Saturday, April 4, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
New York Senator Reilly Distributes Anti-MMA Document Among Legislators
New York State Assemblyman Bob Reilly has drafted a document outlining his arguments against the legalization of MMA in New York state.
This week, the paper was distributed to members of the Tourism, Arts, and Sports Development Committee, according to a source in Reilly's Albany office. The committee, chaired by Assemblyman Steve Englebright, is expected to vote on bill that could regulate the sport by the year's end.
A vote on the bill, titled A.2009-A, has been delayed due to legislature addressing the state's budget shortfall.
The budget was passed last week, but the bill has yet to be put on the committee's agenda, according to sources MMAInsider spoke to.
Last June, a similar bill titled A.11458-A did not pass the committee after it was unable to come to a formal vote.
Subsequently, Mr. Reilly emerged as a self-proclaimed "accidental opposition" to the legalization of the sport. In January, Mr. Reilly gave an interview to MMAWeekly.com where he outlined many of the arguments now formalized in the document.
In addition to the arguments outlined in the paper, Mr. Reilly claims he was verbally threatened by mixed martial arts proponents and reported the threats to New York State Police.
MMAInsider has posted a copy of the paper here, just click on the link to download it in PDF format.
ReillyMMA.pdf
This week, the paper was distributed to members of the Tourism, Arts, and Sports Development Committee, according to a source in Reilly's Albany office. The committee, chaired by Assemblyman Steve Englebright, is expected to vote on bill that could regulate the sport by the year's end.
A vote on the bill, titled A.2009-A, has been delayed due to legislature addressing the state's budget shortfall.
The budget was passed last week, but the bill has yet to be put on the committee's agenda, according to sources MMAInsider spoke to.
Last June, a similar bill titled A.11458-A did not pass the committee after it was unable to come to a formal vote.
Subsequently, Mr. Reilly emerged as a self-proclaimed "accidental opposition" to the legalization of the sport. In January, Mr. Reilly gave an interview to MMAWeekly.com where he outlined many of the arguments now formalized in the document.
In addition to the arguments outlined in the paper, Mr. Reilly claims he was verbally threatened by mixed martial arts proponents and reported the threats to New York State Police.
MMAInsider has posted a copy of the paper here, just click on the link to download it in PDF format.
ReillyMMA.pdf
Hazelett Out of Action with Torn ACL
UFC welterweight Dustin Hazelett was forced to withdraw from his UFC 96 bout with Ben Saunders due to a knee injury, but didn't know how severe it was until after he notified the UFC.
Hazelett found out he had suffered a complete tear of his Anterior Cruciate Ligament, or ACL, for which he underwent surgery eight weeks ago.
Hazelett says he is working hard to bring his knee back, and has even begun to jog a little bit on the treadmill.
"The people doing the rehab on my knee say I'm way ahead of schedule," Hazelett told MMAInsider.
If all goes well with his physical therapy, he should be able to train again in six months. But he's skeptical on his prospects for fighting in 2009.
"I'll be lucky if I can get a fight in by the end of the year," he said.
Hazelett found out he had suffered a complete tear of his Anterior Cruciate Ligament, or ACL, for which he underwent surgery eight weeks ago.
Hazelett says he is working hard to bring his knee back, and has even begun to jog a little bit on the treadmill.
"The people doing the rehab on my knee say I'm way ahead of schedule," Hazelett told MMAInsider.
If all goes well with his physical therapy, he should be able to train again in six months. But he's skeptical on his prospects for fighting in 2009.
"I'll be lucky if I can get a fight in by the end of the year," he said.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Razor Rob Breaks Hand, Books Appointment with Dr. Drew
Former lightweight champion "Razor" Rob McCullough broke his right hand in his WEC 39 fight with Marcus Hicks and has recently underwent surgery to repair the damage.
The Huntington Beach native will be out of action nine months, according to a source from his camp who chose to remain anonymous.
Good news is, he'll use the time to walk another road to recovery.
According to the source, McCullough will join the cast of addiction specialist and TV/radio personality Dr. Drew's new reality show, "Celebrity Rehab: Sex Addiction," which begins filming on Monday.
Throughout his career, McCullough has been linked to a number of adult film actresses, most recently, Lexxi Tyler. The two recently called it quits.
McCullough isn't the only former member of Team Punishment to hit reality TV. Punishment founder Tito Oritz appeared on the Donald Trump vehicle "Celebrity Apprentice," making it to the ninth week of the show before hearing "you're fired."
Former Punishment heavyweight Ricco Rodriguez might even opened the door for McCullough, appearing on the first season of "Celebrity Rehab," where he discussed his battles with drugs and alcohol since losing the UFC heavyweight title to Tim Sylvia.
A timetable for McCullough's return to fighting is undetermined at this time, as he is currently boning up on addiction literature.
UPDATE: After rumors that McCullough was not on the show began to surface on April 26, MMAInsider contacted his manager, Ken Pavia, for clarification on the former WEC champ's status. Pavia stated McCullough was on the show, but did not make it through the entire season for reasons he declined to disclose.
"Let's just say he didn't make it all the way through," said Pavia via text message.
The Huntington Beach native will be out of action nine months, according to a source from his camp who chose to remain anonymous.
Good news is, he'll use the time to walk another road to recovery.
According to the source, McCullough will join the cast of addiction specialist and TV/radio personality Dr. Drew's new reality show, "Celebrity Rehab: Sex Addiction," which begins filming on Monday.
Throughout his career, McCullough has been linked to a number of adult film actresses, most recently, Lexxi Tyler. The two recently called it quits.
McCullough isn't the only former member of Team Punishment to hit reality TV. Punishment founder Tito Oritz appeared on the Donald Trump vehicle "Celebrity Apprentice," making it to the ninth week of the show before hearing "you're fired."
Former Punishment heavyweight Ricco Rodriguez might even opened the door for McCullough, appearing on the first season of "Celebrity Rehab," where he discussed his battles with drugs and alcohol since losing the UFC heavyweight title to Tim Sylvia.
A timetable for McCullough's return to fighting is undetermined at this time, as he is currently boning up on addiction literature.
UPDATE: After rumors that McCullough was not on the show began to surface on April 26, MMAInsider contacted his manager, Ken Pavia, for clarification on the former WEC champ's status. Pavia stated McCullough was on the show, but did not make it through the entire season for reasons he declined to disclose.
"Let's just say he didn't make it all the way through," said Pavia via text message.
UFC Fight Night 18 Gate Figures
The UFC on Wednesday evening released live attendance and gate figures for UFC Fight Night 18, which held court at the Sommet Center in Nashville. It was the promotion's first trip to the Volunteer State.
UFC officials said 10,267 fans attended the event for a live gate of $626,077.
Tennesse Athletic Commission Director Jeff Mullen verified the figures, but said a final tally of receipts would not be available for a few more days.
Still, Mullen was clearly happy with the show.
"It was a great first event for the state of Tennesse," Mullen told MMAInsider.
Unlike states like California, Nevada, and Ohio, that release fighter salaries, the director said those figures would not be made public from the event. The commission's legal advisers believed the state's current statutes did not support the release of the information.
UFC officials said 10,267 fans attended the event for a live gate of $626,077.
Tennesse Athletic Commission Director Jeff Mullen verified the figures, but said a final tally of receipts would not be available for a few more days.
Still, Mullen was clearly happy with the show.
"It was a great first event for the state of Tennesse," Mullen told MMAInsider.
Unlike states like California, Nevada, and Ohio, that release fighter salaries, the director said those figures would not be made public from the event. The commission's legal advisers believed the state's current statutes did not support the release of the information.
Roger Huerta & Benji Radach Talk Hardest Punch with InsideMMA
Roger Huerta and Benji Radach talk about the hardest punch each has taken with Kenny Rice and Josh Barnett (filling in for Bas Rutten) on HDNet's InsideMMA.
Bellator Announces Broadcast Team
Jon Anik and Jason Chambers will call the plays for Bellator Fighting Championships' English language broadcast, the promotion announced in a press release on Thursday.
Anik's lead anchor duties ESPN's "MMA Live" have made him a recognizable face on the MMA scene, while Chambers was the host of "The Human Weapon" on the History Channel. Chambers also carries an 18-5 professional record as a welterweight.
On the Spanish language side of the broadcast--the Latino market has been a main target of Bellator from the beginning--commentators George X and Manny Rodriguez will announce the action.
X writes for Latino MMA publication Extreme Fighting and has called the NBA finals, Winter Olympics, and Super Bowl in addition to hosting the Spanish broadcast of the X Games.
Rodriguez is a former King of the Cage heavyweight champion and has commentated for several Latino MMA promotions.
“We could not be happier with both of our on-air broadcast teams," said Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney in the release. "Jon, Jason, Manny and George bring a wealth of legitimate MMA experience and in-depth MMA reporting backgrounds to our English and Spanish language announcing booths. Each one of these guys knows the game inside and out and will bring that expertise and excitement to our viewers."
The promotion kicks off its twelve-week tournament series tomorrow at the Seminole Hard Rock and Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Broadcast partner ESPN Deportes will air the event the following day.
Anik's lead anchor duties ESPN's "MMA Live" have made him a recognizable face on the MMA scene, while Chambers was the host of "The Human Weapon" on the History Channel. Chambers also carries an 18-5 professional record as a welterweight.
On the Spanish language side of the broadcast--the Latino market has been a main target of Bellator from the beginning--commentators George X and Manny Rodriguez will announce the action.
X writes for Latino MMA publication Extreme Fighting and has called the NBA finals, Winter Olympics, and Super Bowl in addition to hosting the Spanish broadcast of the X Games.
Rodriguez is a former King of the Cage heavyweight champion and has commentated for several Latino MMA promotions.
“We could not be happier with both of our on-air broadcast teams," said Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney in the release. "Jon, Jason, Manny and George bring a wealth of legitimate MMA experience and in-depth MMA reporting backgrounds to our English and Spanish language announcing booths. Each one of these guys knows the game inside and out and will bring that expertise and excitement to our viewers."
The promotion kicks off its twelve-week tournament series tomorrow at the Seminole Hard Rock and Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Broadcast partner ESPN Deportes will air the event the following day.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Brandon Vera: Gun Enthusiast
UFC light heavyweight Brandon Vera is already in training for Matt Hamill, whom he faces at UFC 101 on August 8 in Philadelphia.
"Honestly, I didn't care who it was," he says of his thoughts on facing Hamill. "I just said okay. I don't care who I fight anymore, it's go time."
MMAInsider caught up with with the San Diego resident as he returned from the Barrett Firearms firing range in Tennesse, where he spent the day shooting with company owners. A veteran of the US Air Force, Vera was required to know guns, but there's a simpler explanation on why he likes them.
"I grew up in Virginia," he laughs. "Guns are part of life over there."
Vera sampled a variety of weapons, including the REC7, an automatic rifle not available to the public. But his favorite was the Model 82A1 .50 caliber rifle, a massive gun that can kill from a mile away.
"That thing is scary," he said. "I don't know if I want one."
Vera shoots regularly, and counts a .45 caliber Sig Sauer as his weapon of choice.
"It's super accurate and super reliable," he said. "That's my favorite, favorite gun."
On August 8, though, his only weapons will be his hands, legs, elbows, and knees.
"It's going to be good times," he said of his meeting with Hamill.
"Honestly, I didn't care who it was," he says of his thoughts on facing Hamill. "I just said okay. I don't care who I fight anymore, it's go time."
MMAInsider caught up with with the San Diego resident as he returned from the Barrett Firearms firing range in Tennesse, where he spent the day shooting with company owners. A veteran of the US Air Force, Vera was required to know guns, but there's a simpler explanation on why he likes them.
"I grew up in Virginia," he laughs. "Guns are part of life over there."
Vera sampled a variety of weapons, including the REC7, an automatic rifle not available to the public. But his favorite was the Model 82A1 .50 caliber rifle, a massive gun that can kill from a mile away.
"That thing is scary," he said. "I don't know if I want one."
Vera shoots regularly, and counts a .45 caliber Sig Sauer as his weapon of choice.
"It's super accurate and super reliable," he said. "That's my favorite, favorite gun."
On August 8, though, his only weapons will be his hands, legs, elbows, and knees.
"It's going to be good times," he said of his meeting with Hamill.
Sakara vs. Palhares Moved To UFC 101
A fight between middleweights Alessio Sakara and Rousimar Palhares, as first reported by MMAWeekly.com has been moved from UFC 99 in Germany to UFC 101 in Philadelphia.The news of the move was confirmed by sources close to the fight on Wednesday.
Sakara's involement on the UFC 99 card made sense because of the fighter's roots in Italy, but for unknown reasons the promotion decided to push the fight back for an August date instead.
Both fighters will step into the match-up coming off of wins. Sakara head kicked his way to a knockout win over Joe Vedepo, while Palhares dominated Jeremy Horn for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory in February.
It's likely that the fight between Sakara and Palhares will remain on the undercard for the UFC's debut show in Philadelphia, which will be headlined by lightweight champion, B.J. Penn, facing top contender, Kenny Florian.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Bisping Talks Career at 185 and Possible Return to 205
So far, the UFC middleweight division has been kind to Michael Bisping. He's dispatched three opponents, got himself a coaching job on the ninth season of "The Ultimate Fighter," and has what could be the biggest fight of his career against Dan Henderson at UFC 100.
For Bisping, the fight is a testament to how far he's come. A few years ago, he was watching Henderson's Pride tapes.
But even by his standards, when it came to assessing his time in the light heavyweight division, it wasn't really broke before he fixed it.
"I mean, I had a good career," said during a recent UFC conference call for "TUF 9." "I only ever lost one fight and that was a split decision to Rashad Evans. So, I was definitely competitive. I do feel better as a middleweight. I think it's more my natural weight class and I feel faster and just my body type is more suited to be middleweight to be honest."
For now, his goal is to get into the top 5 of the 185 lb. class--that's a big enough task itself. Still, thoughts of a trip back to 205 may become a reality as he finds success or failure in the the upper echelon of the 185 lb. division.
Henderson can certainly relate. At 183 lbs. for most of his career, he ran into roadblocks in the form of Quinton Jackson and Anderson Silva and finds himself bouncing between the two weight classes.
Bisping thinks a trip to his old class would be different a second time around.
"I would like to go and fight heavyweight again and this time do it properly," he continued. "I've (learned) things about my body and about nutrition and diet and all kinds of things. I’ve gained experience in the sport. So, yeah, right now I’m focused on middleweight but there's no reason - I certainly wouldn't rule out fighting light heavyweight again in the future, further down the line."
For Bisping, the fight is a testament to how far he's come. A few years ago, he was watching Henderson's Pride tapes.
But even by his standards, when it came to assessing his time in the light heavyweight division, it wasn't really broke before he fixed it.
"I mean, I had a good career," said during a recent UFC conference call for "TUF 9." "I only ever lost one fight and that was a split decision to Rashad Evans. So, I was definitely competitive. I do feel better as a middleweight. I think it's more my natural weight class and I feel faster and just my body type is more suited to be middleweight to be honest."
For now, his goal is to get into the top 5 of the 185 lb. class--that's a big enough task itself. Still, thoughts of a trip back to 205 may become a reality as he finds success or failure in the the upper echelon of the 185 lb. division.
Henderson can certainly relate. At 183 lbs. for most of his career, he ran into roadblocks in the form of Quinton Jackson and Anderson Silva and finds himself bouncing between the two weight classes.
Bisping thinks a trip to his old class would be different a second time around.
"I would like to go and fight heavyweight again and this time do it properly," he continued. "I've (learned) things about my body and about nutrition and diet and all kinds of things. I’ve gained experience in the sport. So, yeah, right now I’m focused on middleweight but there's no reason - I certainly wouldn't rule out fighting light heavyweight again in the future, further down the line."
Monday, March 30, 2009
Chuck Liddell Training wilth Boxing Olympic Gold Medalist
PRESS RELEASE:Chuck Liddell is getting some extra help on his boxing skills from 1976 Boxing Olympic Gold Medalist Howard Davis Jr., who has been in Chuck"s training camp for the past month.
"I"m helping Chuck with his striking and making sure that he uses his hand power to the fullest," said Davis Jr., who serves as Boxing Director for American Top Team & is Co-Founder of Fight Time Promotions in Florida.
Howard Davis Jr. says he"s providing Chuck with the strong training regimen that professional boxers use. Davis joined John Hackleman, who is Chuck"s longtime trainer of 16-years, a month ago and plans to stay in California for another 2 weeks.
Davis Jr. is a busy man. When he gets back to Florida, he plans on putting together his first MMA show as promoter and is inviting all interested sponsors to contact him at: howarddavisjr.com. Davis" first show is appropriately dubbed "Brazil VS USA."
Chuck Liddell takes on Brazilian superstar Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 97 in Montreal in what promises to be one of the most explosive bouts of 2009! The 39-year-old former light heavyweight champion won an amazing 14 out of 15 UFC matches from 1999-2006, and is now focused on winning the title back from Rashad Evans, who defeated Liddell at UFC 88. Liddell is making sure that his renewed boxing skills can assure him a win.
(Photo courtesy of fighttimepromotions.com)
Bobby Lashley is NOT fighting at XFC 8
PRESS RELEASE:From XFC president John Prisco:
"It's come to our attention that a rumor has started circulating that Bobby Lashley will be fighting Marcus Jones at XFC 8: 'Regional Conflict' on Saturday, April 25 – a show featuring the fastest-rising young prospects and top emerging superstars from Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky and North Carolina in contender-versus-contender bouts, airing exclusively nationwide on HDNet. That rumor is false, and no such statement was ever issued by the XFC, Bobby Lashley, or Bobby Lashley's manager.
"It is true that the XFC and Bobby Lashley have had numerous conversations, and both parties hope to find a way to work together in the very near future. Bobby has publicly stated his interest in fighting for the XFC, and we can confirm that the interest is mutual. We look forward to continuing to grow our relationship.
"The XFC hopes Bobby Lashley -- and MMA fans nationwide -- enjoy XFC 8 'Regional Conflict' on April 25, as it airs live from the 21 thousand-capacity Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, exclusively on HDNet. For more information, please visit www.mmaxfc.com."
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