According to a story in the Williamette Week, a suit filed by Gonzalo Aldana Gamboa alleges Lindland assisted in the transportation of six legally allowed pot plants, stated he was moving them into a shed to dry, and then would not turn the fruits of their labor over when Gamboa returned a month later.

The amount being sought equates to $122,880 – the weed’s street value – though it remains to be seen how a judge will view the figure considering the marijuana is registered for medical use rather than distribution.

Five Ounces of Pain was able to get in touch with Lindland who had the following to say via email, caps included:

“I have no idea what this about. There seems to be a trend these days with folks filing frivolous lawsuits without merit. I think this is a CHRONIC problem. Times are tough financially for a lot of people and everyone seems to think these is some kind of POT OF GOLD at the end of the lawsuit rainbow.”

Word on what is next for “The Law” in the litigation process is expected in the coming weeks with no specific dates mentioned in the Williamette Week’s report.

Lindland has not fought since a knockout loss to Robbie Lawler at a Strikeforce event last December but has compiled a 22-8 record over a fourteen-year career in MMA. He holds past victories over Phil Baroni, Pat Miletich, Jeremy Horn, and Ricardo Almeida.

Lindland recently took time to speak during a recent conference call with media about the importance of his upcoming bout at “Strikeforce – Henderson vs. Babalu” against Robbie Lawler, as well as expressed why he feels his striking is underrated and the reason he’s continued to evolve in MMA even at age 40.

“You lose and then you have to figure out why it happened and how you are going to improve, and that’s what I’ve done,” said Lindland. “If you lose and stay the same then you are not a smart fighter and should not be in this sport. After a loss I feel like I come back stronger from working on the aspects that were a part of my loss. I don’t want to talk about the little things – just know I trained hard and changed those aspects…I just want to fight and compete against the best.”

Though the middleweight is coming off a third-round TKO win over Kevin Casey at a Strikeforce Challengers event this past May, Lindland was coming off back-to-back losses entering the bout. As far as his opponent this weekend, Lindland made it clear he wasn’t as concerned about the implications a win over Lawler might have on his future when compared to his desire to make the scrap an entertaining one.

“I think all fights have the same amount of pressure, especially when you are playing at this caliber and fighting either a top contender or a champion or a former champion. It’s not necessarily about who wins or loses, it’s about putting on a good performance and fighting,” explained the Team Quest original before offering a blunt prediction on the outcome.

“I have never seen Robbie in a fight that wasn’t exciting, so I don’t plan on this being any different. I am looking forward to going out there and performing and kicking the sh*t out of Robbie,” he continued.

Lindland also made it clear his plans for victory don’t necessarily include a submission when omitted from a question relating to knockouts, saying, “I am a little insulted because I have knocked some people out and the last guy I knocked out was Robbie’s teammate, Jeremy Horn, when I kicked him in the head and then punched him with a straight left.”

Still, his grappling isn’t a weapon he won’t unsheathe when the time comes.

“I do enjoy the ground game a lot and it is a technical aspect of the game, and I think subs happen better when you punish guys and I do like to impose my will and punish a guy and have him make a mistake. I like to hook guys and make sure that everyone sees that that guy is tapping out, and submitting not just to me but in front of the world. When I drop a guy it is more surprising, because I haven’t had as many knockouts as these other three guys that you are talking about. They go in there looking for the big punch and when I go in there and hit a guy or clip him and take him out it is a little more surprising because it’s not as frequent.”

When asked about why he felt he had the advantage over Lawler, and would ultimately emerge victorious, Lindland credited his experience but stated the result would all come down to the individual most-able to impose his will on the other.

“I think I am a little more experienced, wiser. I wouldn’t argue with people who say he is athletic, he’s got speed, he’s got power. I am going to have to use superior positioning, conditioning and just knowledge of the sport and put him in positions he is not comfortable with….If I had my way I would put Robbie on his back and pound a hole in his head and I’m sure Robbie would like to try to keep it on his feet and put me to sleep standing up. I think it’s really about who can impose their will.”

Lindland is 22-7 in his career with notable wins over some of MMA’s former elite like Horn, Carlos Newton, and Pat Miletich. He’s also beaten notable opponents like Joe Doerksen, Ivan Salaverry, Travis Lutter, and Phil Baroni.

In addition to his match-up with Lawler, “Strikeforce – Henderson vs. Babalu” features a contendership-determining clash between the headlining light heavyweights (Dan Henderson/Renato Sobral), as well as welterweights Paul Daley and Scott Smith undoubtedly going toe-to-toe until one of the two falls.

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

“Ruthless” Robbie dropped a hard-fought decision to light heavyweight contender Renato “Babalu” Sobral in his most recent outing but has only been beaten a single time at 185-pounds in nearly four years (to Jake Shields). During that span he’s notched victories over a tough group including Joey Villasenor, Frank Trigg, Melvin Manhoef, and Murilo “Ninja” Rua. He holds an overall record of 17-6 with knockouts in fourteen of his wins.

A polar opposite in terms of approach and outright aggression, Lindland is 22-7 with the bulk of his in-ring success coming by way of submissions/decisions. However, “The Law” scored a TKO over Kevin Casey last May at Strikeforce Challengers 8 – the eighth win of his career coming in such a fashion – and is no stranger to ground-and-pounding his way to a “W” when necessary.

In addition to Lawler vs. Lindland, the December 4th event will also feature former PRIDE double-divisional champ Dan Henderson fighting the afore-mentioned Sobral in the main event, the return of football legend Herschel Walker to a MMA ring, and a scrap between Paul Daley and Scott Smith nearly guaranteed to end in one man’s separation from consciousness.

The middleweight bout between Rockhold and Lindland was called off after Rockhold sustained a shoulder injury last Saturday while training at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose. The extent of the injury is not yet known.

“The fight between Tyron and Andre is a great matchup between two young fighters looking to take their careers to the next level,” Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said. “We wish Luke a speedy recovery and are confident he will soon enough rejoin our growing crop of top prospects.”

Woodley and Galvao are two of MMA’s fastest-rising 170-pounders and both possess the talent, ability and dedication to one day fight for a world title. The highly touted fighters will be making their respective televised debuts on a Strikeforce championship series fight card on Showtime after having appeared on Strikeforce Challengers.

The unbeaten 5-foot-9, 28-year-old Woodley of St. Louis, Mo., is a two-time All-American NCAA wrestler for the University of Missouri. He fought three times on the (Strikeforce) Challengers series, winning his last on a hard-fought split decision over Nathan Coy in his first start of the year on May 21 in Portland, Oregon, Woodley triumphed by submission in both his 2009 outings on Strikeforce Challengers, finishing Rudy Bears with an arm-triangle choke and Zach Light with an arm-bar on November 20th and September 25th, respectively.

Woodley, who turned pro in February 2006, is a member of American Top Team. He won his initial start for Strikeforce with a first-round submission (Brabo Choke) over Sal Woods in a non-televised, undercard bout on June 6th, 2009, in St. Louis.

Galvao, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist, is coming off a third-round TKO (punches) over Jorge Patino in an undercard bout last Aug. 21 at “Strikeforce: Houston”. In his fight before last, he triumphed via controversial split-decision over Luke Stewart during a Strikeforce Challengers event last March 26th in Fresno, California.

The 5-foot-7 Galvao, who turns 28 on September 29th, is 2-0 in 2010. His only defeat came on a split decision to Jason High in the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix on July 20th, 2009. Before going pro in August 2008, Galvao earned countless Jiu-Jitsu titles in international competition for Brazil, including a gold medal at the World Championships in ‘08.

The postponement is a setback for Rockhold, an up-and-coming middleweight on a six-fight winning streak.

“There’s not much I can do. Injuries are part of the game,’’ Rockhold said. ‘But I feel bad for Matt, the fans, Strikeforce, everybody. I’d been working really hard and was really focused on this fight. Hopefully, I will be OK soon and Matt and I can get it on in the future.’’

In the October 9th main event, Strikeforce World Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz (22-7, 1 NC) will defend against KJ Noons (9-1) in an eagerly awaited grudge rematch. Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight World Champion Sarah Kaufman (12-0) will risk her 135-pound belt a second time when she faces No. 1 contender Marloes Coenen (17-4) in the co-feature

A third fight on Showtime will match former Strikeforce belt-holder Josh Thomson (17-3) against Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante (15-3-1) in a battle of world-ranked lightweights.

Diaz will face an opponent to be named in the coming week while Kaufman will defend her title against Dutch superstar Marloes Coenen.

Also on the explosive card, emerging star from the “Strikeforce Challengers” series Luke Rockhold will risk his six-fight win streak against MMA superstar and former Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt “The Law” Lindland in a featured middleweight (185 pounds) contest.

The 27-year-old Diaz (22-7), a Cesar Gracie BJJ blackbelt and native of Stockton, has won seven consecutive fights since his last loss in 2007. He is coming off a first round submission victory (armbar) over fellow superstar Hayato “Mach” Sakurai last May at DREAM 14 in Japan. Prior to that, Diaz won the Strikeforce title with a late, third-round TKO (punches) of Marius “The Whitemare” Žaromskis at “Strikeforce – Miami” last January.

The undefeated Kaufman (12-0), a former ballet dancer who hails from British Columbia, Canada, is fresh off the first defense of her title, an explosive body slam knockout of Roxanne Modafferi at “Strikeforce Challengers” in Everett, Wash., this past July 23rd. The 24-year-old Kaufman, who has won nine of her fights by KO, will face Coenen (17-4), a submission specialist and the number one contender to the Strikeforce women’s welterweight belt.

The 29-year-old Coenen (17-4) will fight for the first time since a third-round TKO loss to Cris Cyborg for the Strikeforce Women’s Middleweight (145 pounds) Championship at “Strikeforce – Miami”. Coenen, a member of Holland’s Team Golden Glory and mixed martial artist since the age of 14, will be moving down in weight to challenge at 135 pounds. Kaufman and Coenen have both defeated Modafferi, with Coenen avenging a 2007 loss via first round armbar in her Strikeforce debut on November 7th, 2009.

Rockhold (7-1), who could prove to be one of Strikeforce’s next great middleweight superstars, has won six of his seven fights via submission. The 25-year-old member of Team AKA is coming off a first-round TKO (knees to body) of Paul Bradley last February at a “Strikeforce Challengers” event in San Jose. The impressive win was the first KO victory of the Santa Cruz, Calif., native’s professional career. Prior to his latest conquest, Rockhold had won five straight fights by way of submission.

Lindland (22-7), who won the silver medal in Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling at the 2000 Olympic Games, scored a third-round TKO victory over “King” Kevin Casey this past May on a “Strikeforce Challengers” card in his hometown of Portland. A former UFC star who has been competing professionally in MMA since 1997, Lindland, 40, is also a former All-American wrestler for University of Nebraska and the 1993 NCAA Big Eight conference champion. During his stellar career, Lindland has triumphed over a number of all-time greats including former UFC champions Pat Miletich and Carlos Newton.

Matt “The Law” Lindland

Lindland announced today in a conversation with MMAWeekly that he had signed a three fight deal with the promotion, continuing Strikeforce’s aggressive recruitment campain.

Matt was one of few big name fighters the UFC chose not to bring in after the fall of Affliction as Lindland and Dana White continue to be on shaky ground after Lindland wore an unsanctioned shirt to the Octagon in 2005.

Lindland, who is coming off a devastating KO loss to Vitor Belfort, has stated he expects to fight in October and named Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler, and Cung Le as possible opponents. With Shields already confirmed as to be fighting in October for the Interim belt and Le still planning on putting movies over MMA, it seems relatively likely that Lawler will be his first opponent.

Lindland has an impressive resume including All-American Wrestler at Nebraska, Silver Medalist in Greco Roman wrestling at the 2000 Olympics, Team Quest Member and Oregon State Polititian. He holds wins over such fighters as Travis Lutter, Joe Doerksen, Carlos Newton, Jeremy Horn, Phil Baroni and Pat Miletich to name a few.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com was alerted about the change by a source speaking on the condition of anonymity. We then contacted Richard Wilner, Sobral’s agent and attorney, in regards to the information and confirmed that the match is indeed off.

According to Wilner, there was a strong desire to schedule a middleweight matchup between Lindland and former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort. While Lindland vs. Belfort has not yet been finalized, Wilner stated that out of respect for Lindland, the promotion, and the sport itself, he was willing to opt out so that all parties involved could pursue the matchup.

Wilner added that there was some debate about what weight the Lindland vs. Sobral fight would be contested at. The principles could not settle on whether the catchweight bout would take place at 192.5 or 195 pounds. Wilner also expressed that there was concern whether his client could drop 25 pounds and still perform to the best of his ability. As such, the decision to step aside was made easier by the fact that a final weight for the fight had yet to be determined.

Wilner also indicated that Sobral is expected to remain on the card and compete in a 205 pound. He added that Affliction officials are currently working to secure a new opponent.

Affliction’s “Day of Reckoning” is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 24 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. and will be headlined by WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko defending his title vs. former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.

News of the bout became official earlier today in a report by SI.com’s Josh Gross in which Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio was quoted.

Sobral vs. Lindland joins the card’s previously announced main event between WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko defending his title against former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.

According to Gross, former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort is also expected for the card in his second career fight at middleweight. However, the report states that a rumored bout between Belfort and DREAM middleweight Grand Prix winner Gegard Mousasi is unlikely.

Additionally, a light heavyweight fight between Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is slated to headline the undercard with a lightweight clash between Chris Horodecki and Dan Lauzon also rumored to be taking place. FiveOuncesOfPain.com also previously reported that Jay Hieron is expected to take on Jason High in welterweight action.

MMA Junkie

Lindland’s last fight came at Affliction: Banned where he took a unanimous decision victory home over a very game opponent in Fabio Negao. Many thought that Lindland would steamroll Negao but Negao was able to give Lindland some trouble on the feet during the fight and was able to sustain a deep guillotine attempt, which is Lindland’s bread and butter submission, in the first round. Lindland was able to pull out the victory and knock off the ring rust from not fighting for over a year.

Prangley will now face off against Lindland at the event. Prangley is a long time veteran of the sport and has fought some of the biggest names in the middleweight division. He holds wins over fighters such as Chael Sonnen, Yuki Kondo, Travis Lutter, and Matt Horwich and has fought against several other top level fighters as well.

Prangley is also a former BodogFIGHT middleweight champion and at one point had been rumored to be set to defend his crown against Lindland, a former Olympic silver medalist in Greco Roman wrestling. However, financial problems pertaining to the new-defunct fight promotion prevented the proposed bout from ever being finalized.

While speaking with author Kelly Crigger, the book quotes Lindland as saying, “They [the UFC] went straight to Nate instead of coming through me, his manager. They thought they could make him an offer and promise a bunch of money on the back end, like I wouldn’t find out. It’s bad business. This sport isn’t big enough to get away with something like that. I mean, we all talk to each other, especially in the same camp, so what did the UFC think? That I wouldn’t find out?”

Quarry ended up losing to Franklin at UFC 56 when he was knocked out at 2:34 of round 1. During the fight, he suffered a severe neck injury that sidelined him until UFC Fight Night 11 last September.

This is not the first time such accusations have been levied against the UFC. Manager Mark Dion is currently embattled in a civil court case with former client Brandon Vera in which a chief complaint in Dion’s lawsuit is that the UFC allegedly interfered with Dion’s management contract with Vera.

After reading a report on FiveOuncesOfPain.com that cited a Belfort interview with the Brazilian website Tatame.com that quoted Belfort as saying the matchup would be for a belt, WAMMA CEO Mike Lynch contacted us to issue a statement. While WAMMA believes that the potential matchup is intriguing, it doesn’t consider it one worthy of determining an undisputed champion at 185 lbs.

“There has been a lot of speculation that an upcoming proposed match-up between Matt Lindland and Vitor Belfort will be for a WAMMA title,” said Lynch in an e-mail to Five Ounces of Pain. “To be sure, Matt and Vitor are two of the very best fighters in MMA today. Lindland is currently ranked seven in our middleweight rankings and Belfort is a former UFC champion who is bound to excite fans everywhere with his explosive style. If this fight happens, it would be an incredible match up. It certainly rises to the level of a must-see fight and would be the highlight of any fight card.

“With that being said, any fight between Lindland and Belfort at this time would not be for a WAMMA title. WAMMA’s goal is to crown undisputed champions based on our objective rankings. Based on our rankings, we could not sanction a Lindland vs. Belfort fight as a WAMMA championship. However, the winner of the match-up would certainly cement his place as part of the fighter elite and would be a likely contender for a WAMMA championship in the future.”

According to Belfort, he will be fighting former U.S. Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland and that the fight will be for “the belt.”

It’s uncertain at this time what belt Belfort is referring to. Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio has been publicly bearish while speaking in the past about instituting Affliction-brand titles. However, the promotion did host the WAMMA heavyweight title during the main event of its July 19 show with Fedor Emelianenko procuring the belt following a first round submission over Tim Sylvia.

It’s possible that the title Belfort is referring to is a yet-to-be instituted Affliction middleweight title. FiveOuncesOfPain.com contacted WAMMA CEO Mike Lynch for comment via phone and e-mail but our requests have gone unanswered.

Both Belfort and Lindland fought and won during Affliction: Banned last month, with Lindland recording a unanimous decision over Fabio Negao while Belfort knocked out Terry Martin at 3:12 of round 2. It was Belfort’s first fight as a middleweight and Lindland’s first bout at middleweight since February 2, 2007.

“It’ll be a great fight, we’ll see who is the best of the world there,” Belfort is quoted as saying by Tatame. “I saw his fight with Negão and he’s a warrior… He comes over you, but I don’t think he has the strength to stay over me”

Belfort added that he believes his style will cause Lindland matchup problems.

“I’ll go to knock him out,” proclaimed Belfort. “My punches are well-aimed and when it hits he won’t stand”

This will be the third different opponent advertised for a match with Silva for the Feb. 16 card. Shane Carwin was originally listed as Silva’s opponent on Showtime’s website but his name was removed with no explanation. Then, during a conference call to promote the main event between Kimbo Slice and Tank Abbott, EliteXC live events president Gary Shaw announced that Gary Turner of Cage Rage had been selected to face Silva.

The latest announcement regarding Rodriguez as Silva’s latest opponent comes on the heels of Rodriguez’s stint last year on VH1′s reality television show “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.” The show finished taping at the end of this past summer and Rodriguez’s first appearance on the show is scheduled to air this Thursday.

Rodriguez was once considered one of the top heavyweights in the world but allowed substance abuse problems to sidetrack his career. In addition to drug use, Rodriguez has also battled weight issues in recent years and was competing as a super heavyweight for an extended period of time.

Rodriguez began losing weight last year and competed once again as a heavyweight in a bout against Ben Rothwell during the IFL team finals this past September. Rodriguez lost via unanimous decision and drew negative attention to himself for spitting on Rothwell during the match after he became frustrated.

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ProElite.com also announced that Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett is no longer scheduled to fight Victor “Joe Boxer” Valenzuela for King of the Cage on January 24.

According to the web site, Bennett is scheduled to be arraigned on January 22 following a recent arrest stemming from a domestic incident.

Bennett will be replaced by Matt Ver Halen on the 1/24 King of the Cage show. He is also scheduled to fight during the Internet portion of the Feb. 16 show but the ProElite.com report made no mention of his status for that card.

The promotion has also announced that Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett has been added to the undercard against an opponent yet to be announced. Bennett is a Florida native, hailing from Ocala.

Bennett, 19-14-2, will be fighting for EliteXC for the first time since a disappointing loss to Victor Valenzuela during August’s ShoXC event. Bennett tapped due to strikes at 3:23 of round 1 in what had been promoted as a heated grudge match.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS CARD ON SAM CAPLAN’S PROELITE.COM BLOG

CNN.com

As you’ll see, the dude’s name is Charles Bennett (of Ohio) and he’s got a very similar look to Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett (from Florida). If I hadn’t seen that the chase took place in Ohio then I would have been pretty convinced it was Krazy Horse.

First, I felt the production took a step backwards. The volume on the pre-match promos was a little off. With the sound quality, it sounded like some of the guys were whispering. I’m also not a big fan of the small background set they’ve used for the first two shows. They need to come up with something that is a little more impressive. I realize that it’s not easy because unlike big shows, the promos they tape with the ShoXC fighters are done on location a day or two before the fight but it might be worth trying to come up with something a little different. Hell, interview the fighter in the lockerroom a few minutes before he goes on.

The producers also need to help Mauro Ranallo out. There was a lot of uncomfortable silence between bouts. There’s not much Mauro can do in that situation besides talk to himself since Stephen Quadros has to head up to the cage and interview fighters. With Quadros in the cage, there’s nobody for Mauro to work off of. Now I understand why the UFC has so many pre-recorded spots so that they can address the lull between fights when Joe Rogan is not around for Mile Goldberg to work off of.

Without Quadros there, the easy answer is to just run more promos. I think they could have promoted the 9/15 card a lot better (I almost felt like they promoted the October ShoXC a little more, but maybe I’m wrong?). Why not show some outtakes from the upcoming barker show and give us a sneak peak at what Robbie Lawler or Ninja (via a translator) had to say? Why not some comments from Nick Diaz? Why not some Jake Shields highlights? They could also fill time with some ProElite.com promos. A lot of money is being pumped into the site so they might as well they and maximize their traffic output. Bottom line, they need better filler between bouts.

I’m also not a big fan of shows in non-MMA hotbeds like Mississippi. They were at a small arena yet it felt like the crowd was miles away from the cage. One of the big advantages of having smaller venues is the intimate feel but I didn’t get that impression last night. I remember hearing a lot more catcalls for the ring girls than I heard cheers for the fighters.

I’m probably wrong though because promoter Gary Shaw has been doing live events for years now and he probably ran at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez and in Vicksburg over the weekend because he has good relationships with the people in charge and can keep overhead low.

In general, finding good locations must be tough because you can’t run shows in fighting cities like Philly, New York, or Boston and you can only promote in California so much. There’s always Vegas, but unless you’re the UFC it’s really hard to get people excited about MMA on a large scale basis there. In Vegas, the UFC is kind of considered the hometown sports team. A lot of hardcores also travel out there for shows that might not be eager to travel for other promotions. I still think EliteXC should look into doing shows in Atlantic City. AC has been on the comeback trail for a long time and it’s a great location for drawing fans from New York and Philly. Cage Fury Fighting Championships did a strong crowd for their last show featuring Kimbo Slice vs. Ray Mercer.

I also thought the trophy presentations afterwards came off a little campy. It kind of reminded me of the inter-school Smoker matches I used to fight in at Philly MMA. Smokers are low-level amateur bouts so I don’t think they want to give off that vibe to the audience. Yes, I realize Pride used to make awards presentations after bouts but they gave out serious hardware in front of tens of thousands of fans so it had a different feel. It was cool though to see Turi Altavilla on camera. Altavilla has a great reputation in the industry and did good work for Pride. It’s just strange to see him on camera considering Pro Elite never did send out a press release formally announcing his hiring. His hiring is something an MMA company should tout because he’s the kind of guy who could work for any promotion he wanted to.

One thing I’d also like to see the show focus on is what exactly is at stake for fighters. For example, before the fight between Jon Murphy vs. Dave Huckaba it would have been cool if there was some conversation about how there really is no heavyweight division in EliteXC right now. It would have been interesting if they mentioned that Jon Murphy is on a three fight contract with the company and what a win would do for his stock in the company (could he be someone that is a contender for a title shot if the division gets built up?).

Or, in regard to Seth Kleinbeck, who dropped from light heavyweight to middleweight, what does his second consecutive win in EliteXC do for his career? Might he be a future contender for Ninja Rua’s EXC middleweight title?

Also, what about Hector Urbina and Umar Love? Are they under contract to EliteXC? If not, do their wins guarantee them another match with the promotion? Where does Brendan Tierney go following the first loss of his pro career? Did he show enough for a second chance? And what will be the repercussions of Ray Lizama’s lackluster effort? Is it back to the local shows for him?

The concept of the show is to create new stars and to be a proving ground. Well, what do wins by Umar Love, Hector Urbina, Jon Murphy, Seth Kleinbeck, and Victor Valenzuela prove? By breaking down what a win or a loss for a fighter means, it adds a lot to the drama of the outcome. If someone doesn’t know who Murphy is, they know enough to be happy for a guy who has overcome a lot of personal problems and now can move onto bigger things in his career after a big win.

Here’s my match-by-match breakdown (sans one match):

Hector Urbina vs. Ray Lizama - This match looked like a clash between two guys who aren’t full-time fighters and simply don’t have the resources to focus on their conditioning. I was intrigued by Urbina because the kid is just 19 but I really didn’t feel like I was watching some teenage phenom. I felt more like I was watching a slightly above average fighter in his mid-20s. As for Lizama, he really had cardio issues and just couldn’t do much to push the pace and seemed like he was just trying to go the distance. I would have liked to seen a greater sense of urgency from him. Urbina tried to come on during the middle of the second round and did his best to push himself going for high leg kicks, flying knees, and superman punches so you have to give him credit for looking for the big finish. We didn’t get the finish and we didn’t get a real good match. Mauro and Quadros stood out though during this match because they had the editorial freedom that a lot of MMA announcers don’t have and were able to crap on the match. Whenever an announcer fails to point out the obvious it’s just insulting. That’s why I’ve always been a Larry Merchant fan because it didn’t matter whether the fighter was without an HBO contract or an HBO fighter with a lucrative deal; if they failed to bring it, he didn’t hesitate to rip them. It’s a lot easier to be patient when the announcers acknowledge what’s going on because it sends the message that what’s taking place is not up to the promotion’s standard and gives you hope that the next match will be better.

Jon Murphy vs. David Huckaba – In addition to being featured on our site, Murphy has gotten a lot of press recently by other outlets such as The Fight Network. He’s a good person and a good fighter so it was nice to see him perform so well underneath the spotlight. We’re going to be hearing a lot more from him in the future. He showed some nice grappling skills and even some solid wrestling. When I spoke with him he mentioned that wrestling was the biggest area where he could stand to improve. Well, he threw one hell of a modified German suplex. Murphy really put his strength on display and showed some solid boxing by working the high/low game against the cage and then putting Huckaba down. Huckaba deserves credit though because he took this match on almost no notice.

Showtime deserves a lot of credit for how they covered Huckaba’s knockout. It looked like he was hurt bad and medical officials had to be called into the cage. The camera was fixed on him the whole time he was down and they didn’t pull a UFC where they try and act like what just happened didn’t happen. Mauro and Quadros did a good job covering it like a news event and treated Huckaba with the respect he deserved (not like some disposable fighter that gets thrown away after a brutal knockout). Instead of having to wonder if a guy is still alive, you got to see him get back on his feet and walk out and it’s a much better feeling. The way Showtime covered the situation is exactly how the UFC should cover it.

Seth Kleinbeck vs. Jaime Jara - Both fighters are high-character guys so I was looking forward to this. Jara, 38, is a tough cat who has fought and won titles in just about every weight class. His plan now is to drop to welterweight and compete for a title at 170 lbs. That says a lot considering he’s a former Gladiator Challenge heavyweight champ. Jara is also a good wrestler but didn’t show it during the first ShoXC vs. Jeremiah Metcalf and didn’t show much of it vs. Kleinbeck. I know he’s proud of his improved boxing skills and from watching his last two bouts, it’s obvious he wants to put that on display. I’m just not so sure standing with Kleinbeck was a good idea in hindsight. Kleinbeck has competed a lot at light heavyweight so by fighting at middleweight, he brings a lot of power to the table. He worked some great lower leg kicks during the fight. The kicks were compact enough that it didn’t allow Jara a good opportunity to shoot for the takedown. Kleinbeck let his hands go in the second and scored a vicious knockout. It looked like Kleinbeck put him out with one punch and put him out again with the combo shot.

Victor Valenzuela vs. Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett - Bennett looked terrible. He scored a nice knockdown of Valenzuela early in the first but just came in all crazy and didn’t have the technique needed to finish a downed opponent. A guy like Valenzuela isn’t intimidated by Bennett so he didn’t panic. In fact, it made him pissed and he took every advantage of his second chance. Bennett was gassed early, even earlier than usual so I guess his training routine has stayed the same? Valenzuela took the fight to him and Bennett was so tired he wasn’t keeping his hands up. Man, if it wasn’t for that early knockdown, it might have looked like Bennett was looking to take a fall. He was just letting Valenzuela pick him a part. Even with the knockdown of Valenzuela he still looked like a guy who just wanted to pick up his paycheck and go home.

Valenzuela hit him with a combo near the cage and Bennett went down. Valenzuela had Bennett’s back and could have cinched in the choke but decided to reign in some big shots. Bennett didn’t really show a lot of heart and tapped from punches.

More credit goes out to Mauro and Quadros because they were very critical of Bennett. Promoter Gary Shaw is a big fan of Bennett’s so coming out so strongly against him might not have been an easy thing to do. I’m not saying anyone told them they had to be complementary towards Bennett on the telecast, but they still know how Shaw feels about him and they said what they felt anyway. I agreed with everything they said. I’ll take it a step further and just ask if Shaw is still a fan after Bennett’s performance? They aren’t paying the guy chump change and he really didn’t give the promotion their money’s worth. I still don’t understand what the attraction is to Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett?

I’m not sure what’s next for the 155 lbs. division in EliteXC. All the guys have kind of beaten each other. I think the next course of action might be to have Bennett vs. Edson Berto and Victor Valenzuela vs. K.J. Noons. Mauro mentioned that there’s a rematch clause for Valenzuela vs. Bennett but he asked if there was a need for the rematch and I really don’t think there is because Valenzuela beat him so decisively.

The card is as follows:

• Main event, lightweights: Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett (18-13-2) vs. Victor “Joe Boxer” Venezuela (5-2-2)

• Middleweight: Jaime Jara (16-4) vs. Seth Kleinbeck (7-3)

• Heavyweight: Jon Murphy (3-2) vs. Tony Bonello (15-0)

• Light heavyweight: Ray Lazama (8-5) vs. Hector Urbina (8-3)

• Middleweight: Umar Luv (4-1) vs. Brandon Tierney (5-0)

“People go, ‘Oh he’s not good for the sport,’ but believe it or not I made the sport,” he says.

Count me among those who believe he’s bad for the sport. Look, I’m not some neo-conservative self-righteous prick who is naive about the world. People fuck up, it’s a part of life. I also believe people deserve second chances and the benefit of the doubt. But what chance is Krazy Horse on? I lost track but I do know we’re well past the point of number two.

If Krazy Horse wasn’t in a niche sport and was an athlete in Major League Baseball, the NFL, or the NBA, there would be all kinds of people putting heat to have him suspended or banned. EliteXC is flying under the mainstream radar right now so they can get away with making Bennett a big part of their marketing plan, but MMA continues to grow and there will come a time when their devotion to him will come back to haunt them.

I’m sure there are those that will take his defense and say I don’t know the full story or that he’s misunderstood, but you don’t get arrested as much as he does or serve as much time he has unless you’re into some bad shit.

He’s served his time and deserves the right to make a living but if I was in charge of a promotion, I wouldn’t do business with him.

Bennett will be fighting in the main event of the second-ever ShoXC card on Saturday, August 25 in a rematch against Victor “Joe Boxer” Valenzuela. A lot of people might count Valenzuela out because he got caught in a heel hook against Edson Berto in June, but Valenzuela is a bad ass and you’re not going to see much Jiu-Jitsu in the bout (unless it’s from him). I’m expecting a brawl.

You can read the entire Fight Network article on Krazy Horse by clicking here.

According to the site, Carter Williams is scheduled to fight Pat Smith. Williams is under suspension by the California State Athletic Commission for testing positive for cocaine. Saturday’s KOTC event is at a reservation casino so it’s possible that the event might not be regulated and that Williams will defy the commission’s mandate. If that’s the case, he’s really going to be digging a big hole for himself.

Another KOTC event is scheduled for next Saturday with Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett scheduled to be one of the headliners.

It also appears as though the July 27 debut of ShoXC will be a co-promotion between Pro Elite and KOTC.

Bennett was actually released from Marion County (Fla.) jail on Thursday morning and a flight was booked for him to arrive in San Jose in time for weigh-ins. However, he apparently hit traffic on the way to the airport and missed his flight.

“EliteXC, Scott Coker and Strikeforce almost pulled off a hat-trick but (Bennett) got stuck in traffic and missed his plane,” EliteXC’s Gary Shaw said during weigh-ins. ”‘Krazy Horse’ said, though, that Edson Berto deserves praise for stepping up.”

Bennett is still expected to be in attendance for tonight’s fights.