Yarennoka Picks & Breakdown

Well the card didn't turn out quite as expected with Hidehiko Yoshida, Aleksander Emelianenko, and Ricardo Arona not making appearences on the card, and Gesias "JZ" Calvancante getting injured and pulling out of the event. Still, its a nice farewell to Pride FC from a combined effort from the K-1 and M-1 Global staff to put it all together.

YARENNOKA December 31, 2007

“The Last Emperor” FEDOR EMELIANENKO 26-1 vs “The Techno Goliath” HONG MAN CHOI 1-0 Hong man is the Japanese sensation, is getting the fight of his life after a kickboxing decision loss only two weeks ago in K-1. He is an enormous 7'2 352 lbs. Kickboxer, who has power in his striking, but is slow, and is basically a baby to MMA and with his long limbs is an easy takedown for Fedor who will submit the giant in the beloved Japanese freak fight. Fedor doesn’t do much but tune up here for future opponents (Pedro Rizzo, Jeff Monson, Josh Barnett, don’t hold your breath for Randy Couture) in 2008. Still, we get to see “the man” return to MMA action after an 8 month hiatus.
WINNER-Fedor The Great by submission

Strikeforce Lightweight Champion GILBERT “El Nino” MELENDEZ 13-0 VS MITSUHIRO ISHIDA 15-3-1 The MMAFO #2 Ranked Lightweight is coming in off a sluggish win in October at the Playboy mansion which could distract anyone. Ishida was a Top 10 Lightweight until he was destroyed in his last fight with Takanori Gomi. Mitsuhiro was overpowered by Gomi, and Melendez is known for overpowering his opponents in non-stop action. This should go the same unless Mitsu can hold down Gilbert which I just don’t see happening. Gilbert makes all fights exciting and Ishida has only lost to the very best (Ribeiro, Gomi, and his 1st fight back in 2001) so expect to be entertained until Gil’s hand is raised.
WINNER-Gilbert Melendez by TKO

TATSUYA “Crusher” KAWAJIRI 19-4-2 vs LUIZ AZEREDO 11-6 Kawajiri fell out of the Lightweight Top 10 only because he didn’t fight at all in 2007 and his last fight was a loss to aforementioned Melendez. Make no mistake Tatsuya is a high caliber fighter who can hang with any in the world with a well rounded game and powerful TKOing hands. Luiz is a submission fighter who left Chute Boxe and likes to think he can stand and bang with fighters and has also been out of action for a year. Luiz is crazy to think he can hang with the “Crusher” and will be dismantled as Kawajiri climbs back into the Top 10.
WINNER-Tatsuya Kawajiri by TKO

KAZUO “Grabaka Hitman” MISAKI 18-8-2 vs YOSHIHIRO AKIYAMA 10-1 Kazuo rose to prominence in 2oo6 winning the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix though he lost his opening fight but went to the finals because others got injured and defeated an unmotivated Dan Henderson by decision. I’ve always found Misaki overrated and his weak loss to Frank Trigg in his last outing (February 2007) helped confirm it. Akiyama is the guy who “greased up” and was DQ’d against Sakuraba but came back to just KO the crap outta Denis Kang in October to prove he is a Middleweight contender! The Judo practioner has beaten some heavy competition and easily at that. Expect Akiyama to continue to roll here though Misaki will do his best to slow the bout to a boring crawl.
WINNER-Akiyama by decision

MURILO BUSTAMANTE 14-6-1 VS MAKOTO TAKIMOTO 3-3 The ever inconsistent and yet former UFC Middleweight Champion Murilo can be one of the best in the world (like against Matt Lindland & Dave Menne) or just look lousy (like against Amar Suloev & Kazuhiro Nakamura). He has faced competition like Chuck Liddell, Quinton Jackson, Minowa, Jerry Bohlander, and the aforementioned names (I’ve used that word twice now) so he has seen it all! Makoto has seen very little, including success, though he is a Judo champ and did upset Zelg Galesic in his last fight by kimura. Makoto has a lot of heart, but if the BTT trained Murilo shows up around 75%, he should take this one by submission or at the very least, decision.
WINNER-Bustamante

SHINYA “Tobikan Judan” AOKI 11-2 vs BUKYUNG JUNG I can't find out jack about this replacement Jung guy except that he does judo. Big help. Either way he gets submitted by triangle, everyone does.
WINNER-Aoki

ROMAN ZENTSOV 16-11 vs MICHAEL RUSSOW 6-1 Mike is a big fella coming in against the Red Devil on short notice. Roman was on a roll recently until he got laid upon by Brandon Lee Hinkle and lost a decision over at Bodog. Look for a rebound here as Zentsov gets a KO and keeps things off the floor where Russow excels at submissions.
WINNER-Zentsov

HIDEHIKO HASEGAWA 14-8-4 vs. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai 30-7-2 Hidehiko was the DEEP Middleweight Champion but is coming off a loss followed by a draw. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Mach sign with the UFC and was shown at one of their PPV's? Surprised they allowed this fight but Mach is going to win against the bigger bully with his hands and speed.
WINNER-Sakurai

UFC 79 Nemesis Breakdown

We all know the names, we all know this is potentially the biggest PPV of the year for all the right reasons. It is time that 2 dream bouts come true so lets get to the action!

"The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva 31-7-1 vs Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell 20-5 Either man touches you on the chin and you go to sleep. This super-fight has been years in the making though it took some odd circumstances to come true. Both coming off losing their respective belts and 2 bouts in a row desperately needing to re-establish themselves at the top of the food chain. This really is a who lands 1st fight. Chuck is always the counter fighter and Wanderlei always the aggressor. So Wand comes forward but does he land 1st or get taken out by the counter hook of Chuck? This fight is almost impossible to call but we have to play the percentages. Chuck is older at 37 (Wand is 31) but Silva has been through more wars and sustained more damage. Don't talk about the loss of Pride FC rules because Silva still has more tools to call on than Chuck. Chuck strikes and when taken down gets up. Wand will use aggression, knees, kicks, punches, the clinch, and god forbid a ground game based in Chute Boxe Ju-Jitsu (he does have a black belt though we never see him use it). Based on their war chests alone and who they have battled, the nod goes to Wand, but with these 2 KO artists you never know and in an instant one will go to sleep. It just has to end that way.
WINNER-Wanderlei Silva by TKO

Matt Hughes 43-5 vs Georges "Rush" St. Pierre 14-2 Take a deep breath people and put away your personal feelings on these guys. Matt Hughes has an experience that far exceeds Georges resume. They each won a fight against each other though "Rush" was winning the 1st as well before he got caught in an armbar. The 2nd time he decimated the legendary Welterweight. Time has passed and have Matt's skills diminished, or is he still an alpha MMA fighter? St. Pierre has only gotten better training with Greg Jackson's camp (Keith Jardine, Rashad Evans, Nate Marquardt, etc.) and returning at times to his Canadian home camp BTT Canada. He did however take the fight on short notice (4 weeks) though he claimed he was training with his partners as if he had a fight coming up himself. I don't think GSP takes this fight unless he knows he can be ready, as he knows it is the defining fight in his career to date. What does Hughes really have to prove after all this time as a dominant champion? He has found inner peace and is a future Hall Of Famer. I do think his skills are slowing while GSP is getting faster though that does not count him out. Don't look for a fast fight as both men come in cautious and take this fight into the very late rounds if not a decision. Once they get comfortable, either GSP pulls away with pure athletic talent, or Hughes frustrates GSP into a mistake. I believe GSP takes this on points in a long grueling match.
WINNER-GSP by decision

Lyoto "Ryoto" Machida 11-1 vs Ramaeu Sokoudjou 4-1Soko debuts in the Octagon with a possible title shot looming if he can pull off yet another upset. Here's the thing about this match, Soko is an aggressive striker while Lyoto is a passive striker who enjoys brisk walks on the beach before a decision win. Soko isn't going to allow that as the Team Quest trained fighter pushes the pace against a fighter who loves to take things slow. Watch Ramaeu test the chin of the undefeated fighter (which hasn't been tested) and dispel the rumor that he himself has a glass chin. Ryoto will get out wrestled, out hustled, and out judo'd (I know that's not a word and don't care) unless he lands the miracle punch (does he have the power?) as Soko cements himself as a legit Light Heavyweight.
WINNER-Sokoudjou by TKO

Melvin "Returning From A Cocaine Suspension" Guillard 39-7-3 vs Rich "No Love" Clementi 37-12-1 Either of you guys got any experience? Anywho, these guys freaking hate each other by the way. According to shaky reports, Melvin "sucker punched" Rich backstage at a small MMA show after they had both been trash talking each other on the Internet. Rich apparently put out his hand in a good will gesture and received a punch for it. Since, the former friends (yes they once were friends) have been pushing UFC matchmaker Joe Silva for a bout. After Melvin was cleared from his suspension for using cocaine, yes cocaine the fucking moron, the fight was on! Now both men come in swinging for the fences. Look I don't like the cocky prick, but Melvin has better wrestling, stand up, power, and pure athleticism than ole Clementi. Guillard proves "nice guys finish last" by taking out "No Love" early.
WINNER-Melvin Dullard by TKO

"The Hulk" Soa Palelei 8-1 vs Eddie "Known For Being Cro Cop's Punching Bag" Sanchez 9-1 I'm actually excited to see what the big fella from Australia can do in the U.S. He barely makes the Heavyweight 265 lbs. limit and has massive power in his hands and actually a few submissions. Eddie, I'm sure he's a nice guy and all but the UFc just keeps sending him to the slaughter. He's not that good, though he has a lot of heart, but gets crushed here.
WINNER-Soa by KO

James "Sandman" Irvin 12-4-1 vs Luis "Banha" Crane 8-0 Irvin has unbelievable power in his hands there's no doubt about that. I question his stamina, game plan, and ground game which always seem to be lacking. Can't say I know a whole lot about Banha but he comes to throw (6 TKO/KO's) and has some submissions coming out of his home of Brazil. You know the rule, "when in doubt go with the guy from Brazil."
WINNER-Banha by TKO

Manny "The Manvel" Gamburyan 5-3 vs Nate Mohr 8-4 Don't let the unimpressive records fool you, Nate was brought in to lose to the runner up (via injury) TUF fighter. Manny is an absolute hoss and can out muscle about anyone in the 155 division. It may not be that easy though for the talented Nate has some skillz. In the end Manny out maneuvers the Iowan for a win on points.
WINNER-Manvel by decision

Dean Lister 9-5 vs Jordan Radev 16-2 My "Upset Pick" special. On the ground Dean can take anyone with some of the best Ju-Jitsu in the world. If the Bulgarian can stop the takedowns, he has more power, and much stronger strikes than Lister. Radev must have a good showing after getting schooled by Drew McFedries in his UFC debut. He's better than that and tough too. Look for him to hurt Dean and wrestle his way off the floor when in trouble. Its a risky pick by I think Dean isn't as good of a MMA fighter, though a better Ju-Jitsu fighter. There is a difference.
WINNER-Radev by decision

Roan "Jucao" Carneir0 11-6 vs Tony DeSouza 10-3 The "Souz" is back after a KO loss to Thiago Alves a year and a day later. Roan is also coming off a loss only to Jon Fitch, a competitive fight he started out winning before falling victim to a submission choke. The BTT fighter is also well versed in the submissions which will take this fight to the floor for both men's talents. Roan looked really good against Fitch and Tony doesn't always come in the best of shape for his matches. I think Roan outlasts him and handles him to an eventual victory. This could be a slow, though technical fight. I imagine the drunk fans booing already.
WINNER-Carneiro by decision

Mark Bocek 4-1 vs Doug Evans 6-1 The Canadian Bocek is coming off a loss to Frankie Edgar (who is beating everyone) but is training with the likes of Thales Leites & Vitor Ribeiro so he excels in the Ju-Jitsu. Bocek has little experience and has only fought 2 men with above .500 records. Mr. Evans gave Roger Huerta a run for his money early before gassing and getting pummeled. Evans is a great wrestler but lacks an all around MMA game in his young career. These two relative rookies put to the test which skill is better, wrestling or Ju-Jitsu in a bout nobody pays attention to.
WINNER-Don't care

Well that's a lot to absorb but a lot is going on in this mega-PPV year end event. Not a bad card especially with those 2 dream co-main events. Time to get busy people, K-1 Dynamite, UFC 79, and Yarennoka should they ever finalize their card all in the span of 3 days. Oh, and the IFL is doing something as well.

UFC 79 Nemesis Betting Odds

Wanderlei Silva -125
Chuck Liddell -105

Georges St. Pierre -240
Matt Hughes +190

Sokoudjou -105
Lyoto Machida -125

Soa Palelei -140
Eddie Sanchez +110

Melvin Guillard -250
Rich Clementi +195

Dean Lister -325
Jordan Radev +235

Manny Gamburyan -500
Nate Mohr +350

Roan Carneiro -130
Tony DeSouza -130

Don't touch either of the main events but that Lister/Radev fight is very interesting.........

Best Fedor "Nastoyashyi Muzhik" Emelianenko Article Ever!

One Evgeni Kogan of Sherdog.com has written the best article on "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko. It is a great insight into the upbringing and early training of Fedor, as well as the incidents that led him away from the UFC to M-1 Global. Check it out over at our good friends www.sherdog.com website.

Mayweather To MMA Bla Bla Bla

So everyone is in a tizzy because Mark Cuban says he's throwing around $30 million to get Floyd Mayweather Jr. to transition over to MMA and fight in his HDNet Fights promotion. Oh my god what's he going to do, who's he going to fight, can he be a contender?

Nothing, no one, and just plain no. All this ass is doing is "looking into" the "possibility" of fighting MMA. He is going to tour some gyms and watch how guys train and then evaluate if he wants to make the move to the sport of the future while Cuban jumps up and down saying "c'mon we can make a ton of money here."

What he is going to do, is realize there is just too much for him to learn to compete at any sort of legitimate pro level in MMA and use the publicity to promote his next/final until the next one boxing match. If, and its a ginormous if, he ever fights an MMA fight, it will be a one time deal against a guy they know he can beat and then he'll walk away saying "see MMA ain't shit and boxing is where it's at fucka."

If you can't tell by now I don't care much for this little selfish bitch and know this is nothing more than a self-promotion parade. Its a joke, facre, and people should just look the other way. A Mayweather vs Gomi, or Sherk, or Penn, or whomever will not happen because he would be taken down and ass raped in 1 round. Not to mention he hasn't the balls to step in with a real badass MMA fighter. So take it for what it's worth and remember Floyd takes it in the ass.

K-1 Dynamite 2007 Picks Come Early

Its going to be a damn busy few days here in the ole MMA world so I thought I'd get some of the picks out of the way nice and early like I did my X-Mas shopping. The world of K-1 loves its storylines almost more than their fights so this is going to be a bit of an odd card even for Japanese standards. One thing you cannot deny, is while these are not the most competitive matches they could have come up with, they will be entertaining for various odd ball reasons.

K-1 Hero's MMA Matches

Kazushi Sakuraba 22-9*-1 vs. Masakatsu Funaki 38-11-1 Welcome to the "Who Can Cheat Death And Live Through This Match" Match. This fight is also interesting not just because one man may die, but because the winner supposedly gets a shot at the legendary 300-0 Rickson Gracie in 2008!! Funaki's last fight was against said Gracie in 2000 (my god who booked this?)! Sakuraba is held together by tape and wire since his wars with Wanderlei Silva, Smirnovas, Nogueira, Cro Cop, and a lifetime of fighting men much much larger than himself. I understand these are two Japanese legends but seriously both need to retire before something bad and permanent happens. The battle of the 38 year olds is on and I've got to believe Sakuraba submits the ultra-rusty Funaki in this seniors match. *(we do not score his last fight with Royce Gracie as a loss because he was on freaking steroids. Someone tell me why that hasn't been overturned in the record books yet?)
WINNER-Sakuraba by submission or Funaki heart attack

Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto 16-1 vs. Rani Yahya 11-3 Hey good luck Rani. You are a really good submission fighter who is about to get the crap knocked out of him by the "Kid" who has dominated the Featherweight division for only his entire career. You won't stop him either but hey, its a check right? I mean Yan is a really good fighter but nobody seems to be able to hang with the "Kid" whenever he decides to turn it on.
WINNER-Yamamoto by however he feels like

Sergei Kharitonov 15-3 vs. Siala "Mighty Mo" Siliga 3-0 Kharitonov seemed to slide in his career a bit in 2006, but won twice in 2007 including against now Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem. Sergei can give and take a punch and has fought some of the best in the world with his well rounded though sometimes cardio lacking skills. Siala is a Champion K-1 Kickboxer with some wicked power in his hands, a build like Mark Hunt, absolutely zero ground game and won't be testing anyone's cardio unless its at the buffet. Kharitonov would be an idiot not to take this fight to the floor where he could win, rather than stand with a guy who undoubtedly has much more power than him. Can he take the thick Samoan down is the question. I think he does.
WINNER-Kharitonov by submission

Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen 15-6-1 vs. Kazuyuki Miyata 5-5 Hansen is coming off a poor showing/loss in Shooto and looking to rebound with his deadly knee's and Norwegian grit. Ha Norway, Vikings and such. Oh hi Miyata the car guy, didn't notice you there. Neither will anyone else as you are dispatched quickly and with prejudice for sucking. Kaz is in over his head by a mile here folks.
WINNER-Hellboy by destruction

Hideo Tokoro 19-12-1 vs. Kiyoshi Tamura 16-10 Tokoro only stops opponents by submission and his career high upset from hell win over Royler Gracie and "claim to fame" draw with Royce Gracie. Quick little bugger I give him that. Tamura has about 50 lbs. over lil' Hideo and I'm not sure why this match was made in the 1st place. Tammy isn't the best fighter in any category but I'm not sure Tokoro can hurt or submit him. Who knows really? Odd pairing that is supposed to show Toko can fight anyone of any size and become the next Minowa/Sakuraba for Japan. I'm not yet a believer.
WINNER-Tammy????

Bob "The Beast" Sapp 8-2-1 vs. Bobby "Here For A Paycheck" Ologun 2-1 The "Bobs" go to war with Ologun being absent from competition for two years and Sapp inactive in MMA almost 3 years though he has done some movies, kickboxing, and pro wrestling, so, ya know, active I guess. Ologun likes to fight the monsters (he lost to Hong Man Choi but beat Akebono who everyone beats) and is a foreign TV star who thinks he can fight. Sapp may run out of gas in 1 round but he'll need less than that to "hulk smash" Ologun through the mat for the win.
WINNER-Bob (heh heh)

Melvin Manhoef 18-4-1 vs. Yosuke Nishijima 0-4 Melvin is one of the most deadly strikers of our day who is a super-active fighter with bad cardio (seems counter productive but he makes it work). Yosuke is a former Professional boxer who has obviously translated well into MMA. Hey, Melvin doesn't have a ground game either and they are going to slug it out like the fans want so who lands first, or most, wins. Odds are in Melvins favor though you'd think Nish would win sometime, just probably not here.
WINNER-Manho by flying armbar (just kidding KO)

Ikuhisa "The Punk" Minowa 38-26-8 vs. Zuluzinho 3-3 Minowa is a glutton for punishment and loves to fight the giants for his countrymen. Zulu is a massive near 400 lb. man can pummel people. I love Minowa and his dropkicks and cartwheel kicks but he is going to be devoured here., possibly literally.
WINNER-Zulu by TKO and above .500 for the 1st time in his career

K-1 Kickboxing Rules:
-Masato vs. Yong Soo Chi
-Musashi vs. Bernard Ackah
-Kenji Kubo vs. Yudai
-HIROYA vs. Tsukasa Fuji
We don't do Kickboxing here but these guys are on the card too.

Don't Blink 2

Don't Blink 2 MMA's Fastest Finishes HL by juggo
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Long Awaited Super-Fights On The Horizon?

HDNet Fights & WEC had two seperate great shows this week and from them could develop some good fights in the future.

At WEC, Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber 20-1 (145 lbs.) defeated a very game Jeff Curran by slick guillotine choke in the 2nd round. Also, Jens Pulver 22-8-1 (dropping into the Featherweight division and making his debut at the WEC) defeated shit talking but couldn't back it up guy Cub Swanson in only 35 seconds with a sort of guillotine/anaconda mix choke. This is the match up we have all been waiting for. Faber is just insanely fast and can adjust from any position to make every single match exciting. Jens is the veteran on the comeback trail in his proper weight division with something to prove. Pulver has those granite fists and has obviously improved his ground game. Their destiny is intertwined as they are expected to meet for that WEC title in both of their next matches. Finally someone to test Faber and Jens can really make this a great bout. This is one of those matches that could end in 20 seconds but you could watch them fight each other 10 different times and not be bored.

At HDNet Fights 1st live show, Jason "Mayhem" Miller 20-5 won his rematch with Tim Kennedy,.....Kennedy (you won't get that joke if you don't watch WWE) while Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg 16-6 also won against Edwin Dewees. Frank TKO'd Mayhem in December of last year to take his ICON Middleweight Title in an upset and Jason has not forgotten. The long awaited rematch can now happen with HDNet (a Mark Cuban station) throwing money around. These two guys already made for an exciting fight and Trigg continues his "comeback" while Miller tries to raise his public status in this match that both men have already asked for. The winner of this fight could easily land a contract at the "big dance" with the lacking Middleweight division of the UFC.

Randy Couture is officially done (as if is wasn't official before) done with the UFC. Randy recently turned down an offer to fight Antonio Nogueira for his UFC Heavyweight Title and plans on sitting out the remainder of his contract until October of 2008 in order to fight Fedor Emelianenko. Who knows what will happen between now and then, but Fedor will fight kickboxer Hong Man Choi 1st on New Year's Eve. Couture is in Africa shooting a movie.

Yves Edwards 31-13-1 made yet another win happen in his "comeback" as he won on HDNet Fights and continues forward looking for opponents wh0 can test the veteran.

In a final bit of last second news, Michael "The Count" Bisping has chosen to move down to Middleweight from Light Heavyweight after his controversial decision loss (he got screwed) to Rashad Evans. Most Middleweights walk around at 230 lbs. or so and cut to the 185 lbs. limit. Michael cuts from 211 lbs. at best and felt he could make a greater impact in the lackluster Middleweight division owned by Anderson Silva.

RYAN GRACIE Dead At 33

From The Associated Press:

Ryan Gracie, pronounced Hyan (August 14, 1974 – December 15, 2007), was a Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was a member of the Gracie family, and the grandson of Carlos Gracie, one of the founders of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The PRIDE organization billed Ryan as the "bad boy" of the family who reputedly gained experience fighting in the streets of Brazil.

Ryan was arrested twice due to his aggressive behavior. In 2000, he was arrested for stabbing someone at Rio de Janeiro nightclub. On 15 December 2007 at approximately 1:30am, he was arrested for stealing and attempting to steal a number of vehicles as well as for attacking the three vehicle owners. The attacks included injuring a 76-year-old man with a knife, and threatening to kill another. At approximately 7:00am he was found dead in his prison cell apparently due to the effect of drugs. He tested positive for marijuana, cocaine, and an unknown anti-anxiety drug.

Our condolences go out to the entire Gracie family in this time of grief and loss.

NEW Fedor Interview:Couture, White, & M-1 All Discussed

MMAWeekly’s Korea Correspondent, John Evans, recently caught up with Fedor Emelianenko, the man almost universally regarded as the No. 1 mixed martial arts heavyweight in the world.

MMAWeekly: You will be fighting on New Year's Eve in Tokyo, but your opponent has yet to be named. Can you confirm the rumors that you will be fighting Hong Man Choi?

Emelianenko: I cannot confirm this fight at the moment. I am ready to meet any opponent in the ring.

MMAWeekly: Jeff Monson and Josh Barnett are obviously perspective opponents as well. Do you have plans to fight either of them in a future M-1 Global promotion?

Emelianenko: I think that fights with these fighters are possible in the future. M-1 opens greater opportunities for sportsmen.

MMAWeekly: Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White has been quoted as saying, "I don't think Fedor is a top-five heavyweight in the world, and I'm not saying that because I didn't get Fedor. I've always felt that way about Fedor and I always felt Randy Couture would beat Fedor … Fedor is a farce." How do you feel about these comments?

Emelianenko: Dana talks a lot and uses words lightly. Let Randy Couture fight me. Allow this fight that everyone wants to take place. Me, Randy and MMA fans all over the world want it. The only obstacle is Dana.

MMAWeekly: What is your opinion of Randy Couture? He has announced publicly that at this point in his career you are the only fighter that he feels it is worth it for him to face in the ring.

Emelianenko: People want to see this fight and I want to meet him in the ring. I have the greatest respect for Randy and have always admired him. I am also thankful that he has such a high opinion of me.

MMAWeekly: Can you discuss your long-term goals in the M-1 organization? Where do you see the M-1 promotion, and Russian MMA in general, ten years from now?

Emelianenko: I trust in (M-1) and the good people that they have brought together. M-1 gives me the chance to meet champions from various organisations in the ring, instead of being restrained within the limits of one organization.

MMA has great potential in Russia. In every city there are Mix Fight clubs opening. There are fights shown on TV, including fights from Pride Fighting Championships which are shown on NTV, (one of the most popular television stations in Russia). On subscription/pay TV there is a special fight channel. The president of Russia respects our sport and attends the large events.

A special thank you to MMA Weekly for the great interview. You can see all of their great MMA coverage at www.mmaweekly.com

MMA Bits & Pieces

Strikeforce has announced a MMA event for February in Washington featuring the return of Bob "The Beast" Sapp vs TBA. Big Bob hasn't fought in two years since he beat Kim Jong Wang. The event will also feature the debut of Kickboxing and K-1 legend Rick Rufus against former kickboxing rival and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Maurice Smith.

Sean Sherk has been stripped of his UFC Lightweight Title after the California Athletic Commission upheld their finding him guilty of steroid use though they did reduce his suspension from 1 year to 6 months and he will be able to fight again in February 2008. BJ Penn vs Joe Stevenson is now for the legit UFC Lightweight Title and not the interim title as was noted before. Dana White has already said the winner will face Sean Sherk for their 1st title defense. Sean was very upset at being stripped of the title and still claims he never took steroids and will never fight in California ever again. He also had kind words for BJ saying, "I think BJ Penn is a punk. Who the hell is he? He’s won one fight in a couple of years now and it’s just whatever man. He wants to make all of these rules and regulations, but who the hell is he? I’m the champ in my eyes so I don’t care if he fights me or not, there’s a whole bunch of guys that could fight me right now. It’s his loss, not mine. He needs me more than I need him." Let the love begin.

Rich "Ace" Franklin 22-3 has signed a new 6-fight contract with the UFC following his rematch loss to "2007 Fighter Of The Year" Anderson Silva. Despite the problems with the Middleweight Champion, Rich has only lost to one other man (undefeated Lyoto Machida) and has amassed a brilliant MMA record. His next rumored opponent may be Travis Lutter whose last fight was also a loss to Silva.

Randy Couture has turned down a UFC Heavyweight Title Fight against Antonio Nogueira and still claims he wants no association with the UFC. It is rumored that the now vacant title will be between "Big Nog" and Tim Sylvia in early February.

Finally, Forrest Griffin and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will be the coaches for the upcoming 7th season of the Ultimate Fighter. The show is supposed to be completely revamped and in the end the two coaches will fight for the title. When the show is shot and all is said and done it will have been near 10 months since Rampage has had to defend his title which is just ridiculous. There are a lot of people questioning whether Forrest deserves the title shot or is just receiving it via his star power/popularity. It should make for an interesting season none the less for a cast of Middleweight fighters.

Big John McCarthy Retires From The UFC

The "Octagon's Ninth Side" "Big" John McCarthy has announced his retirement from being head referee at the UFC for their MMA matches in order to pursue a career in broadcasting at the Fight Network.

Big John got his start in MMA training with Rorion Gracie who trained him in Jiu Jitsu for defense in his job as a Police Officer. McCarthy wanted to fight for the fledgling Gracie fighting promotion called the UFC but Rorion wanted him to referee the basically no holds barred matches. The rest is history. Big John became a staple of the UFC reffing matches from UFC 2 until The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale on December 8th, 2007. His last match was Clay Guida vs Roger Huerta after 14 years with the company and one of the most recognized figures ever to be associated with the UFC.

Besides being the most respected referee in the game today, Big John was loved by fans for his yell, "Let's get it on!" which began the fights. John was also one of the best refs whose stoppages were never questioned and was used in the most important matches because of his expertise and respect.

Big John McCarthy earned his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blackbelt in 2007 and has opened his own gym, "The Ultimate Training Academy" to train fighters for MMA. Congrats and good luck to the big fella and we'll look forward to seeing you over at the Fight Network.

The Ultimate Fighter 6 Results! KICK ASS. GO VEGAN.

First off, you just gotta love Clay Guida. The wild haired maniac comes down singing to his favorite heavy metal music just absolutely on fire, and starts his to get in the octagon by his coaches pushing and slapping him to get him ready. And that's just how he fights. The guy, I swear to Santa just does not stop coming. You would think he'd waste all his stamina just in getting into the damn ring but no, he can fight forever, non-stop. Unfortunately in the end, he got caught and lost via rear naked choke on his Birthday no less. Roger Huerta has been touted as the UFC's Lightweight poster boy who hadn't beaten a viable opponent. Clay was that man. Guida came out and just plain overwhelmed Roger putting him on his ass over and over again for two rounds while also standing with him and exchanging punches as if it was nothing. Even on the floor it was fast paced excitement as Clay pushed the action and out wrestled Huerta at every opportunity. He easily won the 1st 2 rounds but it is a 3 round fight. In the 3rd he came out and got caught with a knee followed by its flying cousin. Obviously, rocked and wobbly, Clay went for the takedown where Roger executed an amazing switch to get control of Clay's back leading to the end of the fight. You have to call Huerta legit after that gutsy performance, and I don't care how many times Clay loses a fight, I will always watch him because 0f the energy and courage he brings into everything he does. Guida fights another day but Roger Huerta hung in there long enough to establish himself as a Lightweight contender and show his class and humility in the victory by tears of joy, love for his countrymen (Mexico), and props to Guida. Amazing fight everyone should watch, but all of Clay's fights seem to be that way!

Wow that match gave me a boner but how about the TUF 6 finale? Mac Danzig came in outweighed by Tommy Speer at fight time and straight out embarrassed the rookie. Mac came forward and took Tommy to the floor where he was supposed to be comfortable, gained the full mount, and reigned down punches in an effort to end the fight. Tommy outmatched turned giving up his back allowing Mac to sink in a deep rear naked choke and stop the kid in an impressive 2:01! Mac didn't have a scratch on him as he "officially" announced he was dropping to the Lightweight division, while Tommy had two deep black eyes and some school work to do.

Dan Barrera did everything in his power to cheat to a win but lost a decision to the charismatic Ben Saunders. Dan went for the takedown at all times and then could do nothing with it. He grabbed shorts, landed some sneaky head butts, and elbowed to the back of the head several times. I mean he grabbed the shorts so many times to prevent reversals and such that it was just ridiculous. Ben's guard when taken down was uber-impressive not only by preventing Dan from doing anything, but actually out striking his christian opponent from his back. The ref would eventually stand them back up each round and Saunders would win the war on the feet and the floor though he didn't get the finish. Strong showing for Ben and Dan earns the appropriate nickname "Lay & Pray" (get it, cause he's a jesus freak, a cheater, and doesn't know what to do when he gets his opponent on the floor).

George Sotiropoulos made quick work of Billy Miles as we all knew he would with a sub win. Jonothan Goulet "Mr. Inconsistent" showed he can at least beat a reality TV fighter by besting Georgieff by rear naked choke in round 1. Matt "Oh My Rib" Arroyo subbed Kolosci shockingly but we like John anyway. Rude Boy KO'd Richie Hightower and I hope they are both sent away to at the very least the WEC (they suck), while "War Machine" gutted out a decent performance against "J-Roc" by surviving a beatin' and getting a TKO win in the final stanza.

Dana White's big announcement was Forrest Griffin (who he called the Light Heavyweight #1 contender?what?) would be a coach for TUF 7 and the other coach (let me go out on a limb here since Dana called Forrest the #1 contender and say champion "Rampage" Jackson) would be announced on the very lame Video Game Awards Sunday night.

Actually some decent fights on this card of lame ass talent, but the "big announcement" wasn't that big after all. Congrats to Mac, Huerta, & Guida for their amazing effort tonight. Nemesis is coming soon with Wanderli and Chuck, plus we went 7-2 on our picks bitches!! We "no pussy" either brother.

The Ultimate Fighter 666 Finale Of Crap

One of the worst Ultimate Fighter seasons is finally over with few decent prospects and a just awful finale card. The main event will be a rock n roll non-stop action throwdown, and the rest something to make fun of. At any rate, on to the pick machine.

MAIN EVENT

Roger "El Matador" Huerta 21-1-1 vs "The Carpenter" Clay Guida 22-5 Huerta is the young phenom who has rolled through his relatively easy UFC competition with only the gritty Leonard Garcia being able to take their fight to a decision though he was thoroughly beaten. Everyone's been asking when is the UFC finally going to test this kid? Well, now they have. Guida is a hard working blitzkrieg of a fighter who had close losses to Tyson Griffin and Din Thomas both top Lightweights. He then got his 2nd much needed win against the highly touted and feared ATT member Maximus Aurelio. Clay tends to go to decisions more often than not but he will not ever stop coming forward attacking. Roger's hands are better and good in countering which he will have to do against a more aggressive fighter. That's saying something because Huerta is usually very active and if he gets mad in a fight, he tends to end them quickly. Clay's best bet is his submission power (11 career subs) but Huerta is hard to takedown and harder to keep there. Roger will damage up Clay with the punches in route to a bloody and long decision win.

WINNER-Roger Huerta

The Ultimate Fighter Finals

Mac Danzig 16-4-1 vs Tommy Speer 9-1 Mac is the man who has been around and faced some very elite competition (Mach Sakurai, Clay French, Jason Ireland, Von Flue) with a complete all around game though the ground is his safe home. Ole Tom has fought nobody of note but is just a brute collegiate wrestler with a heavy, heavy right hand. I just have this feeling Mac is destined to win. He trained for this fight at Extreme Couture and wants it so bad. Speer is very green and trained some with Matt Hughes but mostly alone at his farm. Not sure how it goes down, but Mac takes this fight against a much larger opponent and then drops down to Lightweight.

WINNER-Mac Danzig by??????

George Sotiropoulous 7-2 vs Billy Miles 2-1 The Aussie (I'm not spelling that last name again) got upset by Speer via brutal KO and is back to prove himself as a legit Welterweight. Billy isn't very good or smart and should be submitted early.

WINNER-George S.

Ben Saunders 4-0-2 vs Dan Barrera 0-0 Ben is getting some of the best training in the world at ATT while Dan is training with "god" in his heart. Seriously though, Ben was the high point of TUF with his funny whit and great crazy Bruce Lee inspired fight style. It was a shame he got so sick before his last fight which gave him a loss and a broken nose. Dan is the guy who kept hiding in the bathroom and flexing in front of the mirror (there was a hidden camera) at one point flexing with his pants down I might add and was the resident jesus wacko with holy passion and few results. This will be is pro debut and he'll lose it. Afterwards he yells at god for not carrying him through the match via "footsteps."

WINNER- Ben Saunders

J-Roc 6-3 vs John "War Machine" Koppenhaver 4-1 This fight isn't worth breaking down J-Roc probably wins but who cares they both suck.

WINNER- J-Cock

Richie Hightower 7-1 vs Troy "Rude Boy" Mandaloniz 2-1 Dear sweet jesus Richie is a moron and isn't Troy a referee now? What the hell? Richie wins and hopefully we never see either of these guys again.

WINNER-Bitchie Richie

Dorian Price 7-2 vs Roman "Not Pussy" Mitichyan Roman is the Armenian who only lasted one show because he came in hurt and had to go home. He seemed to have a lot of heart and his calling the doctor a "pussy" for saying he can't fight and the continual references to not being a vagina won your heart over. Dorian proved he was a pussy crying and whining on the show when he lost like a bitch. He trains with Jorge Gurgel but hey, lets root for the underdog in this one and pray for an upset.

WINNER-"Not Pussy"

Matt Arroyo 2-1 vs John Kolosci 8-4 Matt has loads of ju jitsu skill but damn man, he claimed he couldn't fight Mac in the semis because his rib was cracked. Fast forward to now and we discover he was never told his rib was cracked only bruised. Scared of the Danzig much? John was my 2nd favorite TUF fighter this season showing much heart in getting back in there to be beaten by Danzig for a 2nd time. Loved the effort. Kolosci just doesn't have that much skill but hey anything can happen when people through hands. Too bad Matt takes it to the floor to win.

WINNER- Arroyo

Jonothan Goulet 20-9 vs Paul Georgieff 5-1 We should begin by noting Robert Goulet (no relation) died a while back and here's a Will Ferrell SNL "GOULET" to the old timer. Anywho, ole Jono is one of the most inconsistent fighters I have ever seen. But who the hell is Paul. Screw it, Jono just win dammit.

WINNER-Goulet

This is just the worst, most awful, terrible card I have witnessed in a while. I'm now looking back and thinking about how much time I wasted picking these meaningless fights. TUF 7 has got to be better than this shit.

2007 "Fighter Of The Year" Anderson "Spider" Silva

Can there be any doubt as to the fighter of the year for 2007? UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "Spider" Silva (20-4) strolled into 2007 after dismantling Rich Franklin in October of 2006 with the belt securely laid upon his shoulder. Its not just the fact that he defended his belt three times this year and won each bout, but the man finished each opponent without allowing them the glimpse of the 3rd round or even the idea of a 4th or 5th round. It took the Black House team leader all of 13:08 in 3 fights to dispose of the top contenders the UFC had to offer.

For those making the case for Quinton "Rampage" Jackson to be "Fighter Of The Year" consider this. Rampage took 25 minutes to win a close decision over Dan Henderson in one fight and though the KO of Chuck Liddell was impressive, his only other win was over journeyman Marvin Eastman. Anderson fought ju jitsu blackbelt Travis Lutter and submitted the man at his own game after everyone thought of Silva as only a stand up fighter. He then fought Nathan Marquardt, 7 record times "King Of Pancrase" and with a beautiful reverse switch move that got him control of the fight, and then let those long limbs to reign down the punches for the TKO win. Finally, it was rematch time with a re-tooled and healthy Rich Franklin. Though Rich got out of the 1st stanza, the result would end the same. Anderson's brutal thai clinch and sharp knees began the end of Franklin who got his nose broken by the champ for the 2nd time!

Silva is riding a 6 fight win streak into 2008 with the break being a DQ for a low kick in 2006 against Yushin Okami who may be a future opponent if he successfully defends his title in the new year against Pride FC Middleweight Champion Dan Henderson. The fact of the matter is nobody has been as consistent or as dominating in 2007 than the "Spider." He has climbed the charts in not only the Middleweight Top 10 but also as many writers Top 10 "Pound For Pound" MMA fighter in the world. A banner year for the Brazilian who keeps disposing of opponents in spectacular fashion. Congratulations 2007 "Fighter Of The Year" Anderson "Spider" Silva.

Ever See A KO Via Elbow?

Anderson Silva KO's Tony Fryklund
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