(The hell of it is, the fight was no good anyway.)

We knew that Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva was making himself an enemy of the California State Athletic Commission by flouting their suspension and fighting in Japan anyway this past weekend, but we didn’t know that he might also have condemned the friends who aided and abetted him.  

The CSAC is setting a February 10 hearing date to decide what to do about Silva, who claimed from the beginning that he was the victim of faulty steroid testing, but they’re also going after his cornermen and his manager, American Top Team’s Alex Davis, for negotiating the fight.  Dave Meltzer says Davis has been fined $2,500 and suspended for the remainder of his license for setting up the bout, and the CSAC’s Bill Douglas is notifying all athletic commissions about Silva’s cornermen and the assistance they gave to this fugitive from steroid justice.

Sounds like Bill Douglas comes from the Keyser Soze school of management.  He’s not just punishing Silva; he’s punishing his friends, his manager, his family, people who owe him money, people who owe his parents money… the point is, it’s needlessly harsh.  

(Apparently he exposed himself to the guy on the right. Just kidding. Photo courtesy of boxingbilldempseyyoung.com.)

On Sunday, MMA Weekly broke the news that Armando Garcia — the often-controversial Executive Director of the California State Athletic Commission — will resign from his post at a public commission meeting on November 18th; an interim Executive Officer will be appointed at the meeting, and an executive search committee will be formed to secure a permanent replacement. Fightlinker immediately began rejoicing the departure of the man who allowed an HIV positive fighter to fight, re-licensed MMA scumbag Mike Kyle, completely mishandled Sean Sherk’s steroid appeal, suspended Nick Diaz for marijuana use without testing him for marijuana use, constantly pulled fighters from shows at the last minute, and a litany of other offenses. But judging from the mysterious final line of the MMA Weekly report (“Garcia declined comment on his departure, but said he would share his side of the story soon”), we had a feeling that even more shameful deeds might come out in the wash.

So if the constant administrative fiascos weren’t enough to get Garcia fired, what was? Michael Swann of 15 Rounds now reports that the forced-resignation is a result of some good old American sexual harassment, with a little unethical business behavior thrown in on the side. First, the sex stuff:

(He’s officially gone from douchebag promoter to just a douchebag.)

The charade of EliteXC’s plan to hold an event in 2009 was hit with a reality check this week. According to a letter sent to MMA Payout by the California State Athletic Commission’s Armando Garcia:

Pro Elite/Elite XC’s and King of the Cage’s licenses are suspended. They were suspended yesterday, when after looking into the matter carefully the exact situation was determined. However, it is not due to any type of contracts…

The primary reason that Pro Elite/Elite XC’s and King of the Cage’s licenses have been placed on suspension is because of their financial states and the fact that Pro Elite, the owner of King of the Cage, has suspended operations and their tangible and intangible assets are being auctioned on November 17.

Hypothetically, if the auction goes through and one or more entities purchase either or both of these companies they would have to go through the licensing process. In other words, whatever it is that is being auctioned is not their California licenses.

Garcia also stated that the CSAC has no control over EliteXC’s fighter contracts, and “to have these types of contracts declared void the party (ies) would need to file a civil lawsuit in the appropriate court.” Which is unfortunate because Pro Elite isn’t giving those contracts up without a long, pointless, completely infuriating fight.

(Keep your freakishly large chin up, buddy.)

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva — who tested positive for the anabolic steroid Boldenone after whipping Justin Eilers back in July to win EliteXC’s vacant heavyweight title — appealed his drug suspension before the California State Athletic Commission earlier today. Unfortunately, it was an utter failure, as the CSAC refused to budge, upholding his 12-month suspension and $2,500 fine. This, of course, comes a day after we learn that EliteXC is dead, which means that Silva’s championship belt isn’t worth the leather its printed on. And it’s only Wednesday!

As we kind of predicted, all the lawyers and credible alibis in the world won’t save you after California decides you’re a steroid user. [Ed. note: Read the first comment in the last link. Mayhem420? More like Nostradamus420!] So anyway, Silva can’t fight again until July 26th, 2009. Things could definitely be worse — he should be able to live comfortably off the $200,000 he made in his last fight, and he could always earn some extra cash here and there as a training partner. But the question is, what happens when his suspension is over? EliteXC is six feet under. Affliction would be a good fit for Silva with their beefy heavyweight division, but there’s no guarantee they’ll be around next July. Would the UFC pick up a fighter coming off of a steroid suspension — and who was formerly associated with EliteXC — or would they shut him out just to prove a point? If I were Bigfoot, I’d start sending muffin baskets to Scott Coker at Strikeforce…

Despite a positive drug test, Elite XC heavyweight champ Antonio Silva is insisting that he did not take the horse-friendly Boldenone, as the California State Athletic Commission claims. His agent, ATT’s Alex Davis, wasted no time in refuting the charge, which we just assumed was something agents were obliged to do. Sean Sherk taught us that sometimes just challenging the positive test is enough to get your suspension reduced, so why not give it a shot?

But now Jeremy Lappen, Elite XC’s Head of Fight Operations, is getting in on the act with this statement released to the media via email:

“We respect the California commission and the job they do. We always enjoy working with them and work very well together. The illegal use of steroids is a problem in all major sports, including mixed martial arts. We certainly do not condone the use of steroids.

“But we also support, trust and have confidence in our fighter, Antonio Silva, who has denied ever taken any illegal substance, including steroids, and is prepared to challenge the results of the California Commission.

“So until all the facts are known and a final decision is rendered, EliteXC will reserve making any further comments at this time.’’

Now we’ve got a real fight on our hands. It’s unclear what “facts” Lappen is waiting for, since Silva’s A and B samples both tested positive for the drug, which supposedly has such a long half-life in the body as to make a positive fairly damning.

It’s noble for Elite XC to stick up for their guy, but it’s also a bit of a risk. It makes me wonder, has Lappen ever actually seen Silva? Of all the people I’d be willing to stick my neck out for when it comes to steroid allegations, the guy with the frighteningly-prominent brow and the Cro-Magnon jaw structure might not be my first choice.

(The continued search for the elusive ‘back of the head’.)

The California State Athletic Commission takes a lot of heat for its handling of MMA affairs, on every topic from fighter licensing to drug testing. Executive Officer Armando Garcia, the head honcho over there, spoke with BoxingInsider.com about some of the big issues in MMA these days, including the disputed region known as the back of the head. So where does Garcia stand? Mohawk rule? Earphones?

Armando Garcia: That is easy. The same as boxing. From the back of one ear to the back of the other ear. I’m in complete opposition to the ‘mohawk’ concept for back of the head fouls. Our Physicians support our position.

Illegal blows to the head are devastating. Ask Gerald McClelland.

For those of you who don’t know, he’s talking about this Gerald McClelland.

This is an interesting insight into how Garcia views MMA and its rules, coming from a background as boxing referee. The ‘headphones’ definition works well for boxing, because there’s no situation where you naturally end up behind an opponent without the fight being halted and restarted. Not so in MMA, where taking an opponent’s back is fairly common. Apparently that difference between the two sports doesn’t matter in California.

Garcia also discusses his views on how the ten-point must scoring system works in MMA, and what about it might be reworked to fit the unique demands of the sport: