The Fightin' Stance News 05.03.08: Down But Not Out

Posted by Adam Tool on 05.03.2008

Check out the latest edition of The Fightin' Stance News for all the details regarding Chris Leben's arrest, upcoming cards for DREAM, Shields vs. Fickett is cancelled...again, CBS chairman badmouths MMA, and the return of Tito! We've also got a special look at the past vs. the future and your updated MMA Calendar, all just one click away!



Hello again and welcome to your weekend source for all the MMA news you need, The Fightin' Stance News. As always I am your host Adam Tool and I've got a full plate of stuff for you this week. Before we get to the news I wanted to respond to a comment left on last week's report regarding my statement that the Danzig/Bocek fight should've won "Fight Of The Night" at UFC 83.

Did you see the fight of the night. I haven't and like to know how it was as
your giving it to Mac Danzig and Mark Bocek?

Posted By: Methoes (Guest)

The "Fight Of The Night" bonuses were awarded to Jonathon Goulet and Kuniyoshi Hironaka, who fought in the pre-lims. The fight was then shown on the main broadcast (after the main event, which may be why you missed it), and it was a pretty good fight. Hironaka came close to finishing Goulet off in the first round, but the Canadian was able to survive and pull off the win in the second. Like I said, it was a pretty good fight but I felt the bout between Danzig and Bocek had more action (including several awesome knees delivered by Mac) and was a great way to kick off the evening. I was expecting a quick and easy win for Danzig and instead Bocek gave him all sorts of trouble and made the match very competitive.

As always you are encouraged to leave feedback in the comments or via the e-mail link at the bottom. Enough about last week, we've got plenty to talk about so…



The Story of Chris Leben and Johnny Law



Late Wednesday night it appeared as though another monkey wrench was about to be thrown into the lineup for next month's UFC 85. It was reported by MMA Junkie that Chris Leben had been arrested in Oregon for DUI and would not be released on bail due to a prior warrant. The story was then clarified by ICON Sport president T. Jay Thompson (who owns a gym where Leben teaches) who stated that Leben had turned himself in and was arrested from a probation violation stemming from a DUI arrest in 2005.

As of now Leben remains behind bars, where he expects to serve 8-10 days for his probation violation. He will have a hearing on May 8th, after which he expects to return to Hawaii and finish training for next month's bout with Michael Bisping. Leben turned himself in so he could ensure he would get a visa to leave the country and fight in England.

Thompson has stated that he's already contacted UFC president Dana White and that Leben "has the support of the organization." He also said that Leben planned to work out as much as possible while behind bars, even going so far as to use his mattress as a punching bag. As of now the fight with Bisping is still on, but there is the possibility that a judge could extend Leben's sentence, which would certainly put the matchup in doubt.

In the last year Chris Leben has shown a lot more maturity then he ever did in his stint on "The Ultimate Fighter," and clearly he has been taking steps to get his life straightened out. The timing is unfortunate, since Leben will have a month between his release from jail and his fight at UFC 85. Here's hoping this matter gets taken care of quickly and the show can go on as planned.

Your DREAM Has Come True

We've got lots of news on the DREAM front, starting with tonight's broadcast of DREAM 2. If you've been online at any of the MMA news sites this past week you've probably already seen the results for this show, but I'm going to try and go spoiler-free for those of you looking to watch the fights for the first time on HDNet tonight. Here's a look at the card:

Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Nakahara Andrews
Denis Kang vs. Gerard Mousasi
Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Masakatsu Funaki
Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza vs. Ian Murphy
Magomed Sultanakhmedov vs. Zelg Galesic
Dong Sik Yoon vs. Shungo Oyama
Taiei Kim vs. Punk Minowa
Gesias "JZ" Calvancante vs. Shinya Aoki

As I mentioned I don't want spoil the results of the fights, however for this next piece of news I will have to. If you wish to remain spoiler-free, just scroll down past the picture and ignore this next paragraph.

The rematch between Calvancante and Aoki was set up after their first contest at DREAM 1 ended in a draw. Aoki won the decision and the plan was to have him go on to compete in the lightweight grand prix at next weekend's DREAM 3 event. However during the fight Aoki suffered a facial injury and it looked as though he wouldn't be able to continue in the tournament. It was then speculated that JZ would move on instead, but now it's being reported that he was unable to come to terms with DREAM's management and has since left Japan. Now Aoki may still go on to compete next week, however he'll need medical clearance to do so. As of now there is no confirmation either way, so we may not know who will be fighting until the event itself.



In other DREAM news they've now added the always entertaining Nick Diaz to their upcoming DREAM 3 event. Diaz will be taking on Katsuya Inoue and the winner of that fight will go on to face Hayato "Mach" Sakurai to crown the first DREAM welterweight champion sometime later this year. DREAM 3, which also features the continuation of the lightweight grand prix, will air live on HDNet at 3 am ET (with a replay at 4 pm ET).

I'm a fan of both Diaz brothers so I'm looking forward to seeing Nick get back in the ring after he was pulled from the EliteXC/Strikeforce card in June due to medical clearance issues. Inoue is a tough opponent with knockout power, but I imagine Diaz will look to use his range and pop off his usual barrage of jabs before attempting to transition into some sort of submission attempt.

It‘s On…and Off…and On Again…and Off Again

You ever get the feeling that some fights just aren't meant to be? That certainly seems to be the case in the EliteXC welterweight title fight between Jake Shields and Drew Fickett. The fight was originally scheduled for the EliteXC/Strikeforce event in March, but Shields was forced to pull out with an injury. Fickett went on to fight and defeat Jae Suk Lim.

The title match was then rescheduled for the upcoming EliteXC card on June 14th in Hawaii. However now it will be postponed again as Fickett will be the one pulling out this time due to a knee injury. EliteXC vice president Jared Shaw made the announcement on MMA Weekly radio, saying the fight would have to rescheduled again.

Shaw also took the opportunity to announce the main card for the show, and here it is:

EliteXC Lightweight Championship K.J. Noons vs. Yves Edwards
Nick Diaz vs. Muhsin Corbbey
Murilo "Ninja" Rua vs. Tony Bonello
Wayne Cole vs. Rafael Feijao
Dave Herman vs. Ron Waterman

This is bad news for Shields and Fickett, as this is the second time each man has begun training for the fight only to have it postponed. As of now it would appear that Shields won't be defending the belt against a replacement, but that could change between now and showtime. Jake Shields is undoubtedly one of the best fighters not under the Zuffa banner, and with the extra attention EliteXC will be receiving after their CBS debut I'm sure the company would love to showcase him sooner rather than later.

This Rich Old Man Frowns Upon Your Shenanigans



That is Sumner Redstone, and he is the chairman of CBS. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter Redstone spoke about his networks' decision to start airing MMA, and he does not approve. Redstone made comments like, "I'm a lover not a fighter," and "I don't like the sport." Apparently Redstone isn't unhappy because he thinks the broadcast won't be financially successful, but rather he feels it's not "socially responsible" to air the sport on free TV.

How did the deal get approved you ask? Well the decision to broadcast EliteXC was made by CBS President and CEO Les Moonves. Redstone claimed that Moonves usually asks his opinion on major decisions that affect the network, but this time was different. Redstone claims he doesn't like to "intrude" on Moonves and added, "Most of the time, he does the right thing."

Obviously Mr. Redstone is of the mindset that MMA is still "human cock-fighting," and he doesn't see it as a real sport. I'm willing to bet he won't be watching the broadcast on May 31st, and if it flops he'll be one of the first ones to say "I told you so."

From UFC Champion to Reality TV Star

Tito Ortiz has been out of the UFC spotlight for quite some time now. His last fight was against Rashad Evans at UFC 73 where he delivered a lackluster performance that resulted in a draw. He's currently training for a highly anticipated showdown with Lyoto Machida later this month at UFC 84, and that fight will be his last inside the octagon, at least as long as Dana White is still president. Last week Ortiz gave an interview with The Sun and had this to say,

"This is the last fight in my contract with the UFC. Then I'm going to go and sign up with somebody else just because the way Dana White treats me as a fighter is very disrespectable. It's not about money anymore it's about respect. I'm going to go with someone else who will pay me more money and treat me with more respect than Dana White has ever treated me. I'm very excited to move on, to grow and go somewhere else and help them build a company like I did with the UFC."

I love how he says it's not about the money, then immediately says he's going to go somewhere else and sign for more money. I'm sure there will be a few smaller promotions willing to pony up the dough for Ortiz's services. Whether you love him or hate him (for me, definitely the latter) you can't deny that he's still one of the biggest names in this sport, and I'm sure EliteXC or HDNet Fights would love to add his drawing power to their roster.

In other Tito news, he's already lining up at least one gig for his post-UFC career. Following his stint on "The Celebrity Apprentice" earlier this year, Ortiz is looking to start his own reality show on the G4 network called "Anytown Beatdown." The show's concept is to take two people with some sort of beef, and have them fight it out in the ring. Ortiz would train each competitor, and the winner of the fight then receives $1000. Sounds pretty stupid to me, but I'll wait and see on this one.


The Past vs. The Future Part 1

It's an archetype that's been around as long as there have been competitive sports. Take one grizzled veteran, who has reached the pinnacle of the sport but whose best days are apparently behind him. Pit him against a young up-and-comer that is currently on his way towards the top, and see who comes out victorious. Do past accomplishments really mean anything? Is youth more important than experience? Can someone who started their career ten years ago keep up with a rookie that just debuted last year?

These are the questions that started coming to mind as I looked ahead at the next few months of MMA events. There are some interesting matches heading our way between men that have dominated the sport at one point or another, and the young fighters looking to dominate for years to come. In the first of this two-part special, we'll look at five fights in recent memory that have followed the mold of pitting the past against the future. Next week we'll look ahead to five fights that will continue the tradition.



Royce Gracie
vs.
Matt Hughes
UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie - 5.27.06

If want to talk about a veteran that has dominated the sport, you must begin with the man that started it all, Royce Gracie. By now most people know that the UFC was co-created in 1993 by the Gracie family to showcase their brand of jiu-jitsu. Royce won three of the first four UFC tournaments and later he was the first man inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame

Matt Hughes is, without a doubt, a future UFC Hall of Famer. He is the most dominate welterweight champion in UFC history, winning and defending the title nine times. He has since stepped aside from the spotlight after dropping two losses to Georges St. Pierre, but just a few years ago he was still the guy to beat.

At UFC 60 the company arranged a rare catch weight bout between the welterweight champion and the UFC legend. It would be Royce's first fight in the octagon in just over 11 years. Hughes was riding a four-fight win streak, and was still seven months away from his second fight with GSP.

The fight didn't last long, as Hughes overwhelmed Gracie and took him down quickly. Matt locked in a deep armbar, but it was a situation Royce had been in numerous times so he was able to remain calm and eventually get out of it. Hughes then transitioned to the back and began raining down punches, forcing the referee stoppage.

Even though he helped to create the modern style of MMA, Gracie was simply no match for Hughes' power and speed. He survived an armbar that almost anybody else would've tapped to, but he was still unable to mount any kind of offense against the world class wrestling skills of Hughes.


Randy Couture
vs.
Gabriel Gonzaga
UFC 74: Respect - 8.25.07

Let's go back 12 months and remember the better days between Randy Couture and the UFC. Before the messy legal battles and finger-pointing, MMA fans were treated to the re-emergence of one of the all-time greats. Even though he made his UFC debut ten years ago, "The Natural" looked better than ever before with his five-round domination of the younger, taller, and (arguably) stronger Tim Sylvia last March. With the win Couture claimed his third UFC heavyweight championship, at the ripe old age of 43.

Meanwhile there was a big Brazilian fighter named Gabriel Gonzaga that had already gone 3-0 since entering the octagon. Gonzaga got his big opportunity at UFC 70 when he was placed in the main event against Mirko Cro Cop, with the winner being the next in line for a shot at the heavyweight title. Very few people gave Gonzaga a chance to beat the famed Croatian striker, but one man that picked Gonzaga was none other than the heavyweight champion, Randy Couture.

By now everyone has seen the famous head kick that dropped Cro Cop. It's one of the greatest knockouts in recent memory, and it firmly cemented Gonzaga as the true top contender in the heavyweight division. After the fight Couture stepped inside the cage to congratulate Gonzaga and said he looked forward to facing him in the near future. The title fight was set for UFC 74 in August.

The fight went poorly for Gonzaga early on, as his nose was broken from an errant head butt delivered by Couture (it's also speculated that Gonzaga's own knee was the cause, but it's hard to tell for sure). With this working against him Gonzaga was unable to stop Couture's relentless takedowns and ground and pound, leading to the fight being stopped in the third round.

Gonzaga is still trying to get back into the title picture, while the UFC heavyweight champion sits on the sidelines after leaving the organization. The legal battles won't be over anytime soon, and at this point it's looking more and more likely that we won't see Randy Couture fighting in the octagon ever again.


Ken Shamrock
vs.
Rich Franklin
The Ultimate Fighter Finale - 4.9.05

There were two men responsible for the initial popularity of the UFC. Royce Gracie was one, and few would argue that Ken Shamrock was the other. He was one of the first competitors that had skills in all areas, and thanks to his stint in the WWF, he still is one of the most recognizable fighters in the entire world.

By now most people are aware that Rich Franklin was a high school math teacher before he decided to try fighting full-time. Most people are also aware of his brief dominance over the middleweight division. However a lot of people don't remember that Franklin started out as a light-heavyweight. He won his first three fights in the octagon and then it was time to step up in competition.

On April 9th, 2005 history was made in the sport of mixed-martial arts. On that night the UFC and Spike presented the live finale to the first season of their hit reality show "The Ultimate Fighter." Of course the fight on that show everyone still loves to talk about is the three-round war between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. However the main event for the evening would see the rising star Franklin take on "The World's Most Dangerous Man."

The fight isn't as well remembered, probably because it ended so quickly. Shamrock attempted to get a heel hook, but was unsuccessful. Later after attempting a high kick Shamrock slipped and fell to the mat, prompting Franklin to rush in and start throwing his hands. Once Rich unleashed the ground and pound, it didn't take long for the fight to be stopped. Afterwards he proclaimed his intentions to drop down to middleweight, and the rest is history.


Tank Abbott
vs.
Kimbo Slice
Elite XC: Street Certified - 2.16.08

In the early days of the UFC there were several different types of fighters. You had submission experts, wrestlers, and brawlers. One of the most famous brawlers was a man by the name of David Lee Abbott. Most fans would come to know him simply as "Tank." In every fight he was in Tank would swing for the fences, delivering some brutal knockouts in the process. However he was unwilling to change with the sport, and as a result his record is currently an unimpressive 9-14. Although he may not have won championships, his go-for-broke style won over many fans and secured his spot in UFC history.

If you want to talk about modern-day brawlers, you need look no further than Kevin Ferguson, better known as Kimbo Slice. Kimbo made his name on YouTube, fighting in backyards and knocking people out. In 2004 he started to train in MMA, under the legendary Bas Rutten. He made his professional debut in EliteXC on November 10th, 2007 by beating Bo Cantrell in just 19 seconds.

Although Slice was clearly popular with the fans, MMA purists still thought of him as a freak-show attraction that was unfit to hang with the fighters that had worked their way up through the more traditional means. It was clear that Slice's next opponent would need to be someone with some name value, so the fight was signed for Kimbo vs. Tank.

The bout headlined EliteXC: Street Certified on February 16th, 2008. Instead of describing the action, I'd rather just show it to you.



Clearly there are still a lot of questions to be answered regarding Kimbo and his future in this sport. Until he is able to fight and defeat a top-tier heavyweight, he'll still be looked at as the internet fighter that that doesn't belong.


Frank Mir
vs.
Brock Lesnar
UFC 81: Breaking Point - 2.2.08

If there is one highlight I don't ever need to see again, it's the finish of the UFC heavyweight championship bout between Frank Mir and Tim Sylvia. I think I've seen Sylvia's arm get broken enough times to last the rest of my life. Still, it remains the biggest accomplishment in Mir's career, because after winning the title he was in a nasty motorcycle accident and was unable to compete for almost two years.

Brock Lesnar has had a storied career in athletic competition. First he was a two-time All American in NCAA, then he went on to become the youngest heavyweight champion in WWE history. After leaving professional wrestling in 2004 he attempted a career in the NFL, but was unsuccessful. In 2006 he announced his intentions to enter the sport of MMA, and he quickly won his professional debut on June 2nd, 2007 against Min Soo Kim. It didn't take long for the UFC to take notice, and at UFC 77 Lesnar announced that he had signed with the organization.

For his debut fight Lesnar requested Frank Mir, who had gone 2-2 since returning from the motorcycle injury. Lesnar was out to prove that he was no joke, and looked to make a statement by defeating the one-time UFC champion. The fight was scheduled for UFC 81 and even though it wasn't the main event, it was still the most heavily promoted fight on the card.

Once the fight started Lesnar came out quickly and immediately took Mir down to the mat. From there he started raining down hammer fists and when referee Steve Mazzagatti stepped in to stop them, many fans thought the fight would be over right there. As it turns out the referee had stopped the fight to deduct a point from Lesnar for strikes to the back of the head. They restarted on their feet but again it didn't take long for Lesnar to get Mir down on the ground. However Brock's inexperience led him to get caught in a kneebar, and from there he was forced to tap.

There are rumors going around that Mir may be next in line for a shot at interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and the two may even be the next coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter." Meanwhile Lesnar's next fight will be at UFC 87 in his hometown of Minneapolis against another former champion, Mark Coleman.

Come back next week for part 2 of this special feature as I'll examine five fights coming up that will once again place a ring veteran against a younger competitor.




-The card for UFC 85 keeps getting bigger, as it was just announced that Englishmen Paul Kelly will be taking on Jonathon Goulet, who just fought at UFC 83.

-Chris Wilson (last seen giving Jon Fitch trouble at UFC 82) has been added to the card of UFC 86. He'll be taking on American Top Team's Steven Bruno, who will be making his UFC debut.

-Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta will meet in a lightweight showdown at UFC 87.

-After his win over Travis Lutter at UFC 83, there is much speculation as to the future of Rich Franklin. As of now it appears his next opponent will be Dan Henderson, although the fight may actually happen at 205 lbs.

-The two men that will meet in the main-event at UFC 84 both passed a random drug test that was taken earlier this month. This is good news for Sean Sherk as he is already coming off of a positive test from his last fight at UFC 73.

-There are rumors that MTV could be partnering up with World Fighting Championships and broadcasting their next event on May 30th.

I Keep My Pimp Hand Strong

Sure I'm great, but why not check out some of our other fine writers?

I wanted to post the video of Bas Rutten in GTA IV, but Randy beat me to it in Five Rounds Of News
Sergio Hernandez continues his look at the final days of PRIDE FC in Beyond The Fight
411‘s John Curry talks to rising UFC welterweight Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis
It‘s another edition of 411 MMA Rankings as this week we look at the top 10 lightweights
Justin Thomas contributes the latest in our series of 411 Fighter Profiles with his look at Mirko Cro Cop
Once again Jeremy does double duty with The Cardio Freak News as well as the Ultimate Fighter 7 Recap



Tonight - DREAM 2 - Middleweight Grand Prix
On HDNet at 10:30 pm ET

5/11 - DREAM 3 - Lightweight Grand Prix Rd. 2
Live on HDNet at 3 am ET (replay at 4 pm ET)

5/16 - IFL
Live on HDNet at 8:30 pm ET

5/24 - UFC 84: Ill Will - Penn vs. Sherk
Live on PPV at 10 pm ET

5/31 - EliteXC Saturday Night Fights - Premiere
Live on CBS at 9 pm ET

6/1 - WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver
Live on VS. (time TBA)

6/7 - UFC 85: Bedlam
Live on PPV at 3 pm ET (replay at 10 pm ET)

6/14 - EliteXC: Noons vs. Edwards
Live on Showtime at 10 pm ET

6/15 - DREAM 4 - Middleweight Grand Prix Rd. 2
On HDNet (time TBA)

6/21 - The Ultimate Fighter Finale
Live on Spike (time TBA)

6/27 - Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson
(time and broadcast TBA)

7/5 - UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin
Live on PPV at 10 pm ET



Reading the news is hard work.

You might've heard of this band before
Radiohead - "Jigsaw Falling Into Place"



That'll do it for this edition of The Fightin' Stance News. Thanks for reading, and be sure to check out my debut in 411 Music this Tuesday. If you've got HDNet be sure to check out all the action from DREAM this weekend. Until next time…


Credit: MMAJunkie.com, Sherdog.com, Fiveouncesofpain.com, MMAWeekly.com, TAGG Radio