Part 2 after the jump.

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In the past, EliteXC has been late to finalize shows and the end result has been a short turnaround time to sell tickets to its live events.

However, it’s looks like the promotion is learning from past mistakes as tickets for CBS’ Saturday Night Fights III on Oct. 4 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. at the BankAtlantic Center are already on sale through Ticketmaster outlets.

While the card has yet to be finalized, EliteXC announced during Saturday Night Fights II this past weekend that both Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson and Gina Carano will be returning to action during the event.

MMA Junkie was able to catch up with Jesse Taylor after his release from the UFC today and get some comments from him in regards to the release:

“It’s definitely frustrating,” Taylor today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) about the release. “I was upset, of course. But I’m going to keep on fighting. It could be a blessing in disguise with the other organizations out there.”

“It’s like a three-year deal with the ['The Ultimate Fighter'] and all,” Taylor said. “I think they can release you whenever they want. So yeah, they kind of let me go.”

Taylor also commented on speculation that he was cut due to insensitive comments he made about Quinton “Rampage” Jackson following Jackson’s arrest:

“I thought the whole thing was blown out of proportion,” Taylor said. “I just said, ‘What goes around comes around,’ kind of meaning about the double standards. Not meaning anything bad. I guess they kind of took it the wrong way, but I didn’t mean anything bad by it.”

“I actually really don’t know. If it is, I think it’s kind of funny because I definitely didn’t make those comments to piss anybody off.”

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World Extreme Cagefighting has been very active as of late when it comes to signing new talent and FiveOuncesOfPain.com has learned that undefeated featherweight prospect John Franchi is the latest to be added to the WEC roster.

Franchi has signed a five fight deal with the promotion, according to Gary Marino of GVM Sports Management, speaking to Five Ounces of Pain.

Trained by his co-manager, Ryan Ciotoli of Bomb Squad MMA in New York, Franchi will make his WEC debut on Sept. 10 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. against Jose Aldo.

The Northeastern-based Franchi made his pro debut on October 27, 2007, defeating Richard Miner via first round TKO while competing under the Extreme Fighting International banner in Springfield, Massachusetts. He improved his record to 2-0 last year when he submitted Brian Conrad on a Full Force Productions show this past December with an armbar at 2:15 of round 1.

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This picture was taken after the CBS/EXC event “Unfinished Business” in Stockton, CA.

At least six of these beauties are professional MMA fighters. Can you name them?

There’s no prize if you get it right, just revel in the fact that you’re an MMA hardcore.

(Photog Esther Lin snapped the pic)

This is an excellent, candid interview with Jon Fitch. One of 14 short vid clips posted to Steel Cage Comedy Night. Below, I highlighted other clips you should check out. More fighters should be doing stuff like this; its a big step to get both hardcore and casual fans to know them.

Part 2 - Getting KO’d is like someone stealing time from you…

Part 9 - Wonders why UFC doesnt air his better fights

Part 11 - GSP is too nice to beat up

Part 12 - Just before boarding a plane to Vegas, Fitch gets a call that he was cut from TUF season 1.

HT: MMA Mania

FiveOuncesofPain.com is proud to announce that our pals at Ranger Up are sponsoring WEC Lightheavyweight Champ Brian Stann as he takes on Steve Cantwell this Sunday night at WEC 35. This will be Stann’s first title defense.

Expect fireworks as the first time these two locked horns (at WEC 26), Stann TKO’d Cantwell in 41 seconds. Stann is 8-0 with all fights ending by TKO or KO, none leaving the first round.

Look for Ranger Up in Brian Stann’s corner and on his fight shorts Sunday night.

Randy Couture’s autobiography Becoming the Natural is scheduled to debut August 10 on the New York Times expanded best-seller list at 33.

The book, which was co-authored by Sherdog’s Loretta Hunt, was released on July 22 through Simon Spotlight Entertainment and is 304 pages long.

Couture’s life from an early age through present day is chronicled. Specifically addressed is Couture’s search of an elusive father figure, his early days in wrestling, his early days in mixed martial arts, as well as his amazing 2006 comeback in which he defeated Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight title.

The book sales for Couture’s book continue a strong period of sales for autobiographies from MMA athletes such as Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, and Tito Ortiz.

Randy Couture plays Sargon, the main bad guy in the The Scorpion King 2: Rise of A Warrior. The movie will be released on DVD and Blu-ray August 19th. The official website is not yet launched, but the teaser site is here.

In recent months we’ve heard a lot of speculation that certain high-level fighters in the UFC weren’t happy with their contractual status within the promotion. However, despite all these rumblings and rumors, there was absolutely no hard evidence to back up all the talk. It was hard to decipher whether there were truth to the reports, or if there was simply a campaign of misinformation taking place.

Well, FIGHT!’s Neal Talfinger has finally gotten a UFC fighter to go on the record about his unhappiness with the UFC. And the first fighter outside of Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture to speak out is a fighter that has been branded by some pundits as a “golden boy” of the UFC, Roger Huerta.

The following is an excerpt from the current issue of FIGHT!, which is available on newsstands now:

Huerta is one of a growing number of Zuffa-contracted fighter who feel that there is a disconnection between the company’s success and the way fighters are compensated. Huerta’s disillusionment with the UFC began when he did press tours for his employer in Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, and London and received a $50 per diem for his troubles. It sounds like a a good deal until you factor in time away from training, friends, and family, days often stretch twelve hours or more, and an exchange rate of one UK pound for two American dollars. “Why do you think I don’t do PR for the UFC any more?” he asks.

He’s also unhappy with the terms of his current contract, but to Huerta, the press tours underscore a larger point: by and the large, Zuffa does not treat its contracted fighters with sufficient loyalty or respect. He argues that many UFC fighters barely make enough to cover their training expenses. He brings up teammate Keith Jardine repeatedly, incensed that a main event fighter is working for ten and ten- $10k to show and 10k to win - while his opponent regularly makes ten times as much.

Huerta’s expression hardens and becomes more animated as talk turns to endorsements. The common counter-argument for complaints about fighter pay is that fighters often make more from endorsements and sponsorships than they do for competing. But Huerta has soured on the system after receiving lowball offers from companies who expect fighters to jump at the chance to endorse products. He rails against a Fortune 500 company for offering a deal to build him as a spokesman that included unpaid work. “Are you serious?” Huerta ask. “I know Dale Earnhardt Jr isn’t doing appearances for free.”

“The truth is, I don’t really care if I fight in the UFC or somewhere else,” Huerta says. The fighter says he understands that Zuffa has to keep an eye on the bottom line, but he wants to work, “For a company that is as loyal to me as I am to them.”

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A report in the July 29 print edition of the Wrestling Observer has confirmed rumblings that middleweight Jesse Taylor was dropped by the UFC for the second time in the span of four months following his loss at UFC Fight Night 14 to C.B. Dollaway.

A member of Team Quest in Temecula, Taylor’s overall MMA record fell to 6-3 at UFN 14 by submitting to Dollaway at 3:58 of round 1 after being caught in a Peruvian necktie.

While UFC officials were said to be disappointed by the loss, the Observer indicates that Taylor’s comments about Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the wake of Jackson’s arrest by the Costa Mesa Police Department earlier this month is what did him in.

Taylor was a finalist on the seventh season of TUF but lost his spot after being kicked off the show by UFC President Dana White following an incident at a Station Casinos hotel in Las Vegas in which Taylor was intoxicated and was seen on camera kicking out the window of a limousine.

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Lewis Black’s Comedy Central show, Root of all Evil, this week featured a battle between “ultimate fighting” and bloggers. Two things which I’m personally disgusted by as an “ultimate fighting” blogger. Namely because it is not possible for me to win.

Sure they said both “ultimate fighters” and bloggers use their hands and not their brains, sure they were insulting throughout the show…. but it’s still worth watching on replay.

Sorry I keep using “ultimate fighters” in quotes as we all know anyone that uses that saying has no idea what they’re talking about as it’s like calling all football “NFL.” “Oh my son plays NFL in school.” No, he plays football. Anyone that says “ultimate fighting” obviously has no idea what they’re talking about when it comes to the sport. I still like the show and I’ve always liked the show but like everyone that discusses MMA they have a strong disconnect with anyone that knows nothing and still speaks about it.

Please catch these annoying Hollywood folks on a repeat as they only reinforce the chubby, liberal white guy point of view on the sport as they can’t fight. Am I editorializing? I’m not meaning to be political, John McCain did the same thing. Oh and thank you Jesse Taylor for reinforcing every single stereotype people could possibly have with your childish behavior on television.

Carlos Condit, in a recent interview with Carlos Arias of the OC Register, was very candid about where he thinks he’s at in his career right now and where he thinks he can be should he reach his full potential:

“But I feel, me being the champion, I can deal with any one of those guys in the UFC and beat quite a few of them and give any of them a run for their money.”

“I want to fight anyone who is above me. I don’t put too much thought into who I’m going to fight next or anything like that. I focus on improving myself and being the best that I can be. I know that if I reach my potential, then I can beat those guys, I can beat guys like GSP, I can beat guys like (Jon) Fitch. I can fight any of these guys. When I reach my prime, it’s going to be a scary, scary thing for everybody in the welterweight division.”

I think Condit is spot on. He is one of the most underrated welterweights in the world right now. I have no doubt that some day, after he’s cleaned out the WEC’s welterweight division, he’ll make his way into the UFC. And when he does? Look out. Condit is one of these guys that doesn’t look like he’s all that but he has shown time and time again that he is tough as nails, trains extremely hard, and has the overall game to be one of the best fighters in the world. Making Brock Larson and Carlo Prater look like clown shoes is a pretty hard thing to do and Condit made it look easy.

When he makes it to the UFC I have no doubt that he will stir up the division and make a lot of noise. There are some very intriguing matchups for him there and I look forward to seeing him there sooner than later. I understand that ZUFFA is trying to build a brand with the WEC but you can only deny talent for so long and Condit has it in spades.

MMA Junkie is reporting that a proposed fight between former IFL fighter L.C. Davis and Japanese 145 lbs. sensation Hiroyuki Takaya has been scrapped for this weekend’s WEC 35 show.

Davis had been added to the card as a late replacement for Cub Swanson, who broke his hand in training. The report goes on to state that sources close to Takaya’s camp are saying that Takaya turned down the fight against Davis.

Davis was 3-1 with the IFL, his only loss coming in the featherweight grand prix finals against Wagnney Fabiano. He is expected to make his WEC debut sometime later this year.

Aleksander Emelianenko, in an interview with Life.ru, discussed his absence from the Affliction: Banned card two weeks ago. Translation from MMA Mania:

I passed the medical board and my license to fight was obtained without any problems. But the fact is that in California the commission is very rigid for admittance. One of the main conditions to let you fight is the ability to pass all of your tests on time. I had to be in America by July 13, the Visa was only good until the fourteenth and my tickets were purchased in advance for the fifteenth. On the whole, I was late. They thought the organizers could agree and settle the problem but they quickly found out they would not be able to get me on the card. Instead they were able to find a suitable replacement for Paul Buentello. The laws in California are so rigid.

The MMA world was afire with rumors regarding Emelianenko’s absence from the Affliction card two weeks ago, with hepatitis being the leading rumor. According to Emelianenko, those rumors are completely false. It’s not hard to believe that California denied him a license due to late medicals as they’ve done this kind of thing before. Armando Garcia doesn’t play around. If you’re late with your medicals then you aren’t fighting in California, period.

If it’s true that Emelianenko was only held off the card because of late medicals then it’s much better news than the rumor that he has hepatitis. I’d love to see him fight on U.S. soil against Affliction’s heavyweights and there would be almost no chance of him fighting if he had hepatitis. Late medicals we can work with. Hepatitis? Not so much.

After fighting twice on primetime network television over the span of seven weeks, EliteXC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler expressed during the post-fight press conference for “Unfinished Business” this past Saturday that he was planning on taking some time off.

Despite promoting shows on Aug. 15, Sept. 20, Sept. 26, and Oct. 4, it appears that EliteXC is in complete agreement that Lawler needs a break. EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw confirmed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com that Lawler will be on hiatus in order to allow his body time to recover from competing in back-to-back fights in such close proximity, as well as to allow the nasty gash sustained to the top of his scalp to heal.

Who he’ll face upon his return is anyone’s guess at this point. Former UFC light heavyweight champion and former Strikeforce middleweight title holder Frank Shamrock has expressed a keen interest in fighting Lawler in the coming months. While Shamrock has stated in the past that he’s only looking to fight big names, it appears as if Lawler could fit the profile of his ideal opponent after being featured in two bouts on primetime network TV.

Whether or not a Lawler vs. Shamrock encounter will occur before year’s end remains to be seen, as Shamrock not only owes two fights to EliteXC, but one more to Strikeforce as well. With Cung Le not expected to fight again until 2009, Shamrock may be called into action before Lawler is ready to return.

Lawler could also be looking at a rematch at one of two opponents. Both Joey Villasenor and Murilo “Ninja” Rua have won high-profile fights as of late. With several big shows coming up and a lack of star power in the middleweight division, it wouldn’t be surprising to see EliteXC try to match the two up again. Villasenor and Rua fought for the then-vacant EliteXC middleweight title during the Frank Shamrock vs. Phil Baroni show last June with Rua becoming the first-ever title holder at 185 lbs. following a second round TKO.

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In the July 29 print edition of the Wrestling Observer, Dave Meltzer indicates the trend numbers based on interest level for UFC 86 on July 5 are calculating estimates of 520,000 buys on pay-per-view.

It should be noted that the estimate is based on trending patterns and is not an actual estimate leaked by someone in the cable industry. However, Meltzer indicates that the trending estimates have proven to be very accurate.

If the UFC 86 number holds up, it would place it as the fourth biggest North American pay-per-view this year, right behind Wrestlemania (688,00), UFC 81: Lesnar vs. Mir (600,000) and UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre II.

It should be noted that the UFC never reveals its pay-per-view numbers in an official capacity and numbers that become available are usually estimates that are provided off the record by executives within the cable industry.

With one fight remaining on his current contract, heavyweight title contender Fabricio Werdum has revealed to the Brazilian website Tatame that he has already signed a five-fight contract extension with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Werdum, a former PRIDE standout, is 2-1 since entering the UFC and is expected to complete his current four-fight contract at UFC 90 on Oct. 25 in Chicago. A deal for his next opponent has not be finalized but Werdum gave indications that he could fight the debuting Junior Cigano.

With a win at UFC 90, Werdum gives a strong indication that the first fight on his contract would likely be for the UFC heavyweight title. Interim UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir are expected to be fighting on Dec. 27 in Las Vegas and Werdum would be in line to face the winner if he can improve his UFC record to 3-1.

The also gives the impression that Werdum is pulling for Nogueira to win so that the two can have a rematch from their 2006 encounter in PRIDE in which Werdum lost to Nogueira via a unanimous decision.

At initial glance, there appears to be a void when it comes to leadership at ProElite with both Chairman Doug DeLuca and Live Events President Gary Shaw having tendered their resignations in favor of taking on reduced roles as consultants.

DeLuca, a television producer, was a founding member of the company. Shaw, a former boxing regulator turned promoter, joined up soon after the formation of ProElite and was one of its original directors.

There’s little doubt their contributions to the company were major. DeLuca is a charismatic businessman with strong connections in the entertainment industry. While Mark Burnett and IMG played large roles in making the deal with CBS happen, it’s been said that DeLuca was the driving force.

Shaw was a polarizing figure in the MMA community who never gained widespread acceptance from the sport’s hardcore fan base that has followed MMA before it was cool to do so. That being said, it’s debateable whether the company would have ever gotten off the ground if not for the deal with SHOWTIME. Considering Shaw’s existing relationship with key decision makers at SHOWTIME, it’s not a reach to say the SHOWTIME deal would have never happened without him.

Up until December of 2006, SHOWTIME was still involved in negotiations with the Zuffa about a potential deal with the UFC. When word spread in the industry that HBO had interest in getting involved in the MMA business, the Zuffa took a deal with UFC off the table and instead tried to pitch SHOWTIME on a potential deal with the WEC. SHOWTIME took exception to the move and broke off all negotiations.

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