Phil Baroni, making his debut as a welterweight for the Cage Rage promotion in the UK, scored what is being described as a highlight reel first-round knockout over “Contenders” (Cage Rage’s feeder promotion) graduate Scott Jansen.

After the fight, Baroni was described as approaching the fallen Jansen in order to check on his condition, but that he received a headbutt for his troubles from someone in Jansen’s corner. Baroni reportedly backed off and didn’t try to escalate the situation.

Also at Cage Rage 27 in London last night, heavyweight Neil Grove TKO’d Robert “Buzz” Berry in the second round. Grove made his Cage Rage debut at Cage Rage 22 in July of last year. Competing as a virtual unknown at the time, he recorded a stunning upset when he knocked out James Thompson just 10 seconds into the fight. He followed up his strong debut with a TKO over Berry following the first round at Cage Rage 24 last December but last a majority decision to Rob Broughton at Cage Rage 25 in March.

You might recall Berry as the fighter that knocked out Ken Shamrock at 3:26 of round 1 during Cage Rage 25. The loss to Grove drops him to 0-2 in head-to-head meetings with him with his overall record now standing at 12-7.

The outcome of Grove vs. Berry II is of interest because there have been some rumblings that the winner of last night’s fight would be awarded a shot to fight Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson during the third installment of “Saturday Night Fights” on CBS. However, EliteXC has yet to make an announcement of any kind regarding the matter.

In other Baroni-related news, the President of the Palace Fighting Championships announced via MixedMartialArts.com that Baroni will be fighting on the promotion’s Sept. 26 in Lemoore, Calif. card against Olaf Alfonso. On the same card, Brian Cobb is also scheduled to defend his PFC lightweight title against Lance Wipf. Also scheduled to appear are WEC veterans Antonio Banuelos, Charlie Valencia, and Del Hawkins.

In other Saturday fight news:

– Paul Daley formally ended his short-lived retirement last night during a Cage Warriors event in Nottingham, England last night. Facing undefeated Bojan Kosednar at the Harvey Haddon Sports Centre, Daley reportedly recorded a knockout at 4:53 of round 1. Indications are that with the win, Daley’s next fight is expected to take place in the U.S. under the EliteXC promotional banner.

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Earlier this week it was revealed that Phil Baroni would be dropping a weight class to welterweight to change things up for his career and see where 170 lbs. can take him. At the time it was unknown who Baroni would face in his first fight at welterweight but it seems now that question has been answered.

According to The Fight Network, Baroni will face off against Cage Rage Contenders veteran Scott Jansen, who is 3-2 in his MMA career with all three of his wins coming by way of KO or TKO. It would seem that Jansen is tailor-made for a guy like Baroni, who is known for his one punch knockout ability.

If Baroni loses this one, there’s no telling where his MMA career goes from here. This is as big of a “gimme” fight that he’s ever had in his career. It would be wise for him to hit the gym, hit it hard, work on cardio and make the best of an opportunity.

MMA Weekly’s got the scoop:

Pavia did say, however, “Whoever Phil’s next fight is, it will take place at 170 pounds.” He said that in surveying the MMA landscape, there aren’t many fighters in the welterweight division with the one-punch knockout power that Baroni possesses, presenting an opportunity for Baroni to move into the weight class for the first time in his career.

“He’s going to fight at 170,” said Pavia. “He’s at 182 (pounds) right now.”

This could be just what Baroni needs to rejuvenate his career. We’ll see, only time will tell. 170 lbs. is a stacked weight class across the board and there are more than enough intriguing matchups for him there. No matter what, he’s a showman and an entertaining fighter so no matter what weight class he’s at, people are going to watch. Best of luck to Baroni at the new weight class.

Despite having lost two consecutive fights, EliteXC middleweight fighter Phil Baroni is just as feisty as ever.

Baroni, who will try to snap his losing streak during EliteXC’s first-ever CBS broadcast on May 31 in a middleweight bout against Joe Villasenor, did not hold back during a Thursday conference call to promote the event. For certain members of the mainstream media, it was their first introduction to Baroni.

The “New York Bad Ass” made it a memorable one.

“This interferes with my workout to listen to this bulls**t interview thing,” Baroni began during his opening statement. “What am I doing? I have no idea. What do you want? I’m sick of asking questions. It’s time to fight. I got my f***king mouthpiece in right now. Smokin’ Joe Villase?or owes me a knockout.”

Soon after, he went so far as to ask a female reporter what she was wearing. Later, one reporter made the bold decision to ask Baroni about his ground game.

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Our good friend from MMARated.com, Ariel Helwani, conducted a very entertaining interview with Phil Baroni that I recommend you check out.

Ariel had to take a little verbal abuse, but the end result were some good quotes:

Ariel Helwani: Were you happy with your performance against Hose?

Phil Baroni: What the f— do you think? Was I happy with my performance against Hose? What are you retarded?

Ariel Helwani: There has been talk of a rematch in the works…does that interest you?

Phil Baroni: F— yeah it does. I’ll fight anybody anytime, especially that guy. No hard feelings, Kala (Hose) is a nice kid. But I owe him an ass-kicking. And that Icon belt ain’t too shabby. F—, I love Hawaii…sign me up.

Ariel Helwani: You’re next fight is against Murilo Ninja Rua on CBS. Did you ever think, when you started out in this sport, that you would get a chance to fight on a network like CBS?

Phil Baroni: No, nobody did. Not the fighters anyway. Back then you weren’t fighting to become rich or famous. You did it because you loved it. You wanted to compete (and) prove yourself.

Click here to read the interview in its entirety.

A middleweight match between Phil Baroni and former EliteXC middleweight champion Murilo “Ninja” Rua has been signed for EliteXC’s debut show on CBS on May 31.

Stephanie Daniels, co-host of the Internet radio show Cageside Live was the first to break the news. Upon seeing Daniels’ announcement, ProElite.com (SamCaplan.ProElite.com) confirmed with Baroni through text message that the match has been signed.

Baroni recently returned to active competition following a six-month suspension handed down by the California State Athletic Commission for testing positive for a banned steroid. The original suspension was for a year but was reduced following a December appeal hearing. Baroni continues to maintain his innocence.

Baroni, 10-9, returned on March 15 during an ICON Sport show in Honolulu, Hawaii. He challenged Kala “Kolohe” Hose for the vacant ICON middleweight title but lost via TKO at 1:45 into round 5 in spite of a strong showing in the first round of the fight.

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

There was so much MMA action from this past weekend that I am still catching up. The problem though is that this sport never stops. There really is little time to play catchup because each day brings a whole new list of to-dos.

I was able to watch Eddie Alvarez vs. Andre Dida from DREAM.1, Phil Baroni vs. Kala Kolohe Hose at ICON Sport, and Jake Rosholt vs. Chad Jay from the Xtreme Fighting League.

I’ll start with Alvarez vs. Dida. I felt it was a great match and I was really impressed with Alvarez’s performance. It was kind of strange seeing Alvarez fight as such a light weight. I don’t remember seeing him that small before but he looked good. Alvarez showed some very good wrestling skill in the fight and his takedowns were solid. He also showed a strong chin in that he took several big shots from Dida and was able to maintain.

It wasn’t a flawless performance though as I felt he missed some opportunities to execute an armbar and a couple of rear naked chokes. Alvarez’s punching was solid but not quite as accurate as it normally is. There really aren’t many fighters with better technical boxing than Alvarez so I hold him to a different standard.

All in all though, it was a great lightweight debut for Alvarez and he definitely has a huge future at 155-160 lbs. It was a strong win against a a top guy in Dida.

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

From a Pro Elite press release in my inbox:

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 9, 2008) – One of the toughest-talking, hardest-fighting, most colorful competitors in Mixed Martial Arts, Phil “The New York Bad Ass’’ Baroni, has signed a multi-year contract with Los Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.’s Live Fight Division, EliteXC.

“You know any Jersey boy like me likes a ‘New York Bad Ass’ and Phil’s definitely as bad as they come,’’ said EliteXC Live Events President, Gary Shaw, who made the announcement Saturday. “Phil is a promoter’s dream. He’s a character but also as courageous a fighter as I’ve been around.

“But what I truly love about him is he always comes not only to fight but to win and put on a show. He’s a crowd-pleaser extraordinaire. This is a great addition to the EliteXC family and we are thrilled to sign him. Fans can expect to see Phil back in the cage and fighting his heart out very soon.’’

Baroni’s next fight is March 15 on the EliteXC Hawaii-based Icon Sport promotion. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

EliteXC’s middleweight division may possibly be the deepest middleweight division in mixed martial arts right now with the likes of Riki Fukuda, Robbie Lawler, Murilo Rua, David Louiseau, and Kala Kolohe Hose. Great addition to the ranks for EliteXC. This probably also means that the rumored fight between Baroni and Sanae Kikuta at World Victory Road’s inaugural Sengoku event on March 5th is off.

UPDATE: Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that Baroni will fight Kala Kolohe Hose at the ICON Sport event on March 15th for the vacant ICON Sport middleweight title. Robbie Lawler was stripped of the title due to an inability to defend it.

Here’s a video interview of Baroni right after the announcement:

In a classic move in the world of Japanese MMA, World Victory Road announced yesterday that Phil Baroni has signed a deal with them to fight Sanae Kikuta in March. Well, according Baroni’s agent, Ken Pavia, that’s not exactly the case:

“World Victory Road is a viable possibility, but we have several other offers on the table and we have to weigh all of our options to make sure that we make the correct move for Phil.”

“World Victory Road has made an attractive offer,” continued Pavia, “but at this point, we just haven’t had enough time to weigh all of our options and make a decision.”

Textbook move from the upstart Japanese promotion. It’s hard to tell where Baroni will end up. According to reports, he has an offer from the WEC, EliteXC, and World Victory Road in Japan. He thinks the WEC is below him. He’s not getting into the UFC. He sort of had to beat Frank Shamrock to get into the UFC and that didn’t happen. The only options left are EliteXC and World Victory Road. EliteXC probably won’t be willing to spend the type of money that Baroni wants, so World Victory Road looks like the most sensible option for Baroni.

Check out more Phil Baroni content on FiveOuncesofPain.com

Phil Baroni indicates that he could resume fighting as early as March and that he has received recent offers to resume his fighting career from promotions such as EliteXC and WEC, he reveals in a new interview with PunchDrunkGamer.com:

I received an offer from Showtime’s Elite XC. And I received one from the WEC – which to me is different then the UFC, it’s a step down. I don’t see guys moving up to the UFC; I think there will always be WEC fighters. I don’t want to do that. I have a lot more fights in me then that. But I’ve received offers from Showtime and a new show in Japan that just opened up. I’m trying to figure out what I am doing next, but first I need to get in shape before I can do anything.

Baroni recently became eligible to fight after a one-year suspension levied by the California State Athletic Commission for testing positive for steroids following a June 22 fight vs. Frank Shamrock was reduced to six months.

Baroni would seem like ideal fits for both EliteXC and the WEC. Despite an unimpressive 10-8 record, his charismatic personality has allowed him to become a highly marketable fighter in mixed martial arts.

The Zuffa-owned WEC has been looking for name middleweight fighters for the past several months following the departures of Joe Riggs and Jason “Mayhem” Miller. The promotion had been negotiating with Frank Trigg at one point and was believed to have had an interest in Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.

The WEC, which is looking to hold shows outside of Las Vegas in 2008, would be able to promote a potential fight between Baroni and the promotion’s current middleweight champion, Paulo Filho that could attract a lot of interest.

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

According to Sherdog.com, Baroni’s suspension has been reduced by the CSAC from a year to six months and it will be retroactive, meaning that while waiting for his hearing, he has been basically serving the suspension:

Phil Baroni, who tested positive for boldenone and stanozolol metabolites following his submission defeat to Frank Shamrock on June 22 in San Jose, has had his suspension reduced from one year to six months, the California State Athletic Commission ruled on Wednesday afternoon.

The suspension will run retroactive from June 22, making Baroni, 31, eligible to return in December. The New Yorker’s fine of $2500 was upheld.

The CSAC shot down two motions: one to upload the year-long suspension and the other to lift all sanctions. The third and final motion had three votes in favor, two against and one tally for an extension.

This is not only good news for Baroni, but good news for Sean Sherk as well. I would expect the CSAC to reduce his suspension and also make it retroactive from July, meaning he would be eligible to fight in January. BJ Penn v. Joe Stevenson? Hold your horses on that one just yet.

Damon Martin and Jeff Cain of MMAWeekly.com are reporting that Hermes Franca’s one-year suspension for testing positive for steroids at UFC 73 was upheld today by the California State Athletic Commission. Franca had requested a lighter sentence.

Also, individual requests by Phil Baroni and Sean Sherk to have their appeal hearings delayed until October were both granted by the commission.

Sherk tested positive at UFC 73 while Baroni tested positive for the June 22 show co-promoted by Strikeforce and EliteXC in San Jose.

For more details, check out Martin and Cain’s reports at MMAWeekly.com by clicking here and here.

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.

The California State Athletic Commission announced Tuesday afternoon that Phil Baroni has tested positive for steroids. According to the commission, traces of Boldenone and Stanozolol Metabolites both showed up in his system. Baroni has been fined $2,500 and will be suspended a year, pending appeal.

Baroni’s manager, Ken Pavia, indicated to MMAWeekly.com that he and his client intend to challenge the test results.

“While we respect the process and intent of the test we are disappointed with the results as they are completely unexpected,” Pavia said during an exclusive interview with the web site.

Through Pavia, Baroni has asked that people withhold judgment for the time being. However, if the test results are accurate than this is very disappointing. It’s bad for MMA and bad for Baroni. He did an amazing job in promoting his bout with Frank Shamrock and showed a lot of heart during the bout. Despite the loss he had put himself in a position for a decent contract offer because there are so many promotions popping up right now. But he’ll be on the sidelines for a year if CSAC rules against his appeal.

I’m really sick of steroids in sports and don’t understand why so many athletes assume the risk because it’s not worth it. And please, don’t send me any comments or e-mails telling me that the media misrepresents the dangers of steroid use. Yes, I saw the story on HBO Real Sports several months back. However, steroids and HGH affect people in different ways. Some people can use the stuff and keep their s— together while others become a total mess physically and mentally. Furthermore, steroids are illegal unless prescribed by a doctor!

The official account for Phil Baroni on the Underground forum at MMA.tv has responded to comments he attributes UFC president Dana White making in the Wrestling Observer.

Here’s what Phi is responding to in the Observer:

“In the new wrestlingobserver, Dave Meltzer says that in a new interview Dana admitted that watching Frank beat Baroni was “painful”. He also says he’d like to sign Frank to a two fight deal where he’d fight Rich Franklin, then Anderson Silva next. “

He said Franklin would “knock his head off his shoulders” and then Silva would “kill him.”

Phil’s response was short and sweet:

I dont think so.

And I like my chances against either one.

In regard to Dana saying that watching Frank beat Baroni was “painful.”

What was so bad to watch? I had my moments in the fight. I walked out of cage on my own power. Unlike my opponent.

Anderson Silva, Franklin was painful to watch.

I could name a few more that were more painful recently but I wont go there.

Franklin should have to fight me inorder to get a shot at Frank.

Its all good in the hood. Every dog has his day. Ill keep fighting like one until I get mine.

NYBA

Phil B

Phil Baroni is expected to undergo surgery this week to repair a hernia and torn groin muscle, according to his agent, Ken Pavia. Baroni will be sidelined for three months as he recovers and won’t be able to train during that time. Pavia estimated that it could be 6-7 months before we see Baroni fight again.

MMAOnTap.com has the full story at:

http://www.mmaontap.com/mma/entry/phil-baroni-out-for-6-7-months/

I thought last night’s show on Showtime pay-per-view was great. It was the second best MMA show I’ve seen this year, just behind Pride 33. All the matches were good and none of them were bad.

I was really impressed with how Showtime covered the event. I like how they cover it like a sport in contrast to the UFC. It’s refreshing that they do a custom intro the same way a network does for an NFL or baseball game as opposed to the canned intro that the UFC uses. Little things such as the pro wrestling-style entrances (having them announced before they get to the cage), trying to get locker room interviews after the fight, and some of the graphics packages used (like listing the card at the top of the show) were greatly appreciated. I also really like the lighting concept they use. I just think that after all these years that it’s time for the UFC to really step up their production. I actually think the WEC telecasts look better than the UFC’s. The pacing of the show was also excellent.

There are still some areas of improvement though. I think the entrance music needs to be mic’d better, the crowd should be mic’d better (you couldn’t really hear much of them until Cung Le vs. Tony Fryklund and Frank Shamrock vs. Phil Baroni), and that there should be more crowd shots.

I thought Mauro Ranallo did an excellent job on play-by-play and that Jay Glazer (he wasn’t perfect though, I didn’t agree with some of the comments he made about submissions) did well too. However, Bill Goldberg just isn’t progressing like I thought he’d be able to. He knows more about MMA than he lets on. Some of his comments can also be downright unprofessional at times. I also thought it was terrible how late in the first round he said the fight between Shamrock and Baroni is over. If someone is going to make that pronouncement, it should be Mauro. Goldberg isn’t a bad guy but I just think they need someone in his place that can bring more technical knowledge to the booth. It would be great to have a former fighter on the telecast who can explain to the viewer the fighter’s perspective when a fighter goes to the ground similar to what Frank Mir does on the WEC shows.

I still don’t understand the decision to have Bill Goldberg do the in-ring and locker room interviews instead of Jay Glazer. Glazer is a sideline report for the NFL on FOX and it’s a role that he excels at. I’ll give Goldberg some credit, he handled the situation where Baroni sunshined him pretty well. I mean, what the hell was that!?

Also, can someone please tell Gary Shaw to stay out of the cage after the fights? I know he comes from boxing so he should know better than to pull the old Don King move. In the past he’s criticized Dana White for trying to be a celebrity saying that EliteXC will be about the fighters. Some of Shaw’s actions contradict his words.

Now, onto the fights…

Shamrock vs. Baroni - It was going to be hard to live up to all the pre-fight hype but that’s exactly what the fight managed to do. I was really surprised at hard some of Shamrock’s shots appeared on camera. It looked like he was really packing some pop. Did he look like the same Frank Shamrock who left the game in ‘99? No. But did he look like the same Frank Shamrock who got taken down at will against Renzo Gracie this past February? No to that either. I was wrong about Shamrock as it’s obvious he still has something left in the tank. I will give Baroni a ton of credit for taking a lot of those shots. He displayed a great chin and a ton of heart. Most fighters never would have made it out of the first round. He was clearly hurt early because by the end of the first round he wasn’t moving his feet or head. I actually thought he might have been fighting on “auto-pilot” at one point (meaning that he might not remember most of the fight). I thought Baroni was turning the tide in the second half at one point. As for Shamrock coming into the fight injured, hats off to him if that’s the case. But with Frank Shamrock, you never know what’s real and what isn’t. Was it his way of trying to protect himself in the event of a loss? Or was he embellishing to make the win appear even more dramatic? Regardless, he needed a big win last night in order to remain a box office draw and he got the job done against a game opponent.

Cung Le vs. Tony Fryklund - I don’t know what Fryklund’s deal is. He stood with Duane Ludwig last December and paid the price and he paid the price last night. Le put on a clinic and if it was your first time seeing him, now you know why myself and a lot of other people hype the guy so much. He’s great for the sport and I hope we see a lot more of him. The problem is that he’s becoming such a huge draw in San Jose that Strikeforce is probably feeling like they need to protect him. I’d love to see a Shamrock vs. Le fight but is it a risk Strikeforce wants to take?

Ninja Rua vs. Villasenor - Rua looked great last night. I’m really excited that he looked like the Ninja of old and he could prove to be a huge acquisition for EliteXC. Villasenor fought well but I think Glazer made a great point about him being over-analytical. It’s great to be able to think in the cage/ring but sometimes you need to be able to act on instinct when a curve is thrown your way. He allowed Rua to take him out of his game and forced him to fight a more aggressive style that didn’t suit him. Hopefully EliteXC will go out and sign some more middleweights because I’m not really interested in seeing Rua vs. David Loiseau or Niko Vitale. I would love it if EliteXC brought in Robbie Lawler.

Paul Buentello vs. Carter Williams - Well, I asked in my preview as to which Carter Williams we’d see and we didn’t see the kid who won the K-1 U.S. Grand Prix in 2003. He really looked to be in terrible shape. He fought at 225 in his prime in K-1 and when he got out of shape, the heaviest he weighed was 250 lbs. Last night he weighed in at 265.5 lbs. Way too much fat and water weight on his body. Because of his height, I really believe that Williams could make light heavyweight (even when he weighed 225 lbs. he still had a lot of water weight). I know Strikeforce was excited when they signed him and so was I, so they had to be disappointed with his lack or preparation. Hopefully someone will sit him down and explain to him that MMA is no joke and just because you have a K-1 resume doesn’t mean you can take your competition lightly because as Glazer said, Buentello is a cagey fighter. He showed great generalship and deserves credit for his fighting style. I really earned more respect for Buentello based on his performance last night.

Berto vs. Valenzuela - I spoke to Valenzuela last week vs. phone and was pulling for him. He really has worked hard to become a more well-rounded fighter and has a strong passion for MMA. However, he got caught way too easily and I’m not sure he should be fighting on a national stage right now. As for Berto, I think it was Glazer who said he’s a better fighter than Krazy Horse and I agree 100%. Berto has a ton of potential and can fight on his feet and on the ground. He’s without question a top lightweight prospect. I don’t think we need to see a Bennett vs. Valenzuela rematch at this point so I’d love to see Berto choke Krazy Horse out.

Josh Thomson vs. Nick Gonzalez - Gonzalez worked hard in preparing for the fight but he ran into a UFC-caliber lightweight. If Thomson was in the UFC, he’d be a top-five lightweight. That’s how good he is. Overall, it was a good fight for what it was.

Duane Ludwig vs. Paul Daley - This match was U.S.-style kickboxing vs. Dutch-style Muay Thai and Dutch-style won. I really was surprised because I thought Ludwig would be able to stand with Daley and as good of a striker as Ludwig was, Daley was a definitive level above him. The fight was a lot better than some gave it credit for because there was little energy in the Arena left after a main event that delivered the goods.

I think Strikeforce and EliteXC’s futures both look bright. Scott Coker has done a good job of bringing in strong fighters with a crowd pleasing style. Strikeforce owns San Jose and it has a lot to do with Coker’s vision. As for EliteXC, they have some strong prospects under contract now in Jake Shields Berto, Rua, Daley, and Carano. If they can bring Sokoudjou in, then they’ll really be in business. And don’t forget, Nick Diaz is signed to EliteXC and will start fighting for them when he comes off suspension. The talent roster needs to be expanded, but they already have a lot of impressive fighters on the roster. As a part of the Shamrock settlement I believe that Showtime will have to televise 2-3 Strikeforce shows on PPV. I actually think that’s a good thing because their talent roster is so strong. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see more of Cung Le?

My full preview of tomorrow’s Frank Shamrock vs. Phil Baroni main event and most of the undercard matches is available at:

http://cbs.sportsline.com/mmaboxing/story/10232977

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, both Shamrock and Baroni opened up at -115 ($115 needs to be wagered in order to win $100) but the line moved to -140 after heavy betting on Baroni.

For the record, I am picking Shamrock to win via decision but I wouldn’t bet the fight because it’s a match that could truly go either way.

Back when UFC couldn’t even get televised on PPV in the late ’90s, I would watch tapes of Shamrock. He was simply the man and was the first true dual-threat in MMA. However, a first round knockout in March ‘06 against Cesar Gracie didn’t impress me. Gracie is a great MMA trainer with the likes of Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez, Nate Diaz, and Nick Diaz in his camp but he was 40 and making his MMA debut.

I was even less impressed with Shamrock after Renzo Gracie took him down at will this past February. Renzo’s pure Jiu-Jitsu is great but is “MMA Jit-Jitsu” is questionable. He isn’t a good wrestler and isn’t a strong leg attacker but was able to clutch Shamrock and get him to the ground. That said to me that Shamrock may not have kept up with contemporary MMA. Maybe that’s why he went to Team Quest in Temecula, Calif. a few weeks before the Friday’s fight?

Baroni is going to have a huge size advantage on Frank and is a threat because of his punching power. Cardio is a question mark even though he usually catches a second win in the third round when his non-title fights go the distance. But I received word from inside Baroni’s camp at Xtreme Couture that he’s in amazing shape.

So while I am picking Shamrock to win, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Baroni won. Taking a decision in Shamrock’s backyard might be impossible so Baroni will need to take it via KO or TKO.

Another name to watch on the card is Cung Le. I can’t say enough about the guy. If you haven’t seen him fight before, do yourself a favor and order the pay-per-view.

I’m also eager to see Carter Williams. Are we going to see the same Williams who won the ‘03 U.S. leg of the K-1 Grand Prix at the age of 23 or the guy who just never was able to live up to the hype after that?

Make sure you check out the CBS Sportsline MMA page at cbs.sportsline.com/mmaboxing because I have interviews up with Phil Baroni, Cung Le, B.J. Penn, Jens Pulver, and Manny Gamburyan along wiht my story on Sokoudjou.

Follow the link for an update on this Friday’s co-promoted card by EliteXC and Strikeforce:

http://cbs.sportsline.com/mmaboxing/story/10232110

The California State Athletic Commission has cleared both Phil Baroni and Murilo Rua for this Friday’s pay-per-view card from San Jose, Calif. that is being co-promoted by EliteXC and Strikeforce.

Rua will fight Joey Villasenor for the vacant EliteXC middleweight title while Baroni will take on Frank Shamrock for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight title.