Gomi, Kid Yamamoto And Others At UFC 94

There are always a number of stars that come out for any UFC event, but tonight in Las Vegas the royalty of Japanese mixed martial arts has come out to see Georges St. Pierre battle B.J. Penn.

Former Pride lightweight champion Takanori Gomi, prized bantamweight and featherweight fighter, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, Olympic Gold medalist Satoshi Ishii, and Caol Uno are all in attendance at UFC 94 to see the action at tonight's show.

UFC President Dana White has made it no secret that he wouldn't mind landing any or all of the above competitors. White has also mentioned top rated middleweight competitor, Yoshohiro Akiyama, as a fighter the promotion would like to add as well.

"Kid" Yamamoto was seen several times this week in Dana's blog, and the top ranked Japanese fighter stopped for a photo opportunity in the Octagon with the president.

BetUs.com Offers Unique Opportunities for UFC 94

If you're a fan of betting, but not sure which fighters to pick, BetUs.com has a few special offers that might make fans have some more fun while wagering on UFC 94 and other events.

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What happens 1st

First score in Super Bowl 1/2

BJ Penn/St Pierre fight finishes 3/2

Number of tapouts at UFC 94 5/6

Number of TDs at SB XLIII 5/6

Number of Fights that go the distance at UFC 94 5/6

Number of FGS at SB XLIII 5/6

Most Likely to happen

Willie Parker gets MVP of the SB XLIII 10/13

Nate Diaz gets "Submission of the Night" 10/11

Pop-Culture, Sports, and Newsworthy odds can be found at:

www.BetUS.com

Georges St. Pierre vs. BJ Penn UFC Video Game Trailer

(Courtesy of THQ and the UFC)

Fighters And Managers Weigh In On GSP vs. Penn

The MMA Insider spoke to several top MMA fighters and managers to get their picks on the upcoming UFC welterweight title fight pitting Georges St. Pierre against B.J. Penn.

Here are the picks:

Josh Thomson: "Penn, Penn, Penn, Penn, Penn, Penn, oh did I mention B.J. Penn to win?

Eliot Marshall: "GSP"

Dustin Hazelett: "I'm actually undecided. I believe the early rounds favor Penn, but the later rounds will favor GSP."

Marcus Davis: "B.J. Penn by the 3rd round. Not sure what, but some kind of stoppage"

Heath Herring: "Not gonna touch that one!"

Jason Genet (Magnetic Marketing Associates): "I think that GSP will be too big for Penn, who is easily one of the greatest MMA fighters of our time."

Jeff Curran: "I really don't know. Personally, I think you are better off rolling the dice!"

Ken Pavia (MMA Agents): "GSP late by conditioning."

Brian Stann: "GSP. My teammate, you don't need to ask!"

THQ Launches UFC Undisputed Video Game Website

THQ Inc. today announced the launch of its official Web site for UFC 2009 Undisputed, the company's highly anticipated videogame based on Ultimate Fighting Championship. The site is now live at www.ufcundisputed.com.

The site will go live with in-game images of Welterweight Championship contenders Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn, who are scheduled to meet in the Octagon this weekend for UFC 94, along with former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin featured on the main page. www.ufcundisputed.com will feature up-to-date game information and assets, including videos, screenshots and fighter renders. In addition, the site will include detailed information about specific game features, deliver content in step with UFC's upcoming Pay-Per-View schedule and reveal individual fighter profiles leading up to the game's launch in Spring 2009.

The site will also offer an extensive community experience. Branded as The Octagon and accessible via www.ufcundisputed.com, the community portal is slated to feature in-depth information about UFC 2009 Undisputed, including developer blogs and other exclusive content. In addition, readers may participate in discussion forums, as well as take advantage of contests and polls surrounding UFC's Pay-Per-View schedule and UFC Fight Night programming on Spike TV.

Dana White's UFC 94 Video Blog (Bonus Blog)

Dana's latest UFC 94 video blog takes fans to his E60 interview, the Ultimate Fighter gym, his meeting with Kid Yamamoto, and more.

GSP Open For Return To ADCC

Back in 2005, Georges St. Pierre was only 4 fights into his legendary UFC career. Little did the Abu Dhabi Combat Club know what kind of future star they would feature when GSP entered the 2005 competition in the 66 to 76kg weight class on short notice when invited to the tournament.

In his first round match-up, St. Pierre out wrestled and used superior technique to defeat Otto Olson on points. His next bout against Leo Santos didn't go as well as the Canadian was forced to tap out after getting caught in an armbar.

Since that time, St. Pierre has gone on to become a 2x UFC welterweight champion while also gaining fame as possibly the top pound for pound fighter in the sport of mixed martial arts.

Regardless of titles or accomplishments, St. Pierre is a competitor and he said during a recent interview with MMAWeekly Radio that if the timing worked out, he'd love the chance to compete in the Abu Dhabi tournament again in the future.

"If I have time and the timing is good, I will do it, of course I will," St. Pierre said. "I love competition, I'm a true mixed martial arts man, and I don't only like MMA. I like grappling, I like wrestling, I like jiu-jitsu, I like Muay Thai, I like everything. But of course my main job is MMA."

Many other top MMA stars still compete regularly in grappling tournaments and a great many of them are expected at this year's Abu Dhabi championships. If timing worked out, St. Pierre would be a huge addition to the show.

And just like everything else GSP puts his mind to, he'd probably be a force in the tournament as well.

How B.J. Penn Makes The Move Back To 170

Always considered one of the top pound for pound fighters in the world, B.J. Penn will once again venture back up the welterweight division for his upcoming showdown against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94.

The last time Penn fought at 170lbs was in September 2006 in a loss to former UFC welterweight champion, Matt Hughes.

Since then Penn rededicated himself to a rigorous training plan, while making the move back down to 155lbs where he's won 3 straight fights including a title win and title defense.

So now going back to 170lbs, what is Penn doing to ensure that he will be in the same physical condition that got him to the pinnacle of the lightweight division?

"I'm lifting weights, but nothing extraordinary. I'm training hard, a lot of real work in the ring or in the cage, a lot of real practical work and training hard, and just eating a lot of rice and a lot of fish and a lot of oatmeal," Penn told MMAWeekly Radio recently. "That's pretty much what I'm doing preparing, I'm not doing anything drastic. I'm just getting ready and whatever my weight falls on, that's where I'll be for the fight."

It looks like Penn is ready to back up his move to 170lbs with a tremendous amount of skill and no worries about moving up in weight to accommodate the division.

UFC Primetime Episode 3 (Pt 2)

UFC Primetime Episode 3 (Pt 1)

Georges St. Pierre...Canada's Van Damme?

Mixed martial arts will always be the first love of UFC welterweight champion, Georges "Rush" St. Pierre, but when the Canadian champion isn't dominating in the Octagon, he's picking up a few new skills in front of the camera as an actor.

St. Pierre recently filmed scenes alongside other fighters such as Anderson Silva, Heath Herring and ironically enough, B.J. Penn, in a movie set for release in 2009 called "Never Surrender."

"It was great," St. Pierre told MMAWeekly Radio recently about the movie experience. "I liked it and I actually have another filming planned for February after my fight. I'm very excited about it."

According to online movie resource, IMDB.com, St. Pierre is set to star in two new movies, one called "Hell's Chain" and another titled, "Death Warrior."

The 2008 Canadian Athlete of the Year admits that acting can be fun, and it takes him back to his childhood, and he hopes one day he can be as iconic as the "Muscles from Brussels."

"It's pretty fun, I like it. It's like make me remember when I was a kid, playing games, it makes me remember those days," St. Pierre commented. "It's a little bit like come back as a kid and play games, and I when I do it sometimes I feel like the Canadian version of Jean-Claude Van Damme. It's pretty funny."

Unless Van Damme pulls out the Dim Mak from his movie "Bloodsport" he probably wouldn't stand much of a chance against St. Pierre in a real fight, but the 170lb king says he still has a lot to learn in the Belgian's medium as well.

"Maybe I'm better in the Octagon, but I still have a lot to learn on the camera."

ESPN MMA Live UFC 94 Preview

Penn Says Boxing Was His First Love

Throughout his career, B.J. Penn has always been thought of as one of the most dangerous fighters to deal with in any facet of the game. With a phenomenal jiu-jitsu game at his disposal, Penn has perfected a deadly striking arsenal to use against his opponents as well.

Just recently, famed boxing trainer Freddie Roach had stated that he believed Penn had the best stand-up of any fighter in MMA and Penn takes that as a huge compliment.

"Knowing all of Freddie's accomplishments and the people he's been around. Freddie's held the mitts for me a few times, and worked a few things with me and wow that's an awesome thing that Freddie said that," Penn said recently.

In his fight with former UFC lightweight champion, Sean Sherk, it was the Hawaiian who controlled the biggest part of the bout with a devastating jab that pummeled his opponent all the way to the finish.

"I do work the jab a lot, but it's not like I work it more than any other punch. It's like when I get in a fight I end up jabbing more than anything," Penn said. "I don't know why, I don't know how it happens. Even with (Takanori) Gomi, I remember it was a battle of jabs. I always remember I had a pretty stiff left jab when I was a kid growing up."

The current UFC lightweight champion admits that his love of boxing goes back to his youth, even before he discovered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

"I try to work on my striking, actually boxing was my first love before I even found jiu-jitsu," Penn stated. "I was always about the kind of guy you can hit me, I can take your best punches, hit you back and eventually you'll give up. I was one of those guys."

"Boxing has always had a special place in my heart."

Dana White's UFC 94 Video Blog (Ep 4)

UFC president Dana White presents the latest edition of his video blog. In this episode, Dana takes you to the UFC 94 press conference, and then heads back to the office to do a little personal "remodeling" of his very own.

Jay Hieron vs Jason High To Air on HDNet's Inside MMA

Due to a timing problem at the Affliction: Day of Reckoning preliminary show airing on HDNet prior to the pay-per-view broadcast, former International Fight League welterweight champion, Jay Hieron, and his fight against Jason High, was pushed back to take place after the main event fight featuring Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski.

Hieron came out on top in the bout, knocking High out at 1:04 of the first round to get the win, but unfortunately unless in attendance at the Honda Center in Anaheim that night, nobody has had a chance to see the fight yet.

That will change on Friday night as HDNet's Inside MMA will feature Jay Hieron on the panel of their guest list, alongside UFC fighter Steve Cantwell and Tank Abbott, and the program will show Hieron's fight in its entirety.

Obviously with the bout missing out on the televised broadcast, Hieron also missed the chance to promote his sponsors for the fight, so in coordination with his management team at MMA Agents, the Xtreme Couture fighter will give away items to his fans as a special promotion.

Fans can log onto MMAAgents.com and proceed to the news section where they can answer Jay Hieron trivia.

The first six contestants to e-mail the correct answers to info@MMAagents.com will receive a prize package, including products from Bulletproof Athletics (www.bulletproofathletics.com), Hoodlum Fight Gear (www.hoodlumfightgear.com), Evo Energy Drink (www.drinkevo.com) as well as Gammo-O (www.gammao.com).

VIDEO: BJPenn.com Show 8

Episode 8 (five parts) of the BJPenn.com Show...

BJPenn.com Show 8 - Segment 1



BJPenn.com Show 8 - Segment 2



BJPenn.com Show 8 - Segment 3



BJPenn.com Show 8 - Segment 4



BJPenn.com Show 8 - Segment 5
Find more videos like this on BJPENN.COM

Quinton Jackson Title Shot With a Win Over Jardine

"Yeah, I think if Quinton beats Jardine, he'll get the next shot at the title," said UFC president Dana White following Wednesday's UFC 94 pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas.

And that is regardless of the outcome of a key battle at UFC 94. Lyoto Machida, the No. 4 ranked light heavyweight fighter in the world, and No. 10 ranked Thiago Silva are slated for a showdown in the top undercard fight at UFC 94. Both have been on a tear through the 205-pound division and both are undefeated.

But while the winner of Machida vs. Silva is likely to narrow the field of contenders to the title currently held by "Sugar" Rashad Evans, it appears that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson -- with a win over Keith Jardine at UFC 96 on March 7 -- will jump to the head of the line.

White has stated in the past that Jackson vs. Evans might have already been on tap, but Evans was not fully recovered yet from his title victory over Forrest Griffin at UFC 92, so they put Jackson and Jardine together for the Columbus fight card.

Dana White's UFC 94 Video Blog (Ep 3)

UFC President Dana White presents the third episode of his UFC 94 blog. In this edition, Dana heads to CNBC to talk about the new UFC branded gyms and much, much more.

Thomas Schulte Signs With Bellator FC

Submission specialist Thomas Schulte is the latest veteran to sign with burgeoning fight promotion Bellator Fighting Championships.

The signing was announced in a press release on Wednesday.

Schulte trains out of Fit NHB in Albuquerque, N.M., and carries a professional record of 18-6, with most of his wins coming via submission. He joins seven other 155er's scheduled to compete in Bellator's tournament-style events. The first bracket of the tournament is set to do battle on Apr. 4 for ESPN's Deportes channel.

"Thomas' world-class submission skills make him a very tough match up for anyone in our 155 tournament," said Bjorn Rebney, CEO of Bellator Fighting Championships. "His training at NHB with Tom Vaughn over the last 3 months has been focused on our April premiere, so he should be well prepared to threaten in our Lightweight division."

St. PIerre Plans Trip To Thailand After Penn Fight

Always willing to go the extra mile to learn new techniques, UFC welterweight champion, Georges St. Pierre, is once again about to step up his training as the fighter is planning for a trip to Thailand after his title fight on Jan 31 to work with top Muay Thai fighters from the area.

St. Pierre has famously worked alongside many top trainers and training partners, and has previously traveled to Brazil to train with top jiu-jitsu coaches and athletes. The Canadian star will add to his resume and passport when he makes a trip to Thailand after his fight against B.J. Penn.

"I plan to go after my fight actually," St. Pierre said about a trip to Thailand. "That's another thing that I want to do is go to Thailand. After my fight I might also go to France, I have a lot of friends in France and a very good Muay Thai fighter who comes from France."

"Some of them have come to help me train for this camp, so I'm going to go see them after my fight. They have a lot of good fighters out there."

St. Pierre recieved his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu a few months back and the top welterweight stand-out also holds black belts in several other martial arts disciplines as well.

Still willing to be the student, St. Pierre may just add another weapon to his arsenal when he travels to Thailand to work with some of the top strikers in the world.

B.J. Penn UFC 94 Video: Seeking Revenge

GSP UFC 94 Preview Video: Thinking Repeat

UFC Primetime GSP vs. B.J. Penn Final Episode Tonight, Ratings Solid

The third and final installment of the new UFC Primetime -- Georges St. Pierre vs. B.J. Penn 2 -- episode airs tonight on Spike TV at 10 p.m. ET/PT. If you missed it so far, the series gives fans an inside look at the lives and training of St. Pierre and Penn as they ready themselves for their UFC 94 mega-fight Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The series launched two weeks ago to what Spike officials felt were very good ratings. Each episode airs twice on Spike back-to-back. The first episode debuted to an average of 880,000 viewers during its first airing, followed by a repeat performance that averaged 614,000 viewers, according to Spike TV.

Last weeks episode -- the second installment in the series -- stayed steady on its initial airing with an average viewership of 825,000, while the repeat immediately afterwards drew 435,000.

It will be interesting to see how many fans tune in tonight as excitement for the fight has started to build across the board.

Atencio's "Reckoning" Post-Mortem

MMAInsider: So, how do you feel about the second show?

Atencio: It was work. (laughs) I can honestly say that without the guys that helped me here, Tracy and Shannon and everyone else that's involved, it would have never happened. But aside from that, we made it through, and I'm extremely happy. The fights were awesome, and the event seemed to go pretty well. There were a few glitches, and this is only my second time. As a team, we're still learning.

MMAInsider: Then you've got this Larry Merchant throwing some crap your way.

Atencio: Yeah, it's just like anything else. You have people who are completely myopic and they're not open to anything, and I think that was his way of trying to hurt us, because (allegations of a $5 million payoff to Oscar De La Hoya) are completely false.

MMAInsider: What are some of the roadblocks you encountered on the way to the show?

Atencio: I think it's just the B.S. of rumors, and having to squash that. And they're so minimal, it really doesn't matter, but it's wasted time. Like the ticket sales, the whole 1500 seats sold, then I heard Arlovski broke his hand the week before. It's just petty little rumors.

MMAInsider: You ever feel like you're damned if you do, damned if you don't?

Atencio: I always feel like that. Always.

MMAInsider: There was a report on Yahoo! Sports that your paid attendance was 8,946 for a live gate of $1,512,750. Are those numbers accurate?

Atencio: Not to my knowledge. As far as the numbers, I don't really get into the numbers.

MMAInsider: Is the characterization that Golden Boy does logistics, runs the show, deals with athletic commissions, and Affliction finances the fighter purses, is that accurate?

Atencio: No, that's not accurate. There's definitely things they do, there's things that we're learning, and that's why we brought them on board. Things that they're going to have expertise on that we're just learning.

MMAInsider: How does this partnership work, then?

Atencio: They're handling the back end, the deals, the negotiations when it comes to things like Showtime, and pay per view, and we're doing the marketing -- what we do well. The matchmaking we do because they come from the boxing industry. If we start doing boxing shows, they'll handle the matchmaking for the boxing.

MMAInsider: Is Affliction in charge of the fighter purses?

Atencio: Yes, we are.

MMAInsider: What are the chances of putting on Arlovski vs. Sylvia now? It would seem like those two have a built in storyline and rivalry.

Atencio: It definitely does seem like one. I'm still trying to catch up on my emails alone. I have 500 emails that I have to catch up on. I've got a lot going on.

MMAInsider: Is Fedor vs. Barnett a lock?

Atencio: I'd like to think so, but I haven't even sat down with them and discussed it yet.

MMAInsider: Will your next event be in July?

Atencio: We're shooting for it, we haven't finalized it though. I take it one fight at a time. I just want to focus on each show at a time until we become seasoned at this, and then I'll be able to feel more comfortable to give dates. I like to take things slow. I want to make sure we’re doing everything right, and when we're not, to fix whatever we're doing wrong.

MMAInsider: Well, you mentioned seasoning, and one of the main things that people are looking at is your payroll. You've said in the past you want to make sure fighters don't look at you as a cash cow. You have most of these guys to three-fight deals, and originally, you said you wanted to put on three fights and no more. Is that one of the things you want to look at moving forward as a promotion?

Atencio: Well, just to correct you, I absolutely choose to stay in this. But the reality of it is -- whether we do -- it really comes down to finances. But having said that, the shows are successful in other ways than just that. Our plan is to have four fights a year with Golden Boy, M-1, and Mr. Trump, that's our plan right now. I'm just taking it easy because I want to make sure that each event is methodical on our side. I just don't want to get ahead of myself, get cocky, get arrogant, because I've seen what happens when people do that, and I like to learn from other people's mistakes. Hopefully, I can continue to stay grounded and do that.

Budget Issues Force Delay To Vote for MMA Bill

Economic woes are upstaging efforts to legalize MMA in the Empire State.

Michael Kimm, a representative from the office of New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright, said that legislation addressing the state's budget crisis has temporarily shelved a second informational meeting for bill 2009, Englebright's re-named proposal to legalize MMA in New York.

Kimm was informed last week that the second meeting, scheduled for Feb. 11, was scratched due to the flurry of legislative proposals addressing the state's $15.4 million budget shortfall.

"For now, it's not on the table," he said. "Everything is so crazy with the budget and the budget cuts...there's nothing at this point on it being on the agenda. The budget's going to take up the entire time of the session. It'll get on there, but I only know so much."

Englebright hosted the first meeting on Nov. 12, in which several proponents of the sport, including representatives from the UFC, spoke on the its behalf. Assemblyman Bob Reilly, a vocal critic of the bill who represents Albany and Saratoga counties, said most members of the Tourism, Arts, and Sports Development Committee--tasked to make the first vote on the legislation--were not invited.

The cancellation comes as the UFC's New York lobbying firm, Global Strategy Group, has ramped up efforts to garner public support for the bill. In recent weeks, the bill has caught the attention of several mainstream news outlets, including the New York Times and Newsday. A petition to legalize the sport, drafted by MMA blog site Cage Potato, has made the rounds online.

Kimm was confident the bill would be placed on the agenda for a vote before the close of the session in June.

"It's only a matter of time..we'll get there soon enough," he said.

Lindland Suspended 45 days Following KO Loss To Belfort

Team Quest original Matt Lindland says he's doing fine after a brutal knockout loss at the hands of Vitor Belfort last Saturday at Affliction's "Day of Reckoning."

"(I'm doing) fine, he just got me with a good shot," Lindland told MMAInsider via text message.

According to Lindland, the California State Athletic Commission has suspended him for 45 days, after which he will be able to compete again. His fight with Belfort was the second of a three-fight contract with Affliction.

"I'll be back whenever," he wrote.

At least for now, Affliction VP Tom Atencio has indicated a return date of July for the next co-promotion between the clothing/entertainment company and boxing promotion Golden Boy.

B.J. Penn Talks Fight Strategy and More...

B.J. Penn talks about weight classes, Georges St. Pierre, strategy, and more.

GSP and Machida Favored Heading into UFC 94

With the UFC's key business and home base being in Las Vegas, it's a no brainer that fight fans love to bet on their faves. With all the talk back and forth about who will win at UFC 94, at this point, Georges St. Pierre is clearly the odds on favorite heading into his mega-fight with B.J. Penn.

A pivotal light heavyweight bout between Top 10 fighters Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva is also featured at UFC 94. Thus far, Machida is running away with this one as far as betters are concerned.

We've obviously seen in the past that who is being bet on doesn't necessarily equate into a win, so it will be interesting to see if the betters are right come Saturday night.

Click here for the latest odds on UFC 94 from BetUs.com.

Randy Couture Puts No Weight In Pound-For-Pound Rankings

Former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion, Randy "The Natural" Couture, is one of the pound-for-pound greatest fighters in mixed martial arts history, but the man behind the Xtreme Couture trademark doesn't put much weight in pound-for-pound rankings.

"It's such a hard thing to really objectively look at and determine. You can make a case for a lot of the guys out there," Couture told MMAInsider.

Pound-for-Pound rankings are the most subjective rankings out there. The criteria is speculation derived from hypothetics.

"St. Pierre is firing on all cylinders right now. BJ Penn looks great at 155-pounds. I think it's the best I've seen him look. Anderson Silva, until this last fight, has been impressive in his performances," commented Couture. "For Fedor [Emelianenko] to walk through a top-five fighter like Tim Sylvia in 36 seconds was certainly a statement."

It's complicated and probably unattainable, and Couture agrees.

"How you sort all that out in a pound-for-pound equation, I don't know that it can really be done," said Couture. "But it certainly makes for good talk over the water-cooler."

Dana White's UFC 94 Video Blog (Ep 2)

UFC President Dana White presents the 2nd episode of his UFC 94 video blog. In this episode, Dana takes you behind the scenes for some early footage from the 9th season of the "Ultimate Fighter" and then takes you to New York, where another epic race breaks out.

Andrei Arlovski's Message to the Fans

Dana White's UFC 94 Video Blog (Ep 1)

Dana White kicks off his UFC 94 video blog on Monday with a special guest appearance by pro skateboarder Mike V. and then takes off to the WEC event in San Diego to get GSP vs. B.J. Penn picks from the likes of Duane "Bang" Ludwig, Jens Pulver, Matt Hume, WEC lightweight champ Jamie Varner, Urijah Faber, Robbie Lawler, Caol Uno, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, and WEC featherweight champ Mike Brown.

Of particular interest was the presence of Kid Yamamoto at the WEC. During his blog, White asked Yamamoto if he was ready to come fight (in the WEC) and Yamamoto replied, "Yeah." White immediately replied, "We want you here."

Of course, that is far and away from being a done deal by any means, but it's sure to stoke the rumors of Kid Yamamoto coming to the WEC, especially with the on and off reports of him fighting soon in Japan.

GSP and B.J. Penn Go Virtual; THQ Releases Fighter Renderings & Trailers

In anticipation of the mega-fight on Saturday night in Las Vegas at UFC 94, THQ -- the developer of the new UFC video game UFC 2009 Undisputed -- has released the above renderings of Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn. They're actually amazing, looking almost like photographs instead of renderings from a video game.

THQ has also released a couple of new game trailers, which you can watch below. One features Rich Franklin, the other Dan Henderson.

WEC 38 Gate and Attendance

According to WEC vice president of event operations and production Peter Dropick, the WEC's first trip to Southern California was a good one.

He estimated attendance for the event at about 8,000 fans, a live gate of $516,560.

"I'm excited we chose San Diego, the fans were outstanding," he said.

Final numbers on the event are due to be released today by the California State Athletic Commission, in addition to test results for drugs of abuse.

Fedor - Road to Reckoning (Saturday's Episode)

Roach: Arlovski Made A Young Man's Mistake

Boxing guru Freddie Roach has been an outspoken ally of his student Andrei Arlovski's striking abilities, and following Arlovski's loss to Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction's "Day of Reckoning," chalked the experience up to youthful inexperience.

"He made a young man's mistake," Roach told MMAInsider backstage. "It was too easy for him. He was winning the fight handily I thought, controlling the fight like we planned. He got a little cocky, and he tried the flying knee from too far away, no setup, and he paid for it."

While it seemed Arlovski may have thrown the high-risk strike because he thought Emelianenko was hurt, Roach disagreed.

"No, not at that moment," he continued. "But Fedor swings hard, that's his thing. He probably had his eyes closed, but he just got lucky, I think. If we had followed a more disciplined fight, and kept to the game plan, I think it was going to be easy."

Roach was unsure about what came next for Arlovski, but said he would continue to work with his student.

Frank Mir Talks Faber Vs. Pulver II

Ultimate Fighting Championship Interim heavyweight titleholder Frank Mir has quickly become known as one of the best color-commentators in the sport with his play-by-play and analysis contributions to the World Extreme Cagefighting broadcasts.

The Las Vegas heavyweight spoke to MMAInsiderBlog about the rematch between former WEC featherweight titleholder Urijah Faber and former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver.

"The Jens Pulver and Urijah Faber fight, I could watch those guys fight again everyday," said Mir. "I think the first fight in Sacramento was so impressive. We got to see facets of Urijah Faber's game that a lot of people didn't realize were as sound as they were. We all know Urijah Faber work ethic and conditioning. He grappling is unbelievable, but then we got to see awesome boxing."

"Now it's going to be interesting because I think it kind of caught Jens by surprise - his boxing abilities," added the 29-year old fighter. "Now we're going to see Jens is now ready for that boxing ability and what Faber is going to pull off the second time around."

The Las Vegas heavyweight spoke to MMAInsiderBlog about the rematch between former WEC featherweight titleholder Urijah Faber and former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver.

WEC 38 airs on Versus in the United States at 9:30 PM (ET) / 6:30 PM (PT) from the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, Calif.

Lindland Taken To Hospital, Checks Out Okay

Vitor Belfort knocked highly ranked middleweight Matt Lindland to the canvas with a strong left hand, then followed with several rights that left "The Law" out cold. He lay on the mat for several minutes, ringside medical staff taking every precaution before the Olympic silver medalist was finally able to leave the ring under his own power.

During the Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel bout, it was reported that Lindland was taken to the UC Irvine Medical Center for follow-up treatment.

"He was doing good (when he got into the ambulance)," said Lindland's cornerman, Robert Follis. "You know, he was a little bummed and knew what happened – that he got rocked – but he was coherent. He was talking. He looked good. They're just taking him in to check him and make sure."

MMAWeekly.com later followed up with another member of Lindland's camp, Heath Sims, who said that, "Matt is doing okay," and doesn't seem to be suffering from any significant injuries.

Golden Boy Paid $5 Million by "The T-shirt Guys"?

While most MMA fans were focused on the battle brewing between Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski in Anaheim, or anticipating Sunday night's WEC card in San Diego, HBO boxing commentators Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant were once again taking their jabs at mixed martial arts during the HBO telecast of the boxing match between "Sugar" Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito.

But in the not-so-subtle barbs they tossed at one of the fastest growing sports in the world, they revealed a juicy little tidbit -- surely by accident -- about Oscar De La Hoya and his company's "commitment" to MMA.

"And celebrities here tonight, there's Sugar Ray Leonard in about the fourth row, and his one time Contender colleague Sly Stallone is in the front row," revealed Lampley. He continued, "George Lopez is here tonight, good buddy with the promoter. Mark Wahlberg comes to every major prize fight at Staples. Joe Pesci, a Goodfella, called this reporter for tickets. I didn't have 'em, but he got them somewhere else.

"And there's one big name celebrity, Larry, who isn't here tonight..."

"A celebrity who is here in bronze only," quipped Merchant, referring to a bronze statue of Oscar De La Hoya that stands outside the Staples Center. "Oscar De La Hoya, the live version, is in nearby Anaheim, where his company got a $5 million fee from a t-shirt maker so that he would be personally involved in the promotion of a mixed martial arts show."

He added, "It would take that much, Jim, to get me to go to one of those things."

Aside from Lampley and Merchant's degrading banter, the fee that Golden Boy Promotions received for De La Hoya's promised participation, if true, is quite revealing in regards to the wavering front that Golden Boy has presented when it comes to its involvement in MMA.

"We like to be involved with big fights," De La Hoya told MMAWeekly.com earlier in the week. "Fedor and Arlovski, I don't think it gets any bigger than this."

You probably wouldn't have to pay many people $5 million to say that, but evidently, that is De La Hoya's price... oh, and Merchant's too.