Of all the fighters to recently exit the UFC, Andrei Arlovski was the guy that Dana White stated he was not pleased to see depart.

Back in December 2008 when asked about Arlovski, White said, “In nine years, there’s only one fighter that I’ve lost that I didn’t want to lose.”

However, after recording two straight defeats to Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers, Arlovski is no longer high on the UFC’s shopping list.

“Now, he’s had a couple of bad performances,” said White. “He’s got to get back in the mix and win.”

White also had some advice for his former employee.

“Sometimes, we make bad career decisions. I think leaving the UFC was a bad career decision for him.”

Should Arlovski get his career back on track, he would seem to have a chance to return to promotion that made him famous. White still has appreciation for Arlovski the person if not his current win-loss record.

“I like Andre,” said White. “I don’t dislike him. He’s a nice guy.”

However, with Affliction MMA’s recent demise, the opportunities for “nice guys” has certainly taken a serious hit.

Prior to adding Roy Nelson to the cast for next season’s Ultimate Fighter, UFC President Dana White was rumored to have said that Nelson would never be a part of the UFC. The alleged reason was that Nelson did not fit the physical prototype of what White was looking for.

At 6′ and 250 lbs, Nelson does not always appear to be in peak physical condition. However, Nelson has a 13-4 record and was the IFL heavyweight champion when the promotion folded.

His inclusion on TUF may have surprised some but not White. He said that he never made any negative statements about Nelson.

“That’s not true,” White said. “That was never a thing – ‘Roy, you’re too fat. You can’t fight in the UFC.’ That’s not true.”

As one of the favorites to win the upcoming season, Nelson now has a chance to make a big impact in the UFC, and by adding Nelson to the show, White makes it almost impossible not to believe his side of the story.

Over the past couple of years, the UFC has entertained the possibility of having a show on Hawaii. Unfortunately, due to the large tax (estimated to be about 8%), the UFC has decided not to have a card there.

However, that is about to change.

“We fixed the thing in Hawaii,” said Dana White. “We’re going to go to Hawaii. They had that crazy f’n tax going on.”

What should make the UFC’s potential trip to Hawaii intriguing to the non-Hawaiian resident is the building that will host it.

“We’re going to go to Hawaii, and the only place we can do it is in the Aloha Bowl,” said White. “All the other venues are too small.”

The capacity of the Aloha Bowl for UFC event will be in excess of 50,000. With BJ Penn the likely headliner, they have a chance to get near the capacity for the show. In the past, the UFC stated that they to do not want to run large arenas because it will take away from the “UFC experience”, but in Hawaii, they do not have other serious options.

The size of the audience will be larger than that of any U.S. MMA or boxing match in recent memory. The only U.S. “fighting-style” event that routinely plays in those size arenas is Wrestlemania. Should the UFC run the Aloha Bowl, the event may very well be too large for the entire country not to take notice. It could make a tremendous impact.

After his first round stoppage of Mustapha Al Turk, Mirko Cro Cop was rumored to be departing the UFC for the Japanese based Dream Promotion. Upon hearing the news, UFC President Dana White exploded on the 2006 Pride Grand Prix Champion.

“Isn’t that a dirty (expletive) thing to do?” White said. “He (expletive) me. The first time in the history of the company I do one over the phone. He promised me a three-fight deal and he (expletive) me.”

However, White’s comments were only half the story, and Cro Cop responded to what White said about him.

“By the time I landed from Europe, Cro-Cop called me 600 times. He said, ‘I didn’t sign with anybody,” White said.

White recanted more of the conversation between himself and Cro Cop.

“You’re calling me this and that. I said, ‘I didn’t call you anything. I said that if you did sign then that’s what I would have called you,” White said.

Now that the two have made peace and Cro Cop signed for three more fights with the UFC, White placed the blame for the miscommunication completely on the location of Cro Cop’s last employer.

“Some sneaky bad (expletive) goes on all the time in Japan. The day of Cro Cop’s fight for me they released the info in Japan. They did it the day of the fight,” White said.

Cro Cop is set to take on Junior Dos Santos at UFC 103 in Dallas, Tx.

With the dearth of welterweights current in Strikeforce, former EliteXC champion Jake Shields has decided to look outside the promotion for his next welterweight opponent. The guy Shields would like to fight after his middleweight battle with Robbie Lawler in Japanese star Shinya Aoki.

“Aoki is a guy I’d like to fight, and Strikeforce has mentioned him as a potential opponent,” Shields said.

Originally, Shields was very close to squaring off with former UFC fighter Joe Riggs. That was not a fight Shields wanted to have.

“Personally, I was never really excited about it,” Shields said. “I said I would do it because I’ll fight anyone they want, but the fight doesn’t get me too excited.”

Strikeforce has also talked about another possibility down the line for Shields.

“Strikeforce has brought up the name of Frank Trigg,” Shields said.

Trigg and Shields have had a war of words through various forums that has gone on for a few years. The two have never faced each other, and each fighter has mentioned the other when asked why the fight has not taken place.

Some big name fighters have been linked to the UFC in the past few months. In a recent conversation with Dana White, he commented on the status of the fighters.

To start, the UFC is looking to bring in some Japanese talent to the promotion. They are very close to a new deal with Caol Uno, with published reports indicating he could return to the UFC at UFC 99. The UFC has also expressed major interest in both Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and Satoshi Ishii.

However, one guy White has not had discussions with is the former PRIDE lightweight champion Takanori Gomi.

“I haven’t talked with Gomi,” stated White.

Also from PRIDE, Mirko Cro Cop had a very difficult time adjusting to the UFC. The Croatian parliament member was only 1-2 in three UFC fights during 2007. However, in spite of the underwhelming performance, White has not closed the door on a possible return.

“I’ve spoken to Cro Cop as well,” White said. “I’m not sure what he wants to do right now.”

The big star out there is Cro Cop’s former opponent Fedor Emelianenko. Emelianenko’s management and White have famously gone back and forth in the media many times over the past few years about Emelianenko’s possible entrance into the UFC.

While both sides previously made disparaging comments about one another, White is now taking a gentler approach when it comes to the consensus top heavyweight. White now admits interest in Emelianenko.

“I want Fedor too,” said White. “I do. I’d like to see him fight in the UFC.”

Coming off his decision victory over Nate Diaz at UFC 94, Clay Guida is looking forward to getting back into the Octagon. He already knows the guy he would like to fight next. Guida hopes his next opponent is former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk.

“Sherk is a monster,” Guida said. “Let’s see if he can stop my takedowns.”

Since losing the lightweight title to B.J. Penn, Sherk rebounded with a victory over Tyson Griffin. Sherk is next slated to square off with Frankie Edgar at UFC 98 on May 23.

A win over Sherk would certainly help Guida move up the UFC lightweight rankings. Even though Sherk had his share of problems outside of the Octagon, Guida is still a fan of the former champ.

“Sean’s always someone that I’ve looked up to in his performances,” Guida said. “What happens out of the cage is his business.”

For Guida to get the fight with Sherk, he would likely have to win one more match-up. If both Sherk and Guida are successful in their next matches, a fight between the two skilled wrestlers is very possible.

Sources have informed FiveOuncesOfPain.com that Andrei Arlovski has signed an agreement with Golden Boy Promotions.

Full details of the deal are not known at this time, but Arlovski had been rumored to enter the boxing world since early in 2008. Recently, trainer Freddie Roach confirmed that Arlovski was going to start boxing following the fight with Fedor Emelianenko. At the time, Roach stated that he wanted to Arlovski to challenge WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev.

News of the signing with Golden Boy signals that Arlovski’s entry into boxing is more than just rumor and is now expected to become reality.

Arlovski, a former UFC heavyweight champion, challenged Emelianenko for the WAMMA heavyweight title last month during Affliction M-1’s “Day of Reckoning” event in Anaheim, Calif. After winning much of the first round, Arlovski was knocked out by a right cross delivered Fedor while attempting to finish the former PRIDE champion with a flying knee.

A native of Belarus, Arlovski is 14-6 in a pro MMA career that dates back to 1999. He holds notable wins in his career over Roman Zentsov, Ian Freeman, the late Justin Eilers, Paul Buentello, Tim Sylvia, former IFL light heavyweight champion Vladimir Matyushenko, Fabricio Werdum, Ben Rothwell, and former IFL heavyweight champion Roy Nelson.

Editor’s Note: Content from this article appears courtesy of CBSSports.com.

The next superfight?

Georges St. Pierre took on and defeated one of the biggest challenges of his career in UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn. The fight was the first to have a three-part UFC Primetime preview special on Spike TV to help promote it.

If St. Pierre should successfully hold onto his welterweight title over the next year, another superfight could certainly be in the offing: St. Pierre against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

“I think it’s possible,” said UFC president Dana White. “Would I like to see those two fight? Absolutely.”

When asked if he wants to fight Silva, St. Pierre was very quick with his answer.

“For sure,” said St. Pierre.

St. Pierre then explained why.

“The primary reason I do the sport is not for the fame,” said St. Pierre. “I do it for myself. It’s important to me to always find a new challenge. It would be very interesting for me.”

The biggest adjustment for St. Pierre would be adding the extra weight to be competitive. St. Pierre wants to be sure to do that the right way.

“I have never taken a steroid in my life, and I never will,” said St. Pierre. “If I fight Silva, I’d have to put on some extra weight. It would take me a few extra months to get ready.”

With both fighters having prior commitments in 2009, the earliest the match could take place would be the beginning of 2010.

Alistair Overeem had a very impressive 2008. He made the permanent transition to heavyweight and left many opponents in his wake. He defeated Tae Hyun Lee, Mark Hunt, and Gary Goodridge. Overeem was also dominating Mirko Cro Cop before an unintentional knee to the groin forced an early stoppage. Had Overeem finished Cro Cop, Overeem would certainly have garnered some consideration for fighter of the year.

Now, it appears Overeem has interest in fighting for the UFC. At UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland, Overeem spoke with UFC President Dana White about possibly joining the promotion.

“I talked with Alistair Overeem,” said White. “He said, ‘yeah, let’s do it.’”

Even though Overeem was excited about the UFC, White stated that negotiations are far from complete.

“I have to talk to his managment,” White said.

One of the most impressive performances from Sunday’s WEC event was by featherweight Jose Aldo. Aldo defeated Rolando Perez by TKO after a vicious knee at 4:15 of the first round.

UFC / WEC veteran Jens Pulver was very impressed with what he saw.

“Jose Aldo is nasty,” Pulver said. “Give him two more years. Let me retire.”

Former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber confirmed that he was rumored to be facing Aldo at the last event. WEC officials decided against Aldo – likely to due to public’s awareness of Pulver.

With a record of 13-1, Aldo could find himself in the middle of the featherweight title picture after just a couple more victories.

According to trainer Freddie Roach, Andrei Arlovski will move into boxing following his match-up with Fedor Emelianenko at the Affliction: Day of Reckoning PPV. Roach already knows who he wants Arlovski to face.

“Andrei’s going into boxing after this,” said Roach. “After we knockout Fedor, I’d like for him to challenge for the heavyweight championship against (WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay) Valuev.”

For Arlovski to transition right into a heavyweight title fight would seem very difficult. Roach does not think such a high caliber opponent would cause any problems for the former UFC heavyweight champion.

“His boxing skills are good enough. He’s the best MMA fighter in the world. Two world champions? It would be huge.”

Over the past few years, the UFC has continued to put on events in new places. They have held shows in a variety of countries, and 2009 is not expected to be any different. Dana White confirmed that they will be going to an additional location in Europe.

“We’re definitely going to Germany,” said White. “That’s for sure.”

Another country they planned on heading to in 2009 was the Philippines. White said that those plans are temporarily on hold. The UFC is still working through getting all the necessary clearances in the country.

Along with international growth, the UFC has plans to go to some new cities in the United States – notably some northeast towns.

“New York and Boston in 2009,” White said.

Before a show can take place in New York, MMA needs to be legalized in the state. Thus far, the UFC has not been successful in getting the sport cleared. White is confident that they’ll get past any hurdles.

“We’re going to get New York done.”

For all intents and purposes, EliteXC stopped functioning as a mixed martial arts company shortly after Seth Petruzelli knocked out Kimbo Slice. That event occurred close to three months ago. Since then, many of their fighters have remained out of action.

UFC President Dana White hopes that other top fighters not in the UFC pay close attention to what occurred with EliteXC.

“These guys are wasting their time by going to these fly by night companies,” White said. “That’s the worst thing an athlete can do – waste time. Fighters are crazy to waster their time.”

A few different companies have been rumored to be interested in purchasing the remnants of EliteXC. The most appealing assets of the company are the possibe television deals with CBS or Showtime and the fighter contracts.

While the UFC has not declared any recent interest in buying EliteXC, they have stated they do want to bring in a few of Elite’s fighters if they become available.

“We are interested in a few people like Robbie Lawler, Jake Shields, and Gina Carano,” said White.

Lawler and Shields are obvious fits for the UFC. With the current state of the UFC’s middleweight division, Lawler could find himself in the middle of the title picture almost immediately. However, in the past, White had been steadfast against having women fight under the Zuffa banner. Recently, White has eased up on that stance when it comes to Carano. The fact that White is now openly promoting the possibility of bringing in Carano shows that women’s fighting is a real possibility for the UFC or WEC.

After Quinton Jackson defeated Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92, Dana White said that Jackson would most likely be first in line to challenge new champion Rashad Evans. However, if Jackson had it his way, his next fight would not be for the title.

“I want to fight Forrest (Griffin) because that’s the fight that haunts me,” Jackson said. “I want the belt. I want to be champion, but I want Forrest first.”

Not only does Jackson want another fight with Griffin, he also has his sights set on a rematch with another man who defeated him earlier in his career.

“I want to get Shogun too,” Jackson said, “but I want Forrest first.”

A potential fight with Griffin would have to wait though. Griffin was hurt during the Evans match.

“Forrest went to the hospital with a broken hand,” White said.

With Griffin’s injury and Mauricio (Shogun) Rua’s scheduled fight with Mark Coleman at UFC 93, Jackson is not likely to get his first or second choice.  Instead, he will likely get his third choice – a fight with Evans for the UFC light heavyweight championship.

Editor’s Note: Content from this article appears courtesy of CBSSports.com.

After winning the gold medal in judo at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing as a heavyweight, Satoshi Ishii was immediately recruited by various Japanese MMA companies. However, Ishii said that the organization he wants to fight for the most is the U.S. based UFC.

Ishii was at UFC 92 in Las Vegas to see Frank Mir defeat Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to win the interim heavyweight championship.

“His dream is to fight in the UFC someday,” said UFC President Dana White. “He wants to be a mixed martial artist, and he wants to do it here.”

Ishii’s visit to the States was not just to watch the matches. He will be talking with the UFC about his future.

“I’m sitting down with him and his management to try and figure out how to make it happen without bringing him directly into the UFC because that’s not the right road to go,” White said. “But we are going to help him with his career.”

White said that he wants Ishii to be in the UFC but not right away.

“He’s a big kid, and he’s determined,” said White. “He wants to fight in the UFC and I have to figure out how to do it without him getting murdered – literally and figuratively. Murdered in Japan (for fighting in the U.S.) or killed over here in the UFC.”

UFC middleweight Yushin Okami defeated Dean Lister by unanimous decision at UFC 92. Even though the fight was not the most exciting bout on the card, UFC President Dana White confirmed that the victory puts Okami back in the hunt for the middleweight title currently held by Anderson Silva.

“Yushin Okami will be getting a title shot. Definitely,” White said.

Okami was very close to receiving a title shot earlier in the year after beating Evan Tanner at UFC 82 (Silva defeated Dan Henderson on that same card). Unfortunately, Okami was injured during training and the matchup could not be finalized.

Okami and Silva have an interesting backstory in that Okami is the last man to beat the champion. Okami defeated Silva by disqualification due to an illegal kick. The match took place in January 2006 for the Rumble on the Rock promotion.

Prior to Silva vs. Okami being signed, Silva will first have to defeat Thales Leites. Silva and Leites are set to square off in April.

Editor’s Note: Content from this article appears courtesy of CBSSports.com.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell is on the comeback trail. In his last fight, Liddell suffered a knockout loss to new UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.

Now, Liddell is preparing for his return to the Octagon. He had openly spoke about wanting to face Keith Jardine in a rematch. Jardine defeated Liddell by decision in September of 2007.

UFC President Dana White quickly shot down that possibility.

“It will not be Jardine,” said White.

As far as potential opponents for Liddell, White tabbed two fighters as options.

“If (Mauricio Rua) Shogun defeats Mark Coleman in Ireland, it could be Shogun — or it could be Wanderlei (Silva),” said White.

Liddell’s return will take place on March 7 in Columbus, Ohio.

Editor’s Note: Content from this article appears courtesy of CBSSports.com.

The UFC has dominated the MMA world for the past decade. During that time period, only one person has gone to another organization that they really wanted to keep.

“In nine years, there’s only one fighter that I’ve lost that I didn’t want to lose,” said UFC President Dana White. “That was (Andrei) Arlovski, and it still bothers me.”

White tried very hard to keep Arlovski in the UFC.

“I jumped on a plane and flew to Chicago with Lorenzo (Fertitta) and kissed his butt to try to make him not leave,” said White.

Money was not the main issue with the former heavyweight champion. Arlovski wanted to expand into other entertainment areas.

“He wanted to box on HBO. He had a lot of different things that he wanted to do that I couldn’t let him do.”

After becoming a free agent, Arlovski signed with Affliction Entertainment. He defeated both Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson since signing on. Now, Arlovski is set to face one of the top heavyweights in the world in Fedor Emelianenko in the coming weeks.

“That will be a very interesting fight,” said White.

While White admits to having tried to sign Emelianenko to a very large monetary deal in the past, White does not want to proclaim Arlovski’s opponent the top heavyweight in the world.

“I’ll never say that Fedor is the best until he jumps in there and fights the best on a consistent basis.”

Former UFC interim champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira confirmed that he would like to take on former UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture.

“I would accept the fight with Randy Couture,” Nogueira said. “It would be a nice match.”

With both men recently losing their shares of the heavyweight championship, the fight would appear to be a natural fit for both fighters. Nogueira believes that the fight would be a big draw.

“He lost his last fight, but he is still a legend,” Nogueira said. “It would be a great promotion.”