The Fightin’ Stance News 07.18.08: Of Emperors, Spiders, Dreamers, and Rampages

Posted by Adam Tool on 07.18.2008

One of the biggest weekends in the history of mixed-martial arts starts with The Fightin’ Stance News! Come on in for previews of Affliction: Banned, Fight Night 14 and DREAM 5, as well as the latest on Rampage-gate, new developments in the future of the IFL, tons of fight announcements and more!



Welcome back to the Fightin' Stance News. My name is Adam Tool and this introduction needs to be kept brief because we've got a HUGE weekend of MMA ahead of us. I've got full previews for both shows tomorrow night, as well as a look ahead to DREAM 5 on Monday. There's also plenty of news to report, including the latest on the story that's been dominating the headlines for the past few days…



Rampage's Worst Month Ever



By now you've probably heard all about the arrest of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson earlier this week. There are plenty of rumors and speculations that have been thrown around in the last few days, so let's go over the facts from the Costa Mesa Police report.

On Tuesday afternoon Jackson was involved in two separate collisions on California's 55 FWY. He failed to stop both times and was spotted by a Costa Mesa police officer monitoring traffic at the intersection of Newport Blvd and Broadway. According to the police report Jackson was weaving in and out of traffic with a flat front left tire while talking on his cell phone. The officer activated his lights and siren to initiate a traffic stop. Jackson ignored the officer and continued south bound on 17th weaving in and out of traffic to avoid being stopped.

Jackson then drove over the raised center portion of the roadway at Cabrillo Ave. where he lost control and drove up on the sidewalk causing pedestrians to "flee for their lives." He managed to regain control of the vehicle and then continued southbound in the northbound lanes of Newport Blvd. He then ran a red light through the intersection at 17th St. and collided with another vehicle. He ran through several more red lights as he continued southbound on Newport Blvd, and when he reached the PCH overpass the rubber on his left tire began to disintegrate, meaning Jackson was driving on the rim. Jackson then continued southbound on the Balboa Pennisula, running through even more red lights along the way, before finally coming to a stop at 18th St and Newport Blvd. where he was quickly taken into custody with incident.

Jackson was then transported to the Costa Mesa City Jail and booked for felony evading, reckless driving, and hit and run. He was transported to the Orange County Jail and his bail was set at $25,000. Late Tuesday UFC president Dana White flew out to California on a private jet, and presumably paid Jackson's bail. The Costa Mesa police confirmed Wednesday morning that Jackson had been released the previous night.

As of now there are no suspicions that drugs or alcohol played any part in Jackson's actions. As far as a possible motive, at this time we can only speculate. What we do know is that during the filming of an interview for Throwdown TV on Monday, Jackson sat down with the show's host, Gary Alexander, and watched the Griffin fight in its entirety for the first time. According to Alexander, "He analyzed the fight, pointed out what he did wrong and what he needed to change in the future. He was in good spirits all day, happy and was taking the recent loss to Griffin in stride. He was looking forward to training again, modifying his training to improve himself, cleaning up his diet and moving forward. We did not observe Quinton as ‘depressed' or ‘unhappy.' He was his normal joking, jovial happy self."

Originally the police report stated that no one was injured during the incidents, however the Daily Pilot has released new information that may indicate otherwise. Holli Griggs of Huntington Beach was driving down the southbound 55 FWY when Jackson sideswiped her. Her injuries were described as minor, although she did go to a hospital for medical care. Griggs told the paper that she is 16 ½ weeks pregnant, and that she was unsure of the injuries to herself and her unborn child.

The story isn‘t over though, as TMZ reported yesterday that Jackson was back in police custody. Sources are saying that early Wednesday evening an Irvine police officer was waved down by people near the place where Jackson was staying. The people told the officer that Jackson was acting weird, although the specifics of what that means are not known at this time. However officers reportedly saw Jackson, deemed him a danger to himself and others, and took him to a hospital for observation. Once again, Jackson was taken into custody without incident, although it should be noted that he was not arrested again.

This story actually first came to light when a poster on the Sherdog forums claimed to have seen the arrest first hand. He even provided a picture taken via camera phone:



Of course the lesson for everyone here is: if you're going to take part in a hit and run, don't do so in a giant truck with your picture plastered on the side.

In all seriousness, what can I say about all this? Rampage Jackson is one of my favorite fighters in the world and I'm deeply saddened to see him behave this way. There have been reports that he was depressed following his loss to Forrest Griffin a few weeks ago, but I don't think anybody would've predicted he would act this way. Obviously I can't claim to personally know him, but the guy that I've watched over the years never would've struck me as the type of person to behave so irrationally.

Is This The End? Part II



Back on June 13th I reported about the financial troubles surrounding the International Fight League. The company had cancelled their upcoming show and there were indications that they may be on their last legs. Now it would appear that the IFL is closer than ever to being done, with rumors circulating that Zuffa (parent company of the UFC and WEC) is in talks to purchase the organization.

Five Ounces of Pain has apparently spoken to several sources with ties to the IFL that have confirmed the company is up for sale and the asking price is $1 million. Yesterday more than $2.7 million worth of IFL stock had been traded based on the speculation, and the stock priced closed at $.02 a share, up from the previous day when it was valued at $.01 per share.

Should Zuffa acquire the IFL it is believed that the organization would be folded, and the fighters still under contract would then be brought in to the UFC or WEC. In addition Zuffa would acquire the IFL's tape library (consisting of over 400 fights), although it's likely that the only real use of that footage would be to promote the fighters being brought over.

Some of the high profile fighters whose contracts could be absorbed in the deal include current IFL heavyweight champion Roy Nelson, welterweight champion Jay Hieron, featherweight champion Wagnney Fabiano, and lightweight standouts Chris Horodecki and Jim Miller. Several former IFL fighters are already under contract with Zuffa, as Rory Markham, Reese Andy, and Brad Blackburn are all scheduled to make their UFC debuts tomorrow at Fight Night 14.

This is Something We DREAM About



As if there wasn't enough MMA to look forward to this weekend, we also have the fifth event from DREAM coming up on Monday. You can catch the show live on HDNet at 2 am ET, or tune in at 10 pm ET for the replay.. Here's a look at the card:

Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-finals
Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki vs. Caol "Uno Shoten" Uno
Eddie Alvarez vs. Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri
Lightweight Grand Prix Finals
Aoki/Uno vs. Alvarez/Kawajiri
Lightweight Grand Prix Alternate Match
Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen vs. Kultar "Black Mamba" Gill

Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Joseph Benavidez
Yoshirio Akiyama vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Motoki Miyazawa vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka
Mark Hunt vs. TBA

The centerpiece for this show is obviously the final rounds of the lightweight grand prix. Shinya Aoki has been nearly unstoppable, and will certainly be the man to beat. He's got the strongest jiu-jitsu skills of the four guys still in the tournament, but it's hard to count out a veteran like Caol Uno. Still, I think Aoki takes this one and moves on to the finals. In the other semi-final match we have rising star Eddie Alvarez, fresh from his FOTY candidate against Joachim Hansen, against the very tough Katsuya Kawajiri. If Kawajiri can tie up in the clinch and deliver some big shots he's got a good chance to win, but I think Alvarez will be swinging hard to try and get things over with quickly. In the alternate match we've got two guys that could be getting a second chance in the tournament. "Black Mamba" has the submission skills to end this one at anytime, but Hansen is simply the better fighter right now.

Also on the card is the DREAM debut of top ranked featherweight "Kid" Yamamoto. Much like Fedor, Yamamoto only has one loss on his record that was the result of a cut. His opponent Benavidez is undefeated, with five of his seven wins coming via submission. Yamamoto will have the edge in the stand-up, but no matter where this fight goes it should be explosive. Yoshiro Akiyama was denied a spot in the middleweight grand prix due to an injury, and had he been in the mix he certainly would've been one of the favorites. He'll likely get a shot at the tournament winner, but in the meantime he should have little trouble against the mediocre Katsuyori Shibata. In the welterweight division Motoki Miyazawa and Kuniyoshi Hironaka will both be making their DREAM debuts. Miyazawa is unbeaten in four fights, while Hironaka is coming off a 1-3 stint in the UFC where he lost to Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves and Jonathan Goulet. Finally DREAM officials announced that Mark Hunt would be on the card as well, and he'll have his hands full taking on the very dangerous TBA.

89 Is Lookin' Mighty Fine



The lineup for UFC 89 has filled out quite nicely this week. The show is scheduled for October 18th at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, and here's a look at the current card:

Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben
Thiago Alves vs. Diego Sanchez
Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Luiz Cane
Marcus Davis vs. Paul Kelly
Chris Lytle vs. Paul Taylor
Shane Carwin vs. Neil Wain
Terry Etim vs. Sam Stout
Akihiro Gono vs. Dan Hardy
David Bielkheden vs. Jess Liaudin
Per Eklund vs. Samy Shiavo

Of all the fights listed I believe that Thiago Silva vs. Lyoto Machida is probably the most exciting. Two tough Brazilians, both with undefeated records, both with a variety of skill sets. Will Thiago Silva be the first man to crack the Machida mystery? You could easily make an argument that the winner of this bout should be in line for a light heavyweight title shot in the very near future (assuming that the winner of Liddell/Evans is next in line).

The rest of the fights have plenty of potential as well. Much like tomorrow night's Fight Night 14, this show is filled with younger fighters all looking to carve out a spot within their various divisions. In addition there are also several well known stars like Diego Sanchez, Marcus Davis, Sokoudjou and of course, Michael Bisping and Chris Leben. The outcomes of these fights will go a long way in determining the future of several divisions in the UFC.

UPDATE: After submitting this article, it was reported Friday morning that the rumored Sanchez/Alves fight would not be happening at this show. It's unknown as to whether the fight was canceled outright, or simply moved to another show.

Of course this card is also particularly attractive since it's going to be shown for free on Spike. We'll have more coverage on the event as we get closer to it, natch.

Versus: Not Just Bike Racing and Bull Riding Anymore



We knew a little while back that the WEC's upcoming event on September 10th would feature the rematch between Paulo Filho and Chael Sonnen for the WEC middleweight championship. For those that don't remember, these two met back in December and Sonnen dominated most of the fight, before Filho locked in an armbar late in the second round. Sonnen claims he did not verbally submit, and argued the decision afterwards. There were plans for a rematch at earlier this year but Filho had to pull out after checking into a rehab facility.

Now it's being reported that Filho vs. Sonnen will not be the main event for the show, as there will be another title match on the card. WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber, fresh off his decision win over Jens Pulver last month, has agreed to face #1 contender Mike Brown. Brown is currently on a seven fight win streak and made his WEC debut last month with a decision win over Jeff Curran.

This is great news for fight fans, as the WEC has been putting on some phenomenal shows as of late. It's also great news for the WEC, as they get another chance to showcase their brightest star in "The California Kid." This also means that between WEC 35 on August 3rd, and this show on September 10th, five of the WEC's six championships will be defended in the next two months. Even better, every one of those title fights is available for free on Versus. It's win-win all around.

AFFLICTION: BANNED PREVIEWICATION

It all comes down to this. The over-priced T-shirt king makes its move into the arena of fight promotion. Will their first show be an overwhelming success? Or will it simply lose the company a ton of cash and send it into Chapter 11? We'll find out tomorrow night. Don't forget that the live broadcast begins at 8 pm ET on Fox Sports Net, where you can see Paul Buentello vs. Aleksander Emelianenko and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Vernon White. The main card begins at 9 pm ET on PPV, and now let's take a look at what you'll see should you order it:

Main Event: WAMMA Heavyweight Championship
Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko vs. Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia

The Facts:
-Emelianenko has only lost once in 29 fights, and that was due to a cut suffered as a result of an illegal strike. That loss was over seven years ago.
-Sylvia has lost two of his last three fights.
-The two share a common opponent in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Emelianenko beat Nogueira twice, while Sylvia lost to him earlier this year.
-Fedor has won his last five fights by submission, while three of Sylvia's four losses were by submission.
-The winner of this fight will become the first heavyweight champion of the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts.

The Pick: Oddly enough, at six foot eight inches Tim Sylvia will still be only the second biggest opponent Fedor has faced in the last twelve months. Their freakish size is about all that Sylvia and Hong Man Choi have in common though. Big Tim has a lot of power and excellent striking, but he doesn't exactly hold a huge advantage over Fedor. However Fedor does have an overwhelming advantage in the jiu-jitsu game, which has always been Sylvia's Achilles' heel. I see Fedor grabbing a hold of Tim early, and using a trip to take him down. From there it should just be a matter of time before Emelianenko wins by submission in round 1.

Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski vs. Ben Rothwell

The Facts:
-Arlovski is on a three fight win streak.
-Rothwell is on a thirteen fight win streak, with his latest being a victory over Ricco Rodriguez.
-This will be Arlovski's first fight outside of the UFC in over eight years.
-These two have a common opponent in Tim Sylvia, who Arlovski is 1-2 against, and who Rothwell got his first career loss to.

The Pick: It's time to find out if Ben Rothwell is for real. He's been at the bottom end of most heavyweight rankings for a little while now, because it's impossible to ignore his amazing win streak. At the same time he doesn't get a lot of attention because most of the names in his win column are fairly unknown. It's also a career crossroads for Andrei Arlovski. He spent a year atop the UFC's heavyweight division but after two straight losses to Tim Sylvia, and a very boring win over Fabricio Werdum, his stock has dropped considerably. Both guys have heavy hands, and either one could pull off a submission out of nowhere. This is one of the toughest fights on the card to pick, but I'm going to play it safe and take Arlovski by TKO in round 2.

Josh "The Babyface Assassin" Barnett vs. Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo

The Facts:
-Barnett is on a two fight win streak.
-Rizzo is also on a two fight win streak.
-Barnett's last fight was against Jeff Monson.
-Rizzo's last fight was also against Jeff Monson.
-These two met back at UFC 30, where Rizzo won by KO in round 2.

The Pick: No one is denying that this show is stacked with big name fighters. However as I mentioned last week, it seems as though most of the competitors on this show have very little to actually fight for. That's not the case here. Josh Barnett tasted defeat for the very first time at the hands of Pedro Rizzo, and I'm sure that over the last seven years he's dreamed about avenging that loss. Rizzo has been mediocre at best for the last few years, and he'll need the win here if he still hopes to be considered a threat at heavyweight. I don't think that will be the case, as I see this one being a fairly un-eventful smothering win for Barnett by decision.

Matt "The Law" Lindland vs. Fabio Negao

The Facts:
-This is Lindland's first fight in over 15 months.
-Negao is coming off a loss to Rousimar Palhares this past December.
-Lindland has career wins over Jeremy Horn, Travis Lutter, Joe Doerkson, Phil Baroni, Pat Miletich, and Ricardo Almeida.

The Pick: Fabio Negao gets the biggest opportunity of his fighting career tomorrow night. He's been unimpressive so far, with his biggest win coming over Roan Carneiro. Meanwhile we have the return of Matt Lindland, who hasn't fought since he was submitted by Fedor Emelianenko in April of last year. Since the start of 2008 he's spent more time preparing for his future in politics, so it's tough to say just how ready he'll be for this fight. Even though he hasn't competed in a while, Lindland is not the type of guy to let himself get out of shape. Negao's jiu-jitsu skills could give "The Law" some trouble, but in the end I'm taking Lindland by decision.

Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Mike Whitehead

The Facts:
-This will be Babalu's first time fighting this year. He is on a two fight win streak.
-Whitehead is on a slightly more impressive 12 fight win streak. His last loss was to Keith Jardine in February 2006.
-Of Babalu's 29 wins, 16 have come by submission (including a victory over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua).
-Whitehead has never been submitted.

The Pick: Mike Whitehead has made it clear that he is fighting for your attention. He believes he belongs amongst the top names at light heavyweight, and he plans to use Babalu as a stepping stone to get there. This is an interesting fight because these two fighters have a lot of similarities. Both fighters are BJJ experts, but they also both have excellent striking. The one clear advantage I can find is toughness. Whitehead hasn't been finished by strikes in over six years. Babalu was knocked out by Jason Lambert just last year. If this goes to the ground then either man could get the win, but if they stay on the feet I'm going to take Whitehead by TKO in round 3.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT 14: SILVA VS. IRVIN PREVIEWICATION

After some last minute scrambling, we now have two big events running at the same time tomorrow. Fight Night 14 will begin at 9 pm ET, and will be three hours long (unlike most Fight Nights which are two hours). The Affliction show has the bigger names, but the UFC show is absolutely free (not including the cost for cable of course). Obviously the choice of what to watch comes down to several factors. First is your personal preference. If you're a huge Fedor fan, you'll have to watch Affliction. If you're an Anderson Silva fan boy (like myself) then Fight Night is the way to go. The second thing to consider is your level of fandom. If you're an old-school guy with a shelf full of PRIDE DVDs, then clearly you'll want to watch Affliction. If, instead of PRIDE, your DVD rack contains one or more full seasons of "The Ultimate Fighter," then you'll probably enjoy Fight Night more. Finally there's the all important issue of money. You know what you can and can't afford, so you'll have to make that decision on whether or not to plunk down the cash for Affliction. If you decide to save your $40 but still want to watch some MMA, here's what you can look forward to:

Main Event
Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs. James "The Sandman" Irvin

The Facts:
-This is Silva's first UFC fight at light heavyweight. He is on a six fight win streak.
-Irvin is on a two fight win streak following his 8 second KO of Houston Alexander at Fight Night 13.
-This will be the first time since UFC 67 last February where Silva has fought without the UFC middleweight title on the line.
-Coincidentally Irvin's last loss in the octagon was against another Brazilian with the last name Silva (Thiago at UFC 71).
-Silva has made it clear that he has no plans to stick around in the light heavyweight division.

The Pick: Anybody that has read my column before will likely know of the huge space in my heart currently occupied by the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The fact that I get to watch him fight for free tomorrow just makes me feel all warm and mushy inside. Tomorrow night is a special one-time only presentation of Anderson Silva at 205 lbs. His opponent is certainly no push-over. James Irvin has wins over Scott Smith, Doug Marshall, Terry Martin and most recently, Houston Alexander. Still, it's hard to figure out where Irvin would have the edge in this fight. Silva has the more precise striking, a deadly clinch, and black belt jiu-jitsu skills. Irvin may have big power, but Silva has never been finished by strikes. There's a reason he's ranked #1 in the world people. Silva via TKO in round 1.

Brandon "The Truth" Vera vs. Reese Andy

The Facts:
-This is Vera's first fight at light heavyweight.
-Andy is on a four fight win streak from his stint in the IFL.
-After starting his career 8-0, Vera is on a two fight losing streak.
-Of Andy's seven wins, four have come by decision.
-Andy will be making his UFC debut.

The Pick: Will this be the night where Brandon Vera finally starts living up to his potential? He entered the UFC in late 2005 and made quick work of Fabiano Scherner, Justin Eilers, Assuerio Silva and Frank Mir. Then troubles with management kept him out of the sport for almost a year. An injury suffered in the first round left him unable to do anything against Tim Sylvia. Most recently he was on the end of one of the most questionable stoppages we've seen all year. With the move to 205 lbs. hopefully Vera will be able to put his power to good use against guys that aren't bigger than him. Reese Andy never really impressed much during his two years in the IFL. He's always been a slow starter and that could spell trouble here. I look for Vera to come out extra-aggressive, so I'm taking Vera by TKO in round 1.

Frank "The Answer" Edgar vs. Hermes Franca

The Facts:
-This is Franca's first fight since his loss to Sean Sherk at UFC 73, and his positive steroid test afterwards.
-Before the loss to Sherk, Franca was on an eight fight win streak.
-Edgar was also on an eight fight win streak, having won all eight of his fights before losing to Gray Maynard at Fight Night 13.
-Last year both fighters went up against, and beat, Spencer Fisher. Edgar won by decision and Franca won by TKO.

The Pick: This is certainly the most intriguing match-up on the show. Frank Edgar has world class wrestling, Franca has world class jiu-jitsu. Both fighters are also underrated in their striking abilities, and I wouldn't be too surprised to see this one stay on the feet for a while before one of them tries for a takedown. Edgar had no answer (pun intended) for Gray Maynard‘s power, much in the same way that Franca was unable defend the relentless takedowns of Sean Sherk. If Edgar does decide to take this fight to the ground he'll have to remain ever diligent in order to avoid Franca's submission attempts. The final question is in regards to Franca's condition(ing) following his year-long layoff. Keeping that in mind, I think Franca will be going for broke in round one and will gas himself out, leaving Edgar free to take him down at will for the rest of the fight. Therefore I'm taking Edgar by decision.

Cain Velasquez vs. Jake O'Brien

The Facts:
-Velasquez is undefeated in three pro fights.
-All three of those wins came via TKO in round one.
-O'Brien is coming off his first career loss against Andrei Arlovski at UFC 82.

The Pick: Cain Velasquez is a beast. The man has some serious power, and I have no doubt that he will be a big player in the rebuilding of the UFC's heavyweight division. He's got a background in wrestling, but he's certainly not the type of guy to lay and pray his way to victory. However O'Brien represents the toughest opponent Velasquez has had to face in his brief career. He's a fighter with heavy hands and a tough chin, and he'll certainly have the experience advantage in this fight. Still I believe Cain has a bright future ahead of him, and he'll be looking for an impressive win here in his first nationally televised performance so I'm taking Velasquez by TKO in round 1.

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson vs. Kevin "The Fire" Burns

The Facts:
-Johnson is coming off his KO win over Tommy Speer at Fight Night 13.
-Burns is coming off his win over Roan Carneiro last month at UFC 85, for which he won Submission of the Night.
-This is Burns' third fight in as many months.

The Pick: Here we have a battle between two guys that recently surprised the hell out of everyone. After being submitted by Rich Clementi back at UFC 76, it looked as though Anthony Johnson would have a very short career in the octagon. Then he came out and flattened "TUF" 6 runner-up Tommy Speer in less than a minute at Fight Night 13, and a star was born. Last month Kevin Burns took a fight with Roan Carneiro on extremely short notice. Most people didn't give him much of a chance, but Burns managed to not only win, he submitted a BJJ black belt to do so. We haven't seen much of either guy, which makes picking this fight all the more difficult. It's your basic striker vs. grappler styles clash, and in this case I'm picking the grappler. Burns by submission in round 2.

CB "The Doberman" Dollaway vs. Jesse "JT Money" Taylor

The Facts:
-Both fighters were cast members on the seventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter."
-Dollaway is coming off his first career loss to Amir Sadollah at last month's Ultimate Fighter Finale.
-Since all fights on the show are exhibition bouts and not counted on a fighter's pro record, Taylor will be making his UFC debut.

The Pick: Following his loss to Amir Sadollah at last month's Ultimate Fighter Finale, CB Dollaway reportedly went to UFC officials and asked to be scheduled for another fight as soon as possible. Meanwhile after he was kicked off the show and taken out of the finale, Jesse Taylor went home and started getting his life straightened out. He quit drinking and started hitting the gym more. He also talked to Dana White and requested a chance to fight ASAP. Now we'll see the fight that probably would've been the tournament finals, had that crazy Amir not come out of left field to shock everybody and win it all. Taylor is the stronger fighter, but he relies on his wrestling while Dollaway has a more well-rounded skillset. Taylor's weakness has always been his submission defense, so I predict he'll take CB down but leave an arm free or give up his back and CB will take advantage. Both fighters have something to prove but in the end I'm taking Dollaway by submission in round 1.

I Keep My Pimp Hand Strong

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

The Richard Roundtree to my Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Lambert has your Cardio Freak News.
Dustin James has a major shake-up in the light heavyweight edition of the 411 MMA Rankings.
Ryan Seymour gives us the latest 411 Fighter Profile on Tim Sylvia.
Two men enter, one man leaves. You know the law. It‘s 411 Fact or Fiction.
Jonathan Solomon does his recap thing for PRIDE on FSN.
Another week, another great edition of The Verbal Submission from Chris Robinson. The picture of Sylvia on a scooter is worth a plug by itself.
Finally, I want to throw out a special plug for my new video reviews. This week I take a look back at Rumble on the Rock 4.



7/19 - Affliction: Banned
Live on PPV at 9pm ET

7/19 - UFC: Silva vs. Irvin
Live on Spike at 9 pm ET

7/21 - DREAM 5: Lightweight Grand Prix Finals
Live on HDNet at 2 am ET (replay at 10 pm ET)

7/26 - EliteXC: Unfinished Business
Live on CBS at 9 pm ET

8/3 - WEC 35
Live on Versus at 9 pm ET

8/9 - UFC 87: Seek And Destroy
Live on PPV at 10 pm ET

8/15 - EliteXC presents ShoXC
Live on Showtime (time TBA)

9/6 - Adrenaline MMA II
Live on HDNet (time TBA)

9/6 - UFC 88: Breakthrough
Live on PPV at 10 pm ET

9/10 - WEC: Faber vs. Brown
Live on Versus (time TBA)

9/17 - UFC Fight Night 15
Live on Spike (time TBA)

9/26 - DREAM 6: Middleweight Grand Prix Finals
Live on HDNet (time TBA)

10/18 - UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben
On Spike (time TBA)



He's one of my favorites on the new season of "Last Comic Standing"
Here's Sean Cullen with a important Public Service Announcement


A song that sounds like the opening to a 70's action flick
The Go! Team - "Junior Kickstart"


That'll do it for this week. I had hoped to respond to some of the comments I received last week in regards to my essay on why I'd be watching Fight Night instead of Affliction, but this column is already running long as it is so I'll just say thanks to everyone that left their feedback. Next week I'll be back with a full preview of EliteXC's second primetime special, and of course I'll have the details on any news that breaks in the next seven days (hopefully not involving my favorite fighters being arrested). Until then…


Sources: MMAJunkie.com, Sherdog.com, Fiveouncesofpain.com, MMAWeekly.com