(With a BFF like this, who needs the mob?)

M-1 Global president and Fedor Emelianenko puppet master Vadim Finkelchtein responded today via MMAJunkie, to several claims made in an open letter addressed to him by Alistair Overeem’s manager and trainer Bas Boon, including an assertion the longtime Russian promoter has strong proven ties to the Mafia in his country.

In the letter,  Boon recalled an incident from a few years ago involving Finkelchtein’s right hand man, Apy Echteld, in which the latter allegedly threatened  to use his mob contacts to have a Seattle-based promoter  killed because of a soured business deal. Finkelchstein say that a nearly identical claim was made by Boon in the past, however that time the story involved a Dutch promoter.

(Props: TSGIGOR)

You see, guys? You see how easy it is to not turn a friendly interview-interruption into a goddamned Royal Rumble? More alternate realities here…

(Props: MMAVIDS10)

The UFC’s next pay-per-view card goes down May 8th in Montreal, featuring the light-heavyweight title rematch between Lyoto Machida and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua — both of whom haven’t competed since their first fight last October. This extended preview acknowledges the controversy about the decision, which Shogun lost despite the fact that he clearly landed more strikes. Following two fantastic knockout victories over Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans, Machida’s title reign was immediately put in question after the Shogun fight, and the long layoff hasn’t helped his stock. Once again, he’ll need to convince fans of his merits. And once again, Dana White sells a fight as a matchup between two guys who "don’t like to go to the ground." Well that’s a relief. I wouldn’t want any of that grappling stuff to distract from the kickboxing match I’m paying for.

In the co-main event, top welterweight contenders Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley do battle in what could turn out to be a #1 contender’s match. In fact, there’s a rumor floating around that the winner of this fight will coach opposite Georges St. Pierre on TUF 12. If Koscheck employs his superior wrestling against "Semtex," he’ll dictate the fight. If he lets his ego force him into a striking war with Paul Daley, he could get his fraggle-lookin’ head knocked off. Any predictions on UFC 113′s headlining fights? And what about the TUF 10 castmates match between Kimbo Slice and Matt "Meathead" Mitrione?

Damn, $kala. That tattoo is street.)

If you’re like me, you often sit and think about things like, Who’s the REAL Boss, Tony or Angela? I mean, sure Angela paid Tony to cook and clean her house, but she never really had the authority that Tony wielded. I don’t recall her ever reprimanding Sam once throughout the series, yet Tony always sent Jonathan to his room and gave him lectures about stuff like ditching school and getting into mischief with his friends. Sure, Angela would talk to Sam about puberty and boys, but she was more of a friend.

Besides the impossible "Who’s the Boss?" paradox, something I often wonder, and I’m sure you do too, is where I can get a sneak peek of Jared Shaw’s album?

I finally found our answer.

(Props: spicadocious)

There was a time, not too long ago, when Norifumi Yamamoto was considered to be far-and-away the world’s best fighter under 155 pounds. His star-making run in K-1′s MMA shows from 2004-2007 featured Kid savagely knocking out fighters like Caol Uno, Royler Gracie, Rani Yahya, and most famously, Kazuyuki Miyata in just 4 seconds. Yamamoto hasn’t been the same since he returned to competition last year following a knee injury layoff, and has dropped back-to-back decisions against Joe Warren and Masanori Kanehara. Still, we weren’t expecting this recent news from MMAFighting:

Japanese star Kid Yamamoto is expected to make his Strikeforce debut on May 15 against Federico Lopez. The fight is not officially signed, but sources say it is close. The fight would be contested at 135 pounds. As of right now, the fight isn’t expected to air on Showtime.

FYI, Federico Lopez is a 4-2 Team Quest product who has lost his last two matches. I only have one question: You kiddin’ me? While promoting Yamamoto in the U.S. has its share of challenges — Strikeforce’s lack of a bantamweight division, for one thing — Yamamoto is a true legend, and one of the biggest MMA stars that Japan has ever produced. Recent losses aside, Yamamoto would still have great value in the hands of the right promoter. At the very least, why wouldn’t you have him headline a "Challengers" event, instead of sticking him on the dark portion of "Heavy Artillery"? (I still wouldn’t trust Showtime to show his fight between/after main card bouts, UFC-style.) Will Strikeforce be able to convince casual fans why Kid Yamamoto matters? After the jump: The tentative lineup that Yamamoto may be getting lost in…

(Video courtesy THQ.com)

You’d think that, as a director for THQ’s latest promo spot for UFC Undisputed 2010 featuring Cain Velasquez, the last thing you would want to do would be to draw attention to the large script "Brown Pride" tattoo that is emblazoned across Mexican-American heavyweight’s chest. Apparently, that’s why you’re sitting at home surfing the Internet on a Tuesday night while the future Francis Ford Coppola is likely ballin’ around Cali making "Girls Gone Wild" videos on the regular.

Judging by his performance in the future TV spot, Velasquez isn’t going to be the token MMA fighter in a Sylvester Stallone movie any time soon.
THQ  also posted this Wikipedia-style fighting techniques video on their site, featuring Mark Laimon doing his monotone, uninspired best to explain  the differences between Greco-Roman versus freestyle wrestling as well as muay thai versus karate.

(Props: MMA Fighting)

Believe it or not, Jose Aldo was as dominant in the beginning of his career as he’s been during his current reign in the WEC. Before suffering his first (and to date, only) loss to Luciano Azevedo in November 2005, Aldo racked up seven straight victories via brutal stoppage. The video above shows his very first vale tudo appearance against Mario Bigola at Eco Fight 1 in August 2004; Aldo was just 17 years old at the time. As you’ll see, the future featherweight champ needed just 18 seconds to land a fight-ending head-kick on Bigola, who never competed again. As for the chaos that erupts at the end, don’t be alarmed. Throwing chairs and bottles is simply how Brazilians show their appreciation. Seriously, invite one to dinner and see if I’m lying.

Related: Aldo Destroys Barbosa (Jose’s 4th pro fight)

("All summer, they begged us to take them to Ferrari World. And now that we’re here? Forget it, they just want to stay in the hotel room all day. I’m telling you, Helen, don’t have boys. They will drain years off your life.")

Fighters Only breaks it:

Former UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn will get his rematch with Frankie Edgar on August 28th, Fighters Only can reveal after speaking with several key sources. The fight will headline UFC 118, the UFC’s first card in Boston, Massachusetts.

When this rumor first emerged, we weren’t sure if Penn should get an immediate rematch with Edgar simply by virtue of being BJ Penn. But the more we think about it, the more it makes sense. Penn may still be the #1-ranked lightweight in world at this point — judging from the poll on our homepage, 65% of you agree with that assessment — and making him whoop another contender to "earn" his shot is kind of a waste of everybody’s time. Besides, Penn vs. Edgar II is the only logical fight from a promotional standpoint. When you’re headlining a card with a title fight, at least one of the participants should be a star. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II doesn’t really fit that criteria.

As for Maynard, the Boston Globe published a report that he’ll be facing Kenny Florian at the same event, but they quickly retracted it, possibly after getting smacked down by the UFC. It would be a great matchup, though we’d hate to see Maynard lose his top-contender spot to a guy who’s already had two shots at the belt. Still, it’s Boston, and Ken-Flo is going to have to beat up somebody in his hometown…

(Video courtesy YouTube/Fox News)

It seems like everyone is jumping on the mixed martial arts bandwagon these days, so it should come as no surprise that religious groups would eventually hitch a ride on the locomotive that was set in motion by the shot in the arm of popularity that The Ultimate Fighter show injected into the sport.

Based in Clarksville, TN, Xtreme Ministries was founded by John Renken, an evangelical pastor who is also the gym’s head trainer.  The “church” and its leaders who preach and corner its fighters under the motto, "Where Feet, Fists and Faith Collide," attempt to tie together MMA and how Christ fought for what he believed in.

Seems logical, since Jesus was known for knocking and choking out anyone who tried to smite him.

(Left: The poster for this Saturday’s WEC event. Right: Proof of BG’s FightPicker superiority.)

Props to Jeremy Hill for winning the MMA fan package in last week’s MMA FightPicker prize pool — and special props to myself for taking first place in my final head-to-head pool against BF, despite getting four of the questions wrong. It was that kind of week, I guess. (What happened, Dan Quinn’s Tramp Stamp? Put all your eggs in the Tim Stout basket?) Anyway, I hope this eases the rest of your concerns about the sound leadership of CagePotato.com, in the absence of you-know-who.

There’s no prize pool in effect this week on MMA FightPicker, but every week presents new opportunities to claw your way up the leaderboard and challenge the dominance of Aaron Rampey, who frankly seems to be getting a little too comfortable in first place. Perennial contender surf_finland trails him by just 437 PotatoChips at the moment, while nismo17, herbaliser, and Nick Allen TheBrave round out the FightPicker top 5. Take a look at this week’s WEC 48-related questions after the jump, then head over to fightpicker.cagepotato.com to make your picks!

(The choke in question goes down around 2:40.)

Ben Askren‘s technical submission win over UFC vet Ryan Thomas at Bellator XIV drew some controversy last week, as referee Dave Smith called a halt to the welterweight quarterfinal when it appeared that Thomas had been put out by a guillotine choke — then caught an earful from Thomas who didn’t seem to be unconscious after all. In the ref’s defense, when a guy is caught in a nasty choke and isn’t moving his arms and legs around, and isn’t responding to your questions, you have to assume that he might be sleeping. But regardless of what would have happened if the fight was allowed to continue, Ryan Thomas was bounced out of Bellator’s 170-pound tournament just as quickly as he arrived.

And this Thursday, he’ll get a chance to redeem himself. Bellator sent out a press release last night announcing that due to the apocalyptic ash cloud floating above Europe, welterweight GP participant "Judo" Jim Wallhead will be unable to travel from England to the Bellator XV show in Uncasville, Connecticut. Said Bjorn Rebney: 

(photo props: CombatLifestyle.com)

Paul Daley is arguably the most dangerous striker in the welterweight class. Possessing a lethal combination of power, accuracy and speed, the Nottingham, ENG native makes up for his shortcomings on the ground with his superior stand-up skills, often making quick work of his opponents.

Of Daley’s 23 victims, 13 never made it out of the first round, and only three of those made it past the three-minute mark with the former Cage Rage welterweight champion.

Much like coaxing him into a ground fight, tying down the 27-year-old for an interview is nearly impossible, but we managed to secure one round of his time for a rapid-fire Q&A session with the brash British fighter, who is currently in the midst of his training camp for his May 8 showdown with Josh Koscheck at UFC 113.

Here’s what he had to say about a variety of topics including Kos, his lack of dedication to training jiu-jitsu, his Rough House teammates and the reasons he loves to fight:

(The scene after the riot. Mauro looks pretty close to throwing down himself. Photo courtesy of WatchKalibRun.)

After his poorly-timed challenge of Jake Shields backfired in violent fashion, Jason "Mayhem" Miller sent out a one-word reaction via Twitter: "Whoops." Since "Whoops" is a tremendous understatement that doesn’t really capture the seriousness of the moment, Miller posted a longer mea culpa on his website last night:

"I would like to formally apologize to CBS, Strikeforce, and all fans of mixed martial arts for my role in the events following the Strikeforce: Nashville event. In retrospect, my timing could not have been worse to ask for my rematch with Jake Sheilds [sic], and I take full responsibility for entering the cage and setting off a chain of events that cast a dark shadow on the sport. I’ve been a fighter and a fan of MMA for over 12 years, and would never do anything to intentionally tarnish the sport I’ve given my life to. In the excitement of the moment I let my emotions run high and made a bad choice that resulted in a debacle, for that, I sincerely apologize."

(Props: MMAFighting.com)

If you assumed that Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal could only function on cocky trash-talker mode, you need to watch this video taken Saturday night, in which Mo is so emotionally vulnerable after defeating Gegard Mousasi in Nashville that he can’t even give Ariel Helwani an interview while standing up. Lawal credits his victory to his trainers, and to the fact that most MMA fighters don’t have good takedown defense. But overall, he wasn’t too impressed with his performance: "I got lazy a few times. I took [Mousasi] for granted because I didn’t respect his skills all too much because I knew I could beat him. I should have taken him more serious, I couldn’t even finish him…I didn’t want it to go five rounds, I wanted to leave him sleeping, but he’s tough, man, he’s seasoned."

And now, let’s all take a moment to reflect on that fact that King Mo is the light-heavyweight champion of a major MMA organization after just seven bouts — only three of which were actually contested at light-heavyweight. While some may interpret that as a triumph of style over substance, or as a symbol of how thin Strikeforce’s 205-pound division is, I just see a guy who did everything right — a fighter whose brief career should be studied by every young scrapper trying to get into the game.

Who said the readers of this website are talentless, unmotivated hacks? Without further ado, we’d like to crown Olieng P. the winner of our Six Deuce MMA poster design contest. Olieng’s Mortal Kombat-esque UFC 113 poster brought in a whopping 20% of the popular vote, and earns him the grand prize training pack, which includes red satin MMA fight/board shorts, the Glorious Sweater of Absolute Victory t-shirt, high-quality leather Muay Thai training gloves, black hand wraps, Muay Thai ankle supports and a leather speed bag. Use it well, Olieng, and good luck on your new career as a professional fighter.

After the jump: The three runners-up who will be receiving Six Deuce MMA shorts of their choice. If you’re one of the winners, please e-mail feedback@cagepotato.com with your real name, address, and size(s), and we’ll get you hooked up ASAP. Thanks to everyone who entered (and to 62gear.com), and if you have ideas for future photoshop/design contests, let us know in the comments section!

(Video courtesy YouTube/City and Colour)

I know, I know. You kids weren’t ready for mom and dad to split up, and you’re not going to make this easy, but I want to assure you that I’m going to do everything I can to make things work for all of us.

I’m not going to be one of those strict stepdads who is always telling you to turn your music down or scolds you for cursing. I’m also not going to be the creepy, moustached stepdad who says inappropriate things and wears obscenely short Adidas shorts and aviator sunglasses so he can leer at your female friends around the pool.

No, I’m going to be the cool stepdad that keeps the unlocked garden shed stocked with Lucky Strikes, Playboys and whiskey and if any of it mysteriously goes missing, I’ll just replenish the cache with no questions asked as my way of saying, "Thanks for letting me bone your mom."

Now let’s get to those burning questions you’ve had since you first heard I was taking over for Ben Fowlkes as the Senior Editor of your beloved community. We’ll start with the ones that immediately followed the pages of some variation of "NOOO!!!! I’m never coming here again" and "Who the hell is Mike Russell?"

Here goes nothing…

So here it is — the moment that might have sunk Strikeforce’s chances at getting on network television ever again. (As if the monotonous fights didn’t do enough damage to their stock.) When the video cuts away at the 0:15 mark, you miss two things: Jake Shields shoving Jason Miller for getting too close, and Gilbert Melendez shoving Miller immediately afterwards when it looks like Mayhem might retaliate. And then it’s time for the shit to have its blind date with the fan. At this point, Scott Coker’s only hope is that the post-event brawl creates enough heat that CBS wants to give them another chance, selling Strikeforce as the fight club where Anything Can Happen! More likely, CBS will simply want to cut ties with a volatile sport where anything that can go wrong often does.

So how much of the blame for the incident should lie with Miller, and how much should be put on the Scrap Pack? Should Melendez and the Diaz brothers et al. be charged with assault as some are suggesting? After the jump: Nick Diaz, Jason Miller, and Jake Shields give their sides of the story.

("You believe this guy? No towel between his head and hat. I will never understand some people as long as I live." Photo courtesy of the Strikeforce Weigh In Pics gallery on CombatLifestyle.com.)

A note before we get started: The CBS broadcast of tonight’s Strikeforce event may not be live in all areas, so please check your local listings before you run headlong into spoilerville. Now then, we’ve got a short but sweet lineup of fights in store for us, with three titles on the line: Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez defends his belt against invading DREAM champ Shinya Aoki, Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal attempts to steal the crown from reigning light-heavyweight ruler Gegard Mousasi, and middleweight champ Jake Shields faces off against PRIDE/UFC legend Dan Henderson in the biggest fight of his career. Live Strikeforce: Nashville results await you after the jump, beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for round-by-round updates and the usual jokes about Frank Shamrock’s braces and Stephen Quadros’s clown-makeup. 

(King Mo tries, unsuccessfully, to get Mousasi to do something interesting.)

– Strikeforce: Nashville weigh-in results. (Heavy)

– Kurt Pellegrino’s guide to getting autographs from fighters. (UFC.com)

– Dana White, BJ Penn at odds over new book. (The Rumble)

– War Machine not fighting this weekend, and the promoter is pissed. (TMZ)

– Mousasi re-signs two-year deal with Strikeforce. (Sherdog)

– Ben Askren’s funky finish. (Fight Magazine)

– The first pictures of Shinya Aoki in EA Sports MMA. (Middle Easy)

– Shields ready to let his fighting do the talking. (Cagewriter)

– 10 fighters who could drop a weight class. (Bleacher Report)

– Phillies fan makes a great catch. (Total Pro Sports)

– 5 favorite GIFs for a Friday afternoon. (Maxim)

– Police officer in Roethlisberger case resigns. (Scores Report)

– Church erects Jesus painting with foot-tall penis. (Asylum)

– A detective film at its finest. (Ask Men)

– 25 insane book covers. (Holy Taco)

– 10 films begging for a sequel. (Screen Junkies)

– 6 literary heroes you should know. (Made Man)

– Samsung 500 odds. (All Left Turns)

– Crazy opening day fight at Dodgers-Marlins game. (Nothing Toxic)

Antonio McKee Highlights – Watch more Funny Videos

I think I’ll just leave this here…

(BG)

Unrelated reminders:
– Have you voted for your favorite design in the Six Deuce MMA poster contest yet? The poll actually works now, so go for it.
– Come back tomorrow night at 9 p.m. for our liveblog of Strikeforce: Nashville!

As soon as Ben Fowlkes gave me the terrible news that he’d be leaving us for MMAFighting.com, I did two things. First, I spent about 15 minutes digging my fingernails into my arm, because I find that physical pain is the only thing that can drown out emotional pain, and besides, it’s good to feel something, you know? The second thing I did was drop a line to our Canadian friend Mike Russell. In case you don’t know Mike, he used to work for The Fight Network, he currently writes features for UFC.com, and he’s been contributing to this site since December. Just to refresh your memory…

– Exclusive: Sonnen Brings in Okami to ‘Anchor’ his Training Camp for UFC 109 Fight Against Marquardt
- Exclusive: Frank Trigg Still Holds a Grudge Against "That Fool" Jerry Millen
- Pot, Meet Kettle: Butterbean Calls James Toney a ‘Circus Act’
- Exclusive: Denis Kang Returns in June Against the Guy Who Killed Marcelo Garcia’s MMA Career
- Exclusive: Gray Maynard: ‘My Shot Will Come’

With a natural understanding of CagePotato’s snarky-but-smart tone, a thick rolodex of industry contacts, and fearsome Photoshop skills (see above), I knew that Mike was the best candidate to come in and replace BF. Well, I shouldn’t use the word "replace," because how could you possibly replace someone as surly and unmotivated as Ben Fowlkes? Anyway, I’m extremely proud to announce that Mike Russell will be CagePotato.com’s Senior Editor beginning Monday. 

Just as Fowlkes opened up the floor for questions as he made his way to plaid’er pastures, I’d like to invite you guys to ask Mike whatever you need to know in the comments section below. He will answer a handful of the best questions in a separate post at some point in the future. I know Mike’s "not your real dad," so to speak, but I hope you can give him a warm welcome and show him the kind of respect that’s always been the standard of this site. (LOL.) 

Always love,
BG, the one with the receding hairline

Seasons Greetings From Cagepotato.com – Watch more Funny Videos
(Back by popular demand. Who says you can’t have Christmas in April?)

First of all, let me start by assuring everyone that I am not leaving Cage Potato to fight Anderson Silva, manage the utterly hopeless Dave Farra, work for the UFC, or begin a prison jolt (my mom asked me to be very specific about debunking that one). Instead, I am leaving to take a job with AOL’s MMAFighting.com, which is where you’ll find my work beginning next week.  Hope to see you there.

Second, I’m overwhelmed by the appreciation and support from you guys – even the sort of mean appreciation and support – and I can’t thank you all enough. That said, don’t act like this is a death blow to this site. Half the hilarious stuff you guys have attributed to me was written by Ben Goldstein, who was holding it down well before I came on board, and I happen to know that a very capable replacement has been chosen who will keep CP fully stocked in LOLs long after I’m gone.

Now, on to your petty questions.

I guess my question is WHY, oh WHY ARE YOU LEAVING US?

– LargeMidget

Because I hate you. And I mean you, personally, LargeMidget. Okay, not really. I just strongly dislike you. The real reason I’m leaving is because, after two years, I feel like doing something a little different. It’s been great writing for the Potato, and I’ve enjoyed the hell out of it, but it feels like it’s time to move on and try something else. That’s all.

Tango & Cash. Pancho & Lefty. Lee Harvey Oswald and the CIA. All great duos, and yet none can last forever. So it is with Cage Potato’s own Ben & Ben. But before we break up the team for good, we’re getting together one last time to go head-to-head on Strikeforce: Nashville picks in this week’s MMA FightPicker (Heavy Hitter Pool 10 #1517, stand up!). If you haven’t made your picks yet, get to it. Time waits for no man, and neither does the UFC/Pride prize pack.

Henderson vs. Shields @ Strikeforce: Nashville…
BG: I don’t think he’ll run away with it, but Dan Henderson clearly holds more advantages in this matchup and should be able to take the victory. Hendo has serious knockout power, and unlike Shields’s past opponents, he won’t be manhandled on the ground.
BF: Agreed. Shields isn’t going to submit him and definitely can’t hold him down for five rounds. It’s a bad, bad matchup for him.

(Gentlemen, please…you’re *both* wrong.)

The last time I put serious effort into crafting an MMA pound-for-pound list, Anderson Silva had just Jedi’d the shit out of Forrest Griffin at UFC 101, Georges St. Pierre was fresh off his domination of Thiago Alves — on a torn groin, no less — and Fedor Emelianenko had once again proven his invincibility earlier that year, knocking Andrei Arlovski out of mid-air at Day of Reckoning. Unable to rank one fighter over the other with anything close to objectivity, I wrote the following: "Whoever has the most recent awe-inspiring, damn-near-inhuman performance gets to be #1."

A lot has changed since then. In 2010, so far: BJ Penn lost his first match at lightweight in over eight years. Anderson Silva proved that he has no desire to finish fights at his natural weight class. GSP couldn’t put away Dan Hardy in five rounds on a healthy groin. Fedor Emelianenko hasn’t competed at all. Miguel Torres lost his second fight in a row. Lyoto Machida has been sidelined, still waiting for the rematch of a fight he probably should have lost on the scorecards, which effectively put a halt to his "Machida Era" hype.

Yes, I’ll update the very dusty CagePotato Power Rankings soon, you have my word. But coming up with a new set of P4P rankings is a hairy proposition, considering that all of the usual suspects haven’t had any awe-inspiring, damn-near-inhuman performances in a long time.

(The gruesome end of Curran vs. Ricci. All four tournament fights from last night’s event ended in stoppages. Video courtesy of YouTube.com/BellatorMMA.)

…are waiting for you after the jump.

(Just look at how much fun Jeremy Shockey and Mickey Rourke had last week, then try and tell us you don’t want to be a part of that.)

It’s another Thursday night in April, which means everyone’s favorite tournament-based MMA promotion is back in action.  Bellator XIV is coming to us from the historic Chicago Theatre tonight, featuring a welterweight tournament bout between Olympic wrestler Ben Askren and Ryan Thomas, as well as a lightweight scrap between inverted triangle choker Toby Imada and James Krause, and a featherweight bout between Wilson Reis and Shad Lierley.  The TV portion of the card kicks off at 7 pm local time and airs live-ish, depending on where you live, on Fox Sports Net, so check your local schedule for details.

While you wait, why not check out last week’s fight between Roger Huerta and Chad Hinton after the jump.

(Where’s Benson and Stabler when you need them?)

From a new report on MMAJunkie:

Mixed martial arts veteran Mike Whitehead has been arrested and charged with three felonies including sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, and open and gross lewdness, according to a release from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department issued today. If convicted, each charge carries a minimum of one year in prison, according to Barbara Morgan, a Public Information Officer with the LVPD.

Whitehead turned himself into the LVPD’s Investigative Services Division on Wednesday. Detectives arrested him after he declined to answer questions about a sexual assault of an adult female that he was allegedly involved in this past Saturday, Morgan said. Whitehead is currently being held at the Clark County Detention Center. His bail has not been set.

(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

Just a week after we learned that Stephan Bonnar is permanently replacing Frank Mir as color-commentator for the WEC, it’s been announced that the UFC’s Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg will be handling the talking-head duties for WEC 48. Headlined by the featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Urijah Faber, and the lightweight title fight between Ben Henderson and Donald Cerrone, WEC 48 will be the organization’s first attempt at charging a shitload of money for their product. You may have already noticed that the show’s video promos feature Dana White and Joe Rogan — not anybody directly related to the WEC — and for the most part, the UFC will be promoting this card. Sorry, Reed. As soon as it’s time to promote your next not-nearly-as-relevant event, it’s all you again

The presence of Joe and Mike won’t be the only similarity between WEC 48 and a UFC pay-per-view. Apparently, Spike TV will be broadcasting two fights from the preliminary card, directly before the PPV broadcast: Former featherweight title challenger Leonard Garcia will welcome "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung into the WEC, while UFC vet Alex Karalexis faces off against Anthony Pettis, who scored the Knockout of the Night at WEC 47.

(Fabricio Camoes loads up on Caol Uno at UFC 106. Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)

The UFC did some spring cleaning this week, shredding the contracts of four recent fight-losers. In order of least surprising to most surprising…

Fabricio Camoes: During his brief stint in the UFC, Camoes drew with Caol Uno (who was released last week along with Lucio Linhares) then got choked out by Kurt Pellegrino at UFC 111. If you’re a relatively unknown prospect, you can’t really hope for more than two chances to pick up your first win in the Octagon. Back to the bush leagues…

Rob Emerson: His unanimous decision loss to rising prospect Nik Lentz at UFC Fight Night 21 was his third defeat in his last four fights, and dropped his career record to a grim 9-9. It was a little odd to see Emerson get this fight in the first place, as it came less than two months after his decision win over Phillipe Nover at UFC 109, but it’s just been too long since Emerson truly impressed. You hate to see that happen to such a kindhearted person…