Issue 038

June 2008

Kimbo to take on The Colossus

EliteXC darling and street fighting legend, Kimbo Slice, will headline the promotion’s first event on the CBS network in a heavyweight showdown with 6’5” British fighter James Thompson.  

To take place 31 May at the Prudential Centre in Newark, New Jersey, the event will see the 34-year-old Slice in action in only his third sanctioned MMA bout. Thompson has a record of 14-8-0 but has lost six of his last eight outings, with seven of his losses coming via KO or TKO.  

Alex Emelianenko eyes America next

The big, little brother of Fedor, Alex Emelianenko, has intimated his desire to fight in the UFC. Speaking to a Russian news outlet, he said: “I would gladly participate in such a tournament. UFC for example, won’t take me, because if they let me in there, I would beat everybody and take the belt to Russia. They don’t want that. They want their own American champions. We already beat everyone in Japan, even though no one bet on us.”

Emelianenko, who holds a record of 13-3-0 and is the younger brother of top heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko has fought mostly in Russia since Pride was dissolved. He and his brother are estranged, with Fedor living in their hometown of Stary Oskal and Alex based in St Petersburg. In recent interviews Fedor has expressed how different the two are. The heavily tattooed Alex spent time in prison for armed robbery, and has been linked with Russian mobsters, in contrast to his modest brother who prefers a quiet life out of the public eye.

Fertittas profiled by Forbes

Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, the gambling and real estate magnates who own the UFC, were recently profiled by top American business magazine Forbes.  

Some interesting facts came out in the piece, such as:

• The price the Fertittas paid for UFC back in 2001: $2 million
• The estimated value of the UFC today: Over $1 billion
• Total UFC pay-per-view buys in 2001: 145,000
• Total UFC pay-per-view buys in 2007: 5.1 million

It doesn’t take a genius to see that the UFC has enjoyed massive growth since being taken over by Zuffa. Interestingly the article also stated that the Fertittas' own large amounts of real estate just off the Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard) and intend to develop a massive casino-cum-resort that could potentially house its own arena.  

'The Law' goes for government

Matt “The Law” Lindland has launched his campaign for the vacated Oregon State Representative seat in upcoming local elections. Lindland, 37, a former Olympian who currently coaches with the International Fight League said, “I have been blessed with much success in my athletic career and have done well in business.  

“However, the blessings I have enjoyed have come largely as a result of hard work, dedication, and discipline. I have always believed that if a man or woman works hard and works smart, 

and if government does not get in the way too much, then there is no limit to your potential success.”

For more information on the campaign, interested parties can visit www.MattForOregon.com.

Randy still in limbo

The ongoing saga of Randy Couture seems no closer to being resolved. Staying busy cornering his team of fighters (including his wife, Kim Couture) Randy spoke on his plans, saying “More than likely, I will end up signing with HDNet and Affliction. Realistically, that is the best option.”  

Regarding a fight with Fedor, which will have to take place after Sylvia’s scheduled bout with the Russian in July, he said: “I’m 44 and looking at the end of my career. I want to fight the best guy in the world and be considered the best guy as well. That fight is the only way that will happen. It doesn’t make sense – the UFC is criticizing me for not fighting (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira, and I have a lot of respect for Nogueira. I think he’s a great fighter, but he’s been beaten by Fedor twice. That fight doesn’t make sense for me right now. If I have more fights left in me after Fedor, maybe I’ll fight Nogueira then, but right now, it just doesn’t make sense.”

Wherefore art thou, Joe Rogan?  

Rumors of Joe Rogan’s whereabouts during the UFC 83 broadcast were prevalent when it emerged he would be replaced by Kenny Florian as color commentator. Some said he was being replaced by the UFC, some that he had had a falling out with Dana White, but Rogan went online to dispel the rumors by stating he had family obligations to attend to.  

“There’s been a lot of goofy articles written on the Internet lately about me missing the UFC card in Montreal this weekend, speculating all sorts of silly reasons why I’m not going to be there, so I figured it would be a good idea if I cleared it up here,” he wrote on his website.  

“The only reason I’m not going to be there is because of a family obligation. I’m certainly not upset at the UFC, and I’m not quitting to start doing commentary for a rival organization. I’ve also heard some ridiculous shit about me having massive fallout with the UFC president Dana White, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

Dana is a very good friend of mine, and in the seven years I’ve known him we’ve never even had a single disagreement. He’s a controversial dude, and a wild motherfucker, but that’s why he’s the perfect president for the wildest sport in the world.” 

Kenny Florian wants Huerta next

Lightweight star and part-time broadcaster Kenny Florian has spoken out on his hopes for a fight with Roger Huerta. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and former TUF cast member considers a fight with Huerta the next logical move for both of them.  

“I just think it is the biggest fight you can make right now in the division. I think we make the best match to determine who the number one contender is. Look at Roger’s fights and look at mine. We both fight high energy, exciting fights and we fight to make our opponents quit,” he said. “I have nothing against Roger. I like him and admire him as a person and as a fighter. It is the perfect time to fight now to see who will get the next shot at the title. Without a doubt, it will be a blockbuster fight between two game Latino fighters.”

Huerta has not fought since December of 2007 when he submitted Clay Guida in a candidate for fight of the year. Since then he has taken time off to concentrate on his ongoing studies as well as the filming of a movie based on the popular video game Tekken.