MORE UFC NEWS - STUFF YOU MAY NOT OF HEARD

First off our very own referee at the KINGS is being given an opportunity to goto the UFC - in less that 10 days he must get ready to fight Hermes Franca being replace for this fight was Roger Huerta . Good Luck Joe .
* Former UFC fighter Lightning Lee Murray has been arrested in Morocco in connection with England's largest cash heist. More than $100 million Cdn. was taken from the Securitas depot in Kent last February.
* King of the Cage promoter Keith Crawford has resigned from his post with the company to seek out greener pastures. I'm sure we haven't seen the last of Keith. Best of luck.
"I'd really like to see Rich Franklin go up to light heavyweight," said retired UFC star Randy Couture.
"I think that would be a really good fight."
Franklin, the current middleweight (185 lbs.) champ walks around at light heavyweight (205 lbs.) size and cuts weight before his fights.
Franklin is a fan favourite and has built a solid record of 20 wins and one loss — better than Liddell's 18 and 3 record.
Both are good on their feet, both are good with their fists and both come from well-established fight camps.
Since Couture's departure from the sport after losing a title fight last February to Liddell, the dearth of qualified light-heavyweight challengers hasn't gone unnoticed.
Even UFC president Dana White recently admitted it's getting tough to find good contenders for Liddell.
Liddell will take on Renato 'Babalu' Sobral in a title fight in August.
But there aren't many in Vegas who'd be willing to take the longshot that journeyman Babalu will dethrone superstar Liddell.
The other man Couture thinks may stand a chance against Liddell is The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 coach Tito Ortiz.
"I think Tito (Ortiz) has the skill set to be hard on Chuck," said Couture.
"If he keeps his mind right, trains and finds a way to take Chuck down."
Taking Chuck down, as Couture himself will attest, is no easy feat

NICE GUY

Nice guys don't always finish last.
At this weekend's The Ultimate Fighter 3 finale at the Hard Rock in Vegas, grappling icon Randy Couture was inducted into the UFC Hall-of-Fame.
The former heavyweight and light-heavyweight champ -- the only man to ever win both titles -- accepted the honour with his usual grace.
Speaking from a California movie set where he was filming a bit part in the new Rob Schneider prison comedy last week, Randy told Sun Media that just because he's retired, it doesn't mean his he's putting his feet up reminiscing about old times.
"I'm as busy as ever," says Couture.
In between appearances, movies and Octagon-side commentating duties for UFC 60, Couture is setting up a couple of gyms in Vegas, where he now lives.
His goal is to train top UFC fighters and is already working with Forrest Griffin and Jay Heron among others.
But his ultimate goal is to get a job with the UFC, that doesn't involve bloody knuckles and leg locks.
"I hope that I'm going to able to work for the UFC in some way shape or form," he said.
Couture says he'd love to do more commentating as well as help the UFC's latest front office hire -- former Nevada State Athletic Commision executive director Marc Ratner -- sell the sport to sanctioning bodies in the U.S. and Canada.
"UFC president Dana White and I are talking about a lot of things," he said.
"A lot of ways that I can fit in to the UFC."
Couture, who retired after losing a light-heavyweight title bout to Chuck Liddell in February, leaves the sport with a deceptive 14-8 record.
And the reputation as the classiest man in the UFC.
The soft-spoken, chissel jawed giant with the trademark cauliflower ears, remains a fan favourite.
This weekend, he joined Royce Gracie, Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock as the only members of the prestigious UFC hall-of-fame.
Now, it's not beyond the realm of reason that Couture would return to the Octagon in the future. Gracie has and Shamrock will lace up again in a couple of weeks.
But, having turned 43 last week, Randy says he wants to savour retirement.
"You can never say never, but it's not in the plan right now," he said.

JUNE 22 ND FIGHT NIGHT AT KINGS

First fight of the night was KILE FISHER making a 2nd week return and a victory over RICHIE ATKINSON in round one with ref stoppage due to strikes.
Next also an ever returning fighter JUSTIN HANNABARGER made his opponent JAMIE CAMPBELL tapout in the first round.
Next was fun time ..sumo wrestling with a three fall to win AIMEE SMITH out lasted ASHLEE SCOTT as she was complaining it was too hot, sad, sad, sad, its only belly bucking and rolling around, she quit when the score was 2-2,, she also failed to show for her No Holds fight later that night after she was quoted in saying she "was gonna knock that girls teeth out".
Next also a popular and always coming back fighter TRAVIS CHRIST hit hard and moved in quick to make TONY SHORT end it all by tapping out.
Next our crowd controll guy / bouncer fighter RYAN ANTLE went boxing against MIKE OSBOURNE, they both fought good but RYAN had the advantage and took the win over big MIKE OSBOURNE.
CHUCK NORRIS- yeah you read it ...lol got the victory over KEVIN POWELL due to an injury stoppage , his knee went out or got twisted ...he was in alot of pain for shure.
The last figfht of the night was a very powerful and stocky KYLE CONSIDINE putting the whoop to fighter ARRON KUSTER, after seeing KYLE in action I would have called for the Generals help..! ..ok,ok I was just kidding ...lol....good job to all the fighters ..great show .

MILETICH = TEAM MFS ELITE AND MORE

It’s been a very good year for Pat Miletich (Pictures). Matt Hughes (Pictures) won probably the most hyped UFC event ever. Tim Sylvia (Pictures) pulled off an incredible upset of the “unbeatable” Andrei Arlovski (Pictures). Miletich’s Silverbacks team won the championship in the inaugural IFL tournament on Fox Sports Net, a promotion that is off to a very promising start. His affiliate schools are popping up like Starbucks. He’s launching a new fight promotion company. Oh, and he’s making a comeback against Renzo Gracie (Pictures). In a Sherdog.com exclusive, Pat sat down to discuss his plans. Sherdog.com: Congratulations. Your guys have been on an incredible roll lately. Never mind Matt — have you recovered yet from Tim’s win? Pat Miletich (Pictures): Both of them were incredible fights. We’re really happy with Tim showing as much heart as he did. We expected him to win — we just didn’t expect the emotional rollercoaster of getting dropped, then getting back up, and then putting Arlovski down. That was definitely an emotional rollercoaster. And the tension with Matt’s fight with Royce was big and Spencer Fisher (Pictures) performed incredibly well also. Sherdog.com: We heard that Tim’s effort in preparing for Andrei Arlovski (Pictures) was as great as anything ever seen at Miletich. Is that how you’d characterize it? Miletich: Tim always trains hard for fights; he definitely put a lot of time in. He really wanted to avenge his loss to Andrei and prove to be people that he was the rightful owner of that belt. Sherdog.com: You also told us that Matt was indignant that Royce would even get in the ring with him. Miletich: Matt trained extremely hard, trained quite awhile for that fight — gosh, he trained almost three months. Sherdog.com: Were you surprised at how easy it was? Miletich: No. We thought that Royce was definitely going to give him a little more trouble than that. I pictured a second or third round stoppage. But people — I guess even us — don’t realize how far the sport has come and just how great a wrestler, how technical Matt is at jiu-jitsu and how fast he is, and how strong he is. People just don’t comprehend it until he actually grabs a hold of them for the first time. Sherdog.com: Can you add some color to what these wins mean for Team Miletich, the organization? Miletich: Our Web site hits were quite high before those fights, but they have definitely gone up. It’s definitely piqued some interest in our gym and our affiliate program and everything that is going on with it. We feel that we have a great system for not only putting out great fighters but having many students that are very happy with it, whether it’s a housewife or a businessman that wants to get in great shape like a fighter but not get beat up. We’ve got 21 affiliates in six months and it seems to be catching on quite a bit. Dave Kujawski, our VP of new business development, has been very instrumental in that. He is a very knowledgeable marketing guy, very organized on the business aspect of it. He’s been helping a lot with the support on the business side for the people who get involved in our affiliate program. Sherdog.com: Let’s discuss the affiliate program first. What’s it about? How does it work? Miletich: For people that show interest and want to learn from us and want to take the knowledge that we’ve gained over the years and give that to their students, we’re definitely more than willing to do that. We want to help their schools and help them with the business. Whether it’s the fighting aspect or the fitness aspect we’ll help them on that side also. It’s really a complex thing. I had no idea the can of worms we were going to open up when we started this. But it’s a blast and we’re having a lot of fun with it right now. Sherdog.com: So how does this work? Is this for someone who has an existing school already? Miletich: If somebody has an existing school and wants to see their business succeed or maybe expand, whether it be on the actual martial arts side or the business side, or both, we just fill in the gaps for them any way we can. Sherdog.com: So it’s almost like the school becomes a franchise? Miletich: To a certain extent. Once they submit their résumé of their experience, because I can’t take just a guy who’s done just tae kwon do his whole life or somebody who doesn’t have any experience in martial arts and just let them open up an affiliate school. It has to be somebody who’s been in business quite awhile and has some knowledge of grappling and striking and is decent to begin with. Sherdog.com: So in terms of skill sets and background, who’s the ideal partner for you? Miletich: If they have a fairly well balanced martial arts background, whether it be on the mat and striking, is what we’re looking for, and somebody with an open mind who is willing to keep learning, because that’s our mindset. It’s a never ending evolving, type system. Sherdog.com: If they want to approach you, how do they do it? Miletich: They usually contact us through the MFS Elite Web site.Sherdog.com: So it’s not like someone can call you up and say, “I tried running a school, I couldn’t get any critical mass behind it, can you help me start a new school?” Miletich: We would not go that route. We’re definitely shying away from anything like that. We want somebody to have an existing school in place, and ready to bring us in. Sherdog.com: Once they sign on, are you going to back them by appearing in seminars at their facilities? Miletich: Myself and maybe some of my fighters. Sherdog.com: Do you have a pre-set curriculum? Miletich: We have level 1 through 5 certifications. You can look at some guys and say, “This guy’s incredible on the ground and standing up, he knows a lot, but maybe it’s in the way he delivers it to his athletes or his students. Maybe he’s missing on the functional fitness part of it, to actually build bodies to perform the type of stuff he’s teaching them. There’s no use teaching anybody any techniques if they’re not physically able to do it. You have to build a body that’s able to do it. That’s important. Sherdog.com: Do you have a belt system? Miletich: I rarely do any of that. There’s only eight guys that have expert black belt-type rankings and you can guess who those people are. But yeah, we do rank them. Sherdog.com: From a marketing standpoint: In light of the “McDojo” mentality of “I’ve got to get a belt,” is that an impediment to getting new students? Miletich: For me, people aren’t going to get ranked overnight at all. That’s a 10-year process. For me, people should be very happy just to get to the first level. It’s not my goal to create a bunch of black belts. It’s my goal to make a bunch of people who are very fit, and know how to defend themselves and some great fighters come out of that also. Sherdog.com: So there will be franchise fees from their side? So Miletich gets a recurring revenue stream? Miletich: Exactly. We’re also in the process of starting the fight organization where we will put on events featuring a lot of the athletes from our affiliate schools from around the country. Sherdog.com: At this point, you’ve been approached for affiliate programs not just in the United States but around the world, right? Miletich: We plan on opening one in Greece probably at the end of the year to begin in 2007, possibly Italy. [A school in] Beijing has also contacted me. So we’re looking at several different places. We’ll probably have four in Canada by the end of the year. So we’re excited about that also. Ultimate goal is to open one in Zagreb, Croatia, though. (laughs) Sherdog.com: That would be the toughest school, I’m guessing. Miletich: Yeah. (laughs) Sherdog.com: So the schools will feed up to the new fight promotion company? Miletich: Yes, and it will serve as a great feeder program for guys that eventually want to make it over to our facility to start fighting at a higher level or even from their existing facilities to be able to compete in the IFL or UFC or PRIDE or whatever event it is they end up in. We’re just trying to help as many people as possible get to where they need to be and build a strong group of fighters. We’re going to try to do events in some of the cities where some of those affiliate schools are to help bring notoriety to their schools and advertising and things like that. Sherdog.com: It’s almost like a farm system then. Miletich: Exactly. The main thing is to get guys experience. We never intend for it to actually to make it to TV or pay-per-view level. I don’t want it to grow to that point. Sherdog.com: Why not? Miletich: Because I want it to serve as a feeder program. Sherdog.com: So it will just attract more attention around the name, and even help recruit, even though you don’t do that? Miletich: Right. Sherdog.com: What’s the name of this promotion company? Miletich: We have not finalized the name at all. Sherdog.com: How many fight promotion companies can the sport support? It seems like everybody’s got one. Who’s next? Giant Silva? Miletich: That’s the main reason I have no desire to try and make it big. When you stay in venues that have two- or three-thousand seats, you don’t lose your ass. It’s a good revenue stream, and it’s helping a lot of kids get some good experience. It’s not a risky venture. There’s already several huge organizations out there with the IFL, UFC, PRIDE and WFA. So I have no desire to try and build another huge organization; that’s not my goal. Sherdog.com: Let’s talk about IFL. As predicted your team is doing great right out of the chute. How are the productions themselves going? How are the ratings? Miletich: IFL has done everything and more that they said that they would do. They’ve been incredible to work with. Kurt Otto and Gareb Shamus are very sharp businessmen as well as guys that are looking out for the athletes. They understand that the athletes are the sport, so they’ve got to take care of the athletes. They’ll reap the rewards for doing that because the athletes are going to remain very loyal to them. As far as the ratings are concerned, I know that the first show out of the chute blew PRIDE’s ratings on Fox Sports Net out of the water. Sherdog.com: I was skeptical and so were other fans, about the quality of the fights, but they’ve been great. Miletich: The fights were great. The TV production has been incredible. They’ve got guys like Peter Lasser, very experienced guys who really know what they’re doing and have packaged a great product. Sherdog.com: Have you been renewed? Miletich: I don’t get involved in that, we just know that things are pretty secure. FSN seems to be very happy with what they’re seeing, and that’s all that matters to us. Sherdog.com: So when’s the next event after the finals? Miletich: September 9 in Portland, Oregon. And September 23, in Moline, Illinois, where I will be fighting Renzo Gracie (Pictures). Sherdog.com: So you can say it now? How did this fight happen? Miletich: Renzo and I have been friends for quite awhile and he has always been a nice person and I consider him to be, probably the most well rounded Gracie. Very talented on the ground, and he’ll stand up and bang with people, too. That instantly tells me, “He’s a warrior.” Not only that, he’s a standup guy. He’s willing to come and fight me in Moline, Illinois, which is right across the Mississippi river from my hometown. So he’s coming right into the arms of the beast to fight me. That shows he’s very confident, also. So hats off to him. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. Out of all the Gracies, I respect Renzo the most. Sherdog.com: Speaking of confidence — this is a lot different from other comebacks these days. … There will be no tune-up fight? Miletich: I plan on jumping right in. If there’s a tune-up fight coming my way in early August, I’ll take it [laughs]. I’m just excited to get back in there. I’m healthy again, I feel great. For me this is also a test. When I had a severe neck injury three-plus years ago, the neurologist told me I’d have to have surgery; I’d never be the same; I wouldn’t be able to function; wouldn’t be able to do anything. But I feel great, I’ve been training with my fighters off and on for two years now. Sherdog.com: So what did you do to overcome the injury? Miletich: Chiropractic care, stretching, lifting. Once I felt strong enough, solid enough, started rolling around and sparring. I feel great. The neck’s not bothering me at all. For me, it’s kind of a battle with myself. I want to be able to tell my body when I want to quit and not the other way around. Just getting in the ring with Renzo is winning a battle. Sherdog.com: Any comments about upcoming fights for the Miletich camp? Miletich: Robbie Lawler (Pictures) is fighting in ICON on July 1. They’re building the hype to fight Jason Miller later this summer. Tim is defending against Andrei on July 8. Sherdog.com: That didn’t take long. Miletich: Well a lot of the champions are injured and Matt just fought so they asked Tim to step up to defend his title because they needed a big fight, a big match-up. So Tim was a bigger man and stepped up.
by Steven Curtis (scurtis@sherdog.com)

TUF FINALE........

Less successful TUF 3 Fighters
The off-TV bouts weren’t bad. Mike Nickels had zero trouble in dispatching Wes Combs (Pictures). Matt Hamill humiliated young gun Jesse Forbes. Kalib Starnes (Pictures) dismantled Danny Abbadi and Rory Singer scored the quickest win of the night, submitting Ross Pointon in a mere 44 seconds. And let’s not forget Team Dagger’s Solomon Hutcherson being knocked out cold from late sub Luigi Fioravanti (Pictures).
Like most of the “cast members” of each Ultimate Fighter series, there are a handful of guys with tons of potential, some with a little potential if they work their butts off and some who have basically no shot of doing anything worthwhile in the sport of mixed martial arts.
I’m not going to pinpoint those few who fall into the latter category, as it is certainly disrespectful to these professional fighters, but anybody who actually sees these cats in action will come to this conclusion on their own.
In keeping with only the season three alum, I am not particularly sold on the likes of Hamill, Nickels or Tait Fletcher (Pictures). I am, however, certain that Starnes, in due time, is a legitimate threat to virtually everybody in the upper echelon of the middleweight division. Granted, he isn’t going to be dethroning champion Rich Franklin (Pictures) any time soon, but the unassuming, laid back and low-key Starnes has all the potential to be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming year or so.
And even though it seems like Starnes has to pay 30 bucks every time he smiles or says more than one sentence at a time, the guy is marketable. Why, you ask? Because his fighting style is pleasing and he has that look of a professional fighter. To top it off, his silent-but-deadly demeanor oozes of intrigue.
The rest of the cast, save for the two champions and Ed Herman (Pictures), are in for a long, arduous journey through the ranks. Don’t be shocked when guys like Abbadi, Forbes, Mike Stein and Kris Rotharmel struggle to appear on future Ultimate Fight Night events, let alone the big-time Pay-Per-Views.
And Solomon, whose hilarity both on camera and off is a recipe for a marketing goldmine, is funny, talks serious trash, has some off-kilter comments and slogans like “Dagger!” and he presses the action inside the cage.
The only problem is that Hutcherson apparently can’t take a punch. He’s been knocked senseless from a glancing shin kick and Mario the Plummer’s brother iced him with a short left hook. Can Solomon bounce back and make some noise in this sport with his charisma and appeal? Yes. Will it actually happen? That’s highly doubtful.
Bisping and Grove
Every year at the start of each Ultimate Fighter series, I pick one guy from each weight class and make him my pick to win it all. Every year thus far I have picked one guy correctly and one who gets his head caved in much earlier than the show’s finale.
In season one I chose Diego Sanchez (Pictures) and Bobby Southworth (Pictures) to win it. Season two saw me choose Joe Stevenson (Pictures) and Keith Jardine (Pictures). This season kept my tradition intact as I correctly chose Michael Bisping (Pictures) to win it all. The only downfall is that I predicted that Singer would score the upset and be awarded with the contract.
Bisping didn’t disappoint, tearing through everybody he faced and easily capturing the crown as the light heavyweight champion for this season. Singer, on the other hand, was soundly beaten by Ed Herman (Pictures), who in turn lost to Kendall Grove (Pictures) in the finals. But out of the two champions, Bisping is hands down the more marketable fighter.
That’s not to say that Grove (or Herman, for that matter) don’t have what it takes to be stars in the UFC or to one day have a title belt strapped around their waist. But Bisping flat out has “it.”
Many might ask what exactly “it” is, but it’s something that truly doesn’t have an exact answer. Athletes either have it or they don’t and I can’t put my finger on it. There have been some tremendous pro athletes in America but never amounted to anything marketing-wise or celebrity-wise.
Hakeem Olajuwon was, in his prime, a much better NBA player than Shaquille O’Neal. But who, outside of diehard basketball fans, knows Olajuwon? The same goes for Karl Malone and Charles Barkley. Malone was definitely the better player, but Barkley had it. The same can be said about the NFL’s Rod Woodson and Deion Sanders. Woodson was arguably the best cornerback in the history of the NFL, but only Sanders was talked about and only Sanders got the endorsements.
This all falls back into Bisping’s lap. The guy’s athletic ability is superior to 95 percent of the light heavyweights in MMA, he has superb striking ability and his grappling/submissions are good enough to hang with the best of them. He is also a very engaging bloke with a good head on his shoulders. Furthermore, he is a good-looking guy with that English accent, something the vast majority of American women become enamored over (just look at Orlando Bloom and Hugh Grant).
As long as Bisping doesn’t become careless and is served up a brutal defeat in his next three bouts, he can and should become the heir apparent to Chuck Liddell (Pictures)’s supremacy. Now, that’s not to say that Bisping is ready for guys like Liddell, Tito Ortiz (Pictures) or Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) anytime in the next year or so, but when he’s ready look out.
As for Grove and Herman, their epic showdown was one for the ages. It was eerily reminiscent of the thrilling war between Diego Sanchez (Pictures) and Nick Diaz (Pictures). While it fell just a notch short of that masterpiece, it probably landed in the top 15 greatest UFC fights in history, maybe even the top 10.
Dana White, in my opinion, did the correct move by awarding Herman a contract even though he lost on points. There will be a rematch in given time and it should be equally as entertaining, if not more so, than the awesome scrap they treated the fans to on Saturday night.
Kenny Florian (Pictures) will be the first UFC lightweight champion since Jens Pulver (Pictures). Something tells me that with Pulver being back in with the UFC and his alleged presence on season five of TUF (Jens dodged all of my questions at the show), it sets up a wonderful showdown between Pulver, who has never lost inside the Octagon and “Focker” Florian. My money would be on Florian big time. He’s that good. …
as read off sherdog.com

PULVER IS BACK !!!

PULVER BACK IN THE UFC
Boxing has fighters such as Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao carrying the torch for the lighter weight classes.
Jens “Little Evil” Pulver was one of the pioneers of the lighter weight classes for the UFC.
Pulver, who has an overall MMA record of 21-6-1, was 6-0-1 in UFC matches and became the first UFC lightweight champion. After four years away from the octagon, Pulver is returning to the organization that made him an MMA star. UFC president Dana White announced the signing of Pulver to a promotional contract on Wednesday.
“ He was our first 155-pound champion,” White said. “He beat B.J. Penn (in 2002 at UFC 35), then he took off. He’s been fighting everywhere else. He’s back. He’ll probably be a coach on our next TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) show. Then he’ll be right in the mix to fight for the title.”
Pulver, 30, who has been fighting abroad in PRIDE and other organizations the past four years, said he is ecstatic to be back in the UFC.
“ For me it’s gigantic,” he said. “It’s almost like a dream come true. What it is, more than anything, I really had an empty spot in my soul. I really felt something was missing and incomplete in my career.
“ I just didn’t have the being gung-ho and training ... to the wall. I seen my teammates and everybody really start hitting in the UFC. The UFC started blowing up and I started missing being at home. I’m just so excited. When the offer came, yes. That’s exactly what I want to do. I want to finish what I started.”
Pulver said he is eager to get back into the octagon.
“ The biggest thing is I’m taking aim at anyone that thinks they are putting that gold around their waist,” he said. “That’s the bottom line for me right now. I’m going after anyone that thinks they are going to get it. My manager Joe Silva and Dana White get together and tell me who I’m fighting. I don’t make that decision. I fight who they tell me to fight, when they tell me to fight and I go after him 100 percent.”
Pulver said Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian and Spencer Fisher are among the top 155-pounders that could make for some exciting fights and shine the spotlight on the UFC’s lightweight division.
“ There really isn’t a name,” he said. “I just want to get back in there and start introducing people to me.
“ I’ve always been an advocate for the little guys. I love the excitement. I think the best fights have been at lightweight. I’ve always considered myself almost the ‘Godfather of the Lightweights.’ I started the division. I had the only title in the division, especially, in the United States. That’s my job. That’s my role. I’m just excited to see the little guys get a shot.”


NOTES
The World Fighting Alliance signed pro wrestling icon Bill Goldberg to be the color commentator for its “WFA: King of the Streets” pay-per-view on July 22 at The Forum in Inglewood. ... Lightweight Rob McCullough of Huntington Beach stopped Ryan Healy on a cut in the first round last week in a WEC event at San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Hhighland. It was McCullough’s sixth straight victory. McCullough moves on to the July 22 pay-per-view card at The Forum where he will face Harris Sarmiento in a rematch. ... The International Fight League held its inaugural event, Legends Championship 2006, this past spring on Fox Sports Net. Pat Miletich’s team, the Silverbacks beat out Maurice Smith’s Tiger Sharks, Bas Rutten’s Anacondas, and Renzo Gracie’s Pit Bulls to take home the title. The IFL returns on Fox Sports Net this fall with the World Team Championship, starting in September and ending in December. Miletich, Smith, Rutten and Gracie will be back as coaches and there will be four new teams coached by Matt Lindland, Carlos Newton, Mark Coleman and Antonio Inoki. ...
UPCOMING FIGHTS
At Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas: Lightweight Kenny Florian vs. Sam Stout, Josh Haynes vs. Michael Bisping in Utlimate Fighter Season 3 light-heavyweight final and Ed Herman vs. Kendall Grove in Ultimate Fighter Season 3 middleweight final, Saturday, 9 p.m., Spike TV.
At Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas: “Ultimate Fight Night,” middleweight Chris Leben vs. Anderson Silva, heavyweight Rashad Evans vs. Stephan Bonner, middleweight Jonathan Goulet vs. Luke Cummo, middleweight Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves and middleweight Dave Menne vs. Josh Koscheck, Wednesday, 2:30 p.m., Spike TV.
At Saitama Superarena, Saitama, Japan: PRIDE Fighting Championships “Critical Countdown Absolute”, July 2, pay-per-view.
At Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas: “UFC 61: Bitter Rivals,” UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia vs. Andrei Arlovski and Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock, July 8, pay-per-view.
At San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego: “Total Combat,” July 15. Go online at ticketmaster.com or call (619) 220-8497 for tickets ($25-$150).
At The Forum, Inglewood: “WFA: King of the Streets,” light-heavyweight Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Matt Lindland, heavyweight Bas Rutten vs. Kimo Leopoldo, heavyweight Ricco Rodriguez vs. Ron Waterman, light-heavyweight Lyoto Machida vs. Vernon White, middleweight Ivan Salaverry vs. Art Santore, lightweight Rob McCullough vs. Harris Sarmiento and welterweight Jason Miller vs. TBA, July 22, pay-per-view. Go online at ticketmaster.com or call (714) 740-2000 for tickets ($50-$350).

JUNE 15TH FIGHT NIGHT REWIND

The most popular place to be on this Thursday night was for sure at the MIDWEST KINGS of the RING in DAVENPORT,IOWA ,it was the best crowd ever to show up yet, lots of fun for this night.

DUSTY GOLD started off the night for us by giving us a round 1 TKO over MIKE EDWARDS.

Next was JON SKINNER getting a referee stoppage in round 2 due to strikes against JOSH ANSPACH .

Next was a submission grappling match between RYAN " DIRTY "ANTLE and MICHAEL MAY, RYAN got the best of MICHAEL as he got choked and had to tap out.

Then JUSTIN HANNABARGER put JUSTIN TINCHER in a rear naked choke and got himself the victory when JT tapped out .

KIEL FISCHER came it strong against an always ready KEVIN POWELL but the match was stopped due to strikes as KIEL wrapped this one up.

Right back at the action was a boxing match . NICK UTTERE put the big hurt to JASON LEWIS and won that match by TKO

Right before the main event JAMIE CAMPBELL ended ZACK BLASCZCYK's night in round 1 due to strikes, but then JAMIE called out another guy TOMMY TAKAS and wanted to fight another fight while he stayed in the ring. Jamie put a good effort into it but 2 fights in a row is alot to ask anyone to do, as much as he went for it , TOMMY TAKAS swooped him and eventually choked him out . This was an awesome match the crowd really was amped for the main event after that.

The main event was a great one TED REYNOLDS JR from Muscatine took on MILETICH trained fighter MATT WILLIAMS as the fight started TED had MATT in a guillotine right off the bat and it was deep, but MATT staying calm worked and pulled to get out of it , and finally he did some more pounding on the ground went on , the n the referee stood them up. Matt was right on target with hard shots to the head of TED..finally he rung his bell and knocked out the very game player . MATT wins by TKO. Conrats to MATT WILLIAMS and thanks to TED REYNOLDS JR for stepping up.Both made for a good fight and a great way to end the show .

JUNE 8th FIGHT NIGHT QUICK TAKE

This Thursday was another night full of action as we started the night off with Justin Hannabarger ( not pictured ) def Zack Blazczk in round 1 by choke .
The man known only as Kyle tapped out Greg Johnson in round one also.
Adam Johnson fell victim to fighter Jeff Morrison.
Joshua Baddorf made Thomas Richardson tap out in round one.
Jamie Campbel took the victory over Daryl Shook this was a really good fight with some really fast paced action.
Zack Mickelwright ( not pictured ) took it hard to KevinPowell with an impressive round one TKO.
Finally Curt Buis ( not pictured ) made Randy Mills tap in round one to end the night for this weeek.
Next week the 15th is Pro fight night again, hope your there ..

EDDIE GOLDMAN TELLS....

Eddie Goldman speaks with six of the coaches in the International Fight League (IFL): Bas Rutten, Pat Miletich, Carlos Newton, Renzo Gracie, Matt Lindland, and Maurice Smith. We caught up with them, mixed martial arts legends and champion fighters all, right after the IFL’s show Sat., June 3, at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ. We spoke with them about their roles in the IFL, both outside and possibly inside the ring, as well as their assessments of the state of mixed martial arts.
Bas Rutten talks about his coaching plans for the IFL and his return to fighting on July 22 in the WFA against Kimo. Bas's web site is at http://www.basrutten.tv/.
Pat Miletich talks about his victorious Silverbacks team in the IFL's first team championships, his fight with Renzo Gracie in IFL in September, and the UFC fight between Matt Hughes, whom he also coaches, and Royce Gracie. Pat's web site is at http://mfselite.com/.
Carlos Newton talks about his plans to form a Canadian-based team for the IFL. The web site for the academy where Carlos teaches is at http://warriormac.com/.
Renzo Gracie talks about why he will fight Pat Miletich in IFL in Pat's home area, his coaching plans for IFL, and his analysis of why his cousin, Royce Gracie, lost to Matt Hughes in UFC. Renzo's web site is at http://renzogracie.com/.
Matt Lindland, who also fights Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in WFA July 22, talks about his plans for an IFL team based in Oregon as well as why he feels more wrestlers should become mixed martial arts fighters. Matt's web sites are at http://www.sportfight.tv/ and http://www.tqfc.com/.
Maurice Smith evaluates how his IFL team, the Tigersharks, did in the IFL championship finals, and comments on the issues between K-1 and Bob Sapp, whom he recently accompanied to the Netherlands.
The results of the IFL June 3 show have been posted on the Combat Sports News at KingoftheCage.com as well as the IFL’s web page.

DANA WHITE IN JULY PLAYBOY

The Man Behind the UFC Discusses The Ultimate Fighter Reality Show, Why He Credits Senator John McCain for the Existence of the UFC and Why the UFC Crushes the WWEUFC President Dana White is about to add two new pros to his stable of fighters on the June 24th season finale of The Ultimate Fighter 3, the popular Spike TV reality series which features16 fighters who live together as they prepare to compete for UFC contracts. White will then return to television on August 17 as host of The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback. The success of The Ultimate Fighter has other networks such as Fox Sports, BET and Oxygen scrambling to develop fight-related series of their own. White is proud of the reality show and how it has turned the UFC around: “We got on TV and suddenly people were watching mixed martial arts without realizing they were watching it because they got caught up in the story lines,” said White in Playboy’s July 20Q (on newsstands Friday, June 9th).
Following are selected quotes from White’s 20Q, conducted by Playboy contributor Jason Buhrmester: On Spike TV’s The Ultimate Fighter: “You also get to learn about the characters and see that these guys aren’t a bunch of f*cking gorillas who just rolled in off a bar stool. You can see how hard they train and that they have real lives and families.”
On Senator John McCain’s opposition to the UFC: “I’ll tell you what about Senator John McCain. He’s a boxing fanatic and he went after the UFC, and thank god he did. I credit Senator McCain with our having this sport today. The bottom line is this sport needs to be regulated…If it weren’t for McCain, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
On how Mike Tyson would do in a UFC fight: “He would get destroyed. I know it. He’s been getting destroyed in boxing lately. I’m not trying to slam Mike Tyson, because I’m still a huge fan. I like real fighters.”
On why he didn’t become a pro boxer: “I found out early in my career that I didn’t have it. I was about 26 or 27 when the window started closing. For a long time it really messed with me that I hadn’t fought a pro fight. But to fight pro is a lot of work, a lot of money and a lot of sacrifice. I didn’t take that step. I always felt I didn’t have the balls to turn pro.”
On why he hates golf: “I happen to f*cking hate golf. Golf is the most useless f*cking sport of all time. It’s a waste of f*cking time. It’s a waste of f*cking land. It’s a waste of everything. Homeless people are sleeping in the streets, and these rich dicks are out there golfing. Give me a f*cking break. They ought to build houses for the homeless on all the golf courses.”
On why the UFC is better than the WWE: “...Because it’s real. I think the WWE is fantastic. It’s amazing when you’re 12 to 15 years old. But when you hit 16 or 17, you realize it’s fake, and you want to see something real. I was a huge WWE fan as a kid. I got to an age when I got tired of the sh*t. It was just acting.”
On why he doesn’t want his kids to be fighters: “I love my kids so much. Do I want them to be fighters? No way. But I don’t want them to be football players, either. And I don’t want them to stub their toes. I don’t want them to get hurt at all. This is how f*cked up I am, that I sit around and think about this, but I dread the day when they get into a fight at school. I have two boys, so it’s inevitable, but I dread that day.”
On the most vicious thing he’s ever seen during a UFC fight: “Nothing really makes me cringe. I love fighting. But when Frank Mir broke Tim Sylvia’s arm with that arm bar, it was pretty crazy. Hell, we have four f*cking DVD’s of Ultimate Knockouts, so there have been some awesome knockouts.”On what makes a guy want to become a UFC fighter: “It’s the competition. These guys are real athletes and real fighters. It doesn’t matter if they used to be schoolteachers or accountants. They love to compete. It’s great when you’re part of a team and you run out onto the field and the crowd is cheering. But when you walk into a f*cking arena with 17,000 people and your music is playing and everybody is looking at you and going crazy, it’s an amazing feeling. It’s a high you can’t even imagine.”
On whether someone will inevitably get seriously injured or killed in the UFC: “I fear it. I really do. To be honest, I don’t know how I would deal with something seriously happening to one of these guys I f*cking love and care about.”

JUNE 1st FIGHT NIGHT REPORT

This was a full night of MMA action starting with Randy Kephart defeating Arron Schooler in round one by rear naked choke.
Next were 2 girls and Samantha Smith won that match over Alissa Hixson as another match ended in round one also by chokeout.
Randy Mills stepped in next and gave a round one TKO over Justin Leatherman.
Becoming a crowd favorite , Jared "The Pink Passion" Francis took his fighter out in round one when he slammed John Rath to the matt so hard it ended the match.
Next 2 more gilrs , one from before , unimpressed with her previous attempt to fight Alissa Hixson tried it againg,taking it fast and surprising KIng's favorite Lindsay Franks, when she dropped Lindsay right off the bat with a clean headstrike. Lindsay Franks moved into action and stepped up the pace to get her a victory over Alissa with a slam and some good ol ground and pound as the referee stopped the match when her opponent was unable to defend herself from stikes.
Next Daryl Shook took a win as Chris Court chose to end the fight after a massive slam to the matt from Darly , unable to continue due to injury.
The referee was busy stopping fights as Zack Blaszczyk threw strikes to Randy Kedhart until it was stopped early in the fight.
Nathan Ozmon was the winner over Jeff Morrison in round one as Jeff was penalized for an illegal strike.
Our co-main event was a full 3 rounder with Rod Montoya getting a unanimous decision over Chris Walker , this fight was very close and each fight was almost out on there feet at one time or another during this match up.
Speaking of match ups , I don't know who will be able to contain the ferociousness and pure strenght and power that Jason Pierce ( not pictured ) a Miletich Fighting Systems fighter making his pro-debut as our main event of the evening lasted a whole 17 seconds as he put a beating down on Anthony "White Tiger " White that no one could have foreseen. My only words on the mic after this fight was OMG ! OMG ! there was probably 20 punches thrown in those17 seconds and I'm not kidding you Jasons whole body was rippling with muscles you could see across the room as the strikes came with megaton force.This guy could be on the way to the top if he pursues this as a career for sure.
Avery exciting night with actually more people who wanted to fight that we didn't even have time for...see ya next Thursday.

THE RETURN OF PAT MILETICH !

The Mark is being considered as host of IFL event
Long-rumbling Internet rumors that Bettendorf mixed martial artist and Ultimate Fighting Championship legend Pat Miletich was returning to the ring were confirmed Saturday night in an announcement made at the International Fight League event at Atlantic City, N.J.’s Trump Taj Mahal.
Miletich will fight fellow legend Renzo Gracie September 23 during an IFL event at an as yet undisclosed location, but there is speculation that The Mark of the Quad-Cities might be the venue of choice for organizers. Scott Mullen, the executive director of The Mark, confirmed Friday afternoon that fight promoter Monte Cox had approached him about the Sept. 23 availability of the arena for an IFL event.
Gracie and Miletich have known for months that they would be fighting each other and originally were set on squaring off June 23 in Los Angeles at the Staples Center, where Miletich Fighting Systems welterweight Matt Hughes knocked Renzo’s brother Royce out in the first round at UFC 60, last Saturday night. That fight fell through when the California Athletic Commission had difficulty getting a K-1 fight approved quickly and ran out of time to do the same with this one, thereby losing the booking at the Staples Center.
Both Gracie and Miletich are coaches of teams fighting in the IFL, and it was their idea to hold the fight in conjunction with a regular-scheduled IFL event.
Miletich already was starting to taper and tailor his training to reach his optimum physical preparedness when he learned that the fight was going to be pushed back three months.

OUT WITH THE OLD ?

How does the old cliché go? “Out with the old, in with the new.” Yes, it’s something like that, and after watching UFC 60 Saturday night, there truly isn’t another snazzy catchphrase in the English language that encapsulates what took place in Los Angeles. What’s out? The old school fighters of yesteryear. What’s in? Well-versed killing machines such as Matt Hughes (Pictures). Royce Gracie (Pictures), a living legend within the mixed martial arts realm in America, was soundly beaten by the younger, stronger and certainly more well rounded Hughes. The way Hughes, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight champion, handled Gracie was akin to how his Brazilian foe handled karate masters and one-gloved boxers in his heyday. Boy, when times change they are not easy on the pioneers, are they? Most so-called mixed martial arts “experts” figured that Hughes would impose his will against Gracie, utilize his immense strength and gradually ground-and-pound his opponent until the referee stopped it. Most everybody who predicted a Hughes triumph was accurate — he just did it much sooner than most expected. As it stood, Gracie was out-gunned, out-classed and simply overwhelmed. Hughes’ domination of Gracie, which finally came to a screeching halt at the 4:39 mark of the first round, symbolized what hardcore fans of the sport have gradually learned: that one must be a well-versed master of fighting in order to live among the elite of mixed martial arts. Being a master at one solitary form of fighting may be effective against lesser-known or nondescript opposition (or when teaching novices at one’s academy), but when it comes down to locking horns with the crème de le crème, honing multiple talents is not merely a plus, it’s an absolute must. Gracie’s choice to maintain almost a strictly jiu-jitsu fighting style has garnered him troves of fans and a plethora of notoriety as well as deep pockets. But in this day and age of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, his absolute mastery of the martial art that essentially created the sport in America wasn’t enough. Hell, he was almost submitted moments after the fight hit the canvas. If that doesn’t spell out that MMA has passed Royce up, nothing does. But that’s not to say that Royce Gracie (Pictures)’s legendary status is in question, nor is it right to question the man. Gracie is a UFC Hall of Famer and his loss to Hughes does nothing to take away from his legacy. Even if Royce fights on and continues to lose, that still will not diminish what he’s done for the UFC over the years and it certainly won’t take away anything from Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Royce is a legend and a man that I, and I hope everyone at Sherdog.com, will always cherish and respect. It was tough to see him rescued by “Big” John McCarthy and to witness the typically insouciant Brazilian warrior saunter despondently back to his locker room, his battered face a swollen microcosm of what he endured for nary a round, was disheartening. Royce said he’d be back and in all actuality, it would be a wise move on both his and Zuffa’s part to fight on, provided he tangles with someone more or less in his league. Someone like Ken Shamrock (Pictures), provided Shamrock is unsuccessful against Tito Ortiz (Pictures) in their rematch in July. Or Pat Miletich (Pictures), the living legend himself has been pondering coming back for one more fight before officially calling it a day. A fight like that would be enormous. But whatever Gracie opts to do from here on out, he’ll always have me on his side rooting for him. The guard has been officially passed, so to say, and the sport has been traveling in the direction of multiplicity among its fighters’ skill sets. If Saturday night wasn’t a boldface example of it, then nothing is.
by Mike Sloan (msloan@sherdog.com)

MAY 25th MEMORIAL DAY REPORT

THursday May 25th. First fight was Kevin Powell with a first round tapout of Dan Estal, then the next fight was Joshua Anspach Choking out Justin Tincher with a nice triangle choke to finish that in round one also.
Next was a heavyweight grappling match between the heavyweights,Dave Cavanugh and Travis Christ ..we didnt have a winnerhere it was a draw. I didnt get a pic of Dave , but Travis has been in the ring a few times before and rarley gets pictured so there you go ...heeeeerrreeess TRavis !
Kevin Powell stepped up again and TKO'd Matt Jenecheck in the fight before the main event .
Main event was Chris Walker taking it to Mike Cavanaugh and getting a TKO in round 2 , this was the best fight of the night , both guys were ready and willing to throw hard and take chances,congrats to Chris Walker.

NEWS - NEWS - NEWS!

THE FOLLOWING IS AN ARTICLE FROM THE BOSTON HERALD NEWSPAPER: Ultimate Fighting Championship Sunday, May 21, 2006 - Updated: 03:11 PM EST The Herald offers this exclusive inside report of all the latest news and action from the Ultimate Fighting Championship. If something’s happening behind the scenes, or inside the octagon, you’ll read it here first. UFC 61 set to go While most of the mixed martial arts world is focused on next weekend’s UFC 60, featuring the much-anticipated bout between Matt Hughes and Royce Gracie, here’s an exclusive to whet your appetite: UFC 61 is waiting in the wings. The pay-per-view event is officially called “UFC 61: Bitter Rivals” and it will take place on July 8 (10 p.m., EST) at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The main event will be the rubber match between heavyweights Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski. Sylvia, 30, won the title at UFC 59 on April 15 by getting up off the mat to stop Arlovski at 2:43 of the first round. The 6-foot-1, 265-pounder floored the “Pit Bull” with a right hand and quickly pounced with a flurry of punches, forcing the stoppage. The 6-4, 240-pound Arlovski beat Sylvia in February of 2005 in a mere 47 seconds, forcing a submission with an ankle lock. The score will be settled in July. “I’m excited about going out there to fight Arlovski again,” said Sylvia. “He’s the best in the heavyweight division - next to me.” The featured bout on the UFC 61 card will be another one that fans will be itching to see: Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock. The coaches from “The Ultimate Fighter 3” have been going at it for months during the show and will finally have the chance to settle their differences in the best way: battling it out in the octagon. Not that the hatred between the two is anything new. Its roots can actually be traced to a 1999 UFC show in Bay St. Louis, Miss. Shamrock, who was coaching at the time, had one of his fighters go up against Ortiz, who was a newcomer to the scene. Ortiz won, but Shamrock felt his performance was disrespectful and the two had words. They had a chance to settle things at UFC 40 in November of 2002. Ortiz won the fight by TKO after the third round when Shamrock’s corner felt its fighter had had enough. The Spike TV show has obviously brought the rivalry back to a head. Ultimate Fighter 4 Speaking of the Spike TV show, which culminates with a June 24 live bout headlined by Kenny Florian vs. Sam Stout, the fourth season will offer viewers an interesting twist. “The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback” is set to debut Thursday, Aug. 17 at 10 p.m. on Spike. The fourth season will focus on fighters whose dream of winning a UFC title have never come true. The 16 former UFC fighters - eight middleweights and eight welterweights - are already gathered in Las Vegas for production of the series, which begain yesterday. Added to the drama of these guys all living in one house is the fact that some of them are former rivals, bringing revenge and redemption into the equation. The winning middleweight and welterweight will earn title fights and a six-figure cash prize. “The Ultimate Fighter 4 is the comeback season and it’s going to be the most exciting yet,” said UFC president Dana White. ‘Everyone knows these fighters, but it’s going to be a totally different show and we’re pumped to get started on it.” Instead of coaches for the two teams, prominent UFC personalities will serve as advisors and counsels for the 16 fighters. They include Randy Couture, Georges St. Pierre and Mark Delagrati.

MAY 18TH KINGS OF THE RING

lET ME START BY SAYING ...the man who fought 2 fights was as big as 2 men ...lol...wow Alex Kanellis at 290 and more than 6'6 destroyed the first fighter of the in boxing night by quickly taking out Chris Holmes as Chris could not continue after getting hit, later Alex also took out veteran MMA fighter and RK favorite boxing Ryan Antle,, Ryan hung in there but was really impressed how hard Alex hit and his determination to keep comming..Ryan got an almost donkey type punch that left him dazed for a few seconds he said.
Next Tommy Takas beat Brandon Martin in a exciting NHB style fight, also not pictured in another good NHB style fight was John Davis taking out Justin Kinkaid.
Jez Elizendo stepped up next to a returning Chris Holmes who was game enought try it again the same night. Jez put the whoop on Chris as Chris left the ring with still a big heart, I'm sure he'll be back for another round another night.
The Pro main event featured Mike Pena vs Eldred "2 to " Nunn. This was a full 4 rounds of action as Nunn came out strong against Pena, but was later deducted 1 point for pushing somewhere arond the second round, as we all saw Mike at 43 yrs old turn on that "old man strength" and continue to throw blows against the younger Nunn. this was a very exciting and close fight , if it was'nt for the1 point deduction this fight would of had to of been a draw , but the 1 point gave the edge and the win to MIKE PENA...this was a great full time limit fight that got the crowd going absolutley crazy with excitement..all in all it was a great night and we had lots of fighters that didnt get a chance to fight due to no opponents and then when they did find an opponent ,, we ran out of time ..great show !!!

SPENCER FISHER ON FILE

Spencer Fisher – “The King” Looks to Crown WimanPosted by Aaron Rift on 05/19/2006 at 04:22 PMSpencer Fisher – “The King” Looks to Crown Wiman at UFC 60 By Thomas Gerbasi Spencer Fisher couldn’t even finish the can of Dr. Pepper in his hand. Seconds after receiving the call from manager Monte Cox in early March, the lightweight contender hung up the phone, put his soda down unfinished, and stepped on the scale. In two days, he had to find a way to drop 20 pounds and prepare to face Sam Stout on short notice at UFC 58. Two days, 20 pounds. Most fighters, especially ones who had just fought two weeks earlier, would have declined such an invitation. And understandably so. Not Fisher. “The cutting weight always sucks, but this is the only job that I’ve ever wanted, so when they offered me this fight, I was all over it,” said Fisher, who replaced the injured Kenny Florian against Stout.” Fisher, at 30, is one of those few lucky ones who has found his niche in life, grasped it with both hands and isn’t letting go. 18-2 in mixed martial arts, the North Carolina native made his UFC debut with a win over Thiago Alves last October, and he has no intentions of leaving. But there was still that issue of the 20 pounds. Debuting in the UFC as a 170-pound welterweight, Fisher was ecstatic when informed of the return of the 155-pound lightweight division at UFC 58. But after a first round submission win over Randy Hauer at a Battle at the Boardwalk show on February 17, he figured he had some time before jumping back into the Octagon at 155 pounds – hence the Dr. Pepper. But when opportunity knocked, Fisher answered and immediately got down to the torturous business of cutting weight. That entailed hitting the gym hard that very night, and making the most important call of this process, to conditioning guru Billy Rush, who has helped cut more pounds than a chain of Weight Watchers establishments. The next day, Fisher was on a plane to Las Vegas, and by the time of the weigh-in Fisher had dropped the 20 pounds and came in at the lightweight limit. He made it, as he makes sure to note “with the help of my teammates”. Now he just had to fight against Stout, a hard-hitting Canadian kid making his Octagon debut and just as eager as Fisher to stake his claim in the reinstated lightweight division. Needless to say, the resulting bout was a memorable one, with twists and turns and haymakers and flush bombs landing with thuds. It was everything you wanted in a fight and by the end of the furious three rounds, the result was up in the air. Fisher had tired from the drain of making weight, but he never stopped swinging. The same could be said of Stout, and when the verdict was rendered, it was a tight one, but the Canadian pulled it out via a split decision. There were truly no losers in the bout, but Fisher wasn’t happy with what he deemed “a poor performance.” Anyone who saw it would disagree, but when ‘The King’ steps back into the Octagon on May 27th against Matt Wiman, he vows to really put on a show. “I’m looking to get back in there and give everybody the Spencer Fisher that they want to see,” he said, but what he would really like is to get back in there with Stout. “I don’t want to make any excuses,” said the gracious Fisher. “Sam beat me. All I ask in return right now is that after his next fight, I’d like the winner. Sam won that night, whatever the reasons were, let the fans make that decision and I’ll move on.” It must be something in the water in the Miletich gym in Iowa, because these are the kinds of athletes produced by perhaps the most prolific team in the sport. They’re no nonsense fighters without the airs of superiority you can find from some in the game. They come to fight, they tell it like it is, and when the fight’s done, it’s done. They’re blue collar in the best possible way, and you don’t see that too often in any professional sport these days. “The group of guys we have here, we’re all so similar,” said Fisher. “Something made us fight – maybe we’re a little crazy, I don’t know. (Laughs) But we’re a no BS school. You come in there, personal things get pushed aside, you’re there to train, and that’s how it is. No soap opera, you get stuff done, and I think everybody walks that line in our gym.” It’s paid off for Fisher, who is finally able to dedicate his entire life to the sport and actually see a light at the end of the tunnel in terms of winning a title and eventually making this a lucrative career. Not bad for someone who once dreamed of making a career in pro wrestling. “As a kid I grew up watching professional wrestling and my heart was set on doing that,” he remembers. “Well, when I panned out to be 5-7 ½ I figured that dream was probably not gonna come true.” He can smile about it now, but when he started putting all his eggs in one basket regarding his pro fighting career, he went through the same trials, tribulations, and incessant questioning that a lot of fighters go through when they decide that this is their path in life. “When I first told my family that this is what I wanted to do, they were like, ‘come on, where is this fighting stuff gonna take you?’” said Fisher. “But my wife’s family was always asking ‘where’s this gonna take you?’ If I wholeheartedly drop everything else around and just go for this, where’s it gonna take me?” But once Fisher’s mug started appearing on TV and the wins started piling up, the weather changed a bit. “Now, my wife’s mother is a schoolteacher and she actually shows my fights to her students,” he laughs. “So I have a lot of support from my family. My wife goes to every one of my fights and she’s my training partner as well, and anybody will tell you that anybody in Miletich, male or female, if you’re part of the team, you’ll get there and bleed and sweat with the rest of us. And she does. She’s a big supporter, and we live and breathe it in this house. It’s our house, but we rent rooms out to fighters – (UFC contender) Josh Neer is my roommate; my daughters do armbars.” With that type of support, Fisher can put 100% into his fight game and the results have been obvious. And in addition to his success in the Octagon, Fisher has also gained quite a fan following, with message board threads constantly singing his praises and dubbing him a future champion. “For people to say that about me, that’s a dream come true,” said Fisher. “I remember when I first watched this stuff, I always said ‘hey, I could do that.’ And then as time went on I said ‘hey, I can be a champion at this.’ That’s all I ever wanted, for people to back me on it, and to see me accomplishing things and having people backing me is something I always wanted, and I’m just excited about it.” When it comes to that lightweight championship, Fisher is eager to bring the title back to Iowa and the same gym where the last UFC 155-pound champion, Jens Pulver, makes his home. “In my mind, Jens is still the champion,” said Fisher. “No one ever took the belt from him. But to step into that spot and take the world title, that’s my dream. Anybody who’s ever stepped into the Octagon, you’ve got to have a goal of being a world champion or they wouldn’t be fighting. At least I don’t think so. People say belts don’t matter, and they do and they don’t, but for me personally, when I fight, I want to fight to be the best. To have that title, and I honestly believe that I will eventually, it’s just a matter of time and I’m excited for it. This is what I was born to do. I’m sure everybody says that, but really, this is the only thing in my life that I’ve ever done that I was successful at.” And he’s only getting better. But there’s just one question that needs to be answered. Who’s the best fighter in the Fisher household, Spencer or his wife? “I’m on TV, but she’s the champion in our house.” How can you top that answer?

MAY 11 KINGS OF THE RING FIGHT REPORT

NOTE; Click on image to see full size.....

On this Thursday , things were very busy, so not all fighters were pictured, we try to get all the fighters pictures but due to sometimes last minute set ups of the fights , pictures do not always get taken, I'm building a library of fighters and eventually we should have most everybody in a file..so without further adue..here's what went down.

The first match of the night was a grudge match with 133 lb fighter Corry Hopkey taking on the much bigger man 248 lb Sean Moriarity. Big ball-sack award of the night goes to ol' Hopkey on this one, he was almost knocked out on his feet at one time but he weathered the storm only to be choked out early in the second round by Sean Moriarty, the original report said Sean lost but that was wrong and was reported wrong due to a paperwork mixup caused by the ring literally falling apart during their fight, the ring was fixed and the fight went on, sorry bout the mix up .

Next was Chris Streeter getting the win over Donny Groch, when the fight was stopped due to a cut on Donny's hand, there could be potential for a rematch on this one.

The fighters for this next fight signed up in a hurry so there are no pics, but Daniel West applied a triangle choked perfectly to Michael May in the very first round , for a win by tapout.

Also not pictured is Dustin Holliday defeating Andrew Pierce, as Andrew was toppled like a big tree by Dustin only seconds into rd 1.
Next we had a lil sumo competition when Joella took on Jeska ,, Joella took the win by the the 3 fall rule, for a lil entertainment break on their behalf.
Next was boxer Lindsey Deal taking it to Jenna Nimms who was undefeated until this night when Lindsey took it to her, Jenna manage to attack her opponent with ferociousness on a female lion, but Lindsay out punched her to take the win by TKO.

The main event of the evening was 2 skilled fighters going way back to the likes of UFC 1 . Rod Montoya and Travis Christ ( Davey vs. Goliath )decided to go for it all in the big fight of the night.The fight wasn't the only thing big, as Travis Christ outweighed Rod Montoya by 127 lbs as Rod weighed in at 173 vs Travis' 300 lb frame. Rod got some good shots off to the head but he was unsuccessful in taking the big man down, Travis smothered him and dropped a few bombs of his own. Both fighters went the distance and held strong and Travis won this fight by split decision.

All fighters received prizes as we are now getting business owners stepping up and getting interested in getting some exposure at the fights,we have a great crowd full of good people and on every other Thursday we have a pro fight main event.
Come out and see us or take a part in the Thursday nights Midwest Kings of the Ring fight night.

A correction to last weeks report...it should have read..."Zach Broders got TKO'ed by Big Travis Christ in round one of their NHB match.", it was accidentally turned around...sorry Travis....its fixed now.

WHAT ABOUT MATT HUGHES ?

If there is such a thing as ultimate fighting royalty, UFC welterweight champ Matt Hughes is king.

Only problem is his next fight is against the man who built the kingdom.

In a much-anticipated match of old UFC vs. new, Hughes will step into the caged Octagon against mixed martial arts legend Royce Gracie in a non-title bout May 27.

Gracie has built a larger-than-life reputation since winning the first three UFCs using his family's home-made mix of ground work and submissions. Gracie jiu-jitsu, which his father Helio developed, is now mandatory training for all UFC fighters.

And after 11 years relishing in mythical demi-God status, Gracie is returning to the octagon.

But if Hughes is supposed to bow and cower, someone forgot to tell 32-year-old farmboy from Hilsboro, Ill.

"He's a very one-dimensional fighter and he's preaching to the world that all you need to learn to be competitive in this sport is what he teaches," says Hughes, who has held the welterweight title almost exclusively since November 2001.

"I have an opportunity to prove to the world that maybe Royce Gracie's theory is not correct and that most of the time a well-rounded fighter is going to win."

Where Gracie stands for everything ultimate fighting once was -- no rules, no weight classes and no gloves -- Hughes epitomizes the new guard.

He's a well-rounded wrestler and former Greco Roman all-American. He can stand up and box while his ground work is as good as any jiu-jitsu expert in the game.

"Four out of my last five opponents I've beaten with submissions," says Hughes, whose record is 40-4-0.

He is also part of new-age UFC royalty -- trained in Iowa by Pat Miletich, whose camp boasts current heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia, middleweight champ Rich Franklin and UFC stalwart Jeremy Horn.

And while Gracie says he'll have his 95-year-old father Helio in his corner, Hughes says he can one-up that, too.

Hughes, a born-again Christian, has God on his side.

"The fight's gonna be in God's hand. It's whatever he wants" says Hughes, a father of two.

Asked about the strange marriage of Christianity and ultimate fighting, Hughes says he doesn't see any contradiction.

"I don't go in there to hurt somebody or put them in the hospital," he says. "I go in there for competition and to put food on the table for my family."

And on May 27 before a near sell-out crowd at the Los Angeles Staples Centre, he will also go in there to put an end to locker-room babble of what's better: Old UFC or new.

THURSDAY NIGHT FIGHT REPORT

Due to problems logging into Blogger since Saturday night ,this weeks fight report will be short and to the point.
First match of the night a submission grappling match had Bill Bower def Alex Shipman by rear naked choke.
The next was a NHB match where David Brown def Dan Estal also by rear naked choke.Another submission grappling match made the 3rd win by choke of the night as Shane Grabasvh got the best of Josh Bill.Shane did it twice in one night as he also choked out Nick Hindahl.
Zach Broders got TKO'ed by Big Travis Christ in round one of their NHB match.(not pictured)

Next was girls Sumo and Kodi vs Terri and Terri winning by the three fall rule .
Ashley vs Marie in Sumo #2 of the night with Marie winning this one .
Next was a NHB match whereRandy Mills Choked out Evan Maxwell in round 1.
Jake Klemme the featured fighter of the week held on till almost the very end till he got an apponent and was a very good - go the distance NHB fight between him and Zack Mickelwright,Zack's defense was very haard for Jake to pass he said after the fight ...it was starting to wear on him , but Jake held on , kept stiking and trying to submit ol Zack until the final bell where Jake Klemme was the winner by split decision.
The Pro main event of the night was was very hard fought fight between a Miletich fighter making his pro debut against Mike Lindquist, although Mike fought hard , he was worked over by the Miletich trianed fighter and finally had to stop the fight with ADAM MOHR of Bettendorf the winner of this contest. Mike was heard later saying " man , I gotta buy that guy a beer, whew ! " Good job Adam and thanks to you Mike for being a very good warrior in this match.