The show’s main event will be headlined by Antwain Britt taking on American kickboxing standout Rick “The Jet” Roufus in a light heavyweight encounter.

Britt was announced recently by Spike TV and the UFC as appearing on the upcoming eighth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and his inclusion on the UWC card could mean that he has already been released from his TUF contract.

The show will also feature former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight competitor Carmelo “The Fury” Marrero. The Philadelphia-born fighter might be best known for his upset split decision victory over Cheick Kongo in his UFC debut at UFC 64 in 2006.

Following consecutive losses to Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 66 and Wilson Gouveia at UFC 71, Marrero’s contract was not renewed. He has not lost outside of the UFC.

Marrero also competed for the IFL this past April, fighting to a no contest with Mike Ciesnolevicz due to an accidental headbutt. His opponent at “Confrontation” will be Ryan Lopez.

Current EliteXC featherweight (150 lbs.) and Renzo Gracie jiu-jitsu brown belt James “Binky” Jones will also be returning to action in a true lightweight (155 lbs.) bout against Kyle Baker. Jones trains out of Team Ground Control in Baltimore under John Rallo and is one of the top draws in the Mid-Atlantic region.

The show will also feature two top prospects with the potential to be fighting for a major national promotion in the near future. Team Lloyd Irvin bantamweight sensation Mike Easton will be featured in the co-main event on the card against John “The Magician” Dodson. Dodson trains out of Greg Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, N.M.

Also, welterweight LeVon Maynard, no stranger to regular readers of this website, will be returning to action against Toby Johnson, a 6-2 fighter who trains under WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit in New Mexico.

Maynard, an IFL Draft finalist during the ill-fated promotion’s tryouts last October, improved his professional record to 3-2 during Combat Sports Challenge 26 on Aug. 30 in Colonial Heights, Virginia after submitting former EliteXC light heavyweight fighter John Doyle in the first round. The 2006 WKA Amateur MMA Tournament Champion also boasts an 8-1 record as an amateur.

The promotion has also announced that BloodyElbow.com editor-in-chief Luke Thomas will be handling color commentary duties for the DVD production of the show.

(Pictured: Carmelo Marrero)

IFL CEO and President Jay Larkin addressed reporters on the call, stating that in addition to canceling the event, the promotion will continue to downsize its workforce and is reviewing their contractual obligations with several of their coaches. There are no current plans to cut fighters from its roster.

While the IFL is not declaring bankruptcy and is technically not suspending operations, today’s news casts an even bleaker outlook for the company going forward. The primary reason behind the cancellation of the August event was because the show could put the company in financial jeopardy, according to Larkin.

Larkin stated that in recent months the company has sought out additional funding so that the company could continue operations. The former SHOWTIME executive indicated that when seeking new partners and additional financing, no stone has been left unturned. According to Larkin, discussions with major financial companies, competing fight companies, television networks, media companies, film studios, and celebrities have all taken place. While many of the prospective investors greeted the opportunity of working with the IFL with initial excitement, they’ve been unable to consummate a deal.

By cancelling the August show, Larkin believes that the IFL will have the needed cash flow to continue to seek out a new partner or a new owner. He would not give a timetable as to how long the company would operate before seeking protection from creditors, but insiders have indicated to FiveOuncesOfPain.com that it is unlikely that the IFL has the funding needed to keep its offices open past October.

Larkin refused to wave the proverbial white flag during Tuesday’s conference call, however, if the promotion could not secure a key strategic partner during full-scale operations, the likelihood of securing such a partner greatly decreases under the terms of what amounts to an indefinite hiatus. If the IFL is out of sight, it could be out of the minds of potential partners.

Larkin also addressed the status of the IFL’s roster of fighters, perhaps the company’s greatest asset. The fight promotion has plans to work with other promotions so that their fighters can remain active while the promotion attempts to restructure. When asked if he would consider releasing a fighter if said fighter received a lucrative offer that was contingent on the fighter being an unrestricted free agent, Larkin commented that they will evaluate the future of their fighters on a case-by-case basis. He stated that he’s not keen about the idea of selling off fighter contracts but that the promotion will not charge other promotions to use its fighters.

In general, Larkin expressed pessimism about the financial strength of the sport. He stated that with EliteXC’s debut on CBS, the IFL was looking for a win so that competing networks would have an interest in doing deals with fight companies. Instead of a win, Larkin believes that EliteXC on CBS was a draw, as he claimed that while the show was a ratings success, the criticism expressed by various members of the media not only has other networks cautious about getting involved, but that the brass at CBS is taking the criticism into consideration before moving forward with MMA.

He also expressed a belief that the majority of existing MMA fans may not be educated enough about the sport itself to appreciate MMA outside of the UFC and stated at one point that he believes many MMA promotions are either inflating or outright lying about their reported ticket sales.

Other interesting items from the press conference include Larkin’s statement that as of today, the IFL has no debt; his belief that the IFL and EliteXC appear to him as a natural fit for a rollup; and that he’s heard that network television is exploring the possibility of televising boxing again.

It’s important to note that the verbiage used was “canceled” and not postponed.

This is an intriguing development for the New York-based fight promotion, which has lost millions of dollars since its inception and reportedly lacks the funding needed to operate through the year.

The promotion had been planning to unveil a new six-sided ring called “The Hex.” While no official matches had been announced, there had been some rumors making the rounds. One rumored bout was Ryan Schultz defending his lightweight title against Jim Miller.

Many people are going to speculate that the cancellation signals the formal demise of the IFL. However, there is no need to jump to conclusions just yet. I will be jumping on a conference call with IFL President & CEO Jay Larkin in the next several minutes to get the full story.

Check back here for an update.

According to a press-release from the International Fight League, Throwdown has become “the official energy drink, fight gloves, and ring of the IFL.” This looks to be solid move for Throwdown Industries as it continues to grow within the MMA community. Both parties have much to say on this newly-found partnership:

“We are very pleased to be able to add one of the growing brands in the industry in Throwdown to the IFL family,” said IFL CEO Jay Larkin. “The extensive marketing that an industry giant like the Cott Corporation, one of the legends in the consumer packaging industry, will put behind this gives us a very strong position to grow our brand and our athletes into the future.”

“Throwdown and Cott [one of the world's largest nonalcoholic beverage companies and the world's largest retailer brand soft drink provider] add credibility and excitement to the sport of MMA through its products, services and partnership with the IFL and other fight leagues, firmly entrenching Throwdown’s global leadership position in supporting MMA” added Throwdown President Mike McIntyre.

Throwdown and Cott Corporation are set to launch a activation platform for retail at IFL events, using IFL athletes, coaches and brands in consumer promotions and a multimedia campaign. The campaign will launch around the time of the IFL’s next event on Friday, April 4, at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Larkin was gracious enough to grant FiveOuncesOfPain.com (www.FiveOuncesOfPain.com) an interview just a little over 24 hours prior to the IFL’s first show of the year on Friday night (11 p.m. ET on HDNet) at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

Sam Caplan: I wanted to get your reactions to today’s announcement that CBS and EliteXC have agreed to partner on a broadcast agreement.

Jay Larkin: I think it is wonderful news. I don’t know the deal terms, obviously I’m not a part of that so I don’t know the details. But just based on that one announcement of a major broadcast network carrying live MMA, I’m overjoyed. I think it’s a wonderful advancement. The fact that I’ve been told it will be on a regular schedule is wonderful. I think congratulations are due to EliteXC and Gary Shaw and I applaud CBS for taking that leap.

Sam Caplan: When I interviewed you a few weeks back for CBSSports.com you mentioned that you felt once the dam breaks that it was going to open up for everyone. What do you think is going to happen next as far as the television outlook is concerned in regard to MMA?

Jay Larkin: The next step of course is what kind of sponsorship and what kind of ratings these shows do on CBS. If the ratings are not good (then) it will be hard to maintain the show. If the sponsorship is not there, same thing. That’s the next thing to wait and see for. But I believe that now the perceived stigma of live MMA will be overcome and with CBS in charge, I believe the other major broadcast and basic cable networks will be more willing to jump in the pool.

Sam Caplan: Are you surprised it was EliteXC that was the first MMA promotion to sign an agreement with a major broadcast network as opposed to the UFC?

Jay Larkin: No. Not at all. In order to make things happen, in order to grow, in order to have any healthy business, there’s got to be a good amount of compromise and a good degree of cooperation. That being said, I’m not the least bit surprised it’s not the UFC.

Sam Caplan: How does the CBS/EliteXC deal affect the IFL?

Jay Larkin: Hopefully very well. Hopefully a lot of the broadcasters we’ve been talking will now be less cautious about moving forward with something they have perceived to be controversial.

Sam Caplan: Can you identify any of the networks that the IFL is in talks with right now?

Jay Larkin: No, I can’t do that but I can tell you that there’s several and the talks are serious. We’re not about to sign a contract today but we’ve had serious, substantive talks with outlets that we’d be proud to be associated with. So I welcome this announcement from CBS as nothing but good news. I’m a big believer in a strong tide rises all boats. Also, let’s not forget that we have the ongoing relationship with Fox Sports Net (and) we’re going to be carried live on HDNet on Friday night so we already have significant broadcast and telecast partners in place that we’re very happy with and certainly hoping to expand in those roles.

Sam Caplan: I also wanted to ask you about Friday’s show, which will be the IFL’s first show of 2008. What are some differences that we’re going to see during tomorrow’s show in comparison to the final show of 2007 on Dec. 29?

Jay Larkin: Technically you”ll see some differences. The viewer at home will see some cosmetic changes; a brand new state of the art production package, a graphics package, you’ll see a tighter, faster paced show. And you’ll see champions defending their belts during every telecast we do going forward. In fact, we have three titles on the line on Friday.

Sam Caplan: How are ticket sales going so far?

Jay Larkin: Ticket sales are very good. They’ve picked up tremendously. They are out-pacing our last event in Vegas significantly. Also, ticket sales at the Izod Arena in New Jersey for our April show have surpassed the last time we were out in the Meadowlands. So we’re starting to get some traction here (and) we’re starting to get some very positive feedback on our new approach — our camp approach versus the old team concept.

Sam Caplan: You and HDNet are now on the ground together working towards the production of Friday night’s telecast. How have things gone so far in coordinating the event for broadcast on Friday night?

Jay Larkin: It’s a breeze. They are delightful to work with. Andrew Simon heads up that operation and he’s been absolutely delightful to work with. They have a tremendous appreciation of MMA. They’ve explained that they want to be known as a center, a home base for MMA, and as such they’ve opened their doors to virtually any legitimate MMA organization that wants to supply them with shows. I think they are running a tight, smart operation; they’re wonderful to work with and the two of us should continue to build and hopefully continue to grow.

If you’ve tried e-mailing me and haven’t gotten a response, I apologize. For whatever reason, the connection at the hotel allows me to receive e-mails but won’t allow me to send them out. A lot of my responses are saved and will be sent out Sunday when I get home.

I will be doing a post this morning with my picks for tonight’s EliteXC: Street Certified card but before that I wanted to alert your attention to my weekly CBSSports.com column.

I conducted a very candid interview with International Fight League President and CEO Jay Larkin and the transcription of that conversation is now available by clicking here. I respect a lot of people in this industry and Larkin is at the top of the list. A lot of people believe that television is the key to the growth of this sport and few involved in MMA have more experience in television than Larkin.

I really feel this is a strong interview with Larkin saying some very intriguing things. I found Larkin’s comments about his feeling that consolidation is the future of the industry to be very interesting:

Q: You’ve just expressed concerns about how other companies are conducting their business. Have you had a chance to go to the other fight promotions and express your concerns directly?

JL: Yeah. Listen, I think rollup or consolidation is the future of this industry. I think you’ve got a whole bunch of smaller companies out there that are struggling. I certainly think the way to do it is to have an association; a consolidation; if not an outright partnership with a combination of companies. Certainly by combining all of the smaller groups that are out there, you’ve got this huge economy of scale as suddenly coming to the table and we could actually build a very compelling business model …

If you look at assets, we are very well positioned. We are the only ones now that have had live MMA competition on broadcast television. The only ones. That was with MyNetworkTV… We’re finding that the consumer is aware of UFC and to a much lesser degree aware of IFL, and to no degree aware of all of the others; the Elite(XC)s, the M-1s, (and) Strikeforce. They’re doing fine (and) they’re doing their own business and in some cases have a higher profile than others but as far as the consumer goes, they equate MMA with UFC. 

I don’t know if that can change and I’ll tell you, I have no intention of going head-to-head with UFC and at best hope to be UFC-lite. That has no appeal to me (and) I think it is a mistake to go up against a company that’s private and can operate under conditions that a public corporation cannot (and) that has demonstrated they have vast resources and has demonstrated they are willing to lose money if need be to establish the brand. That’s a recipe for losing a battle. I am much more interested in being in the war, and that means having our own identity and our own brand … One of the major things along those lines is that when you watch one of our shows, just by not seeing a cage you know you’re not watching the UFC and that you’re watching the IFL.

As far as the fights go, our fights continue to be every bit as competitive as anyone’s, if not more so. You can take any one of our fights and lift it out of an IFL environment and drop it into the lights, the music, and the turmoil of a UFC event and nobody would ever think twice. It would probably even be an improvement over the fighting.

You should really check out the entire interview, which you can do by clicking here.

Larkin made some notable revelations during the conference call, with the most newsworthy being that there will be changes to the league’s format in 2008.

The former Showtime executive stated that the product fans will see in March of 2008 will be different then what they will see in November of 2007. When asked if that meant that the league will be abandoning its team format, Larkin said they are committed to the team-based concept but hinted that teams will no longer be affiliated with geographical locations.

CLICK HERE to read the remainder of this article on Sam Caplan’s ProElite.com blog.

Q: As a point of clarification, is the IFL without a contract to do live TV on MyNetworkTV next year or without a TV deal with MyNetworkTV entirely at the moment?

JL: We have a TV deal in place with MyNetwork and Fox Sports Network. We’re examining that deal now. We have every indication from our partners at Fox that they’re very enthusiastic about the IFL on their channel and want us to come back next year, and we’re in those talks as we speak.

Q: But as of now is there a deal for 2008 in place?

JL: Yes, there’s a deal for 2008 in place. It’s in various stages of going through the lawyers and it’s being reviewed here. Being a TV guy, I want to take a hard look at the existing television deals. But there’s definitely a television deal for 2008 that’s in place.

For over 20 years Larkin was a top executive for the Showtime Network. Larkin was responsible for brining boxing to the premium cable network and one of his top promoters was none other than EliteXC live events president Gary Shaw. I asked Larkin if there was any chance of the IFL and EliteXC working together in the future:

Q: I know you still have strong relationships with the people at Showtime and Gareb Shamus and Kurt Otto are open to working with other promotions for the betterment of MMA. EliteXC president of live events Gary Shaw also claims to have an open door policy. Is working with EliteXC and Showtime something you’d be open to in the future?

JL: It’s something we would be very much open to. You’ve got the one big obstacle of the cage vs. the ring. The IFL, as you know, is a ring sport, and Elite’s fighters are fighting in a cage, so that would be an obstacle. Gary Shaw is a very old and close friend of mine, so that is certainly not an obstacle.

There are some issues that need to be explored about organizations working together but I don’t think there’s any obstacle there. If you look at boxing as an example, most major boxing fights are co-promotions. You’ll have Don King working with Bob Arum or you’ll have Golden Boy working with Lou DiBella, or whoever it may be. I see no reason in the world why the IFL and Elite couldn’t do a promotion other than the logistics of the cage.

I also asked Larkin about future financing for the IFL, his vision for the promotion, whether he’d be open to a merger or acquisition and much more. You can read the entire interview by clicking here.