Dean Lister Not Fighting Travis Lutter In MFC

Despite several reports stating that former UFC middleweight, Dean Lister, would make his next appearance in Maximum Fighting Championships against Travis Lutter, MMAWeekly has learned that the fight was never officially a done deal.

Instead, Lister will opt for another fight that he will announce exclusively with MMAWeekly.com next week when contracts are finalized.

The news was confirmed on Saturday by Lister's management team at Haymaker's Empire.

Lister has not seen action since a decision lost to Yushin Okami in December. After that fight the Abu Dhabi champion asked and received his release from the UFC, and has since been fielding offers from several promotions interested in his services.

As announced on MMAWeekly last week, Lister also plans to compete in this year's Abu Dhabi tournament, and is hopeful for a match-up against Fedor Emelianenko, or possibly a slot in one of the Super Fights if a spot opens up.

Stay tuned to MMAWeekly and MMAInsider for more information on Lister's next bout as it becomes available.

Is Ecko In Serious Financial Trouble?

Mark Ecko, founder and famed designed of Ecko clothing, could be in a serious financial squeeze according to report in the New York Post. Ecko has also recently stepped up and started sponsoring several prominent MMA fighters including UFC heavyweight champion, Frank Mir, TUF 9 coach Michael Bisping, and "Ultimate Fighter" winner, Nate Diaz.

The story says sources have indicated that Ecko has hired investment bank, Peter J. Solomon, to help refinance at least $170 million in debt that are owed to 2 key business partners.

Because of this debt, Ecko may be forced to sell off pieces of his businesses to help financial woes and pay off creditors.

According to the report, Ecko owed over $100 million to Li & Fung, a global trading company that helps manufacture his products, and that the rough holiday season played a major part in the recent struggle.

Ecko has also now apparently defaulted on a $70 million loan from commercial lender, CIT, and as quoted in the story from the NY Post, Ecko is "scrambling to avoid bankruptcy so he doesn't lose every stitch of equity he's got."

Sources told the Post that Ecko's executives and business partners are in a scramble to sell off pieces of the business to rivals in exchange for immediate cash. Apparently, Ecko is also trying to lease out space in his huge 280,000-square-foot headquarters on West 23rd Street, in New York City.

How this could affect the MMA fighters that Ecko currently sponsors is not known. Independent sources indicated to MMA Insider on Friday that the financial struggles felt by Ecko could partially be a reason why the clothing giant fell out of the running for their bid for the Elite XC assets, of which they were rumored to be in contention for.

The NY Post contacted Ecko chief marketing officer, Michael Golden, who stated, "we're pretty confident that this isn't an issue that's life-threatening at all, in our case, we have more than enough assets to pay off that term loan, and we have more than enough time."

Stay tuned to MMA Insider for more information on this story as it becomes available.

Mousasi vs. Sokodjou at Dream 9?

Dream middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi has long indicated his desire to make a jump up in weight classes as his young frame matures.

The Dutch fighter threw around some extra weight assisting Fedor Emelianenko in preparation for a fight with Andre Arlovski, and has been sitting on the shelf since winning Dream's title last September.

Now, an opportunity appears to have materialized for Mousasi, though its prospects are still uncertain. A fight at Dream 9 on May 25 is in the works, with Mousasi expected to move up a weight class to face light heavyweight Rameau Thierry Sokodjou, according to Joost Raimond, the COO of M-1 Global, which manages Mousasi.

But Raimond could not confirm that the fight was anywhere close to a done deal, or whether the match-up had even been offered by Dream.

And according to one of Sokodjou's representatives, Heath Sims, it hasn't.

"We haven't even received an offer," Sims told MMAInsider. "If they were to offer it, we might be interested, but we'd have to talk about a lot of things first."

Sims did confirm that Sokodjou was offered, and accepted, a fight against Mousasi at Dream 7 on March 8, but Mousasi turned the fight down, citing lack of time to prepare.

The summer card is the second round of the Japanese promotion's featherweight tourney, with star Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto expected to participate.

Sokodjou, 24, is now 5-4 after a meteoric rise to popularity following wins over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona. The Cameroon native has faced only top-tier talent since the 2007 upset wins, and a fight with Mousasi would certainly fall in line with his penchant for taking difficult matches.

Mousasi, Sokodjou's junior of a year, carries an impressive 27-2-1 record since his professional debut at the tender age of eighteen. Long considered a hot prospect, M-1's relationship with Pride, Dream, and Affliction have given him a wider audience and fan base.

MMAInsider will update this story as more information becomes available.

Man Charged With Tapout Co-Founder Death Still in Jail

Jeffrey D. Kirby, the man held in the death of TapouT co-founder Charles Lewis after a violent car accident in Newport Beach earlier this month, was granted a second continuance on his arraignment by an Orange County judge on Friday.

On March 13, the 51 year-old Costa Mesa resident was charged with one felony count of vehicular manslaughter by unlawful act with gross negligence while intoxicated, one felony count of driving under the influence causing bodily injury, and sentencing enhancements for fleeing the scene of a vehicular manslaughter and causing great bodily injury to multiple victims.

His arraignment was granted a first continuance on March 27.

The charges against Kirby will now be heard on May 7, where he will enter a formal plea.

Kirby remains in custody at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, Calif., where he was taken after police apprehended him attempting to flee his white Porsche a short distance from the scene of the accident. Kirby's blood alcohol level was a reported .13 approximately two hours after the crash, well above the state's legal limit of .08. His bail remains at $500,000.

Ultimate Fighter 3 Marathon Saturday on Spike

Din Thomas To R&B'er Chris Brown: "If you can give it, you should be able to get it."

Following a vicious knockout of Gabe Lemley on Roy Jones Jr.'s "March Badness" card last Saturday night, former UFC lightweight turned featherweight Din Thomas made a statement to the crowd that he would gladly take up the cause of doling out some punishment to R&B singer Chris Brown for his infraction with girlfriend and fellow R&B superstar Rihanna, a few weeks back.

Thomas stopped by MMAWeekly Radio on Tuesday to discuss his win and his highly publicized comments about Chris Brown, and the fighter admits that it wasn't anything he planned exactly.

"I didn't really think it would get that much buzz," Thomas said about the post fight comments. "Cause me and my man, we was watching earlier in the day, we was watching TV and this commercial came on with Oprah and Robin Givens talking about the whole situation. So it was in my head, but I didn't really know what I was going to say. I didn't even know if I was going to win the fight to have the chance to say something."

The American Top Team fighter has never pulled punches when it comes to speaking his mind, and he says if he has a microphone in front of him, watch out.

"When I get in front of a lot of people with a microphone, and they give me the stage, I don't really step on nobody's toes, but when you give me an opportunity to speak, I'm liable to say something that some people ain't going to like, cause it's going to create a stir, and I did," he commented.

Still, given the publicized nature of the situation surrounding Chris Brown and Rihanna, Thomas has no problem issuing the challenge to the R&B singer for putting his hands on a woman.

"You're watching the pictures, she looked worse than Felix Trinidad did when Bernard Hopkins fought him. I was like, 'how do you get to the point where you've got to beat a person up this bad?' I fought Clay Guida for 15 minutes and didn't look that bad," Thomas said about Rihanna after the incident.

"The reality is you ain't supposed to be beating up on a girl like that. No matter what you do, you ain't supposed to beat up no girl like that. It ain't about me trying to punk a little pop star, cause everybody knows 2 years ago when I got on TV, I called out (Floyd) Mayweather and Kermit Cintron just cause they said that MMA fighters couldn't fight. So for me, if you ain't going to respect, give respect, you've got to prove it, you've got to show me."

At the end of the day, Thomas feels that Brown has something to pay for.

"If you can give it, you should be able to get it," he said in closing about Brown.

Frank Shamrock Adds to Team, Awards Strikeforce Contract

Legendary mixed martial arts fighter and four-time world champion Frank Shamrock officially added new talent to his fight team on March 21st after holding open tryouts at his newest training facility in San Jose, California. Team Shamrock gained six new talented MMA fighters and a Strikeforce contract was awarded to the standout athlete.

The Team Shamrock tryouts, sponsored by TapouT, were open to experienced professional fighters with backgrounds in combat sports such as boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai and kickboxing. Frank Shamrock's reputation as one of the most respected and skilled mixed martial artists in the world, paired with the opportunity to walk away with a Strikeforce fight contract, attracted over forty fight team hopefuls. Competitors traveled from across the U.S and abroad to compete for a coveted spot on Shamrock's team.

"The tryouts were a great success; I liked the entire group of athletes that tried out and was very impressed with their skills. The skill level of the average fighter has definitely gone up considerably in the past few years, allowing me to add some phenomenal new talent to my team. I'm also very excited to be one of the first MMA coaches to award a Strikeforce contract at fight team tryouts," stated Frank Shamrock, MMA Legend and founder of Shamrock MMA.

Middleweight Victor Cheng, the stand out athlete and winner of the Strikeforce contract, traveled to San Jose from Sweden to compete for a spot on the team. Cheng, who excelled in every level of the competition, clearly impressed the judges with his presence, level of conditioning, and unparalleled striking and ground skills.

New Team Shamrock fighters Victor Cheng, Floyd Nazereno, Nick Gennoe, Allen Stevens, Nicholas Eric Marcus and Christian Barber will officially represent Shamrock's fight team and will have the opportunity to train with Frank Shamrock at his academy. In addition, each new team member will be awarded a contract opportunity with MMA Stars Inc., a full service management and talent development company for mixed martial arts athletes, and may also have the chance to work with Strikeforce, as well as other local, national, and international fight promotions, various reality TV shows and media outlets.

Never Surrender Trailer: Stacked With UFC Stars

The trailer for the new movie "Never Surrender" has hit the internet, and it's something special alright. Starring a slew of MMA fighters like Georges St. Pierre, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, B.J. Penn, Anderson Silva, and Heath Herring, the film is set to debut in Spring 2009.

For the real movie geeks out there the movie also stars James Russo, who played Eddie Murphy's best friend in the original "Beverly Hills Cop" movie. The rest of the cast outside of the fighters is anybody's guess.

Enjoy Never Surrender!

Jeff Curran Responds Directly To Miguel Torres

After a recent appearance by WEC champion Miguel Torres on MMAWeekly Radio, Jeff Curran responds via his personal blog to the comments made by the champion on their ongoing feud and his fight against Joseph Benavidez in the WEC.

Video courtesy of Suckerpunch Entertainment

UFC Fighter Nate Quarry Featured in Skinlab Music Video

If you were to ask people to pick a style of music that most fits MMA, metal would be one of the top responses.

The hard driving rhythms and aggression of metal seem to suit the hard-hitting action of MMA effortlessly. So it is no surprise that when re-emerging San Francisco metal act Skinlab were choosing a visual style to go along with the promo video for lead single for their upcoming album they picked MMA.

Last May when the band decided to shoot the video for the song "In for the Kill" off their first new album of original material in over six years, they invited Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight contender Nate Quarry and Sportfight veteran Greg Thompson to the Bay Area to beat up on each other in a cage to add intensity to the band's already frenetic live performance.

"The song kind of suggests our return and not taking no for an answer and going straight for the throat, so we decided to utilize MMA parts in the video," explained Skinlab vocalist/bassist Steev Esquivel.

"We set up a cage for them -- it was a really cool set -- and made a nice couple days of it. They're really cool to work with, and they came down and threw some blows in the crazy-ass medieval cage we made. It was an awesome experience."

As for how Quarry ended up in the video, the credit can go to its up and coming director.

"He was a friend of our director, Jourdan McClure, and it just made sense," said Esquivel. "It proved to be (the right decision); the guy's just a top class dude, both him and Greg."

The video shoot was not the first time Skinlab and Esquivel in particular have run across the MMA world.

"Our songs were featured in a documentary produced by Bobby Razak," he told MMAWeekly.com. "He actually used a few of our songs in his first documentary, Rite of Passage, and I was actually in a movie he did called Pitfight Redux."

The band, which is rounded out by drummer Paul Hopkins and guitarists Glen Telford and Steve "Snake" Green, is known for their no frills heavy-hitting style, to which Esquivel equates to one of the original bad boys of the sport.

"My kids would kill me, because we're a huge Urijah Faber family -- we just love him and what he does for the sport -- but I'd have to say Tank Abbott (is most like Skinlab)," he said. "We're the Tank Abbott of metal."

After taking a few years off to focus on other projects and deal with legal issues surrounding a former record company, the band is currently in the recording studio putting finishing touches on their upcoming album, The Scars Between Us, to be released by Stand and Deliver Records in July.

"All I can say, this is the heaviest record we've every written without compromising for anything," exclaimed Equivel. "We've kept true to what Skinlab is known for, dirty metal with a groove.

"No selling out, no metalcore, we're going straight for the throat. ‘In for the Kill' will definitely give you an idea where we're going without giving away too much."

After performing their record release show as part of the Rockstar Mayhem Fest on July 10 at the Sleep Train Amphitheater in Sacramento with headliners Slayer and a dozen other acts, Skinlab will follow up with a full scale tour in support of the new album.

"Skinlab is not a shoe-gazing band; we definitely like to bring a lot of ruckus to the stage," stated Esquivel. "Not too many bands can match our live stage show -- just pure energy, breaking bones if we have to, shedding blood if we have to, whatever."

In closing, he wanted to send the band's heartfelt wishes out for the recent passing of one of MMA's most unique and recognizable personalities, Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr. of Tapout.

"I want to give our sincere condolences to the Tapout crew, Mask's family and the MMA community," said Esquivel. "I had the chance to work with him while we were filming Pitfight Redux and he's definitely a guy who is going to be missed. See you on the other side, buddy."

Checkout Skinlab's official MySpace page.

Promo video clip for "In for the Kill":

MMA Live Previews UFC Fight Night 18, Reviews Lashley's Debut

Martin Kampmann Prepares to Welcome Carlos Condit to UFC

Leben Anticipates August Return To Action

UFC middleweight Chris Leben says all is well at his new gym, Ultimate Fight School, in Honolulu, Hawaii, with new students and a burgeoning fight team keeping him busy 24/7.

"They always say it's going to be more work than you can imagine, and they're right," Leben told MMAInsider of his new CEO job. "I'm a very busy man."

One of his welterweights, Andrew "Danger" Cohea, is set to compete in longtime Hawaii promoter T.Jay Thompson's new show, Kingdom MMA, on April 18, with an opponent yet to be booked.

The colorful brawler says UFC matchmaker Joe Silva is targeting an August return for him.

Following his decision loss to Michael Bisping at UFC 89 in London, Leben was suspended for nine months by the UFC after a post-fight drug test revealed the presence of stanozolol, a performance enhancing steroid. He also forfeited one third of his fight purse.

Leben's suspension is complete in late July, and appears a ready-made fit for a late summer card currently in the works.

The unannounced UFC 102, first leaked to MMA fans by UFC executive and majority owner Lorenzo Fertitta, is reportedly being planned for August 29 at the Rose Quarter in Portland, Or.

Previously, the "City of Roses" was under consideration for UFC 101 on Aug. 8, with native son Randy Couture set to do battle against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the main event, but subsequent reports confirmed that Philadelphia, Pa. had taken its place. Though Fertitta did not give the reason for the change, MMA's legalization in the East Coast state, taxes levied on the promotion by its athletic commission, and a fervent fan base all likely played parts in the decision.

But for now, it appears the Northwest will not be left out.

Leben was born in Portland and spent much of his profession career in the suburb of Gresham through his work with Team Quest.

"It would be a dream come true," said Leben of a possible fight in his hometown.

Gilbert Yvel Moves To Vegas

After a punishing loss to Josh Barnett at Affliction's "Day of Reckoning," Dutch striker Gilbert Yvel has moved to capitalize on the training offered by MMA's mecca, Las Vegas.

John Lewis, owner of J-Sect Academy in Las Vegas (he was the guy who taught Dana White and the Ferttitas Jiu-Jitsu), and Brian Schall, a Los Angeles entertainment lawyer who reps Rich Franklin, have taken Yvel as a client in their new management firm, The Fight Agency. Yvel is currently training at J-Sect and living in Sin City.

Yvel's last home was at the Vos Gym in Amsterdam, where he honed his vicious striking game over a 12 year career.

Lewis had no word on Yvel's next fight, but said training was going well and anticipated a strong return for "The Hurricane."

"Gilber's such a great guy," said Lewis. "He loves to train."

UFC 2009 Undisputed May 21 Release; THQ Highlights Stand-up

THQ has finally set a release date of May 21 for UFC 2009 Undisputed. The highly anticipated video game featuring numerous UFC fighters, past and present. Although the game is true to all areas of combat that MMA represents, this latest video release from THQ highlights the stand-up fighting features in UFC 2009 Undisputed.

WEC Champ Miguel Torres Rises Up, In and Outside the Cage

This is a well done five-minute feature on WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres, highlighting not only his accomplishments in the cage, but also his ambitions and dreams outside the cage.

Joe Riggs vs. Phil Baroni Likely For June Strikeforce

After a proposed fight between Joe Riggs and former Elite XC welterweight champion, Jake Shields, was scrapped in favor of Shields taking on Robbie Lawler in a middleweight bout, Riggs was left without a fight for the April Strikeforce debut on Showtime.

Now it appears that Riggs will get a fight, but he will instead have to wait until June when Strikeforce puts on their 2nd Showtime show emulating from St. Louis and the "Diesel" is likely to face the "New York Badass" Phil Baroni.

A source close to the negotiations indicated to MMAInsider on Tuesday that the fight was proposed, but nothing has been finalized at this point.

Joe Riggs last competed in Strikeforce in Nov 2008 in a win over Luke Stewart by TKO in the fighter's return to the welterweight division after several bouts in the 185lb weight class.

Phil Baroni hasn't fought since Sept 2008 when he made an appearance in the Palace Fighting Championships, winning a decision over Olaf Alfonso.

Stay tuned to the MMAInsider for more information on the upcoming Strikeforce show as it becomes available.

Brandon Vera Addresses Critics and Mark Munoz

(Courtesy of Steve Cofield of ESPN 1100 and Cagewriter.com)

WEC Miguel Torres vs Takeya Mizugaki Video Preview

Martin Kampmann Willing To Fight Any Weight Class...Sort Of

When UFC fighter, Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann, made the decision to drop down to the welterweight division after a successful run at 185lbs, the move was hailed by most industry insiders as the Danish born fighter would likely gain a leg up on the competition at 170lbs.

Always undersized at middleweight, Kampmann never seemed to struggle much taking on anybody at 185lbs, but the decision was made to test the waters at 170lbs and it was a successful move as he won his first fight by TKO in the 2nd round over Alexandre Barros in February.

Now as Kampmann prepares for his main event match-up against Carlos Condit on April 1st, the Xtreme Couture fighter tells MMAWeekly Radio that he's happy to face anybody in any weight class...well, sort of.

When asked if he was happy to be the bigger fighter when facing other welterweights, Kampmann responded, ""Yeah sure. I'd like to fight 55'ers too."

155lbers?!? So of course the next question had to be can Kampmann actually make the cut to 155lbs?

"No, but if they like fighting bigger guys, I'd fight 45'ers too," Kampmann said with a laugh.

Kampmann finishes up his camp in Las Vegas this week before heading to Nashville for his fight against Condit next week. Check out the entire Martin Kampmann interview later this week on MMAWeekly Radio.

Portland UFC Possibly Moved To Late August

In a recent posting on the popular mixed martial arts message board, "The Underground," UFC executive Lorenzo Fertitta wrote that the yet-unannounced UFC 101 may not take place in Portland on Aug. 8, as widely reported.

Instead, the Northwest card would be moved to the final Saturday of the month, Aug. 29, with former Gresham resident and heavyweight champ Randy Couture headlining the card against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102.

MMAWeekly.com first reported that UFC 101 would take place in August, although a date was not available at the time of publication. A subsequent report on mmamania.com stated that Philadelphia had replaced Portland as the city under consideration for the event, leaving "the city of roses" high and dry for the second time since it was passed over for UFC 91.

Not so, according to Fertitta.

Fertitta stated that a lightweight showdown between BJ Penn and Kenny Florian was in the works for the Philadelphia event. Pennsylvania recently passed legislation to legalize MMA in the Northeast state.

UFC 101 and 102 would represent the 22nd and 23rd US states visited by the UFC for a pay per view event.

MMA For Dummies: Kimura From Guard

UFC fighter and MMA Live's Kenny Florian explains performing a Kimura shoulder-lock from the guard.

Tuff-N-Uff Spring Slam

PRESS RELEASE:

TUFF-N-UFF Productions, Inc. once again brings you an action packed evening of "The Future Stars of MMA" fights and festivities at the Orleans Hotel and Casino on Friday, March 27.

The evening will be kicked off by UFC ring girl and crowd favorite Arianny Celeste singing her rendition of the National Anthem. A special farewell will then be made for Mixed Martial Arts apparel pioneer and friend, TapouT owner Charles "Mask" Lewis, by giving him a much deserved 10 bell-count salute.

"Mask was always very cool with everyone he interacted with and I could feel his passion was intense," TUFF-N-UFF president Barry Meyer said. "It's because of this that I could relate to him. I remember him working a booth with the crew at our first show in Las Vegas in 2003 and he was a great all around guy."

Following these emotional moments will be an action packed evening of fights not to be missed. Headlining the "Future Stars of MMA" will be the semifinals of the TUFF-N-UFF Welterweight World Championship, as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and widely accomplished practitioner Bill "The Grill" Cooper squares off with hard hitting Xtreme Couture prodigy Kenny Marzolla. The stakes are high in this one, with the winner moving on to fight for the TUFF-N-UFF Welterweight crown on April 24.

"This fight should be very fun to watch," Meyer said. "The two fighters each have their own contrasting styles, which always make for the most entertaining fights. Marzolla has such strong knockout power and Cooper is such a good Jiu Jitsu practitioner that he'll have Marzolla working hard for the win."

Also showcased at the event will be the finals of the TUFF-N-UFF 135lb. 4-man tournament Championship, as Hawaiian Fighting Arts student Junior Gomez squares off with Jamie Hernandez, fighting out of West Coast Fighting Academy in Riverside, Calif.

"Both Gomez and Hernandez bring it every fight," Meyer said. "You may not want to blink during this fight because if you do, you'll miss a ton of action."

Along with these fights, fans can also check out an action packed card, which features some of the most talented up-and-coming male and female athletes from Xtreme Couture, Striking Unlimited, Legends MMA, West Coast MMA, and more!

"The Future Stars of MMA", will hit the ring live on Friday, March 27 at Orleans Hotel and Casino. Doors open at 6 pm, fights start at 7. Tickets are available at the Orleans Casino box office. For more information, check out the TUFF-N-UFF website at www.tuffnuff.net.