The War Is Over: DirecTV and Versus finally come to an agreement

Don’t you just love it when multi-billion organizations fight and you are the one left on the outside looking in? The pissing match between DirecTV and Versus Network finally came to an end Monday after seven months as the two announced a deal that will put the fledgling sports network back on the air – perfect timing considering that UFC debuts there this Sunday.

Now 14 million more can see their WEC action – and now UFC – once again. All is right with the world.

Roger Huerta to return to action with Bellator Fighting Championships

The young Bellator Fighting Championships continues to add some interesting names, signing their biggest free agent to date Monday in former UFC veteran Roger Huerta. Huerta will begin work in their 155-pound tournament to kick off their second “season”.

Huerta joins Toby Imada, Ferrid Kheder, Mike Ricci, Janne Tulirinta, Chad Hinton and Carey Vanier. The tourney kicks off April 8th on Fox Sports Net. If he can win the tourney, he’ll get a shot at Lightweight World Champion Eddie Alvarez sometime in the fall.

Is it a game changer? No, but it’s a solid signing that shows Bellator wants to be a player in MMA. The signing is risky for Huerta if he doesn’t manage to win the tourney, but given that BFC is still growing, it won’t be a widely-seen career killer. The biggest question for this writer? Why didn’t Strikeforce sign Huerta?

Go to the movies and meet a UFC star

Think the UFC’s debut in movie theatres for UFC 11 isn’t a big deal? Think again. The group released a full list of where their talent will be dispatched for the March 27th event today. They will act as “hosts” for the night, doing a Q/A, signing autographs and more. Not every theatre is covered, but this is still a very cool idea.

Some weekend leftovers

- North American Fighting Championship will debut on Saturday, April 3rd, at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, WI.. The event will feature Jason Dent, Nick Agallar, Sherman Pendergarst and Joe Pearson. This is the organization co-owned by Duke Roufus, Scott Joffe and former Green Bay Packers defensive mountain Gilbert Brown. Look for smoe more coverage on the NAFC here on the Madness soon. (Thanks to www.NAFC.tv)

Here’s a commercial the group is running right now:

- Shine Fights announced Nick Thomson vs. Eduardo Pamplona for their big May 15th show at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, NC. The event will feature former pro boxer Ricardo Mayorga vs. veteran Din Thomas as the headliner. (Thanks to shinefights.com)

Based on information received from sources close to the situation, Ryan Bader, CB Dolloway and Aaron Simpson have left Arizona Combat Sports.

Simpson responded via text, stating, “It’s all up in the air right now. I can’t say exactly, but I’m hoping to have news in a couple of weeks.”

The move by the three UFC competitors and Arizona State alums comes at a curious time as all are coming off the biggest wins of their careers. Bader defeated Keith Jardine via third round TKO at UFC 110, Dolloway took home a unanimous decision that same night against Goran Reljic and Simpson defeated Tom Lawlor at UFC Fight Night 20 in January.

Simpson was the assistant coach at Arizona State University while Bader, Dolloway and UFC heavyweight contender Cain Velasquez attended the school.

Check back for more information as it becomes available.

That version of Primetime averaged just under 800k viewers per episode, maxing out at 880,000 viewers for the first episode. The latest incarnation didn’t disappoint as Dan Hardy proved to be a likable character and the cliffhanger ending of Hardy showing up at Matt Serra’s gym was a great way to end the show.

Rosholt’s Return

Jake Rosholt announced on Twitter that he will be facing another former UFC middleweight when he meets Jeremy Horn at a King of the Cage event in Detroit on April 16. Rosholt has one fight since being cut from the UFC, a win over Rudy Lindsey at an Xtreme Fighting League event on March 6.

The four-time All-American wrestler will have to be careful when he takes Horn down. Horn has won an amazing 53 fights by way of submission and may prove to be too experienced for Rosholt. King of the Cage will air live on HDNET.

Barnett’s Next Battle

Sports Illustrated’s Josh Gross reported on his Twitter account that Josh Barnett will be facing “Mighty” Mo Siligia at Dream 13 on March 22. Barnett has been out of action since January of last year when he defeated Gilbert Yvel at Affliction: Day of Reckoning. Since that time, he tested positive for steroids which killed a bout with Fedor Emelianenko and Affliction’s MMA promotion.

Mighty Mo is a kickboxer who sometimes dabbles in mixed martial arts. He holds a 3-1 record in MMA and hasn’t competed in the sport since losing to Semmy Schilt on New Year’s Eve in 2008. Dream 13 is scheduled to air on HDNET and will be headlined by a featherweight title bout between champion Bibiano Fernandes and Joachim Hansen.

Shine On

Shine Fights has announced a welterweight matchup between UFC veteran Nick “The Goat” Thompson and Eduardo Pamplona. The press release stated that the two will battle it out on the main card of “Worlds Collide”: Mayorga vs. Thomas on May 15. Thompson has bounced around recently between EliteXC, Strikeforce, MFC and WVR.

Pamplona’s biggest fight of his career came against Robbie Lawler while the two were in the IFL. Lawler earned a third round TKO victory. The main event will mark the MMA debut of former WBA/WBC welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga as he takes on former UFC lightweight contender Din Thomas.

A preview video for UFC 112 has been released. Next month’s event is a month away and features Middleweight Champ Anderson “The Spider” Silva vs. Demian Maia and Lightweight Champion BJ Penn vs. Frankie Edgar. This event will mark the first time the UFC has held an event in Abu Dhabi and in an outdoor arena.

We here at MMA Madness wanted to take the time to pay homage to Charles “Mask” Lewis, who one year ago today died in an unfortunate car accident. Mask was a man among boys and was a visionary, who was able to see through all of the trials and tribulations that mixed martial artists were going through. Lewis inspired so many people and gave hope to fighters who were on the verge of giving up.

Without Mask, there’d be no TapouT and more importantly, the world of MMA would have never turned out the way it has. Rest in peace Mask. You can read E. Spencer Kyte’s thoughts on him here.

A Gracie in Strikeforce

MMA Junkie is reporting that Roger Gracie will be making his long awaited debut with Strikeforce on May 15 in St. Louis. Two opponents are being talked about, but neither has been confirmed: former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman and former Pride and UFC light heavyweight Rameau Thierry Sokodjou.

Gracie has only competed in two MMA bouts, winning both of them, but has long been regarded as one of the top grapplers in the world. He is a 2005 ADCC champion and a 2nd degree black belt.

Weighing In On Massachusetts

The state of Massachusetts – which recently legalized mixed martial arts – has passed a regulation that will call for two separate weigh-ins. The first would occur no more than 36 hours before the bout is scheduled to take place and the second weigh-in would happen the night of the fight. These are the same rules that the state applies for a boxing match. The regulation would call for an immediate disqualification of a fighter was to weigh more than 1.0625 times than the initial weigh-in.

For example, if a fighter were to weigh in at 170 lbs, then he could not weigh more than 180.625 lbs the day of the fight. This provision is put in place to stop fighters from going through unhealthy weight cuts.

The UFC will be meeting with the commission to discuss these matters, but UFC executive Marc Ratner said that these rules would not stop the UFC from staging events in the state of Massachusetts. Inf fact, he said North Carolina does not allow any particular fighter to gain more than 13 lbs between the two weigh-ins. (Thanks to Sherdog for the report.)

GSP: Comedian

UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is not one to talk trash and for the most part, is a gentleman and has respect for the sport and his opponents. In an interview conducted with MMA Connected, St. Pierre said something extremely funny. Take a look at the video and listen for the Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake reference.

Bonnar Loses Appeal

It looks like Stephan Bonnar lost his appeal to have his loss to Krzystzof Soszynski at UFC 110 changed to a no contest. The Combat Sports Authority of New South Wales decided not to interfere with the referee’s decision, according to Craig Waller, who is the executive director of the CSA of NSW. Bonnar and Soszynski have both stated that they are open to a rematch and it looks like that will happen at The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale on June 19.

Think You’re TUF?

There will be an open tryout for season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter on April 1 at the Omni Charlotte Hotel in Charlotte, NC. UFC and Spike officials will be on hand to watch prospective fighters in the lightweight and light heavyweight divisions. The fighters must be at least 21 years-old and have three professional bouts under their belt. Registration is set to begin at 8 a.m. EST with tryouts beginning two hours later.

It’s Primetime!

Wednesday at 10 p.m. EST, Spike TV will air the first episode of UFC Primetime: St. Pierre vs. Hardy. The three week series received rave reviews during its inaugural run which featured the rematch between St. Pierre and BJ Penn at UFC 94. Take a behind the scenes look at the fighters, their respective training camps and their takes on one another. It will be interesting to see how far Hardy is willing to go to try and get in the head of GSP. Hardy is known for his antics and he tries to lay the groundwork to get his opponent off their game. Check out the brief preview video here.

James Toney

When told that Randy Couture had expressed interest in being his first opponent, Toney got excited. He didn’t sign with the UFC to fight on the undercards and wants to fight the biggest and baddest mixed martial arts that the UFC has to offer.

“Let me tell you something: I came to the UFC to do one thing and that’s to fight the best out there. If it’s Couture, so be it. If it’s somebody else, so be it. Let’s get it on and popping. When Dana White said MMA fighters are better than boxers, come on now…you know better than that.”

Toney goes on to talk about teaming up with trainer Juanito Ibarra, what to expect if someone rushes in for a takedown, how soon we can expect him to fight and his relationship with White. At 41-years-old, the expectation level for Toney is not awfully high. We all know if he hits someone, especially with four-ounce gloves on, they are going to get hurt. It will be interesting to see how well he reacts to being put on his back for the first time.

Rome on Toney

Jim Rome of ESPN weighed on the Toney-UFC marriage yesterday. Rome – one of the few mainstream sports journalists who gives the UFC any attention – was shocked that White caved in and signed Toney. Rome brought up the fact that White claims to hate freaks shows, but isn’t putting a 41 year-old boxer with an expanding waistline in the octagon somewhat of a freakshow?

Rome posed a few good questions and made some statements that made a lot of sense. Check out the video here.

UFC vs. Strikeforce….again

Surprise, surprise, the UFC will be running a live show on April 17. Yes the same April 17 in which CBS will feature a Strikeforce card with three titles on the line. According to The Wrestling Observer, White confirmed that a UFC event will air live on Spike TV. Rumors of a proposed welterweight showdown between Mike Swick and Matt Serra were shot down by Swick himself, who said he is dealing with an arm injury that may require surgery.

Carmichael Dave said on the UnderGround Forum that Toney might make his debut on this card against Kimbo Slice and Kevin Iloe on his radio show all but confirmed the match-up on the radio show. Slice was preparing to face Matt Mitrione at UFC 113 in May, but as we have seen before, things can and do change in the UFC all the time. By the way, the Slice-Mitrione bout is no longer listed on the UFC 113 fight card.

Strikeforce is featuring a middleweight title bout between champion Jake Shields and Dan Henderson, who will be making his organizational debut. Light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi will defend his title for the first time against Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal. Shinya Aoki, the Dream lightweight champion will make his debut in the United States as he tries to capture Gilbert Melendez’s Strikeforce lightweight title.

When Anthony Pettis and Danny Castillo meet at WEC 47, one of them will be walking out of the cage on a two-fight losing streak.

With the WEC adding talent to the lightweight division at every turn, the prospect of back-to-back losses is a powerful motivator. Not that Pettis is in need of motivation.

“No one wants to lose two-in-a-row,” Pettis calmly stated between training sessions with his team in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “You lose two in a row and you have to sit down and think about what you’re going to do after this.” Hearing such an honest assessment of what a second consecutive loss would do to his career, you forget that Pettis is just 23-years-old.

“Do you ever want to start the next chapter of life and put the story of your dad behind you?” I ask, acutely aware of the sensitive subject matter that often becomes the narrative of an Pettis story.

“Naw, man,” Pettis laughs. “I’ve been asked that question before, `Do you want to be remembered as the guy in fighting who lost his dad?’ I could never get tired of talking about my Pops.”

Seven years ago, Pettis lost his father, the victim of a robbery gone wrong. “This is my life,” he continues. “This is how I became a fighter and I would like that to remain a part of my story always.”

To this day, his father is a part of his pre-fight routine.

“Before I leave, I gotta go stop at my dad’s grave, spend some time there, talk with him,” Pettis explained. “My coat has him airbrushed on the back or [I bring his] picture out to the cage with me all the time.”

In addition to the adversity put before him by the passing of his father, Pettis has had to deal with a more familiar foe for fighters as well – injuries. In just his third professional fight, he suffered a dislocated shoulder. While the injury had continued to be a hindrance through his bout with Bart Palaszewski at WEC 45, the young Milwaukee native got a good story out of the injury he attained against Mike Lambrecht in March 2008.

“I was lighting him up with punches,” offers Pettis, an excitement in his voice. “I thought I had the better of him – he looked like he was ready to get knocked out – and I jumped in for a Superman punch, and he changed levels and just dropped me right on my shoulder.”

The rest of the story sounds equal parts Hollywood movie and fish tale – too storybook to have happened, but it most certainly did. Pettis knocked him out in the 1st round and got the victory.

“My corner’s looking at me, the refs looking at me, and I’m thinking I got one chance, I gotta end this fight. I don’t remember how the kick happened,” Pettis continues. “After the ref pulled us apart, I just went into my corner and popped my shoulder back into place and everyone was cheering. I didn’t really get to enjoy that head kick knockout.”

As epic a story as that is, the injury remained a problem and forced Pettis under the knife prior to his last fight, one he chooses to erase from his memory. “That Bart fight, man…,” begins Pettis, his tone changing to one of frustration, “To me that fight isn’t even like a fight in the WEC. This is my second fight in the WEC…right here.”

In speaking with Palaszewski for an alternate piece, the talkative former IFL fighter had this to say: “C’mon man! Everybody has got injuries. I don’t think I’ve ever fought a fight at 100%, even when I’ve said I feel great there is always something.”

While Pettis has said he would jump at a chance to face Palaszewski again, he’ll first have to get by a tough Danny Castillo at WEC 47 this weekend.

“He’s definitely going to be a dangerous opponent,” offers Pettis. “He’s coming off a loss also, so we’re both like animals with our backs against the wall and we both need a win.”

Castillo, who trains with Urijah Faber’s Team Alpha Male, is known for his strong wrestling and powerful hands, two things Pettis has worked hard on avoiding heading into this contest.

“He wants guys to defend his punch and then he shoots in for the takedown,” Pettis said. “He’s gonna try to take me down and grind me out and I’m going to be ready for that. I’ve been working my sprawl game, and I’m healthy this time.”

With a healthy shoulder and an angel watching over him, Pettis is ready to get back in the cage and return to his winning ways, starting this Saturday in Columbus, Ohio at WEC 47.

WEC 47 is this Saturday, March 6 on Versus at 10 pm EST and also features Bantamweight Champion Brian Bowles vs. Dominick Cruz and the return of Jens Pulver. Look for WEC coverage all week on long on MMAMadness.com.

Former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner was all set to begin his trek back towards the championship at WEC 48 against Kamal Shalorus, but he will either have to wait until a different date or fight another opponent as Shalorus is unavailable due to an injury. Varner released the disappointing information last night and I was able to confirm with today via text.

If the WEC does hold him out, he could be an alternate option in case either Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson or Donald Cerrone get injured and are unable to fight in their rematch for Henderson’s title.

WEC Heading North

Top MMA News says it has been able to confirm that the WEC will be making its way up to the great white north and that Calgary. Alberta, Canada will play host to the first WEC event on June 20 at the Stampede Corral. The website is basing this information on a conversation they had with Shirley Stunzi who is the Calgary Combative Sports Commission chairperson.

No bouts have been rumored at this point. The WEC will look to replicate the success the UFC has had during their trips to Montreal at UFC 83 and UFC 97.

Ibarra Speaks Out

In an interview with Erik Fontanez of Bleacher Report, Juanito Ibarra, who will be training new UFC mixed martial artist James Toney, said they have plans on shocking the world. Ibarra, who hasn’t been seen since a much-publicized falling out with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, said Kimbo Slice would make for a perfect first opponent, followed up by a bout with UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell.

Ibarra also said that Toney will be competing in the light heavyweight division. At this time no opponent or date has been announced, but according to Ibarra, Toney is looking to have his first fight in June.

UFC Rematch In The Works?

MMA Mania is reporting that The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale may play host to a rematch between Stephan Bonnar and Krzysztof Soszynski. The two met just a few weeks ago at UFC 110 in Australia, ending prematurely when an accidental headbutt in the third round opened up a giant cut on Bonnar’s forehead. Referee John Sharp called a halt to the bout and awarded the TKO victory to “The Polish Experiment”.  Bonnar has recently indicated that he intends on filing a protest to have the bout ruled a technical draw.

Bonnar will also handle color commentating duties for this Saturday’s WEC 47 as Frank Mir is training for his UFC interim Heavyweight Title tilt against Shane Carwin in just a few weeks.

Strikeforce Stars On MTV2

Strikeforce’s Mayhem Miller, Josh Thomson, Lavar Johnson and Scott Smith will be part of MTV2’s Rock N’Jock on MTV2 this Saturday and next Saturday. This isn’t the Rock’N'Jock basketball like we remember from the past, but a show with clips and music videos. The show runs at 11 am EST.

Sign Right Here

Feel strongly that MMA should be legal in Toronto? Sign this online petition that MMA Connected host Joe Ferraro will hand deliver to Premier Dalton McGuinty…if the amount of signatures is significant. You don’t have to live in Ontario to sign.

If this is White’s attempt to show up all in the boxing community who have criticized mixed martial arts, I am ok with it. If not, I am bewildered, lost and confused.

I was hoping that this was a hoax or a bad joke, but MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiapetta has been able to confirm with White himself that the deal is done. At 42 years old, I don’t know what Toney has to offer, he hasn’t won a big fight since 2003 when he defeated Evander Holyfield. Just two years later, he was suspended for using a banned substance. Just what MMA needs: an overweight, over the hill cheater.

UFC 115 in trouble already?

- Western Canadian resident E. Spencer Kyte will be sad to hear this news. MMA Mania is reporting that Vancouver has yet to put any regulations into place, thus quite possibly jeopardizing UFC 115 which is scheduled for June 12. MMA activist Paul Lazenby recently attended a meeting held by the Vancouver Athletic Commission and here is what he had to say:

“In spite of Vancouver City Council’s approval of a two-year trial period for MMA, I found out that there are still no regulations in place to promote the sport professionally within the city. The problem lies in the fact that the city is still expressing grave concerns about legal and financial liability, while movement toward a resolution of those concerns appears to have been extremely sluggish. At one point, newly-elected VAC chair Mirko Mladenovic (a supporter of properly-sanctioned MMA) asked Mr. Hammel when the legal issues might be resolved, to which Mr. Hammel replied, ‘About two months’ in a manner that indicated to me that it may be even longer.”

That is not the kind of news an organization wants to hear as it prepares to visit a venue for the first time, but I have to believe the UFC knows what is going on and feels that things are under control. Otherwise they would have waited to book a show in Vancouver and held this card somewhere else.

MMA Madness has a contact into the Vancouver Athletic Commission and will report back once we get some information back. More to come on this story as we get it.

Versus to show WEC 48 prelims

- Most fans are not happy about the fact that the WEC is asking them to fork over $49.95 for WEC 48 when they are used to watching their product for free. Versus is offering some relief as they will air some of the preliminary bouts from the card according to MMA Frenzy. The UFC and Spike TV recently partnered up to show some of the undercard fights from the UFC pay-per-views and it has worked out rather nicely.

Dos Santos/Gonzaga Video Preview

- Two big Brazilians will meet in just under three weeks. Junior Dos Santos - who has steamrolled through four straight opponents to begin his UFC career – will take on former title contender Gabriel Gonzaga in the co-main event of the first ever UFC on Versus card. Another impressive win by Dos Santos will push him closer towards a title shot, while a win for Gonzaga could get his career back on track.

Check out the video below as JDS talks about training with the Nogueira Brothers to tighten up his ground game:

- UFC President Dana White catches a lot of heat for his sometimes outlandish behavior and his foul mouth. Some feel he uses his position to bury others and has no qualms about burying someone he doesn’t like. On the other hand, you have a guy who built an entire UFC card around raising money for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund which helps soldiers who have been injured and the families of soldiers lost.

Monday, White went above and beyond once again, this time donating $10,000 to the family of a two-year old British girl who had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. The total cost to get her to the United States is $500,000 and the family has raised about 20% of the money they need. White had heard about Ruby Owen from an email sent by a friend of the Owen family.

It wasn’t until someone alerted them on their Facebook page that the Owens family became aware of White’s donation. This won’t stop anyone from bashing White the next time he says something demeaning, but this story will remain in the back of my head for a long time. To read the full article, click here.

- Now on to a story that is on the complete opposite of the spectrum. UFC welterweight Marcus Davis is still bitter about losing via split decision to current number one contender Dan Hardy last June at UFC 99. He may have some legitimate reasons to be upset as Hardy played mind games in the weeks leading up to the bout and questioned Davis’ sexuality. It’s only natural to respond to someone who is calling you out like that, especially when it’s done on such a huge platform. But Davis went over the line with his response.

While responding to a tweet sent to him by a fan who wants to see Hardy and Davis go at it again, “The Irish Hand Grenade” completely imploded and tweeted a response so nasty and hateful, it made Mir’s death threats against Brock Lesnar look humane, saying “I Hope Hardy Dies of AIDS” . I don’t care how upset you are. there is absolutely no room for that sort of behavior. The Twitter account does belong to Davis as it links back to his website and has over 10k followers. The tweet has since been removed.

Hardy has got a great personality and that is part of the reason why he received a shot at Georges St. Pierre. In a blog he writes for This Is Nottingham, Hardy goes on a verbal tirade against Mike Swick, Josh Koshcheck, Jon Fitch and even throws in a shot at Nate Marquardt for good measure. Apparently Hardy is constantly getting hounded with questions on how he plans on defeating GSP, he admits he is the underdog, but has a problem when those questions come from guys who have lost to the welterweight champion.

Regarding Swick – the only one out of the three American Kickboxing Academy’s welterweights not to lose to St. Pierre – Hardy said it’s time for Swick to get over it. Hardy beat him fair and square and maybe if he wasn’t so concerned with Hardy he wouldn’t have lost to Paulo Thiago at UFC 109.

He finds Koscheck’s constant griping rather amusing, calling him that “Fraggle-haired guy” who got knocked out at UFC 95 but did go on to earn a split decision against a chair. He told Kos not to blink at UFC 113 or he’ll get knocked out by Paul Daley.

Up next was Fitch, whom Hardy said hasn’t improved at all. He questioned their loyalties to one another and said they don’t seem to have each other’s best interests at heart.

Last but not least was Marquardt who isn’t even in the same weight class, but happens to be a teammate of GSP’s. Hardy called upon Marquardt to curl up into a ball and lose in the first round again, the same way he did against Anderson Silva at UFC 73. Priceless quotes.

- Just a quick quote from Fedor Emelianenko’s manager Vadim Finkelstein as he had the nerve to call Alistair Overeem a steroid bully and question what his fighter would gain by fighting the current Strikeforce heavyweight champion. However, Finkelstein is calling for a bout with Josh Barnett who has been suspended twice for steroid use.

While Overeem has been accused and questioned over the years, he has never failed a drug test. Meanwhile Barnett helped sink Affliction just days before a scheduled bout with Emelianenko when he got flagged once again for a dirty urine. This guy is out of his mind.