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    Kevin Iole

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    Award-winning veteran sportswriter Kevin Iole is the national boxing and mixed martial arts reporter for Yahoo! Sports. Kevin previously covered boxing for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and other publications, writing on some of the biggest names and bouts in the sport.

    • Cuban's slow brew

      From the minute billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban announced his entry into mixed martial arts, it was assumed that the price tag for free-agent heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko would skyrocket.

      That may yet turn out to be true.

      But somehow, I get the feeling that Cuban, the maverick owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, isn't ready to sink his teeth into the big-name market yet.

      Cuban's cable television channel, HDNet, which he says is available in more than 65 million homes, has plans to compete directly with the 800-pound gorilla of MMA promoters, the UFC.

      HDNet will broadcast a fight card on Oct. 13 from the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

      It will mark the first steps in a journey that Cuban hopes ends at the highest level of the business. That can only be good news for MMA fans, who could use someone to challenge the UFC to spur competition.

      Guy Mezger, the former UFC fighter whom Cuban appointed as commissioner of HDNet Fight, believes there is plenty of room for both companies

      Read More »from Cuban's slow brew
    • Mailbag: Bisping-Hamill debate continues

      By Kevin Iole Yahoo! Sports

      Nothing sends the keyboard warriors into action more than a questionable fight decision. The call in the Michael Bisping-Matt Hamill fight at UFC 75 on Saturday set off a deluge of response.

      I'll answer those questions as well as a handful about various boxing topics in the latest edition of the mailbag. As always, my answers are in italics below the question.

      OUTCOME A FARCE

      That Bisping fight was a farce. I shut the TV off after they announced the decision. Bisping was on his heels the entire fight and wanted no part of Hamill. I feel Dana White is going to eventually ruin the UFC and turn it in to a circus, similar to the WWE. He is money hungry and acts like an uneducated moron during press conferences. Boxing will overtake UFC very soon and be as popular as it was years ago. What are your thoughts on this?

      Mike Sebastian
      West Pittston, Pa.

      If Bisping was as aggressive toward Hamill as he was toward the media at the post-fight press conference, he would

      Read More »from Mailbag: Bisping-Hamill debate continues
    • Questionable verdict

      LONDON – Michael Bisping got a victory, but he was no winner on Saturday.

      The records will show that Bisping raised his record to 14-0 with a split-decision victory over archrival Matt Hamill at UFC 75 before a sellout crowd of 16,235 at O2 Arena.

      But Bisping handled himself with so little class afterward that his perception as one of the sport's good guys may have been shattered forever.

      The Manchester, England, native has become the face of mixed martial arts in the United Kingdom, and it was deafening inside the O2 when Bisping walked to the cage with the strains of The Clash's "London Calling" blaring over the loudspeakers.

      But when ring announcer Bruce Buffer read the verdict and officially handed the victory to Bisping, the arena roared its displeasure. Far more than half, it seemed, were irate at the outcome and booed the decision.

      Judges Cecil Peoples and Jeff Mullen favored Bisping, 29-28, while British judge Chris Watts had Hamill, 30-27. I, too, scored it 30-27 for Hamill,

      Read More »from Questionable verdict
    • No disputing sense of pride in victory

      LONDON – Spelling isn't Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's forte, he admitted after defeating Dan Henderson in the main event of UFC 75 at a sold out O2 Arena.

      The UFC's light heavyweight champion added the Pride light heavyweight belt Henderson had owned after a grueling five-round battle, much of which was surprisingly spent on the ground. Two judges scored it 49-46 and the other had it 48-47 for Jackson, who had lost in two previous bids for the Pride belt.

      Owning both titles held special significance to Jackson, who spent the bulk of his career fighting in Pride.

      "I want to be undisputed," Jackson said. "I can't spell it, but I'm it."

      It's U-N-D-I-S-P-U-T-E-D, and Jackson is it in more ways than one. With 44-year-old heavyweight champion Randy Couture always just a fight away from another retirement, Jackson gives the UFC an easy guy to build its marketing base around.

      He's got a fan-friendly style, both inside and outside of the octagon. He's the kind of guy you can't help but like and

      Read More »from No disputing sense of pride in victory
    • UFC 75 notes

      LONDON – There has been a mini-storm among mixed martial arts fans about the main event of UFC 76 on Sept. 22 in Anaheim, Calif.

      Houston Alexander can't understand the fuss.

      And he's the one who was affected the most.

      In his UFC debut, Alexander knocked out Keith Jardine in just 48 seconds of their bout at UFC 71 on May 26.

      But UFC president Dana White chose Jardine, and not Alexander, when he needed an opponent to face Chuck Liddell at UFC 76. When his initial plan to match Liddell with Wanderlei Silva fell through because Silva wasn't going to be ready to fight, White turned to the one-time contestant on The Ultimate Fighter.

      That led to an uproar, but Alexander, who faces Alessio Sakara on Saturday at UFC 75, doesn't have an issue with the UFC's matchmaking.

      "They're a smart organization and whoever they want me to fight, I'll fight," Alexander said. "They know what they're doing. I'll take whoever they bring me."

      'ONE FEDOR AWAY'

      White said the UFC is "one Fedor away from having

      Read More »from UFC 75 notes
    • Fight breakdown: Quinton Jackson vs. Dan Henderson

      LONDON – The first-ever Pride-UFC light heavyweight championship unification bout will be held Saturday at the O2 Arena when Dan Henderson takes on Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Here is what each man must do to win:





      Keys to victory
      JACKSON’S KEYS HENDERSON'S KEYS
      1. Use his knees: When they're in the clinch, Jackson can take advantage of his Muay Thai skills by cracking Henderson with a knee. 1. Pump his jab:. Henderson should keep a jab in Jackson's face to prevent him from being able to set his feet and fire.

      2. Attack at an angle: Walking straight in is an invitation for Henderson to land his booming right. 2. Stand it up: Henderson punches with both hands and is all but impossible to knock out, which means he's better off on his feet despite his wrestling pedigree.

      3. By physical: Jackson is stronger and should try to maul Henderson physically when he gets his hands on him. 3. Feint to the right: Jackson tends to react to feints, so Henderson should feint his
      Read More »from Fight breakdown: Quinton Jackson vs. Dan Henderson
    • Henderson isn't Hollywood, but it doesn't matter

      LONDON – One of Dan Henderson's many nicknames is “Hollywood,” but the Pride light heavyweight champion is about as Hollywood as a 20-year-old pickup truck. With ears that look like chewed-up dog toys and a nose flatter than the plains of Kansas, it would be hard to mistake him for, say, a stock broker.

      For sure, he's not going to be cast in a leading man's role any time soon.

      But during the last decade, Henderson has been a leading man in the mixed martial arts fight game.

      He faces UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 75 on Saturday at the O2 Arena in the first Pride-UFC title unification bout ever, a match which UFC president Dana White says may be the most significant in MMA history.

      If Henderson were an actor, he'd clearly be the strong silent type. He doesn't have a lot to say, especially if it's got to do with how he's going to approach a fight.

      "Oh, you'll see on Saturday," he said at least a half a dozen times at a pre-fight news conference on Thursday, beaming

      Read More »from Henderson isn't Hollywood, but it doesn't matter
    • Change of scenery made difference for 'Rampage'

      LONDON – Seconds after the greatest athletic accomplishment of his life, Quinton Jackson was exulting in victory, only to be greeted by a cascade of boos from fans who were irate he had knocked out their hero, Chuck Liddell. It sounded, and felt, like being in Chicago when they announced Rex Grossman had entered the building.

      It felt like being in Chicago when they announced Rex Grossman had entered the building. Jackson, one of the most engaging and likeable fighters in mixed martial arts, was caught off guard by the jeers that rained down upon him from the MGM Grand Garden crowd at UFC 71 in may after he had won the UFC light heavyweight title with a stunning first-round knockout.

      "My own people booed me," Jackson said Thursday, feigning hurt.

      But they likely won't boo him on Saturday when he meets Pride light heavyweight and middleweight champion Dan Henderson at London's O2 Arena in a title unification bout that UFC president Dana White said could be the most significant fight in

      Read More »from Change of scenery made difference for 'Rampage'
    • Beebe's style draws "Natural" comparisons

      By Kevin Iole Yahoo! Sports

      LAS VEGAS – If you've watched mixed martial arts for more than two weeks, you probably think you know who this guy is:

      He's a fighter with a decorated wrestling background who takes pride in adding something to his game every fight, who speaks softly and humbly and only in the most reverential tones about the sport and his opponents.

      He's a champion who is friendly and approachable, hardly impressed by his status, and who is confident of victory in a quiet and understated way.

      And though it sounds suspiciously like a description of UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture, it's actually WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe.

      OK, the 22-year-old Beebe calls Couture his idol and says one of the goals of his life is to meet the UFC Hall of Famer in person, so perhaps it's best to look at him as Couture's Mini Me.

      Certainly, Beebe, who defends his title against Rani Yahya at WEC 30 on Wednesday night at the Hard Rock Hotel in a fight televised live nationally on

      Read More »from Beebe's style draws "Natural" comparisons
    • Mailbag: Chokes, Holt, Holyfield and more

      It was another busy week at the inbox, as I received a flood of comments on my column on Renato "Babalu" Sobral's failure extended choke of David Heath at UFC 74, as well as plenty of thoughts on boxer Kendall Holt's personal story.

      There was a lot of passion in the Sobral comments on both sides of the issue. It was about 65-35 against him and many commended UFC president Dana White for cutting him from the company's roster of fighters.

      But those who supported Sobral did so passionately and saw what he did as no big deal.

      I'm headed to London Tuesday to cover UFC 75 on Saturday. We'll have extensive coverage of that show.

      Next week, my colleague, Dave Doyle, will cover the Elite XC pay-per-view in Hawaii while I come home to Las Vegas to cover the Golden Boy Promotions boxing pay-per-view at Mandalay Bay.

      But here's a sample of what you've had to say about the sports of boxing and MMA in the last seven days.

      My answers are in italics.

      ADMIRES HOLT ("Holt has faced bigger challenges

      Read More »from Mailbag: Chokes, Holt, Holyfield and more

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