Full Contact Talk: MMA discussion

He Said, She Said: Barnett Claims No Ducking, Affliction Insinuates Otherwise

MMARated.com reported yesterday that Affliction originally intended for the resheduled fight between Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett to take place during a co-promoted event with EliteXC during its October 4 primtime fight night on CBS. The web lit up with conclusions and criticism far and wide. Not necessarily criticism aimed directly at Affliction working together with EliteXC but rather some not always positive language for Josh Barnett. Barnett was criticized at times for being a prima donna. But of course there was those who sided with Barnett often asking, “Why would a top five world ranked heavyweight fighter want to be on the undercard of a fight with a highly controversial brawler and an aging veteran?” Throughout the day since MMARated’s report, a lot of uncertainty still hovered around the confirmation of the fight until of course it was revealed late yesterday that Andrei Arlovski would face Roy Nelson on October 4 instead. During an exclusive interview with MMARated.com, Affliction president Tom Atencio stated:

“We’ve been working on the CBS deal for ten days or so. What we’re trying to do is things that are good for the industry. If we can work with these guys great. It [The EliteXC fight on October 4] was going to be Arlovski versus (Josh) Barnett. But what happened was we couldn’t finalize a deal with Barnett and he went to sign with Sengoku.”

Clearly Atencio did not elaborate on the intimate details regarding the situation with Josh Barnett but the trash talk circulated the internet to the point that Josh Barnett posted a blog on Myspace in an effort to silence if not rebut the rumors that he refused the fight offer from Affliction and also rumors that he was asked to take a cut in pay. Josh Barnett stated in a blog post titled “Arlovski on CBS:”

“I read somewhere that I had declined the fight because I would have had to take a pay cut. I suppose others may also formulate some story about me declining the fight for other reasons. I never declined to take this fight. I was never told that I would have any part of my pay reduced since working with Affliction. To my knowledge, no one has been asked to take a pay cut that fights for Affliction. I did not turn down this fight.”

Interestingly, it should be noted that as of today, EliteXC has not officially updated the October 4 fight card on its events web page to feature the bout between Andrei Arlovski and Roy Nelson. But the fight is confirmed currently by the mainstream press.

From Russia with love: EliteXC signs Alexander Shlemenko

Five Ounces Of Pain reports that EliteXC has signed 2005 World Pankration champion Alexander Shlemenko. For those not in the know, Shlemenko is a tough up-and-comer from Russia that many insiders predict will be a contender very soon in the Untied States. Shlemenko’s deal is rumored to be one of the multi-fight persuasion and talk is that the Russian will make his EliteXC debut during the promotion’s October 10 ShoXC event at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana

Here’s a vintage fight video from Alexander Shlemenko:

The Brothers Lauzon: Joe’s litte bro gets some limelight

Joe Lauzon, a standout on SpikeTV’s The Ultimate Fighter Season 5 as part of B.J. Penn’s team, has a younger brother that is equally promising and tenacious in many minds. Dan Lauzon is cited as the youngest fighter to debut in the UFC even though some sources were claiming Vitor Belfort as the youngest to debut. But of course Belfort debuted at age 19 during UFC 12 against Tra Telligman in February 1997. Belfort was the youngest fighter to “win” a debut UFC fight with Lauzon losing his debut to Spencer Fisher via TKO at UFC 64. But youthful losses aside, Lauzon has a promising future. In fact, both Lauzon brothers are slowly climbing towards comparison with another very talented set of MMA brothers in that of Nick and Nate Diaz. Below is a great video produced by MSNBC that reveals a brief chapter in the young fighter’s life.

Dan Lauzon: I am a fighter

And here’s a Lauzon brothers highlight video which even features the two rolling in the family’s backyard.

And for good measure, here’s scenes from Joe Lauzon’s recent pig roast. Guests really got their kicks at the event.

Oh, the pain … and I am not talking about the punch that was thrown

Kimbo Slice appeared on national television again. Yes, the one time bodyguard for a pornography company now entertains grannies in middle America. Far away from the EliteXC cage, this television appearance by Mr. Slice was a stunt to punch magician David Blaine in the stomach in some lackluster homage to Harry Houdini. Fans of Houdini may recall that a punch to the stomach is what killed the legendary magician. Entertainment Weekly reports that the ratings for Blaine’s primetime show were a dump. And I think we at FCT know why. Kimbo should have punched Blaine in the head and then punched Criss Angel in the head afterward. And why not punch David Copperfield as well to keep things fair and balanced? Now, I would have watched such an event. Heck, I would have TIVO’d it for eternity. Do pardon me if I am showing my loyalty to Harry Houdini a bit too strongly.

Potential Title FIghts Scheduled for EliteXC on November 8, 2008 … Um, Maybe …

EliteXC is an amazing MMA organization on a number of levels. For starts, EliteXC created a whirlwind of media attention by signing a backyard brawler in that of Kimbo Slice and then the struggling MMA promotion molded this streetfighter into the face of EliteXC’s heavyweight division while stunningly keeping fighters like Antonio Silva on ice for the most part. Then EliteXC amazingly took Kimbo and pushed him up through the ranks by facing little to no competition yet cleverly making sure his résumé was built partially off of fighters who were previous forces within the UFC. No matter the fact that these fighters were forces a decade ago and all but washed up by the time they climbed into the cage with Mr. Slice. This is possibly the most brilliant example of record padding in modern sports. Thus I guess EliteXC deserves some sort of recognition for such an achievement.

Beyond the Kimbo Slice mirage, EliteXC does have some respectable talent in the ranks. FIghters such as Cung Le, Frank Shamrock, Nick Diaz, Antonion Silva and Robbie Lawler are respectful talent. And EliteXC’s promotion of female MMA fighters with the wildly popular and marketable Gina Carano is a smart business move surely to keep the organization finacially afloat for a while. Yet rumors of financial trouble for EliteXC simply fall right under the same diagnosis as the money disease which claimed the lives of several other MMA organizations including BodogFIGHT and the International Fight League.

When considering the rumored money woes of EliteXC and its questionable marketing practices at times, you’d think the organization would make a valiant effort at promoting its upcoming fight cards. But this does not hold true for EliteXC’s November 8th event on Showtime. EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw recently told the press to expect several title shots in November. But literally no details or confirmations have been revealed. Yet the rumors abound. And maybe rumors and speculation are simply the modus operandi for ElteXC? Consider this the polar oppostie of UFC or even Affliction marketing.

Potential Title Fights on EliteXC’s November FIght Card:

Nick Diaz vs. Eddie Alvarez (you’re guess is as good as ours)

Robbie Lawler vs. Joey Villasenor (again, you may know just as much or more than us)

And of course, the recent stripping of KJ Noons’ title by EliteXC for refusing to fight Nick Diaz has opened up the title for an upcoming event. And most analysts place Nick Diaz immediately in the upcoming title shot. It’s truly a shame that Noons and Diaz didn’t face one another again. But the fans are divided heavily over the drama that led up to the potential match. Below is a video of ELiteXC’s Jared Shaw discussing the aftermath of the post fight riot between part of the Noons family, part of the Diaz family, EliteXC staff and a rawkus hometown crowd.

Evan Tanner’s Lost Blogs

Spike.com revealed this week that recently deceased UFC star Evan Tanner wrote two blog entries before his untimely death. Here more about it here.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson versus Wanderlei Silva at UFC 93?

Everyone is talking about a rubber match between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Wanderlei Silva. Only this time instead of clashing in the PirdeFC ring, it will be inside the UFC Octagon. Of course critics rail on the fact that Wanderlei’s clinch which already destroyed Rampage twice will be even nastier against the fence walls of a cage where the referees do not step in for restarts as often.

Minutes before last’ week’s podcast, Jackson’s new trainer Kazeka Muniz told Full Contact Talk that a fight with Wanderlei was potential but nothing was official just yet. He mentioned other possible opponents to be Shogun Rua (another Chute Boxe nemesis)  and Keith Jardine. But of course Jardine has to get past Brandon Vera first in October at UFC 89. Really, none of these fights make sense for Rampage’s career at the moment. To fight either Silva or Rua is much like throwing the troubled former champ to the wolves. A loss would not be good for Rampage mentally or professionally.

However, Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports recently revealed that a reliable source told him the Rampage/Silva bout will most likely occur at the January UFC event labelled as the Superbowl of MMA. UFC President Dana White has been wanting to produce a massive UFC card the same weekend as the NFL’s big game for two solid years now. I recall the first so-called Superbowl of MMA was going to feature Randy Couture versus Fedor Emelianenko back in 2007 just after Zuffa purchased the PrideFC organization that Emelianenko still owed one contracted fight. But we all know how that went down. But UFC 93 looks promising with the almost confirmed mega-fight between UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn and UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.

Rampage just might face Silva in the cage in 2009, but first he must battle and defeat his current legal troubles resulting from his recent public meltdown that resulted in a car chase with California police and a few fender benders. Jackson faces two felony charges as well as four misdemeanors.

What Affliction?

Ronato “Babalu” Sobral is heavily rumored face Bobby Southworth for the Strikeforce light heavyweight title on November 20th. But who knows? Both guys are also rumored to be injured and Babalu is also rumored to fight again for Affliction in January.

Anderson Silva Out in the Pasture?

Recent rumors of Anderson Silva calling it quits in 2009 are bogus according to Silva’s manager. Many mocked the news by saying, “Great news for Rich Franklin.” The entire rumor started when InTheGuard.tv reported the following:

Anderson Silva: “I’ll retire next year, I already gave my all. I don’t need to prove anything for anyone and within one year I’ll put my gloves aside.”

This surprising and near unbelievable news was soon followed by a report from MMAJunkie.com that stated the opposite news from Silva’s manager Ed Soares by quoting a post from Soares on The Underground website.

Ed Soares: “Anderson’s goal is to retire when he is 35,” Soares wrote of the 33-year-old fighter. “He still has six fights on his contract, and he doesn’t turn 35 for another 18 months. I know he will finish his six fights before he considers hanging up his gloves.”

All FCT can say at this point is, “Who freakin’ knows?”

Fedor DREAMing of Japan?

Well, not according to Affliction’s Tom Atencio. Fedor made big waves this week when he showed up ringside at the Dream 6 event in Japan and even delivered flowers to Mirko Cro-Cop and Alistair Overeem just before their bout on September 23. Fedor mentioned to the press his desire to fight for the Dream organization and then HDNet commentator Kenny Rice went on to mention Fedor’s return to the Japanese ring in 2008. Rumors flew that Fedor would face the winner of the Cro-Cop/Overeem fight. Yet Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio recently said:

“Fedor was supposed to fight for them on New Year’s Eve, but he is not because we extended his contract.”

So who knows? Fedor is the most mysterious fighter in MMA. He just seems to wander where he wishes and has received massive criticism for seemingly avoiding difficult fights. But Fedor did smash former UFC heavyweight Tim Silvia at the premier Affliction event in seconds leading the criticism to fade for a moment.

Oh yeah, did we forget to remind our readers to watch tonight’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter on SpikeTV? Inside information tells us it is an episode not to miss. Oh, did we let the cat out of the bag? No, of course not. But Full Contact Talk does have an upcoming interview with Ultimate FIghter contestant, Eliot Marshall. Stay tuned for the podcast episode to premier next week.