News of the bout broke by way of the UFC’s website.

Marquardt has spent the majority of his career at middleweight and he recently picked up a unanimous decision victory over Dan Miller at UFC 128. “The Great” is a former title challenger at middleweight and has been considered one of the top fighters in the division over the recent years. He’s struggled a bit recently though, posting a 2-2 record in his last four fights, but his two losses were against former title contender Chael Sonnen and soon to be title contender Yushin Okami. After defeating Miller in March, Marquardt expressed interest in dropping to 170.

Coming off a layoff that kept him out of action from November 2009 to March 2011, “Rumble” returned at UFC Fight Night 24, out-wrestling British striker Dan Hardy en route to a dominant unanimous decision victory. It was a much needed win for Johnson given his time spent on the sidelines, although many fans were disappointed that they didn’t get slugfest they had hoped for given the match up. Now Johnson hopes to re-build the momentum he had in 2009 by knocking off the always game and well-respected Marquardt.

UFC’s fourth venture to the VS. network is scheduled for June 26 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Also scheduled for the event is another welterweight showdown that pits Dutch striker Martin Kampmann against the hard hitting John Howard.

*PHOTO CREDIT – UFC*

The Main Event:
A protege of Grudge MMA ace Trevor Wittman, Salas was able to control the pace and location of the fight in a tactical three round decision win. Salas used his collegiate wrestling background to score take downs in each round and was able to maintain top position for extended periods of time. Down two rounds going into the third Emerson began moving forward more with strikes in the final frame but was unable to land any damaging shots. With a win over a name opponent and a five fight win streak, the bigger organizations are on Salas‘ radar.

The Wave of the Future:
The card showcased two young talents who emphatically delivered. Twenty-year old Grudge MMA 155-pounder L.T. Nelson blitzed Ricardo McKinney in 14 seconds, initially dropping McKinney with right and again with a knee from the clinch. Not be out done nineteen year old Jeremy Kimball won by TKO over Bellator vet Aaron Romero. Both fighters have impressed on the local scene displaying knockout power and fight savvy far beyond their age.

Thomas Denny / Team Wildman:
Full Force Fighting was the debut promotion put on by former WEC, Elite XC, Shooto, and KOTC veteran Thomas Denny and Fight To Win promoter Seth Daniels. Denny moved to Colorado this past year, opening his gym, Team Wildman, and has now jumped into the fight promotion business. Team Wildman was heavily featured on the card, going 5-0 including wins by Kimball, as well as an impressive first round TKO by welterweight Josh Cavan.

UFC Sighting:
Top UFC middleweight contender Nate Marquardt was in attendance cornering teammate Cody Donovan in the co-main event. The LHW Donovan took part in what many considered “Fight of the Night” in a back-and-forth contest with Xavier Saccamano. Donovan dominated early, but had to defend several deep Guillotine attempts before getting a submission of his own in the second round.

KO of the Night:
Grudge MMA middleweight Jason Lee made short work of the previously undefeated Todd Meredith. Lee landed a vicious knee from the clinch that left Meredith on the canvas for several tense minutes after the fight before leaving the cage under his on power.

Paramount Theater:
Billed as a high end, limited seating engagement the event took place in the historic Paramount Theater in down town Denver. The unique venue had an old school feel with balcony seating and the cage featured on the stage.

It now appears the wait is finally over for Marquardt, who is rumored to face Chael Sonnen at UFC 110. According to Sportsnet.ca, the two are awaiting bout agreements and will be added to the UFC’s debut in Sydney, Australia.

Marquardt is coming off a 21-second KO victory over highly regarded submission specialist, Demian Maia. The former Pancrase champion has gone 8-2 since joining the UFC, with his only losses coming from champion Anderson Silva and Thales Leites. Marquardt and Henderson were both top contenders for next in line at a rematch with Silva, but with those match-ups in limbo, Marquardt appears to sit on the sidelines no longer.

Sonnen is coming off a unanimous decision win over Yushin Okami at UFC 104. Sonnen is looking to build off of a two fight win streak and improve on his 2-1 record since entering the octagon. The Team Quest member was vocal about facing Marquardt following his win over Okami, quoted as saying, “…my team member Dan Henderson has a date with Nate Marquardt. I keep hearing rumblings that he wont be able to keep that appointment. If he doesn’t, I will.”

UFC 110 is rumored to be held on February 21st, 2010, with a main event bout between Wanderlei Silva vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama. It will mark the first time the organization will venture into the “land down under”.

The twenty nine-year old Denver, Colorado native was recently rumored to be under serious consideration to become one of the coaches of the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter before Dan Henderson was announced to fill the spot, and it’s not very hard to see why Marquardt would be given that type of consideration. He has long been respected as one of the sports most well rounded and battle tested athletes.

“I had discussed possibly becoming one of the coaches for the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter but they didn’t choose me this time,” explained Marquardt in an exclusive interview with FiveOuncesOfPain.com.

Although the stars didn’t align right for Marquardt to make his television coaching debut this time around, he’s not counting it out for the future. As a matter of fact, the idea is one that he welcomes.

“I’m sure that it’s a possibility for the future because it’s definitely something that I would want to do,” Marquardt went on to say.

In 2009, being considered one of the best will no longer be enough for the freakishly powerful 185 pounder. This is the year that Marquardt aims to take over the middleweight division and assert himself as the most dominant predator in a division filled with carnivores.

In order to obtain that goal, Marquardt absolutely requires success in an impressive fashion this Saturday night against another of the division’s most dangerous combatants, American Top Team trained, Wilson Gouveia. The two will face off at UFC 95 from London in a bout where the winner will be undoubtedly sky rocketed in the consideration of who should get the next crack at the middleweight championship.

Marquardt has never had an easy time of it since his arrival in the UFC. He has consistently been matched up with some of the best the promotion has had to offer. Marquardt’s impending battle with the vicious Gouveia will be just another day at the office for the formidable octagon veteran.

“Wilson is a tough guy,” admits Marquardt. ”He’s just as tough as anyone that I have faced. At this level of fighting you’re not going to get an easy opponent.”

There is no denying that Gouveia, is as hazardous as they come in the UFC, whether it be on the ground or on the feet, the crafty Brazilian has the capability to end any contest at the drop of a dime. Marquardt’s a realist though. He knows his opponent is a threat, but a threat that Marquardt assures that he will be able to handle come fight time.

“He’s good on his feet and he’s good on the ground,” Marquardt assessed. ”I think that it just boils down to, I’m better.”

Never one to question his ability or training before a fight, the Greg Jackson trained fighter possesses an abundance of confidence heading into his bout with Gouveia this Saturday night and leaves no question as to what his intentions will be once the cage door is slammed shut.

“I feel really good about this fight,” Marquardt said. ”I just want to go out there and put on a really good performance and hopefully finish him. I definitely want to finish him.”

Being focused on a finish in his fight with Gouveia is a good place to be, mentally, for Marquardt. Outside of his pending date with Gouveia, he only has one thing on his mind, and it’s redemption.

Redemption for coming up so short and under performing to his full abilities when it mattered most. Marquardt wants another chance at current middleweight king, Anderson Silva, and a convincing win over someone of Gouveia’s caliber could be the final push that Marquardt needs to go in that direction.

“I really feel that a win over Gouveia would put me in line to have another shot at Anderson Silva,” contends Marquardt. ”As long as I put on a really good performance I think that a rematch with Silva would be a good possibility.”

Regardless of how impressive Marquardt is in this Saturday’s bout with Gouveia, he knows that he will have to wait his turn, as an extremely familiar face has the next shot at the seemingly unstoppable Silva.

At UFC 85, Marquardt put on one of his most impressive performances in a losing effort against scheduled Silva challenger, Thales Leites. Nate was dominant in the bout, repeatedly pummeling Leites throughout, but was penalized points on two separate occasions. One of the points deducted was for striking to the back of the head and was seen as highly questionable by most of the MMA community. It was that point that cost Marquardt the bout in a contest that he had visibly won.

Is he bothered by the fact that Leites is getting the next crack at Anderson? Not at all according to Marquardt, just as long as he doesn’t win.

“If he’s able to use his game plan to get Anderson to the ground, he could put Anderson in a lot of trouble,” theorized Marquardt. ”Thales is a world class fighter on the ground and Silva is definitely not a world class fighter on the ground.”

“It doesn’t bother me at all. Actually it’s kind of flattering that he’s getting a title shot but it might bother me a little bit if he beats Silva because I want to be the one to beat him.”

Marquardt has been on an absolute tear through the middleweight division since his loss to Silva at UFC 73. He is convinced that the loss was a positive thing for him. It has helped to focus in on what is the most important thing to him in his established fighting career, being known as the best.

“Technically I have gotten a lot better in so many areas since fighting Anderson,” explained Marquardt. ”I have gotten technically better with my stand up, with my wrestling, my endurance and my strength has gone way up.

“I think that the main thing is that I am a lot stronger mentally and I think that would be a huge factor in a rematch with Anderson. I’m an a lot more dangerous fighter now.”

Kampmann, who has an overall MMA record of 13-1, trains out of Xtreme Couture and comes from an outstanding Muay Thai background. However, his all-around game has really progressed and he’s now a threat to submit his opponents as well.

Marquardt lives in Colorado but prepares for his fights in Albuquerque, N.M. training under Greg Jackson. One of the most versatile fighters in the UFC’s middleweight division, Marquardt has a strong overall MMA record of 29-8-1 and is considered by many pundits to be a top-ten ranked fighter at 185 lbs.

UFC 88 will take place on Sept. 6 and will emanate from the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. A light heavyweight bout between former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and season two heavyweight winner of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Rashad Evans.

According to the report, the Kampmann vs. Marquardt bout could be officially announced next week.

Marquardt has a lifetime MMA record of 26-8-2 and is 5-2 lifetime in the UFC. He last fought at UFC 85 in June, losing a controversial split decision to Thales Leites in which Marquardt was docked a point for what the referee deemed an illegal blow to the back of Leites’ head. Prior to that, he had submitted Jeremy Horn with a guillotine choke during UFC 81 this past February.

Meanwhile, Kampmann is undefeated in the UFC with a record of 4-0 and 16-2 in his MMA career. His last three wins have come against Thales Leites, Drew McFedries, and Jorge Rivera. An outstanding Muay Thai fighter, Kampmann has become a well-rounded martial artist since joining Randy Couture’s Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas.

UFC 88 will be televised on pay-per-view and will be headlined by former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell taking on season 2 heavyweight winner of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Rashad Evans.

The complete lineup for UFC 88 is as follows:

Main Card -

Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell
Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill
Martin Kampmann vs. Nathan Marquardt
Karo Parisyan vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares

Preliminary Card -

Kurt Pellegrino vs. Thiago Tavares
Matt Brown vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Tim Boetsch vs. James Lee
Roan Carneiro vs. Ryo Chonan

People can say what they want about the IFL, but they have a lot of legit fighters. And their lightweight division is stacked. So stacked that I came up with an idea that would work well for the company’s first pay-per-view.

There’s no need to pay big money for someone like Kurt Angle, instead, simply do a one-night, old school style eight-man tournament in the lightweight division that would feature Horodecki, Schultz, Bart Palaszewski, Savant Young, Shad Lierley, John Gunderson, Deividas Taurosevicius, and Erik Owings.

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

MAIN CARD

• 155 lbs.: Ryan Schultz Def. Chris Horodecki via TKO (strikes) at 2:51 of Rd. 1
• 185 lbs.: Matt Horwich def. Benji Radach via TKO (strikes) at 1:58 of Rd. 2
• 170 lbs.: Jay Hieron def. Delson Heleno via TKO (injury/strikes) at 4:00 of Rd. 1
• 145 lbs.: Wagnney Fabiano def. L.C. Davis via Armbar Submission at 3:38 of Rd. 1
• 265 lbs.: Roy Nelson def. Antoine Jaoude via TKO (strikes) at 0:20 of 2nd

PRELIMINARY CARD

• 185 lbs.: Tim Kennedy def. Elias Rivera via KO at 2:00 of Rd. 1
• 185 lbs.: Marcello Salazar def. Alex Cook via Unanimous Decision
• 170 lbs.: Brett Cooper def. Rory Markham via TKO (strikes) at 1:15 of Rd. 2

Note: 185-pound fighter Elias Rivera left the ring in a stretcher after he suffered the KO loss at the hands of Tim Kennedy. As more news of his condition comes in, we will be sure to relay it to you.

Click each name to read the interview:

• Josh Koscheck
• Mayhem Miller
• Chris Horodecki
• Frank Trigg
• Bas Rutten
• Joe Lauzon
• Chris Horodecki
  
• Frankie Edgar
  
• Cub Swanson
• Tim Kennedy
• Mac Danzig
  
• Kenny Florian
  
• Dan Barrera

Additionally, we have a new Interviews section, with a list of all 5 Oz interviews.

Gunderson was forced to bow out after aggravating a hand injury while preparing for the bout vs. Horodecki.

It was just earlier this week that Gunderson was named as a replacement for Shad Lierley, who injured himself during training.

This is the third opponent change Horodecki has experienced for this match, as he was originally scheduled to face Wagnney Fabiano for the title. A decision was made to crown a champion at 145 lbs.  and Fabiano was shifted to featherweight with Lierley, a tournament alternate at lightweight, was inserted into the tournament final in Fabiano’s place.

Gunderson went 2-1 during the regular season for the Lions, defeating Josh Odom and Gabe Casillas via submission and lost a split decision to Bart Palaszewski.

Horodecki has won all four of his 2007 matches and is 7-0 in IFL competition.

Adam Morgan: Can you tell us a little bit about the process of fighting before you were of legal age?

Chris Horodecki: Well, I started training really young in kickboxing when I was fifteen years old and it just kind of progressed from there. I was fighting older individuals way before I was of age so that’s how it all started. My first MMA fight was when I was fourteen and then after that when I was seventeen I had a fight for Krzysztof Soszynski’s promotion, Ultimate Cage Wars in Winnipeg. I’ve fought in many, many competitions in kickboxing and MMA where I’ve always usually been the younger guy.

Adam Morgan: Did you ever have to lie about your age to fight?

Chris Horodecki: Yeah, in some of the amateur kickboxing fights just because of the age discrepancy and they wanted to keep it real tight.

Adam Morgan: Did your parents ever have any concerns about you fighting grown men before you were even eighteen?

Chris Horodecki: Yeah, you know, they did what any good parents would do. They’re always watching out for me. I’m sure that, right now, they’d rather have me working a regular job and doing the things that everyone else does but everybody takes different paths and I’m pretty happy with what I’m doing.

Adam Morgan: So even though they’d rather have you working a desk job somewhere they still support what you’re doing?

Chris Horodecki: That’s the thing is that I have a really great support group behind me and I’m really thankful for that. I’ve got a great groups of friends that are with me win, lose, draw, they don’t care about the results of fights or anything, they’re with me until the end. As for my family, I couldn’t ask for more. Plus my team, Team Tompkins here in Canada and Xtreme Couture. I’ve got very good people behind me that really watch my back, so everything for me, is awesome.

Adam Morgan: Did your pursuit of combat sports at a young age ever affect your schooling?

Chris Horodecki: No, actually, I was really good in school. I just took a kind of different direction in terms of my priorities. I always say that school came first but in my heart I knew that competing and martial arts was always my love. I’d lie to myself and my folks and say “Oh yeah, school scores, school scores,” but really I just loved it so much that kind of one thing led to another.

Adam Morgan: So you looked at is as some kids played football or soccer or whatever and you fought?

Chris Horodecki: Exactly. That’s just the way I look at it. I never looked at myself as a tough guy or a bully or anything. It was just that I’ve got my sport, you’ve got yours. You play ball and I fight, and that’s kind of how it works.

Adam Morgan: A lot of the fans out there view you as sort of a cocky fighter. Would you classify yourself as a cocky fighter or is there just a certain sense of confidence you have to have when you get into the ring?

Chris Horodecki: I think it’s confidence. I enjoy what I’m doing, I really do. A lot of people get a lot of anxiety when they fight and they stress but I enjoy this. I like what I’m doing out there, and I’m really confident. I’m confident in my training and my preparation and I’m really confident in the way I approach each fight and that’s why everything’s gone the way it has.

Adam Morgan: There’s been a little bit of turnover with your IFL team, the Anacondas. Bas Rutten went to work full time for the IFL as a commentator and personality, Shawn Tompkins took a full time instructing job. Does it hurt the team when there is so much turnover between coaches?

Chris Horodecki: For me, Shawn’s always been the main man. He’s the guy that brought me up through the sport and I owe him so much. He’s like a brother and a father to me so there really hasn’t been any transition for me. With Bas it was just a pleasure to be with him and have him there with me, he’s such a motivational person and very inspiring but when it comes down to my training regimen, it’s all up to Shawn.

Bas puts all his faith in this guy and it’s the exact same training method. It’s nothing different, but as I said, Bas is just so, so busy and he wanted to pursue the reason why he came to America in the first place and that was to make people laugh and be on TV so you’ve got to let the man do what he’s going to do.

Adam Morgan: You’re fighting Shad Lierly at IFL World Grand Prix on December 29^th for the IFL lightweight title. You’ve fought him once before in what is widely considered one of the best fights, if not the best fight, in IFL history. Do you expect this one to be a war like last time?

Chris Horodecki: Yeah, I do. I don’t know if Shad’s gameplan is going to be the same as it was. He’s a tough, scrappy guy and he’s got a lot of heart. I’m sure he’s going to approach the fight maybe a little differently. Definitely when you’ve got a guy like him, he’s tough a and he’s got a chin, you’re going to expect a hell of a fight.

Adam Morgan: Do you expect him to try to shoot in more for the takedown this fight as compared to last time when most of the fight was spent standing?

Chris Horodecki: There’s a good possibility that he’s going to change his gameplan just because even though it was such a great fight last time, I think it went really in my favor. I think he’s definitely going to be thinking of a different way to approach it.

Adam Morgan: Who’s a tougher guy to fight a second time, Bart Palaszewski or Shad Lierly?

Chris Horodecki: They’re both tough, tough fights. Both have got so much heart and determination, so I give it a straight draw.

Adam Morgan: Are you excited about the IFL extending your contract through the 2008 season?

Chris Horodecki: Yeah definitely. I think I’ve found a home there and I think I’m an exciting person that the league can showcase and I like the way that they treat me. I wish for nothing but the best things and it’s been a great, great year and 2008’s going to be even bigger.

Adam Morgan: Do you have any predictions for the team competition in 2008?

Chris Horodecki: Everything’s a big question mark. I don’t know how they’re deciding it, I don’t know what the format’s going to be, it could be many different things. I’m really just worried about December 29^th and I’m sure our team…myself, Jay Hieron, Alex (Schoenhauer), and Benji (Radach), we’re all extended through next year so we’ll all be together again. In terms of how the team’s going to look, I have no idea what’s going on or who our coach is for sure. It’s MMA and I’m just going with the flow.

Adam Morgan: Is that something that bothers you, that the IFL hasn’t set a schedule for 2008 or are you pretty confident that they’ll get it worked out?

Chris Horodecki: I’m pretty confident because they have to. They don’t have a choice. You’ve got to have a format to be successful, right? So I’m sure they do but I just haven’t looked into it. They haven’t made any releases, we’re not for sure who the coach is going to be but I’m very confident in the way they’re going to prepare and they’ll make it happen.

Adam Morgan: Do you see yourself staying with the IFL long term or do you plan on testing free agency when the time comes?

Chris Horodecki: I’m honoring the league that I’m competing for so I’m going to give IFL fans the best, best year they’ve ever seen. I really like competing for them and everything’s up in the air. I really enjoy it, I wish for nothing but the best and I hope the league shapes and we take it to the top.

Adam Morgan: Any sponsors or anybody you want to thank before we go?

Chris Horodecki: Absolutely. I want to thank, first and foremost, Shawn Tompkins, my trainer. Everything I owe to him. I want to thank MMA Authentic, new gear on the market, it’s awesome you guys gotta check it out. Xtreme Couture, the best gyms in Vegas, the most promising gym right now in the world. I want to thank everybody back home, my friends, my family, thank my conditioning coach Scott Payton and everyone that supports me, all my fans. December 29^th, IFL’s got a big show, it’s the IFL Grand Prix, don’t miss it, you’re going to enjoy it.

The team-based league is taking a break from its usual format and will crown individual champions for the first time in the lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight divisions. The winners of all tonight’s semifinal bouts will advance to the WGP finals on Dec. 29 in Connecticut, with the lone exception being the light heavyweight bout between Vladimir Matyushenko. Due to contract issues and injury, the league decided to trim the four-man field at 205 lbs. down to two and treat the fans of Chicago to the first-ever individual championship bout in IFL history.

Here’s a brief rundown of the matches scheduled to be shown on MyNetworkTV:

Lightweight Semifinal: Bart Palaszewski vs. Chris Horodecki -

Palaszewski fights for Pat Miletich’s IFL team but doesn’t train out of MFS. It’s ironic because Palaszewski is pretty much the prototypical lighter weight MFS fighter: well-rounded, fundamentally sound, good on the ground, and tough.

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

Thankfully, UFC 77 will take place next Saturday but we can also look forward to the first live telecast of the IFL on MyNetworkTV on Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. ET. The match many of us are looking forward to is the long-awaited rematch between Bart Palaszewski and Chris Horodecki.

The two 155 lbs. juggernauts will square off in the first round of the IFL’s first-ever World Grand Prix tournament with the winner getting a shot on Dec. 29 at becoming the league’s first lightweight champion.

Below is video of the 20-year old Horodecki talking about the upcoming bout:

Horodecki is slated to return from a hand injury when he takes on Bart Palaszewski in the first round of the promotion’s portion of its light weight World Grand Prix on Nov. 3 in Chicago.

The IFL announced recently that they will be televising a hour of the event live on MyNetworkTV at 8 p.m. ET. Televised matches have yet to been officially announced but I’ve been assured that Palaszewski vs. Horodecki II is a virtual lock to be shown.

The IFL put on a first class show last night in the swamps of Dirty Jersey. I don’t know how else to describe it other than by saying it had a big event atmosphere similar to what you would feel at an NBA conference championship playoff series.

Count me among the many who scoffed at the IFL’s team concept when it first came about but the new TV format began changing my perspective several weeks back and last night’s show has made me a believer.

Will the IFL overtake the UFC as the number one promotion in the world anytime soon?

No, of course not. Big main events are what rules the PPV world and that’s where the big money is to be made.

But can the team concept allow the IFL to be a viable number two?

No doubt about it.

The crowd was pretty good. The IFL benefited from having Renzo Gracie’s New York Pitbulls fighting in their backyard as there were a ton of red Pitbulls jerseys in the crowd.

They also put a couple of fighters on the undercard from Tiger Schulman’s Karate and the annoying “T-S-K!” chants were in full effect. While I hate the chants and not a big fan of TSK’s involvement in MMA, it was a good marketing strategy for the IFL.

I really liked the celebrations after when a fight would end by TKO or submission. The teams would celebrate after the fights and I felt it added a lot to the importance of the outcomes. Yes, teams celebrating after matches is nothing new in MMA but sometimes it seems gratuitous in non-team formats (Chute Box, anyone?). In a team format, it seems like a natural reaction.

According to the IFL, the overall attendance was 7,077. The official number will come from the New Jersey control board and I have no idea how much, if any, papering was done.

The arena was sectioned off so that there weren’t any major pockets of empty seats. I think I remember Gareb Shamus or Kurt Otto saying in a conference call that the arena would be cordoned off to accommodate between 6,000-8,000 fans. I really didn’t see many empty seats so you’ve got to hand it to them for a solid turnout on a Thursday night.

It was a hot crowd with the fans reacting to all the major spots in the matches. I’m not a TV executive, but my assumption is that the show will come off very well on TV.

There were some boos but they were primarily directed at the referees for when they felt the fight should be stood up. Overall, a very knowledge and well-behaved crowd. The crowd at the Bodog show appears to be an aberration as far as MMA shows in the New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia area.

Another thing I noticed was that the fans recognized a lot of the fighters so it appears the IFL is doing a good job of establishing stars in the NJ/NY market. There were a lot of people asking for pictures and autographs. Ben Rothwell appeared to be a very busy guy and seemed real good with the fans. Also, Chris Horodecki got big reactions whenever he was shown on screen.

Also, there was a TON of media in the building. So much so that my assigned seat at ringside was occupied and I got bumped to the media section that’s used for NHL and NBA games. I’m not complaining because I finally got to meet Pramit Mohapatra from the Baltimore Sun and MMAMadness.com as well as Jeff Hamlin from the Wrestling Observer and MMAMadness.com. They are real good guys and you should all check out the re-design at MMAMadness.com.

Based on pure conjecture, I would have to say last night’s show at the Continental Arena was almost as big of a success as their show in Everett, WA. Now, I have no idea how it did from a dollar and cents standpoint and instead merely commenting from a attendance, crowd interest, organizational, and production standpoint.

After watching how well organized last night’s show was I am convinced that those who are predicting that the IFL won’t make it will be proven wrong. If they stick to the current TV format and keep building up the team concept while also learning from their mistakes when it comes to where they hold their live shows, they are going to eventually turn the corner from a business-perspective.

Speaking of organized, props go out to Jerry Milani, the IFL’s PR guru who had a great handle on the media last night.

With more shows like the last six episodes and more events like last night and the one in Everett, Wash., the IFL is only going to grow. If their business is truly stabilized, they can then start looking at ways to move forward. And with a strong product, even if they run out of cash then you’d have to think they will become an attractive buyout candidate.

Now, I can’t let the IFL go completely unscathed. I had a couple of issues.

One, the event was anti-climatic in a lot of ways.

The Silverbacks won the first three matches and clinched a berth in the finals. At that point I felt all the energy leave the building for the final two matches between the Silverbacks and Anacondas. It kind of felt like a baseball team at home going to at-bat in the bottom of the ninth even though they already have the lead.

The energy came back into the building when the hometown Pitbulls made their way to the ring for their match against the Sabers. But the energy was killed again after the Pitbulls clinched with wins in their first three matches.

There’s no obvious solution to the problem and I guess the IFL is a victim of fate in the same way the NFL, NBA, and MLB are. They can’t control the outcome of the matches just like the NFL is helpless if the Super Bowl is a blowout at half-time. But it’s an area where promotions that don’t use a team format have an advantage over the IFL.

Now, if the matches were tied 2-2 heading into the fifth, I probably wouldn’t even be bringing this up.

One thing they could do is take away the coin flip that allows the coaches to choose match lineups. The promotion could try and project outcomes and schedule the matches in an order that could increase chances of a 2-2 tie heading in the fifth match. Yes, it’s hardly an exact science but you have to think that the coaches are trying to set the fight lineups so that they win 3-0 right out of the gate.

Also, I think having individual champs next year will help alleviate some of these issues. For example, last night’s heavyweight bout between Ben Rothwell and Krysztof Soszynski was fifth in the order and was a meaningless match in regard to the team concept. However, if Rothwell was the heavyweight champ and Soszynski had been approved as a contender, it would have been a championship match, thus significant implications would still be at play.

Also, what the hell is going on with the lightweight Grand Prix!? For the past six weeks I swear I’ve heard Kenny Rice say the top four finishers in each division advance to the GP.

Well, why is it that Bart Palaszewski is in and not Shad Lierley? If you follow the correct order of tiebreakers, Lierley should be in based on the fact that his total match time this year is less than Palaszewski’s.

But the bigger issue is that when the matchups were originally announced last week Palaszewski was supposed to be fighting Chris Horodecki and John Gunderson was supposed to be fighting Wagnney Fabiano.

Then, last night they showed a graphic on the big screen with the matchups for the GP and Horodecki and Palaszewski are no longer scheduled to meet in the first round.

Was it a misprint or is the IFL trying to save a rematch between Horodecki vs. Palaszewski for the finals on 12/29?

I’m not the only one who thinks something is up because I went to the bathroom on my way out I heard fighters that shall remain nameless making a big deal about it with one labeling it “an IFL conspiracy.” He didn’t appear to be in a kidding mood, either.

Look, the IFL is a young league so I can understand that they want to make matchups that draw an optimum amount of interest. That’s cool, just be up front about it. Instead of saying the top four finishers get in, say that the top three qualify and that the fourth spot in each GP will be an at-large bid voted on by an IFL-approved selection committee.

Would at-large bids create a lot of politics? Yes, it would, but the NCAA has built a cottage industry around its selection process for its college basketball tournament.

The at-large process makes perfect sense for ’08 but what about now? Well, level with the fans and explain why the parameters previously given as the criteria for qualifying for the GP have been ignored and why the seeding of the lightweights has been changed. A fan who has invested time into the concept deserves an explanation.

I guess the silver lining is that I’m complaining about the politics in the IFL the same way I would with the NBA, NFL, or MLB. Hey, this team concept seems to be catching on…

Now, onto the matches…

Light Heavyweight – Mike Ciesnolevic (Silverbacks) defeated Alex Schoenauer (Anacondas) via split decision in a match that was very slow paced. I expected a lot more out of these two.

Welterweight - Rory Markham (Silverbacks) recorded a TKO over Chris Clements (Anacondas) at 1:17 of round one. Clements threw some decent kicks but Markham’s hands were too heavy. I was really surprised with Markham’s accuracy. You could hear a few thuds with his punches. Impressive showing.

Lightweight - Bart Palaszewski (Silverbacks) submitted Harris Sarmiento (Anacondas) with a guillotine at 1:06 of round three. Palaszewski hit takedowns in rounds one and three and showed decent standup skills, as usual.

Middleweight – Benji Radach (Anacondas) defeated Gerald Harris (Silverbacks) via TKO at 3:03 of round one. The fight was stopped after Harris couldn’t continue after getting hit with a legal, but inadvertent knee from Radach. Harris went in for the takedown and when Radach’s legs went up in the air, Harris got hit.

Heavyweight - Ben Rothwell (Silverbacks) TKO’d Krzysztof Soszynski (Anacondas) at 0:13 of round one. Rothwell looked to be in the best shape I’ve ever seen him in. Both fighters came out swinging but Soszynski couldn’t eat Rothwell’s shots. If you don’t believe that Rothwell is a top 10 heavyweight in the world right now, you need to wake up.

Silverbacks win 4-1.

Middleweight – Dan Miller (Pitbulls) caught Dave Phillips (Sabers) in a standing guillotine and submitted Phillips at 1:30 of round one. I don’t believe Phillips tapped. I think he passed out and the ref stopped it.

Heavyweight – Bryan Vetell (Pitbulls) hit a ton of knees and just wrecked Wayne Cole’s (Anacondas) lower body and earned a unanimous decision. Cole showed poor technique in that when Vetell would clinch him up, he really didn’t do anything to break the clinch and he didn’t try to bring Vetell closer in order to limit the extension for the knee strikes. He kept Vetell and at an optimum distance and Vetell tore him up. Cole had a lot of trouble moving in the third. The match got interesting at the end when Cole achieved top position following a sloppy takedown attempt by Vetell. Cole was throwing some strikes from the ground as the final bell sounded.

Lightweight – Devidias Taurosevicius (Pitbulls) upset Savant Young (Sabers) by earning a unanimous decision victory. This match earned FiveOuncesOfPain.com’s “Match of the Night” honors. I didn’t have any cash on me but I went backstage in an attempt to award them an entire case of nothing but I couldn’t find either fighter. Taurosevicius’ win sent the Pitbulls to the finals and they celebrated as if Devidias had just scored a game winning touchdown in the NFC Conference Championship game and earned the team a trip to the Super Bowl. It was pretty cool. Taurosevicius looked real impressive. So impressive that if I was Renzo Gracie, I would think about benching Erik Owings for the finals.

Welterweight - Antonio McKee (Sabers) defeated Delson Heleno (Pitbulls) via split decision. This was a huge disappointment. Both guys spent a lot of time trying to feel one another out. A slow match came to a screeching halt when McKee took a nasty crotch shot from Heleno. There was a long pause in the match while McKee tried to compose himself. Heleno then hit another low knee that took McKee’s breath away but it appeared to be on the inner thigh and not the crotch. McKee hit a big slam at one point but Heleno made a nice transition and got top position.

Light Heavyweight – Vladimir Matyushenko (Sabers) defeated Tim Boetsch (Pitbulls) via unanimous decision. I thought Boetsch would be overmatched but I was completely wrong. The kid was not intimidated in the slightest and more than held his own. He got in some decent offense and fought like he had been fighting in the IFL for the past two seasons. The guy earns extra points for fighting on short notice after having just fought this past Saturday in West Orange, NJ for Combat in the Cage. Tim Boetsch is the man. The WEC should fly him out to Vegas for Sunday’s card so that he can have three pro fights in eight days.

Pitbulls wins 3-2.

I know I caught your attention with the Tiger Schulman’s Karate teaser.

I’ll get to TSK soon. But first, I want to talk about drugs.

Many pundits have written columns on the major sites discussing steroids and offering their ideas about how the issue should be addressed by the major promotions. Thus far, there seems to be a big push for the promotions to do internal testing.

While I respect all the writers who have expressed their thoughts, I think the idea of internal testing doesn’t make much sense.

Let me preface my next statement by saying all of my dealings with the major promotions have been nothing but positive and I have no reason to question their integrity.

However, which would you rather be responsible for the testing of athletes: the promotions themselves or an outside body?

Major League Baseball has its own testing program. Do you trust it? World Wrestling Entertainment has a “wellness program.” Do you trust it?

Look, I’m not an advocate for our government and I certainly don’t always have a lot of trust in our system at times, but I think they are better suited for the task of testing fighters as opposed to the promotions themselves.

Sure, if the IFL decides to do an internal program they’ll use an independent third party. But doesn’t the term “independent third party” become an oxymoron when you take into account that any testing lab brought in by a promotion will be getting their paycheck signed by the promotion they are working for?

Again, I have no reason to doubt the IFL or any promotion that would step up and decide to do internal testing. But is it necessary?

The commissions in states where MMA is regulated do a good job. Improvements still need to be made and testing needs to be expanded. But instead of instituting internal testing, I’d rather see the promotions work directly with the state athletic commissions and let the commissions be in charge of testing.

At the end of the day, the commissions are accountable to the people while independent third parties will be accountable to the fight promotions.

I’d really like to see the promotions stress to the commissions the importance of testing every fighter that’s slated to appear on a fight card.

Another thing I’d love to see — if it’s not being done already — is blood testing.

To my knowledge, only urine is used for drug screening (I could be wrong about this). While you can test urine for a lot of substances, there are some chemicals that don’t show up in urine such as Human Growth Hormone.

HGH is used by a lot of athletes, which is why the MLB drug testing policy is a joke. They test for steroids but not HGH. Blood tests might be costly but at the very least I think any fighter competing in a title fight should be tested for HGH.

Another thing I wanted to comment on is the assertion by some people that drug usage in MMA has reached “epidemic” proportions. The statement may or not be true because I have no idea whether the fighters who have tested positive recently are just isolated offenders or if the usage is widespread. However, from my own personal myopic perspective, steroids in MMA are relatively non-existent.

When I used to lift weights a lot, I primarily trained at home. However, I would go to gyms sometimes. When training at gyms I was amazed at how rampant and wide open steroid usage was. There was no attempt to hide it in most cases. It was incredulous.

I’ve trained at several martial arts schools that had people involved with competitive martial arts. Supplement use is frequent by many fighters that I know but if they’re on the juice, they are keeping it to themselves. I’ve never been offered any kind of chemical enhancer and have never seen a guy doing anything shady in the locker room or making comments about it during my MMA travels.

I’m making a broad statement here but this is a blog entry so cut me some slack, but I just don’t think steroids are a big issue in MMA at the grass roots level. While I find a lot of people who train MMA are educated, I don’t think many are all that affluent. What does affluence have to do with steroid use? Well, that crap isn’t cheap and a guy who is working multiple jobs so that he can pay down school loans, keep up with his rent or mortgage, and trying to pay training fees doesn’t have the investment capital needed to get in the business of performance enhancers.

My theory is that fighters don’t start using until they get to the higher levels then start making real money and then start feeling the pressure. It isn’t until so much is at stake and they feel like they have something to lose that they start to consider a turn to the dark side. Hermes Franca said in his letter he felt pressured because he was injured and needed the pay day. Whether that’s true in his case remains to be seen but it’s certainly a scenario that could be true for some fighters.

Then you have a guy like Stephan Bonnar. Endorsements aren’t easy to come by in MMA and sometimes your look dictates whether you get a sponsor just as much as your record. After having fought in the smaller shows and not wanting to go back, perhaps Bonnar also felt insecure about his status in the UFC after a couple of disappointing performances and was looking for a boost.

Unfortunately, we may never know precisely why fighters are taking steroids because for the most part, they aren’t talking.

Okay, enough talk about urine and drugs because now I want to discuss something that is almost a big of a threat to MMA’s reputation as steroids.

Tiger Schulman’s MMA?

For those of you who don’t live in the Northeastern corridor of the country, Tiger Schulman’s is a franchise of Karate schools that are usually strategically located in strip malls. They fit the description of the quintessential “McDojo.”

I’m not sure if it’s a company-wide transition, but on my way from Philly to Princeton, NJ each Saturday to do my show for ESPN 920, I pass three TSK locations and they are now called “Tiger Schulman’s Mixed Martial Arts.”

My first question is: what the hell has Tiger Schulman ever accomplished in MMA?

But I guess the fact that Tiger Schulman doesn’t come from a MMA background is irrelevant because MMA is what’s hot right now and TSK (hey, all the cool kids chant it at MMA shows!) has to keep enrollment up.

If that’s how they want to run their schools, so be it. However, I’m appalled by rumors (i.e. I’ve seen a few message board posts) that Tiger Schulman’s could be trying to secure a franchise in the IFL.

I have no idea if the talk is even accurate. For all I know, people could be getting things confused with previous speculation that Tiger Schulman’s was going to have a team in Chuck Norris’ World Combat League.

But just the thought of Tiger Schulman’s having anything to do with the IFL is enough to make me throw up in my mouth.

Some of you might feel it’s unfair of me to criticize TSK considering I don’t train there. However, I have an embarrassing admission to make and that is that I once trained there about 10-12 years ago. I only trained there for a month because they couldn’t convince me my street brawling style was ineffective. Quite frankly, a lot of the techniques they tried to teach me would have caused me to get my ass kicked (blocking kicks with forearms!?). I couldn’t believe some of the stuff they tried to teach with a straight face. But hey, they can break boards and I can’t.

I’m sure they’ve changed their curriculum over the years but my experience with McDojos (I sent my son to one at one point) has been that they teach a brand of martial arts that’s just challenging enough so that you don’t quit. The goal of these insidious places with their corporate tactics designed solely to separate you from your money is to make sure you advance through their program so that you keep paying them to move up the ladder.

TSK does have an MMA team that competes in a lot of smaller shows in the Northeast. Some of their fighters are actually pretty good, though none are nationally known. I’m sure they’ve assembled a decent camp with some good trainers but how are they able to teach MMA on a widespread basis? I’d really like to know the credentials of the people teaching MMA at all of their many local schools.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been inside of a Tiger Schulman’s (bow to your Sensei!) and I’m half-tempted to take a week of free lessons just to see what it’s all about. I’ve been to a school where MMA was taught the right way so I think I’d have a good comparative frame of reference.

If there’s any shred of truth that TSK is indeed trying to get an IFL team, I pray the IFL turns them away. No amount of money is worth what it could do to their reputation. The IFL allowing Tiger Schulman to have a team would be like Morton’s Steakhouse allowing McDonald’s to supply them with the meat they use.

Underachievers article on Sportsline

I’ve received a lot of good feedback on my latest Sportsline article regarding the “Ten biggest underachievers in MMA.” I received lots of e-mail and a few responses here on the blog in addition to a few message board threads dedicated to the topic.

It’s a fun topic that has sparked some debate and I’ve been asked about some guys that didn’t make my list. I wanted to comment on a few of them, not to put myself on the defensive but because I think it’s interesting and wanted a chance to comment publicly on some of the names.

One thing I focused on as I compiled my list is whether a guy was truly an underachiever or possibly not just as good as everyone had thought.

Robbie Lawler and Phil Baroni both fell into the category of not being as good as first thought.

While I respect Baroni’s boxing skills and feel his wrestling ability is underrated, I don’t consider him a versatile fighter. He just never developed on a rapid level and I think he got as big as he did because he provided the UFC with some big knockouts and a big personality back when they needed stars in the worst way. Simply put, I think he was overrated when he had his run in the UFC.

As for Lawler, he was like a major league hitter who gets called up from the minors and hits four home runs in his first four games because he’s an excellent fastball hitter. But then that hitter struggles once there’s a book on him and pitchers realize he can’t hit a breaking ball. Lawler brought the hit with his standup and big right crosses but wasn’t as well-rounded as you’d expect an MFS fighter to be. Once fighters started taking him off his feet he was exposed.

The ironic thing is that Lawler has really improved in recent years and is a much better fighter than he was during his first run in the UFC. In my mind, he went from being overrated to being underrated.

The name of Andrei Arlovski was brought up. The Pitbull has definitely been a disappointment and I think he’s capable of more. But I don’t think he’s been underachieving long enough to make the list. If things keep up the way they’ve been going, it won’t be long though until he gets added.

Renato Sobral was also a nomination but I think his current status in MMA is correct. His submission wrestling is world class and his striking has improved. But I see him as being nothing more than a guy worthy of fighting in the UFC just outside of title contention and that just happens to be exactly where he’s at right now.

Vernon White was also suggested. Ugh, don’t get me started. Now, if you know Vernon and think he’s a good guy, that’s fine. Just don’t let your personal bias get in the way of your overall perspective of his place in MMA. He’s right where he belongs and I don’t see any potential in him that’s untapped.

Two choices that people didn’t agree with were Frank Mir and Evan Tanner. There are those who actually feel both are overachievers.

Say what?

In regard to Mir, I will concede that with the improved depth in the UFC’s heavyweight division there’s no way he would be in the title picture even if he was in his prime. However, based on his ground ability, he should at least be a middle of the road guy similar to Heath Herring. But Mir isn’t even Heath Herring! Right now, he’s more like Wes Sims.

Tanner may not be a great pure athlete but he’s an incredible fighter who could easily be the UFC middleweight champ right now if he had his act together. Some people will bristle at that statement but I think Anderson Silva is a vulnerable champion and the UFC simply has an abundance of guys who he matches up well with.

The bottom line is that Tanner would be a bad matchup for Silva. Good luck in trying to convince me otherwise.

I know he can’t stand with Silva, but who can in the 185 lbs. division? But Tanner is a far superior wrestler and if the fight got to the ground then Silva would be in a world of shit.

I’m considering doing an overachievers article next week but have only come up with Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Kenny Florian, and Matt Serra.

Anyone else have any ideas?

A 160 lbs. division sounds good to me!

I like where EliteXC President of Live Events (what an awkward title) Gary Shaw is going with his idea of possibly creating a 160 lbs. division.

The 161 lbs. division in Pride was pretty exciting and it’s a practical weight class for a lot of fighters. It’s also a good idea on Shaw’s part because it would be a way for EliteXC to differentiate their product from the competition.

It would also be a great way to showcase Nick Diaz.

You could definitely build the division around Diaz, assuming he can put the bong down. He can held his own with anyone at 170 lbs., but Cesar Gracie teammate Jake Shields is a big part of EliteXC’s welterweight division and the two of them won’t fight.

Oh, how I could also forget that at 160 lbs., Diaz is a beast!

The 160 lbs. weight class would also be perfect for a fighter not currently on the EliteXC roster. I think former Bodog welterweight champion Eddie Alvarez is made for 160 lbs.

Alvarez is undersized for 170 lbs. in my opinion. He’s thought about dropping to 155 lbs. but feels comfortable at welterweight and wants to stay there. However, he might be more open to the idea of dropping to 160 lbs. as opposed to 155 lbs.

His boxing is good enough that he can hold his own with anyone at 170 lbs., however, put him at 160 lbs. and like Diaz, he becomes a beast.

Alvarez has two fights left on his contract to Bodog and when I had him on my show on ESPN 920 several weeks back, he expressed nothing but happiness with Bodog.

However, money talks and if Elite makes a strong offer once Alvarez becomes a free agent, then you never know.

Bringing in Alvarez would be a great move for Elite because he’s significant name that could be added for an affordable price. While he wouldn’t come cheap, he wouldn’t require Sokoudjou money ($150,000 per match).

If built up properly, a match between Alvarez and Diaz could headline a pay-per-view.

It would also be one hell of a fight.

IFL vs. EliteXC?

One thing I left out in my conference call notes for the IFL yesterday is that IFL commissioner Kurt Otto once again commented on the possibility of having all the winners from the upcoming IFL World Grand Prix eventually take on another promotion’s top five in a best-of format.

Otto said he’s willing to work with just about any promotion but wouldn’t talk specific names. However, EliteXC seems like a logical partner because thus far, Gary Shaw is the only other executive of a major fight promotion that I know of willing to work with promotions other than his own.

I’d love to see it. Right now EliteXC needs to work on building their heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions but Chris Horodecki vs. Nick Diaz at lightweight, Delson Heleno vs. Jake Shields at welterweight, and Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs. Benji Radach at middleweight are intriguing matchups on paper.

But in the end, I think an EliteXC vs. IFL team challenge is unlikely to happen because Shaw has not been extremely keen on the IFL’s team concept when the topic has been brought up during conference calls.

Free agent market ripe in MMA

It’s July 26 as I write this and Fedor Emelianenko, Wanderlei Silva, Josh Barnett, Thierry Sokoudjou, Brock Lesnar, Denis Kang, and Gilbert Melendez are all still free agents.

I don’t think the MMA market in North America could handle another new promotion, but there’s enough talent out there that if there was a multi-millionaire who wanted to get involved with MMA and didn’t care about making money right away, they could throw some cash around and become an immediate player.

Tito Ortiz could also become available in the coming months and if you threw in guys like Matt Lindland and Robbie Lawler (who don’t have exclusive contracts), a newcomer to the business could make Dana White’s worst nightmare become reality.

I’m not saying, I’m just saying.

Rosholt wins MMA debut

Remember the name Jake Rosholt.

The Team Takedown member, who also trains with Randy Couture at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, won his MMA debut this past weekend in Oklahoma. Rosholt tapped Dusty Miller at 3:40 in round one during Masters of the Cage 15 in Oklahoma.

A former top college wrestler, Rosholt is one of four members of Team Takedown, a group started with the intent of recruiting top collegiate wrestlers and assisting them in making the transition to MMA.

Rosholt, Johny Hendricks, Shane Roller, and Eric Bradley all have big futures in this sport.

Where in the world is Chris Wilson?

Does anyone know what happened to former Portland Wolfpack welterweight Chris Wilson? I thought the Team Quest member was a legitimate prospect at 170 lbs. but he left the IFL and I haven’t heard about him since besides some rumors that he might be signing with Bodog.

If you know anything about Wilson’s current status, please drop me a line.

Horodecki is still recovering from a broken hand that he re-injured during a match against Shad Lierley on June 1 in Everett, Wash. The injury means that we won’t get to see a rematch between Horodcecki and Bart Palaszewski of the Silverbacks.