Understanding UFC and MMA Betting Lines from http://www.betwwx.com/ufc-odds/
Here is an explanation of how the UFC odds or betting line work. When you bet on a UFC fight, you bet on a money line not a point spread like basketball for example. You only bet on the winner of the fight. Below is a typical mixed martial arts betting line you would see in a Vegas sportsbook.
Fighter A -200 Fighter B +200
Two fighters are listed above. The fighter with the negative number next to his name (i.e. -200) is always the favorite while the fighter with the positive figure is the underdog. For Fighter A, the negative figure is the amount of money you need to bet on this fighter in order to earn $100. The positive figure next to Fighter B on the other hand is the profit you would earn if the you bet $100 on that fighter. You’re not required bet $100 but you simply use that ratio given by the betting line to figure out the returns.
The UFC betting line is not static, meaning it can change at any time for a number of reasons. A lot of money coming in for a particular fighter for example will force the sports books to adjust his line. However unlike horse racing once you’ve place your bet, your odds or payout don’t change. You’re bet is secure no matter where or when you wager was placed. These same rules apply to both Vegas sportsbooks and online bookmakers like Bodog or Betus.
UFC Fight Night from BETUS.com Fight Lines Wed, Apr 01, 2009 EST
Welterweight 101 Martin Kampmann -115 102 Carlos Condit -115
Light Heavyweight 107 Carmelo Marrero +325 108 Ryan Bader -450
Lightweight 110 Cole Miller -140 111 Junie Browning +110
Lightweight 113 Rafael Dos Anjos +350 114 Tyson Griffin -500
UFC Fight Night 18: Condit vs. Kampmann Date: Apr 01, 2009 Location: Nashville, Tenn. Venue: Sommet Center Broadcast: Spike TV
MAIN CARD (Televised) Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann Ryan Bader vs. Carmelo Marrero Rafael dos Anjos vs. Tyson Griffin Junie Browning vs. Cole Miller
PRELIMINARY CARD (Un-televised) Jeremy Stephens vs. Gleison Tibau Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Horwich Brock Larson vs. Jesse Sanders Nick Catone vs. Tim Credeur Nissen Osterneck vs. Jorge Rivera Rob Kimmons vs. Joe Vedepo Tim McKenzie vs. Aaron Simpson Ryan Jensen vs. Steve Steinbeiss
Finally, a news story about BJ "The Prodigy" Penn (13-5-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) that doesn't involve vaseline or NSAC testimony. BJ Penn has announced through his website, that he plans on signing a fight contract to defend his Lightweight belt against TUF alumni Kenny Florian (11-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) at UFC 101 Aug. 8 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.
Ever since his mega fight with George St. Pierre, BJ Penn has been at center of the greasegate controversy drawing a lot of criticism from hardcore MMA fans. BJ, seems ready to put that behind him for now and concentrate on defending his title against the much improved Florian.
While BJ Penn was moving up to chase his Welterweight ambitions Kenny Florian has put together an impressive six fight win streak and has climbed to the top of a very competitive Lightweight division. Florian, is excited to be back in title contention after losing to Sean Sherk for the interim Lightweight title at UFC 64 "It has been a long road back and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Rarely does one get the chance to fight for a championship belt in the UFC and it's even more infrequent to fight a legend".
For both men, UFC 101 will be a chance at redemption. Penn, needs to remind people why he is one of the P4P best fighters in the world regardless of an athletic commissions decision. Florian, who has always been underrated has a chance to prove that he has become an elite fighter and a win over BJ Penn, will solidify a place at the table amongst the best.
Here is the unedited post from BJ Penn's official website about his decision to fight Kenny Florian at UFC 101.
UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn is set to defend his lightweight title against number one contender Kenny Florian. The newly agreed upon match is set to Headline UFC 101 in Philadelphia, PA on August 8th 2009.
The Challenger, Kenny "Kenflo" Florian, is currently riding a six fight win streak inside the octagon. Most recently dispatching Joe Stevenson via RNC in round 1 at UFC 91. Florian has made it no secret that he desires his second shot at the lightweight title. Most recently stating on ESPNS MMA Live,
"At the end of the day, I just want this fight to be signed. Let's get an event, let's get a date, and let's make it happen."
The Champion, BJ "The Prodigy" Penn, has not been down to lightweight to defend his title since UFC 84, in May of 2008, when he beat Sean Sherk via TKO at the end of the third round. When I asked BJ about the upcoming bout he simply said,
"I look forward to the challenge."
According to our sources here within Team Penn, Florian has already signed the bout agreement for this fight. As for BJ, we received the bout agreement this afternoon and plan on making this fight happen.
Damon Lau, president of the MMA collectible figurine company Round 5, recently sat down with MMAjunkie.com Radio to discuss the success of the sports collectibles company.
"We've got over 35 fighters on our roster," Lau said. "We're in over 3,500 stores across North America. We have distribution in the U.K., Japan, and we should open up in France and Brazil at the end of the year".
Lau and Round 5 will not rest on their recent success.
"We're gunning for 10,000 (stores by the end of the year). Hopefully everything with the economy, if it turns out well, we'll hit that 10,000 mark. But it's safe to say we'll be in anywhere from 7,500 to 10,000 stores."
A lot of time and effort goes into making the figures as realistic as possible. Even the smallest details such as Rich Franklin's notorious pre-fight black eye and Tito Ortiz' well known large head size are discussed.
"[The fighters] get involved in every single thing," Lau said. "We sit down with them and go, 'Hey, guys. You get to create this thing in any image you want. What do you want to do?'"
"I remember telling Rich Franklin, 'How about we add a black eye, your perma-black eye on your figure?' Lau said. "He goes, 'Uh, I don't know about that.'"
"We keep revising and changing the figure until everyone is happy," Lau said. "I think that's the bottom line.
"Nothing comes out perfect the first time. It's a lot of hard work. The process of creating figurines and collectibles, it's crazy. Hundreds and hundreds of people are involved in the process."
Some fighters like Tito Ortiz, had to have unique consideration for their figures. Including, whether or not the big headed fighters figurine could support his large cranium without tipping over.
"We didn't have a hard time with that, but one thing's for sure: We actually did make the head bigger," Lau said. "We discussed it, and [Ortiz] said, 'Listen, I'm known for my big head. Make it bigger.'"
Round 5 has agreements with many of the most popular fighters in the world Ortiz, Franklin, Matt Hughes, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Anderson Silva, Sean Sherk and Wanderlei Silva, just to name a few. Right now Round 5 has 35 fighters on their roster and is looking to expand with popular names like Gina Carano and Andrei Arlovski in the works.
It's quite a surprise even to Lau the quick success that Round 5 has experienced. Lau said that the company started in an unexpected brainstorming session.
"It started in the spring of 2007," Lau said. "I own a mid-sized advertising agency based in Toronto, Canada. Just through that business we had a lot of opportunities to work with people who are athletes in MMA, one of them being Randy Couture.
"Pretty much what happened was Randy was flying into town for a promotional appearance that he had to do. He goes, 'Damon, do you want to hook up for dinner?' I said, 'Absolutely. Let's sit down and have dinner.'"
"Over dinner we're just talking about funny business ideas that we thought would be really great for the sport of MMA," Lau said. "The sport was obviously seeing such a big boom at that time, and Randy said to me, 'Wouldn't it be really great if somebody came up with plastic cauliflower ears for fans to wear at fights?'
"I thought that was hilarious, and I said to him, 'Wouldn't it be kind of neat if people came up with action figures for MMA guys?' We both sort of went, 'Hey, that's a good idea.' Randy said to me, 'If you ever decide to do anything like that, just let me know.'
"He was the first license we signed."
Round 5's third series of figurines is set to be released in May with current UFC champ Frank Mir, former champs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Andrei Arlovski, and legendary referee "Big" John McCarthy as the subjects. Plans for a fourth series are to be released in July and will include Gina Carano and Fedor Emelianenko.
One of the reasons Lau believes Round 5 has been able to attract the biggest stars in MMA is because they believe in taking care of the fighters.
"Something that's really unique about the program that we do with the fighters is that we make sure it makes sense for everybody," Lau said. "We pay probably four to five times the normal royalty amounts in the toy industry, which is obviously completely against the grain. But we feel it's great for the fighters and it's great for the fans.
"The fighters are getting compensated for the contracts they're signing. It's not just, 'Sign our contract, sign over your likeness, never see anything ever again.'"
"We give [the fighters] the ability to approve all the artwork, so they know their likeness isn't being used in a bad way," Lau said. "They actually get actively involved in all of the product development. They get to pick the pose, take a look at their faces, pick the quotes on the packaging, all that sort of stuff.
"Even beyond that, we let the fighters sell sponsorship spots on the shorts of their figurine. I think the program, moving forward, has always made sense from the very, very beginning, which is why we've gone so far in such a quick amount of time. We haven't had any problems, even today, signing licenses."
"Even today" is an important point, as the UFC's merchandising rights rules have become a hot topic in the business side of the industry over the past several months.
"The bottom line is I've never even spoken to the UFC," Lau said. "A lot of people pit [the UFC and Round 5] against each other and say that we're enemies and want to take each other's contracts. Really, I've never even spoken with them.
"I'm a really big fan of the organization, but our business model was always to work with the fighters. That's always been the direction, and thankfully enough we've been doing fantastic. The fighters all signed with us because we offer a great program."
Up until now Round 5 hasn't had to deal with direct competition but all of that will change this year when JAKKS Pacific, Inc. releases their line of official UFC figurines. JAKKS is known for their work with the WWE as well as NASCAR, But Lau is confident that Round 5 will continue to do well in the market despite the added competition.
"We know that all of our clientele is the typical person that watches MMA right now," Lau said. "So it's the 16-to-40-year-old, and the people that buy our product are going to be the people who end up putting it in their cubicle, leaving it in their collector's case, sitting it on top of the TV.
"I think JAKKS' positioning is really to create a fully articulated toy. Meanwhile for us, I would say, 'They're the toy, we're the collectible.' Do I say that children don't buy our stuff? Absolutely not. They could be buying it. But the purpose of building it was never for kids."
"Actually, probably closer to the end of this year you're going to see us launching a new product line-up, which is actually going to be a full, super-realistic style," Lau said. "We're sort of leaning more towards the collectible element, and I think JAKKS is doing something completely different."
According to FiveOuncesOfPain.com the anticipated re-match between WEC Featherweight champion Mike Brown (17-4 MMA, 3-0 WEC) and the very popular former champion Urijah "The California Kid" Faber (22-2 MMA, 7-1 WEC), will be on tap for WEC 41. The event has not been made official yet, but reports are that WEC 41 will take place June 7 at Arco Arena in Urijah's hometown of Sacramento, CA.
Faber lost his featherweight belt to Mike Brown at WEC 36 and has been anxious for a re-match ever since. Both Faber and Brown have looked great in their last bouts, with Urijah taking out MMA legend Jens "lil evil" Pulver in the first round and Mike Brown dominating challenger Leonard Garcia with punches and finally making Garcia tap in front of his hometown crowd.
Contrary to some reports, WEC 41 will not be a PPV and will air live on the Versus channel.
There is a lot of speculation going on about Affliction and their much anticipated third MMA event. Sam Caplan, from FiveOuncesofPain.com had reported earlier that Affliction was interested in a July 11th date, that would compete directly with UFC 100.
The UFC 100 event, is headlined by the much anticipated Frank Mir vs Brock Lesnar re-match, as well as popular champ and p4p fighter GSP taking on devastating striker Thiago "The Pitbull" Alves. Many believe, this would be a horrible decision for Affliction to go against the UFC intentionally especially against what has been labeled as a special event by MMA fans.
Reports have been circulated that Affliction 3 could possibly be shown on a non-premium cable network rather than on PPV like previous Affliction events. This has also, been coupled with stories coming out that Fedor and Josh "The Baby Face Assassin" Barnett will both participate in the third affliction event, but perhaps not against each other.
If, the event will not be aired on PPV, some believe that it would be to expensive to pay for a Fedor vs Barnett fight and will be saved for a later show. Vitor Belfort who has been asking for a shot at the Russian WAMMA champion said about possibly fighting Fedor "The guys from (Affliction partners) M-1 want this fight, but Tom Atencio and Affliction wants to put him with Barnett, who is their big boy," Belfort said. "But I'm waiting. If this fight doesn't happen at Affliction 3, it can be on the next one."
When asked by versus.com blogger Ariel Helwani about the rumors that Affliction 3 could be the farewell event for the MMA company, COO Michael D. Cohen, responded “It’s absolutely untrue... Trump’s Affliction Entertainment is going nowhere except to the top, and the company will continue throughout 2009 and well into 2010."
UFC 2009 Undisputed coverboy will be none other than the ultimate fighter champion from season one the very popular Forrest Griffin. The Griffin vs Bonnar fight at the TUF 1 finale is still one of the most memorable fights in UFC history and helped propel the sport into the mainstream.
The highly anticipated UFC 2009 fighter roster includes over eighty of the biggest UFC stars such as, the champs for each weight class, as well as some fighters who aren't even in the UFC anymore. Some of the fighters not on the current UFC roster, but who are in the game are Mirko "Crocop" Flipovic, Andrei Arlovski, Tito Ortiz, and Tim Sylvia. Some of the coolest people in the game aren't even the fighter themselves. Several well known UFC personalities such as Bruce Buffer, Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg, The UFC ring girls, and trainers like Greg Jackson will all be in the game as well.
The official release date for UFC 2009 Undisputed is May 2009.
The full list of fighters, courtesy of GameSpot.com, can be found below (fighters who can compete in multiple weight classes are designated):
Heavyweights: Andrei Arlovski, Mark Coleman, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Gabriel Gonzaga, Antoni Hardonk, Heath Herring, Cheick Kongo, Brock Lesnar, Justin McCully, Frank Mir, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Eddie Sanchez, Tim Sylvia, Cain Velasquez, Brandon Vera (LH) and Fabricio Werdum
Light heavyweights: Houston Alexander, Ryan Bader*, Tim Boetsch, Stephan Bonnar, Rashad Evans, Wilson Gouveia (MW), Forrest Griffin, James Irvin, Quinton Jackson, Keith Jardine, Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Tito Ortiz, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Thiago Silva and Wanderlei Silva
Middleweights: Ricardo Almeida, Michael Bisping (LHW), Kendall Grove, Rich Franklin (LHW), Dan Henderson (LHW), Martin Kampmann (WW), Chris Leben, Thales Leites, Jason MacDonald, Demian Maia, Nate Marquardt, Drew McFedries, Yushin Okami, Amir Sadollah (WW), Anderon Silva (LHW) and Evan Tanner
Welterweights: Thiago Alves, Matt Arroyo, Kyle Bradley, Josh Burkman, Marcus Davis, Jon Fitch, Matt Hughes, Anthony Johnson, Josh Koscheck, Chris Lytle, Karo Parisyan, Diego Sanchez, Ben Saunders, Matt Serra (LW), Georges St. Pierre and Mike Swick (MW)
Lightweights: Mark Bocek, Rich Clementi, Mac Danzig, Nathan Diaz, Frankie Edgar, Efrain Escudero*, Spencer Fisher, Kenny Florian, Hermes Franca, Tyson Griffin, Roger Huerta, Joe Lauzon, Gray Maynard, B.J. Penn (WW), Sean Sherk (WW), Joe Stevenson and Thiago Tavares
Bellator fighting is the latest MMA promotion that is throwing its hat in the ring with heavyweights like the UFC and Strikeforce promotions. The word Bellator means “Warrior” in Latin and with the recent demise of other upstart MMA leagues such as the IFL and EliteXC. That’s exactly what Bellator will have to fight like in order to carve out a chunk of the lucrative but elusive MMA money train. The UFC has shown that even in tough economic times that the right kind of MMA promotion can succeed. The question now is, does Bellator have the right formula to succeed? Or will it be just another victim on the long list of failed MMA upstarts?
There are several things that give Bellator Fighting Championship a good chance of succeeding, where others have failed before them. The focus on Spanish speaking fighters and a partnership with ESPN “Deportes” should give Bellator access to a large Spanish speaking fan base. Access to a large segment of the Spanish speaking demographic, has already gotten the attention of several big sponsors hoping to cash in on the success of Bellator Fighting Championship in the Spanish speaking world. Bellator already has two events planned for April that include tournament bouts for their Feather, Light, Welter, and Middle weight divisions.
Here is a list of reasons why? Bellator can be a success. • A solid partnership with ESPN “Deportes” which, will air events and give national exposure to Bellator fights. It could also pave the way for future programming on the sports media giant. • A blue chip sponsorship deal with Ford Motor Company, which has already signed on to back the fledgling organization and will give other sponsors the confidence to follow suit. • A future superstar in Eddie Alvarez, the exciting young top ten Lightweight is sure to make fans quickly with his lightning fast hands, rapid fire style and charismatic personality. • Instead of trying to re-invent the wheel Bellator fighting will use the same unified MMA rules that the UFC uses. Instead of relying on a gimmick, they will focus on MMA that the fans are already familiar with • Bellator will use a tournament style which many fans enjoyed from the Pride days, to showcase their fighters talents • The President of Bellator fighting is no stranger to fight promoting. Bellator Fighting Championships CEO Bjorn Rebney has been in the fight game for over 15 years. Starting out as a manager/attorney for Oscar De La Hoya, then moving on to running boxing promotions and television programming for ESPN.
UFC fighter Karo "The Heat" Parisyan, who is best known for his highlight reel judo throws and hot temper has been suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for 9 months after testing positive, following his UFC 94 victory over Dong Hyun Kim. Parysian tested positive for the painkillers hydrocodone, hydromorphone and oxymorphone, all of which are banned substances by the NSAC.
Karo who represented himself at the thirty minute hearing that took place in Las Vegas, Nevada made a personal plea to the commission about how the suspension would impact his professional and personal life "[Fighting] is the only way I have to support my family. If I don't fight, I'm going to be homeless by the end of the year. I'm going to try to get married in August. If I don't fight and I get fined, my entire year -- everything I was supposed to do -- will just go down the toilet. Between my marriage and my house, I'll lose everything if [they] take my money away."
Parisyan also, made the arguement that he didn't do anything wrong because the medications he was taking were all with a doctor's prescription. The NSAC disagreed and fined Parisyan 40 percent of his $80,000 UFC 94 fight purse ($40,000 to show and $40,000 win bonus). He'll also be required to pass a drug test before he's licensed to return to competition and is subject to random testing.
NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer explained the commissions ruling "There's two ways to look at. First off, 99 percent of fighters are over 21. That doesn't mean they can drink and fight. Alcohol is a prohibited substance. They can drink a week before the fight. They can drink after the fight. But they can't drink and get in the ring if they have alcohol in their system. The second way to look at it is there are situations where the fighter might be able to take something, but he needs to tell us in advance. That's why we ask on our pre-fight questionnaire, 'Have you taken any prescription medication in the last 15 days?' He put, 'No.' Now he's saying, 'Oh, I forgot.'"
The commission also decided to overturn Parisyan's UFC 94 win over Kim and declare it a "No Contest". Karo will also, face tougher drug screening from the commission after his 9 month suspension is completed.
Jeffrey David Kirby a 51 year old resident of Costa Mesa was officially charged by the Orange County District Attorney on March 11th. Kirby, has two previous DUI convictions one in 2002 and another in 1985. According to mmajunkie.com Kirby has been charged with "vehicular manslaughter by unlawful act with gross negligence while intoxicated, one felony count of driving under the influence causing bodily injury, and sentencing enhancements for fleeing the scene of a vehicular manslaughter and causing great bodily injury to multiple victims". The charges against Kirby carry a maximum sentence of 19 years incarceration.
Police are still investigating and have not ruled out the possibility of street racing. Kirby, was spotted fleeing the scene of the accident by a passing cruiser and was later apprehended with visual damage to his car. A female passenger of Kirby's was cited for public intoxication and released.
Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr. was the founder of the very successful Tapout clothing apparel. Along with his two friends and business partners Punkass and Skyscrape. They founded Tapout in 1997 with only two thousand dollars in starting capital and a passion for the controversial underground sport of MMA.First by selling t-shirts out of their trunk and eventually made it to the top of the sport by being one of the UFC's biggest sponsors as well as having deals with major retailers such as Macy's and Champs Sports. Tapout sells reached $25 million in 2007 and is projected to reach $100 million in 2008. A far cry from the $29,000 that the fledgling company reported in 1999.
UFC president Dana White told Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press, "You couldn't meet a nicer guy, a more friendly, outgoing guy, a more loyal guy (than Mask). He really was a good person. He's one of the pioneers, one of the legends of this sport.
"This guy was selling T-shirts out of the trunk of his car and when we first got involved with the UFC, we met them. We really liked them. We liked their energy. They were good people and we got together and we started doing all this grassroots marketing together – the UFC and Tapout. They were very loyal to us and we were very loyal to them.
"And it sucks to see a guy who has worked so hard his whole life, to finally make it and break through, and then have something like this happen to him."
Excerpts from the 20 page complaint filed by BJ Penn:
ALLEGATIONS AS TO GEORGES ST. PIERRE:
It is Penn's understanding and belief that other renowned mixed martial arts fighters have openly complained of and expressed statements consistent with Penn's experience during the Bout against Pierre, that is, that Pierre's body was highly and unnaturally slippery well beyond that contemplated and experienced by veteran mixed martial arts fighters and, based thereon, Penn alleges that the application of Vaseline/petroleum jelly or some substance to Pierre's body by his agents, employees and/or co-conspirators during the Bout was not an innocent and/or inadvertent act or mistake but, in fact, a calculated strategy and an intentional act by Pierre to have a substance applied to his body during the Bout that would result in his body becoming highly and unnaturally slippery.
...Penn alleges that prior to the Bout Pierre ingested a substance that would cause his body to become highly and unnaturally slippery during the Bout and that such an act was not innocent and/or an inadvertent mistake but, in fact, a calculated strategy and an intentional act by Pierre to ingest this substance such that his body would become highly and unnaturally slippery during the Bout.
PRE-BOUT WARNING TO THE COMMISSION ABOUT PIERRE "GREASING":
Prior to the Bout a member(s) of Penn's Team notified and forewarned the Commission and/or its agents, representatives or employees that Pierre may/will engage in conduct unbecoming of the sport of unarmed combat and in violation of the regulations of the NRS and NAC, specifically, that Pierre will apply Vaseline/petroleum jelly or some substance to his body and/or knowingly, willingly and/or intentionally allow the application of a substance to/on his body that will be slippery or cause his body to become highly and unnaturally slippery during the Bout.
The basis of Penn's and Penn's Team's belief are the comments and statements made by other veteran mixed martial arts fighters who have participated in bouts against Pierre as well as other comments made pertaining to Pierre's Team about "greasing"... Based on the aforementioned information and belief Penn alleges that Pierre is and at all relevant times alleged herein a knowing and willing participant to the unfair, illegal and unsanctioned actions and activities complained of...
REQUEST TO MONITOR ST. PIERRE:
The member(s) of Penn's Team requested that the Commission and/or its agents, representatives or employees closely monitor and observe Pierre and members of Pierre's Team to determine if they applied any substances (Vaseline/petroleum jelly or such other substances that would cause Pierre's body to be and/or become highly and unnaturally slippery) to/on Pierre's body prior to the Bout and to ensure that no substances (Vaseline/petroleum jelly or such other substances that would cause Pierre's body to be and/or become highly and unnaturally slippery) would be and/or was applied to/on Pierre's body during the Bout by members of Pierre's Team.
ACTUAL "GREASING" DURING THE BOUT BY PIERRE:
Notwithstanding the grave concern of Penn and Penn's Team, as well as the direct and explicit warnings made by Penn's Team to the Commission and/or its agents, representatives and/or employees, Pierre was in fact caught by the Commission for "greasing" during the Bout by the application of a substance to his body that created a highly and unnaturally slippery surface.
In addition to the unfair, illegal and unsanctioned act of "greasing," it was also seen and observed that Pierre received excessive or undue spraying or throwing of water during the period of rest between rounds which is a violation of the rules and regulations of the Commission.
HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PENN:
Penn's Team discussed and warned the Commission and/or its agents, representatives or employees about the aforementioned matters for the following reasons including, but not limited to, ensuring a fair and just Bout, ensuring that the rules and regulations of the NRS and NAC were maintained and to ensure the integrity of the sport, the Commission and the laws of the State of Nevada. Notwithstanding such warnings, and as a direct result of the circumstances complained of herein, Penn did in fact suffer a cranial concussion during the Bout; specifically, by Pierre being "greased up" he (Pierre) was able to easily and readily slip out of Penn's renowned defensive and offensive submission holds and techniques. As such, Penn was unable to fairly and properly defend himself in a manner consistent with that contemplated in unarmed combat because of the highly and unnaturally slippery nature of a "greased up" Pierre.
It is Penn's belief and based thereon he alleges that the unfair, illegal and unsanctioned advantages gained by Pierre "greasing up"... illegally and improperly neutralized and nullified Penn's mixed martial arts fighting skills including, but not limited to, Penn's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as he was unable to control, hold or submit a "greased up" Pierre who readily "slipped out" of Penn's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and grappling submission techniques during the Bout.
It is Penn's belief and based thereon he alleges that the aforementioned activities are the equivalent to violating the NRS and NAC rules and regulations relating to the illegal and improper use of banned steroids which is clearly codified in the NRS and NAC.
(The Penn complaint went on to cite several NRS and NAC sections to support its claims and to build a foundation for its request for disciplinary action against St. Pierre and his camp.)
RELIEF SOUGHT AND REQUEST FOR DISCIPLINARY ACTION:
– That the Commission fine Pierre, individually, as well as Jackson, Nurse (his named cornermen) and (other) licensed (unnamed individuals). (Such a fines could be as much as $250,000 per individual.)
– The Commission suspend or revoke Pierre's license as well as (those of Pierre's other licensees.)
– That the Commission... change the result of the Bout to a "no contest."
– That the Commission find that Pierre (and his other licensees acted) as co-conspirators.
– That the Commission require Pierre to undergo and submit to a pre-bout supervised and monitored shower and/or hygiene cleansing upon his arrival to all future bouts to ensure that no substances exist on Pierre's body.
– All other relief that the Commission deems just and proper.
NOTICE OF HEARING AND REQUEST FOR EVIDENCE:
Penn further requests that the Commission schedule the necessary hearings such that (the) Complaint will be addressed in full and the parties be provided with sufficient time to gather and prepare the evidence and to ensure the attendance of witnesses.
Based on the severity of the allegations set forth herein, Penn respectfully requests that the Commission take the appropriate action of temporarily suspending Pierre's license to compete as an unarmed combatant and/or to serve as a second until this matter is fully resolved.
(Editor's Note: While the above wording is taken directly from the complaint filed by Penn and his camp, it is not the full 20-page text that was filed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, but select points from within the complaint.)
Rampage Jackson won't be ready in time for his scheduled title shot against Rashad Evans at UFC 98 Yahoo's Kevin Iole reported that Jackson has a torn ligament in his jaw and a hyper extended elbow. Jackson would have fought three times in five months had he fought Rashad at UFC 98 which takes place in Las Vegas, NV on May 23.
Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) has agreed to replace the injured Jackson and face current Light heavyweight champ and TUF 2 winner Rahad Evans in order to get his long awaited title shot. Many fans, had been arguing that Machida, who is undefeated deserved the title shot before Rampage, now those fans will get their wish. The winner of Evans/Machida will face off against Jackson later in the year.
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena Broadcast: Pay per view
UFC 98 MAIN CARD Champ Rashad Evans vs. Lyoto Machida (for light-heavyweight title) Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra Dan Miller vs. Yushin Okami Frank Edgar vs. Sean Sherk Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Wilson* PRELIMINARY CARD James Irvin vs. Drew McFedries Kyle Bradley vs. Phillipe Nover Pat Barry vs. Tim Hague Houston Alexander vs. Andre Gusmao Brandon Wolff vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida David Kaplan vs. George Roop
The colorful founder of the popular MMA clothing company "Tapout" was involved in a automobile accident early Wednesday morning. Mask was pronnounced dead after his Ferrari slammed into a utility poll. A police cruiser that witnessed the crash also, saw a white porsche involved in the accident fleeing the scene. The porsche was later found and the driver Jeffrey David Kirby, a 51-year-old resident of Costa Mesa, CA was arrested and charged with vehicular Manslaughter and driving under the influence.
Tapout released this statement Wednesday afternoon: “It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we must regretfully confirm the passing of our beloved friend, brother and co-founder Charles 'Mask' Lewis following a car accident that occurred last night. We are currently in the process of setting up a memorial service in his honor and will release more details as they become available.
"Many thanks to all for the outpouring of blessings and well-wishing during this incredibly difficult time.”
Dana White at UFC 96 behind the scenes of the event. Dana talks about his eating habits, backstage with fighters, discusses ref calls, and talks to Rampage about title shot situation.
Shinya Aoki (19-3) is Sherdog's no. 2 and MMAWeekly's no. 1 ranked lightweight fighter in the world. But, you have probably never even heard of the talented Judo/Jiu Jitsu fighter. Aoki fights for a Japanese organization called Dream, which is often referred to as the new Pride. He has wins over some of the best lightweights in the world including Eddie Alvarez, Joachim Hansen, and JZ Calvacante all ranked in Sherdog's top ten. With his colorful spandex pants and unreal submission skills Aoki is a favorite in Japan and to hardcore fans in America. Although, he is ranked by all the top MMA news outlets over Kenny Florian and Sean Sherk he is still very unknown here in the States. Aoki is currently competing in Dreams Welterweight Grand Prix tournament and has already advanced to the second round.
Warning!!! beginning of the video shows a dislocated elbow
Rampage/Jardine- Rampage defeated Keith Jardine in the main event of UFC 96. He also, earned a title shot against current LHW champion Rashad Evans and a $60,000 bonus for fight of the night.
Carwin/Gonzaga- Shane Carwin stunned many by stopping UFC veteran Gabriel Gonzaga in the first round. Putting the UFC Heavyweight division on notice.
Hamill/Munoz- Fighting in front of his home state fans Matt "The Hammer" Hamill KO'd Mark Munoz with a highlight reel high kick, that left Munoz on the canvas for several minutes. Munoz walked off on his own power but was put in a neck brace for precautionary reasons.
Grove/Day- Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove puts back to back wins together defeating Canadian Fighter Jason Day.
Vera/Patt- Vera desperately needed a win and got one, by defeating UFC newcomer Michael Patt.
Maynard/Miller- Gray Maynard's stand up looked very impressive in his win over the very tough Jim Miller.
Brown/Sell- Matt Brown dominated fellow TUF alumni Pete Sell twice, knocking Sell down with strikes first. The ref began to stop the fight, then after some confusion told Brown to continue. Brown then, finished Sell off with ground and pound.
OFFICIAL RESULTS Quinton Jackson def. Keith Jardine via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) Shane Carwin def. Gabriel Gonzaga via knockout (punch) - Round 1, 1:09 Matt Brown def. Pete Sell via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:32 Matt Hamill def. Mark Munoz via knockout (head kick) - Round 1, 3:53 Gray Maynard def. Jim Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Tamdan McCrory def. Ryan Madigan via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:35 Kendall Grove def. Jason Day via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:32 Jason Brilz def. Tim Boetsch via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Brandon Vera def. Michael Patt via TKO (leg kicks) - Round, 1:27 Shane Nelson def. Aaron Riley via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 0:44
After defeating Antonio Minatauro Nogueiro to win the UFC Heavyweight championship Frank Mir was set to unify the title against Interim champ Brock Lesnar at UFC 98. Reports from MMAWeekly.com indicate that Mir underwent surgery last week to repair an injury to his meniscus.
The surgery could possibly delay the May 28th showdown between the two UFC Heavyweights. When asked by yahoo sports reporter Kevin Iole about Mir's injury Dana White said "I'm not too worried about it now. If that were the situation, I'd know about it. I honestly don't know right now. I haven't talked to Frank and I haven't talked to Lesnar and if that's the situation, I'm not going to make any statements until I talk to everybody."
Later, in an interview with The Fit Show on Bodybuilding.com Mir himself confirmed the injury and suggested the possibility of moving the fight back to the summer in order to fully heal his knee. Mir stated "Hopefully (we can fight in) the summertime. It was May 23, but I needed to get a scope done to my knee, so I got it done immediately last week. It would be rushing it to try and fight that soon because I can’t really train for four to six weeks as far as sparring and wrestling and the real forms of training. Obviously I can hit the treadmill, but that’s usually not a good idea to be getting in shape for a fight on a treadmill.”
No official word has been released by the UFC regarding Mir's injury or if the fight date would be changed.
MAIN CARD Quinton Jackson (205) vs. Keith Jardine (204) Shane Carwin (259.5) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (257.5) Matt Brown (170.5) vs. Pete Sell (170) Matt Hamill (205) vs. Mark Munoz (204.5) Gray Maynard (155) vs. Jim Miller (154.5) PRELIMINARY CARD Ryan Madigan (169) vs. Tamdan McCrory (170) Jason Day (184.5) vs. Kendall Grove (185) Tim Boetsch (205) vs. Jason Brilz (204) Michael Patt (204.5) vs. Brandon Vera (205) Shane Nelson (155) vs. Aaron Riley (155)
The UFC weigh-ins will be live on UFC.com at 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET
Location: Columbus, Ohio Venue: Nationwide Arena
MAIN CARD
* Quinton Jackson vs. Keith Jardine * Matt Hamill vs. Mark Munoz * Matt Brown vs. Pete Sell * Shane Carwin vs. Gabriel Gonzaga * Gray Maynard vs. Jim Miller
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Ryan Madigan vs. Tamdan McCrory * Jason Day vs. Kendall Grove * Tim Boetsch vs. Jason Brilz * Mike Patt vs. Brandon Vera * Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta, Wanderlei Silva, Randy Couture, and Rich Franklin. Dana taking care of things in Germany. Relaxing and joking around with the guys.
Shane Carwin could be the next big thing in the UFC Heavyweight division. He has a perfect 10-0 record with 10 first round knockouts. Carwins hulking 6'2" 264 pound frame has drawn comparisons to current interim Heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar the only difference is that Shane wears a 5XL size glove and Brock only wears a puny size 4XL glove.
Although, Carwin has ended every fight so far with his heavy hands he is a very accomplished wrestler/grappler. He was the NCAA division II wrestling national champion at Western State, where he was also a highly recruited football player. Shane was a division II All American football player and was projected to be a fourth or fifth round draft choice until he ended up with 3 bulged discs at the end of his junior year. He came back for his senior year but because of his injury NFL teams passed on him in the draft.
Shane, was invited to play for the Seattle Seahawks Arena league team to develop, but with a young son on the way, Shane felt the need to complete his degree instead. He went on to earn a B.A. in engineering and was working as an engineer when he was asked to help Ron H20 Waterman train for an upcoming fight. Shane quickly became passionate about the sport and has dominated every opponent so far in his brief career.
At UFC 96 Shane will be facing his toughest challenge so far in UFC veteran Gabriel Gonzaga. Gonzaga is known for both his devastating stand up skills and his slick Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. If he can get past Gonzaga, Shane could find himself fighting for a title against the man he is most often compared too Brock Lesnar, in what would be a true "battle of the titans".
Shane Carwin Bio Record: 10-0 Height: 6'2 Weight: 265 lbs Style: Wrestler/Striker 2004 Western State College Hall of Fame Inductee for Football and Wrestling 2000-2004 Assistant Wrestling Coach Colorado School of Mines. 1999 NCAA II Heavyweight National Champion, Academic All-American 1998 Senior Bowl, Lead North in tackles 1997 NCAA II 1st Team All-American Football 1997 NCAA II Heavyweight National Runner-up 1997 Academic All-American 1996 RMAC Player of the Year 1996 NCAA II Heavyweight National Runner-up 1996 NCAA II All-American Football 1996 Academic All-American
Warning! The volume goes up and down on this video. For example the opening lecture is low but when they start to clap its really loud. Not a big deal but it happens a few times. Dana White as usual is pretty funny and this video feature his kids and Lorenzo Ferttita.
At UFC 96 the well known Brandon Vera will not be the only Filipino fighter trying to make an impact on the UFC's talented Light heavyweight division. Up and comer Mark Munoz (5-0) will be taking on UFC veteran and TUF 3 competitor Matt "The Hammer" Hamill (5-2). Munoz is making the transition from the now defunct WEC Light heavyweight division and will be getting the toughest test of his career against Hamill who has UFC wins over Tim Boetsch and Reese Andy and lost a controversial split decision to Michael "The Count" Bisping.
Understanding UFC and MMA Betting Lines from http://www.betwwx.com/ufc-odds/
Here is an explanation of how the UFC odds or betting line work. When you bet on a UFC fight, you bet on a money line not a point spread like basketball for example. You only bet on the winner of the fight. Below is a typical mixed martial arts betting line you would see in a Vegas sportsbook.
Fighter A -200 Fighter B +200
Two fighters are listed above. The fighter with the negative number next to his name (i.e. -200) is always the favorite while the fighter with the positive figure is the underdog. For Fighter A, the negative figure is the amount of money you need to bet on this fighter in order to earn $100. The positive figure next to Fighter B on the other hand is the profit you would earn if the you bet $100 on that fighter. You’re not required bet $100 but you simply use that ratio given by the betting line to figure out the returns.
The UFC betting line is not static, meaning it can change at any time for a number of reasons. A lot of money coming in for a particular fighter for example will force the sports books to adjust his line. However unlike horse racing once you’ve place your bet, your odds or payout don’t change. You’re bet is secure no matter where or when you wager was placed. These same rules apply to both Vegas sportsbooks and online bookmakers like Bodog or Betus.
WEC Featherweight champ Mike Brown successfully defended his title against hometown hero Leonard Garcia. In dominate fashion Mike Brown leveled Garcia early in the first round causing a large cut on the Texas natives forehead. He then proceeded to gain dominate position and applied an arm triangle which forced Garcia to tap. Afterwards Brown was asked if he was willing to fight former WEC FW champion Urijah Faber. Brown responded "If thats what the fans want" then he was willing to give it to them.
Other notes: Jens Pulver made his debut as WEC announcer while Frank Mir is training for his upcoming fight with Brock Lesnar.
OFFICIAL RESULTS Mike Brown def. Leonard Garcia via submission (head-and-arm choke) -- Round 1, 1:57 Ricardo Lamas def. Bart Palaszewski via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Jose Aldo def. Chris Mickle via TKO (strikes) -- Round 1, 1:39 Rob McCullough def. Marcus Hicks via majority decision (29-29, 30-27, 29-28) Danny Castillo def. Phil Cardella via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28) Damacio Page def. Marcos Galvao via knockout -- Round 1, 0:18
Former boxing champ Hasim "The Rock" Rahman best known for knocking out then champion Lennox Lewis as a 20 to 1 underdog may be looking to conquer a new sport. After a somewhat up and down career and a recent lost to Wladimir Klitschko, Rahman reported to dreamfighter.com that he was interested in competing in MMA.
When asked who had the best boxing skills in MMA Rahman replied "I don’t see anyone with top notch boxing skills that can come close to mine". Confident in his skills Rahman said he would be interested in fighting former street fighter and Proelite main event attraction Kimbo Slice.
He was also interested in someday competing against current WAMMA champion Fedor Emeliananko "He’s a champ. I am a champ. Let’s fight". Rahman is rumored to be in talks with various MMA organizations including some in Japan.
Visually the game looks better than any other MMA game out there. The tough part of making a game that involves so many techniques is that gameplay is almost impossible to get right. We are all hoping that this release from THQ, who has had great success with their WWE wrestling line will be able to live up to the high expectations. The release has been pushed back several times so don't be surprised if this doesn't come out until summer 2009. Let's all hope that it will be worth the wait.
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