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Wednesday war room: Mirko brings in the artillery
By Zach Arnold | July 3, 2007
The guys at profightstore.com are reporting that Sergey Kharitonov will arrive in Croatia on July 20th to train with Mirko Cro Cop (for Mirko’s upcoming fight against Cheick Kongo).
How anxious is the media for more dirt on the Chris Benoit story? Read here.
Sadaharu Tanigawa supposedly said that Armando Garcia told him that Choi Hong-Man can fight anywhere outside of California. Somehow, I’m having a hard time believing this…
Onto today’s headlines.
- Stephen Quadros: UFC 73 event preview
- The Hub: MSU graduate Rashad Evans fights at UFC 73 (including quotes from Evans)
- The Missoulian (MT): UFC 73 may deliver goods UFC 71 didn’t
- The Palm Beach Post: New facility offers Xtreme training for all levels, ages
- The Hunts Post (UK): Robbie Olivier gets ready for rage battle
- The Gloucester County Times (NJ): Tara LaRosa fighting back in New Jersey
- Fox Sports: Krzysztof Soszynski chooses MMA path in IFL
- Sherdog: BJ Penn to fight Diego Sanchez in August
- UFC HP: Losing is not an option for Frankie Edgar
- AOL Fanhouse: Not enough drug testing in MMA?
- UFC Mania: Style wars – an interview with Houston Alexander
- Bloody Elbow: Sherdog.com as an IFL client
- Five Ounces of Pain: IFL announces matches for semi-finals on August 2nd
- Sprawl ‘n Brawl: The many faces of Krazy Horse Bennett
- CBS Sportsline (Gregg Doyel): Just choking – don’t try this at, well, anywhere
- Yahoo Sports (Dave Doyle): In hot pursuit – Kenny Florian
- UFC Junkie: Report – Henderson and Jackson will fight for UFC Light-heavyweight title in London
- The Fight Network: Ricco Rodriguez to train with Mirko Cro Cop
- Kevin Iole: Deep determination for Jorge Gurgel
- The Fightworks Podcast: Visit to Ralph Gracie’s Mountain View Academy
- The Denver Westword: Fight Night – Nate Marquadt takes on the ultimate challenge
- The Waterbury Republican-American: Ron Kosakowski teaches his sport of MMA
- The Beloit Daily News (WI): Justin Weiman has an alter ego at day job
- MMA Ring Report: Eddie Alvarez wants his belt back
- The Canadian Press: Stephan Bonnar looks for fresh start after steroid suspension
- The Palatka Daily News (FL): Terry Cohens’ MMA pro-debut a smashing success
- MTV: MMA fighter Brian Stann – you need to know me
- The Cleveland Scene: Dan Bobish on patrol as security
- The Red Bluff Daily News Online (CA): Alejandre sets MMA record with four-second KO in debut fight
Benoit article links
- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Father of Benoit’s doctor had license suspended
- The Torch: Jerry McDevitt interviewed on Fox News
- The New York Daily News: Konnan out to break drugs’ hold on WWE (look at the photo of Vince McMahon used in the article)
- The Washington Times: There’s no point now wrestling with blame
- News OK: Benoit case still puzzles Jim Ross
- WXIA TV (GA): Benoit’s doctor bonds out of jail
- Contact Music: Hulk Hogan links devil worshipping to Benoit deaths
- The Jonesboro News-Daily (GA): Local sports fan react to Benoit tragedy
- The St. George Daily Spectrum: Taking on ‘The Project’
Topics: BoDog, HERO's, IFL, K-1, Media, MMA, Pro-Wrestling, UFC, WEC, WWE, Zach Arnold | 27 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Nothing in Luke Thomas’s report indicates that he, you know, actually tried to contact anyone at Sherdog or the IFL and find out if there is an actual relationship between the two, and what the extent of it might be before jumping to conclusions.
congo and sergi have different styles….but hey i guess it means that sergi will be fighting soon
All these training partners would have been great in preparation for his fight against Gonzaga. For Kongo, a striker with very little ground game, it’s seems to be a bit overkill.
It should be pointed out that the link provided for UFCJunkie puts to rest the rumors that no titles were on the line for Jackson vs. Henderson.
As for Sherdog and the IFL…. Sherdog.com has constantly nut hugged that company from day one. It is a well known fact that Jeff Sherwood hates Dana White. His talk on the radio show makes it apparent that he isn’t a big fan. Any company that provides a glimmer of hope to dethroning the UFC, the website gets behind 100%. The IFL has yet to create a Top 15 fighter in any of their weight classes. They really don’t have top level talent at this point. The amount of coverage they get with the lack of talent is almost criminal. Heck, even fans aren’t paying to see their events. They are heavily papering their events. That should be a major indicator.
I actually went to an IFL event. I have never been more unimpressed. The fights felt 6 levels below a UFC show. The pacing was horrible. I was bored out of my mind by the last fight. Just not a good company at all.
Also note a key fight on the next IFL card. It is Chris Horodecki vs. Bart Palaszewski. This will be the second time they fight within the year. If neither is medically suspended after the fight, there is also a very good chance they will meet up during the Grand Prix. This would make 3 fights between the two fighters in a span of 11 months. That is ridiculous. People complain about UFC rematches, but the IFL format is creating garbage like that. Completely unacceptable. I don’t care if it is “the format” or not.
And did anybody else think that the UFC did a fantastic job with the UFC 73 Countdown Show & All Access with Sean Sherk? Nathan Marquardt isn’t exactly Mr. Personality. Yet he came across rather well on the countdown. Kind of a shock. The program seemed to be a step up in production compared to previous shows. They hype was very good. And Sean Sherk came across as a true animal. How can somebody not like his work ethic and drive?
Luke Thomas,
Sherdog.com looks to advertise with every visible MMA organization. The site actually approached the UFC first, but were turned down. The site also bought ring space on a Strikeforce card, and is working on Elite XC. It’s nothing unique to the IFL.
Whether or not it jeopardizes objectivity is another can of worms, but I routinely chastise Gross and Sherwood on radio for their raging IFL boners.
When it was UFC Vs. Pride, Sherdog editorial staff consistently defended the UFC, including its obviously lacking HW division. UFC to PRIDE content on the sherdog frontpage was like 10 to 1 even though PRIDE had more top ten fighters (per mma weekly rankings)
[When it was UFC Vs. Pride, Sherdog editorial staff consistently defended the UFC, including its obviously lacking HW division. UFC to PRIDE content on the sherdog frontpage was like 10 to 1 even though PRIDE had more top ten fighters (per mma weekly rankings)]
You’re living in a dream world.
“BIG FOOT” SILVA UNDERGOES SURGERY
“An American Top Team representative has confirmed super heavyweight Antonio Silva underwent surgery in June to remove a tumor from his cranial region and will be ready to compete again in October.
Silva, nicknamed “Big Foot” for his 6-foot-4, near 300-pound frame, had been slated to fight on June 2’s K-1 “Dynamite!! USA” card at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, but wasn’t cleared to fight by the California State Athletic Commission. Though the reasons were not made public by the CSAC, ATT confirmed Silva’s denial was based on a tumor found on his MRI scan. Though Silva’s rep said the Brazilian was taking medication to keep the testosterone-producing growth dormant, the camp opted for surgery to get back into competition approval.
Heavyweight Ricco Rodriguez told The Fight Network today that he has been approached to fight Silva at super heavyweight in November for EliteXC.”
This Rampage vs Hendo title situation is getting silly. At this rate I’m thinking by tomorrow only the Pride belt will be on the line 😉
Ricco training with Mirko in Croatia? What’s he going to train over there, if he’s going to stay at superheavyweight? How to eat Purica s mlincima (the croatian national dish, for those who don’t know)? The man should really slim down a bit. Flabby Ricco was great, but as for Fat Ricco…
Besides, a guy who got busted for cocaine training with a police officer. Oh the irony…
Woah! BJ Penn and Diego Sanchez are fighting?? How the hell did I miss that the first time.
I thought BJ was going to fight the winner of Sherk/Franca fight.
Penn doesn’t wanna stay at lightweight. Dana basically said if Penn wants a shot he’s got it. But Penn is dumb so….
The Penn vs. Sanchez article wasn’t up yesterday. The previous rumor was Diego Sanchez vs. Hayato Sakurai, which I thought would be a great fight.
One fight that should happen next is Jon Fitch vs. Karo Parisyan. Fitch should win that fight. However, once that happens, I would love to see Karo vs. Sakurai. That would be an all out war.
As for drug testing in MMA…. There is a really quick solution to getting rid of the majority of steroid use in the UFC….
Each fighter should be tested 2 months prior to his fight, and then also during his fight. And this should take place for every fighter. This system would make it near impossible for fighters to cycle the drugs out of their system, as they would be getting tested around 6 to 8 times per year.
Choi Hong-Man was never suspended because he was refused a license. Same situation as Mesi and Holyfield once their licenses to fight were taken away by New York. It doesn’t mean they can’t fight, it just means they have to find someone that would license him or compete somewhere where it doesn’t matter.
Huddle, i agree, the UFC should really implement their own drug/steroid testing policy. Random drugtesting for every fighter under UFC/WEC contract would be a good start. Just testing before a fight would be the wrong way though, they should keep tabs on them, even when they don’t have a fight lined up in the foreseeable future. For example when someone’s suspended for an injury, who knows how many people do a cycle while they can’t fully train…
Hogan talks about Nancy being stuck in her wrestling character? Look who’s talking. And as for her being a “devil worshipper” – yeah, right, spent a few hours too long in the tanning saloon lately, Hulk?
Jordan,
Thanks for the response. I haven’t decided whether I feel Sherdog’s coverage is decidedly biased with respect to the IFL. I just don’t know if news outlets should be advertising with a single fight league.
Which brings me to another point: my site isn’t a news site. I run a blog. I am not a news wire. I try to be on top of the news by posting information as its available, but very rarely do I take the initiative to break news. I have a parasitic relationship with the news: they report, I comment. For better or worise, I comment.
For the Sherdog – IFL post, I used whatever information was available and issued conjecture: nothing more, nothing less. I left plenty of room for people to add whatever information I was lacking. I still feel the relationship between Sherdog and the IFL to be dubious, but that’s just guess. I’m just commenting with what information exists. It’s an opinion, not hard news.
The UFC already reserves the right to test their fighters randomly. Dana White’s discussed it before. They don’t really need their own, however, because they’re already regulated on a state by state basis, which makes multiple drug tests somewhat silly and unnecessary. Apparently everyone forgets that last part.
Also I should add on to Luke’s comments and I don’t know if this has already been said but the IFL also advertises on Sherdog’s forums. Bodog does as well but I just thought I would add that in there.
I think all of this means very little overall because Sherdog is simply looking for exposure. Based on the poor relationship they have with the UFC, IFL was likely their next best option at a much lower cost.
On a side note – Luke, is there any chance that you won’t have to be logged in on Bloody Elbow to leave comments? I would like to get involved in some of the conversations but just don’t want another account to keep track of.
D. Capitated… since when is the government mandated minimum the thing we use to guage what is silly or unnecessary? Yes, legally the UFC is in the clear on drug testing, there is no question.
The question is, does the UFC want to step up and take drug testing in the sport to the next level, to lead and set an example for other combat sports and sports in general. To essentially rid the sport of the use of these banned substances, more rigorous testing is obviously required. Anything less then is just paying lip service to a mandate by a commission.
Cycling is in the doldrums as a sport, relatively speaking, because of all the doping scandals their “stars” have faced over the recent years. Why bring that negative attention to the sport of MMA when we already have so many other avenues of negative attention pointed at us?
D. Capitated… since when is the government mandated minimum the thing we use to guage what is silly or unnecessary? Yes, legally the UFC is in the clear on drug testing, there is no question.
The question is, does the UFC want to step up and take drug testing in the sport to the next level, to lead and set an example for other combat sports and sports in general. To essentially rid the sport of the use of these banned substances, more rigorous testing is obviously required. Anything less then is just paying lip service to a mandate by a commission.
Talk about ridding sports of performance enhancing drugs is just that. Talk. Its essentially impossible becuase of the difficulty everyone has doing tests for blood doping, HGH, and designer steroids. Ultimately, they’re operating within the confines of a regulated sport already. If there’s a complaint, talk to your local state government about changing the bylaws of the sporting commission.
Cycling is in the doldrums as a sport, relatively speaking, because of all the doping scandals their “stars” have faced over the recent years. Why bring that negative attention to the sport of MMA when we already have so many other avenues of negative attention pointed at us?
Because there is already testing being done? Essentially, whatever you find now with the tests is what you’re gonna find when you do spot checks on guys. Its not as if they’re using some magic steroid that just disappears prior to game time. Besides, even if the UFC does drug testing, and, for shits and giggles, the IFL and EXC follow suit, there’s still hundreds of other promoters world wide who would rather pocket the money than test. Hell, if the UFC is only paying its headliners 5 figures guaranteed money, what makes you think they’ll spend millions on a vast IOC based drug testing system?
I just want to say that at the MMANews forums, we had at least two (presumably paid) “IFL moles” who would make threads linking to lame IFL TV show skits and the IFL website. I kid you not.
That is pathetic. I have questioned that on the Sherdog forums, as it appeared that some of the people posting positive things worked for the IFL.
Sherdog.com just posted an article that the Penn vs. Sanchez fight is a no go. The people from Penn’s camp denied it.
Perhaps Sanchez vs. Sakurai is still on? Who knows at this point.
Hulk Hogan should be ashamed of himself for his comments. He will literally do anything to keep his name out there. Virtually pimping his daughter is bad enough, but now he is disparaging the name of a murder victim to keep his name in print. What a disgrace.
“On a side note – Luke, is there any chance that you won’t have to be logged in on Bloody Elbow to leave comments? I would like to get involved in some of the conversations but just don’t want another account to keep track of.”
Alas, not until September. My site will be completely redone and will debut in the fall, but until the transformation there’s nothing I can do.