Though CagePotato launched in October 2007 with the tagline “MMA News, Gossip, and Girls,” lately our site has become “MMA News, Videos, The Occasional Insightful Interview, Videos, and Videos.” And we’re totally cool with that, but it’s good to revisit our scummy roots once in a while. Thus, we present our official list of the ten sexiest women to ever walk around cages while holding numbered cards. Feel free to debate the order in our comments section, but your arguments will most likely fall on deaf ears.

10. Christie Cartwright (WEC)

9. Rebecca Love (WFA, WEC)

8. Edith Labelle (UFC)

7. Laura Jones (Cage Rage)

6. Rachelle Leah (UFC)

Now that that’s out of the way, here are the best of the best…

(Can this man make you into a world champion? Okay, maybe not you)

When Ricardo Almeida was preparing for his return to MMA at UFC 81 after four years off, he knew who to go to. The same guy who people like top NFL prospect Chris Long went to: trainer Martin Rooney. While most MMA fans might have no idea who he is, he’s quickly becoming a known man among fighters looking to take their conditioning and mental game to the next level.

And who knows, he might even be able to help a poor schmuck like you get into fighting shape.

Rooney has worked with a number of high-profile athletes at his Parisi Speed School, but his experiences training at the Renzo Gracie Academy led him to design sport specific training programs for MMA. Ten years later, it seems like he might have figured out something worthwhile.

Now he even has a book on the subject, “Training For Warriors: The Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts Workout”.

In it, you can learn about things like “Hurricane Training”, the name of which already makes us feel like throwing up, but there’s also a fair amount of space devoted to the mental preparation for an MMA fight.

Rooney says that even with fighters in great shape, he’s seen them lose a fight mentally “just going from the locker room to the ring.”

By Ariel Helwani, courtesy of our new content partners at MMARated.

Whether it’s his legal issues with the UFC or all the fighters competing under the Xtreme Couture banner, one might surmise that Randy Couture will one day be considered the most influential fighter to ever compete in the sport.

While everyone has had a chance to ask Couture about his issues with the UFC we tried to conduct an interview with him where we talked about everything but those problems. Sadly, we only lasted eight minutes and thirteen seconds. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

Ariel Helwani: Hey Randy, haven’t heard much about you. Been up to anything special lately?
Randy Couture: Just been cornering a lot of my fighters and doing some voiceover stuff for “The Scorpion King” movie we have coming out at the end of the summer. But I’m really excited about David Mamet’s movie “Redbelt.” Just saw the premiere and got to see the movie for the first time last Monday and I thought it came out fantastic.

By the way, that was a really poor attempt at humor on my part. Obviously, we are all well up-to-speed on everything going down in your life…
(laughs)

But speaking of “Redbelt,” I always thought Tim Allen’s casting in the movie was an odd choice for this kind of movie. What did you think of the job he did in the film?
He played a character named “Chet” who is an action-hero actor who everybody assumes, because of his Hollywood films, that he is a real tough guy. However, he’s really not because he’s got a lot of baggage and several other issues but I thought this was kind of a departure for him to play a little more serious character — it wasn’t a comedic role. He did a fantastic job. I thought he pulled it off great.

Anything else on the entertainment front involving you that we should know about?
Looks like Labor Day weekend “Big Stan” will be finally coming out. That’s the Rob Schneider film that I got a chance to work on two summers ago. I’m really excited about that movie. I think it’s going to be a typical Rob Schneider movie and everybody’s going to get a big kick out of it. And then obviously later this summer, August time frame, they’re saying that “The Scorpion King” will be finished up and coming out. I’ve been reading for some more parts but haven’t really landed the next gig in the acting genre but we did pitch a two-hour pilot to Spike. Kind of a military-esque drama that I will be starring in when they finish writing it and then we get to shoot it.

Will the fact that the UFC has such strong ties with Spike ruin that show’s chances of seeing the light of day?
You know, obviously Dana could get involved if he wanted to mess things up but I think if he wanted to do that he would have done it already at this point. This has already been pitched and taken on by Spike so that may be tough to do at this stage but anything’s possible.

Just as the UFC couldn’t come to terms with Fedor Emelianenko partly because they wouldn’t allow him to compete in the Sambo tournaments that he periodically steamrolls through, a deal with top 10 middleweight and ATT member Denis Kang was also nixed over an equally minor request for competitive freedom. As MMAJunkie reports:

“Yes, we were (negotiating with the UFC),” Kang said. “I would have loved to fight in the UFC. I would love to fight in North America and not have to travel 12 hours for a change. At the end of the day, it came down to where I want to be represented at the moment and who was offering the best contract.”

The best contract, it seems, was one that would allow the half-Korean fighter to compete in South Korea’s SpiritMC organization on an annual basis. Kang has fought 10 times in the organization since 2004, winning all 10 fights, and is still the SpiritMC heavyweight champion.

However, the UFC requires exclusive contracts, which prohibit fighters from competing in other organizations. Such a limitation would have alienated many of Kang’s fans.

“SpiritMC was only asking that I fight for them once a year,” Kang said. “That’s one of the things that I really, really wanted to do — to keep my SpiritMC title and keep my fan base in Korea, which is really important to me.”

We’ve said it before: Now is not the time for the UFC to be stonewalling in regards to exclusivity, when their fighters are beginning to smell the money elsewhere (and specifically when there are virtually no contenders left in the UFC’s middleweight division). We understand the need for exclusive contracts — you wouldn’t want one of your stars building value for another brand, or getting injured while fighting elsewhere, or taking an image-harming loss against lesser competition. But there are exceptions where the benefits would far outweigh the costs. Even if Fedor Emelianenko were to lose in a Sambo tournament halfway around the world (an unlikely scenario to begin with), there are few American UFC fans who would see it, or care all that much, and the same goes for Denis Kang crushing cans in Korea. SpiritMC is not a competitor to the UFC; technically, Sambo isn’t even the same sport. Wouldn’t the UFC’s wisest move be to start handling these things on a case-by-case basis?

While other TUF 6 castmembers were content to put holes through walls and defecate in unauthorized areas of their toilet, Mac Danzig installed a birdfeeder in the house’s backyard to realign his karma in relation to the rest of the world’s creatures. It’s that attitude of “Leave things better than you found them” that’s part of the reason we became such huge Mac fans during last season of The Ultimate Fighter. Sure, he was a miserable asshole at times, but you try living with a bunch of idiots and see what it does to your morale. In this interview, Danzig talks about his matchup with Mark Bocek at UFC 83, the UFC’s stacked lightweight division, and moving to Las Vegas to join the Xtreme Couture camp.

(Props: Sherdog via BloodyElbow)

(‘Hey bro, if your pecs were this smooth and shiny, you’d be full of yourself too’.)

Charles McCarthy thinks Michael Bisping is too cocky. And he hates that. Judging from some of his recent comments, though, it seems like he hates it the way Rev. Ted Haggard hates gay people.

In a story by Denny Burkholder of CBS Sports, McCarthy had this to say about Bisping:

“He’s a decent kickboxer. (He’s) real arrogant, and, you know — not much else, really. He’s gonna get choked out April 19.”

“I have very little regard for that guy. I can’t wait to go in there and get my arm around his neck. It’s going to be a cool experience. I hope to put him to sleep before he decides to tap.”

Oh, how we loathe that most in others which we find in ourselves, don’t we Charles?

McCarthy went on to say that he doesn’t mind being the underdog, since he knows Bisping can’t hurt him standing and there’s no way Bisping can last “fifteen minutes on the ground” with him. Sounds like McCarthy thinks “The Count’s” jiu-jitsu has some holes in it, since he’s been submitted, well, never.

In all fairness, McCarthy doesn’t think of himself as a humble guy either. He admitted that he might be a little on the arrogant side as well, though he was decidedly more generous to himself.

The UFC sent out an e-mail today reminding us all to watch Countdown to UFC 83, which premieres tonight at 11 p.m. ET/PT on SpikeTV, and will focus on the welterweight title match between GSP and Matt Serra, as well as the middleweight feature between Rich Franklin and Travis Lutter. Below is the show’s official preview clip.

We’re very curious to see the differences in the headliners’ training camps. Will days spent tossing around Luke Cummo and Pete Sell in Long Island really be adequate preparation for Serra to face GSP, who has been training with stars like Denis Kang, Nate Marqurdt, Keith Jardine, and Rashad Evans? Should GSP have been training against guys who are actually Serra’s size, rather than guys two weight classes above him? I mean, rolling with Jardine and Evans is impressive and all, but how much practical application does that have? I’m just saying, St. Pierre’s going to be way out of his element when Serra somersaults through his legs then leaps, chimp-like, on top of his shoulders. And then the crowd lets out that collective “Awwwwww!”, which totally throws you off your game? You can’t train for these things…

(HMC: Sexual Napalm.)

Hey, how’s your news?

— Hong Man Choi is scheduled to report for mandatory Korean army service next Monday, which may take him out of fight competition for three years. Apparently, his size prohibits him from being a regular soldier, so he’ll be stuck writing parking tickets and working the Xerox machine at a district office. Or so they want you to think!

— A match between UFC lightweights Spencer Fisher (20-4, 5-3 UFC) and Jeremy Stephens (13-2, 2-1 UFC) has been booked for the Ultimate Fighter 7 finale (June 21st, Las Vegas). Fisher most recently dropped a decision to Frankie Edgar at UFC 78, while Stephens has won his lost two UFC bouts against Diego Saraiva and Cole Miller. This could be the fourth match on the TUF 7 finale card that doesn’t include the show’s castmembers, after the Diego Sanchez/Luigi Fioravanti headlining bout and rumored matches between Josh Burkman and Dustin Hazelett, and Marvin Eastman vs. Drew McFedries. Could this be an early signal that many of the show’s finalists didn’t turn out to be worthy of getting a spot on the finale show?

— WEC bantamweight prospect Manny Tapia (10-0-1) injured his knee during training, and has been forced to pull out of his June 1st title bout against champion Miguel Torres (32-1). Yoshiro Maeda (23-4-2) has reportedly agreed to fill in, and will challenge Torres for the belt. Maeda is a veteran of Pancrase and DEEP, and was Pacrase’s first featherweight champion.

— Former UFC middleweight Terry Martin won his professional boxing debut on Saturday, taking out Ricardo Upchurch by TKO in just 40 seconds; with the loss, Upchurch’s pro record drops to 0-2. Roy Jones Jr., you’re next.

(GSP is not impressed with your decision to bet against him, but he respects you anyway)

So, that tax refund is just burning a hole in your bank account. You can’t wait to send your “Economic Stimulus Package” money to some off-shore betting establishment. Before you go thwarting our magical economy band-aid with your irresponsible spending, American consumer, maybe you should see if you can’t learn something first.

The first thing to know about betting on MMA is that it does not qualify as a long-term financial strategy. The second thing to know is that telling girls in bars how much you have riding on this next fight won’t impress them the way you’re hoping it will. For some reason, their mothers didn’t teach them that the guys who gamble heavily on pro sports are the real keepers. Go figure.

But if you’re looking to drop some coin on UFC 83 this Saturday, it’s not a bad idea to do some analysis first. Here’s a look at the lines from Bodog, and where the money might be made.

Georges St. Pierre (-500) vs. Matt Serra (+325)

Serra’s still the underdog, and rightly so, though the odds aren’t as lopsided as the first meeting. Renzo Gracie – who has trained both men – claims to have pocketed close to ten grand betting on Serra last time, though even he has to be wondering if it’s the smart play this time around.

The question is, did GSP have a bad night, or does Serra truly represent a style problem for “Rush”, as he claims? While I tend to think it’s more the former than the latter, there’s another issue to consider.

In the past twelve months, Serra has done nothing but train, have surgery, and get booed by UFC fans when he shows up at live shows. The last time he stayed out of action that long he lost his first fight back, a decision against Karo Parisyan.

Contrast that with GSP, who’s beaten Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck, both convincingly, in that same time period. Ask yourself, who’s likely to be sharper and more confident on Saturday night?

The line here justifies small action on Serra, if you’re the type who favors cockeyed optimism over grim realism. But whatever you put down against GSP, you should consider it already gone.

Rich Franklin (-350) vs. Travis Lutter (+250)

We promise, no more Pit Fighting-related posts after this, but we wanted to officially drive the nail through the bowl-shaped coffin with these two videos.

First, the semi-final match between Ricco “#1″ Rodriguez and Travis Wiuff, notable for the classic line “I don’t like that jumping stuff.” The crowd shot at the 2:37 to 2:40 mark is priceless. (As is Ricco’s gut at the 4:45 mark.)

Also, here’s the dreadful Scott Ferrall announcing video that broke the Internet when we tried to post it from DojoTube yesterday. It’s up on YouTube now, and all is right with the world.

(“Adrian!”)

By CagePotato Guest Contributor Brian Knapp

Matt Serra had never finished a fight with his fists until April 7, 2007. Talk about perfect timing. On that night, Serra shook the mixed martial arts world to its foundation, as he overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to topple a man who had been universally received as the planet’s premiere 170-pound fighter.

A full year has passed since the 33-year-old Long Island, N.Y., native clubbed Georges St. Pierre and stopped the favored French Canadian by first-round TKO to capture the welterweight championship at UFC 69 in Houston. Goliath had met his match inside the hallowed Octagon, and the sport sat in stunned silence.

With less than a week to go before their rematch at UFC 83 on Saturday night at Montreal’s Bell Centre, pundits lend little credence to Serra’s flawless performance 12 months ago. Many consider it a fluke, a stroke of luck, a hiccup in the space-time continuum. A coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter and a back injury have kept Serra out of the eight-sided cage since his historic upset, and St. Pierre has been nothing shy of impeccable in back-to-back wins over welterweight contender Josh Koscheck and future Hall-of-Famer Matt Hughes. Serra’s odds are long, but he embraces them nonetheless.

“They can look at it any way they want,” he says. “I know I’m the underdog, and I feel very comfortable in that role.”

St. Pierre, the thoroughbred who had all but cleaned out the UFC’s 170-pound division, never got out of the gate the first time the two met. Rocked repeatedly by Serra’s heavy hands, he wound up on his back, where he ate punches in jackhammer-like succession and was unable to mount a defense. Even so, Serra’s respect for St. Pierre’s physical capabilities runs deep.

“He’s dangerous on all fronts,” Serra says. “Georges is very well-rounded. He’s got very good wrestling besides the striking. Standing up, off my back … everywhere, basically, I have to be on my A-game.”

Having long compared himself to the lead character in the Rocky series, Serra figures to be confronted by the most hostile of crowds as he ventures into St. Pierre’s backyard in Montreal. His support will likely be limited to his cornermen.

“I don’t expect to get cheered walking out,” Serra says. “It’s not a problem. I think I’m finally going to feel what Tim Sylvia feels when he fights anywhere.”

Yesterday’s Quote of the Day involving Dana White’s guarded interest in Kimbo Slice had us wondering if the UFC would try to make a play for the popular brawler after his four-fight EliteXC contract was finished. Well, such a play will have to wait, as EliteXC has wisely re-signed Slice — as well as Gina Carano and middleweight champion Robbie Lawler — to long-term, multi-year contracts. In a press release sent out last night, EliteXC Live Events prez Gary Shaw said:

“We’re extremely happy to get these deals done with Kimbo, Gina and Robbie. Fighters know EliteXC is the place to be and the organization to fight for, which is why we’ve always been able to sign or re-sign almost each and every one of our fighters…You don’t see our guys leaving. With us, it’s family and all about the fighters. Every fighter who has fought on an EliteXC card has come away being ambassadors for EliteXC.”

On Gina “Crush” Carano, Shaw said:

“She truly is the face of women’s MMA, an inspiration to many up-and-coming athletes and is a perfect illustration as to why women do indeed have a place in this sport and with EliteXC.”

Slice, Carano, and Lawler will be competing on EliteXC’s premiere Saturday Night Fights broadcast, which airs May 31st on CBS. Though an official lineup will be released in the next few days, the televised card is looking like this:

Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson vs. James Thompson (heavyweights)
Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young (140-pound limit)
Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith (middleweight championship fight)
Phil Baroni vs. Murilo “Ninja” Rua (middleweights)
Brett Rogers vs. John Murphy (heavyweights)

We’ve all seen the lovely staph infection of Kevin Randleman.

Now behold…

…the equally heinous staph of Drew McFedries.

Thanks to MMAMania for assisting in grossing us all out.

(Gina Carano poses for her Glamour Shot.)

Slow-ass news day, people. But help is on the way. Here are a few MMA-in-the-media bits you may want to check out. Consider it TV Guide for MMA.

— The lovely Gina Carano (aka, Crush from “American Gladiators”) is slated to fight in perhaps the biggest battle ever for women’s combat sports when she fights Kaitlin Young on May 31st for CBS’ ElieXC broadcast. It’s only a few weeks away and Crush is currently shooting “American Gladiators” while training for her next MMA fight — in fact, she’ll be taping the show right up until two weeks out from her CBS fight. MMARated had a solid interview with Carano recently where Gina chats about her busy schedule as well as trying to successfully juggle fighting and show business.

“I’m just going to try it out and I think that I can do it. I just feel like I’ve put my fighting off long enough and I don’t want to keep doing that because that’s where my heart is and that’s where my passion is. And I wanna, you know, be right to the fans of the sport and continue on fighting so I had to decide: I could be super busy for, you know, two months and try to double-team it.”

Ariel Helwani, MMARated’s interviewer, specifically referenced Lennox Lewis being distracted from fighting while shooting on Ocean’s 11, as well as Chuck Liddell’s “acting career”. Good point, but at least Gina’s Gladiator job involves some sort of training and physical activity. However, not training in MMA full-time and only having two weeks to hit it full-force could spell trouble for Gina — and on a national stage. Wonder what a loss at that level would do to her “AG” job status?

(Phil Baroni works to take down Kimbo Slice at Xtreme Couture.)

Dana White on a match between Kimbo Slice and Chuck Liddell:

“If he [Kimbo] fought anybody that mattered, I would book that tomorrow…The fact is, Kimbo’s not there yet. He would get destroyed. I heard he just got knocked out by Forrest Griffin last week in a sparring match after a kick to the head…I’d take him [Kimbo] absolutely seriously — but, again, he hasn’t beat anybody. In this sport, it’s all about ‘Who have you beat right now?” And he hasn’t beat anbody.” — Deadspin via FiveOunces

Quite a tune-change for White, who was previously dismissive of Kimbo’s potential. But with the Iceman’s last fight only 2-4 years away, the UFC prez may already be looking ahead to a final glorious cash-in for the Octagon’s most loyal star. If things continue to go well for Kimbo, he’ll have earned his respect among MMA purists by the time Liddell is ready to retire. Could Slice vs. Liddell headline UFC 127: The Clone Wars on New Year’s Eve 2011? We’ll go ahead and clear our schedule…

Devoted fans of Anderson Silva know that his pro record is 21-4, with three of his losses coming by way of total horseshit — or at least justifiable means. Anybody could be excused for losing their pro debut, and the Spider lost his, by a decision against the very talented Luiz Azeredo at Meca World Vale Tudo 1 (5/27/00). More well-known are his losses to Ryo Chonan (due to a one-in-a-million flying scissor/heel hook) and Yushin Okami (due to a disqualification for an illegal upkick).

There’s really only one true black mark on Silva’s record — his submission loss to Daiju Takase at PRIDE 26 (6/8/03). At the time, Silva was a well-respected 9-1 up-and-comer who held wins over Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, Roan Carneiro, and Carlos Newton. His opponent was an outmatched 4-7-1 can who was being served up to give the promising Chute Boxe fighter another impressive win. But things didn’t go according to the script, with Takase scoring an early takedown, working some GnP, nearly ending the fight with an armlock, then flipping into a triangle choke that forced Silva to tap on his feet.

Takase lost four of his next six fights and faded back into obscurity. Anderson Silva is currently the greatest fighter in the world.

(Tim Sylvia flashes gang sign to warn the other bear cubs at what’s comin’.)

This pic of Big Tim posing with his most recent “kill” has caused a little stir among the forums — some hating him even more, some saying ‘so what?’, and the rest using this to lift Fedor to some loftier humane level. Somehow Fedor has been pulled into this, I guess due to his possible fight with Sylvia this summer. Now trust me, I relish mocking The Maine-iac almost as much as I relish binge drinking, but we also have to remember that Fedor enjoys occasionally munching on Fido. You’ll recall when it first hit the news a couple of years ago on Fedor’s trip to South Korea — and it’s a dish he still partakes in.

Apparently, Korean dog soup (“posintang”) is good for improving your stamina. And it’s finger-lickin’ good as a bonus:

“It’s unique. It tastes different from other meats,” Emelianenko was quoted by Yonhap News Agency.

No word if Big Tim ate the bear, but we hear bear meat is nature’s Metamucil. If dog soup’s more your thing, go here for the full recipe. It only requires 100g of boiled dog. I’ve often wondered what my dog, Max, would taste like between two slabs of rye, but I’ll take Fedor’s word for it and stick with caffeine for my stamina.

(Props BloodyElbow)

In advance of the May 31st debut of EliteXC’s Saturday Night Fights, CBS has enlisted referee Herb Dean as well as star fighters Nick Diaz and Jake Shields to make a video focusing on what you won’t be seeing during the broadcast. Watch as Diaz demonstrates a textbook soccer kick and piledriver, while Shields contributes a downward elbow and some fence-grabbing. As the announcer says, “Now you’re ready for ‘CBS Saturday Night Fights’.” If you say so, buddy! More must-see videos after the jump.

(Jake O’Brien: Too boring for the UFC? Photo courtesy of UFC.com)

— The debut of Strikeforce on NBC on Saturday night was hindered by a lack of participation by major NBC affiliates. In Houston, Without a Trace aired in the timeslot Strikeforce was supposed to have; in New York there was just a black screen for 30 minutes. Steve Sievert reports that Strikeforce purchased the late night/early morning timeslot from NBC, meaning the show is closer to an infomercial than a network sports broadcast. Hopefully it’ll help harvest some new fans for Strikeforce, because the March 29th Showtime broadcast of “Shamrock vs. Le” only pulled in a 1.2 rating (287,00 viewers), which is lower than Showtime’s viewership for “Street Certified” (1.9) and Shamrock’s previous two headlining fights against Cesar Gracie and Phil Baroni (1.6, 1.7). If you missed Strikeforce on NBC‘s premiere, click here.

— Following the first loss in his eleven-fight career (against Andrei Arlovski at UFC 82), the UFC has cut ties with Jake O’Brien; he had two fights left on his current contract. Reportedly, the UFC simply had too many fighters under contract, and are in the midst of a talent purge. We can only assume that O’Brien’s last three fights, in which he bored audiences with dull wrestling and lay-and-pray tactics, soured his image in the eyes of the UFC top brass. O’Brien’s manager Ken Pavia confirmed that O’Brien has agreed to a two-fight deal with the Palace Fighting Championship organization. “Had we known that his tenure with [the UFC] was at risk when we were presented with the Arlovski fight, we may have approached it differently,” Pavia said. “I don’t think they’ve seen the true Jake. He’s still a kid, and he’s still learning.” Before he joined the UFC, all of O’Brien’s fights ended in first-round KO/TKO victories.

(Ray Sefo [left] does his best to stay upright against Badr Hari. Photo courtesy of k-1.co.jp.)

His chin might be made of titanium, but Mark Hunt’s torso proved to be merely flesh and bone last night at the K-1 World Grand Prix in Yokohama, as Semmy Schilt defended his K-1 super-heavyweight title against Hunt with a fight-ending spinning back kick to the body. Schilt — who at 6’11″ had a 13-inch height advantage over the New Zealander — controlled much of the first round with leg kicks. In the final seconds of the round, he threw the reverse kick that sent Hunt to the canvas in visible agony. “I felt like I’d been kicked by a horse,” Hunt said later. “I only started getting my air back when I heard the ring announcer call the number ‘eight’.” It was Hunt’s first K-1 appearance since his decision win over Gary Goodridge at the 2003 K-1 World GP in Las Vegas (5/2/03), after which he transitioned to MMA and built a 5-3 record in PRIDE.

In the night’s other highly anticipated matchup, defending heavyweight champion Badr Hari dispatched Ray Sefo in even more dominant fashion, knocking down Sugarfoot twice in the first round before a final barrage against the ropes forced the ref to step in and stop the fight. Videos of the Schilt/Hunt and Hari/Sefo fights are below (props: BloodyElbow), and full results of the evening’s action are after the jump.

(Semmy Schilt vs. Mark Hunt; fight starts at the 1:41 mark)

(Badr Hari vs. Ray Sefo; fight starts at the 1:25 mark)

So, we published a list feature on Friday (“The 10 Most Despicable People in MMA”), and reactions were, let’s just say, “mixed.” A lot of you felt that Dana White shouldn’t have been as high as #2, to which we can only reply “Fuck ‘em if they can’t take a joke.” Yes, yes, we’re aware of all the great things he’s done for our sport. But can you think of anybody else in the world of MMA who you’ve bitched about more over the last couple years? We’re particularly bitter about his contempt for the websites and blogs that work harder than any other media outlet to publicize mixed martial arts. Where do you go for MMA coverage — the sports section of your local paper? ESPN2? No, you have to read eRags like CagePotato because the mainstream media doesn’t care about this sport yet. You’d think Dana White would want to show some love to the journalists that actually understand and care about the UFC, but to him we’re part of the Untouchable class. Trust us, if he provided any sort of press privileges to bloggers whatsoever, DW would be #2 on our list of Favorite People in MMA (after Krazy Horse, obvi).

Still, there was one aspect of the list that we definitely did regret the morning after. As commenter “homegrowncone” said:

Wow. I waited all the way till number 1 for Lee Murray only for him to not even get an honourable mention. This list looses all credibility because of that.

We have to admit, that was an oversight. And we’d just like to take this belated opportunity to say that Lee Murray is a despicable scumbag.

We had neither the time nor interest to watch YAMMA live, so if you want a more detailed recap of the sad spectacle than we had in our results post, we recommend going here or here. But if you want the entire depressing, cut-rate experience boiled down into three minutes, look no further than the “Masters Superfight” between Eric “Butterbean” Esch and Patrick “Pillbottle” Smith. Cheers to Smith for dodging Butterbean’s infamous haymakers; jeers to Esch for not being able to get to his feet after slipping. Smith simply got down next to the 416-pound beached whale and dropped punches until Dan Miragliotta decided that the 200 audience members had gotten their money’s worth. If only ‘Bean could have fallen onto the revolutionary YAMMA incline instead — who knows what could have happened…

(The slim-n-trim Butterbean fell victim to a G-n-P at YAMMA’s debut event.)

Well it finally happened…and without much of a hitch. YAMMA Bowl Fighting went down last night, but apparently it’s still too much to ask for the organization to update their website. Shit, guys, it’s just the click of a few buttons. Anyway, the main story was Travis Wiuff taking his record to 52-11 by winning three fights in the heavyweight tourney to pick up the title. He did so by using the leverage of the bowl’s incline to take his opponents to the ground — which is exactly what Meyrowitz said wouldn’t happen with his ground-breaking new surface.

In other fights, Oleg Taktarov kneebarred Mark Kerr for the win and Butterbean verbally submitted due to a GnP from the fresh-outta-jail Patrick Smith. Overall, really boring night. Out of the eleven battles, seven went to boring decisions and three were less-than-thrilling submissions. There was only one KO — a TKO to be precise. We’ll see where YAMMA goes from here. Our guess is it’ll slip into oblivion.

Here are the full results:

– Oleg Taktarov over Mark Kerr – submission via kneebar
– Patrick Smith over Eric Esch – submission via strikes
– Travis Wiuff over Chris Tuscherer – unanimous decision
– Travis Wiuff over Ricco Rodriguez – unanimous decision
– Chris Tuscherer over Alexey Oleinik – unanimous decision
– Alexey Oleinik over Sherman Pendergarst – submission via choke
– Chris Tuscherer over Tony Sylvester – unanimous decision
– Travis Wiuff over Marcelo Pereira – unanimous decision
– Ricco Rodriguez over George Bush – unanimous decision
– Bryan Vetell over Antwain Britt – unanimous decision
– Lamont Lister over Oleg Savitsky – TKO on strikes

They may have reduced his steroid suspension from one year to six months because of the reasonable doubt he raised during his appeals, but in the eyes of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Sean Sherk is still a filthy steroid cheat whose urine, if ingested, would immediately cause testicle shrinkage in men and testicle growth in women. So to be extra sure that there aren’t any shenanigans come fight night, the NSAC voted yesterday that Sean Sherk would be required to undergo additional drug testing prior to UFC 84 (May 24th, Las Vegas). Sherk has agreed to submit the extra wee-wee during the week of April 21st, because apparently next week isn’t convenient for him, clean-piss-wise. Anyway, it’s surely just an insulting formality. Even if Sherk cycled in the past — and since nobody was ever able to refute his “chain of custody fuckup” argument, we’re not passing judgment on the guy — there’s no way he’d have the balls to juice up in preparation for his first fight after a suspension.

According to a report on MMAPredictions:

Sherk has already submitted all the necessary medical and administrative paperwork for his license to be approved. A commission member asked Sherk, “Mr. Sherk, do you understand that the NCAC will hold you responsible for anything that comes up positive in your test, irrespective of your knowingly taking a certain steroid?”

“Yes I understand that I am responsible for anything that goes into my body,” Sherk answered.

Unfortunately, they judge you on what comes out. Don’t worry man, you’ll get the hang of this…

Fightlinker reminds us that the K-1 World Grand Prix is this Sunday night in Yokohama, Japan, featuring a double-stacked card of kickboxing action. Semmy Schilt and Mark Hunt will be fighting for the super-heavyweight title, and the main card includes Ray Sefo, Badr Hari, Glaube Feitosa, and Mighty Mo. Since we’ve already featured Sugarfoot and Mo on F.o.t.D., here’s Hari’s legendary reverse head-kick K.O. of Stefan Leko at 2005′s K-1 World Grand Prix, followed by his quick demolition of Yusuke Fujimoto at last year’s WGP in Hawaii (fight starts at the 2:13 mark). Highlights of Sunday’s GP will be posted next week, as soon as we can find them.

10. ROB EMERSON

Offenses: Was arrested in 2000 for his membership in the Lords of South County, a gang of Orange County rich kids who liked to assault innocent people for fun. Arrested again in 2006 after a dustup at a bar, and pled guilty to two counts of battery. His middling fight record doesn’t justify his UFC contract.
Notable quote: “I got bent over and took it up the ass on a lot of bullshit judges’ decisions. But fuck ‘em, their faces were fucked up worse than mine. That’s all I care about!”

9. BILL GOLDBERG

Offenses: His inexcusably awful work for EliteXC has brought MMA commentary to new, previously unimagined depths. Was reportedly abusive and obnoxious on the set of The Longest Yard.
Notable quote: “Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t give a damn about traditional mixed martial arts.”

8. BOB MEYROWITZ

Offenses: Ran the UFC into the mud marketing it as the most outrageous bloodsport on Earth. Currently working to eliminate ground-fighting with the YAMMA pit. Has a history of losing investors’ money (see eyada.com).
Notable quote: “On the streets it’s against the law — in the pit it is the law.” (YAMMA tagline)

7. GILBERT YVEL

Offenses: One of the dirtiest fighters in MMA history. DQ’d once for eye gouging, once for biting, and once for knocking out a referee; laughed when he was arrested after the incident.
Notable quote: “The referee…not a good thing, but memorable.”

“Interview of the Day” honors go to Ariel Helwani at MMARated for drawing out the personality of notoriously introverted wallflower Phil Baroni. Some highlights from their chat:

Ariel Helwani: How did it feel to get back in the ring after a long layoff?
Phil Baroni: I felt like shit after about four minutes. I was out of shape (and) I didn’t train for seven months. (It’s) nobody’s fault but my own. Oh well, I made a mistake. Fuck it, I’ll take it out on Ninja. Poor Ninja.

Were you happy with your performance against Hose?
What the fuck do you think? Was I happy with my performance against Hose? What are you retarded?

Who would you like to fight after the Rua fight?
Man, I already told you, I’ll fight anybody. Anderson Silva because he is considered the man and that’s what I want to be.

Any interest in fighting Shamrock again?
Fuck yeah man. That fight is my dream rematch. That’s the fight I want to get back more than any.

You’ve trained with Kimbo Slice before, what are your thoughts on him?
He is a big, black, tough motherfucker. Could it be anymore obvious?

Any final words?
Go fuck yourselves. No I’m just kidding. I just want to thank everyone for their support. I’ve grown a lot over the years as a fighter and a person (and) my best years are yet to come. I’m still in this to be a world champion. I have a lot of fight left in me. Check me out on CBS May 31st when I will eat Ninja sushi for dinner.

Check out the rest of the article for more gems from the New York Bad Ass about his upcoming fight with Murilo Rua at CBS’s Saturday Night Fights show, steroids, injuries, and Frank Shamrock. To summarize, Baroni thinks Rua is a much tougher opponent than Hose, but it’s cool because conditioning makes champions. And clearly Baroni is going to be a cardio machine ten weeks after gassing in the first round against Hose. I mean, he’s going to make Lance Armstrong look like an overweight one-lunged asthmatic on a chain-smoking jag in Denver…

Well, we all knew this day would come. YAMMA 1 goes down tonight at the Trump Taj Mahal Arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey, starting at 9 p.m. The live pay-per-view card kicks off at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, and the final-final-final lineup is as follows:

Masters Superfights (two five-minute rounds)
Oleg Taktarov vs. Mark Kerr
Patrick Smith vs. Eric “Butterbean” Esch

Heavyweight Tournament (one five-minute round in quarter- and semi-final matches; championship fight is three five-minute rounds)
Ricco Rodriguez vs. George Bush
Travis Wiuff vs. Marcelo Pereira
Chris Tuscherer vs. Tony Sylvester
Sherman Pendergarst vs. Alexey Oleinik

Alternate Bouts
Antwain Britt vs. Bryan Vetell
Lamont Lister vs. Oleg Savitsky

Standby Alternate
Ron Waterman

Weigh-ins were held yesterday, and Butterbean tipped the scales — and I mean literally, like the thing fell over — at a shocking 416 pounds, meaning he’ll have a 176-pound advantage on Patrick “Because I Got High” Smith. Ricco Rodriguez weighed in at 267.2 on his first attempt, but was able to make the 265-pound limit an hour later. So for those of you who were hoping Double-R would be in better shape than during his paunchy performance against Antonio Silva at “Street Certified” in February, not so much.

We haven’t previously reported on the alternate-bout fighters, so here goes: Bryan Vetell is a 3-3 IFL vet who had the honor of being defeated by both Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson; Lamont Lister is also 3-3, and has fought in Cage Fury and Palace Fighting Championships; Antwain Britt has a 3-0 record in local promotions; and Oleg Savitsky, the night’s lightest competitor at 199 pounds, has a 1-1 record with his loss coming at the hands of Tim Boetsch. Our money’s on Savitsky to win it all.

We’re guessing that the show pulls in 2,500 PPV buys, but we really have no idea what to expect. Sooooo…anybody plan on attending? Anybody buying the pay-per-view? Has anybody ever seen The Producers, where Bialystock and Bloom come up with the scheme to raise more money than they need for a guaranteed Broadway flop that will close after the first night? Could this have been Bob Meyrowitz’s plan all along?

(From Inside MMA via Xtreme Couture)

…in which “Sugar Free” defeats Jessica Cruz via ground-and-pound TKO in round three, landing some stiff jabs along the way and narrowly avoiding being Shonie’d at the 1:15 mark. We can only hope that one day Randy and Kim have children who rebel against them by devoting their lives to poetry and visual arts.

(It was either this or a dude wearing underwear from a GIS for “boxer”.)

— Roy Jones, Jr. has spoken out again about Dana White’s expected block of the proposed boxing match between Jones and Anderson Silva. Jones was on Sherdog’s “Beatdown” recently and discussed his side of the Silva vs. Jones, Jr. boxing match-that’ll-never-happen debacle. As mentioned by BloodyElbow, “selfish” and “cheat” were words tossed around by Jones when talking about Dana and the UFC’s block. At this point, it’s beating a dead horse — the fight isn’t going to happen, Dana will always be a cock, and Anderson Silva would have lost in a boxing match against Roy Jones, Jr. Let this be the last of this talk, please.

— Chicago native Terry Martin was dropped from the UFC recently for sucking ass in the organization. So now he’s decided to try his hand at boxing. Martin will fight Ricardo Upchurch this Friday in a cruiserweight match — aka, 190 lbs, not that pesky 185 he had trouble with in the UFC. Here’s what Martin had to say about the move to the Chicago Sun-Times:

“Boxing was my first love…I started in mixed martial arts after wrestling in college at Northern Illinois University.

“It was a logical progression, but I’ve always had boxing in the back of my mind to get back to. Now’s a good time to get back to boxing, my training and sparring have been very good and I have no problem making weight. At this point I’m more excited about boxing than I am in MMA.’”

The fighter is not forever turning his back on MMA, though — according to his grappling coach, via BloodyElbow:

“I have been the grappling/MMA coach for Terry Martin for the last 2 and a half years. Terry wants everybody to know that he is training full time in MMA getting ready for his May 17th fight in Newcastle England against THE CROW and that boxing is only a way for him to stay active .His goal is to win a few fights outside the UFC and return to compete for the 185 lb title.

To compete for the 185 lb. title, huh? Well, let’s not go crazy here. Sure, some boxing experience would be good for Martin, but challenging Anderson Silva is…well, a death wish, right?

— And finally, David Haye, the current WBA, WBC, and WBO World Cruiserweight title holder, is considering a move to MMA. He’s the undisputed cruiserweight champ and is planning a move to the heavyweight division. Then, it might be onto MMA.

As told to The Southwark News:

“I’d probably have to train for a year and try and make that fight because I definitely feel that my reactions are good enough – and if I can get my ground game to a reasonable level… Obviously, I’m not going to be able to catch up with these guys who have been doing jiu-jitsu their whole lives.

“Believe it or not, I come from a martial arts background, my father was a karate teacher, so I’ve got good legs. I’ve done judo, so I know what I’m doing. I train at a gym called the Third Space in Piccadilly which has a jiu-jitsu dojo and I get in there from time to time and have a roll around with the guys. They tell me I’m at a decent level, if I put some focus into it and put some time and effort into it… I’m a natural athlete, I can do anything that I want to do and I think that it would be definitely worth my while getting in to do it.”

“I used to fight in the street, I used to be a street fighter, so I’m not a traditional boxer, I’ve done martial arts since the age of three. I might surprise a few people with my ground game.”

The “Hayemaker” is reportedly a big fan of MMA, but we’ve heard this kind of chatter from boxers before, so the jury is still out.