MMA Universe

San Clemente, CA April 29, 2009 — Combining state-of-the-art materials with over twenty years of boardshort design, ADX Apparel has just announced the release of their newest product, the White Dragon Fight Shorts. Developed by action sports industry gurus and tested by some of MMA’s toughest critics, ADX’s hybrid fight shorts combined the best elements of traditional board shorts and high-performance fight gear in a package that sacrificed nothing in the process.

Created by action-sports insider Ben Young and MMA legend Cung Le, the White Dragon Fight Shorts’ patented design is constructed with a 4-way Dri-flex body and enhanced by .5mm neoprene super-flex panels. In addition to maximum flexibility, the Dri-Flex material is engineered to accelerate moisture evaporation, keeping them drier and lighter than standard fight shorts. This lightweight combination of materials allows increased performance and unrestricted flexibility while maintaining their durability inside the ring. The waist is lined with mega suede and the all-Velcro closure system is faced with neoprene giving ultra comfort when grappling.

ADX Apparel has battle-tested their design through a partnership with World Extreme Cagefighting’s Wagnney Fabiano, most recently when Fabiano sported ADX’s White Dragon fight shorts in his victory on April fifth, bringing his record to 12-1. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu star has backed ADX’s new line by saying, “ADX fight shorts are the most comfortable, flexible shorts I have ever fought in. They stretch wherever and whenever I need them to.” In addition to fighters themselves, ADX’s fight shorts are getting great reviews from industry powerhouses such as Fighter Warehouse and Fighters Only Magazine.

For additional information on the ADX’s White Dragon Fight Shorts or the rest of their apparel line, contact Ben Young or visit www.mmaadx.com.

Episode five of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 is now underway as Team USA starts to unravel while Team UK continues to bond in a special, two-fight episode.

Be sure to check back a little later tonight for our complete recap. In the meantime, go ahead and sound off in the comments section on all things TUF!

As MMA has seen an explosion in popularity one of the market segments that has been lifted with this tide has been the MMA magazine industry. The magazine publishing field as a whole is seeing a general weeding out of titles (once popular titles like Blender are being shuttered), MMA-specific titles like Fight! Magazine are reaching new sales heights, while other titles like Fighters Only are expanding into the US and new titles like MMA Cage are being planned and launched. With the newsstands bulging with MMA material, the 800lb gorilla may be making their move to enter the market.

The UFC has previously sent out a press release announcing their partnership to put out a commemorative magazine for UFC 100:

The Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization and American Media, Inc (AMI), today announced a partnership to publish a special UFC 100 commemorative edition magazine that will be available at newsstands across North America and in some international markets.

AMI titles including Men’s Fitness, Flex and Muscle & Fitness have featured top UFC fighters, as well as UFC President Dana White and UFC® All Access™ show host Rachelle Leah, on past covers and enjoyed a surge in newsstand sales, with several UFC covers breaking all-time sales records for AMI. “We’ve enjoyed working with Dana and his team and look forward to taking our association to the next level,” added Mr. Pecker.

While all the talk to the public has been of a one-off nature, centering on the UFC 100 issue, it is interesting in how AMI is characterizing the issue when selling it to potential ad buyers. As opposed to selling the magazine as a commemorative issue, MMAPayout.com has learned it is being announced to potential buyers as the premiere issue, which hints at a more expansive roll out of the magazine rather than a one time offering. AMI has seen significant sales numbers for their issues featuring UFC personalities, so such a expanded partnership would make sense from their end. Offering an in house magazine would be a case of the UFC further mimicking the WWE model of diversification. The WWE has multiple in house titles to sell to their fans. The UFC have made no secret of their admiration for the WWE business model.

Middleweight standouts, Nate Marquardt (28-8-2) and Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia (10-0), are set to collide at UFC 102 from The Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, on August 29, according to Maia’s official site.

Marquardt is coming off a big win over Wilson Gouveia (12-5) at UFC 95, finishing the bout in the third round via technical knockout with a thrilling combination that looked like it had been lifted from a video game.

It was impressive to say the least.

Before that he demolished Martin Kampmann, beating him at his own game (the stand up) and forcing the Dane to rethink his career at 185 pounds and make the drop to welterweight.

Maia has been impressive in his own right as of late, too.

He has remained undefeated throughout his professional mixed martial arts career, winning five straight bouts inside the Octagon and earning four “submission of the night” bonuses during that span. His list of victims includes submission victories over the likes of Chael Sonnen (21-10-1), Nate Quarry (11-3) and Jason McDonald (21-12), among others.

It’s safe to say Marquardt will do best to avoid going to the ground if possible against Maia.

With a win here both fighters would have a good case to argue for a title shot against 185-pound kingpin Anderson Silva (24-4). However, they may have to get in line and wait behind the winner of Dan Henderson (24-7) vs. Michal Bisping (18-1) — the two coaches from The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) are set to square off at UFC 100 on July 11.

UFC 102 is expected to feature a main event between Randy “The Natural” Couture locking horns with Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira in a dream match-up that most fans expected to see before Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir played spoiler roles in the opening round of the mini heavyweight tournament created in late 2008 to crown an undisputed division champion.

Also slated for the main card is perennial light heavyweight contender Keith Jardine (14-5-1) who has been tapped to replace Forrest Griffin in a 205-pound slugfest against hard-hitting Brazilian import Thiago Silva (13-1).

UFC 102 is beginning to shape up quite nicely … and we’re still four months away. To check out the latest UFC 102 fight card and rumors click here.

“Probably after my fight with Tito Ortiz. After that fight I really believed I could make it. That was when I thought: ‘These guys aren’t that much better than me. I can fight these guys, and I can beat these guys.’ [Lyoto is] a very strategic fighter, just as I am. It will surely be a tough fight. I think if we fight, the winner will be the one with the better strategy. Machida is a really tough and disciplined fighter. He doesn’t get emotionally shaken in his fights, for being so disciplined. When this fight happens, I’m go to make him frustrated and bothered in the octagon. It will be a tough fight, for sure.”

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans talks to GracieMag.com about the chess match against challenger Lyoto Machida at UFC 98 when the two put their undefeated records on the line from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 23. Will “Sugar” somehow find a way to solve the enigma that is Lyoto Machida? Or will “The Dragon” — who is currently the favorite among sportsbooks — flambe the hard-hitting TUF grad? We’ll know in less than a month…

Tokyo, Japan — After going winless in last year, Team USA West is now just one win away from clinching a post-season berth in the 2009 “M-1 Challenge Presented by Affliction.”

The Colin Oyama-coached team took sole possession of first place following Wednesday night’s 5-0 shutout over South Korea during M-1 Challenge’s “Third Edition,” which emanated from Differ Ariake.

Lightweight David Jansen improved to 10-0 after utilizing his outstanding wrestling ability to grind out a unanimous decision victory over Nam Yui Chul (8-2), an impressive prospect who had been 8-1 coming into the fight.

The win marked Jansen’s second consecutive M-1 Challenge victory following his unanimous decision victory over Brazil’s Flavio Alvaro during the ‘09 opener on Feb. 21, 2009. In a field of 16 lightweight competitors involved with this year’s M-1 Challenge, Jansen is well on his way towards establishing himself as the competition’s top 155 pound fighter.

Jansen’s fight vs. Chul marked his first time competing in Japan, however, Jansen expressed his desire to return and has issued a public challenge to DEEP lightweight champion Katsunori Kikuno.

USA West then moved out to a 2-0 lead following Fabio Negao’s (9-4) majority decision victory over the talented Myung Ho Bae (7-4). The fight was Negao’s first bout since a unanimous decision loss to Matt Lindland at Affliction’s “Banned” event last July.

Next it was time for the middleweights, with Giva “The Arm Collector” Santana (12-1) clinching the team victory for USA West following a armbar submission win over Min Suk Heo (4-8) at 4:05 of round 1. In an incredible statistic, Santana now has 11 career wins via tapout with all of them having come via armbar.

Despite having clinched the team win, Team USA still needed to rack up additional individual victories due to the fact that it competes in a deep Group B division that includes South Korea, Brazil, and the defending M-1 Challenge champions Imperial Team.

All eyes were on Jae Young Kim (12-7) in his return to the M-1 Challenge following his stunning upset over Imperial’s Mikhail Zayats during the Feb. opener courtesy of a head kick. However, former IFL veteran and submission wrestling champion Raphael Davis (6-1) continued his evolution as a striker following a second round TKO over Kim.

Last for Team USA West was heavyweight Shane Del Rosario, who entered the ring wearing his WBC Muay Thai championship belt. The blue chip prospect also entered the contest with a perfect 5-0 record at stake but Del Rosario improved to 6-0 following a first round knockout over Doo Hee Lee (11-7).

The 5-0 shutout improved Team USA West’s record to 2-0 with a combined individual record of 8-2. The team can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Team Imperial in its next matchup, with a date between the two juggernauts yet to be determined.

In addition to Team USA West’s win over South Korea, the debuting Team England could possibly be the team to beat in Group A following its victory over host country Japan during the night’s main team challenge.

The confident Ian “M-16″ Butlin (6-8) ruffled several feathers during a Tuesday press conference in which the anointed England team leader informed the Japanese media that he and his teammates would shut out the Japanese by a 5-0 score.

Despite the bold proclamation, Butlin wasn’t too far off the mark, as England dominated Japan by a 4-1 score. In a twist of irony, it was Butlin’s first round loss to Luiz Andrada (9-6-3) that prevented the team from recording the shutout.

After promising a knockout win all week, Butlin was unable to implement his game plan as Andrada elected not to engage him in the standup and instead tapped him an armbar at 3:20 of round 1.

England then stole Japan’s momentum after Simon “The Executioner” Phillips (7-2) displayed his professional boxing skills and put the entire M-1 welterweight division on notice following his crushing 20 second knockout over DEEP and Pancrase veteran Hidehiko Hasegawa (16-12-5).

Japan then appeared to be well on its way to regaining the lead with Yusuke Masuda forcing Matt Thorpe to fight on his heels for virtually the entire first round. Despite losing the first frame, Thorpe displayed one of the basic principles of jiu-jitsu as a self defense technique by overcoming a more aggressive Masuda with a rear naked choke at 1:30 of round 2.

Following his teammate’s lead, Tom Blackledge (8-6) also used a rear naked choke to clinch a team victory for England after submitting Tatsuya Mizuno (5-5). However, Blackledge differentiated his win from Thorpe’s by showing shades of Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg and utilizing a standing choke en route to victory.

In addition to having his teammates support him at ringside, Blackledge was also cornered by former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Jackson, a well-known figure in Japan thanks to his successful tenure in PRIDE, returned to the country in order to support Blackledge, his good friend and training partner at the Wolfslair Academy in London.

Looking to fortify its standing as the early leader of Group A, British heavyweight Rob “Godzilla” Broughton (9-4-1) displayed excellent ground skills for a big man during his unanimous decision victory over Yusuke Kawaguchi.

For Broughton, the win over Kawaguchi marked yet another notch on his belt when it comes to defeating rising heavyweight prospects. In addition to holding a win over British up-and-comer Martin Thompson, Broughton now can boast that he was the first man to inflict a loss onto Kawaguchi’s record, who previously had been 8-0.

While Team England’s next fight has yet to be finalized, officials with M-1 Global and Cage Warriors are currently working towards bringing a 2009 M-1 Challenge event to England.

The 19-bout M-1 Challenge Japan event also featured a superfight between Karl “Psycho” Amoussou and IFL veteran Kazuhiro Hamanaka, an M-1 Challenge Group A team matchup between France vs. Spain, and a special sparring exhibition between WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko and WAMMA lightweight champion Shinya Aoki.

While Amoussou’s countrymen suffered a 3-2 defeat to Spain, he lifted his former teammates’ spirits with a brilliant flying knee knockout victory over Hamanaka just 23 seconds into their fight with the capacity crowd rising to their feet.

The Japanese crowd displayed even more emotion during Fedor and Aoki’s public sparring session, which was advertised locally as a “special super exhibition.” With no scoring in effect, the encounter between the two undisputed world champions resembled a training session that you might see inside of a fight gym. The only difference was that nearly 1,000 spectators were on hand to watch the two square off while donning Gis.

Fedor utilized his strength advantage to send Aoki soaring with several Sambo throws. At one point, Aoki played to the crowd and removed his Gi in jest and attempted a flying armbar on Fedor. With both fighters pressing each other well less than 100 percent, the two smiled for much of the session and embraced after the final bell had sounded. The video of the session will air free of charge on a video-on-demand basis starting on Monday, May 4 at www.M-1Global.com and www.Mixfight.ru.

Below are complete results from Wednesday’s “M-1 Challenge” event.

With yesterday’s blockbuster news that UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will fight Forrest Griffin at UFC 101, Griffin’s former opponent Thiago Silva was left without an opponent.

Prior to the fight announcement, MMA HQ writer Brian Oswald speculated that Silva might square off against Keith Jardine. While Silva and Jardine won’t be fighting, Jardine has been named as Griffin’s replacement and will fight Thiago Silva at UFC 102.

Jardine is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Quinton Jackson at UFC 96 while Thiago Silva is coming off a loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 94

UFC 102 is currently schedule for August 29, in Portland, OR. The fight card will be headlined by a heavyweight matchup between two former champions, Randy Couture and Antonio Nogueira. Also expected to appear on the fight card are Chris Leben, Junior dos Santos, and Chael Sonnen.

“Of course I wasn’t nervous [about losing my job after the loss to Eric Schafer in Sept. 2008]. I wasn’t nervous at all. Number one, I have been in the business for 10 years and second, it’s great to be in the UFC, man, but it’s not going to make or break me. The UFC is a great event to be a part of, but as far as me being a man, it’s not going to make or break me … of course, there is pressure to win your upcoming fight. First of all, I hate losing. We have to make sure that the mechanics, the training and all that stuff coincides together. So, you know, of course I want to win. So, there is some pressure on this next fight because I, personally, want to win. Other than that, that’s it.”

– Light heavyweight Houston Alexander talks to MMA Fanhouse about nerves, job security, single parenthood and more as he prepares to take on Andre Gusmao at UFC 98: “Evans vs. Machida” from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 23. The “Nebraskan Assassin” has suffered three straight defeats inside the Octagon since bursting onto the scene with big back-to-back knockouts over Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara back in 2007. UFC President Dana White appears to be giving the charismatic father of six at least once more chance to prove he belongs with the top mixed martial arts promotion in the world. Can he can make the most out of it or is he better suited for the DJ booth?

Perennial light heavyweight contender Keith Jardine (14-5-1) has been tapped to replace Forrest Griffin in a 205-pound slugfest against hard-hitting Brazilian import Thiago Silva (13-1) at UFC 102 from The Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, on August 29, MMAmania.com has learned.

Griffin and Silva were originally set to hook ‘em up at UFC 101 in Philadelphia on August 8 — until the bat phone rang in Joe Silva’s office and demanded that Anderson Silva redeem himself for consecutive stand-and-bland performances at UFC 90 and 97.

Thiago was temporarily left without a date for the prom, but the UFC made good on their swap by pitting him against the “Dean of Mean,” as well as a few extra weeks to prepare for his new foe.

Despite dropping a close unanimous decision to former light heavyweight champ Quinton Jackson at UFC 96, the Greg Jackson-disciple has done his share to be atop the 205-pound ladder, putting together a solid record of (6-4) during his time in the Octagon. His resume is highlighted with wins over some of the top names in the sport such as Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell, Brandon Vera and others.

His next appearance at UFC 102 will continue his (mis?)fortune of drawing dangerous opponents.

Silva has made a habit of demolishing his challengers. Before getting stopped at UFC 94 “St. Pierre vs. Penn 2″ by uber-enigma Lyoto Machida on January 31, Silva had finished 12 of his 13 fights, including 10 (T)KO’s.

Scary stuff.

Silva brings the fierce Chute Boxe aggression into his fights (even though he is now no longer with the camp). He has an explosive mix of punches and kicks, which can often leave him open to counter strikes.

However, Silva has proven that he can take punishment and dish out more … just ask Tomasz Drwal, Houston Alexander and Antonio Mendes.

UFC 102 is expected to feature a main event between Randy “The Natural” Couture as he locks horns with Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira in a dream match-up that most fans expected to see at UFC 98 on May 23 before Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir played spoiler roles in the opening round of the mini heavyweight tournament created in late 2008 to crown an undisputed division champion.

Jardine, Silva, Couture and Nogueira. UFC 102 is beginning to shape up quite nicely — and we’re still four months away.

For more on UFC 102 click here.

Kim Couture (1-1) — the wife of former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Randy Couture — has withdrawn from her fight against Meisha Tate (5-1) during the inaugural edition of the SHO MMA: “Strikeforce Challenger Series” at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., on May 15.

Tate recently posted an update to her MySpace page that cites marital problems as the reason for Couture’s withdrawal.

Here’s a snip:

“So Kim ‘Sugar Free’ Couture is pulling out of the fight supposedly cuz her and Randy are getting a divorce………..I’m so pissed right now……Sugar Free my ass!!”

Couture was making her second appearance under the Strikeforce banner. The 33-year-old Las Vegas resident recently won for the first time in her professional career, scoring a first round technical knockout stoppage over Lina Kvokov at Strikeforce: “Destruction” in November 2008.

She dropped her pro debut in a gritty, hard fought unanimous decision loss to Kim Rose at a Banner Promotions event last June — a fight in which she suffered a severely broken jaw during the first minute and continued to fight on for the full nine minutes.

While nothing has been made official, there has been some talk behind the scenes that Mrs. Couture’s involvement in Randy’s business affairs may have isolated him from his peers — and that “The Natural” may have drawn a line in the sand regarding her role in his personal and professional life.

***UPDATE: Tate has begun damage control via a post on The Underground following the heat she took for her MySpace post and “forgetting” that the Coutures were famous. See below.

“So I missunderstood about what I had previously stated, I have a few friends that train at Extreme Couture one of which told me Randy and Kim were having issues and then she backed out of the fight on me and I was VERY upset because most of you know this fight meant the world to me, it was my big break and I was really upset when I found out and jumped to conclusions. My apologies to Randy and Kim, When I wrote about them I meant no ill intentions and didn’t mean to blast their personal life, I was just focused on the fact I wasn’t going to get the fight. I forget how famous they are and didn’t even think how that might effect them and their personal life which was immature and stress my apology to them and who ever else it may concern.”

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information as it becomes available.

Chuck Mindenhall, UFC - A UFC fighter that grows up in a place called Sparta makes for really interesting pub trivia, and Dan Miller comes from a place called Sparta. Just as you'd expect from a blue-collar New Jersey native, he doesn't go in for connotative meanings, but he does remember a time not that long ago when he and his brother "Jimmy"—both of them accomplished wrestlers—were sitting around there and decided to get serious about mixed martial arts.

Behind the Grind brings you into the world of Shine Fights making its debut with “Genesis” in Columbus, Ohio May 9th in the Celeste Center at the Ohio Expo Center.

Issue # 2: MARKETING IS OUR MIDDLE NAME

by Rhett Butler

Guerrilla Warfare?

You have to hit the streets and touch the people to continue the impact in a market and Shine understands this. So what do they do? Get guerrilla with it and promote! Guerrilla warfare is the term for asymmetrical marketing, reaching the end customer by non-traditional means. After placing an order for additional marketing materials the Shine team distributed 10,000 4×6 flyers and over 200 posters in the central Ohio market. This surely reinforces the show in the minds of the Ohioan.

In addition, Shine placed an order for banners to be displayed outside popular bar and nightclubs in the Arena District of Columbus, OH. If you know Columbus then you understand the value of this hot spot region of the city. Also, appearances for some of the local fighters on the card were arranged at different bars and restaurants throughout the Columbus area where people can see and touch their favorite hometown heroes. It’s hard being a fighter but hey the public is a waiting. Pressing the flesh and doing meet and greets with the public personalize the experience and inspire increased participation.

Radio Revives The Video Star

Don’t believe the hype, radio still matters folks. Yes TV makes one more legitimate but radio touches people on a totally other cerebral level. The best marketing efforts are able to find the proper mix between radio and TV to maximize turnout for your event. In the case of radio, Morning and Afternoon drive time are still listened to widely and Shine understands how to tap into this.

Main event fighter, Antwain Britt served the public by doing a radio interview with Q96 FM in Columbus, OH. In addition, tickets were given away on Q96 as well. Recently, the Shine commercials ran on Power 107.5 FM while Marketing worked on arranging interviews and ticket giveaways for the station.

Next Issue: The Importance of Digital Outreach, Star Power and Inter-company Communication

TapouT, the premier mixed-martial arts apparel, gear and lifestyle brand, announced today a licensing agreement with Champion Nutrition to offer sports enthusiasts TapouT Sports Nutrition products. Under this relationship, Champion Nutrition will design, distribute and market the Tapout Sports Nutrition brand to all retailers in the United States and abroad. TapouT Sports Nutrition products will be available in mass-market retailers beginning this summer.

“TapouT is thrilled to be working with Champion Nutrition to offer our fans, fighters and every athlete premium sports nutrition products that will let them train harder and reach their goals,” said Punkass, TapouT Co-CEO and Co-Founder. “TapouT is about expressing your passion and attitude, and whether it’s through our clothing or nutritional products, we want our company to help take that emotion to the next level.”

TapouT Sports Nutrition products will feature premium sports supplements that will allow mixed-martial arts fighters, bodybuilders, and athletes-in-training to increase muscle size and strength. The products are competitively priced and engineered with research-tested ingredients, including highly absorbable forms of protein, creatine, hydration drink formulas and more, to deliver results for serious minded athletes and boost endurance for those pushing their physical limits.

“It’s an honor to develop a line of sports nutrition products under the TapouT name,” said Mark Post, President of Champion Nutrition. “Champion Nutrition has been developing sports nutrition products for athletes and champions in all sports for over 26 years. We look forward to working with TapouT to introduce our nutritional performance expertise to the mixed-martial arts community and all TapouT fans around the world.”

“TapouT has built a stellar reputation by supporting mixed-martial arts fighters in every facet of their career,” says TapouT Co-CEO and President Marc Kreiner. “We’re excited to team with Champion Nutrition to expand our support for these athletes by providing the supplements they need to maintain their training and take their game to the next level.”

We passed along the good news more than a month ago that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) had designs on staging its first-ever event in Pennsylvania on Saturday, August 8, 2009. Today, the promotion made those plans official, announcing that it would storm the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia with UFC 101.

And fans in the “City of Brotherly Love” have to be pleased with the pay-per-view (PPV)-worthy show that is expected to roll into town in little more than three months.

It’s now confirmed that lightweight champion BJ Penn will put his 155-pound title on the line against number one contender Kenny Florian in the main event of the evening. UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva will also be in action, stepping up once again to compete at light heavyweight against former 205-pound champion, Forrest Griffin, in a three-round, non-title special attraction.

Other proposed match ups, which we have been sharing as we have learned about them, are also in the works. To check out the latest UFC 101 fight card and rumors click here.

UFC 101 tickets are not yet on sale, but the promotion promises to release that information shortly. Therefore, if you’re interested in attending it would be wise to check in with us early and often to ensure that you don’t miss the boat — tickets will more than likely move lightning fast.

To get up to speed on the latest UFC 101 news be sure to hit up our event archive right here.

Female MMA fighters Gina Carano and Kim Couture with some rare downtime at the wedding reception for recently married Kevin “The Monster” Randleman.

Thanks to Tracy Lee of Combat Lifestyle for the pic. See more here.

Props: MMA Fanhouse

Quoteworthy:

He’s got a pretty good name. He’s done real well in the UFC; I’ve seen him in the top 10 before. I think it’s another step closer to a title shot, which is my main goal … I’m not looking for an easy title shot. I know Kenny’s not easy but if Kenny wins, I don’t want a shot just because I already beat Kenny. Give me BJ again, man. BJ beat me and for me that’s motivation, especially with everything before that lead into that fight with all the drama and stuff like that … I just want the best fighter to win [at UFC 101], and hopefully if I do my job on May 23, hopefully I can be next in line for a title shot … I mean Frankie is really tough; I never overlook anybody. I never have in my entire career and I’m not going to start now … as soon as you start overlooking guys, that’s when you run into a problem and I’m not going to do that.

– Former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk talks about getting another crack at the 155-pound strap he coughed up following a controversial drug test that pegged him as a steroid user. “The Muscle Shark” also anticipates a very stiff test at UFC 98 “Evans vs. Machida” in the form of lightweight standout Frank Edgar. A win could put him in line for a title shot against either BJ Penn or Kenny Florian following their championship bout at UFC 101 in August. Either way, it’s a rematch for Sherk. The question is, who would you rather see — Sherk vs. “The Prodigy” or Sherk vs. “KenFlo?”

Palace Fighting Championships (PFC) 13: “Validation” is all set to go down at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California on Friday, May 8.

In all, four PFC world championship belts will be decided on the card, as well as a number one contender eliminator bout in the featherweight division and a featured main event middleweight showdown between former WEC light heavyweight champion Doug “The Rhino” Marshall and three time ShoXC veteran Jaime “El Cucui” Jara.

Marshall comes in riding a two fight winning streak, having taken five out of his last six. The two most recent wins both came under the PFC banner, against Phil Collins (TKO) at PFC 9 last July and against Rafael Real (TKO) at PFC 11 in November.

Jara has also won five of his last six fights, including three by submission and another by technical knockout. He dropped a unanimous decision to Leopoldo Serao during his last showing for PFC at “All In” back in November.

This is a classic clash of styles as Jara will lean on his submission skills, while The Rhino looks to turn it into a kickboxing match.

The PFC flyweight, lightweight, welterweight and middleweight titles will all be on the line in Lemoore on May 8 as well, not to mention a lightweight undercard match up involving “The Ultimate Fighter” season 5 washout Gabe Ruediger.

Check out the full lineup for PFC 13: “Validation” below:

Main Event:
Doug “The Rhino” Marshall (9-3) vs. Jaime “El Cucui” Jara (21-6)

Main Card:
145 lbs.: Casey Olson (9-2) vs. Eddie Yagin (12-3-1)
185 lbs.: Leopoldo Serao (15-7) vs. Phil Collins (7-4) for the vacant PFC Middleweight Title
170 lbs.: PFC Welterweight Champion Olaf Alfonso (8-10) vs. Kyle Pimentel (6-0)
155 lbs.: Dominique Robinson (14-2-1) vs. Carlo Prater (23-6-1) for the vacant PFC Lightweight Title
125 lbs.: Anthony Perales (3-0) vs. Pat Runez (5-0) for the vacant PFC Flyweight Title

Under Card:
155 lbs.: Darren Crisp (6-3) vs. Gabe Ruediger (11-5)
155 lbs.: Bryan Travers (11-1) vs. John Gunderson (18-6)
155 lbs.: Marcelo Guidici (8-1) vs. John Reedy (6-3)
155 lbs.: Scott McAfee (7-1) vs. Bill Theofonopolus (3-1)
135 lbs.: Cole Escovedo (11-4) vs. Michael McDonald (7-0)
130 lbs.: Erin Toughill (9-2-1) vs. Emily Thompson (4-0)

It should be a solid night of fights for the California based organization. Tickets are on sale now and can be had through the usual outlets.

The UFC is coming to Philadelphia for the first time on Saturday, August 8th, and its bringing the big guns for UFC 101, as BJ Penn defends his UFC lightweight crown for the second time against number one contender Kenny Florian, and UFC middleweight boss Anderson Silva jumps back to the 205-pound weight class to take on former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.

UFC President Dana White has confirmed to Yahoo! Sports that current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will fight former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 101.

UFC 101 is currently scheduled for August 8 in Philadelphia, PA and will be headlined by a lightweight title fight between current champion BJ Penn and No. 1 contender Kenny Florian. The Silva vs. Griffin fight will be featured as a co-main event.

Earlier today, we speculated about Silva’s future opponent’s at light heavyweight, as Forrest Griffin was originally slated to face Thiago Silva at UFC 101.

“Forrest loved the idea and said he’d do it right away, and Anderson told me he would fight anyone I wanted him to fight, no matter who it is,” [Dana] White told Yahoo! Sports. “So we got the deal.”

Anderson Silva is, of course, coming off a unanimous decision victory over Thales Leites at UFC 97.

Forrest Griffin last fought at UFC 92 where he lost his light heavyweight title to current champion Rashad Evans via TKO in the third round.

It is unknown who might be named as a possible replacement opponent for Thiago Silva.

Fresh off back-to-back underwhelming — albeit winning performances — UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva will return to the 205-pound division in search of better competition against former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pa., on August 8, according to Yahoo!Sports.com.

Griffin was previously booked to take on Thiago Silva in the co main event; however, UFC President Dana White made an executive decision to insert the “Spider” instead.

Here’s his reasoning:

“Forrest loved the idea and said he’d do it right away, and Anderson told me he would fight anyone I wanted him to fight, no matter who it is. So we got the deal…. I talked to (a reporter) the day after (UFC 97) and that’s when I started working on this. At the end of the day, it’s my job to put on the kinds of fights that you in the media will like and that the fans will want to see. Silva and Griffin is the kind of fight that even other fighters are going to go crazy for. That’s what I do for a living. I as a fan didn’t like what I saw (at UFC 97) and I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted to walk out of the building because of how embarrassed I am. But I can tell you this: I’m going to be counting the days until this fight.”

Griffin — the light heavyweight winner of the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) — was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) until June 27, 2009, because of a broken left hand that he suffered in the second round of his fight against Rashad Evans at UFC 92 “The Ultimate 2008″ last December.

He apparently needed to have pins surgically inserted into the hand to expedite the healing process. The good news is that he has already been cleared to resume punching and training full-time to be prepared for a healthy return in August.

The bad news? He now has to do it against the feared Brazilian striker who more than likely won’t be in a good mood when he steps inside the Octagon on fight night.

Indeed, Silva will likely feel the need to prove himself worthy of being considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world when he arrives in the “City of Brotherly Love.” Apparently, a record-setting nine straight UFC wins — seven of which were all stoppages that never went longer than two rounds — is not good enough these days.

That’s because Silva has baffled his fans, as well as White, in his two most recent outings. He earned a bizarre third round technical knockout win over Patrick Cote after the Canadian’s knee imploded and then followed that up with a boring unanimous decision win over Thales Leites at UFC 97: “Redemption” earlier this month.

For more on UFC 101, including rumored bouts and all other event-related news, click here. John — and the rest of the Maniacs — feel free to rejoice in the comments section below.