MMA Universe

***Update: MMAmania.com has exclusively learned that Chael Sonnen, not Ed Herman will replace Yushin Okami. For more information, click here.

With just a little over a month to recover from his April 18 win over David Loiseau at UFC 97, The Ultimate Fighter 3 runner-up Ed Herman will fill in for Yushin Okami at UFC 98 against Dan Miller from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 23.

“Thunder” was forced to withdraw from the event after tearing a ligament in his knee, according to MMAWeekly. Okami joins a long list of fighters who were removed from the UFC 98 lineup due to injury.

Since its inception, the May 23 event has been a revolving door of UFC talent.

Heavyweight stars Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar were originally set to unify the heavyweight title in the main event until Mir opted for surgery on a bothersome knee and forced UFC officials to push their rematch forward to UFC 100.

The Zuffa brass hastily arranged for Quinton Jackson — fresh off his unanimous decision win over Keith Jardine at UFC 96 — to challenge light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans as a replacement main event.

“Rampage” felt pressured to fight on such short notice and instead chose to take some much-needed time off to heal an injured jaw and some other nagging injuries before trying his luck against “Sugar.”

Enter Lyoto Machida.

With “The Dragon” in place to meet Evans, everything was back on track — until Josh Koscheck broke his toe and pulled out of his fight against Chris Wilson.

Brock Larson to the rescue.

Earlier today, it was learned that James Irvin blew out his knee and would not be able to throwdown with Drew McFedries in a middleweight scrap. Xavier Foupa-Pokam will assume the position, pending immigration proceedings.

That brings us to Okami. The Japanese import — who holds a controversial win over Anderson Silva under the ‘Rumble on the Rock’ banner — has won seven of eight fights inside the Octagon. His lone loss during that span was to former champion Rich Franklin back at UFC 72: “Victory” in June 2007.

After defeating Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Dean Lister at UFC 92: “The Ultimate 2008″ in Dec. 2008, Okami re-established himself as a top contender in the middleweight division after missing nearly nine months of action due to a hand injury.

This latest setback could further stymie his chances at getting a rematch with Silva — who may be toiling in the land of light heavyweights indefinitely.

Bad news for Okami, great news for Herman. After back-to-back losses in 2008, Herman was headed for the chopping block before securing a stay of execution with his win over “The Crow” at UFC 97. A huge win over a tough opponent like Miller, especially on short notice, and he could be right back in the thick of things.

UFC 98 will feature (we hope) the light heavyweight title fight between Rashad Evans and undefeated challenger Lyoto Machida. Also on the May 23 card, former UFC welterweight champions Matt Hughes and Matt Serra will finally settle their eternal grudge match.

For the latest UFC 98 fight card and rumors click here.

If Dana White's videoblogs aren't enough, diehard fight fans can now keep up with the UFC President through Twitter as he travels around the globe. Located at Twitter.com/DanaWhiteBlog, White's posts don't only give an inside look at the UFC, they've even allowed fans to win tickets to UFC events, as was the case in the lead-up to UFC 97 in Montreal.

Props: Marvel.com

Fresh off his win over Matt Horwich at UFC Fight Night 18, newly minted welterweight Ricardo Almeida (10-3) was our featured guest on MMAmania.com’s exclusive presentation of Pro MMA Radio.

“Cachorrao” broke down his unanimous decision victory over “Suave,” the self-imposed three-year layoff to open the Ricardo Almeida Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Hamilton, N.J., and why he’s dropping to welterweight despite coming off a win at 185-pounds.

Also on the show, world champion wrestler and Team Quest standout Joe Warren gave us the lowdown on facing one of the world’s best, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, in the next round of the Dream Featherweight Grand Prix.

Hosted by Larry Pepe, Pro MMA Radio is professional, guest-driven program that features some of mixed martial arts biggest names.

If you’re looking for a radio show that revolves around a couple of MMA fans ranting and raving about everything that’s already been covered ad nauseam, then Pro MMA Radio probably isn’t for you.

However, if you want to hear from actual fighters and industry insiders answering questions that are relevant to the current MMA scene, tune in every Monday night at 9 p.m. ET for our exclusive live feed.

For the audio replay of Monday’s show click here.

Catch the entire interview when it airs on HDNet tomorrow evening (May 1) at 9pm ET.

Of course I want to fight in a real fight, especially in Japan. We are now in the process of negotiations with Dream and other companies, other organizations, but we have not reached any concrete decision yet. Regarding this exhibition match (with Shinya Aoki), I was ready to show myself to the Japanese fans — I think we’ve missed each other a lot. Of course, I wanted to show my technique to the Japanese fans, who are always supporting me … MMA is everything for me — everything in my life. It’s a way I can represent my country. It’s a way I can please the fans that support me, and this is something that I can do best. So this is all. My life.

The last man to hold the Pride FC heavyweight title and current WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko (29-1) reveals to Sherdog.com that he is currently negotiating a deal with Japanese organizations to eventually return to the country that made him an MMA superstar. “The Last Emperor” was on hand at M-1 Global Challenge on Wednesday to participate in an exhibition grappling match with Shinya Aoki while a deal for his next fight continues to simmer. The only question is — will it be for Affliction? Or DREAM?

Set to return from a nine-month suspension at UFC 98, James Irvin will have to wait just a little bit longer to debut at middleweight after a knee injury has forced him to withdraw from his bout against Drew McFedries at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 23.

MMAWeekly is reporting that UFC sophomore Xavier Foupa-Pokam will step in and take his place..

“Professor X” (20-10) came up short in his UFC debut after a tough unanimous decision loss to Denis Kang at UFC 97 from The Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on April 18.

Prior to entering the UFC, the Cage Rage and Palace Fighting Championship (PFC) veteran was riding a six-fight win streak. In fact, he’s dropped just two fights in his last 14 attempts – the decision to Kang and a submission loss to Murilo “Ninja” Rua back in December 2007.

The French fighter has a nice mix of submissions and (technical) knockouts on his resume. He is definitely an experienced, capable and dangerous fighter that McFedries — who needs a win bad here — cannot underestimate.

“Massacre” has had a rollercoaster career inside the Octagon, winning every other fight and being unable to string together consecutive wins in six attempts with the promotion.

That is until he locked horns with Thales Leites on short notice at UFC 90: “Silva vs. Cote” back in October 2008. McFedries dropped his second consecutive bout courtesy of a first round submission (rear naked choke). He lost to Mike Massenzio via submission (kimura) at UFC Fight Night 15 in Omaha, Neb., on September 17, before the loss to the Brazilian.

It’s now or never — perhaps for both men. A loss for Foupa-Pokam would take him to 0-2 inside the cage. Not a good place to be considering Zuffa’s recent roster cuts.

UFC 98 will feature the light heavyweight title fight between Rashad Evans and undefeated challenger Lyoto Machida. Also on the May 23 card, former UFC welterweight champions Matt Hughes and Matt Serra will settle their eternal grudge match and former number one middleweight contender Yushin Okami will return to the Octagon to challenge the surging 185-pound standout Dan Miller.

For the latest UFC 98 fight card and rumors click here.

Only in Japan (or perhaps Alabama).

In a bid to bolster their daunting ratings, Japans Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG) are pulling out all the stops. According to their official website, they have constructed a open weight tournament which is being billed as a “Super Hulk Tournament” for their DREAM 9 event which takes place from the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, on May 26.

It will feature eight fighters of varying size and ability.

First up will be fan favorite Ikuhisa Minowa, who has fought every name under the sun (albeit to inconsistent results). He will be put to the task of facing off against Bob “The Beast” Sapp who relies on his size when fighting and not so much technical prowess.

UFC washout Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou will look to get back to his wining ways but will be considerably outsized in his attempt to do so when he clashes with 6’ 11”, 330 lb. Jan “The Giant” Nortje.

Gegard Mousasi, who vacated his DREAM Middleweight title recently because he desired a move to Light Heavyweight, will face off against dangerous kickboxer Mark Hunt.

And 7’ 2” gargantuan Hong Man Choi is reportedly set to do battle with baseball star Jose Canseco.

Unreal.

I still remain a little skeptical about Canseco’s participation. It wouldn’t be unlike Japan to have someone dressed up as and “play“ his part. This is after all, the same promotion that gave birth to the mixed martial arts debut of a Japanese anime character in Kinniku Mantaro.

It looks like we’ll have to wait and see though what will actually come to fruition within this “Super Hulk” Tournament.

DREAM 9 will also feature the promotion’s featherweight grand prix quarterfinals.

The focal point of which will boast the long awaited return of 139-pound superstar Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, who was offered a first-round bye in the tournament in hopes that he will have recovered from a previous injury in time to compete. He’s coming off a long 16-month layoff but now he’s finally ready to compete and will take on wrestling standout Joe Warren.

In non-tournament action will be highly regarded lightweight standout Gesias “JZ” Calvancante who is set to do battle with Japanese mainstay Tatsuya Kawajiri.

And grappling phenom Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza is slated to once again do battle with the charismatic Jason “Mayhem” Miller, in a bout that will be contested for the vacant DREAM Middleweight title.

And although the card looks to be complete, DREAM event producer Keiichi Sasahara teased that there is more to come.

Oh my.

Here is the current line-up for ‘DREAM 9’:

Featherweight grand prix quarterfinals:
Norifumi Yamamoto (17-1) vs. Joe Warren (1-0)
Masakazu Imanari (16-6-1) vs. Bibiano Fernandes (4-2)
Yoshiro Maeda (24-6-2) vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (10-6-1)
Abel Cullum (14-2) vs. Hideo Tokoro (21-16-1)

“Super Hulk” Openweight quarterfinals:
Ikuhisa Minowa (41-30) vs. Bob Sapp (10-3-1)
Jan Nortje (2-5) vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-4)
Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1) vs. Mark Hunt (5-5)
Hong Man Choi (1-2) vs. Jose Canseco (0-0)

DREAM middleweight title:
Ronaldo Souza (10-2) vs. Jason Miller (22-6)

Non-tournament bouts:
Gesias Calvancante (14-2-1) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (23-5-2)

For more on DREAM click here.

***UPDATE: For all the North American fans looking to catch some of the action, HDNet announced earlier today that DREAM 9 will air live from Japan on May 26.

DREAM officially announced an “open weight” tournament that will begin at the upcoming DREAM.9 fight card this May.

The “Super Hulk” tournament features fighters from various weightclasses and even a former professional baseball player.

MLB steroid poster-boy, Jose Canseco will be in the eight-man tournament and make his professional MMA debut against Hong Man Choi.

Former DREAM middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi will be the smallest competitor in the field and will fight super heavyweight Mark Hunt in the opening round.

Japanese fan favorite Bob Sapp will fight Ikuhisa Minowa while Jan Nortje will match up against Rameau Sokoudjou.

DREAM.9 will also feature the second round of the 2009 DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix and is currently scheduled for May 26 in Japan.

Our partners in crime over at BloodyElbow.com have published their divisional rankings for mixed martial arts in the nation’s largest daily newspaper, USA Today, for the month of April 2009.

In case you missed last month’s announcement, here’s how it works:

“The rankings, which will offer a definitive perspective of top MMA fighters across all weight-classes, will be released monthly and published in the Sports section of USA TODAY, online at USATODAY.com and on SB Nation’s MMA commentary and community blog, BloodyElbow.com … The USA TODAY/SB Nation Consensus MMA Rankings are compiled each month by Nate Wilcox and Richard Wade of BloodyElbow.com. The rankings utilize each of the top MMA rankings from multiple unique sources. A weighted-formula is applied to normalize and distill the various rankings into one consensus ranking per weight class.”

To check out the latest USAT/SBN rankings click here. We’ve also listed their top 10 in each class after the jump for your convenience.

What do you think? Share your ranking rants in the comments section below.

Heavyweight:

1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Josh Barnett
3. Andrei Arlovski
4. Frank Mir
5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
6. Brock Lesnar
7. Randy Couture
8. Tim Sylvia
9. Alistair Overeem
10. Shane Carwin

Light Heavyweight:

1. Rashad Evans
2. Quinton Jackson
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Mauricio Rua
6. Keith Jardine
7. Wanderlei Silva
8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
9. Renato Sobral
10. Chuck Liddell

Middleweight:

1. Anderson Silva
2. Yushin Okami
3. Nate Marquardt
4. Gegard Mousasi
5. Dan Henderson
6. Robbie Lawler
7. Jorge Santiago
8. Demian Maia
9. Thales Leites
10. Vitor Belfort

Welterweight:

1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Thiago Alves
3. Jon Fitch
4. Jake Shields
5. Matt Hughes
6. Josh Koscheck
7. Carlos Condit
8. Martin Kampmann
9. Mike Swick
10. Karo Parisyan

Lightweight:

1. B.J. Penn
2. Shinya Aoki
3. Kenny Florian
4. Sean Sherk
5. Eddie Alvarez
6. Joachim Hansen
7. Gesias Cavalcante
8. Josh Thomson
9. Satoru Kitaoka
10. Diego Sanchez

Nothing brings MMA fans closer together than a list of divisional rankings. Let’s hear it, who belongs and who doesn’t? And be sure to say why. “He sucks” is not a valid argument.

Nothing gets the adrenaline pumping like a good, old fashion grudge, match and on May 23^rd that is exactly what we are going to get as two former champions finally square off inside the octagon!

Former UFC welterweight champions, Matt Hughes and Matt Serra have been at each other’s throats for several years now and will finally get a chance to settle the score as part of the co-main event for UFC 98.

After spending six weeks coaching against each other on the sixth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” on Spike TV, the two were originally supposed to fight each other for the welterweight title at UFC 79 back in December of 2007. Unfortunately, Serra severely injured his back and the fight was cancelled.

Fast forward two years later, and both fighters are coming off dominating losses and are in desperate need of a win.

For Hughes, he was completely outclassed by current welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 79. Only a few months later Hughes also suffered a devastating knock out at the hands of the current No. 1 contender, Thiago Alves at UFC 85.

Matt Hughes was once considered to be the most dominant welterweight fighter in the entire world, but now anytime Hughes in mentioned in a conversation the topic of retirement is always brought up.

Matt Serra also suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of St. Pierre at UFC 83 and is looking to bounce back into title contention with a win over Hughes. Injuries and the birth of his first-born child have kept Serra on the sidelines and he hasn’t fought in over a year.

This is one of the most anticipated grudge matches in UFC history and should go down in the record books as an instant classic.

I am going to go in-depth and analyze the history, the rivalry, keys to victory and the futures of both of these fighters.

Enough chit chat, let’s get this thing started!

The History:

Matt “The Terror” Serra, a long time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, and the first American black belt under Renzo Gracie, began his MMA career in 1999. Serra went undefeated in his first three fights by overwhelming his opponents with his aggressive style of Jiu-Jitsu and finished all three fights in the first round with a submission.

Serra made his UFC debut back in 2001 at UFC 31 against Shonie “Mr. International” Carter in a classic fight. The fight was a three round war with Serra controlling most of the action with his aggressive Jiu-Jitsu base. Unfortunately for Serra, all anyone remembers about that fight was the ending where Shonie knocked Serra out with an incredible spinning back fist that seemingly came out of nowhere.

Since then, Serra has assembled victories over the likes of Yves Edwards>, Kelly Dulanty, Jeff Curran, Ivan Menjivar, Chris Lytle and Georges St. Pierre, as well as losses to the likes of B.J Penn, Din Thomas, Karo Parisyan and Georges St. Pierre.

Serra was a contestant on the “Ultimate Fighter Season 4: The Comeback” and ended up defeating Chris Lytle in the finals to earn a guaranteed title shot against Georges St. Pierre.

Matt Serra became a huge fan favorite while competing on the reality show. Serra has a great sense of humor but he also doesn’t take crap from anyone and he stands up for what he believes in; the altercation he had with Marc Laimon on the show is a great example of that.

In the title fight with GSP at UFC 69, everyone expected St. Pierre to completely dominate Matt Serra. Nobody gave Serra a chance but he went out there and shocked the world by knocking St. Pierre out in the first round to win the UFC welterweight title.

Some people called Serra’s victory a fluke or a “lucky punch”, but I just think that on that particular night Matt Serra was the better fighter and hungry for the gold.

Obviously, Serra lost the title in a rematch to St. Pierre last year but make no mistake about it, Matt Serra is still one of the best welterweights in the world and hopefully he will be able to prove it to you by fighting on a more consistent basis in 2009-2010.

His arch rival Matt Hughes is arguably the best UFC champion of all time and a future inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Hughes has had one of the greatest careers in MMA history, assembling an overall record of 42-7 with notable wins over the likes of Carlos Newton, Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg (twice), B.J Penn, Royce Gracie, Georges St. Pierre, and several others.

Hughes is known best for his freakishly strong wrestling base and brutal ground-and-pound that he developed with several years of wrestling and growing up on the farm. Hughes has what you call “farm boy strength”.

With that strength, Hughes dominated his opponents and defended his Welterweight title for a record of five consecutive victories in a row (a record recently tied by middleweight champion Anderson Silva).

Whether you love the guy or hate him—you have to respect Matt Hughes’ accomplishments and his natural ability. He has come up short in recent outings against Georges St. Pierre and Thiago Alves but a dominant victory over Serra could put him right back into title contention.

The Rivalry:

So why do these guys hate each other and how long has this rivalry existed between them? Well believe it or not they actually used to be friends… sort of.

After Matt Serra lost a split decision to Din Thomas at UFC 41 in 2003, Hughes approached Serra at a bar and the two seemed to strike up a friendship and agreed to train with each other in the future to help build up each other’s weaknesses.

Matt Serra’s perspective of Hughes had changed years later after watching Hughes coach opposite Rich Franklin on TUF Season two.

Basically the “dry sense of humor” of Matt Hughes rubbed Serra the wrong way and he noticed a big change in his attitude from the first time they met.

When Matt Serra won the welterweight title from Georges St. Pierre, Hughes called the victory a “fluke” and stated that Serra isn’t even a top five welterweight and, of course, that pissed Serra off. They were trading words back and forth in interviews and the rivalry and hatred for one another continued to grow stronger.

Matt Hughes thinks that Serra is a bad ambassador for the sport because of his habit of dropping the occasional “f bomb” every now and then (though oddly enough Hughes has no beef with Dana White).

Hughes says that whenever Serra is shown on TV he will not allow his children to watch because of the language that Serra uses.

Matt Serra on the other hand thinks that Hughes is a stuck up jock with an ego the size of Mars. Serra is not a fan of the “dry humor” and thinks Hughes is a prick and a bully.

Serra respects everything that Hughes has accomplished in his career and respects Hughes’ ability, but he hates the guy with a passion and admitted in an interview that he wants to “decapitate” him inside the octagon.

So who is the ‘good guy’ and who is the ‘bad guy’ going into this grudge match?

It’s up to you to decide because every fan has their own opinion and everyone views things differently. I personally am a huge Matt Serra fan and will be rooting him on 100 percent, but I respect both fighters a lot and expect to see a great fight come May 23^rd.

Keys to Victory:

Matt Hughes is a very strong wrestler with underrated submissions and brutal ground-and-pound but his stand up is horrible.

Matt Serra is an extremely talented BJJ black belt, has a very durable chin and very heavy hands. His weakness is in his wrestling ability and where Hughes strength lies.

For Serra to win this fight, in my opinion, he is going to have to work an effective sprawl-and-brawl game plan. Avoid the takedowns and keep the fight on the feet, while showcasing his improved striking ability and look to knock Matt Hughes out.

Serra is very dangerous off his back and has a very good guard, but Hughes is someone you definitely don’t want on top of you because his ground-and-pound is brutal, and he is extremely overwhelming when in the top position.

For Matt Hughes to win this fight he is going to have to take Serra down and control him on the ground with his superior wrestling ability. Serra might be a BJJ black belt, but usually a high level wrestler will cancel out a high level Jiu-Jitsu practitioner in an MMA fight on the ground.

The Future:

Win or lose, I don’t picture Matt Hughes sticking around much longer. He really doesn’t have anything left to prove. Hughes will always be remembered as a true legend of the sport and one of the greatest champions of all time.

While Hughes has hinted at moving up to middleweight after the Serra fight, I really don’t think that is the smartest idea. If he does decide to continue fighting after UFC 98, then I think he should finish out his career at welterweight.

I know I’m probably going to sound biased towards Serra, but I truly believe that he still has what it takes to compete at that high level. Not only that but I also think that Serra still has a lot left to prove because a lot of people still think Serra “got lucky” against GSP the first time.

I’d like to see Serra get the win over Hughes and then go on to fight on a more consistent basis against the likes of Joh Koshceck, Carlos Condit, Martin Kampmann, etc.

Am I saying that Serra will win back his title in the near future? I’d love to say yes but that would just be idiotic to say at this point. Let’s see how he performs against Hughes first and then see how he does against the other studs in the 170 lb. division before even talking about Serra and the welterweight title again.

CAUTION: SPOILERS INCLUDED - Team UK has gotten off to a 1-0 lead on The Ultimate Fighter: US vs UK. Can the United States squad, led by Dan Henderson, even the score against Michael Bisping's cohesive and confident team?

A diehard comics fan, former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra took time out of his busy training schedule recently to visit the Marvel Comics offices in New York City and lend his voice to the latest episode of "Marvel Super Heroes: What The--?!" Click below to hear the "Terror" in a new role - as Wolverine.

When fans talk about the overnight success of the UFC, most of the time the first name mentioned is that of Chuck Liddell.

And while “The Iceman” is indeed responsible for taking pay-per-view buys into uncharted territory, it is his television counterpart that helped transform mixed martial arts into an acceptable form of mainstream entertainment.

If Chuck Liddell was the manifesto, then Forrest Griffin was the revolution itself.

Live on Spike TV, in front of an audience that no one was quite sure they would ever capture again, Griffin polarized the causal fan with a gritty performance opposite Stephan Bonnar in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) that may go down as the greatest mixed martial arts fight ever featured on live television.

And to the victor belong the spoils.

Griffin would eventually legitimize not only himself, but also the TUF farm system by capturing the light heavyweight title from Quinton Jackson at UFC 86. He may have subsequently surrendered that title to another TUF grad, Rashad Evans at UFC 92, but he will never surrender his legacy in the evolution of the UFC.

Now, after spending most of the year sidelined with a broken hand he suffered back in January, Griffin is poised to return at UFC 101 on August 8, against mixed martial arts’ deadliest warrior: Anderson “The Spider” Silva.

Griffin was called to duty to succeed where others have failed. His mission is not just to dethrone the Brazilian juggernaut, but to force him to engage, and prove himself worthy of the championship title.

We know why, now find out how, in our exclusive interview with Forrest Griffin.

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): You were all set to take on a tough opponent in Thiago Silva and he seemed like an ideal match-up for you coming off the hand injury. Why did you decide to fight Anderson Silva instead?

Forrest Griffin: I didn’t feel I was as mentally tough as I should have been preparing for the fight. I wanted to really test myself. You see a lot of guys fight Anderson and they just don’t look like themselves. They don’t look like they want to be there or look like they have any confidence. I want to at least come in and fight up to my ability. So this fight will either bring out the best in me … or I will have to go out and find a real job.

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): It seemed like everything happened so fast. Can you tell us exactly how the UFC pulled off the ol’ Silva switch-a-roo?

Forrest Griffin: Nope, I have no idea. They came to me and said, ‘Hey Forrest; you want to fight a different Silva’ and I said ‘Sure.’ We were doing a photo shoot for something, for what I’m not sure, and you-know-who came over and said, ‘Hey I gotta talk to you’ and I said ‘What, I didn’t do anything wrong.’ This ain’t rocket science, if they ask me to fight someone, I’ll fight someone.

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): Do you see this fight with Silva as a shortcut toward getting back into a title fight or is it just one high-profile fight at a time for you?

Forrest Griffin: Yeah, I don’t know man. I’m not really worried about all that. I’m just focused on dealing with this dude. I just want to show up prepared and actually fight the guy. I just don’t think anyone has actually tried to fight him up to their ability.

Irvin went in and charged him, Leben when in and charged him. He’s a southpaw counter-striker … it’s not like I’m going to go jump his shit. If you rush into that guy you’re rushing into a knockout. So I’m going to fight the guy, I’ll hit him, and not get too frustrated when I miss. Because he makes you miss and then he makes you pay for it.

He’s made a lot of guys feel stupid. It’s when guys get hit, and then they can’t hit him back; they just look hopeless … like they almost want the fight to be over.

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): Anderson Silva is considered a lethal striker but can he really hit you any harder than Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans already have?

Forrest Griffin: (Laughing) You know, a lot of guys have hit me real hard. The thing about Silva is that he’s going to hit me a lot quicker. He’s got a great reach, he actually has the same reach I do and I am not going to be much bigger.

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): Well you’re considered a pretty strapping young man. Are you saying your size is not really going to play an advantage for you this time?

Forrest Griffin: I normally step into the Octagon at around 220. Now that I think about it, I wouldn’t mind if Silva and I fought this fight at a catchweight of 215. I would come in at 225, which would be beautiful for me. When I’m fat, the first ten pounds are what can slow me down but the next ten pounds I really don’t need to lose; it’s just to make weight. I could actually function better with it. When I start my weight cut, I feel good, I feel faster but you only need to shed so much fat. Honestly, where the sport is heading, we could have a weight class every ten pounds.

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): Do you think that is where we’re heading as the sport grows and we get more and more athletic guys competing?

Forrest Griffin: Yeah I do, but I don’t see them adding any new weight classes for at least five years. The adding of weight classes should parallel and keep pace with the continuing growth of the sport. With the heavyweight division there is not a need for creating a super heavyweight division yet. There might be six guys that would compete there.

But if it weren’t for the NFL and NBA we’d have ten more weight classes. If you’re athletic enough and you’re over 200 pounds, you’re either playing college football or basketball. Talent goes where the money is. It’s as simple as that. That’s why I got into the sport. I was like, ‘Hey I could do this.’

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): So are you saying you beat the talent to the punch in terms of you getting into MMA?

Forrest Griffin: Hell yeah. In five years, I don’t know that I’ll be able to compete at the level I do now. That’s just a legitimate statement. The guys competing are just getting so good and they keep coming. All these freaking wrestlers are coming out of the woodwork. They’re great and it’s really unfair you know. I can’t wrestle; I haven’t wrestled my whole life. I don’t remember what I was doing but I wasn’t wrestling, that’s for sure.

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): Anderson Silva decided to also call out Fedor Emelianenko in a recent interview. Do you have any intentions of calling out Fedor or Brock Lesnar for that matter?

Forrest Griffin: He said he wants to fight Fedor? Well I’ll help ease him into that heavier weight class if that’s where he wants go. Like I said earlier, let’s go ahead and make this fight at 215. That would suite me just fine.

As far as Fedor goes, fighting in the UFC is a contractual thing. If you’re going to fight for the UFC, well you’re going to fight for the UFC. They are the best show in town so if Fedor wants to come on over …

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): Submission, T(KO), or a decision win. What’s your best bet for scoring a victory in this fight?

Forrest Griffin: I will come up with a game plan. I need to score some takedowns while avoiding any guillotine. Silva has got those long limbs. I go back to Silva being a southpaw. Also, his quickness and the unexpectedness of his style are on my mind. I have never fought a southpaw that I struck with before.

I don’t like the idea of fighting a southpaw, it’s weird. And his clinch work, he is just so relaxed when doing it. Other than that I’m not too worried about the fight; it’s only going to be 15 minutes so what’s the worst that can happen?

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): How is your surgically repaired hand doing?

Forrest Griffin: It’s good, it’ll be ready to go.

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): What are your thoughts on the Lyoto Machida-Rashad Evans title fight?

Forrest Griffin: It could start out real slow since they both have a tendency to counter fight. So it could end up being a boring fight to some or it could end up being a very exciting fight. At this level, with the competition, you make one mistake, you get clipped, and your night’s over. It’s unfortunate but it is what it is.

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): Hindsight is always 20-20. What could you have done differently in your fight with Rashad Evans to come away victorious, especially since you were winning the fight up until that point?

Forrest Griffin: Obviously the body kick was not a good idea (laughing). With the body kick, I didn’t get my feet back down and so I didn’t get a punch in. And not getting punched in the face when you’re off balance and looking up with your head wobbling around.

And not get hit a bunch on the ground either. Also, you can’t rest. With the round almost over, I thought I might chill for a second. I just can’t chill with my opponent punching me in the face. It was what it was though. Obviously I can beat Rashad, so I look forward to a rematch with him; with Jackson too.

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): Well speaking of Rampage, he was pretty vocal about fighting you again. After his win over Wanderlei, he said he was willing to wait on a title fight and rematch you first.

Forrest Griffin: I’ve never even heard that before. As far as Jackson, I have never seen a guy so mad over having a bad night. It’s not like I had the best night either. I am not sure if he feels the need to be mad at me over that but its whatever. Yeah, I would fight that guy again.

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): I just got my hands on a copy of your new book, “Got Fight?” Did you enjoy the process of writing your book or was it a pain in the ass?

Forrest Griffin: You really have a copy of it? Wow, so they turned that into a real book. I thought they were pulling the plug on it. I actually had a lot of fun getting the book done; it was awesome. All I had to do was call the guy up and scream about how much I hate stuff and I guess he recorded it and now it’s a book.

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): My first UFC PPV was UFC 12, watching Randy Couture take it to a young Vitor Belfort — and he’s been one of my MMA idols every since. Is he as cool as I think he is? And what is it like training with him at Xtreme Couture?

Forrest Griffin: That was the fist UFC I ever saw too. Actually it wasn’t the first UFC I saw, but it was the one that made me think it was an awesome sport. I was like ‘Oh my god, I want to be a part of this.’ When I was in the police academy one of my instructors gave me that DVD. I watched it and said, ‘Once they drop the tight shorts I am going to do that.’

Randy really is that cool, he really is. That is why so many people have looked up to him and gravitated toward him. Randy Couture is the kind of guy that if you share a hotel room with him, and he’s got an early flight, instead of turning the light on he will use the light from his cell phone to try and pack his stuff so he doesn’t wake you. That’s the real Randy Couture, isn’t that awesome?

Brian Oswald (MMAmania.com): It sure is. It’s been great talking to you Forrest. I appreciate your candor.

Forrest Griffin: I appreciate it and I hope I wasn’t helpful at all.

Brian Oswald is an associate editor for Inside Fights as well as a syndicated writer to Fox Sports. Look for future exclusive interviews from him on MMAmania.com.

Courtesy of KGPE CBS-47

The city of Fresno wanted promoter Rick Mirigian to take his fights somewhere else - and he did. The next Mixed Martial Arts event is going to the Save Mart Center. While it appears the city has won, Mirigian says it’s the taxpayers that lose, because the revenue will go somewhere else. Factoring a sellout show - at the lowest ticket price - the city is out $23,000. That’s not including parking fee and concessions which could easily add up to another $20,000 for just one event. The city does not want to hold fights at Woodward Park because some feel the MMA is not appropriate for children.

With the state sanctioning MMA, it is utter non-sense for individual cities to have bans on the sport. Such moves aren’t made in a vacuum, with the various promoters able to shift slightly geographically and capture the same audience. If a city bans it, the only thing they end up with in the end are empty tax coffers, as the event will go forward regardless.

As for the teacher mentioned in the piece, here is a little more on Ben Holscher:

NEW YORK (April 28, 2009)—By day, Ben Holscher (1-0) is an educator in Clovis, California’s public high school system. After school is out, though, he shifts gears towards his other career – professional mixed martial arts (MMA) prize fighting in the cage.

The 28-year-old Health teacher, who also coaches wrestling for the high school, is in the midst of preparing for his second professional MMA bout, which will take place at Fresno, California’s Save Mart Center on Friday, May 15 as part of the inaugural SHO MMA: Strikeforce Challengers event. He is slated to square off with Cody Cantebury (1-3-1) in a preliminary matchup prior to the SHOWTIME telecast, which airs live at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

“I just have an inner-competitiveness that drives me to test my mind and my body,” said Holscher, a lifetime athlete who excelled in the sport of wrestling all the way through his career as a student at NCAA Division II Chadron State College. A four-year starter for the school located near his home in Ogallala, Nebraska, Holscher boasts two-time National Qualifier, three-time Academic All-American, and two-time team captain, amongst other achievements, on his resume.

“Whether it’s a workout, a fight, or even a card game, I like to compete and, now, I can make a little bit of money doing it, too.”

Holscher is in the midst of his second year teaching at Clovis High but, for the first several months on the job, he kept his other career under wraps. It was shortly before his professional debut that the cat came out of the bag.

“Some of my students and wrestlers had known it was a hobby but, then when I had my first fight in November, that’s when they found out about it,” he said.

Needless to say, the news changed the dynamic of Holscher’s relationship with the teenagers, who fall into MMA’s primary demographic group of viewers.

“I have a pretty good relationship with the kids. They were very excited about it,” he said. “They think it’s cool and my colleagues and principal were real supportive of it. There are always a few people that kind of question it, but you’re always going to have those.”

Maintaining this kind of double life isn’t easy, to say the least. Holscher rises at 5 am every day to do his road work and doesn’t complete his daily training until approximately 10 pm. If he is lucky, he can catch a few winks between the close of the school day and the outset of his training that is interspersed each day with his coaching duties.

“After training is done around 10, I may have to go home and grade papers for an hour or so, sometimes,” said Holscher. His schedule has been in the same taxing state for a year and a half since he initially accepted the teaching position.

“It’s a challenge, but I was a college athlete and I grew up on a farm so time management was ingrained in me a long time ago. If I wanted to make my schedule easier, I could just take a few things off my plate, but I don’t want to do that right now.”

While a number of his teaching colleagues used their recent spring break to vacation and regroup, Holscher continued his daily MMA regimen and even ventured north one week to San Jose, an MMA hotbed and the home of Strikeforce, to train with a number of the sport’s top athletes. “I slept in the gym for almost the whole week,” he noted.

“Right now, I’m just enjoying the ride. I’m blessed that I have the opportunity to train with some of the top guys. Wherever this takes me, I’m going along with it and going to bust my butt. Wherever I end up in a year or 10 years, that’s where I’ll be.”

Tickets for the first SHO MMA: Strikeforce Challengers event are on sale at the Save Mart Center box office and select Save Mart Supermarkets as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and Strikeforce’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).

Undefeated lightweight (155 lb. limit) sensation Billy Evangelista (9-0) will face off with hard-hitting brawler and BJ Penn protégé “Iron” Mike Aina (11-6-1) in the main event that will air live, along with as many as four other Strikeforce bouts, on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) from the Save Mart Center.

Also during the live telecast, female MMA upstart Kim “Sugar Free” Couture (1-1), wife of MMA legend Randy Couture, will take a major step up in competition when she squares off with submission expert Miesha Tate (5-1) in a 135 lb. limit featured contest while Aaron Rosa (11-2) will meet Anthony “A Train” Ruiz (21-12) in a light heavyweight (205-pound limit) fight.

SHO MMA: Strikeforce Challengers is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. SHO MMA provides today’s top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event.

Entrepreneur Magazine has a look at Affliction Apparel and the face of the company, Tom Atencio. Affliction is the focus of the article but other players in the culture and style of MMA are touched on, such as TapouT, as well as efforts at Apparel by the UFC and Bellator. The article touches on Affliction’s promoting efforts briefly, but apparel talk dominates the piece. While other areas are cooling off, MMA lifestyle apparel is hailed as a area for triple digit growth rates:

“There’s been tremendous growth in the MMA apparel market,” says Eric Foster, president and COO of MMAjunkie.com, one of the sport’s most visited independent sites. “The companies that are successful are run by real MMA fans who understand the sport.”

To Foster’s point, Affliction, whose other staffers also sport huge muscles and acres of scar tissue, has seen average annual growth of more than 300 percent in the past two years. (Foss says the company broke the $100 million revenue mark in 2008.) What’s more, says Atencio, “MMA is still in its infancy. In five to 10 years, it will explode.”

While the MMA end of the business is still hot, Afflcition also is looking to other areas for growth:

As more and more companies try to ride the MMA wave, Affliction continues to expand its clothing line–and reputation–beyond the ring into higher-end evening wear. Co-founder Eric Foss even has his sights on the women’s market.

Affliction seems to walk a fine line between their MMA offerings and their non-MMA stuff. Their high-end jeans is one example of this. Having a wider product mix like that does act as a hedge against one segment going into a tailspin.

Props: Facebook.com

Check out a not so serious pic after the jump.