Dave Herman vs. Kerry Schall

Mamed Khalidov vs. Jason Guida

Anthony Lapsley vs. Mike Stumpf

Alexander Shlemenko vs. Robert McDaniel.

Lyle Beerbohm vs. Rafaello Oliveira

Click here for full event results!

Photos: Esther Lin/EliteXC

The promotion is back at it tonight (11 p.m. ET, SHOWTIME), promoting its third event in three weeks. On paper, it appears that tonight’s lineup could be just as strong as the ShoXC event two weeks ago at the Chumash Resort & Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif.

Below is preview with predictions for the five bouts that are scheduled to be televised.

Dave Herman vs. Kerry Schall

Herman is one of the most unconventional athletes in all of MMA. Evoking some shades of the late-Evan Tanner, Herman has taken a solid amateur wrestling background and has coupled it with self-taught MMA training on his way to a 11-0 start to his MMA career.

Currently 2-0 while competing under the EliteXC banner, Herman is coming off his most notable win to date this past June during the promotion’s “Return of the King” event in which he TKO’d former PRIDE and UFC veteran Ron Waterman at 2:19 of round 1.

For this fight, Herman deviated a bit in his preparation, as he elected to spend some time out of his home state of Indiana in order to get in some training with a former UFC heavyweight champion.

“I am still training alone and, no, I’m not really worried about joining a camp or team although I went and trained for a week in Las Vegas a few weeks ago,” Herman told reporters on Thursday. “I worked on striking and how to block a punch … without using my face. I sparred with Frank Mir. That was fun.”

The 37-year old Schall is a veteran from the second season of Spike TV’s hit reality show The Ultimate Fighter. He departed the show without having competed after injuring his knee. That’s just one example of how the 10-year veteran has dealt with bad luck throughout his entire career.

His string of bad luck dates back to 2001 while competing for the Rings promotion in Japan. Rings officials approached Schall’s manager, Monte Cox, with a proposed match against a short, inexperienced, and unassuming Russian heavyweight. Cox and Schall ventured to Japan under the impression they were looking at a layup victory against a tomato can. Unfortunately, the unassuming Russian heavyweight turned out to be a then 25-year old Fedor Emelianenko, who was competing in just his sixth pro fight.

Fedor ended up demolishing Schall, submitting him at 1:47 of round 1. The rest, shall we say, is history?
While Schall is a respected journeyman who knows his way around the cage, it’s hard to envision him being able to hang with Herman for very long. Both come from a wrestling base but Schall is notorious for exercising poor judgment in his game plans and has routinely stood in the pocket and traded with fighters as opposed to trying to take them to the ground.

Tonight looks to be no different, as Schall will almost certainly try and stand and trade with Herman. Despite Herman’s wrestling background at Indiana-Bloomington, it’s his standup which has turned heads thus far. The lanky Herman has no formal striking training but has proved dangerous with knees from the clinch as well as kicks. If Schall is properly conditioned, he might want to pressure Herman and test his stamina by taking him to the ground in an attempt to try and gas him early. Maybe going to the ground with Herman doesn’t sound like a great strategy, but it will give him better odds of winning than if he elects to just stand with him.

Prediction: Herman TKOs Schall in the first round, setting up one half of what potentially could be a future EliteXC heavyweight title shot against Brett Rogers.

Mamed Khalidov vs. Jason Guida

A lot of people think Guida was signed by EliteXC because the promotion intends to develop him after all the attention he garnered following his ill-fated attempt to qualify for the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Maybe that’s really the case, but I’m not so sure. I believe more than likely Guida was chosen for this fight because he is from the area and could be a ticket seller in a bout that is probably really more of a showcase for Khalidov than anyingth else.

Guida, who is listed as 17-17, according to Sherdog’s fight finder, could actually be somewhere around 25-17. While speaking to reporters on Thursday, he acknowledged that the inability to make weight for TUF 8 was his fault and that he’s rectified the situation.

“I know what I’m capable of and I’ve changed my diet,” said Guida. “I know what I need to do. I got lazy; the training was there but I just wasn’t disciplined or focused and I wasn’t mentally there. I am now.”

Khalidov, 17-3-1, is a native of Grozny, Chechnya who fled to Poland due to his objection of fighting for the Chechen national army. While Khalidov considered himself to be a fighter, he did not consider himself to be a killer. But don’t let his decision to evade military service fool you, he does not lack a killer instinct when it comes to fighting in the ring, as he did not earn the nickname “Cannibal” by accident.

An intriguing prospect who could factor into the EliteXC light heavyweight title picture sooner rather than later, Khalidov is still untested. Dominating the Polish MMA scene is one thing while making your mark in the U.S. is another. However, Guida should be a relatively easy test. While Guida’s strength is wrestling, Khalidov is very capable when it comes to submissions. Khalidov’s standup has made strides in recent fights and while he still has much room for improvement in that department, his striking could already been better than Guida’s.

Prediction: Khalidov via second round submission.

Anthony Lapsley vs. Mike Stumpf

In a promotion starving for 170 pound prospects to step up and challenge current EiteXC welterweight champion Jake Shields, Lapsley probably would already have competed for the promotion had it not been for his questionable judgment in the past.

The current King of the Cage welterweight champion, Lapsley, 13-3, has been plagued in his career by inconsistency. The father to six children, Lapsley also spent time on the sidelines following a six month suspension handed down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after he tested positive for marijuana following a victory over Jaime Jara at King of the Cage’s “Arch Rivals” event in Oct. of 2007. He paid an even bigger price after NSAC overturned the victory and ruled it a no contest. It’s a win that would look pretty good on his resume in light of Jara handing Giva Santana his first-ever loss at EliteXC’s ShoXC event from two weeks ago.

A top-shelf athlete, the 28-year old former amateur wrestler needs to step up and show improved striking in this bout. Lapsley is aware that he needs to become a more technical striker and has been working with a boxing coach in recent months.

He’ll have his work cut out for him tonight against the 10-1 Stumpf, who is a student of Jeff Curran’s and every bit the prospect that Lapsley is. The 21-year old Stumpf is a good wrestler who is coming off the highest-profile victory of his career after TKO’ing Dom O’Grady at 3:52 of round 2 during Adrenaline MMA’s first-ever show on June 14, 2008.

This fight will be interesting because their wrestling backgrounds could neutralize each other’s attempts to bring the fight to the ground and turn this into a standup affair between two less-than-technical strikers. In the end, Lapsley’s experience and athleticism could prove to be the difference.

Prediction: Lapsley will swing for the fences and connect in the second round, winning via KO.

Alexander Shlemenko vs. Bubba McDaniel

This is a big spot for McDaniel, who is coming off a non-title victory against ICON Sport middleweight champion Kala Kolohe this past June during a non-televised bout at EliteXC’s “Return of the King” event.

McDaniel’s standup is still unproven, but his submission game makes him a very dangerous fighter. Ten of his 12 wins have come via tapout so Shlemenko needs to keep the native Texan on his feet or run the risk of suffering the same fate as Kolohe.

Shlemenko is a talented Russian fighter who is 29-5 in documented fights. However, he has competed in various forms of combat and has recorded even more victories in undocumented bouts. The 24-year old from Siberia has won his last six fights but still has yet to breakthrough as a big-time fighter. He attempted to do so in 2005-2006, as he ventured to Brazil in hopes of asserting himself against higher-profile opponents. However, he went 0-3 in fights against Brazilian icon Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons (twice) and DREAM middleweight Grand Prix finalist Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.

Shlemenko is a knockout artist who can finish fights from the clinch. Known for having good cardio, his takedown defense is also considered an asset. It will come in handy tonight against a ground specialist such as McDaniel. Unless McDaniel gets the fight to the floor early, this could be a short fight.

Prediction: Shlemenko via first round TKO.

Rafaello Oliveira vs. Lyle Beerbohm

Oliveira is making his debut for EliteXC after accumulating a 5-0 MMA record while competing on a sporadic basis the past few years. Currently an instructor in Knoxville, Tenn., the native Brazilian once trained in Hawaii with B.J. Penn and still travels out to Hilo on occasion to help Penn prepare for his fights.

Beerbohm is also undefeated at 7-0 and has competed once before for EliteXC in a non-televised bout. A talented wrestler, Beerbohm is not known for having the most exciting fights and has yet to encounter an elite-level opponent.

It will be interesting to see how this opener plays out because the wrestler vs. jiu-jitsu expert matchup doesn’t always lend itself to a lot of action.

Prediction: Beerbohm via unanimous decision.

Wilson Reis vs. Abel Cullum

Jaime Jara vs. Giva Santana

Jaime Jara vs. Giva Santana

David Douglas vs. Malaipet

David Douglas vs. Malaipet

Matt Makowski vs. Erik Apple

Shane Del Rosario vs. Carl Seumanutafa

Photos: Tom Casino/EliteXC

FiveOuncesOfPain.com confirmed the news on Tuesday with EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw.

Guida, the older brother of UFC lightweight competitor Clay Guida, will debut during the promotion’s Oct. 10 ShoXC event at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana. Shaw could not comment on his opponent, but sources have informed Five Ounces of Pain that Guida is expected to fight Polish middleweight/light heavyweight prospect Mamed Khalidov.

Guida’s record varies greatly depending on what source you refer to but is 17-17, according to Sherdog’s fight finder. In addition to TUF, Guida has received national exposure on HDNet while competing in the main event of the debut show for Adrenaline MMA this past June. Facing heavyweight Mike Russow, Guida lost via first round submission. He also has suffered notable defeats against Terry Martin, Thales Leites, Travis Wiuff, Rory Markham, Vernon White, and Marvin Eastman.

Khalidov has competed exclusively in Poland and Lithuania and if he finalizes an agreement with EliteXC, the Oct. 10 show would mark his first fight on U.S. soil. Currently on a six fight win streak, Khalidov is 9-3 overall.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com was the first to report several months ago that half-brothers Torrance Taylor (pictured) and Tiawan Howard had signed multi-fight contracts with EliteXC. And now we can be the first to report that they have been added to EliteXC’s ShoXC event to take place on Friday, Oct. 10 at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana.

We confirmed the news while speaking with their manager, Mike Camp of F1 Management.

While opponents have yet to be finalized, EliteXC officials have confirmed that tentative matchups have been set for the two. Taylor, a dynamic lightweight striker, is likely to face former UFC veteran Jeff Cox while Howard, who normally competes at welterweight, will move up to middleweight to face Hector Urbina.

Both Taylor and Howard made it to the finals of the IFL Draft during the promotion’s tryouts in New York last year. They were part of an impressive class that included James “Binky” Jones and Jim Bova of EliteXC, Danillo Villefort of the WEC, Matt Brown of the UFC, former BodogFIGHT veteran Matt Lee, and top unsigned prospects LeVon Maynard of Virginia and Al Iaquinta of New York.

Taylor, 20, is just 7-4, according to Sherdog’s fight finder, but holds three career victories over former UFC veterans Jason Dent, Junior Assuncao, and Luke Caudillo. His two most recent victories were in May against Assuncao while competing for the AFL and then in June against Caudillo during a Ring of Fire show.

Howard, 33, is 5-2 according to Sherdog’s fight finder. His four fight win streak was snapped on August 2 in a decision loss to Micah Bender during the IFBL’s Fight Night 12. Prior to that he recorded consecutive wins over Mohammed Rashad, Mark Lesley, Travis Burnett, and Chris Thomas.

Cox is based out of Cleveland and is 9-6, according to Sherdog. He is 0-2 in his UFC career with losses to Gleison Tibau at UFC Fight Night 10 and Manny Gamburyan at UFC Fight Night 13. His most recent fight was a loss to Bart Palaszewski during Adrenaline MMA’s inaugural show on June 14.

Urbina, 12-4, according to Sherdog, also competed on Adrenaline MMA’s first-ever show, recording a second round TKO over David Kleczkowski. This will be his second appearance on ShoXC with his EliteXC debut having taken place in August of 2007, where he recorded a unanimous decision victory over Ray Lizama. He also holds notable victories over John Doyle and former Green Bay Packers running back Herbert “Whisper” Goodman. The 20-year old has also suffered notable losses to Tim Kennedy and Jason “Mayhem” Miller.

The Oct. 10 ShoXC event will be televised live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET and will be headlined by heavyweight prospect Dave Herman taking on TUF 2 veteran Kerry Schall.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com confirmed the news earlier today with both EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw and Herman’s manager, Mike Camp of F1 Management.

Herman is 2-0 since making his EliteXC debut earlier this year and is 11-0 overall. Fighting on the undercard of EliteXC’s “Street Certified” in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. on Feb. 16, Herman TKO’d American Top Team heavyweight Mario Rinaldi at 0:33 of round 3.

He returned on June 14 during the promotion’s “Return of the King” event and needed just 2:19 of round 1 to TKO former UFC and PRIDE veteran Ron Waterman.

In addition to having been involved with TUF 2, Schall has one career UFC bout to his credit. Facing Keith Jardine on the undercard of the live season finale, Schall was TKO’d in the second round due to leg kicks.

Having competed frequently on regional shows throughout the Midwest, Schall has compiled a 21-10 record with notable wins over Wade Hamilton and Brian Ebersole. He also holds the distinction of having lost to WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko in 2001 while competing in Japan’s Rings promotion. In that bout, Schall was forced to tap to an armbar at 1:47 of round 1.

EliteXC’s next ShoXC event is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 26 in Ynez, Calif. at the Chumash Casino & Resort. The event, which will be televised live on SHOWTIME, will feature undefeated Wilson Reis and King of the Cage bantamweight (135 lbs.) champion Abel Cullum fighting for the vacant EliteXC bantamweight (140 lbs.) title.

(Pictured: Dave Herman)

MMA companies looking to sponsor Makowski can e-mail his sponsorship manager, Ed Hsu, at ecfights@gmail.com.

After compiling a 6-0 record in MMA and a 9-1 record in Muay Thai as an amateur, Makowski turned pro in July of 2007 during at Extreme Challenge 81 in Orange, N.J. The former high school football standout started his career in style by TKO’ing Renzo Gracie black belt Julio Cruz at 1:10 of round 1.

Making his debut for EliteXC during this past January’s ShoXC event in Atlantic City, N.J., Makowski submitted Muay Thai standout Joe Shilling with a rear naked choke at 4:01 of round 1.

He returned to compete during the Internet portion of EliteXC’s undercard for the debut of “Saturday Night Fights” on CBS on June 31. Facing Nick Serra, the younger brother of former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra, Makowski improved to 3-0 when Serra was disqualified in the second round after refusing to get off the ground. In doing so, he denied Makowski the chance to finish him after he had been picked apart by the 21-year old’s impressive striking.

While many fans were disappointed in Serra’s antics, Makowski refused to rip into him when given a chance to to during an interview with FiveOuncesOfPain.com several months back.

“I had a lot of respect for Nick going into the fight and I still have respect for him,” Makowski responded when asked if his opinion of Serra had changed in light of his performance. “However, I don’t know if he was just doing his whole monkey gimmick with his arms down. The reason why he dropped was because his leg hurt, not so much because he was giving up. It was pretty much a submission. You wouldn’t think less of someone for tapping out to a choke or an armlock or something. And the same thing kind of applies here; Nick just couldn’t get up from the leg kicks.”

Makowski trains out of Daddis Fight Camps in Philadelphia alongside other pro fighters such as Jon Murphy and Wilson Reis of EliteXC and former TUF 7 contestant Aaron Miesner. He graduated from Temple University in June with a degree in film.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com confirmed the news with EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw on Monday afternoon.

Santana, nicknamed “The Arm Collector” due to his penchant for tapping out his opposition with armbars, improved his MMA record to 11-0 following his submission victory over Matt Lucas at 1:49 of round 1 during April’s ShoXC event.

For Jara, the event will mark his return to ShoXC, thanks in large part to his current three fight win streak outside of the promotion. The 39-year old is 1-1 lifetime in ShoXC having defeated Jeremiah Metcalf in his debut in July of 2007 followed by a defeat against Seth Kleinbeck in August of 2007.

The Sept. 26 event will emanate from the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif. and will be headlined by Wilson Reis taking on King of the Cage bantamweight (135 lbs.) champion Abel Cullum for EliteXC’s vacant bantamweight (140 lbs.).

Other scheduled televised bouts include Malaipet vs. David “Tarzan” Douglas, Matt Makowski vs. Erik Apple, and Shane Del Rosario vs. Carl Seumantafa.

(Pictured: Giva Santana)

Bao Quach had been scheduled to fight Wilson Reis for the vacant EliteXC bantamweight (140 lbs.) title in the show’s main event. However, Reis informed Five Ounces of Pain this morning that Quach is off the card due to a facial injury.

According to Reis, King of the Cage flyweight (135 lbs.) champion Abel Cullum is expected to be named as Quach’s replacement. Reis also indicated that despite the opponent change, the vacant title will still be on the line.

Five Ounces of Pain also spoke with Ed Hsu, the manager of heavyweight Jon Murphy, who revealed that Murphy is no longer scheduled to face Shane Del Rosario on the show.

Hsu stated that Murphy is off the card for undisclosed reasons and that he was unaware if a replacement to face Del Rosario had been named.

In addition to the Reis vs. Cullum match, welterweights Matt Makowski and Erik Apple are set to square off while Malaipet Team Diamond and David “Tarzan” Douglas will do battle in a 160 lbs. lightweight contest.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned of the bout from a source speaking on the condition of anonymity earlier today and we were later able to confirm the bout with EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw.

Douglas, a member of Cesar Gracie’s Jiu-Jitsu Academy, has quietly put together a 2-0 record for EliteXC in recent months. He accepted a short notice swing bout vs. Marlon Mathias just days prior to EliteXC and CBS’ “Saturday Night Fights” event in Stockton, Calif., on July 26. While the bout never made the telecast, Douglas needed just 12 seconds of round 1 to dispatch of Mathias via TKO (strikes).

Douglas fought in another non-televised bout that he accepted on short notice during the undercard of EliteXC’s ShoXC event on August 15. Taking on William Jacobson, Douglas was declared the winner via TKO at 1:12 of round 1 after Jacobson’s corner threw in the towel.

Malaipet, whose “Team Diamond” surname is derived from a custom Thai tradition of taking the name of your gym as your last name, is 3-2 lifetime in MMA and 1-1 fighting under the EliteXC banner. He won his EliteXC debut during an October ShoXC event in which he recorded a unanimous decision over Hawaiian kickboxer Kaleo Kwan.

In March, he competed in another ShoXC card in a main event matchup contested at 160 lbs. against King of the Cage veteran Thomas Denny. Malaipet was declared the loser of the bout via disqualification after impairing Denny with illegal elbows.

Despite his unimpressive MMA record, Malaipet is believed to have a competitive Muay Thai record of 160-26 having competed since the age of eight after turning pro in his native country of Thailand.

In addition to the Douglas vs. Malaipet matchup, September’s ShoXC will be headlined by Wilson Reis and Bao Quach competing for the EliteXC vacant 140 lbs. title. Bouts between heavyweights Jon Murphy and Shane Del Rosario and welterweights Matt Makowski and Erik Apple are scheduled as well.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com

MMAjunkie.com was the first to report the news on Wednesday.

Reis improved his record to 5-0 following a unanimous decision victory over Bryan Caraway during the SHOWTIME portion of EliteXC’s “Unfinished Business” on July 26. The 23-year renowned jiu-jitsu black belt is considered one of the top competitive grapplers in the world.

He’ll be facing an opponent in Quach, who improved his winning streak to nine following his unanimous decision victory against Mark Oshiro during ICON Sport’s “Hard Times” event on August 2. Originally known for being primarily a ground fighter, Quach’s standup has become highly respected under the tutelage of Colin Oyama.

The Sept. 26 event is also expected to feature bouts between heavyweights Jon Murphy and Shane Del Rosario as well as welterweights Matt Makowski and Erik Apple.

(Pictured: Bao Quach)

Main SHOWTIME card:

• Jared Hamman def. Po’ai Suganuma via TKO (strikes) at 2:34 of round 1
• Fabricio Camoes def. Sammy Morgan via submission (rear naked choke) at 0:47 of round 1
• Cyrille Dibate def. Jaime Fletcher via unanimous decision
• Rosi Sexton def. Debi Purcell via split decision
• Ray Lizama def. Keith Berry via TKO (strikes) at 2:15 of round 2

Non-Televised Preliminary Card:

• Katrina Alendale def. Melanie La’Croix via unanimous decision
• Roberto Vargas def. Ralph Lopez via split decision
• Jesse Brock def. Josh Rave via unanimous decision
• Lucas Gumaza def. Kenny Johnson via split decision
• David “Tarzan” Douglas def. William Jacobson via TKO (corner stoppage) at 1:12 of round 1

Notes: Hamman vs. Suganuma was a great fight with a bunch of momentum changes in a short amount of time. After the bout, announcer Mauro Ranallo mentioned the idea of a rubber match between the two. However, Hamman, who recently quit his job as a defensive line coach at Redlands University, could be in line for a fight against light heavyweight sensation Rafael Feijao. FiveOuncesOfPain.com spoke to an EliteXC official two weeks ago who mentioned that Feijao’s next opponent could come from the winners of the Hamman vs. Suganuma and Diabate vs. Fletcher fights… Diabate expressed a desire following his win to take on Feijao… After his win over Morgan, Camoes made a brief plea to to fight a step up in competition, asking where the “big boys” are at and talking about a shot at K.J. Noons’ lightweight title… During the calendar of upcoming events, no mention of the ill-fated Sept. 20 show in Albuquerque was mentioned. The next EliteXC-related card will be a ShoXC event on Sept. 26. No matches have been announced but Five Ounces of Pain has reported that Jon Murphy will be fighting Shane Del Rosario and Matt Makowski will be going against Erik Apple… The week after the Oct. 4 CBS show in Ft. Lauderdale, there will be a ShoXC event on Friday, October 10… Berry was a heavy favorite to beat Lizama. Lizama had been slated to fight Justin Levens during Affliction’s first-ever PPV on July 19. The bout was canceled due to time constraints… Alendale is trained by EliteXC welterweight champion Jake Shields… Brock trains out of Urijah Faber’s “Ultimate Fitness” in Sacramento and is viewed as a strong prospect at 140 lbs. … Douglas is the same fighter who fought Marlon Mathias in a non-televised swing bout during EliteXC’s second CBS show on July 26 in Stockton. Douglas won early in the first round in that fight as well.

As per usual fare, the card lacks star power, which is not what the ShoXC concept is intended for. The idea behind the franchise is to create a proving ground as a way to build new stars, much like SHOWTIME used to do with its ShoBox franchise, which is still in existence but no longer has the impact in boxing that it once had.

Whether the concept is working for MMA remains to be seen, but fighters such as Jon Murphy, Paul Daley, Eddie Alvarez, and Muhsin Corbbrey have all appeared on the show before moving on to bigger and better things. One fighter who could fit the future star mold that is on tonight’s card is Cyrille “The Snake” Diabate.

Diabate is a World Class striker who was recruited to join Team Quest earlier this year to help Dan Henderson prepare for his middleweight title unification bout against Anderson Silva.

After having built a solid international reputation, Diabate will look to make a bigger name for himself tonight in a light heavyweight bout against Jaime Fletcher. A win for Diabate could set the stage for an eventual showdown against light heavyweight sensation Rafael Feijao.

The card will also feature an intriguing female fight in what will mark the debut of EliteXC’s 130 lbs. division. Female fighting pioneer Debi Purcell is set to return to competitive MMA against British fighter Rosi Sexton, considered by some pundits to be a top-ten pound-for-pound female fighter.

There will be five fights in all. FiveOuncesOfPain.com has a brief preview of the entire card.

Jared Hamman vs. Po’ai Suganuma - This is a rematch from a previous encounter that took place in April when Suganuma pulled off a minor upset just seconds into the first round after nailing a flying knee on Hamman and following it up with punches. The fight was stopped much to the dismay of Hamman and his hometown fans.

The loss served as the first of Hamman’s career but he now has a chance at redemption. A former college football player who coaches at his alma matter, Redlands University, Hamman is one of the key players in EliteXC 205 lbs. division that is starving for depth.

Suganuma trains out of B.J. Penn’s academy in Hilo, Hawaii and is an extremely talented individual who has lacked exposure. The 26-year old has an impressive 9-1 record but is still rather raw. He can be a dangerous striker, but his technique still needs a lot of refinement. On the ground, he’s solid from the top with decent submissions and very good ground and pound. However, he needs a lot of work from the bottom. If Hamman ends up in top position, Suganuma could have some problems.

I see this fight having a lot more legs than their first encounter and I expect to see Hamman come out strong.

Prediction: Hamman via second round TKO.

Fabricio Camoes vs. Sammy Morgan – Morgan is making the move from 170 lbs. to 160 for this fight vs. Camoes, an outstanding grappler who is being represented by Anderson Silva and Rafael Feijao’s manager, Ed Soares. Camoes’ 9-4 record might not get too many people excited, but he has come into his own having won five consecutive fights. The problem is that with just one fight since October of 2006, Camoes has received very little exposure. Now training and living in San Diego, Camoes should be able to get more fights and start to make a name for himself.

Morgan has a bit of a name thanks to his stint during the second season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and a fight last November in San Jose, Calif. for the Strikeforce promotion against Cung Le. Training of out Team Bison in Minnesota, Morgan is looking to redemption after getting TKO’d at 2:12 of round 1 vs. Paul Daley during his EliteXC debut at this past January’s ShoXC.

If the fight stays standing, Morgan will make a go of it. But if it hits the ground, he doesn’t stand a chance.

Prediction: Camoes via second round submission.

Cyrille Diabate vs. Jaime Fletcher - “The Snake” is one of the most technical strikers in the sport. He has a very extensive background in traditional standup styles and is looking to replicate that success in MMA. While he hasn’t done poorly, he has yet to breakout. At age 36, now is as good of a time as any for the former PRIDE veteran to make a name for himself as a mixed martial artist.

With EliteXC’s light heavyweight division lacking depth, the promotion is counting on Diabate and this match with Fletcher was set up to showcase his striking prowess. While Jaime Fletcher is a quality opponent who is coming off a March upset over Aaron Rosa, he’s better suited as middleweight. I believe the intent of this fight is to try and build Diabate up as a potential opponent for Rafael Feijao and it’s a fight that could happen sooner rather than later.

Prediction: Diabate by first round knockout.

Rosi Sexton vs. Debi Purcell - Both these fighters have interesting backstories. Purcell is considered by many to be one of the true pioneers of female MMA. After taking time off, she’s trying to return to the game at a time when female MMA has never been bigger. But a lot of questions remain as to whether she can pull this comeback off. She’s no spring chicken as far as professional athletes are concerned and even when she did fight, the level of competition she faced is nothing like it is now.

In addition to being a fighter, Sexton is a single mom and holds a PhD. She’s an extremely talented fighter who is a prime example of how hard it can be for a top female fighter to get opportunities. After compiling a 3-0 record in BodogFIGHT, Sexton had no choice but to sit back and wait until something opened up.

Something has finally opened up with EliteXC decided to expand their female division and create a 130 lbs. weight class. Sexton’s best weight is 125 lbs. but she’s willing to move up in order to get a shot. She’s clearly the more technical fighter in this bout and should be considered the favorite. However, Purcell is still a threat because she could easily compete as a 140 lbs. fighter. Cutting to 130 lbs., Purcell will have a big size and strength advantage and could cause on upset if she’s able to catch Sexton.

Prediction: Sexton via second round submission.

Keith Berry vs. Ray Lizama - Berry is the current King of the Cage middleweight champion but the title will not be on the line in this three round fight. Training out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Berry is an exciting fighter who likes to bring the heat when it comes to the standup game. Still in his early-20s, Berry is working hard to improve his overall game. He’s facing an opponent in Lizama who is not exactly known for being an aggressive fighter. He’s fought on a ShoXC once before, losing a unanimous decision to Hector Urbina last August in a bout in which he looked terrible.

He stepped into this fight on short notice after bouts with Reggie Orr and Fernando Gonzalez fell through. Lizama should be in decent shape considering he had been scheduled to fight Justin Levens on July 19 during Affliction: Banned. However, the show started late because medical officials assigned by the California State Athletic Commission did not arrive on time and a decision was made to cancel the Levens vs. Lizama bout entirely due to time constraints.

If Lizama refuses to engage, we could see a very terrible opening fight. But if he’s willing to mix it up with Berry, we could be treated to a strong opener.

Prediction: Berry with a TKO in the second round.

EliteXC’s next card will be a ShoXC event scheduled for August 15 and will feature five bouts to be televised on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET from the Table Mountain Casino in Friant, Calif.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned of the finalized card after speaking with EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw on Tuesday afternoon.

According to Shaw, the card will feature two light heavyweight bouts with Jared Hamman and Po’ai Suganuma rematching each other in the night’s main event and Cyrille “The Snake” Diabate making his EliteXC debut against Jaime Fletcher.

Shaw indicated that the winners of the 205 pound fights could find themselves in line for an opportunity to fight light heavyweight sensation Rafael Feijao.

Also added to the card is a 160 pound lightweight match featuring Fabricio Camoes taking on Sammy Morgan. The promotion is said to be very high on Camoes and a win could catapult him onto a spot on a future EliteXC card.

Four other fighters will be making their EliteXC debuts as well, with Debi Purcell and Rosi Sexton set to do battle in a female MMA fight and Keith “K.O.” Berry and Reggie Orr set to scrap.

Berry is recognized as the King of the Cage middleweight champion but the bout is only scheduled for three rounds so it’s unlikely that his title will be on the line.

Meanwhile, Orr was one of 32 middleweights brought out to Las Vegas by the UFC and Spike TV earlier this year to fight in qualifying bouts in order to make the final cast for the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Hector Lombard had been tentatively scheduled to make his EliteXC debut on the card but a lingering wrist injury will prevent him from being healed in time.

According to Garcia: 

“His [Ruediger's] license was not suspended nor was it denied. His renewal application is still under review and he will not be available [to fight] this Saturday.” 

Sounds like semantics to me. Renewal application still under review? If Kazushi Sakuraba after all the beatings he’s taken can get a quick response to his application than why not Ruediger? And if Johnnie Morton, who to my knowledge has never so much fought in an amateur match, can get licensed, why is Ruediger’s renewal still “under review?” 

I’m still waiting to hear back from Ruediger but according to Hunt’s article, he’s apparently considering legal action. Good for him. 

Ruediger’s case has brought to light many other questionable situations in which CSAC denied or revoked licenses. Don’t be surprised if Garcia really comes under heavy scrunity in the coming months. 

Also, Royce Gracie has been licensed so his match vs. Sakuraba is definitely going to happen. 

I still plan to save my money and get my MMA fix on Sunday night by watching the WEC’s debut on Versus.

Former TUF 5 contestant Gabe Ruediger has been selected to compete on this Saturday’s card during the non-televised portion of the event as an injury replacement. Ruediger was going to fight at a catch weight of 161 pounds. However, he has been denied a license by the California State Athletic Commission. 

No official reason has been given, but word is that the head of CSAC, Armando Garcia, saw a tape of TUF 5 and deemed Ruediger mentally unfit to fight after he determined that he had a “mental breakdown” on the show.  

No, I am not making this up! 

Ruediger has posted on the Underground forum and has confirmed he won’t be competing. However, he indicated he wasn’t able to talk about the circumstances surrounding his removal from the card. 

Here is the post Ruediger left on the UG: 

“I haven’t been here in some time. An attorney and friend of mine told me about this particular thread. I cant say much about the situation, but I am not happy about it. 

“I trained hard for this fight. My weight last night was 169 (4 pounds below the weight I started cutting from on the show), with another 3 days until weigh-ins. I am extremely disappointed that I will not be fighting. In this fight I wasn’t concerned about winning or losing (of course I felt I was going to win, and expected to win), just fighting. Now I don’t even get to do that. 

“You can say what you want about me. You can ridicule me and make your little gifs and pictures (I thought some of them were actually really funny), but this situation goes well beyond the show. 

“Once again, I can’t talk about what is happening, but I’m not going to allow this to just be.” 

With this decision, CSAC has done something I didn’t think was possible: turn Gabe into a sympathetic figure. The decision to prevent Ruediger from fighting is wrong on so many levels. If it’s indeed because he suffered a “mental breakdown” on TUF, then Garcia should be forced to resign. How can you make such a determination by watching an edited reality television show?  

Gabe screwed up royally on TUF 5 but there’s no reason why he should be denied a right to make a living.