News of the increased coverage, which will be shown live on HDNet as it unfolds from Cincinnati, was announced earlier today through an official press release where it was also mentioned the same treatment will be given to the Grand Prix Finals later this year.

“As we continue to showcase some of the sport’s up-and-coming talent on our prelims, we’re excited to be able to air them live on HDNet,” Scott Coker explained of the move. “We’re excited to give Strikeforce fans even more access to great fights.”

The bouts set for next month’s broadcast include explosive Brazilian bantamweight Amanda Nunes taking on submission specialist Alexis Davis and former 205-pound champ Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante’s clash with undefeated Olympic wrestler Yoel Romero, as well as action from Mike Kyle and Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos.

The Strikeforce World Grand Prix Semifinal show features the tournament’s remaining heavyweights competing for one of two spots in the final (Daniel Cormier vs. Antonio Silva, Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov) in addition to a title-defense from middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza who puts his belt on the line against 7-1 Luke Rockhold. Also on the card, “King” Mo Lawal will mix it up with decorated BJJ blackbelt Roger Gracie.

Unless you”re a fight fan that has been inhabiting the bottom portion of a rock on some deserted island you’re well familiar with the enormously successful television series that goes by the name of “Inside MMA“. The highly informative TV show hosted by the likes of MMA legend Bas Rutten, Kenny Rice and Ron Kruck has become the visual companion for anyone bitten by the dangerously contagious MMA bug.

Inside MMA will be hosting a very special 100th episode at it’s normal place and time on HDNet this evening, Friday, 9:00 pm ET and I suggest that all of you fight fans that want to give back to a show that has given so much to us tune in for what should be a memorable episode. If you don’t have HDNet, contact your local cable provider and insist that they add the network.

Inside MMA has done nothing but spread the gospel of mixed martial arts since it’s inception in September of 2007 to countless fans that may have had little or no prior knowledge of the sport, filling a huge void in the world of MMA.

“Inside MMA was the first television show dedicated to reporting news in the MMA world,” said HDNet Fights CEO Andrew Simon in an exclusive conversation with FiveOuncesOfPain.com on the eve of Inside MMA’s historic episode. “The show has experienced tremendous growth as HDNet transformed itself into Your Home for MMA.

“The broadcast has become a place for fighters to show their personalities and promotions to be seen on the national stage. Inside MMA has featured over 135 different promotions in 39 states and 12 countries in its first 100 shows! No other show even comes close. You can see the excitement when we take the show on the road now….like this past weekend at Strikeforce. Inside MMA is like the “Sportscenter” of our business. Fighters hope to see their highlights on the show.”

When 5 Oz’s asked MMA legend and current HDNet Fights President Guy Mezger his thoughts on the future of Inside MMA, and the sport along with it in 5-10 years he was candid, stating,”I see Inside MMA growing into “THE” news show for all MMA. The grow of Inside MMA and mixed martial arts as a sport go hand in hand. ‘IMMA’ only gets bigger as MMA gets bigger. I would like to see MMA grow past one or two major organizations. I feel for real grow it needs to be more open and less inclusive. If the Muhammad Ali Act was to also cover MMA then would see more opportunities for the MMA athletes.”

Simon shared Mezger’s enthusiasm for the future of the sport, Inside MMA and HDNetFights along with it, explaining,”We will continue to be Your Home for MMA. HDNet has 12 events scheduled between August-October from around the world. Our mission is to bring the best fighters and promotions from around the globe to our fans. I think our fans are learning how good the international fighters are – Mousasi, Fedor, Anderson Silva, Aoki and others. If you are not paying attention to the international scene, you are missing some of the best fights and fighters in the world

“Even though this year we have over 30 events, 50 weeks of Inside MMA, 28 M-1 Challenge shows and 10 MMA Worldwide episodes…I see more in the future!”

Of course Inside MMA wouldn’t have the spark and pizazz it currently possesses if it wasn’t for the chemistry between show hosts and good friends Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice. According to Mezger, it’s their friendship away from the cameras that creates the magic we see unfold before our HD enabled television screens.

“They have a genuine friendship, and the whole crew gets along and are friends,” said the President of HDNet Fights. “It makes for great working environment and helps to make the whole show flow much smoother and more entertaining for the audience.”

As for the future of Inside MMA, don’t be surprised if you start seeing the broadcast popping up in different regions all over the globe in the near future. However, if you think you’re going to be seeing a Spanish or Portuguese broadcast team sometime soon you may be in for a surprise. Unless, of course, Kenny, Bas and Ron are well versed in the foreign tongues.

“Stay tuned,” revealed Simon. “Different parts of the world have expressed interest in the show, but Inside MMA wouldn’t be the same without Kenny, Bas and Ron. They make the show what it is.”

According to a report by the Associated Press, federal regulators have filed a civil lawsuit in a Dallas court in which Cuban is accused of having unlawfully sold shares of stock in the search engine company Mamma.com, Inc. in 2004.

The report indicates that Cuban was invited to be brought in on a coming stock offering by Mamma.com under the condition of agreeing to keep information private.

The SEC is claiming that Cuban knew his stake — pegged at 600,000 shares, or 6 percent ownership in the company — would be sold below the current market price after learning that Mamma.com was raising money through a private investment in a public entity. The suit states that Cuban instructed his broker to sell all of his shares in the search engine company once he was privy to the information.

SEC officials are seeking to impose financial penalties and confiscate Cuban’s gains from the trades. Whether the former Broadcast.com owner faces criminal charges will be left up to the U.S. Attorney in Dallas.

“As we allege in the complaint, Mamma.com entrusted Mr. Cuban with nonpublic information after he promised to keep the information confidential. Less than four hours later, Mr. Cuban betrayed that trust by placing an order to sell all of his shares,” Scott W. Friestad, deputy director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, said in a statement. “It is fundamentally unfair for someone to use access to nonpublic information to improperly gain an edge on the market.”

Speaking on Cuban’s behalf, attorney Ralph C. Ferrara said that Cuban intends to contest the suit.

“This matter, which has been pending before the Commission for nearly two years, has no merit and is a product of gross abuse of prosecutorial discretion,” Ferrara is quoted as saying. “Mr. Cuban intends to contest the allegations and to demonstrate that the Commission’s claims are infected by the misconduct of the staff of its Enforcement Division.”

Cuban also went on the record in a statement released to the press in which he proclaims his innocence.

“I am disappointed that the Commission chose to bring this case based upon its Enforcement staff’s win-at-any-cost ambitions,” Cuban said in the statement. “The staff’s process was result-oriented, facts be damned. The government’s claims are false and they will be proven to be so.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Mousasi has really made a name for himself recently, taking DREAM’s Middleweight Grand Prix by storm and defeating Denis Kang, Dong Sik Yoon, Melvin Manhoef, and Ronald “Jacare” Souza on his way to winning the DREAM middleweight title. Mousasi will be appearing at the next Affliction show against former UFC light heavyweight champion and well known MMA fighter Vitor Belfort. Will Mensing play the role of spoiler and be able to handle the well rounded Mousasi? Or will Mousasi dominate him with his overall game?

Gegard Mousasi vs. Steve Mensing from M-1 Challenge episode 2 – Germany v. Holland

Discussion of the Golden Boy and Affliction Entertainment MMA partnership is a major topic of discussion including coverage of last Saturday’s press conference.

“It’s different…did Affliction really need it? I don’t think so,” Rutten said of the partnership. “People now are really going to see the difference between an exciting mixed martial arts event and an exciting boxing match. The boxing match, let me tell ya.. .better be really exciting otherwise it’s not going to be a success.”

For more mma news be sure to check out Inside MMA on HDNet, Friday nights at 9p.m. ET.

After his tenure in PRIDE came to an end in the months that proceeded Zuffa’s acquisition of the promotion in 2007, Millen took some time off before being approached by an old friend from his PRIDE days, Vadim Finkelstein.

Finkelstein, the manager for former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko, had plans to grow his Russian-based M-1 promotion into a global superpower. In Millen, he was looking for an experienced hand to help direct the company’s International television operations.

For close to a year now, Millen has worked hand-in-hand with Finkelstein in trying to help M-1 expand its global presence, and in doing so he’s broadened his unique perspective into the industry by also working closely with Fedor. Currently a Vice President with M-1, Millen produced the promotion’s recent “M-1 Challenge,” an International competition featuring MMA teams from nine different countries with representatives in the five major weight classes going head-to-head.

Having secured distribution throughout the world, M-1 recently struck a deal with Denver-based HDNet to broadcast one-hour episodes produced from the tapings that took place during the course of the year. The first episode is set to debut tomorrow (Friday) at 8 p.m. ET and Millen has been doing press to promote the show’s U.S. premiere.

One of the press stops on his agenda was an exclusive one-on-one interview with FiveOuncesOfPain.com where Millen provided more detail about the M-1 Challenge; what his working relationship with Fedor’s management is like; the status of the proposed “Fighting Fedor” reality show; whether Fedor’s legacy in the U.S. is important to him; his response to recent claims by Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta that Fedor’s record isn’t relevant; if Finkelstein is willing to give on certain demands in order to make a dream match between Fedor and Randy Couture become a reality; and more.

Sam Caplan: A lot of people on the Internet forums love to rip you. They like to speculate what you’re up to these days and claim you’re working in the fast food industry. Just to set the record straight, what is Jerry Millen up to now?

Jerry Millen: Honestly, I worked in fast food, as most of us did, when I was 15 and 16-years old after my paper route to make my living as a teenager. But I haven’t worked in fast food in a long time. I’ve actually been working with Vadim Finkelstein and Fedor (Emelianenko) for M-1 Global out of Russia and Holland for probably about 11 months now. Right after PRIDE ended I took a little time off to spend some time with my family. I have a great family with three great kids and a great wife. I took a paid vacation and did some fishing.

The UFC buying PRIDE was a great move financially for me but personally I hated it because I loved PRIDE. A lot of people don’t know that the “Decade” show that we did, which you can find on the Internet now, the UFC tried to stop it from being produced. While I was producing it I got a lot of problems from the UFC because they didn’t want it to air and they tried to shut it down. On my own dime at some points, I went on the road and did a lot of interviews with those guys in that show because I felt so strongly about the PRIDE product and it was our ten year anniversary. And Sakikabara-san, who was a great boss, a great person, and a great friend to work for at PRIDE and I thought that the fans deserved to know as much of the story of PRIDE that I could tell.

So that was the last project for PRIDE that I worked on and it was very difficult. I had to call on a lot of people for favors and I had to put in some of my own money to put that thing together because I wanted people to see what PRIDE was and how great it was. After that I took some time off when the UFC bought PRIDE and I was well taken care of and I probably could have worked for the UFC but I chose not to. I thought I wouldn’t work for Dana White, and I won’t.

Sam Caplan: You mean there would have been an option for you to work for the UFC? Do you think Dana White would have been okay with you working for him?

Jerry Millen: I’m not sure if Dana would have been okay with it but at the end of the day, even though he leads people to believe it, Dana White is not the one who runs the UFC. As you can tell, Lorenzo Fertitta stepped in to run it like a business because Lorenzo Fertitta — who’s a great guy, I think he’s an awesome guy, I’ve met him a few times — he’s a business man to run the business-end of the UFC. I would just not work for Dana White.

Sam Caplan: Looking back towards the final months of PRIDE, do you have any regrets about becoming such a public figure?

Jerry Millen: No, not at all. I think in the end whatever we could have done to make PRIDE more public and mainstream worked out for the best. As you know, for so many years PRIDE was underground. As great of an event it was in Japan and worldwide, it never got great exposure in the U.S. So every time Dana White said “Jerry Millen is this” or “Jerry Millen is that” or “PRIDE is this” or “PRIDE is that,” it made anyone who didn’t know PRIDE familiar with the product because Dana White was talking about it. So I was more than happy to have Dana be our number one P.R. guy. Was it at my expense? Sure. But hey, no problem, it was worth it because I think PRIDE was something that everyone should have seen.

Sam Caplan: M-1 has a deal to broadcast the M-1 Challenge on HDNet. Can you tell us more about the concept behind the M-1 Challenge?

Jerry Millen: When Vadim approached me to work for him I jumped at the chance. I said “Yeah, I’d love to.” Then they told me about the M-1 Challenge idea and I tried to help them with another vehicle, the “Fighting Fedor” reality show — which we can talk about a little later — but the M-1 Challenge consists of nine teams with five fighters on each team. We have nine countries represented. We have Team USA, which is Heath Sims out of Dan Henderson’s Team Quest gym in Temecula. We’ve got five guys through Heath and then Matt Lindland helped me out. We’ve got Team Japan. We’ve also got two teams from Russia: Russia Legion and also the Red Devil team, which is Fedor and Vadim’s gym in St. Petersburg. Korea, Spain, we have a World Team, Finland, France, and also Holland.

I’m telling you, some of the fighters that we have in the M-1 Challenge, I think they can jump right into any major promotion. We’ve got a guy from Holland by the name of Bogdan Christea and another guy from Team Holland, Jason Jones, who is a very tough fighter. There’s Jessie Gibson, a heavyweight from Holland. There’s also a guy by the name of Karl Amoussou. Even though MMA isn’t legal in France they have a lot of fighters and Karl Amoussou is a great fighter out of France. And then there’s a fighter named Kiril Sidelnikov. They call him “Baby Fedor.” This kid is tough. He’s 19-years old and he can take a punch and he can deliver a punch. He is “Baby Fedor.” One name to remember out of Russia is Kiril. He’s a tough, tough fighter. And on Team USA there’s also Jake Ellenberger, David Garner, and Mike Dolce, who was on the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” There’s a lot of young up and comers but a lot of these guys are already good.

We have a website where you can learn more about the M-1 Challenge at M1Mixfight.com.

Sam Caplan: So the M-1 Challenge is an International team competition. Are standings kept?

Jerry Millen: Yes, standings are kept.

Sam Caplan: So basically the M-1 Challenge is like the World Cup of MMA?

Jerry Millen: Right, exactly. Because in Europe and other countries besides the USA, nationalism is a big deal. You go out and you support your country. It’s like in the NFL, if you like the Falcons or the Jets this year… there in Europe, and even in Asia, it’s not about team, it’s about country. It’s like soccer. They are crazy about the country. It’s country vs. country. So that’s what we’re trying to do, but on a world level.

Sam Caplan: We all know of UFC President Dana White’s comments about his dealings with Fedor’s management in which he referred to them on multiple occasions as “Crazy Russians.” Thus far, and I guess maybe you can’t answer this as truthfully as you’d like, but I’d still like to get your comments on the record: what’s it been like working with Fedor’s management? Are the Russians as crazy as Dana says?

Jerry Millen: Not at all. Never. Anytime I go to Russia I have a great time. They treat me with respect. They’re great to me. I feel like in PRIDE that I was taken care of very well by the owners and treated great. This feels like an extension of PRIDE. Vadim is thought of as being great over there. Dana White’s arrogance is what makes him say these things. Dana White the rockstar is the one who is claiming these are crazy Russians. To me, they’re great Russians. I’d much rather have dinner and hang out with Vadim Finkelstein than Dana White any day of the week.

Sam Caplan: I’m not going to bother to ask whether you agree with White’s appraisal of Fedor as a fighter. I did want to ask if you believe White is sincere when he makes these negative statements about Fedor?

Jerry Millen: No, it’s the company line. Lorenzo made a statement the other day saying that Fedor’s career and his record is irrelevant. (Laughs) Well, I know it’s the company line. You can’t say that the best fighter pound-for-pound in the world is Fedor Emelianenko if he’s not in the UFC. They can’t tell people they don’t have the best fighter in the world under contract. You can’t say that because it’s not good business. But to go out there and say his record is irrelevant when he just smashed and embarrassed your former champion in Tim Sylvia. He’s beaten your interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira twice. People know. If you know Fedor and you’ve seen any of his fights, you know. And the UFC knows and Dana and Lorenzo knows and they want him badly. They just need to figure out some way to make it work.

M-1 and Vadim are willing to work things out. Fedor is willing to fight anyone. I feel like this is the PRIDE situation when Dana didn’t want to let Wanderlei fight Chuck. This deal can be done but it has to make sense for everyone. We’re partners with Affliction right now. Fedor is signed to Affliction. So it has to be a deal that makes sense for M-1, Affliction, and of course the UFC. The fight can happen. If the fans want the fight, it can happen. The fans just need to let the UFC know “Hey, we’re not going to stand for this, we want to see Randy and Fedor.”

Sam Caplan: But Dana White and the UFC have made it clear that they’re not going to sign a guy to a one-fight contract and co-promote with the competition. If they bring someone in to compete for their title then they want a long-term agreement and they want them committed solely to their promotion. They’ve been clear on that. What good is it asking for anything other than that?

Jerry Millen: Well, I guess that long-term is all relative. What is long-term? The UFC likes to grab guys and wrap them up for the rest of their life and own them. That’s great from a business standpoint if you’re the owners of the UFC but if you only have one entity such as the WWE, which owns the sport to an extent and tries to crush its competition, that’s great for the business of the UFC but what about the fighters that want to get in there and get paid? They’re not going to get paid because the UFC is essentially a monopoly. If they own it then they control the payscales, they control who is going to work in the industry, they control which websites are going to get interviews and they control who doesn’t get backstage to interview fighters. They will control everything and the fans need to understand this.

Look, I’m a fan of the UFC. They’ve got a lot of great fighters and a lot of those fighters are my friends. I watch the UFC. I bought the pay-per-view. I can’t believe I bought a pay-per-view and put money in Dana White’s pocket but I want to see Chuck Liddell fight and I want to see Rich Franklin fight, so I had to. But if they own the industry then the fans are the ones that are going to hurt because they’re going to control it. It’s just not possible. I want MMA to continue on as a sport and not a fad.

Sam Caplan: Let me throw a hypothetical out here. Let’s say that Fedor’s contract with Affliction is expired and he’s a total free agent. Would he and his management be open to an exclusive three fight contract with the UFC in order to get fights against opponents such as Randy Couture and maybe another fight vs. Nogueira? Like you said, the deal has to make sense but it also has to make sense for both sides. Do you think Fedor’s management might be willing to make concessions that they haven’t been willing to make in the past?

Jerry Millen: I can’t speak for what Vadim and Fedor would do on a contract because that’s not my position but I do know that our stance can be worked out as long as there is give and take. But if someone wants to take more than they’re willing to give then it could be a problem. They’re always willing to talk. If the UFC wants the best fighter in the world, they can make it happen. It’s just something that has to be fair to everybody. It has to be fair. There’s no reason why something can’t be fair.

Sam Caplan: I wanted to follow up regarding what Lorenzo Ferttita and Dana White have said about Fedor being irrelevant. Globally, he’s a huge name. But in the U.S. is there any validity to what they’re saying because even though the win over Tim Sylvia in July was huge, there’s still a lot of work to be done as far as establishing him with the mainstream public in America. How important is building a legacy in the U.S. to Fedor?

Jerry Millen: I think Fedor is an International star. Even I didn’t realize how big of a star he was in Korea until I was out there with him. It was out of control. He’s a huge star in Korea. But I think every country is important to him. Fedor fights because it’s in his blood. He’s a true athlete. Fedor trains and fights and does Sambo competitions. He’s a triathlete. He just goes and goes and goes. How important is the U.S. to him? I guess that’s a question you’d have to ask him.

Sam Caplan: But a lot of people in the U.S. do not consider him to be the pound-for-pound best simply because they’ve never been exposed to him.

Jerry Millen: I think he’s more known than people think he is here in America. To me, I think it’s important for him to be big in America because he is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. There’s nobody in the world that can beat him. There are a couple of heavyweights that will read that and probably smack me around the next time they see me but I don’t think there’s anyone out there that we know of that can beat him. For me it’s important for him to be known in America because people need to know him because he’s the Joe Louis, the Mike Tyson of the sport.

Just look at the Tim Sylvia fight. Not even I expected the fight to go like that. I expected him to win but I was shocked at how quickly that fight ended. But that’s Fedor. He pretty much cleared up any doubters that were out there. You’re always going to have those guys who go “Well this” or “Well that.” But I think he pretty much cleared up any doubts people had in their minds about him such as ring rust or whatever.

But to me it is important that he becomes popular in America because he is such a great fighter and if you love the sport then you’ve got to see the guy fight. He’s that good and he’s such a great person. And I’m not trying to tow the company lines by any means; he is a great individual. I knew him through all of his years with PRIDE and he was always nice to me and very humble. And he’s still the same guy even though he’s mobbed by the media and all the fans.

Sam Caplan: Fedor was supposed to fight on the ill-fated Oct. 11 Affliction show but had to pull out due to a hand injury. Perhaps you don’t know the answer to this but you’re much closer to him than most people so I thought I’d ask when you felt we’d see Fedor back fighting again?

Jerry Millen: I would say January. The middle of January.

Sam Caplan: Is that going to be in Russia, Japan, or the U.S.? Where’s his next fight going to take place?

Jerry Millen: We’re not sure yet.

Sam Caplan: You mentioned the “Fighting Fedor” reality TV show earlier and I think that’s something that could make Fedor a bigger name here in the U.S. The trailers for the proposed show were leaked several months back. Rumor had it that you are one of the key people behind the concept. Is that correct and if so, can you give us an update on the status of the show?

Jerry Millen: What happened was when Vadim, Fedor, and I got together… my thing is, if you want an MMA promotion just doing pay-per-views and shows, that’s not enough. You need another vehicle. Fedor needs a vehicle in America and worldwide to expose him to those that don’t know him. And when I first started working for the company I told them we needed a vehicle for Fedor. And of course, reality television is hot. I told them we needed to do a reality show for Fedor. But what could you do for a reality show about Fedor that would be compelling? So I created a trailer and put some ideas down and showed it to them and they loved it.

The thing is, it’s hard to find opponents for Fedor. It really is. Who do you want to put him up against? And when you find that opponent they want a ton of money. They go, “I’m fighting Fedor. I want to get paid a ton of money.” So why not create some opponents for him? “The Ultimate Fighter?” They did a great job with that show. That show saved the UFC. It saved Spike TV. It’s well known that was what turned the UFC around. That vehicle. They spent millions of dollars doing everything from hiring Carmen Elektra to doing infomercial type of stuff and none of it worked. “The Ultimate Fighter” worked because it was hot and continues to be hot.

I’ve been to Russia and I’ve seen the Red Devil gym. The Red Devil gym is not “The Ultimate Fighter” house in Las Vegas. There’s not an open bar and a big swimming pool. It’s inside of an old Russian sports school and it’s a very humble gym. It’s like a lot of gyms I’ve seen around the U.S. It’s nothing fancy. It’s these Russian kids that train and train hard. If you train you know you don’t need a big swimming pool and fancy food and a big gym to plant TVs all over the wall in order to train.

It’s a very hardcore gym. The first time I saw it I said people need to see this and to see how Fedor how humble he is. People need to see this. So I said we need to do a show like “Fighting Fedor.” Let’s bring in 16 heavyweights from around the world and have them fight each other weekly in an elimination tournament. We could bring in some of the guys that have fought Fedor in the past to help train them.

There’s so many things you can do with a show like “Fighting Fedor.” You can show what Russia is really like and how they train at Red Devil and how Fedor trains. You would get insight into who Fedor is because Fedor is a mystery to most people that don’t know him. It’s a vehicle to show it all.

Sam Caplan: What’s the U.S. distribution for the show looking like?

Jerry Millen: We’re talking to a lot of different people. Some of the networks, you’d be surprised that we’re talking to about it. The thing with the M-1 Challenge and the “Fighting Fedor” show is that we’re going to be on over 60 countries on television. We have deals all over the place: Russia, Japan, and Korea so the show will be seen Internationally. In the U.S. right now there are a couple we are talking to and as Fedor gets larger I think there’s going to be even more interest. In my mind, the show is going to be awesome. It will give MMA fans, whether they like the idea or not, they will watch it because it gives them a chance to see how the best fighter in the world train and who he is.

Sam Caplan: Some people have criticized the concept, claiming that it’s a TUF knockoff. What’s your response to those criticisms?

Jerry Millen: First off, those people don’t know anything about television. Number two, “The Ultimate Fighter?” Great show, great vehicle for the UFC. Craig Piligian does a great job with that show but reality television is not new. “The Ultimate Fighter” is not a new concept. “The Real World” on MTV started reality television. Having bunch of people live in a house and fight either verbally or physically and be eliminated is not a new concept so saying it’s a “Ultimate Fighter” ripoff? Absolutely not. It’s a completely different concept. We’ll have fighters fight because that’s what they do. They’re fighters, they’re going to fight. It’s not like we’re going to have them play chess and skip rope. They will fight.

It’s reality television and “The Ultimate Fighter” is not a new concept. They took the sport and said let’s make a reality television show about this sport. We’re doing the same thing. We’re just going to happen to be doing it with the best fighter in the world.

Sam Caplan: Last week on Scott Ferrall’s show on Sirius you called the Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar matchup at UFC 91 “some WWE stuff.” But what about Fedor’s fight vs. Hong Man Choi last New Year’s Eve?

Jerry Millen: Let me say this about the Japanese MMA scene because I worked in it for six years; it’s different than the U.S.A. scene. Those kinds of matches, Hong Man Choi and Akebono, they’re standard in Japan. You see them over and over again because they draw ratings and numbers. At the end of the day, they have to draw numbers for the networks in Japan. Giant Silva drew some of the biggest numbers on New Year’s Eve in all of MMA fights ever in Japan. A lot of people don’t know that.

But that’s the standard in Japan. In the U.S., you’re not going to see “The Rock” come in and fight Nogueira so it’s not the standard for MMA in America. I know what the UFC is trying to do because they control the UFC. It’s a business move. Brock Lesnar is someone I’m sure they are paying a lot of money to and he has a name. They want to put him up against a big name and Randy is coming back. I just feel, as I’m sure many true MMA fans do, that if Randy Couture was the champion when he left and comes back as the champion and (with) Nogueira (as) your interim champion, I would assume in a structured fight league that the champion that comes back would fight the interim champion because the interim champion earned the right to be the champion in the original champ’s absence. The champion should fight the champion and Nogueira has earned that right.

But Brock Lesnar vs. Randy will do a big pay-per-view number and it will put a lot of money in their pocket and it will create a lot of hype for them so they’re going to do it. That’s what happens when you have one company control the majority of the sport; they can do what they want. That’s the problem. To me, it’s a WWE move. Brock Lesnar is 1-1 in MMA. There’s no way in hell Brock Lesnar deserves a title shot in the UFC over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. There’s no way.

Sam Caplan: Based on your role with M-1, I believe you were involved with the International television production for “Affliction: Banned.” I also believe you have some friends there. White recently predicted that Affliction would be out of business by January and he’s not alone in that belief. Do you agree with White’s assessment?

Jerry Millen: No. Tom Atencio is a close friend of mine. They do a great job at Affliction. They understand the sport. They’re a new company and just like with most new companies, it takes time to grow. And Dana doesn’t want them to be in business. Of course not. Dana White does not want competition because he wants to be the only kid on the block. He’s the kid in the schoolyard with the basketball that threatens to take the ball off the court when he leaves.

Affliction will not disappear like Dana thinks or wishes. It won’t happen. Affliction is a viable company. You have to remember, Affliction is a brand so when they do an Affliction fighting event, it’s promoting their lifestyle brand. It’s goes hand-in-hand.

Sam Caplan: During your days with PRIDE you spent some time getting to know Quinton Jackson. What’s your take on Quinton as a person?

Jerry Millen: Quinton is awesome. I love Quinton Jackson. He’s a great individual. I hung out with Quinton in Japan a lot. Unfortunately, in the past couple of years I haven’t talked to Quinton a lot because he’s working in the UFC and he’s been busy. But I got to know him very well in Japan and as a person, when his guard is down, he’s a great individual. I know he’s had some issues lately but to me, Quinton Jackson the person is more important than Quinton Jackson the fighter.

I want to see Quinton get through this tough time in his life and come out okay. Anyone who knows Quinton that reads this knows that he’s a great guy and that people make mistakes. I just hope he makes it through this. He’s got kids and people don’t understand that if they don’t have kids or families that they’re a lot of things that go on in life of a fighter besides just fighting. He’s a good guy and Quinton will make it through.

Sam Caplan: Do you think Quinton should be fighting anytime soon?

Jerry Millen: That’s a decision Quinton Jackson has to make. I just would like to see Quinton take care of all of his other issues before he gets back in the cage. I just hope Dana White is not trying to push back into the cage and be a false friend just to make a buck because Dana has been known to do those kind of things. When it’s all said and done this is the fight game and it’s a sport but at the end of the day there’s people’s lives on the line. I would like to see Quinton Jackson the individual okay before we see Quinton Jackson the fighter.

Sam Caplan: Tito Ortiz recently came out and was very critical of Jackson’s former trainer and manager, Juanito Ibarra. Did you ever have any dealings with Ibarra?

Jerry Millen: (Laughs very loud) Yes, actually I did. Towards the end of the WFA, there had been some discussion about trying to get Quinton to come back to PRIDE. So I called him up to try and schedule a meeting. There were some people in PRIDE that had mis-treated Quinton and had mis-treated a lot of us, actually. They were let go way before PRIDE had been shut down so I wanted to see if Quinton wanted to come back and see if we could make things right.

So I set up a meeting with Quinton and in the meeting he comes in and sits down and he has this trainer with him I had never met before, this Juanito. I could tell right off the bat that this guy (Ibarra) was just about money. You’ve got to understand that in any business if people see you as a commodity and someone they can make money off of then people are going to swarm around you like sharks. They’re going to try and make a buck off you and they’re going to try and be your friend. That’s just how life is.

I think I’m a pretty good judge of character and I sat down and started talking to Quinton and the first thing out of (Ibarra’s) mouth is, “Hey man, you work in Japan!? I’ve got this natural fruit juice energy drink, can you help me market it in Japan? I want to sell it in Japan!” You know, I was there to talk with Quinton about coming back to PRIDE and not to try and sell some fruit juice in Japan.

So right off the bat a red flag went off about this guy and I said to Quinton, “Who is this guy? I’m trying to get you back into PRIDE and he’s trying to sell me on some fruit juice to sell in Japan. I’m here to talk about you, not to help your trainer market some fruit juice.” So immediately I was wondering “Just who is this guy?” And throughout the conversation he would interject with numbers and pay-per-view numbers and he had no idea what he was talking about. I could just see the guy had money signs in his eyes and I was a little worried at that point. I’m like, this guy is kind of a joker, I hope Quinton is going to be okay. Obviously Quinton went in another direction but I wasn’t too comfortable when I had dealings with (Ibarra). I could tell there was something going on there.

Over the course of the past year, 10 teams representing eight different countries (including two teams from Russia along with an international team) competed in events held all over the world to determine the first-ever winner of the M-1 Challenge.

Much like the IFL’s team concept, each country fields a team with a representative in the five major individual weight classes including lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight.

Hosted by former PRIDE announcer Sean Wheelock and Jimmy Smith of the Discovery Channel’s “Fight Quest,” U.S. fans will be able to tune in each and every Friday and see how the tournament unfolded. Friday’s premiere episode will feature France taking on the famed Russian Red Devil team.

Below is a trailer for the M-1 Challenge.

[flashvideo filename=video/m1challenge.flv /]

“Big Country” is best known for his unimpressive physique but don’t let his belly fool you. The guy can flat out fight. He’s a renowned grappler and wrestler who also contains huge power in his hands. Scherner’s strategy will be to get him down and work his submission game from the top but it will be hard against someone the size of Nelson. Will Nelson be able to keep it standing and unload his big bombs? Or will Scherner be able to take Nelson down and work his BJJ game from the top? Watch the fight to find out!

Be sure to check out the HDNet Video Vault for more great fights!

(Pictured: New USKBA and BCX North American heavyweight champion Joe “Apocalypse” Abouata)

Here are the official results from BattleCage Xtreme V: Full Throttle from this past Saturday, July 12, in Atlantic City, N.J. at the Tropicana showroom, courtesy of the New Jersey Athletic Control Board.

– Joe Abouata def. Carlton Haselrig via rear naked choke submission at 4:10 of round 2. Abouata is both the new USKBA and BCX North American heavyweight champion

– Justin Haskins def. Judah Ciervo via TKO (ref stop due to strikes) at 1:38 of round 1. This fight was for the USKBA Northeast welterweight title. Ciervo suspended 30 days and needs a neurological exam.

– Jon Jones def. Moyses Gabin via TKO (ref stop due to strikes) at 1:58 of round 2. This fight was for the USKBA East Coast light heavyweight title. Gabin suspended 30 days and needs neurological exam.

– Tim Troxell def. Lester Caslow via armbar submission at 4:47 of round 1. This fight was for the USKBA U.S. featherweight title.

– Pat Audinwood def. Andrew Montanez via majority draw. This fight was for the BCX welterweight title.

– Jose Figueroa def. Josh Key via tapout due to strikes at 0:50 of round 2. This fight was for the BCX lightweight title. Key suspended 30 days and needs orthopedic exam of right hand and wrist.

– Dwayne Shelton def. Kevin Roddy via split decision.

– Mike Medrano def. LeVon Maynard via unanimous decision.

– Jacob Kirwan def. Daniel Tavares via submission due to guillotine at 1:11 of round 3.

– Don Wagner def. Chris Volo via TKO (ref stoppage due to strikes) at 2:59 of round 1. Volo suspended 30 days and needs neurological exam.

– Shawn Foreman def. Dan Baker via TKO (ref stoppage due to strikes) at 2:02 of round 1. Baker suspended 30 days and needs neurological exam.

– Carlos Eduardo def. Ryan Contaldi via armbar submission at 1:24 of round 1.

– Joe Camacho def. Mich Goss via TKO (ref stoppage due to strikes) at 2:07 of round 1. Goss suspended 30 days and needs neurological exam.

– Hercules Benjamin def. Paul White via TKO (ref stoppage due to strikes) at 2:01 of round 1. White suspended 30 days and needs neurological exam.

– Joey Brown and Fernando Bernandino fought to a straight draw.

We are particularly looking forward to see Haselrig/Abouata, Troxell/Caslow, Shelton/Roddy, Volo/Wagner, and Baker/Foreman. And of course, LeVon Maynard. If you live in the PA/NJ/DE/NY area and are jonesin’ for some live MMA, head to Atlantic City on the 12th. The BCX fighters always put on a great show.

When: Saturday, July 12, 2008 @ 9pm ET
Where: Tropicana Casino; Atlantic City, NJ
Watch: HDNet’s Inside MMA will be filming BCX V; highlights from the event will be shown on future Inside MMA show.

Here’s the latest on BCX 5:

Main Card

• CARLTON HASELRIG (Team Haselrig) vs. JOE ABOUATA (Wilkie’s Warriors) [USKBA/BCX Title] 265 lbs
• JUSTIN HASKINS (Armory) vs. JUDAH CIERVO (Fight Factory) [BCX Title] 170 lbs
• JON JONES (Team Bombsquad) vs. MOYSES GABIN (MMA Miami/Action Fitness) [USKBA Title] 205 lbs
• TIM TROXELL (AMA/Renzo Gracie) vs. LESTER CASLOW (Team Ligouri/Rhino) [USKBA Title] 145 lbs
• PAT AUDINWOOD (Team Bombsquad) vs. ANDREW MONTANEZ (Souza BJJ/Rhino) [BCX Title] 155 lbs
• JOSH KEYS (Team Ligouri) vs. JOSE FIGUEROA (ATT) 155 lbs
• DWAYNE SHELTON (Combat Sports Center) vs. KEVIN RODDY (Rhino) 145 lbs
• LEVON MAYNARD (Global MA) vs. MIKE MEDRANO (Rhino) 170 lbs
• JACOB KIRWAN (TBA) Vs. DANIEL TAVARES (KPOZ MA) 155 lbs
• CHRIS VOLO (AMA/Renzo Gracie) vs. DON WAGNER (Team Vicious) 205 lbs
• DAN BAKER (Team Vicious) Vs. SHAWN FOREMAN (Rhino) 170 lbs
• CARLOS EDUARDO (Team Olivera) vs. RYAN CONTALDI (Iron Horse) 205 lbs
• JOEY CAMACHO (AMA/Renzo Gracie) vs. MICAH GOSS (Rage MMA) 145 lbs
• HERCULES BENJAMIN (Team Morelli) vs. PAUL WHITE (Rhino) 265 lbs
• JOEY BROWN (AMA/Renzo Gracie) vs. FERNANDO BERNANDINO (Mascarenhas MMA) 155 lbs

Fight card subject to change; bouts will be added as we confirm them.

Check out more Battle Cage Xtreme 5 content on Five Ounces of Pain

Maybe it was the HDNet cameras or bevy of UFC vets cornering fights, but each fighter came out blazing. Case in point: Ken Stone connected so squarely on Joe Camacho with a kick to the ribs, the smack sounded like a crack of lightning. The ringside doctors were kept busy all evening with numerous TKO (strikes) and chokeouts.

From our seat cageside, we were able to catch some of the things you’ll only see at a live event – like a fighter’s mother screaming obscenities at her son’s opponents corner. Apparently Steve D’Angelis and Blair Tugman hate each other, and Mrs. D’Angelis had some choice words for Tugman’s corner during the fight. It was ironic that she then used the door on Tugman’s side of the cage en route to give son Steve a big hug after he scored the victory for the BCX 145lb title.

We also witnessed an unnecessary (and annoying) break in the action which was “highlighted” by High Pitch Eric (from Howard Stern show) screaming into the mic for a few minutes. The action of the fights was enough to give the fans their monies worth, so the rambling of High Pitch Eric just created a “WTF” moment that took away from the fights themselves.

It was good to see so many UFC level fighters actively cornering at this event. Ricardo Almeida, Dante Rivera, Frank Edgar, Kurt Pelligrino and Jim & Dan Miller were all shouting instruction throughout the night to their respective fighters. I was particularly impressed with Almeida, who’s comments from the corner were like kind of like a play-by-play of the fight as it was happening. He shouted specific instruction in anticipation of what his fighter should be doing in that very next moment (Almeida’s fighters went 1-2 on the night so not sure exactly how helpful it actually was).

I’ll admit I never would have thought I’d see more wardrobe changes at an MMA show than at a Britney Spears concert. The cornermen of Rhino Fight Team and Team Liguori were swapping sponsor t-shirts faster than I could keep track. I believe at one point, Rhino’s Rob Guarino rocked 3 different shirts during one fight (including a 5 Oz of Pain signature tee, thanks Rob). I challenge any sponsor to question the effort those guys were giving.

Overall, Five Ounces of Pain was impressed with the show. For a young promotion (4th event), the show went off very smoothly. They kept the fights moving and the action flowing. The Tropicana Showroom was packed (small venue) and the fans were loud. It was good to not hear a lot of booing, as most of the fans respected the wrestling and BJJ that was on display. The booing did come when there was clear stalling going down and the ref refused to stand it up, but that was only 2 or 3 times. HDNet should be airing highlights for many of these fights. There were enough heavy hands and slick submissions to fill highlight reel. I hope Battle Cage Xtreme can build upon the success of this event, it would be a solid boost for MMA in the Northeast.

Check out more Battle Cage Xtreme content on Five Ounces of Pain.

Westbrook is infamous for using his background in traditional martial arts to basically assaulted running back Stephen Davis during a practice while both were with Washington.

Interestingly enough, it just so happens that another former NFL player will be making his professional mixed martial arts debut this weekend in New Jersey.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro guard Carlton Haselrig is slated to main event this Saturday’s Battle Cage Xtreme show in Atlantic City at the Tropicana Hotel Resort and Casino against former IFL heavyweight Shane Ott.

There’s a really good article in the Tribune-Democrat that gives some really good background info on Haselrig. On the field, the guy was a stud but off of it, he had quite a few problems such as drug suspensions, arrests, convictions, and ultimately prison time.

In fact, Haselrig spent nearly a year in prison a couple of years ago after being convicted on a domestic abuse charge. Haselrig is now a free man and is back with his wife and looking to put the pieces of his life back together. He claims he’s involved with MMA not because he’s looking for another paycheck, but because he enjoys the challenge.

And a challenge it will be for Haselrig. While he was once a world class athlete who was a standout wrestler having won six titles while at Pitt-Johnston in the late 80′s, the fact remains that he’s 42 years of age and still relatively new to MMA. The decision for him to also debut vs. a fighter the caliber of Ott also might be overly-ambitious.

I met Ott during the IFL Draft tryouts in New York last October. At the time, he was still on the IFL roster and was helping out as a referee. Despite his intimidating look, I found him to be an extremely nice guy.

Having seen him fight, I can tell you that he’s no joke. He’s a tremendous wrestler who has the ability to really take a fighter out of their comfort zone. Ott was brought in by the IFL as a last-minute replacement during it’s April show in Connecticut last year.

I don’t think many people were expecting Ott to be able to come in and beat Chad Griggs on short notice but he shocked a lot of people when he submitted Griggs with a Kimura at just 1:09 of round 1. Ott fought for the IFL against last June in Vegas, and took the promotion’s current heavyweight champion Roy Nelson to a decision.

Ott also comes from a really strong camp in the Anthracite Combat Club, which is also where Jon Murphy, Jim Bova, and Diego Jimenez train as well.

I think people should really keep their eye on Ott. His fight Saturday vs. Haselrig is garnering some attention and a high-profile win by Ott could earn him a big opportunity with a national promotion.

For those interested in attending the show, just click here to go to the Battle Cage Xtreme web site.

Photo used from this article originally taken by John Heller for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Five Ounces of Pain will be in the house for BCX IV in Atlantic City, N.J. this Saturday (4/19). The event is sold out but you can watch the live stream at www.streamingmartialarts.com for $15.

While Serra is battling GSP at UFC 83 on your big screen you can still catch one of the best East Coast promotions on your computer screen.

Fights that I am amped to see live are George Sullivan vs. Nick Calandrino, Lester Caslow vs. Pat Audinwood and the main event of “Big” Shane Ott vs. Carlton Haselrig.

Some top East Coast schools will be well represented: Renzo Gracie, American Top Team, Rhino, Team Bombsquad, Fight Factory and others.

For the fight card of this event, click here.

For pics of BCX ring girls, click here.

Five Ounces of Pain will have pictures and a recap of BCX IV next week.

Upstart promotion Battle Cage Xtreme is holding only their 4th event on Apr. 19th at the Trop Casino and yet have already drawn the attention of MMA lovin’ HDNet.

HDNet’s Inside MMA will be filming BCX IV and 19 (yes, nineteen) bouts, giving exposure to PA/NJ/NY fighters from strong East Coast teams such as Bombsquad, Renzo Gracie, Rhino, Almeida, Fight Factory, and Anthracite.

Here’s the latest on the BCX IV event:

• USKBA/BCX Heavyweight Title

  SHANE OTT (ANTHRACITE) vs. CARLTON HASELRIG

• USKBA Lightweight Title

  TIM TROXELL (AMA/RENZO GRACIE) Vs. KEVIN RODDY (RHINO)

• BCX Featherweight Title

  BLAIR TUGMAN (CALANDRELLI BOMBSQUAD) Vs. STEVE D’ANGELIS (TEAM LIGOURI/ELITE)

• USKBA Welterweight Title

  NICK CALANDRINO (BOMBSQUAD) Vs. TOM GALLICCHIO (TEAM LIGOURI/RHINO)

• BCX Welterweight Title

  PAT AUDINWOOD (BOMBSQUAD) Vs. LESTER KASLOW (TEAM LIGUORI/MAXIUM MARTIAL ARTS)

• Middleweight

  JUSTIN HASKINS (THE ARMORY) Vs. MIKE MEDRANO (RHINO)

• Light Heavyweight

  BRYCE HARRELL (KOA/MILETICH) Vs. AARON SALISBURY (TEAM BALANCE)

• Middleweight

  JUDAH CIERVO (FIGHT FACTORY) Vs. LEANDRO HERNANDEZ (RICARDO ALMEIDA)

• Lightweight

  CORY LAPLANT (BOMBSQUAD) Vs. JOE CAMACHO (AMA/RENZO GRACIE)

• Welterweight

  ROBERTO CONCEPCION (DRAGON WARRIORS) Vs. BRIAN DEMURO (TEAM BALANCE)

• Flyweight

  JOSH SPEARMAN (DRAGON WARRIORS) Vs. ANDRE SOARES (AMERICAN TOP TEAM)

• Middleweight

  DANIEL TAVARES (TEAM OLIVERA) Vs. DREW PUZON (RICARDO ALMEIDA)

• Heavyweight

  RYAN CONTALDI (IRON HORSE MMA) Vs. SEAN RIEHL (RICARDO ALMEIDA)

• Heavyweight

  RANDY SMITH (CALANDRELLI BOMBSQUAD) Vs. HERCULES BENJAMIN (TEAM MORELLI)

• Light Heavyweight

  DON WAGNER (TEAM VISCIOUS) Vs. ANDREW RIDDLES (RICARDO ALMEIDA)

• Heavyweight

  CARLOS EDUARDO (TEAM OLIVERA) Vs. BRET KOHAN (TEAM LIGUORI/MAXIUM MARTIAL ARTS)

• Welterweight

  ROBERT GOODRIDGE (THE ARMORY) Vs. RYAN MCCARTHY (MODERN MARTIAL ARTS)

• Welterweight

  DAMIEN VITALE (CALANDRELLI BOMBSQUAD) Vs. GEORGE SULLIVAN (RHINO)

• Welterweight

  JIM BOVA (ANTHRACITE) Vs. JOSH KEY (TEAM LIGUORI/MAXIUM MARTIAL ARTS)

Check out more Battle Cage Xtreme content on Five Ounces of Pain.

Bout 1. 170 lbs. Mike Madrano (Rhino Fight Team) vs. Nick Callandrino (CNY MMA)

The two clinch right away and eventually Callandrino begins to unleash a solid ground and pound attack. Callandrino nearly sinks a choke in while landing solid shots in but the round ends before damage can be done. In the second round Callandrino scores a HUGE takedown turned into a slam and stays on top but loses position and Medrano catches his back while just missing out on the rear naked choke as the round closes. Third round action was pretty much just Callandrino on top trying to wreak more havoc from inside the guard and the round ends. Unanimous decision for Nick Callandrino. All judges score 29-28.

Bout 2. 155lbs. Ryan McCarthy (Modern Martial Arts) vs. Lester Caslow (Rhino Fight Team)

Lester Caslow definitely wanted to keep this one standing, and with good reason. McCarthy comes out shooting for a takedown but it gets stuffed and he ends up on the bottom, attempting submissions from the guard. They eventually stand back up and Caslow tries for a flying knee strike that misses big. The first round ends with Caslow starting to throw some bombs while stuck in the top guard. The second round saw a nice kick by Caslow which connected BIG on McCarthy’s face, but that was about it. In the third round Caslow escapes a guillotine attempt and forces McCarthy to stand with him. McCarthy, being manhandled in the stand up, takes to the ground again and the round ends with Caslow on top. Unanimous decision 30-27 for Lester Caslow.

Bout 3. 170lbs. Brian Demuro (Team Balance) vs. Damian Vitale (CNY MMA)

Brian Demuro comes out looking angry while singing along to his Eminem entry music.

The fight starts and Damian Vitale scores a takedown and lands on top. Vitale out classes Demuro on the ground and the round ends with Vitale stuck in Demuro’s guard. Vitale scores a big slam early in the second round that sends Demuro to the canvas hard. Vitale begins to work on top but almost gets caught in a hell hook by Demuro, though he escapes and the two stand in the cage as the second round ends. Vitale comes out in the third and totally dominates on the ground, nearly catching Demuro’s back but ultimately losing position. The bell sounds and the crowd knows that Damian Vitale clearly won the fight.

Unanimous decision 30-27 for Damian Vitale.

Bout 4. 165 lbs Roberto Consepcion (Dragon Warrior) vs. George Sullivan (Rhino Fight Team)

What. A. Fight!!! Either George Sullivan is a beast, or Roberto Conscepcion just stepped in the ring after being lost on the boardwalk. Conscepscion definitely looked soft at 5 foot 4, 165lbs. While Sullivan looked lean and clearly had the crowd on his side. The bell sounds and Sullivan throws Conscepscion around the cage like it was nothing, stuffing every one of his shabby takedown attempts. Sullivan wastes no time scoring Roberto’s back and fires away with punches. Roberto eats leather and elbows for about 10 more seconds and the ref finally calls it. Roberto Consepcion didn’t really stand a chance given the massive height and reach advantage of George Sullivan, and I would suggest he drop down a weight class or two in the future. George Sullivan wins via TKO in the first round.

Bout 5. 185lbs. Andrew Rittles (Renzo/Almeida) vs. Brian Wright (Real Martial Arts/Fitness Center)

The crowd rips cheers and just a few boos as Andrew Rittles enters sporting a classic jiu jitsu gi. Rittles looks pretty diesel while his opponent definitely looks softer in the 185lb weight class.

The round starts and Rittles easily scores a takedown and works from the top. Rittles dominates from the top position and gets constant instruction from his coaches outside the cage. The fighters stand and Rittles manages to sink in a guillotine. Wright goes limp in the choke and the ref pulls Rittles off for the victory. Rittles wins via submission in round 1.

Bout 6. 185lbs. Justin Haskins (The Armory) vs. Don Wagner (Team Vicious)

Justin Haskins comes out huge scoring solid punches and a BIG slam. Haskins secures a guillotine but can’t keep it and drops bombs from the top. Haskins reigns in elbows and punches galore and things appear to be over but the bell sounds saving Don Wagner momentarily. Haskins shoots immediately in the second round but gets caught in a guillotine which he soon escapes. Haskins gets the top mount, proceeds to drop severe bombs on Wagner’s face and the ref finally calls it. TKO for Justin Haskins in the second round.

Bout 7. 185 lbs. Aaron Salisberry (Team Balance) vs. Carlos Rodriguez (Steve Kats/Rhino NY)

Aaron Salisberry looks intense at his opponent while sporting a fresh Mohawk.

Salisberry shoots immediately but Rodriguez sprawls nicely and the two clinch. Rodriguez scores big punches from the stand up and lands a nice takedown where he controls Salisberry on the ground until the round ends. Rodriguez comes right out in the second looking to throw and connects with a MASSIVE right hook sending Salisberry to the canvas hard! Rodriguez follows for the ground and pound but Salisberry is clearly out and the ref calls it. K.O for Carlos Rodriguez in the second round!

Bout 8. 140 lbs Blair Tugman (CNY MMA) vs. Jason Frawley (Renzo PA)

Frawley shoots immediately but it gets thwarted and Tugman quickly gets his back. Tugman sinks in a rear naked choke with a couple punches to soften Frawley up, and Frawley eventually taps out. Tugman wins round 1 via submission.

Following the win, Blair Tugman called out current BCX 140lb champ Steve D’Angelis. Steve entered the cage and responded saying Tugmans call out is a “bad decision” for him. We can expect to see this match at the next BCX event in Janruary.

Bout 9. 125lbs. Nick Cattone (Daddis FC) vs. Josh Spearman (Dragon Warrior)

Vacant BCX flyweight Title Bout.

I don’t know if Nick Cattone is single, but he seems absolutely dedicated to the guillotine choke. He must have had it applied in some form at least four or five times during the fight. Cattone came out strong and immediately secured a guillotine which he turned into a top mount position. The two work back to their feet and Cattone lands a nice knee to the face while clinching and throws Spearman hard to the canvas. Another brief clinch and Cattone lands in Spearman’s half guard. Cattone eventually passes guard, gains side control, and rolls spearman quickly to sneak in that guillotine once more, and this time Spearman cannot escape. Josh Spearman taps out and Nick Cattone wins at 4:50 of round 1 via submission to become the new flyweight BCX champion.

Bout 10. 155lbs Nuri Shakir (Team Elite) vs. Jim Miller (AMA Fight team/Renzo Gracie)

USKBA Title Match

Jim Miller manages to get Shakir to the ground after a short clinch and attempts a kimura but Shakir escapes to his feet. Shakir scores from the clinch with a NICE judo throw but Miller recovers and they clinch again. Seconds before the bell Shakir manages to land a nice muy thai knee to the head and the round ends. Shakir lands with a solid right hand to start the second round. The two keep it standing and Miller swings but misses with a couple combinations and they clinch back into the cage fence. After lackluster action in the clinch Shakir scores a big slam and ends up on top in Millers guard. Shakir controls on top and Miller looks for a triangle but misses and the two stand up again. Miller shoots but is thwarted and Shakir controls until the round ends only a few seconds later.

Shakir connects with big right hands early in the third but Miller presses on. After a brief clinch battle against the cage Miller finally scores a takedown and gains a dominant position on top. Miller suddenly gets kicked away into the fence and comes FLYING back across the canvas to apply quite possibly, the fastest rear naked choke I have ever seen. I swear if you looked away for half a second you would have missed this. I think Jim Miller may have just invented the flying rear naked choke. Miller is able to keep the choke on strong and Shakir taps. Jim Miller comes back to win via rear naked choke in the second round.

Note: Nuri Shakir weighed in 13 lbs over the limit and I do not think could have won the title if he had won the bout. Also this was strange: Before the fight the announcer claimed that Jim Miller was the current champ. After Miller won however the announcer claimed he was the NEW champion. In an unrelated note, Miller spoke in the third person about his victory during the post fight cage interview. It sounded funny.

Bout 11: Carlos Moreno current USKBA Champ (Rhino Fight Team) vs Kevin Jordan (Modern Army Combatives)

For the Vacant BCX Heavyweight Title, USKBA Title.

Well they certainly saved the best for last. The crowd went crazy as Carlos Moreno entered the cage with a huge entourage along with a black and white American flag. Moreno is clearly the fan favorite, though Kevin Jordan is a fairly accomplished UFC veteran. This fight started strong and almost ended with a fan riot. You’ve got read it to believe it.

Moreno starts things off with leg kicks and nice body shots. Moreno lands a strong right hook and Jordan lands a solid kick to the mid section. Carlos lands a nice left hook. No one attempts for a takedown and both fighters appear to want to keep things standing up. Despite the disadvantage of being shorter, Moreno does a good job of keeping Jordan at bay thanks to his difficult-to-counter, south paw style. The round ends with both fighters circling.

In round two Kevin Jordan comes out attempting a high kick but it has nothing on it. Moreno lands solid body shots and continues to score right hands to the head and body of Jordan. Jordan throws a strong leg kick that hits Moreno in the groin and the match is paused. Moreno recovers and rocks Jordan with a HUGE right hand and the crowd goes wild jumping over the cage area barriers to get a better view. Moreno follows for the ground and pound and the two continue fighting even after the bell sounds. The bell rings three more times and the ref finally breaks them up while the whole crowd is on their feet cheering on Carlos Moreno.

Round three starts and Moreno lands nice uniform jabs to the face. Jordan scores with a nasty inside leg kick and the two clinch up. Jordan gains momentum and lands with a devastating knee that sends Moreno to the ground. Jordan catches Moreno’s back and unleashes a reign of punches that appear to have no end in sight. Before the ref can even call the fight, a woman reported to be Moreno’s mother attempted to enter the cage to stop the match and the fans went crazy. A mini riot ensues and security manages to calm the woman down as the match is finally stopped giving Kevin Jordan the upset victory via TKO in the third round. The crowd boos as Jordan’s name is announced as the new Battle Cage Extreme Heavyweight Champion. What a night.

This BCX III recap is special contribution to 5 Oz of Pain by Eric Shapiro

Here are the quick results for last night’s BCX III event from Atlantic City NJ. CLICK HERE for full detailed summary of the event and each fight.

• USKBA Heavyweight Title: Kevin Jordan def. Carlos Moreno

• USKBA Welterweight Title: Jim Miller def. Nuri Shakir
• BCX Flyweight Title: Nick Cattone def. Josh Spearman
• Welterweight: George Sullivan def. Roberto Conceptcion
• Welterweight: Lester Caslow def. Ryan Mcarthy
• Light Heavyweight: Justin Haskins def. Don Wagner
• Featherweight: Blair Tugman def. Jason Frawley
• Middleweight: Nick Calandrino def. Mike Medrano
• Light Heavyweight: Andrew Riddles def. Brian Wright
• Middleweight: Damien Vitale def. Brian Demuro
• Light Heavyweight: Carlos Rodriguez def. Aaron Salisbury

Now comes recent word that Rodriguez will be fighting in the main event of New Jersey-area fight promotion Battlcage Xtreme’s next card on Oct. 20 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. According to the promotion’s website, Rodriguez will be fighting Kauai Kupihiea for the USKBA heavyweight title.

Battlecage Xtreme has also announced that Sean Sherk will be available to sign autographs and meet with fans and that Frankie Edgar and Kurt Pellegrino will be in attendance.

For more information on the event, just click here.