The Irish Whip

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THANKS!
2008-02-27 16:25:00
After nearly a year of consistent content, 40+ interviews, 200k hits, and lots of fun, it's time to say goodbye to Irish Whip Fighting. This will be my last post on the site. However, I don't plan on leaving our loyal readers high and dry. Just the opposite, actually. Irish Whip Fighting has joined forces with a terrific staff over at MMA Madness. I'll be managing all of their content, so hop on over to my new home and continue to enjoy what we started here at IWF. Thanks again for all the support! Also, big thanks to Martial Base and BetUS who helped us get off the ground.-Ben, Jordan, Danny, and everyone else who has helped out over the past year

Jake Shields Interview
2008-02-18 06:02:00
Ben Zeidler recently spoke with Elite XC star Jake Shields about his big wins over Carlos Condit and Hayato Sakurai, being a fighter while having a daughter, and oh yeah, his open challenge to Georges St. Pierre .Ben Zeidler: You were born in San Luis Obispo, California. Is that how you got involved with Liddell's SLO Kickboxing Academy?Jake Shields : Well, I was actually born closer to the Sierras?Ben Zeidler: Wikipedia gets me again.JS: (Laughs) So yeah, I was born up there but I moved down to San Luis Obispo for college. I started working out at Liddell?s gym when he wasn?t well known at all.Ben Zeidler: How'd you make the transition from wrestling and grappling tournaments to mixed martial arts?JS: I wrestled all throughout high school and college. I was with Liddell for just a few weeks before he had me doing kickboxing and some MMA stuff. All of a sudden, I was fighting real fights.Ben Zeidler: You're a shooto world champion. For those who don?t know what that is or what it en...
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Kimbo Dominates In Wild EliteXC Event
2008-02-17 15:46:00
As the lower bowl filled with raucous fans, it was easy to tell that this was not your typical, clean UFC event. Two stoppages and one knockout later, Kimbo had passed his first true test in mixed martial arts.Kimbo Slice defeats Tank by knockout at 0:43 of round one.Antonio Silva defeats Ricco Rodriguez by split decision.Scott Smith defeats Kyle Noke by knockout at 0:07 of round 2.Brett Rogers defeats James Thompson by technical knockout via strikes.Yves Edwards defeats Edson Berto by knockout via knee at 4:56 of round one.Rafael Feijao defeats John Doyle by technical knockout via knee at 2:17 of round one.Yosmany Cabezas defeats John Kirk by submission via rear naked choke at 0:58 of round two.Dave Herman defeats Mario Rinaldi by technical knockout via strikes at 0:33 of round three.Eric Bradley defeats Mikey Gomez by unanimous decision.Lorenzo Borgameo defeats Mike Bernhard by submission via triangle choke at 4:11 of round two.Moyses Gabin defeats Jirka Hlavaty by technical knoc...
More About: Event , Wild , Elite , Tank Abbott

WEC 33 To Feature Two Title Fights
2008-02-15 04:38:00
Fresh off their three-title fight night at WEC 32, the Zuffa guys are promising another stacked card in the form of two more title fights at WEC 33. Let's just say some big names are involved.The event, WEC 33, will feature WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho?s (16-0) rematch with Chael Sonnen (19-9-1), and WEC light heavyweight champ Doug Marshall (7-2) will take on Brian Stann (5-0). This news came yesterday from MMAJunkie.comFilho's rematch represents the response to a controversial decision which may or may not have included a verbal submission from Chael Sonnen. Filho will look to close that door with a decisive win.Meanwhile, the undefeated Marine, Stann, will get his first shot at gold. I can't think of anything an organization would enjoy more (from a publicity standpoint) than having an active duty Marine as their champion.
More About: Fights , Feature , Title

Travis Lutter Interview
2008-02-12 02:31:00
With a UFC 83 fight against Rich Franklin booked and ready to go, writer Jordan Arnold went one on one with Travis Lutter to talk about his strategy for the fight, his take on missing weight against Silva, and lots of other interesting anecdotes from his long career.Ben Zeidler: How do you think that you will fare against Rich?Travis Lutter: I think that would be a great fight for me. Rich is a great fighter. Anderson Silva definitely has Rich's number, but I still think he's a top tier 185 pound fighter. He did really well at 205 pounds. He's a really good fighter.Ben Zeidler: Rich seems to be a very well rounded fighter. Is there anything that you are training for specifically for your fight against him?Travis Lutter: I will fight Rich the same way I fight every other fight. I would just take him down and beat him up. It would be the same thing that I always do. It's not a secret how I fight; I just take it one punch at a time, clinch, and try to take the guy down.Ben Zeidler:...
More About: Interview

Ken Shamrock Interview (Our Second)
2008-02-06 05:52:00
Ben Zeidler recently chatted with legend Ken Shamrock about his own future in MMA, the future of his son, a potential match up with brother Frank, and of course…Dana White.Ben Zeidler: What do you think of the IFL changing to a true camp format?Ken Shamrock: I think that they tried to start out with one concept and it wasn’t working. No one could keep the teams together. We [Nevada Lions] were the only ones who could really do it. Since the guys don’t really train together all the time, they were going in different directions. Now, you can just pull the people in your camp who are ready and it’ll work out well.Ben Zeidler: Can the IFL serve as a viable opposition to the UFC or should we not even be comparing the two organizations.Ken Shamrock: They’re not even the same competition. The UFC has been there since the beginning and they’re a brand of individual fighting. Of course, it takes a team for an individual to get there, but saying that the IFL can or should compete ...
More About: Interview

Dan Henderson Interview (Our Second)
2008-02-05 03:23:00
With his UFC 82 showdown against the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world just a few short weeks away, Dan Henderson sat down with Ben Zeidler for their second interview in as many months.Ben Zeidler: What made you consider the drop to 185?Dan Henderson: Well, I was a little bit hesitant at first, but the more I thought about it and the more I talked to Dana, I realized how excited I was for this fight. Dana wanted me to drop down for a while too so it made sense. Anderson Silva is a big challenge for me and these are the kind of fights I like to take.Ben Zeidler: Win or lose, do you think you would ever go back up to 205?Dan Henderson: I'll be staying at 185 for a while but I definitely have plans to go back to 205 at some point in my career.Ben Zeidler: The Rampage fight was a close one, and many still have you ranked #2 at 205. What would you do differently if you got another shot at that title?Dan Henderson: I would definitely be a little more aggressive on my feet and on ...
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UFC 81 Results
2008-02-03 08:15:00
Nogueira shocked Sylvia in a wild one and Mir came back to beat Lesnar in a wild night of submissions.Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Tim Sylvia via submission (guillotine choke) ? Round 3, 1:28Frank Mir def. Brock Lesnar via submission (knee bar) ? Round 1, 1:30Nate Marquardt def. Jeremy Horn via submission (guillotine choke) ? Round 2, 1:37Ricardo Almeida def. Rob Yundt via submission (guillotine choke) ? Round 1, 1:08Tyson Griffin def. Gleison Tibau via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)Chris Lytle def. Kyle Bradley via KO (strikes) ? Round 1, 0:33Tim Boetsch def. David Heath via TKO (strikes) ? Round 1, 4:52Marvin Eastman def. Terry Martin via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)Rob Emerson def. Keita Nakamura via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
More About: Results , Minotauro , Nogueira

Liddell vs. Shogun
2008-02-02 22:04:00
In an unexpected move, it was announced today that Chuck Liddell will be fighting Mauricio "Shogun " Rua this summer. This news means that neither of these two fighters will have their expected "easy" fights. This will be a great fight between two great brawlers. I can't even make a prediction on this one. Who knows what we'll see this summer. But I would love to hear your predictions. Who do you think will come out on top?

Gomi Deal Falls Through, Signs With World Victory Road
2008-02-01 06:27:00
Top Ranked Lightweight Takanori Gomi has reportedly signed with another organization (other than the UFC), despite being seen at many UFC live events and being slated for a match up with rising star Frankie Edgar.The Japanese fighter who many have ranked #1 in the world has chosen to stay away from the likes of BJ Penn and Sean Sherk, at least for the time being. Gomi's motives are unknown as this time, but with his last loss to Nick Diaz, it's unlikely that Gomi would choose to put his legacy on the line against an ever-motivated BJ Penn.Penn fans point to an early career victory by the Prodigy over the Fireball Kid as reason enough to suggest that it is BJ, not Takanori, who should be regarded as the #1 155 pounder in the world. IWF believes these fans to be correct, listing BJ as #1 and Gomi and #2.Whatever the reason behind the decision, fans won't be enjoying a match up between the technical wizards any time soon.
More About: Victory , World , Signs , Deal , Road

Marcus Davis Interview
2008-01-28 00:45:00
Top Ten Welterweight Marcus ?The Irish Hand Grenade? Davis recently chatted with Ben Zeidler about his big winning streak, his upcoming fight with Jess Liaudin, and taking on Georges St. Pierre down the road. Originally conducted for MMA MadnessBen Zeidler: Tell us about working with Tim Sylvia at the bar and how that led you to a career in MMA.Marcus Davis: Yeah, sure. It was 1995 and Tim and I were doormen together at a bar. I became the GM of the bar and so I had all the doormen going to a boxing and MMA school inside a Gold's Gym. I made it mandatory that the doormen go there to train. Tim was a real big guy, about 235 pounds and playing semi pro football, but he needed to learn how to throw some hands. So I started working with Tim and he said he wanted to try the Pancrase stuff. He did three or four of those, ended up meeting Pat Miletich, and that's how it all started.Ben Zeidler: So where did you come into the mix?Marcus Davis: Well after Tim left, I was still training bo...
More About: Interview

Frank Edgar Interview
2008-01-26 23:58:00
Ben Zeidler recently caught up with Frank Edgar to discuss his undefeated career, Sean Sherk?s steroid complication, and his next fight. Originally conducted for MMA MadnessBen Zeidler: I noticed that you're from Toms River. Can you tell us a little bit about that and how you got into MMA while living in Jersey?Frank Edgar: I pretty much lived here my whole life. I started fighting out of college in May of 2005. I found a good gym which had just been taken over by Kurt Pellegrino. I ended up with them and I've been there ever since.BZ: So I guess you were too young for those great little league teams of the 90s?FE: Yeah, I know a couple of kids on the teams. One of them just got drafted.BZ: Ah, who was that?FE: His name's Todd Frazier.BZ: Did you play little league?FE: (Laughs) Yeah, I played a few years. I think everyone plays little league growing up.BZ: In your UFC debut, Tyson Griffin locked you into a pretty deep knee bar. How did you manage to fight through this and not tap...
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UFN 12 Quick Results
2008-01-24 09:39:00
Newly-Middleweighted Mike Swick scrapped his way to a close decision against the dangerous Josh Burkman while Patrick Cote put a hurting on Drew McFedries.Mike Swick vs. Josh Burkman (Swick by Unanimous Decision)Patrick Cote vs. Drew McFedries (Cote by 1st round TKO)Alvin Robinson vs. Nate Diaz (Diaz by 1st round Submission)Michihiro Omigawa vs. Thiago Tavares (Tavares by Unanimous Decision)Alberto Crane vs. Kurt Pellegrino (Pellegrino by 2nd round TKO)Dennis Siver vs. Gray Maynard (Maynard by Unanimous Decision)Jeremy Stephens vs. Cole Miller (Stephens by 2nd round TKO)Joe Veres vs. Corey Hill (Hill by 2nd round TKO)Justin Buchholz vs. Matt Wiman (Wiman by 1st round Submission)
More About: Results , Quick , Ultimate Fight Night

Swick hopes to make ?Quick? work of Burkman
2008-01-23 04:15:00
Welterweights Mike Swick and Josh Burkman will be doing anything but lounging at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. The two headline UFC Fight Night 12 and look to make a definitive statement live on national television. When The Ultimate Fighter alumni enter the Octagon, can Swick?s fast hands and submission prowess translate to his new division after a long lay off? Or will Burkman?s wrestling-centric game put him out of commission?By Danny Acosta170lbs. is a new frontier for Mike Swick. The Texas-born fighter began his career at his natural weight of 185lbs. before moving to 205lbs to star in season one of The Ultimate Fighter. Time in the UFC allowed for the California-based fighter to return to his natural weight, but a hard fought decision loss against massive middleweight Yushin Okami forced ?Quick ? to buy sauna gear and enter the fray of the UFC?s most challenger-laden division.The drop to welterweight is not of Gleison Tibau proportions. It allows Swic...
More About: Hopes , Work , Make

Penn Rolls, Werdum Shocks In UFC 80 Event
2008-01-20 01:52:00
BJ Penn worked his way to an efficient second round choke of Joe Stevenson while Fabricio Werdum shocked oddsmakers with a stunning series of punches.Sam Stout def. Per Eklund via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27, 30-27).Alessio Sakara def. James Lee via TKO (punches) at 1:30 of Round 1.Paul Kelly def. Paul Taylor via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).Antoni Hardonk def. Colin Robinson via TKO (strikes) at 0:17 of Round 1.Jorge Rivera def. Kendall Grove via TKO (strikes) at 1:20 of Round 1.Wilson Gouveia def. Jason Lambert via knockout (punch) at 0:37 of Round 1.Marcus Davis def. Jess Liaudin via KO (punch) at 1:04 of Round 1.Fabricio Werdum def. Gabriel Gonzaga via TKO (strikes) at 4:34 of Round 2.B.J. Penn def. Joe Stevenson via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:02 of Round 2 to become UFC lightweight champion.
More About: Event

UFC 80 Predictions
2008-01-19 01:42:00
Ben Zeidler examines the match ups that will take place this weekend at UFC 80. Danny Acosta already took care of the analysis, so we'll stick to picks here. I'll fill in the chart once the event takes place.Matchup Prediction Result C/I Joe Stevenson vs. BJ Penn Penn Submission ? ? Jason Lambert vs. Wilson Gouveia Lambert KO/TKO ? ? Fabricio Werdum vs. Gabriel Gonzaga Gonzaga Unanimous Decision ? ? Jess Liaudin vs. Marcus Davis Davis KO/TKO ? ? Kendall Grove vs. Jorge Rivera Grove Submission ? ? Sam Stout vs. Per Eklund Stout KO/TKO ? ? Colin Robinson vs. Antoni Hardonk Hardonk Unanimous Decision ? ? Paul Taylor vs. Paul KellyTaylor Unanimous Decision??Alessio Sakara vs. James LeeSakara KO/TKO?? ? out of 9 correct Overall percentage for this event: ??%
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Penn and Stevenson to star in ?Rapid Fire? clash
2008-01-17 01:52:00
B.J. Penn and Joe Stevenson must travel across the Atlantic Ocean to take the vacant lightweight title at UFC 80 in Newcastle, England. For Stevenson, a wealth of experience, a distinct side advantage, and a relentless attack make his claim to the gold legitimate. But the enigma that is ?The Prodigy? has reemerged and is looking to establish himself as pound-for-pound the best in the world. After five-rounds of battle, who will be at the top of the sport?s most frenetic division?By Danny AcostaB.J. Penn and Joe Stevenson?s road to the 155lbs. title are polar opposites.?Daddy? entered into MMA at the age of 16, fighting on Native American reservations with parental consent. He amassed a wealth of experience and titles in King of the Cage and Gladiator Challenge before jumping up to welterweight to join The Ultimate Fighter 2 cast, where he defeated Luke Cummo to earn his spot in the UFC. A disappointing loss to Josh Neer at 170lbs. has been his only loss in Octagon. He then entered t...
More About: Star , Fire , Gabriel Gonzaga , Rapid

Mike Swick Interview
2008-01-16 15:37:00
Writer Ben Zeidler recently caught up with Mike Swick to discuss his recent loss to Yushin Okami and his upcoming fight with Josh Burkman . Originally conducted for MMA MadnessMMA Madness: Tell us about your start in MMA and being on The Ultimate Fighter. What did that teach you about the sport and what did you take away from the experience?Swick: I have been in MMA since 1997. It?s been a long road that would eventually lead to the TUF show which was my biggest break. It was amazing filming the show and after laying it all on the line, I got a UFC contract and here I am today.MMA Madness: Many recent TUFers have been complaining about living in the house. Was that an issue with you?Swick: No, not at all. It does have its down sides like anything else but you have to look at the bigger picture. It?s the chance to change your life and if they only knew what it could do for them, they wouldn't complain. How tough can six weeks in a mansion be? [Laughs]MMA Madness: You've become famou...
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Will Kimbo Continue His Run?
2008-01-15 09:23:00
Internet street sensation turned MMA fighter Kevin ?Kimbo Slice ? Ferguson (2-0) has made an impact on MMA just as he did with his Internet brawls. Kimbo gained popularity with his filmed underground street fights and sparked the interest of many internet users. In some brawls, Kimbo would fight and defeat two opponents simultaneously. The referee would even give his opponents a 30 second count to recover from the beating they had just received. In professional MMA, with some of the most heavily trained fighters in the world, it's more than a little different. An article by Don DavenportIt only took a few of these YouTube bouts before word started to spread about this Florida brawler. Kimbo then made the transition to MMA, and he couldn't have chosen a better path. He's being trained by former Pancrase and UFC Heavyweight Champion Bas Rutten. According to Bas, Kimbo has made significant improvements in his training and has all the natural tools to be a great champion. Kimbo was...
More About: Elite

UFC's Light Heavyweight Division
2008-01-13 19:13:00
The light heavyweight division is arguably the UFC?s strongest division. With all the talent available, it would be nice to examine which fighters are in the title hunt, which fighters are in the gray area, and which fighters are not in the title hunt. Although not meant to be a true ranking of light heavyweights, these categories can help us determine who is closest to the title and who is farthest away. The list of 16 fighters was taken from a joint UFC 75/76 website designed to examine the top 16 LHWs in the UFC. (Originally written for MMA Madness)In title contention:Rampage Jackson: Jackson is the most obvious choice. After all, he?s the champion. He won big at UFC 75, earned himself a coaching spot on The Ultimate Fighter, and remains as entertaining as ever.Forrest Griffin: After some back and forth efforts earlier in his career, Forrest rebounded in a big way with a slick submission victory over top ranked Mauricio Rua. This earned him a spot coaching next to Rampage and a ...
More About: Light , Division , Heavyweight

2007 Year In Review
2008-01-12 19:41:00
2007 marked the first year that Mixed Martial Arts was recognized on a somewhat level playing field with the rest of the sports world. Even though a lot of time and effort was put into the general expansion of the sport, the fighters and promoters still had enough left in the tank to make this the most compelling year the sport has ever seen. Some storylines were good for the sport while others hurt its reputation, but each provided publicity, the one thing this sport will never turn down. Originally written for MMA MadnessStory of the year: The Purchase of PRIDE. This deal, years in the making, brought just about every major fighter (with the exception of Fedor Emelianenko) under the UFC?s tent. It paved the way for dream match ups we thought we?d never see. And it added freshness to two divisions which had recently run stale. No more just Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell ? suddenly, Rampage Jackson, Dan Henderson, and Wanderlei Silva were all possibilities! And with Andrei Arlovski an...
More About: Review , Pierre , Quinton Jackson

Shogun, Sherk Make UFC 84 Card Great
2008-01-10 20:27:00
According to different reports by MMAJunkie.com, both Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Sean Sherk have been added to a Montreal event in April. This same event is expected to host the title unification match between Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra.Shogun will be returning from his disappointing submission loss to Forrest Griffin and attempting to gain his first win inside the Octagon. Had Shogun won his fight at UFC 76, he would have been afforded an immediate title shot against Champion Quinton Jackson. Now, Shogun finds himself near the middle of a strong light heavyweight division and badly needing a win.Even more urgent is the plight of Sean Sherk, who was stripped of his belt after testing positive for Nandrolone following his UFC 73 win against Hermes Franca. He has been told that his first fight back will be for the title, so this UFC 84 match up should be against either BJ Penn or Joe Stevenson . Sherk needs to win to gain back both his title and his credibility.Georges St. P...
More About: Card , Great , Make

Horn To Take Over For Injured Leites
2008-01-09 20:17:00
The UFC didn't say much about the switch of Jeremy Horn for Thales Leites, but the fact that it took them just a day to find a replacement shows their confidence in Horn and their goal of getting Nate Marquardt on television.Horn, for the MMA neophyte, is one of the most experienced fighters and trainers in the sport. He's fought over 100 fights, holding wins against the likes of Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, and Vernon White. Recently, Horn's had some trouble against quality opponents, but similar to Ken Shamrock or Royce Gracie, he'll always be a dangerous fighter.Horn has received two title opportunities during his storied career -- both of which he lost.UFC 81 is scheduled for Saturday, February 2nd at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV.
More About: Injured

Martial Base Releases School Finder
2008-01-07 00:45:00
One of the most comprehensive and easy-to-use databases to help find martial art schools is now being made available to the public, thanks to the work of one creative martial artist.Martial Base began about a year ago (2006) and has blossomed into an excellent resource for martial art information. The guy behind the scenes developing and managing the whole project is Terry Doll who hails from upstate NY. Terry began his martial art career in Rochester, NY as a practicioner in 7 Star Praying Mantis Kungfu. He has trained with many notable and well-known instructors in the martial art arena including: Sifu Raymond Fogg, Lee Kam Wing, Ren Guang-Yi, and Chen Xiao Wang. However, it's not just who this man knows or what he can do that makes him unique -- it's his dedication to making the sport he loves available to all.Experiences with other martial art instructors has been questionable with flawed credentials, inadequate training facilities to frauds posing as certified instructors. B...
More About: School , Finder

Top 5 Blockbuster Events Of All Time
2008-01-06 03:02:00
Even though the UFC and PRIDE FC have hosted well over 100 events combined, very few can be called blockbusters, and more often they?re labeled busts. The blockbuster, however rare, has the potential to revitalize an organization for months, and for these purposes, a blockbuster is defined as an event with a strong card and an even stronger night of fights. Although UFC 79 turned in a great card and and exciting event, it will be a few months before history casts its official judgment on the event. So, which cards in MMA history have given fans a great card as well as great fights? An article originally written for MMA Madness looks for the answer with its top 5 blockbuster events ever.#5: PRIDE Final Conflict 2005The card: Featured the middleweight tournament semis (and later that night, the finals). The final four in the tournament were Ricardo Arona, Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio Rua, and Alistair Overeem. Silva and Rua are the two most accomplished middleweights in PRIDE history whi...
More About: Events , Time , Blockbuster

St. Pierre-Serra To Headline UFC 83
2008-01-05 16:16:00
Montreal will not just hold their first UFC event in April -- they'll host their first title fight too, according to Mike Chiappetta at NBCSports.com.Matt Serra and Georges St. Pierre will meet for the UFC welterweight title during an April event in Montreal, Serra confirmed to NBCSports.com on Friday.The 33-year-old UFC welterweight champion upset St. Pierre for the title with a first-round TKO in April 2007, and had been scheduled to defend his crown against Matt Hughes in Decmeber. But following the escalation of their rivalry during the filming of the most recent Ultimate Fighter season, Serra suffered a herniated disc, forcing him to pull out of their scheduled UFC 79 match.St. Pierre stepped in to replace Serra, and outclassed the former champion, finishing him with a second-round armbar to become the interim champion. After the match, St. Pierre noted that he wouldn't consider himself the true champion until he beat Serra.The Long Island native told NBCSports.com's John Mo...
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Sean Sherk Interview
2008-01-05 02:53:00
Writer Ben Zeidler recently caught up with Sean Sherk to discuss just about every aspect of the steroid controversy, his feelings on BJ Penn, and the Lay ?N Pray style he?s often criticized for. Here are the highlights of that interview. Originally conducted for MMA MadnessBen Zeidler: What?s the story with your title being stripped considering you?re eligible to return in January? It doesn?t make sense to me.Sean Sherk: You know, Dana basically said that he wants to stay consistent with what he has done in the past. In the past, if you did it or not, you got the belt stripped. He believes that I didn?t do it and I know that I didn?t do it, but the belt gets stripped. That?s just the way it is.BZ: Are you pleased with the announcement that you?ll get the winner of Penn-Stevenson?SS: I knew that already. As soon as they told me that they were taking it [the belt], they said my first fight back would be against the winner. To be honest with you, I still feel like I am champion and th...
More About: Interview , Joe Stevenson

Kimbo And Tank To Battle After All
2008-01-04 20:45:00
ProElite .com (SamCaplan.ProElite.com) has learned that the long-awaited heavyweight clash between Internet street fighting legend Kevin "Kimbo Slice " Ferguson and former UFC staple Tank Abbott is scheduled to be the main event of EliteXC's next show on Saturday, February 16.The show, scheduled to air on Showtime at 10:00 p.m. ET, is slated to emanate from Miami, Florida. A venue has not been officially announced but the University of Miami has been rumored as a location.In addition to Slice vs. Abbott, a middleweight matchup between Australian Kyle Noke and former UFC fighter Scott Smith is also scheduled. Antonio Silva and James "Colossus" Thompson are slated to compete on the card as well, in separate bouts.Abbott and Slice had been scheduled to fight each other on October 12 in Atlantic City, NJ for the Cage Fury Fighting Championships promotion. However, the promotion ran into financial difficulties and was forced to cancel the card. The cancellation allowed Slice to become a f...
More About: Tank Abbott , Battle

The Lighter Side Of The UFC
2008-01-03 08:59:00
I?ve always been fascinated by the UFC?s dichotomy between violence and comedy. For a sport that was born from two men beating the snot out of each other, there certainly are some funny things that go down in and out of the Octagon. As we catch our breath from UFC 67 and gear up for UFC 68, I thought it would be a welcome departure to look at some of the UFC?s funniest moments. With so many to choose from, I?ve tried to narrow down my choices to the five that can still make me laugh. A timeless article (from last year) by MMA Mania's Jesse Holland.5. Go with the KenFloKenny Florian, despite his talent, gets quite a bit of heat from UFC fans. I?m sure it has a lot to do with his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, an experience that can vault you into the main event of a pay-per-view while simultaneously branding you with a Scarlet Letter. Most of the gags are cheap and childish, like the comparisons to Ben Stiller and Kevin Richardson from The Backstreet Boys. There does exist however,...
More About: Chuck Liddell , Rich Franklin , Side , Matt Hughes

UFC 79 Analysis
2008-01-02 19:24:00
The UFC 79 card was definitely exciting, but what exactly does it mean for the UFC and its fighters? Ben Zeidler examines the subject.Liddell is back!Chuck Liddell is back in full force, utterly dominating Wanderlei Silva for three straight rounds. Sure, he didn't knock The Axe Murderer out cold, but the performance was solid enough to declare The Iceman officially on the rebound from his Rampage loss earlier this year.St. Pierre takes the crownGeorges St. Pierre beat Hughes with the very move he was beaten by more than two years ago. In doing this, he established himself as the clear top Welterweight and looks to be steamrolling towards avenging the Serra loss.Sokoudjou NOT the real deal, Machida is though...The aura surrounding Sokoudjou's two quick knockouts earlier this year was dispelled as Machida showed the extent of his ability in a dominant submission victory. Sokoudjou goes back to the drawing board, Machida goes to the top 4 of the division.Sylvia-Nogueira for inter...
More About: Analysis , Matt Hughes