitch: Come On Over

UFC President Dana White's comments on Wednesday about welterweight Jon Fitch's dismissal from his company perked up more than a few ears in the industry.

One party interested in Fitch's services: Tom Atencio, Vice President of Affliction Entertainment. White named the "t-shirt guys" as a potential home for the American Kickboxing Academy fighter in the wake of his unemployment.

MMAInsider spoke to Atencio Thursday afternoon, where he confirmed Fitch would be welcome to fight for Affliction.

"Yes I am," Atencio said of his interest. "Does that mean we're going to get him? Don't know."

Atencio commended Fitch for standing up to the proverbial 800lb. gorilla.

"I think if you don't agree with something, than you should stand up for what you don't agree with," he continued. "And I've got to give it to him, he's got balls for doing it."

Though he admits Affliction's welterweight division is thin at the moment, he says the problem can soon be fixed, and Fitch could sign a non-exclusive deal with the company.

"We're still working both ways," Atencio said of Affliction's contracts. "There's some guys that want to fight in Japan and want to fight in Canada. Until we get going full bore and get 12 fights a year or whatever we'll end up doing, it's really hard for us to hold these guys to anything and make them sit on the bench. If they're not making money, they're not paying their bills. If they're not fighting, they're going to get ring rust. I don't want to do that to them."

As the number two ranked welterweight in the world, it's likely Fitch will soon have several suitors.

"I think he's a great fighter," Atencio said. "He's at the top of his game."

Matt Lindland Documentary To Hit Film Festivals

For over two years, filmmaker David Vahey followed cult MMA hero Matt Lindland around, picking his brain about life and fighting. The result, "Fighting Politics," is a story about the business of mixed martial arts and Lindland's attempt to persevere through its fickle politics.

The film draws upon a variety of fighters and industry insiders to flesh out Lindland's background as an Olympic wrestler who found himself well suited for cage fighting. Lindland's failed bid for an Oregon State Senate seat is also chronicled.

The film's trailer, viewable on the its website, www.fightingpolitics.com, paints Lindland as a fighter poised to be one of the world's best until a snafu involving a tshirt causes his ouster from the fight game's industry juggernaut.

One of the biggest characters in the story, UFC president Dana White, is conspicuously missing from the film. Vahey began corresponding with White in mid-2006 until White found out the true subject of the documentary.

"When we first texted Dana to try to get interviews, he was pretty nice," Vahey says. "When it was a general MMA documentary. As soon as we mentioned (Matt's) name, he blew up on us, saying 'nobody gives a (expletive) about Matt Lindland, and neither do I.' Saying that Dan Henderson was ten times a better fighter than he is, just going on and on about bad a fighter Matt was."

Vahey said after threats that included legal action, White issued a final proclamation that cut off all communication.

The film has been submitted to 25 film festivals between January in March of 2009. Vahey hopes it will pick up a national distributor.

"It’s really not an MMA documentary, it's really more a life story documentary," he said. "There's not a lot of blood and guts--I don't know if the MMA fans are going to like that or not. It's a documentary my mom's watched and liked, so hopefully that it will appeal to more people."

Mike Van Arsdale Joins the Lion's Den

Lion’s Den Scottsdale has officially announced the addition of UFC Veteran Mike Van Arsdale to the facilities elite team of instructors. Van Arsdale, who relocated from Iowa to join the team, is now instructing mixed martial arts and grappling classes at the Scottsdale facility.

“I am honored to be an instructor at the Lion’s Den, one of the most respected mixed martial arts training camps in the world. I’m looking forward to working with the fighters and helping them master the skills needed to take their careers to the next level.” states Van Arsdale.

Van Arsdale holds a professional MMA record of eight wins and five losses. His MMA debut came in 1998 when he traveled to Brazil to compete in the no-rules International Vale Tudo Championships, a tournament in which van Arsdale won three consecutive fights in one evening to claim the title. Van Arsdale was also the 1988 NCAA Division 1 Collegiate Wrestling Champion at 167 lb while competing for Iowa Sate University and was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame.

According to Lion’s Den Founder Ken Shamrock, "Mike Van Arsdale is an extremely skilled and well rounded athlete who has a phenomenal wrestling and MMA background. We are very fortunate to have him as part of our team of instructors at Lion’s Den Scottsdale. Our students will greatly benefit from the skills that Van Arsdale brings to the table. The Lion Den is considered one of the top MMA training facilities in the country and we continue to add top notch talent to our team to stay a cut above the rest.”

Fedor: The Next "Universal Soldier"

In October, MMAInsider first broke the news about a new action movie starring international badass Fedor Emelianenko (oh, and B-listers Rutger Hauer and Michael Madsen too). The movie is currently shooting in Thailand and is scheduled to wrap at the end of November.

Details on the film's plot are sketchy, but the way Fedor puts it, he plays a character not far from the kind his old friend Jean Claude Van Damme used to play in the 90's. Many fans may remember Van Damme's mic-stealing monologue at the conclusion of Fedor's routing of Matt Lindland at BodogFight's "Clash of the Nations."

Also crashing the pre-fight conference for Bodog, the "Muscles from Brussels" promised Emelianenko a part in the subtly named "JCVD," a movie about an aging, out-of-work action star who's divorces and drug addiction have left him penniless...hey, wait a minute.

"It's a fun movie, and I play a special soldier, a specialized fighter," Fedor told MMAWeekly in an interview Tuesday night.

Despite the stone-faced Russian being a lock for playing non-human combatants, he says he will not be trying to usurp Van Damme's old job any time soon.

"To tell you the truth, I really enjoyed being a part of the moviemaking experience, but I think it’s a pleasure that I would only want to do once," he said.

Emelianenko is tired of training outside his trailer.

"I’m ready to get back in the ring," he finished.

"JCVD" is reportedly still in limbo, looking for a distributor. Emelianenko's "Day of Reckoning" begins on Jan. 24 against Andre Arlovski. Don't be surprised if Van Damme shows up at the press conference.

WEC 37 Torres vs. Tapia Promo Video

Bobby Southworth and Yves Edwards Radio

On Tuesday night, MMAWeekly Radio welcomes Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, Bobby Southworth and Yves Edwards to the show just days before the big event in San Jose this Friday.

Southworth defends his 205lb title against Renato "Babalu" Sobral, while Edwards faces late replacement Duane "Bang" Ludwig after original opponent Josh Thomson had to drop out of the fight due to injury.

The show starts at 9pm EST/6pm PST at MMAWeeklyRadio.com

Also don't forget to log into the live fighter chat to talk to other fans and ask questions on the show.

Wednesday night the guys welcome Kim Couture and manager Ed Soares to the show.

Tickets for Fedor vs. Arlovski Go On Sale Wednesday

PRESS RELEASE:

Tickets for Affliction's "Day of Reckoning" will be available to the public starting this Wednesday, November 19 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

The event, which takes place at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. on Saturday, January 24, features a dream match-up between World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts Heavyweight Champion, Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko and top-ranked heavyweight contender Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski. The two adversaries will be battling it out in hand-to-hand combat for the WAMMA championship belt and to prove who will be recognized as the dominant heavyweight mixed martial artist of the world.

Ticket prices range from $50-$450 and can be purchased starting Wednesday through Ticketmaster (all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 714-740-2000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com) and starting Thursday, November 20, at Honda Center Box Office (714-704-2500).

Lindland, Liddell Head ATT Seminar

PRESS RELEASE:

American Top Team of Coconut Creek, FL will be hosting a Super Seminar with some of the best trainers in the MMA world today!

Featuring UFC veteran and top ranked middleweight fighter Matt Lindland from Team Quest. Matt will be working specifically on takedowns, while John Hackleman of The Pit, with special guest former UFC Champion Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell will cover the striking aspect of mma. BJJ World Champion Ricardo Liborio of American Top Team will be covering the ground game.

WHERE: American Top Team - 4631 Johnson Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073
WHEN: Sunday Dec. 7 - 10am - 1pm
COST: $100 payable at the door

This will be a 3 hour seminar covering all aspects of mixed martial arts;
ground work, takedowns, and striking!

This is an amazing opportunity to work with some of the top trainers in the game today.

This special seminar is open to all students and affiliations, beginner through advanced students will all learn from these amazing instructors!

Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity!!

ESPN's MMA Live Breaks Down UFC 91 Live at the Event

Guests include Brock Lesnar, Kenny Florian, and UFC president Dana White.

Kim Couture Mixes It Up With Wanderlei Silva

"The Axe Murderer" has a new sparring partner to duke it out with on the mats of Xtreme Couture: Mrs. Couture.

In a recent interview with MMAInsider, Kim Couture described a sparring session with the former Pride champion that turned more than a few heads at the gym.

"That was a treat," she said with a big smile. "I'm feeling very confident with my boxing. So was he, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten in there with me."

They started slow, throwing a few light punches to the gloves, which Silva was unsatisfied with.

"He was like, 'that's good, now hit me in the face,'" Couture recounted.

When Couture turned up the heat, Silva responded in kind.

"He would turn it up and control it," she continued. "As I would turn it up, he would turn it up. He's such a great guy, and has a few pointers here and there."

Being one of the most feared strikers in the world, you would think so. Afterwards, Silva lifted Couture up with a big hug.

"He's a very good sport," Couture said. "Very inspiring."

Hopefully, a little bit of Silva's killer mojo will rub off on Couture when she faces Lina Kvokov at Strikeforce: "Destruction" on Friday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.

WWE Commentator Jim Ross Talks Brock Lesnar's UFC Title Win

Longtime WWE commentator and noted mixed martial arts fan, Jim Ross, posted commentary on his personal blog about the win last Saturday night by former professional wrestler turned MMA fighter, Brock Lesnar and his win over Randy Couture to become the new UFC heavyweight champion.

Brock Lesnar was "The Next Big Thing" at one time in the WWE and he is definitely "The Next Big Thing" today in the UFC. I expect Lesnar to continue to improve his MMA skills with his burning desire to be the best in his field. The self proclaimed purists of the MMA world can like it or not but for sure they will keep buying tickets and pay per views to see one of their own destroy Lesnar.

Ross has been a supporter of MMA for many years, and has always provided great insight into both the world of professional wrestling, and his love of the sport of MMA.

Ross' employers at the WWE took the opportunity to promote Lesnar as the first man to hold both the WWE and UFC belts, while also taking a shot at the UFC and it's decision to show the entire preliminary card on PPV, something most MMA fans have been ecstatic about:

Critics have noted that many of the fights on the UFC pay-per-view ended in the first round, leaving UFC producers scrambling to fill the three-hour event with content. The dearth of hearty competition left many viewers to watch less prestigious under-card fights and only served to bolster claims that UFC pay-per-view events can often be a "crap shoot" in regards to filling the full three hours.

HDNet Owner Mark Cuban Charged For Insider Trading

HDNet owner Mark Cuban was charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission for insider trading for a deal linking back to 2004.

From the Wall Street Journal:

The SEC alleges in a civil action that Mr. Cuban sold his entire 6% ownership stake on June 28, 2004, after learning that Mamma.com was raising money through a private investment in a public entity, or PIPE. The next day, on June 29, the company announced the PIPE financing and shares of the company dropped by more than 10%. By selling his stake, the SEC alleges, Mr. Cuban avoided more than $750,000 in losses.

In a PIPE transaction new shares are issued at a discount to the current trading price. An announcement of a PIPE transaction is often followed by a drop in the stock price as shareholders anticipate their stake will be diluted.

It's unknown at this time what fallout Cuban will face from the SEC charges, or if will have any effect at all with Cuban's other entities including the popular cable station, HDNet.

Dana White's UFC 91 Video Blog (Ep 7)

UFC President Dana White presents the 7th edition of his video blog for UFC 91.

In this episode, B.J. Penn and Georges St. Pierre join Dana just moments before they officially announce their UFC 94 bout, we get a behind the scenes visit to the locker rooms of UFC 91, live at the event, and behind the scenes after the event including Dana's impromptu interview of Junie Browning... and the ESPN sports desk at UFC 91.

Dana White's UFC 91 Video Blog: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6