Frank Shamrock Was Clear to Fight Kimbo

Frank Shamrock offered to step up and fight Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson when adoptive brother Ken Shamrock was forced out of the bout due to a cut received the day of the event. Frank thinks EliteXC made a mistake making him the replacement and going with Seth Petruzelli instead.

"I thought the best decision of the night was to let me fight Kimbo which was definitely on the table," said the former UFC middleweight titleholder. "I think at the end of the day Kimbo got a little bit exposed. CBS threw MMA out there and that's what happens. That's what mixed martial arts is. I don't think network television gets it yet, but this is going to happen again. Weird, crazy stuff is going to happen again."

According to Frank, he thought he could be the replacement up until the moments before the broadcast began live on CBS. "Until an hour before the show I thought I was going to fight Kimbo as the main event," stated the San Jose resident. "I had hung my suit up and had the boys getting me shorts and mouth piece and stuff. I was going to pick one of two outfits and it was going to be a heck of a night either way."

EliteXC head of fight operations Jeremy Lappen previously stated that Frank Shamrock stepping in on such short notice was unrealistic and cited the inability to get Shamrock medically cleared in such a short time frame prevented the match up from happening. Frank Shamrock disagreed. "I got myself cleared, and I got everything ready to fight. But no one gave me the okay. No one gave me the lets do this thing."

"I actually called Armando (Garcia). He expressed concerned about my arm. I had my assistant call my doctor and had that cleared. All my medical stuff was still current," added the mixed martial arts veteran. "I had been medically cleared to fight, so it was just somebody making the decision. I think it was probably a pretty hefty decision to be made which is why it didn't get done."

The hold up was most likely the payout EliteXC would have had to give Frank to step in for the older Shamrock.

Michael Bisping's UFC 89 Video Blog (4)

Leading up to his UFC 89 bout with Chris Leben in Birmingham, England, Michael Bisping has started a video blog that has episodes on his official website, Bisping.tv.

This is great informal look at Bisping and what he's going through as the days narrow down and Saturday nears.

Continue to check back to the MMA Insider Blog for more video blog entries from Michael Bisping.

Michael Bisping's UFC 89 Video Blog: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3

Lee Murray vs. Anderson Silva? Uh, no...

Not too many of today's newer fans probably remember who Lee Murray is, but his name came up on Friday when UFC president Dana White addressed fans in the U.K.

A little background... Murray was a once promising British mixed martial artist with a professional record of 8-2-1. He holds wins over fighters such as Jose Pele Landi-Jons and, at UFC 46, Jorge Rivera.

Asked about Murray facing Anderson Silva again - Murray lost to Anderson in a Cage Rage bout in 2004, which was Murray's most recent MMA action - White told the crowd, while he is definitely a tough guy "fighting Anderson Silva is the least of his problems."

That's probably putting it mildly. To most MMA fans - and UFC fans in particular - Murray is probably most famous for a brawl with former UFC star Tito Ortiz outside of a bar in England after UFC 38. Tito denies the incident happened, but Murray and others say that the Brit dropped Tito during their fight before fleeing the scene.

What White was more likely referring to though is Murray's more recent legal troubles. He is currently in a Moroccan prison for his involvement in the largest cash heist in British history... 53 million pounds!

Less than two weeks ago The Sun newspaper in the U.K. reported that Murray and his partner, Paul Allen, were named in court as the masterminds behind the heist. Allen is being held in the U.K., but Murray is still in a Moroccan jail cell because he is actually a Moroccan citizen and a judge there has yet to determine if he can be extradited to the U.K. to face up to the alleged crime.

Below is his 2004 Cage Rage fight with Anderson Silva. The fight is broken up into three parts, thus the reason for three videos below.

Anderson Silva vs. Lee Murray Part 1:

Anderson Silva vs. Lee Murray Part 2:


Anderson Silva vs. Lee Murray Part 3:

UFC 93 in Dublin Tickets On Sale

Tickets for UFC 93 go on sale to the general public beginning Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 9 a.m. in Ireland and the U.K. There are presale options to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public.

Starting Friday, Oct. 17 at 9 a.m. in Ireland and the U.K., tickets for UFC 93 go on sale to UFC Fight Club members. And on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 9 a.m. in Ireland and the U.K., tickets go on sale to newsletter subscribers.

UFC 93 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Jan. 17 at the O2 Arena in Dublin, Ireland. It features two high profile fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship as the promotion kicks off 2009. Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson clash in the main event and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Mark Coleman will also do battle. Both fights are in the light heavyweight division.

Mix of Muay Thai and MMA Hits Chicago

Chicago's own MMA and Muay Thai Kickboxer Felice Herrig (Featured on Combatwire; World Combat league and Oxygen Channel's "FIGHT GIRLS") will face No. 2 World Ranked Katie Meehan in "RECKLESS FURY," the midwest's FIRST FEMALE IKF professional Muay Thai Title Fight on Saturday November 15th, 2008, at Chicago's historic landmark Congress Theatre, 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave., in Chicago.

About Felice, Oxygen Network said, "Felice is an adorable saucy, Italian who spends her days giving facials and making women feel beautiful. At night, however, she diligently trains in how to make women feel pain"

This event with 1 PRO MMA fight and 10 Amateur fights will feature hardcore MMA and Muay Thai fight action, with a special appearance by MMA superstar Mark Miller.

For more information, contact Tammy De La Garza at 773-307-9424 or tammy@ChiTownThrowdown.com

Sylvia In Talks With Dream and Sengoku

Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia might be making another big move soon--to the land of the Rising Sun.

Sylvia's manager, Monte Cox, confirmed to MMAInsider that Japanese promotions Dream and Sengoku have expressed interest in importing the tree-limbed fighter. No agreements have been signed, but negotiations are ongoing.

Sylvia's non-exclusive deal with Affliction allows the move, although Cox says he would also like to see Sylvia face off with Paul Buentello or Roy Nelson on Affliction's January card--i.e., someone a little less lofty than Fedor Emelianenko--to lay the groundwork for a comeback.

Save for a few marquee names, Dream and Sengoku's heavyweight divisions are paper thin. If Sylvia's in the mood for sushi, he might do some serious damage in Japan.

ESPN's MMA Live: UFC 89 & Gina Carano

The latest edition of ESPN's MMA Live has a preview of Saturday's UFC 89 taking place in Birmingham, England, and the crew sits down for a talk with EliteXC star Gina Carano.

Michael Bisping's UFC 89 Video Blog (3)

Leading up to his UFC 89 bout with Chris Leben in Birmingham, England, Michael Bisping has started a video blog that has episodes on his official website, Bisping.tv.

This is great informal look at Bisping and what he's going through as the days narrow down and Saturday nears.

Continue to check back to the MMA Insider Blog for more video blog entries from Michael Bisping.

Michael Bisping's UFC 89 Video Blog: Episode 1, Episode 2

Chris Leben: Evolution Of An Icon (4)

Chris Staab and Double Vision Productions created a web-based documentary series on Chris Leben, who is slated to face Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 89 on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Birmingham, England. These are short five to six minute videos that give an interesting behind the scenes type look at Chris Leben and his Team Icon fighters in Hawaii.

In this fourth episode Steve English (strength and conditioning coach at ICON Fitness Center) takes Chris and June to see his friends at Skydive Hawaii for a quick jump at 14,000 ft..

Watch Chris Leben Evolution of an Icon: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3.

Fedor Filming Movie In Thailand

Vadim Finkelstein, president of M-1 Global and master of all things Fedor, on Wednesday told MMAInsider his star client is currently at work on an action movie in Thailand.

Few details exist about the project, but Emelianenko is co-starring with perennial bad guys Rutger Hauer and Michael Madsen. The production will wrap at the end of November.

Meanwhile, Finkelstein is flying training partners out to Thailand for Emelianenko to cut his teeth on. Gerard Mousasi is reportedly there now, helping "The Last Emperor" prepare for his upcoming bout with Andre Arlovski in Affliction's first co-promotion with M-1 Global.

UFC 89 Staredowns

Here are some staredowns from the UFC 89 press conference. Fighters from both sides of the pond were downright British in politeness.

UFC 89 Report: Make Weight, Then War

As UFC 89 in England draws nearer, MMAWeekly.com had the chance to catch up with a number of fighters just about 24 hours away from the weigh-ins and everybody is feeling pretty solid about making weight for their respective fights.

Brandon Vera has been as low as 200lbs leading up to this fight and by his own admission has been eating huge breakfasts to keep the weight on, today he was at 206lbs and feeling fine so he wont be cutting at all in the sauna tomorrow.

Paul Kelly has been eating stupid amounts of food in preparation for this fight, even setting alarm clocks to wake him up in the middle of the night so he can hit the casein protein. He is officially sick of eating so much but it's the biggest he has ever been for a fight.

Paul Taylor is currently at 176lbs and feeling good, no major cuts this time, has kept himself around the fighting weight leading up to it, still sitting on the fence about fighting at 155lbs. It was mentioned before that he might have been considering the move, but it is all dependant on this showing at UFC 89. He prefers to stay at welterweight, but he isn't a big guy at that weight.

Jess Liaudin is walking around at 161lbs at the moment and when we spoke to him, he was off to Starbucks in search of "a cappuccino and a muffin with his name on it."

More updates from England should be coming in throughout the week and weekend.

Michael Bisping's UFC 89 Video Blog (2)

Leading up to his UFC 89 bout with Chris Leben in Birmingham, England, Michael Bisping has started a video blog that has episodes on his official website, Bisping.tv.

This is great informal look at Bisping and what he's going through as the days narrow down and Saturday nears.

Continue to check back to the MMA Insider Blog for more video blog entries from Michael Bisping.

Michael Bisping's UFC 89 Video Blog: Episode 1

Video: Keith Jardine Talks UFC 89

Keith Jardine talks about facing Brandon Vera at UFC 89 on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Birmingham, England. He carries a lot of respect for Vera, but is excited for the match-up and ready to put himself back in the hunt for the light heavyweight title.

MMAWeekly.com will have live play-by-play of UFC 89, but it will also air in the U.S. on a tape delayed basis on Spike TV on Saturday night.

15 Year Anniversary of Pancrase Video

Sports Action Network (SAN), a next generation online streaming network, has reached an agreement with iBN Sports to broadcast the 15 Year Anniversary of PANCRASE video on demand (VOD) pay-per-view. This historical project encompasses all of the past and present glory of the PANCRASE organization, featuring 90 minutes of nonstop fight action, highlighting the best moments in over 130 PANCRASE battles.

The release date and additional details will be announced soon. For further information on the 15 Year Anniversary of PANCRASE please visit www.sportsactionnetwork.tv or e-mail the Programming Director George Boley at programming@rbn-online.net.

Below is a preview of the the 15 Year Anniversary of PANCRASE:

Chris Leben: Evolution Of An Icon (3)

Chris Staab and Double Vision Productions created a web-based documentary series on Chris Leben, who is slated to face Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 89 on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Birmingham, England. These are short five to six minute videos that give an interesting behind the scenes type look at Chris Leben and his Team Icon fighters in Hawaii.

In this third episode Chris goes through some rigorous training with strength and conditioning coach Steve English.

Watch Chris Leben Evolution of an Icon: Episode 1, Episode 2.

Michael Bisping's UFC 89 Video Blog (1)

Leading up to his UFC 89 bout with Chris Leben in Birmingham, England, Michael Bisping has started a video blog that has episodes on his official website, Bisping.tv.

This is great informal look at Bisping and what he's going through as the days narrow down and Saturday nears.

Continue to check back to the MMA Insider Blog for more video blog entries from Michael Bisping.

Frank Shamrock Says Older Brother Ken Is Too Old School to Hang

Frank Shamrock was a candidate to step in for adoptive brother Ken Shamrock on the EliteXC "Heat" CBS card on October 4, from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. Ken was forced out of the main event against Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson due to a cut sustained the day of the scheduled bout.

Frank addressed the bizarre circumstances surrounding the cut and whether or not he thought the laceration was legitimately derived. "I came down on him pretty hard, but things do happen before fights," said the former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight titleholder. "If it were me, I would have had some superglue and some make-up, and I would have been out there fighting. But he's old and he's crusty. And I don't know if his cajones are hanging like they used to."

Calling his older brother's manhood into question aside, Frank didn't feel the cut was obtained by anything other than improper preparation, something that caused him to leave the Lion's Den with only a pair of boxing gloves in 1997.

"I don't think Ken is that sophisticated that there's some sinister play involved," commented the younger Shamrock. "I know he needed the money. I know this was a big moment for him. I just think he's a knucklehead like he's been forever. I think he was, you know, fighting the day of his fight as a warm-up. And that's just, it's just so old school. It's so yesterday that he's doing that."

Seth Petruzelli, who was originally supposed to fight on the undercard, ended up being Kimbo's opponent, knocking out the hyped street fighter turned mixed martial artist's in just 14 seconds.

Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale Tickets on Sale

Tickets for the Ultimate Fighter Season 8 Live Finale go on sale to the general public beginning Saturday, Oct. 18 at Noon PT. There are presale options, however, to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public.

Starting tomorrow - Thursday, Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. PT - tickets for The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale go on sale to UFC Fight Club members. And on Friday, Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. PT, tickets go on sale to newsletter subscribers.

The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Dec. 13 at the Palms in Las Vegas. It will feature the final bouts from this season's show and several other bouts, including a rumored rematch between Kevin Burns and Anthony Johnson.

NSAC's Keith Kizer On EliteXC Controversy

Following the controversy around Seth Petruzelli and whether or not he was asked/told/paid-off by EliteXC officials not to take Kimbo Slice to the ground during their recent bout on CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night fights, Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer informed MMAWeekly.com that he had brought the comments to the attention of EliteXC co-matchmaker JT Steele, who emphatically denied any payoff.

"Hypothetically, if that happened, and we found out later that one of the fighters or both were told, 'look, you need to fight a certain way,' or some incentive not to utilize part of your skills, I would file a complaint," Kizer said. "I would file a complaint against the promoter; I would probably file a complaint against the athlete as well."

Steve Cofield of Yahoo! Sports and ESPN Radio 1100 recently conducted a video interview with Kizer, where he went more in depth on the situation and talked about EliteXC's plans for a Nov. 8 event in his state in Reno.