Frank Shamrock on Jimmy Kimmel Live

It's a nice trend to see mixed martial arts fighters getting visability on the late night talk show circuit. Chuck Liddell was given a solid five minutes of face time on Late Night with David Letterman just a couple of weeks ago. This time around, Frank Shamrock will get his shot on network television as he will appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live this Thursday.

Chuck Liddell on Dave Letterman

I know this isn't the latest news in the MMA world, but nice to see The Ice Man in a coherent interview and one at such a high level as The Late Show with David Letterman. And as indicator of the Ice Man and the sport's popularity, this YouTube video has been viewed over 10,000 times.

Bonus: Letterman shows a video clip of Chuck getting KO'd by Quinton Jackson for those who many not have already seen (the UFC can't block this footage like they normally do form YouTube).

Yushin Okami in Action

Today Rich Franklin is a heavy favorite at UFC 72 with site visitors at UFC.com giving him a 76% edge over Okami.

Rich Franklin lives by this psalm (as plastered over his official webiste): Psalm 144:1 - Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight. So does Yushin have much of a chance over the heavy favored man of god?

Current UFC Middle Weight Champion Anderson Silva has fought and dominated both of these fighters (although he official was disqualified in his match against Okami for an illegal kick). Most people have seen the dismantling he performed on Rich Franklin at the UFC but his fight against Okami at Rumble on the Rocks is a bit more obscure. Here is a look at how Okami did against the Champ. I'm not too impressed.

ROTR Anderson Silva vs Yushin Okami

Sam Stout looks like Elvis...

...or at least the guy who played Elvis on the 2005 TV mini series. UFC fighter Sam Stout has an uncanny reseblence to Hollywood star Johnathan Rhys Meyers.

UFC Fight Night 10 - Future Contenders

Last night's UFC Fight Night showcased a surprising amount of quality fighters, fighters who have not had a high level of visabilit in the world of MMA. It was great to see some raw talent come out of an event that wasn't PPV.

These five fighters have a combined record of 57 wins with only 5 losses!

Drew McFedries showed once again that he has heavy hands and can KO anyone in the middle weight division with his 33 second knock out of Jordan Radev. Radev is world class wrestler and by no means a pushover. Yes, McFedries lost to Marvin Kampman, but leading up to the submission he was picking him apart in the stand up. Drew isn't ready for a title shot, but keep an eye on him, he only seems to be getting better.

Jon Fitch: Most people who closely follow the MMA game knew of Jon Fitch and his impressive record. Last night he had a lot of expectations resting on his shoulds as there was a lot of hype built up surrounding his abilities. He was handed a very solid fighter in Roan Carneiro and although was in trouble early, impressively kept his composure and weathered the storm. Known for his wrestling, Fitch showed his well rounded game when he slapped on a rear naked choke a minute into the second round. Fitch is now 6-0 in the UFC. Watch out fellow welterweights.

Thiago Tavares: Possibly the most talented fighter of the night. Thiago maintained his undefeated record and schooled Jason Black, a guy with a 21-2 record. His ground game looked great as he outclassed Black. Thiago is only 21 years old and should only get better in the next couple of years. At 155, he's got all the tools to potentially get a title shot faster than any of other fighters from last night.

Spencer Fisher proved that he's one of the top guys and most complete fighters at 170 with his unanomous decision of highly regarded Sam Stout. Fisher looked great on his feet as he continued to effectily mix up his attack keeping Stout guessing the entire match. If he can shake off his recent loss to title contender Hermes Franca he'll continue to quickly move up the ranks.

Anthony Johnson had only three fights leading into last night's match against slightly above average competition so no a whole lot was know about his abilities. 13 seconds into the first round and it was obvious that this guy is athletic, fast, and powerful. He flatted 13-2 (before fight) Chad Reiner, a guy who pushed popular and talented Josh Berkman to the distance. It will be interesting to see Johnson a few more times but if his UFC debut is any indicator he's another fighter worth taking note of.

Great night of action and we were lucky to witness this kind of talent. UFC 72 has a lot to live up to.

First time fighter paid more than 2 MMA Legends?

Fighter payout have been released (as required by the state athletic commision) for the recent K-1 Dynamite event. I know it all comes down to marketability and "return on investment," but it's kind of sad that first time MMA fighter Brock Lesnar made more money than any other fighter and more than legendary Royce Gracie and Sakuraba combined! This is Mixed Martial Arts v2.0, so out with the old and in with the new breed.

Total payouts for K-1 Dynamite fighters:

Main Event Fighters

-Brock Lesnar: $500,000 (defeated Min Soo Kim; no win bonus)

-Min Soo Kim: $30,000 (lost to Brock Lesnar)

Main Card Fighters

-Royce Gracie: $300,000 (defeated Kazushi Sakuraba; no win bonus)

-Johnnie Morton: $100,000 (lost to Bernard Ackah; purse is being withheld for the time being due to refusal to take drug test)

-Melvin Manhoef: $50,000 (lost to Dong Sik Yoon)

-Jonathan Wiezorek: $40,000 (defeated Tim Persey; includes $25,000 win bonus)

-Kazushi Sakuraba: $30,000 (lost to Royce Gracie)

-"Mighty" Mo Siliga: $30,000 (defeated Ruben Villareal; no win bonus)

-Ruben Villareal: $30,000 (lost to "Mighty" Mo Siliga)

-Jake Shields: $24,000 (defeated Ido Pariente; includes $12,000 win bonus)

-Dong Sik Yoon: $20,000 (defeated Melvin Manhoef; no win bonus)

-Tim Persey: $20,000 (lost to Jonathan Wiezorek)

-Bernard Ackah: $5,000 (defeated Johnnie Morton; no win bonus)

-Ido Pariente: $2,500 (lost to Jake Shields)

Diego Sanchez Lands UFC Ring Card Girl

There were some rumors that TUF winner and UFC standout Diego "Dirty" Sanchez was dating UFC Ring Card Girl Ali Sonoma. Not believing that Diego could land a girl of Ali's calibur, I checked out his MySpace page and sure as shit they are a couple. Just two days ago she left him this post on his page: "YOU ROCK MY WORLD! LOVE YOU OH SO MUCH!" Diego, I know you are an ass-kicker, but how did you score this ring card girl? I think all of his zen training is going to go out the door and his attention will be somewhere else these days.

Joe Lauzon doesn't want to fight Cory Hill

Joe Lauzon, The Ultimate Fighter 5 contestant and fighter who knocked out Jens Pulver, is also a staff writer for a MMA news/blog site called MassMMA.com. Sure, tons of MMA sites out there (this included) give recaps of every TUF episode, but Lauzon actually provides an insider's view point and tells us things we didn't get to see on the show, such as "Going into the second round, I wanted to fight Brandon or Manny. I thought both fights were good pairings for me. Brandon is a striker without a lot on the ground, while Manny is good on the ground, but I thought I could get the takedown and put him on the fence. I wanted to avoid Corey because he is so tall and can make anyone look bad." Check out his latest blog entry and leave the guy a comment while you're at it. Click Here.

UFC Welcomes Back Dan Henderson with a Title Shot

Get more pictures like this from SHERDOG.COM Last night, Mr. UFC Dan White announced that Dangerous Dan Henderson will get a shot at the new Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Rampage Jackson. Some of the newer fans of the sport may not be familar with one of the sport's most versitle, yet under-rated fighter, but Dan Henderson is the real deal. Although Dan "Hendo" has been mixing it up with top-level competition over in Japan with the Pride FC organization since 2000, he hasn't gotten the level of attention he deserves. Some might have forgotten, but Henderson fought in the UFC 9 years ago. Back in 1998 Hendo won a UFC middle weight tournament at UFC 17 when he defeated two top ranked fighters in Carlos Newton and Alan Goes. Most recently Dan headlined Pride's show in America where he de-throned (KO'd) one of the sports longest reigning and most dominant fighters, Wanderli Silva. Keep in mind that Silva is the same fighter that beat the crap out of Quinton Jackson, twice! That's gonna play some mind games with the new UFC champion.

The Case Against Chuck Liddell

Most MMA fans seem to think The Iceman is near invincable, I'm here to challenge that and say that he is not worth all non-stop hype First off, since his last loss (Rampage) he's rattled off seven straight wins but let's take a look at who he has fought. Vernon White (a fighter with 30 losses on his record), Jeremy Horn (a B level middle weight), Renato Babalu Sobral (a fighter who in the past 2 1/2 years has been fighting B level fighters), Tito Ortiz twice (a solid, but not elite fighter. See his performances against Patrick Cote and Forrest Griffen. Also, he's spent a lot of his recent fight time beating up on old man Shamrock, not the stiffest competition). I give Liddell credit for beating Couture, twice. But somethings a fighter just has another fighter's "number." And this is the case with Randy. And we've come to see that Couture is better off at heavyweight, a more nature weight for him. Another point to consider is Chuck's fight style. He's fairly one-dimensional and too many fighters have played right into his strenghts. Look at Babalu. He's a great submission guy, but what does the moron do in his fight with The Iceman? He goes straight at him looking to trade blows. Babalu is not a striker. What other outcome would one expect than for him to get KTFO?

Luke Cummo Drinks Piss

Yes, you read that correct. Luke Cummo actually drinks his own urine and has even written about it on his website. For that not familiar with Cummo, he's a MMA fighter who was on The Ulimate Fighter where he was thought of by fellow fighters as a strange guy. This takes the cake. This was taken directly from his website forum: " drink all that I can of my own urine. It has many advantages. It contains hormones, minerals, and elements that bind moisture to protein. Basically it is a recycling of things so that they can have another chance to get where they are destined. If you were to drink something, your body will want to excrete liquid in order to maintain a certain level of hydration. So it filters the blood and the urine may contain things that didn't get a chance to get where they were going. " You can see the entire post Here For more informatinon on Urine Therapy click Here

Magazine Covers - Couture One Ups Liddell

First Chuck Liddell makes the cover of ESPN the magazine and now as reported on Randy Couture's website, he'll be gracing the covers of Sports Illustrated. From the Randy Couture website: "At what point does a sport go mainstream? How about when it's best-known fighter graces the cover of the nation's best-known sports magazine? Randy Couture, the only five-time champion in UFC history, will appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine at a later date this summer. SI writer L. Jon Wertheim, a 10-year veteran of the magazine, penned the piece which will dig into the life of the most famous MMA star in the U.S. Couture recently regained the UFC heavyweight championship at the age of 43 years old, defeating Tim Sylvia at UFC 68. The win catapulted him even further into mainstream sports fame, as he appeared on ESPN's "Hot List" following the victory. Couture also has a biography in the works, co-written with Fight Network writer Loretta Hunt. "

Mirko Cro Cop Down But Not Out

I wasn't sure if Cro Cop would continue his MMA career after the devistating knock out delivered by the big under dog Gabriel Gonzaga. During the Pride tournement (which he eventually won) he made reference to the fact that if he didn't win he might retire from the sport. During his UFC fight against Gonzaga, Mirko didn't seem to have that competitive fire needed to be a future champion.

His website has made it clear that he will indeed continue to fight MMA. When he got back to his home town after the UFC event, he's quoted as saying, "I deserved that loss because of the way i was fighting. I fall down every now and then, i was twice in this situation, after Randleman and after Fedor and i got back up again, i will be back this time too, that is a part of my career. I have 4 more fights to come and i will do them all."

Also, he is going to replace the ring that he uses for his training and will replace it with an octagon. His ankle is healing and he plans to get back into full training in a few weeks.

Chuck Liddell Wants to Party with You!

Big MMA news if you're going to be in Las Vegas as UFC Champion the Iceman has made an annoucment on his official website that he will be throwing an after party the night of UFC 71. The party will be hosted by Studio 54 in Las Vegas. If he gets smashed by Quinton Jackson, I wonder how much he's going to want to party. I personally think it is a bad sign that he is already focused on partying after the fight. Chuck, you're gonna need the eye of the tiger to beat Rampage Jackson. Just in case you haven't seen it in a while, here is a clip of Liddell totally drugged up in an interview with Good Morning Texas television show a few months back.

Randy Couture to Fight Gonzaga August 25th

Or at least that is what Couture said in an interview with Newsday.com. Here are some other things the UFC Champion had to say during that interview, paraphrased: 1. Couture picked Gonazaga to beat Cro Cop. 2. Randy's record for picking fight winners is 40 wins 15 losses (he should be betting in Vegas) 3. He observed that Mirko wasn't training in a cage and that it was going to hurt him going into the Gonzaga fight. 4. Couture said that Cro Cop has trouble with fighters who aren't intimidated by him. 5. And most importantly, Couture will take on Gabriel Gonzaga August 25th at a location TBD. Take not that the UFC has not confirmed this. Click here to read the Newday.com article in its entirety.

Liddell Makes Cover of ESPN Magazine - Bad Timing?

It looks like mixed martial arts will finally get the credit it has so patiently deserved when the Iceman graces the cover of ESPN Magazine. This is a huge step for MMA and no one deserves it more than UFC icon Chuck Liddell, but how about the timing? It's all going to depend on the outcoming of his fight against Quinton Jackson. You are going to have millions of people exposed to MMA for the first time with this issue of ESPN Magazine. After reading the article, most are going to think Chuck is the baddest man on the planet, get excited about MMA, and will probably take notice of his next fight. Now, if Chuck beats Rampage, he lives up the magazine hype and justifies his placement on the cover. This will only help the sport as a new base of fans get to see, and get behind, a true great of the sport. Think of it this way, most people don't give a shit about horse racing, but when you have an undefeated horse who smashes the competition at the Kentucky Derby, like Barboro did a year prior, people all of the sudden take notice of horse racing and go on to tune into the second leg of the Triple Crown (The Preaknes) to see if that horse can continue that win streak. The real problem with Liddell on the cover is that if he loses his next fight (which I think he will, but that's another post all together) a lot of newly interested and potential fans will be let down. Just like that great race horse who everyone has read about and ends up finishing last in his next race. I wish Chuck would have been on the cover a couple of years ago, that way the readers would have been able to see the sport's star live up to his status as he rattled off KO after KO. Regardless, this is a great day for mixed martial arts and nothing should be taken away from Chuck, win or lose at UFC 71.

UFC 71 - The Newbees

Upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship 71 features three fighters new to the octagon who will be matched up against three UFC veterans. Houston Alexander who will be taking on "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine, Thiago Silva who will be taking on James Irvin, and Jeremy Stephens who will be fighting Din Thomas. I thought these new fighters deserved a deeper look as they all walk into the UFC with solid fight records. 205lb MMA fighter Houston Alexander has a record of 6 wins and 1 loss with most of those wins coming via KO or submission. His most recent fights have been in the Extreme Challenge and Gladiator Championship. It appears that his style is ground and pound and says his favorite move is the body slam. One thing of note is that of the 6 fighters he has wins over, they have a combined record of 47 wins and 85 losses. Keep in mind that all of his opponents have never fought in a big show. Houston, you're gonna have a problem with Jardine and I don't think you'll will make his debut walking away with a win. Jeremy Stephens is 155lbs with a respectable record of 8 and 1 and goes by the nickname "Little Scrappy" which I'm guessing is a reflection of his fighting style. He has quick hands and like to strike with 6 of his 8 wins coming via KO. The combined record of his opponents is 53 wins and 43 translating into what I like to call a 1.23 OWLR (A ratio of Opponents Win Loss Records). He'll be fighting a guy with a ton of UFC experience in Din Thomas and is going to have his hands full. If he can manage to pull out a victory (which I don't think he will) he'll get a lot of people's attention. Below is a highlight reel of Stephens Thiago Silva is my pick for the 205lb first-timer most likely to walk away with a victory. He is undefeated with 9 wins. He's a Black Belt in BJJ who likes to strike, including and leg and head kicks. If he uses those kicks effectively, he's going to have a good chance against "The Sandman" who I've never been overly impressed with.

Liddell Says Upsets Streak Will End

We've seen a string up upsets in high-level matches recently. Matt Serra beating George St. Pierre (UFC 69), Randy Couture beating Tim Sylvia (UFC 68), and Gabriel Gonzaga over Mirko Cro Cop (UFC 70). Will The Ice Man be next up for an upset? Liddell says nay. Here are some words from the UFC Champion in a recent interview with the Canadian press regarding his fight against the last man to beat him, Quinton Rampage Jackson:

"I'm planning on going out there and knocking him out...I probably should have beat him then [Pride match] and I know I can beat him now," Liddell said. "I can't wait...I think it's a great matchup for me. I like guys that come at me."

His thoughts about his last performance against Jackson, "It just didn't work out for me. I don't think I was in as good as shape as I should have been. There was a lot of problems at the time."

And his thoughts about Quinton's fight against Marvin Eastman, "I thought he was a little cautious in it, but he handled Eastman pretty well."

As usual, the Ice Man is the favorite as chosen by the odds makers. The latest odds from BetUs.com had Liddell at minus-260, meaning you'd have to put $260 down to win $100 in profit. Jackson was plus-200, meaning a $100 bet would make $200 profit. With those odds, my money is on Jackson.

A Black Mirco Cro Cop?

If you haven't checked Light Heavyweight fighter Sokoudjou out, he's legit. He's young (22 years old) with fast heavy hands and trains with Team Quest. He's somewhat reminicent of Vitor Belfort (young Belfort). He recent easily dispatched two top fighter in the weight class, Ricardo Arona and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. He KO'd both of these Pride fighting veterans in the first round (Nogueira in 29 seconds). I have yet to see his ground game, and that might be his weak link. But as of now, no one has been able to take him down, similar to Mirko Cro Cop. Keep your eye on this kid. The UFC would be smart to pick him up and put him in line to take on Chuck Liddell (if Liddell gets past Quinton Jackson. Check out his most recent fight against Arona.

UFC 69 - Upset about the Upset

Like the MMA masses, I was in awe last night when Matt Serra TKO'd George St. Pierre. I have to admit that I never gave "The Terror" much of a chance. If you look at his fight record it's a bit lack-luster. His last SIX fights have all gone to decision. No look at GSP's record and you see only two of his last six fights have gone to decision. I'm a fan of those fighters who put on exciting fights. Your record doesn't have to be flawless, but if you consistently put on a good show then I'm a fan. To me, GSP represented the next breed of MMA fighters. The complete package. An athlete who was going to be the poster-boy of the UFC and be the champ that became a household name. I think we all desire to see or get behind an athlete who we believe is "unbeatable." This is what legends are made up. I was already wondering just how many title defense GSP was going to rack up. Was he going to beat Matt Hughes record of defense? Instead, St. Pierre doesn't even defend the welterweight title once. He loses to a guy who hasn't ended a fight in over FIVE YEARS! GSP should really really be disappointed with himself. Hats off to Serra, he put on a great performance and showed all the MMA naysayers. I just wonder why this guy had to wait five years to be aggressive enough to actually finish a fight. I am disappointed not only that GSP lost, but also disappointed that a fighter like Serra now holds the crown. I would have much rather seen someone like Josh Koscheck or Diego Sanchez knock off GSP. We will always have major upsets in mixed martial arts, it's part of the sport. This one ranks right up there with the biggest.