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    <copyright>Copyright (c) 2008 Yahoo!, Inc. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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      <title>Yahoo! Sports</title>
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    <title>MMA Experts Blog - MMA  - Yahoo! Sports</title>
    <description>Latest MMA Experts Blog - MMA  from Y! Sports</description>
    <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=11g5aev77/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts</link>
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      <title>Day replaces Leben in UFC 85</title>
      <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=130rnvbfq/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Day-replaces-Leben-in-UFC-85?urn=mma,81741</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced today that Jason Day would be replacing Chris Leben as the opponent for Michael Bisping on the snake-bit June 7 show at the 02 Arena in London.<br /><br />Leben, the scheduled opponent, found out Thursday that he wouldn't be released from Clackamas County (Ore.) jail until May 27, which not have given him enough time to get in shape for the fight.<br /><br />Leben was sentenced to 35 days in jail, with credit given for time served on a probation violation for a DUI conviction in 2005.&nbsp; UFC officials were not aware of the charge, which meant Leben would have been unable to get a visa to travel overseas for the show.&nbsp; When Leben was contacted about the outstanding warrant, he agreed to turn himself in, believing he would get out after serving time with enough training time to save the fight.<br /><br />Day, 17-5, debuted on the April 19 show in Montreal, stopping Alan Belcher with punches in 3:58.&nbsp; UFC officials had spoken with Nate Quarry, who beat Kalib Starnes on the same show, about facing Bisping, but Quarry was nursing an elbow injury and wouldn't be recovered in time for the short-notice fight.<br /><br />The London show has had numerous line-up changes since first announcement, including both originally scheduled main eventers being pulled, Mauricio &quot;Shogun&quot; Rua for knee surgery and Chuck Liddell for a hamstring tear.&nbsp; <br /><br />Bisping vs. Leben and Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves were added as the top matches on the show after Liddell, the top draw on the show, had to cancel his match with Rashad Evans.<br /><br />]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 16:30:44 PDT</pubDate>
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      <title>Your take: MMA rankings</title>
      <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=12qo3tkb8/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Your-take-MMA-rankings?urn=mma,80638</link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>After Anderson Silva beat Dan Henderson at UFC 82 on March 1, Silva received 13 first-place votes in the Y! Sports Top 10; Georges St. Pierre received two.</p><p>On April 19, GSP won the UFC welterweight title from Matt Serra. <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dd-mmarankings050208&amp;prov=yhoo&amp;type=lgns" target="_blank">In this month's poll, St. Pierre kept his two first-place votes, </a>while Silva added the votes of two new pollsters to last month's totals.</p><p>But what do you think? Does Silva deserve the top spot? Is St. Pierre No. 1? Or does someone else (we know you're out there, Fedor fans) belong on top?</p><p>Tell us who you think belongs atop the poll, and if you're up for it, give us your Top 10.</p>]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 03 May 2008 16:51:12 PDT</pubDate>
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      <title>Links to Y! MMA poll panel</title>
      <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=12toq42gj/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Links-to-Y-MMA-poll-panel?urn=mma,80637</link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>Interested in finding out more about the writers who comprise the Y! Sports monthly Top 10 poll? Then check out the links to their sites:</p><p>*Carlos Arias is a veteran boxing and MMA writer for the <a href="http://www.ocregister.com/section/mixed-martial-arts-1698325/" target="_new">Orange County Register.</a></p><p>*Denny Burkholder is the boxing and MMA producer for <a href="http://www.sportsline.com/mmaboxing" target="_new">CBSSports.com.</a> </p><p>*Mike Chiappetta covers MMA for <a href="http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/23035818" target="_new">NBCSports.com</a></p><p>*Neil Davidson of the <a href="http://www.thecanadianpress.com" target="_new">Canadian Press</a> is Canada's leading MMA reporter. </p><p>*Dave Doyle is the MMA/Boxing producer for <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mma" target="_new">Yahoo! Sports.</a></p><p>*Josh Gross covers mixed martial arts for <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mma/" target="_new">SportsIllustrated.com.</a></p><p>*<a href="http://www.lorettahunt.com" target="_new">Veteran MMA reporter Loretta Hunt</a> is currently working on a biography of Randy Couture.
</p><p>*Kevin Iole is the lead MMA and boxing writer for <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/box" target="_new">Yahoo! Sports.</a> </p><p>
*Damon Martin covers MMA for <a href="http://mmaweekly.com/" target="_new">MMAWeekly.com.</a>
</p><p>*Todd Martin covers MMA for <a href="http://www.sportsline.com/mmaboxing" target="_new">CBSSports.com.</a> </p><p>*Brad McCray covers the sport for <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/" target="_new">The Oregonian.</a></p><p>*Franklin McNeil is an MMA and boxing reporter for the <a href="http://www.nj.com/sports/" target="_new">The Newark Star-Ledger.</a> </p><p>*Dave Meltzer has covered the sport since UFC 1 in 1993. He is an MMA staff writer for <a href="http://www.sports.yahoo.com/mma" target="_blank">Yahoo! Sports </a>and has published the <a href="http://www.wrestlingobserver.com" target="_blank">Wrestling Observer</a> for 25 years.</p><p>*Pramit Mohapatra, who formerly wrote for SportsIllustrated.com and The Baltimore Sun, is the founder of <a href="http://www.fightticker.com/" target="_blank">Fightticker.com.</a></p><p>*Ken Pishna is the editor for <a href="http://www.mmaweekly.com" target="_blank">MMAWeekly.com.</a> </p><p>*Jose Rodriguez covers MMA for <a href="http://calsun.canoe.ca/Sports/" target="_new">The Calgary Sun.<br /></a></p><p>*Steve Sievert covers MMA for <a href="http://www.chron.com/sports/mixedmartialarts/" target="_new">The Houston Chronicle.</a></p>]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 03 May 2008 16:35:21 PDT</pubDate>
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      <title>Lutter cut from contract, more on the way</title>
      <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=13cs9nr1h/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Lutter-cut-from-contract-more-on-the-way?urn=mma,79400</link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'">UFC sent a message to
fighters last week by releasing middleweight Travis Lutter from his contract.
Lutter holds the distinction of being the only person in UFC to win a round off
Anderson Silva, taking the first round of their Feb. 2007 match before tapping
out in the second. The other distinction Lutter holds is he's the first winner
of the &lt;i&gt;Ultimate Fighter&lt;/i&gt; reality show to get released by the
promotion.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'"><span></span>Lutter won the first round
against Franklin in Montreal, before being TKO'd in the second. Lutter
gassed badly in round two, and getting cut clearly a message that UFC isn't
going to keep people who don't show up in shape to go three rounds.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'">But it's also the beginning
of what are expected to be massive cuts. The company has approximately 200
fighters on the roster, but doesn't run enough events to keep that many
fighters working three fights per year.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'">The decision has apparently
been made not to stockpile fighters on contract to keep groups attempting to be
competition from signing them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'">There is no set number of
how many cuts are forthcoming, but the total easily could top 50. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'">At the biggest risk are
fighters who lose boring fights, or lose several fights in a row. The company
is trying to emphasize action fights, using both the threats of not bringing people
back with boring fights, and increasing the performance bonuses for having the
best match or best finish on pay-per view events to $75,000. <span></span></span></p>]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:48:47 PDT</pubDate>
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      <title>UFC cuts Starnes after disgraceful performance</title>
      <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=13ign7s00/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/UFC-cuts-Starnes-after-disgraceful-performance?urn=mma,78124</link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p class="MsoNormal">It was a great night for mixed martial arts on Saturday in Montreal, as an
enthusiastic sellout crowd of 21,390 packed the Bell Centre to watch hometown
hero Georges St. Pierre reclaim the UFC welterweight title from Matt Serra at
UFC 83.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It wasn't such a good night, though, for Kalib Starnes, who
spent most of the evening running from Nate Quarry in their middleweight bout. A
native of Surrey, B.C., Starnes was booed
heavily by the Canadian crowd that had been boisterous in its support of all
the other Canadians on the card.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After losing a unanimous decision on scores of 30-26, 30-27,
and an unheard-of 30-24, Starnes received even worse news: He was cut from his contract by UFC
president Dana White.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&quot;He just doesn&rsquo;t belong in the UFC and after his
performance the other night, he should consider a new line of work,&quot; White
said Monday.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Quarry pressed the action the entire fight as Starnes simply
circled and refused to engage. Late in the third round, Quarry pretended to run
like he was a track star in trying to find a way to get Starnes to fight.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After the bout, members of Quarry's corner were complaining
to Starnes about his lack of activity. Starnes shouted an expletive at one
member of Quarry's team and called him a derogatory term for homosexuals.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Starnes couldn't be reached for comment about his performance,
but Quarry expressed disappointment with Starnes' lack of effort.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A one-time contestant on The Ultimate Fighter, Starnes was
8-2 going into the bout and had had quality victories over Chris Leben and
Jason MacDonald.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&quot;I think if you're fighting in the UFC, you've got to
come to fight,&quot; Quarry told UFC.com in a post-fight interview. &quot;I
would much rather get knocked out than lose a decision running backwards. No
disrespect to Kalib. I know the stress really gets to you. A lot of guys, they
focus on not wanting to lose instead of wanting to win. I didn't mean to
disrespect him in any way. I just got frustrated because you can't fight when
somebody's moving backward that fast.&quot;</p>]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:20:19 PDT</pubDate>
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      <title>All UFC 83 fighters make weight</title>
      <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=133r77llt/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/All-UFC-83-fighters-make-weight?urn=mma,77748</link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p class="MsoNormal">MONTREAL &ndash; At Thursday's UFC
83 news conference, welterweight champion Matt Serra tried to put to rest the
idea he has hate for the people of Quebec.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&quot;Can I make something clear? I have nothing against the
French,&quot; the Long Islander said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The message must not have gotten through. Serra was lustily
booed by the 4,000 or so fans in attendance for Friday's UFC 83 weigh-ins at the
Bell Centre. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">St. Pierre,
however was treated like a conquering hero, earning a standing ovation from the
crowd, which spread out to the upper deck after the lower and middle sections
of the curtained-off end of the arena were filled. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Both competitors made weight for their main event title
showdown Saturday night, as both came in at 169.5 pounds, a half-pound under
the weight limit.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">St. Pierre
downplayed the talk that the two fighters don't like each other. </p><p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&quot;I do not
fight in anger, I fight with my heart,&quot; he said. &quot;Don't believe the
hype, believe what you see on Saturday night.&quot;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Serra, for his part, was drowned out by the jeers of the
audience every time he tried to speak. He contented himself to hold up two
fingers, indicating he planned on beating St.
  Pierre a second time. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Most of the Canadian fighters received big
ovations from the crowd, including Sam Stout of London, Ontario,
who got a standing ovation. British Columbia's
Kalib Starnes, Edmonton's Jason MacDonald and Quebec's Jonathan Goulet
also got notable reactions.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">American and former UFC middleweight champion Rich
&quot;Ace&quot; Franklin got the second-loudest
reaction of the afternoon after St.
  Pierre. Franklin
weighed in at 185.5 pounds. His opponent, Travis Lutter, got something of a
mock round of applause for making weight. Lutter missed weight for his last
fight, against Anderson Silva. Lutter clocked in at 185.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All 22 fighters made weight for the show. While most of the
post-fight photo poses went without a hitch, Michael Bisping created a scene by
popping off to opponent Charles McCarthy as they stared down. McCarthy stomped
off the stage in anger, while Bisping, who got a vehement mixed reaction from
the crowd, grinned from ear to ear. Likewise, MacDonald made a smirking comment
at opponent Joe Doerksen, who turned around and walked off without shaking
MacDonald's hand.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Full weigh-in results:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jonathan Goulet 169.5 vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka 170</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Cain Valasquez 235.5 vs. Morris 225.5</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sam Stout 155.5 vs. Rich Clementi 155</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ed Herman 185.5 vs. Damon Maia 184.5</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Alan Belcher 185 vs. Jason Day 183.5</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jason MacDonald 185 vs. Joe Doerksen 184.5</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kalib Starnes 186 vs. Nate Quarry 185.5</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mac Danzig 154.5 vs. Mark
Bocek 154.5</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Michael Bisping 185.5 vs. Charles McCarthy 186</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Rich Franklin 185.5 vs. Travis Lutter 185</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Matt Serra 169.5 vs. Georges St. Pierre 169.5</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What is your take on UFC 83? Will St. Pierre win the title in his hometown, or
will Serra pull off another major upset? Will Franklin get back on track? How will
Bisping's middleweight debut go? Let us know what you think.</p>]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:30:43 PDT</pubDate>
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      <title>Yamma was, well, the pits</title>
      <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=12r0gh1r0/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Yamma-was-well-the-pits?urn=mma,76535</link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>Even before the debut of the Yamma Pit Fighting Championships&nbsp; Friday night in Atlantic City, N.J., you had to know there was trouble.<br /><br />When the most hyped thing in the television commercial is the debut of a new revolutionary fighting surface, you start wondering what the fights themselves will bring.&nbsp; </p><p>And they hardly exceeded expectations.<br /><br />To paraphrase former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, after this show, please start the revolution without me.<br /><br />As it turned out, the fighting arena, which was a circular cage with a steeply elevated &quot;warning track&quot; as it was called, three feet from the cage, didn't appear to make a huge amount of difference. It&nbsp; favored the wrestlers, who dominated the heavyweight tournament format won by veteran Travis Wiuff, after winning three fights by decision.<br /><br />The incline made it impossible for a fight to stall with both men standing and clinching by the cage.&nbsp; Instead, it favored the guys pushing his foe into the cage, because when his foe would get to the warning track, the incline would cause him to lose his balance and be easily taken down.&nbsp; And in almost every instance, action then stalled until the referee had enough and would order a stand-up. <br /><br />Parts of the show were a nostalgic throwback to the early days of the UFC. Bruce Beck, the UFC's lead announcer before Mike Goldberg, was back at the helm with longtime sidekick Jeff Blatnick. Former matchmaker John Perretti joined them, with Perretti coming off like he'd been transported ten years in time.&nbsp; </p><p>As much as nobody was nostalgic for Rich &quot;G-Man&quot; Goins, the UFC's original ring announcer, after the performance of Scott Ferrall in that role, well, we have a winner of the worst ring announcer in history contest.<br /><br />If there was a good, it's that the return to national pay-per-view of early UFC stars Oleg Taktarov and Patrick Smith wasn't the sad spectacle the return of so many past their prime fighters have turned out to be. </p><p>On the flip side, their respective opponents, now 266-pound Mark Kerr, and the now 416-pound Eric &quot;Butterbean&quot; Esch, more than made up for it.<br /><br />Taktarov, 40, was a Sambo specialist in Russia and one of the early favorites in the UFC.&nbsp; He's only fought once in the past decade since becoming an actor, often playing Russian mob muscle in movies, including working alongside Robert DeNiro and Harrison Ford. He showed the most technical work of the entire show, baiting a terribly out of shape Kerr on the ground, and clamping on a kneebar in 1:50.&nbsp; It was the first time Kerr, now 14-7 but considered the No. 1 fighter in the world during the primitive days of the sport, ever tapped out to a submission.<br /><br />Smith, at 44, looked just standing there in better condition than almost all of the younger fighters in the tournament, which is also a statement about the heavyweights on the show.&nbsp; A competitor who dates back to the very first UFC event in 1993, where he lost to Ken Shamrock, when walking in the ring moved like a man with bad knees from decades of competing as a boxer, kickboxer and MMA fighter.&nbsp; </p><p>But next to Bean, Smith may as well have been Pretty Boy Floyd,&nbsp; picking him apart standing as the 41-year-old former cult boxing star would throwing lunging missing punches.&nbsp; He threw an inside kick that tripped Butterbean, and once on the ground, Butterbean took punch after punch before finally verbally quitting at 3:17.<br /><br />The show was put on by Bob Meyrowitz, owner of the UFC from 1993 until selling to Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta in early 2001.&nbsp; It was his first foray into MMA since the sale, after years of talking about a return.<br /><br />The gimmick, besides the new fighting arena, was a return of the heavyweight tournament, the format that the early UFCs were built around.&nbsp; But it quickly became apparent why this isn't a good idea.<br /><br />First, the New Jersey Athletic Control Board only would agree for a fighter to have a potential of three matches, if the first two matches were one round.&nbsp; Second, it became clear that the goal in the tournament was that everyone, knowing they may have to fight again, was trying to avoid taking damage.&nbsp; <br /><br />In the quarterfinals and semifinals, every fight but one was identical. The stronger wrestler got the takedown and was content to ride out the time limit on top.&nbsp; Only one fight ended before the time expired.&nbsp; It made for a night of boring, repetitive fights. The only name anyone in the crowd seemed to recognize was Ricco Rodriguez, a former UFC heavyweight champion, who defeated Randy Couture for the title in 2002. </p><p>But in recent years, he's become more known for weight problems and drug problems, including a recent stint on the VH-1 program &quot;Celebrity Rehab.&quot;<br /><br />Rodriguez weighed 267 at weigh-ins, before losing two pounds for his second try to make the 265 pound limit. Although only 30, he looked out of shape, but also appeared to have the highest skill level of anyone in the tournament.&nbsp; He won his first round match over George W. Bush, a name which led to a series of predicable jokes.<br /><br />But in the second round, Wiuff took him down twice and won a decision.<br /><br />Wiuff beat 264-pound Chris Tuscherer, a training partner of Brock Lesnar, in the finals, taking a three-round decision.&nbsp; Wiuff dominated the first round, breaking Tuscherer's nose and knocking him down twice.&nbsp; But Wiuff believed he broke his hand, and fought conservatively from that point on.</p>]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:25:04 PDT</pubDate>
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      <title>Florian finishes Lauzon in UFN main event</title>
      <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=13dndfbok/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Florian-finishes-Lauzon-in-UFN-main-event?urn=mma,74906</link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p class="MsoNormal">BROOMFIELD, Colo.
&mdash;&nbsp; Kenny Florian and Joe Lauzon delivered as advertised on Wednesday at
Ultimate Fight Night 13 at the Broomfield
 Events Center.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They put on a high-paced lightweight battle with a lot of
back-and-forth fight, but Florian's experience won out over Lauzon's strength
and youth.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After a sensational first round in which they traded kicks,
punches, takedowns and submission attempts, Florian got Lauzon down early in
the second and managed to gain mount. For about the next two minutes, he
pounded at Lauzon's head.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lauzon was blocking some of the punches, but enough were
getting through that referee Herb Dean had to take a close look. Finally, after
an elbow and two rights, Dean had seen enough and dove in to stop it at 3:28 of
the second.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&quot;I wanted to take some of his heart and take it
out,&quot; Florian said. &quot;We knew that was a weakness he had.&quot;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Florian cut Lauzon on the top of the head with an elbow
early in round one. Lauzon, though, managed to fight back.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He had several good takedowns and submission attempts and
was creating an extremely fast pace. Florian was spending much of his time
trying to fend off Lauzon.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the second, though, Florian got control early and never
lost it. He kept beating on Lauzon until Dean halted it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Since losing a decision to Sean Sherk in a match for the
vacant lightweight title at UFC 64 in Oct. 2006, Florian has finished four
consecutive opponents. </p>
<hr align="center" size="1" width="40%" />
<p class="MsoNormal">*In a battle of two outstanding college wrestlers, Gray
Maynard used his size and strength to pull out a unanimous decision over
Frankie Edgar.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Maynard won 30-27 on all three judges' cards.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Maynard, who wrestled at Michigan State,
was able to take Edgar down frequently and apply punishment. Edgar, who was a
star wrestler at Lock Haven, seemed to have the edge in the stand-up, but was
outwrestled by Maynard consistently.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&quot;I'm bigger, you know,&quot; Maynard said. &quot;He's a
tough kid, but he's a little small. I picked him up and threw him around a
little bit. </p>
<hr align="center" size="1" width="40%" />
<p class="MsoNormal">*Karo Parisyan has been begging UFC management for a shot at
the welterweight title for a long time. After Thiago Alves got done with him
Wednesday, he'll have to wait a little longer.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Alves ripped Parisyan with a knee and then finished him off
with four shots to the face, forcing referee Steve Mazzagatti to jump in to
save Parisyan. The end came at 34 seconds of the second round.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Parisyan jumped up and complained about the decision, but he
had taken several big shots square in the face.</p>
<hr align="center" size="1" width="40%" />
<p class="MsoNormal">*Matt Hamill made his return to the cage a successful one
when he took Tim Boetsch down and pounded him out at 1:25 of the second round
of their light heavyweight bout.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hamill, who had knee surgery after losing a highly
controversial decision last year to Michael Bisping in London, took a vicious knee to the face from
Boetsch earlier in the second round.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But Hamill managed to take Boetsch down and get into mount,
where he ended the bout with a series of hard strikes.</p><p class="MsoNormal">*In a lightweight bout the crowd was very into, Nate Diaz
overcame a rocky first round to slap a triangle choke on Kurt Pellegrino and
force a submission. As Diaz put the triangle on, he flexed his biceps to the
delight of the crowd, seconds before Pellegrino tapped out.</p>
<hr align="center" size="1" width="40%" />
<p class="MsoNormal">The only bout on the preliminary card that went the distance
was the last, a lightweight match between Josh Neer and Din Thomas.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They essentially engaged in a standup battle, trading hard
strikes, but Neer consistently got the better of the exchanges and wound up
winning a unanimous decision. All three judges scored it 30-27 for Neer.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Neer ripped Thomas with a right elbow to the cheek late in
the third round that opened a deep gash under Thomas' left eye. Referee Herb
Dean had it check, but allowed the bout to continue.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All that did was cause Thomas to endure more punishment. He
had a fat lip, the cut under his eye and he limped back to the dressing room.</p>
<hr align="center" size="1" width="40%" />
<p class="MsoNormal">*In a night of early endings, Marcus Aurelio got one of the
quickest. He slapped an arm bar on Ryan Roberts and earned a submission just 16
seconds into the bout.</p>
<hr align="center" size="1" width="40%" />
<p class="MsoNormal">*Manny Gamburyan stopped Jeff Cox in the first, using a judo
throw to set up a guillotine choke. Cox tapped at 1:21 of the opening round.</p>
<hr align="center" size="1" width="40%" />
<p class="MsoNormal">*Clay Guida, who suffered a series of heartbreaking losses
in 2007, got off on the right track in 2008, pounding out an impressive
stoppage over Samy Schiavo.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Guida got into mount and ground and pounded his way to a
stoppage at 4:15 of the first.</p>
<hr align="center" size="1" width="40%" />
<p class="MsoNormal">*George Sotiropoulos had nearly ended his welterweight bout
with Roman Mitichyan in the first round, getting close to a series of
submissions. Mitchyan survived the first round, but he didn't manage to make it
out of the second.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sotiropoulos worked into mount and pounded away at Mitichyan
before the bout was stopped at 2:24 of the second.</p>
<hr align="center" size="1" width="40%" />
<p class="MsoNormal">*The opening bout of the card didn't take long to conclude.
Anthony Johnson erupted seconds after the opening bell and pounded Tommy Speer,
a finalist in The Ultimate Fighter 6, in just 51 seconds.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Johnson landed a powerful right that hurt Speer and backed
him into the cage. After a few shots on the ground, Speer got up, though not
for long. Johnson ripped Speer with a straight right that not only landed flush
on the cheek, but banged Speer's head into the cage.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Referee Tim Mills dove in to save Speer, who was in a seated
position for several minutes.</p>]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:07:28 PDT</pubDate>
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      <title>Fastest finish of modern era brings controversy</title>
      <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=13jscm7li/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Fastest-finish-of-modern-era-brings-controversy?urn=mma,74886</link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>BROOMFIELD, Colo. &mdash; Nobody expected the light heavyweight bout between James Irvin and Houston Alexander at Ultimate Fight Night 13 on Wednesday to last long.</p><p>Both men love to brawl and have knockout power in both hands.<br />But what happened at the Broomfield Events Center was almost hard to believe. Irvin knocked Alexander down with a right hand and then landed two punches while Alexander was on his back.</p><p>Referee Steve Mazzagatti jumped in just eight seconds in and stopped it to a chorus of boos. It tied the mark for the fastest end to a UFC fight. Don Frye knocked out Thomas Ramirez at UFC 8 on Feb. 16, 1996.</p><p>Alexander wasn't pleased, but Irvin said he simply isn't aware of what had happened.</p><p>&quot;He wasn't even looking at me,&quot; Irvin said. &quot;I clipped him and he went down and I looked at his eyes and he was looking off to the right. He was bleeding out of both of his nostrils. He wasn't even looking at me. The third punch when he was down was the best punch of all of them.&quot;</p><p>Irvin raced across at the bell and threw a &quot;Superman punch,&quot; jumping in the air while throwing the right.</p><p>It connected on the chin, knocking Alexander down. Irvin quickly went for the finish. His first punch missed, landing on the top of Alexander's back. He grazed Alexander with a right to the chin, then landed a hard right to the face.</p><p>That prompted Mazzagatti, who has made a number of controversial stoppages in other fights, to halt it.</p><p>Alexander complained instantly and seemed to be fine seconds after he got to his feet. In the locker room after the bout, he said he'd been hit harder many times.</p><p>&quot;Just give me a chance,&quot; Alexander said. &quot;I've been hit hard a lot of times in my life. I was OK. No excuses. I'm a professional. I got caught with a shot, but that's what this is about. But I definitely felt I could go on.&quot; </p><p>This marked the third consecutive bizarre finish to an Irvin fight. The Northern California-based light heavyweight won by disqualification over Luis Cane after getting kneed in the head while on the ground at UFC 79 in December, which was the first DQ in a UFc match since 2003; and a freak leg injury brought a halt to his UFC 71 loss to Thiago Silva last May.</p><p>&quot;That's the story of my life,&quot; said Irvin. &quot;I just told people I hoped it would be a good fight. Even in my interviews, I told people I didn't want a quick knockout. ... I've knocked people out in three or four of my fights, but it's all been by one shot. But at least I got this win and I can go back and train harder and hopefully get something against some of the big names.&quot;</p>]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:38:32 PDT</pubDate>
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      <title>Shamrock and wife both in hospital</title>
      <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=13625uoho/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Shamrock-and-wife-both-in-hospital?urn=mma,74068</link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>SAN JOSE -- Both Frank Shamrock and wife Amy ended up in San Jose's Valley Medical Center on Saturday night.</p><p>Frank Shamrock went to the hospital for the treatment of injuries suffered during <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-le032908&amp;prov=yhoo&amp;type=lgns" target="_blank">his Strikeforce middleweight title loss to Cung Le,</a> including what is believed to be a broken right forearm.</p><p>Amy Shamrock, who is pregnant with the couple's first child, went into labor during the match and was rushed to the facility as well.</p><p>Frank Shamrock also has a 19-year old son from a previous marriage.</p><p><em>Update, 10 p.m. Pacific:</em> As it turns out, Mrs. Shamrock, who isn't due until May, thought she went into labor but actually didn't. She was released from the hospital after the false alarm.</p><p><em>Update, 1 a.m. Pacific: </em>Frank Shamrock's right forearm was broken in two; he'll undergo surgery and have a plate inserted in his arm Sunday.</p><p><em>Monday update:</em> Shamrock underwent a five-hour operation Sunday to put in a plate and six screws for a complete break of the ulna bone in his right forearm.&nbsp; Shamrock believes the break took place during the second round of the fight, but a kick in the third round worsened it and the arm was at that point useless, so he couldn't continue the fight.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p>]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:39:03 PDT</pubDate>
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      <title>Talk Shamrock-Le</title>
      <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=12kg5n6gc/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Talk-Shamrock-Le?urn=mma,74066</link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>Alright guys and gals, I watched Cung Le's Strikeforce middleweight title win over Frank Shamrock on Showtime like the rest of you. And I have to say, I thought round three was one of the most exciting rounds of mixed martial arts action I've ever seen.</p><p>Round 3 was as close to the climactic scene of a martial arts movie as you'll ever see in a real fight situation. There were the moves straight out of Mortal Kombat, like when Le blocked a Shamrock kick and then swept his opponent's legs out from under him. Or when he hit Shamrock with a kick and immediately followed up with a spinning back fist.</p><p>Then there was the dramatic sequence with about a minute left in the round in which Shamrock rocked Le, had him backpedaling, and appeared to be seconds away from finishing the fight. But Le managed to keep his composure under extreme duress, and finished the round with attempts at big head kicks, one of which appeared to be the shot that fractured Shamrock's forearm. </p><p>What do you think of Round 3, and of the fight overall? Tell us what your thoughts about Cung Le's win right here.&nbsp; </p>]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:16:10 PDT</pubDate>
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      <title>UFC: Sylvia out, Fedor in?</title>
      <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=12scv133r/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/UFC-Sylvia-out-Fedor-in-?urn=mma,74064</link>
      <description><![CDATA[UFC president Dana White said the company had released one big-name heavyweight from his contract while admitting interest in arguably the biggest heavyweight name of all.<br /><br />White said the UFC released former heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia from his contract with one fight remaining on it. The move made Sylvia a free agent and he is expected to sign a contract with M-1 Global, where he would be teamed with his agent, M-1 Global chief executive officer Monte Cox.<br /><br />But White said that the UFC is again interested in landing former Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko. Emelianenko had a very public dalliance with the UFC last year, only to spurn the company in favor of the newly formed M-1 Global.<br /><br />That sparked a torrent of abuse from White toward Emelianenko.<br /><br />But M-1 has conceded that Emelianenko never signed the agreed upon contract and that he was a free agent. Elite XC has made no secret of its desire to sign the many man feel is the best fighter in the world.<br /><br />White said Friday that he would attempt to reach a deal with Emelianenko, who is 27-1 with one no-contest and owns a pair of victories over current UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.<br /><br />Randy Couture, who holds the UFC heavyweight belt, is in the midst of a lawsuit with the UFC largely because of Couture's desire to fight Emelianenko. The UFC has refused to co-promote an event with another promoter and would only do it if Emelianenko signed a promotional contract with it.<br /><br />On Friday, White never mentioned Couture by name, but said he would be open to the fight.<br /><br />&quot;We want to make the fights the people want to see,&quot; White said. &quot;If there is a fight that we can make for him that people really want to see, then we'll try the best we can to get that done. We'll see what we can do as far as (signing Emelianenko) goes.&quot;<br />]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 29 Mar 2008 17:20:51 PDT</pubDate>
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      <title>Strikeforce/Elite XC notes</title>
      <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=12u0vvcpd/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Strikeforce-Elite-XC-notes?urn=mma,74018</link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>Elite XC promoter Gary Shaw went on a rampage Thursday against
California State Athletic Commission executive officer Armando Garcia
for pulling Nick Diaz from Saturday's Strikeforce/Elite XC card. </p><p>&quot;What happened (Wednesday) was a travesty to Nick Diaz,&quot; he
said, noting Diaz was willing to take a drug test and was planning on
passing it, but was pulled because he had revealed when getting his
medicals done, that he had a medicinal marijuana card as treatment for
attention deficit disorder. </p><p>Marijuana is on the banned substance list in California, and
Diaz's biggest win of his career, over Takanori Gomi last year, was
stripped in Nevada because he tested positive for the drug. Garcia said
he couldn't publicly comment on the situation other than say there
wasn't time to go through the procedures necessary to clear Diaz to
fight. </p><p>Shaw claimed that when the doctor the commission told Diaz to
see asked him if he had a medical card allowing him to use marijuana,
and he said he did, and was told to put it down in case he tested
positive. </p><p>But it was that admission that led him to be
scratched from the show, and Shaw claimed it was entrapment, blamed
Garcia, and threatened legal action.
</p><p>*Shaw said Elite XC's second CBS special would be in July. Shaw
wouldn't say the exact date and said he just got the date this week and
is starting to look for a venue, but that the card would be held in a
top 20 market.
</p><p>*Kimbo Slice's opponent on 5/31 has been decided but he won't
say who until Saturday night as he didn't want to interfere with
selling this show. Rumor has it the opponent is Ron Waterman, which is
a terrible idea, because he's a good enough takedown guy that he may
expose Kimbo, although Waterman is a 290-pound bodybuilder who is slow
and Kimbo should destroy on stand-up. </p>]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:31:30 PDT</pubDate>
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      <title>Stann claims WEC gold</title>
      <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=12pqdpku7/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Stann-claims-WEC-gold?urn=mma,73639</link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p class="MsoNormal">LAS VEGAS &mdash; Brian Stann, the Marine captain who earned a
silver star while in Iraq, picked up a little gold on Wednesday at the Hard
Rock Hotel.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Stann knocked out Doug Marshall with a perfect left hook,
knocking Marshall
down and out in their battle for the WEC light heavyweight title. The bout
ended at 1:35.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Stann was pushing Marshall
back from the start of the bout, which was essentially a power against power
match. Marshall
landed a left and then a big right as Stann was against the cage and was
winding up to throw another haymaker when Stann uncorked the left hook.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It landed on the cheek and put Marshall out almost instantly. Referee Herb
Dean dove in to stop the bout and award the victory, and the title, to Stann.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Stann, now 6-0, knew he was going to have to take some shots
if he were to win the belt, given Marshall's
reputation as a heavy-handed brawler. He did, but he was the one with the much better
power.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&quot;That's why the WEC put this fight on, because they
know what we do,&quot; Stann said. &quot;I knew I had to be disciplined with my
hands.&quot;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*Chael Sonnen maintained his status as the top contender for
the WEC middleweight title with a dominant unanimous decision win over Bryan
Baker. The previously undefeated Baker was a substitute for champion Paulo
Filho, who pulled out of the fight to check into rehab. Scores were 30-26,
30-25, and 30-25. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*Marcus Hicks stayed undefeated by defeating Ed Ratcliffe
with a guillotine at 1:42 of the first round of their lightweight showdown. The
hard-hitting Hicks kept Ratcliffe backpedaling most of the fight. Twice
Ratcliffe managed to slip out of chokes when it appeared the fight was over,
but the third attempt with the charm for Hicks, who improved to 8-0. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*In a light heavyweight match, Steve Cantwell def. Tim
McKenzie via submission at 2:13 of round 1. Cantwell connected on a head kick
and followed up with a pair of knees which put McKenzie on the mat. To his
credit, McKenzie managed to fend off that assault, but left his back open for a
rear naked choke.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*In other results: Logan Clark def. Steve Harper, TKO, 4:37
R1; Kenji Osawa vs. Chris Manuel, split draw; Alex Serdyukov def. Ryan
Stonitsch, submission (triangle), 1:35 R1; Richard Crunkilton def. Sergio
Gomez, unanimous decision; Brock Larson def. John Alessio, DQ (knees on the
ground), 1:50 R1; Hiromitsu Miura def. Blas Avena, KO, 2:35 R1. </p>]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:20:30 PDT</pubDate>
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      <title>Shamrock-Shamrock a no-go?</title>
      <link>http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/rumors/mma/SIG=12uv3evpt/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Shamrock-Shamrock-a-no-go-?urn=mma,72138</link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p>Frank Shamrock's biggest fight promotional idea is a concept called &quot;Blood Brothers,&quot; a match against adopted brother Ken Shamrock.&nbsp; </p><p>The pairing has a unique storyline of two rival athletes brought up as brothers in a group home, with one (Ken) becoming a star in a sport and then training his brother (Frank) to follow.&nbsp; </p><p>There were real-life issues of teacher vs. student, both becoming successes and later drifting apart as the family fell apart.&nbsp; </p><p>Combined with both Shamrocks' legendary hype ability, it could have made probably the second biggest non-UFC fight (behind a potential Fedor Emelianenko vs. Couture match-up) from a business standpoint.&nbsp; </p><p>But the financial backers for a proposed early 2009 fight have gotten very concerned in recent days after Ken lost on March 8 night to the unheralded Robert &quot;Buzz&quot; Berry in London.<br />&nbsp;<br />Frank noted they would have paid Ken not to fight, but Ken was confident going in that he was at little risk in taking the fight.&nbsp; In doing so, he has put the value of the much bigger fight at risk.&nbsp; Frank feels the type of casual sports fan that would be intrigued by the &quot;Blood Brothers&quot; promotion due to the story isn't likely to have seen Ken's most recent fight.<br />&nbsp;<br />Shamrock also talked with Tito Ortiz, whose UFC contract ends after his May 24 fight, about having a rematch in late 2009 as the ten year anniversary of their original match.</p>]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:07:53 PDT</pubDate>
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