Bad Boy Junie Browning Explains His Antics, Apologizes to Frank Mir

Junie Browning was the thorn in everyone's side on season eight of The Ultimate Fighter. He was the instigator, the reactor, the gnat that buzzes in your ear...

After the show was over, many of the other fighters came forward saying that Junie planned to play the bad boy role well before he ever made it to the fighter house.

In a report by Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press, Krzysztof Soszynski said, "To be honest with you, he did everything for show. It was a whole joke to him. Basically he told me the very first day we met - and before our fights to get into the house - he basically said 'If I get into this house, I'm going to be the crazy guy.'"

Efrain Escudero and Ryan Bader echoed Soszynski's statements, but Phillipe Nover only partially agreed. In Davidson's report, Nover said, "He was definitely trying (to be the bad boy) and he was... It's a reality TV show and your true colors will show. Especially after a week or two of being in the house. You can't fake an act for a month straight. He definitely showed his true colors. He was a crazy maniac type of kid."

After he defeated Dave Kaplan by armbar on Saturday night, Junie himself was asked about his "act" on the show by UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan.

"It wasn't all planned. It was just more the fact that I didn't let the cameras dictate the way I was going to act," Browning said about his behavior on the show. "Somebody messed with me, I just snapped. If I'm going to get pissed, I might as well make it entertaining."

Taking the show as a learning lesson, Browning has obviously grown up since the filming finished. He even offered an apology to former coach, Frank Mir, who has been openly critical of his former student on the show in recent weeks.

"I gave (Frank) Mir a hard time on the show. I just want to apologize to everybody, everyone watching and stuff," said Browning. "Mir was actually an awesome coach. It was more my fault. I don't think I would have put up with myself either. I apologize to Mir and the rest of Mir's team, they were awesome coaches."

Ultimate Fighter 8 Preliminary Results and Photos

Krzysztof Soszynski def. Shane Primm by Submission (Kimura) at 3:27, R2

Eliot Marshall def. Jules Bruchez by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:27, R1

Tom Lawlor def. Kyle Kingsbury by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Shane Nelson def. George Roop by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Rolando Delgado def. John Polakowski by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:18, R1

(Photos by Scott Petersen - MMAWeekly.com)

MMA Light? Strikebox to Debut in Canada on Feb. 6

Stephane Patry -- the founder of Canadian mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Combat Challenge, which later became TKO -- left the TKO promotion in November and just this week revealed why. He is heading up a new combat sports organization aimed at fans that are looking for a little less ground fighting than MMA provides.

Patry's new organization is called Strikebox; the new sport is strikeboxing. He summarizes the sport thusly, "Strikeboxing techniques can be broken down into two categories, striking and takedowns. The types of strikes permitted include blows with hands, feet, knees or elbows. Takedowns involve many different type of throws and takedowns. After a takedown, or as soon as one of the opponents has more than just the soles of their feet on the ground, the referee immediately breaks the action and resumes the fight with both fighters standing. The goal of a strikeboxer is to knock out his or her opponent or win the contest by scoring more points than their opponent."

According to a report by THE Franchise Radio.net, competitors will still wear the four-ounce gloves used in MMA and fights will consist of five, three-minute rounds. Title bouts will be five, five-minute rounds. Scoring will be the "10 point must" system based on -- in order of importance -- Effective Striking, Effective Takedowns, Ring Generalship, Aggressiveness, and Defensive Technique.

Strikebox is expected to make its debut on Feb. 6, 2009, with the following fighters participating, according to THE Franchise Radio.net:

Steve Bossé vs. TBD
Pete Spratt vs. Martin Grandmont
Thierry Quenneville vs. TBD
Duane "Bang" Ludwig vs. TBD
Bob Landry vs. TBD
Brandon Thatch vs. TBD
Ben Gallant vs. TBD
Hosier Bruno vs. TBD
Éric Leclerc vs. TBD
Syd Barnier vs. TBD
Steve Vigneault vs. TBD

MMAWeekly.com Has Fans All-A-Twitter

One of the most popular mixed martial arts media outlets in the world, MMAWeekly.com continues its efforts to provide MMA fans with ever expanding coverage of the sport. The latest move may not be big, but it packs a lot of convenience for those of you that like your Tweets.

Twitter is a social networking service that has gained a tremendous amount of steam recently. You can now follow MMAWeekly.com on Twitter and be notified the instant that a new article goes up on MMAWeekly.com.

Twitter even has a great downloads page with numerous third party applications that lets you follow the MMAWeekly.com Tweets or any others that interest you from your desktop, laptop, cell phone, or browser.

MMA Comes To The Superdome In New Orleans

UFC lightweight Rich Clementi and his friends at the World of Wheels Car Show are giving guys what they want: fights, cars, and girls.

Clementi's MMA promotion, No Love Entertainment, will bring MMA to the Superdome in New Orleans, L.A. for the first time with a card entitled "Full Throttle."

The event is scheduled for Jan. 24, smack in the middle of a three-day World of Wheels show. A ring card girl competition will commence Jan. 23.

Clementi says the Dome is vastly improved since Hurricane Katrina struck the sports stadium in August of 2005.

Local heavyweights Nathan Sanchez and "Little" John Brown will clash in the main event of "Full Throttle," and former ShoXC lightweight JC Pennington and Brandon Jennings will take up second in command.

"It should be a fun show," Clementi said.

Clementi, meanwhile, will face Gleison Tibau in February, though a date has not been set for the bout.

XFC Holding Tryouts for MTV's "MADE" on Saturday

Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC) is the Southeastern-based Mixed Martial Arts promotion dedicated to launching the careers of the next generation of cage warriors. MTV's reality TV series "MADE," now in its ninth season, follows the journey of young men and women hoping to fulfill a lifelong dream.

For the first time ever, MTV will film a young adult working to break into the Mixed Martial Arts – and XFC is the organization that will train, prepare and give this person his or her big break at XFC 8 in Knoxville, Tennessee's 21,000 capacity Thompson-Boling Arena on April 18, 2009.

"Everyone from Snoop Dogg to Tony Hawk to The Game has appeared on 'MADE,' helping young men and women from all walks of life make their dreams come true," said XFC president John Prisco from the XFC offices in Tampa, Florida. "With the explosive popularity of MMA, countless young athletes are aspiring to emulate the superstars they cheer and follow in this sport. We're excited about partnering with MTV to share with the rest of America all the hard work, dedication, and unbreakable discipline it takes to succeed in the ultra-competitive world of steel cage combat."

XFC is offering an open tryout to all young men and women hoping to break into the Mixed Martial Arts, and will choose at least one participant to train at its facilities and fight before thousands of fans at XFC 8 in April. MTV will film the entire process from start to completion. The show is scheduled to air exclusively on MTV in 2009.

John Prisco added that XFC's coaches and trainers were assured that they'd retain the right to decide which participants will appear on MTV. "This was an important concession MTV made to us, but we wanted to ensure that our sport is fairly and accurately portrayed on TV. There are still so many misconceptions about MMA in mainstream America, and we're tremendously excited about the opportunity to demonstrate to MTV's audience exactly how hard our athletes work and train."

XFC's open tryouts will be taking place at 10:00 am on Saturday, December 13 at the XFC training facilities in Tampa, Florida. The address is: 10509 North Nebraska Avenue, Unit 6, Tampa, FL 33612. For more information, please call 813.971.1215.

Mir Explains Lesnar's Rise

Frank Mir gets why Brock Lesnar is UFC heavyweight champion. Lesnar is big, strong, but most of all, marketable.

In a teleconference for "The Ultimate Fighter" season eight finale that takes place this Saturday, Mir admitted that the heavyweight landscape had shifted dramatically, but not surprisingly.

"Our sport is twofold: one is your performance in the ring, second is the draw you cause with ticket sales and pay per view buys," he said. "It's a combination of those two that enable the 'ranking system' if you really want to put a ranking system, of who gets title shots and who doesn't. For example, Cain Velasquez, (a) phenomenal heavyweight fighter, but very few people are talking about him. He's very formidable in the ring; outside the ring, I don't know how many tickets he sells.

"But then you have Brock Lesnar, who has phenomenal fan appeal sells tons of tickets. He was 1-1 in the UFC, and he gets a title shot."

Mir has been fighting in the Octagon since 2001, and has gotten used to the breaks. The organization's politics still grate with his vision of the fighter as martial artist, but he's learned to let it go.

"I could point to Jon Fitch who was 8-0 before he got a title shot," he said. "Is that right? No, but guess what, this isn't like an Olympic sport where (it's) number one guy versus number two guy. It's like boxing; it has that entertainment value to where if no one wants to see you fight, you can be 30-0 and it won't matter. No one cares."

To Mir, Lesnar's title grab was a mixture of business and probability. Lesnar got there because of his stature, but won the title because of the unpredictable nature of the sport. If anything, the victory reinforced his misgivings about the way marketing decides who fights who.

"With Brock getting that first shot at Randy, did I think that was acceptable?" Mir asked. "No, I think people have to work their way up a little bit more, but that's just me as a fighter. And I realized that's why I think people need to work their way through the ranks, because anybody on any given day can get caught with a shot and lose. So now you have the champ who's 2-1 in the UFC, and I think that's what a lot of people are now upset about. But again, people buy tickets to see Brock Lesnar. That's the way it is."

Should Mir be victorious against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 92 on Dec. 27, he will get a chance to defeat the man he's already beaten, and in the process, mark the biggest achievement in his career. So while Mir isn't necessarily thrilled that Lesnar is the new champ, he's just one step away from proving that art can overtake commerce.

Dale Hartt = Class Act

"I saw it when he went down and I thought I was seeing things."

Those were the words of UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan, who, like the crowd of U.S. Troops at Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C., was left stunned from witnessing the grotesque break that Corey Hill suffered when his leg kick was checked by opponent Dale Hartt.

Hill underwent surgery on his broken right leg on Thursday morning. According to UFC.com, he is reportedly doing well and is likely to be out of commission in the neighborhood of 18 months.

In an interview prior to the fight, Hartt told MMAWeekly.com, "I need to get back to my roots. For me to be successful in the UFC, I have to get back to my roots and not worry about my fights being exciting. I need to not worry about the result. I need to just worry about the journey; I need to worry about the road. I'm going to go in there and I'm going to have a good time."

Hartt managed to get the win that he had been searching for, but it surely didn't come the way he had hoped, nor did he likely have a good time. But he did show a lot of respect for Hill in staying by his side in the Octagon and in his post-fight comments.

"Well, to be honest with you, me and Corey, we cut weight together. We been talkin' the whole time. Corey's an awesome dude," he said to Rogan. "I wanted to beat him with every bit of my heart, but I don't want to see him like this, man."

You couldn't ask for a more appropriate response after such a horrendous incident.

Dale Hartt carried himself with the class, dignity, and honor that both the U.S. Troops in attendance command and Corey Hill deserves.

MMA Live - Episode 31

The latest episode of ESPN's MMA Live features Miguel Torres, a recap of UFC Fight for the Troops and a preview of Adrenaline MMA 2...

40 and Going Strong! Miletich Shows Up in Great Shape for Adrenaline MMA...

Pat "The Croation Sensation" Miletich – now 40-years-old with nearly as many professional bouts to his credit – steps back into action tonight against Thomas "Wildman" Denny at Adrenaline MMA's sophomore effort in Moline, Ill. at the iwireless Center.

When your reach that incriminating age, lost five of your eight most recent bouts, and haven't competed in more than two years, everyone starts to say, "What the heck are you thinking?"

Miletich's last fight being a submission loss to Renzo Gracie is probably "what the heck" he's thinking.

Longtime friend and Adrenaline promoter Monte Cox concurred, telling MMAInsider, "I just think that he doesn't want to end his career on the way his last fight went. He's in the best shape I've seen him in a long, long time. I think he's really going to surprise some people."

If yesterday's weigh-ins are any indiciation, Miletich will definitely be ready. Just take one look at the photo of him and Denny and you'd have to agree, Miletich don't look half-bad for a 40-year-old man.

(Photo courtesy of Eldon Bowers and Adrenaline MMA)

Ricardo Almeida Chooses Rehab Over Surgery

In early October, MMAWeekly.com learned that jiu-jitsu ace and UFC middleweight Ricardo Almeida was scratched from UFC 90 with an undisclosed injury. The Brazilian was scheduled to face Dan Miller.

Since then, Almeida has been diagnosed with a Sports Hernia, an injury often seen in athletes. It occurs when the muscles of the lower abdominal wall weaken, causing pain and discomfort during physical activity.

Almeida had two choices: surgery, which might or might not have cured the ailment, and rehabilitation, which promised to be an arduous process.

In an email to MMAInsider, Almeida says he has chosen to rehabilitate the injury.

"Very often even with surgical procedure pain and discomfort still remain," Almeida wrote. "I have been slowly but surely working my way back to be able to do almost everything I was doing before and plan on resume full time training after the holidays."

"I am working closely with my strength and conditioning coach Martin Rooney and we have been planning some modifications in my training regimen in order to initially strengthen the lower abdomen and groin area and avoid any further injuries as my training intensity picks up."

Almeida said the UFC has been very supportive of him during the difficult time. He expects to return to competition in March or April.

Hieron Talks Training with "The Phenom"

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort is expected to hit Xtreme Couture in preparation for his upcoming fight with Matt Lindland at Affliction's "Day of Reckoning" on Jan. 24 in Anaheim, Calif.

Welterweight Jay Hieron, a "Brigadier General" in the Xtreme Couture army, trained alongside "The Phenom" for 6 weeks when he was preparing for Terry Martin at Affliction "Banned."

Apparently, the Brazilian is a beast in the gym.

"Man, that dude, that guy is phenomenal," Hieron gushed. "He could be a professional boxer for sure."

Longstanding rumors of Belfort's inconsistency don't ring true for Hieron.

"People always say, 'Vitor's head,' when he gets out there in a fight," he continued. "I don't know too much about that, because his last fight, he looked great. I've seen him have trouble in the past, but athletically, boxing skills, and all around well-roundedness, he's incredible."

Hieron was unaware of when Belfort would be dropping in, but looked forward to being able to train with him again. "The Thoroughbred" will fight on alongside Belfort on the undercard of "Reckoning," against Jason High.

Could Alves vs Swick Be On Deck?

After a very impressive performance dispatching of Jonathan Goulet at the UFC "Fight for the Troops" show on Wednesday night, Mike Swick vaulted one step closer towards a top contender's spot in the welterweight division, but could his next fight involve a shot at Thiago Alves?

The speculation begins with Alves, who defeated Josh Koscheck in October, but as the #1 conteder for the welterweight title he would likely sit out for the better part of 8 or 9 months waiting for the winner of GSP and B.J. Penn to be ready to fight again after their Jan 31 showdown.

UFC president Dana White said during a "Q&A" session on Tuesday that Alves would be facing the winner of GSP/Penn, but a fight between Swick and Alves could be a big fight for early 09'.

Rumors of the fight began to circle almost immediately after Swick finished off Jonathan Goulet, and a fight against Alves was the talk in Fayetteville following the event.

Alves spoke to MMAWeekly Radio after his win over Koscheck, admitting that it's very tough for him to stay out of fights for very long.

"I don't really know because that's something inside of me that I can't stay still for too long," Alves said. "I have to punch somebody, I have to get in a fight."

"I don't mind waiting, I don't mind doing another fight, but my manager and my camp don't want me to fight. They want me to fight for the title, so whatever they want me to do."

Stay tuned to the MMAInsider as more information becomes available on this potential fight.

Arlovski's New Sparring Partner: Anderson Silva

MMAInsider took a trip to the famed Wild Card Boxing gym on Wednesday, a living photo album of a room headed by boxing coach Freddie Roach.

Roach is currently working with Andre Arlovski for his fight with Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction's "Day of Reckoning" on Jan. 24 in Anaheim, Calif. Roach and Arlovski have been working together on and off for three years. The former UFC heavyweight champ arrived at the gym this week.

Towards the end of an interview in his gym's spare room, Roach revealed that UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva was dropping in to spar with "The Pitbull" that night. Indirectly, he also hinted that Silva's dreams of boxing Roy Jones Jr. were not dead.

"I've been working with Anderson for a little while now," Roach said. "He's 4-0 in Brazil as a boxer. He wants to fight Roy Jones, he told me. I don't think Anderson's quite ready for Jones yet, but he's a talented guy; he has good movement, and (Silva and Arvlovski sparring) should be interesting."

"The Spider" vs. "The Pitbull"? An interesting match-up indeed.

UFC VIP Package to Raise Money for Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fun

The UFC appears to be pulling out all the stops to raise money for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. Not only did the promotion auction off tickets to its UFC Fight For The Troops event on Dec. 10, UFC president Dana White also put out this video promoting a one-of-a-kind UFC VIP Package that will also be auctioned off to raise money for the cause.

In addition to the UFC VIP Package, the promotion is also auctioning the limited edition "Octagon" book by famed photographer Kevin Lynch, and a limited edition UFC Alligator Duffle. But hurry with your bid, the auction ends at 5 p.m. PT on Thursday, Dec. 11.

For more information on the cause or to donate, go to FallenHeroesFund.org.

UFC Fighters Weighed In Again Today In North Carolina

While the official weigh-ins for the UFC's "Fight For The Troops" show in Fayetteville, North Caroline were held on Tuesday, fighters on the show were required by state's official rules for MMA to weigh-in again today.

The fighters on the card had to be within 13lbs of their official weight from the prior day's weigh-ins.

From the North Carolina State Commission's official rules:

When a weigh-in is conducted the day prior to the event, with the exception of the heavyweight class, all other contestants must weigh-in at a second weigh-in the next day scheduled by the Division representative within eight hours of the starting time of the event. The contestant may not be more than 13 pounds heavier than their recorded weight from the day prior.

When contacted by MMAWeekly.com, representatives of some of the fighters on the card confirmed that the competitors weighed in again this morning at around 10 a.m. at a workout room with state commissioners in attendance.

While there has been no official word from the UFC, it is assumed that all of the fighters on the card were able to make weight for the second time today.

The rule in North Carolina is actually held in other states as well, but this may be the first time that fighters in the UFC have had to go through the second weigh-in process on the day of the fights.

Ultimate Fight Night 17 Moves To Florida

MMAWeekly.com has learned that the as-of-yet unannounced Ultimate Fight Night 17, scheduled for February 7 at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, has been moved across the country to Florida.

The USF Sun Dome in Tampa will now host the event, its first for the promotional juggernaut.

The move was confirmed on Sunday by a source within the camp of one of the card's participants.

Currently, the card is set to feature the following bouts, though none have been officially confirmed by the UFC.

Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer
Hermes Franca vs. Joe Lauzon
Amir Sadollah vs. Nick Catone
Kurt Pellegrino vs. Rob Emerson

The event will be the UFC's fourth trip to the Sunshine State since beginning the Ultimate Fight Night series in August of 2005.

Koscheck Will Address Video Game Contract After Yoshida Fight

Reports surfaced last week that UFC welterweight, Josh Koscheck, has still not signed the video game contract that caused his teammate, Jon Fitch, a speedy exit and re-entrance into the UFC just a couple of weeks back.

The contract was for the UFC to have lifetime rights for the fighters to appear in future video games made for the promotion.

The rumors were stating that Koscheck had not signed the agreement and had no intention of doing so, and he may very well exit the UFC after his fight against Yoshiyuki Yoshida on Dec 10.

MMAWeekly.com has confirmed with sources close to Koscheck that the rumors about his UFC exit are absolutely false.

According the representatives close to the fighter, he has simply chosen to wait until after his fight to address any and all situations regarding contracts because he did not want a distraction while he was in the final weeks of his training camp getting ready for the fight.

Koscheck has promised to deal with the situation when his fight is finished, but he simply did not want the distraction that would take away his focus from the upcoming fight.

UFC owner, Lorenzo Fertitta, met with representatives from Zinkin Entertainment, who work on behalf of both Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck, to resolve the situation with Fitch and sources have indicated that the conversation also included many other fighters on the company's roster regarding the video game contract.

Koscheck trains at the American Kickboxing Academy alongside Fitch and other UFC fighters such as Cain Velasquez and Christian Wellisch. All of the other fighters involved in the dispute are still with the UFC and past grievances have been settled.

All indications are pointing towards Koscheck still sticking with the UFC long after his fight on Wednesday night agianst Yoshiyuki Yoshida.

You Will See Royce Gracie in the Octagon Again... If You're a Gamer

Yes, Royce Gracie will grace the Octagon once again, although it will be a much more animated version of the man who dominated the early mixed martial arts scene in America.

No, he's not going to step in and fight Anderson Silva or anything of that sort, Royce will be a part of UFC Undisputed 2009 when it is released this Spring. He's also the subject of a documentary that the UFC is working on for Spike TV.

"The thing with Royce is... we love Royce. He's the man who started it all," said UFC president Dana White on Tuesday. "We're doing a documentary on him on Spike; he's going to be in the video game. We're doing lots of stuff with him still."

White pretty much squashed the idea of Royce returning to the UFC to actually compete in the Octagon again. At least it's something that he doesn't want to see happen.

"To be honest with ya, I don't want to see Royce fight again. Like what happened last Saturday (referring to Oscar De La Hoya's dismantling by Manny Pacquiao), we all get older. Royce paid his dues. He's the man and I don't think he has anything to prove... so I don't think you're going to see him fight."

Royce Gracie becomes the 13th fighter that has been publicly named for UFC Undisputed 2009. The list also includes: Brock Lesnar, Michael Bisping, Matt Hughes, Forrest Griffin, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, Kenny Florian, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta, B.J. Penn, and Anderson Silva.

VIDEO: BJPenn.com Show 2

Episode 2 (five parts) of the BJPenn.com Show...

BJPenn.com Show 2 - Segment 1



BJPenn.com Show 2 - Segment 2



BJPenn.com Show 2 - Segment 3



BJPenn.com Show 2 - Segment 4



BJPenn.com Show 2 - Segment 5
Find more videos like this on BJPENN.COM

Want to Meet Rich Franklin? Buy His UFC Hummer...

Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin received a Hummer from UFC president Dana White for serving as a coach on season two of The Ultimate Fighter.

Problem is, the Hummer just isn't Rich's style, so he's putting it up for sale. If you decide to buy Rich Franklin's Hummer, you'll likely get to meet him when you go to pick it up.

Here's the message from Rich's site, announcing the sale of his Hummer:

"Hey guys, it's Rich. I'm putting my Hummer up for sale. I have had this thing since season 2 of The Ultimate Fighter when it was given to me as a gift by Dana White for coaching on the show. It is a cool car and fun to drive, but it draws too much attention my way - and that isn't my style. Most of the 11,000 miles have been put on there by friends and family who have borrowed it. Basically, the car still looks brand new. If you happen to be the one to buy my car - I would love to meet you when you come my way to pick it up."

For a detailed description of Rich Franklin's Hummer, click here. To check out more photos of this tricked out monster, click here.

Rich will be back in action at UFC 93 on Jan. 17 in Dublin, Ireland. He will face Dan Henderson in a light heavyweight showdown in the main event.

Josh Thomson's Toe Jam

Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson had to bow out of a title defense against Yves Edwards at "Destruction" on Nov. 22 due to an injured toe. Almost a month later, the toe in question ain't doing any better.

"For some reason, I still can't run, I can't do cardio, I can't do anything right now," he tells MMAInsider. "I can't ride a bike...you have to push on the balls of your feet. I can't do anything that causes my big toe to bend."

In short, Thomson is one step away from being an invalid.

"It's horrible; I'm fat," he jokes. "I don't seem to have a problem eating."

Thomson is doing rehab on the injury twice a day, and his doctor has worked out the scar tissue that had built up in the digit. If it doesn't get better in two weeks, he says an anticipated February return for Strikeforce is off the table. He will, however, get on their card tentatively scheduled for March in San Jose.

"Even if I have to find a way to shoot up my toe or something," he stresses.

One thing Thomson is getting accomplished: shopping. Drive to a mall in San Jose, Calif., and you just might find him there.

"With the holidays, there's plenty of things to do."

Arlovski Goes 360

Andrei Arlovski is taking his cue from HBO's "24/7." The heavyweight's sponsors have hired a camera crew to follow him around before and after his WAMMA title fight against Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction's "Day of Reckoning" on Jan. 24 in Anaheim, Calif.

The resulting web series, titled "Arlovski 360: On The Road To Reckoning," will go behind the scenes to profile Arlovski's life in and out of the ring.

The show debuts Dec. 19 on Arlovski's new website, www.arlovski.com, and runs for seven weeks. New episodes will air every Friday, and will be distributed to video websites like YouTube the following day.

Arlovski is currently in Los Angeles training with famed boxing coach Freddie Roach.

M-1 President Comments on Dana White and Fedor

PRESS RELEASE:

M-1 President Vadim Finkelchtein Responds to Dana White's Name-Calling; Invites UFC's President to meet Fedor at "Day of Reckoning"...

For over a year now UFC President Dana White has used an open forum to label the management of Fedor Emelianenko, led by M-1 President Vadim Finkelchtein, as "the crazy Russians."

For much of that time, White has influenced the United States media to reflect his beliefs, as Finkelchtein tended to urgent matters of business -- namely promoting his M-1 Challenge and managing fighters such as Fedor and Aleksander Emelianenko and Gegard Mousasi - instead of engaging in a war of words.

However, during a recent M-1 Challenge event, Finkelchtein responded to White's statements in an interview conducted by M-1 executives Joost Raimond (serving as Finkelchtein's translator) and Jerry Millen (serving as the interviewer).

Thanks to a three-part YouTube series, members of the U.S. MMA media are finally being presented the other side of the story so that they can form an opinion for themselves.

During the interview, Finkelchtein was asked by Millen what he thinks when he's referred to in the press by White as a "crazy Russian."

"Dana White has a tendency towards arrogance and everything not Dana White is either crazy or stupid," Finkelchtein began to respond through Raimond.

"All this stuff about us not wanting to work with UFC is just utterly and completely untrue," he continued. "We've always been completely open to basically working with anybody, including the UFC, because our goal has always been to put the greatest fighters against each other. And if the greatest fighter is a part of the UFC, fine; let's put him up against our best guy and see how they do."

Raimond added that Finkelchtein indicated that the UFC is very protective of their market share but that M-1 isn't looking to take the UFC's "pie" away, that his promotion simply wants to share some of it.

Finkelchtein also responded to a question from Millen regarding comments made by White during a November press conference in Toronto to promote UFC 94. In the interview, which can be seen on YouTube, White responds to a question from a fan regarding Fedor fighting for the UFC by stating at one point that he has never even met Fedor.

White's claim that he has never met Fedor is accurate, but it's also a situation that Finkelchtein is more than willing to rectify.

"The invitation is right there," Finkelchtein expressed through Raimond. "If Dana wants to sit down at the table, he can come to St. Petersburg -- he is very welcomed here. He can meet up with (me); he can meet up with Fedor. It's not a problem at all."

Finkelchtein indicated during the interview that he has traveled to Las Vegas in the past to meet with White. And if White does not have time to travel to Russia, Finkelchtein extended him an open invitation to meet the WAMMA heavyweight champion in Anaheim, California before he competes against Andrei Arlovski on Jan. 24 just prior to Affliction and M-1's "Day of Reckoning" event.

"We're not going to eat the UFC pie, but we want to share," said Finkelchtein. "The invitation stands. They are welcome at any point in time, and definitely at the Jan. 24 event. We'll talk about it (and) discuss it. We're open to any kind of deal."

Below is the full three-part video interview with Finkelchtein:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Marc Ecko Going MMA With ProElite Purchase?

It sounds as if Marc Ecko Enterprises may be the latest apparel company willing to try its hand and gamble its reputation on mixed martial arts. That is if our friends over at iGuillotine.com have all their ducks in a row...

Although they weren't able to confirm it with Marc Ecko Enterprises directly, iGuillotine says that Ecko is the leading bidder to purchase what's left of ProElite, Inc. and its EliteXC brand.

There have been strong rumors lately that ProElite's doors, already shuttered, could soon be re-opened if a sale for the company's assets goes through.

Ecko has been dabbling its toes in the MMA waters, creating MMA specific apparel and sponsoring UFC fighters such as Nate Diaz, Michael Bisping, and Matt Hughes. Of course, the sponsorship door to UFC fighters will surely be slammed shut if Ecko does takeover ProElite and its television contracts with CBS and Showtime. Just ask the guys at Affliction.

Other strong rumors place Terry Trebilcock's King of the Cage -- and an unidentified partner -- as one of the front-runners to take over ProElite. Of course, there's nothing saying that Trebilcock's partner couldn't be Ecko.

Grind rumor mill, grind.

Change of Opponent Moves Cantwell Out of Hostile Territory

Steve Cantwell was the World Extreme Cagefighting light heavyweight champion, having defeated fan favorite Brian Stann a few months ago. After defeating Stann, he got the call that we would face the Marine again in the WEC.

At first, Cantwell wasn't too thrilled about the fight, but understood that the fight would need to happen again since they each hold a win over the other.

"I thought it was fair under the circumstances because we're 1-1. I wasn't too happy about it because I thought it was too soon. I didn't think the fans would want to see it that soon," Cantwell told MMAWeekly recently.

After finally getting that coveted belt, the 22-year-old got the news that he was going to be facing Stann not in the WEC, but at the UFC Fight for the Troops card. Cantwell was happy to be fighting on the card, but the fact that he was fighting Stann was definitely not going to make him the most popular fighter on that card.

"Then when they switched venues, because I was supposed to fight Brian Stann in the WEC, they called me a week later and told me I was fighting Brian Stann on the UFC Fight for the Troops. That was kind of throwing me into his backyard. But whatever, that got me more pumped up for the fight."

Unfortunately for the fans, Stann was forced to pull out of the fight due to an injury. However, Cantwell believes that they will still fight again soon.

"Another week went by and then he pulled out for the fight," he said. "It would have been a good fight. I'm sure we'll fight again."

Martin Kampmann Likely To Meet Alexander Barros At UFC 93

MMAInsider has learned that Danish middleweight Martin Kampmann will likely face UFC newcomer Alexandre Barros at UFC 93 on Jan. 17 in Dublin, Ireland in a welterweight contest.

Sources close to Kampmann said bout agreements have not yet been signed, but he has agreed to face the Brazilian fighter.

Kampmann is coming off a knockout loss at the hands of Greg Jackson disciple Nate Marquardt at UFC 88 in Atlanta, Georgia. It was his first UFC loss in five appearances since making his debut against Crafton Wallace at Ultimate Fight Night 6 in 2006. He currently trains out of Xtreme Couture's flagship gym in Las Vegas.

Barros carries a record of 13-5 in professional competition and got his start in Brazil's bare-knuckle IVC in 1999. From 2000 to 2002, he fought and lost three times in the US, most notably to Matt Hughes at "WEF 9" in May of 2000. He is currently riding a nine-fight win streak in Brazilian competition.