(It’s not a UFC fight, but you can’t talk awful title fights without at least referencing Sonnen vs. Filho II. Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)

Today we’re talking about bad UFC title fights – fights that fizzled out after weeks of hype, bored even the most die-hard fans among us, and left us baffled that the winner was considered the best in his weight class. Since we’re dealing strictly with UFC title fights, notable clunkers like Ruiz vs. Southworth II (Strikeforce), Wiuff vs. Tuchscherer (YAMMA), and Sonnen vs. Filho II (WEC) are ineligible for inclusion. Also, we promise that the only appearance of the name “Ben Askren” in this column lies in this incredibly forced sentence. Read on for our picks, and please, pretty please, send your ideas for future Roundtable topics to tips@cagepotato.com.

Jason Moles

Detroit is known by many names – Motown, Motor City, and Hockey Town to name a few. None of which lend to the idea that the birthplace of the assembly line was also a mecca of mixed martial arts or a place to catch great fights on Saturday. Unfortunately, UFC didn’t care; they took the show to the Great Lakes State in 1996 for UFC 9: Clash of the Titans 2 nonetheless. Ken Shamrock and Michigan native Dan Severn were set to face off for the first world title outside of Japan, the UFC Superfight championship. However, thanks to Senator John McCain, instead seeing an exciting rematch that was sure to cover the canvas in bad blood, fans in attendance and at home watching on PPV were treated to what became known as “The Detroit Dance.” And to this day, it is regarded as one of the worst fights in the history of the sport.

Although Jeff Monson wisely avoided his go-to strategy of fucking dudes for free when he met Aleksander “Patient Zero” Emelianenko at M-1 Challenge 35 yesterday, he was able to come away with another one of his signature North-South submission victories. We wouldn’t exactly call the events leading up to said finish pretty — Monson’s wild, looping punches in the early going only looked passable when compared to the half-assed takedown attempts that followed them, but “The Snowman” did manage to sweep Emelianenko once things hit the ground in the first round and controlled the Russian for the rest of the fight thereafter.

(Nelson becomes the first man ever to successfully narfle the Garthok at the 2009 ADCC Absolute trials.) 

Crank up the Bjork and start cubing up the Hakarl, because it appears that Icelandic BJJ phenom and undefeated prospect Gunnar Nelson is headed to the UFC.

The 23 year-old welterweight is undoubtedly one of the hottest prospects outside of the UFC, collecting a perfect 9-0-1 record with just one of those wins making it outside of the first round. Nelson has not been to the scorecards since his debut fight — a draw against John Oleson — and has collected six of his nine stoppage wins by way of submission. FightersOnly were the first to break the news, stating that several close sources had already confirmed this report, though an official announcement from inside Nelson’s camp has yet to be made. There have been several rumors claiming that Nelson was headed to the UFC over the past few years, but this time it seems to be happening for serial.

After acquiring his BJJ black belt in just four years, Nelson first burst onto the MMA scene back in 2007, and gained incredible notoriety in 2009 when he defeated the much larger, multiple-time ADCC medalist and UFC veteran Jeff Monson in the first round of the 2009 ADCC Absolute trials. Nelson most recently scored a first round submission via armbar over Alexander Butenko back in February, his fourth straight to come by way of first round submission.

We know some of you Taters have been clamoring about Nelson for what feels like ages now, so it’s good to know that we might finally be able to see just what this kid is capable of in the near future. As will be the case with Hector Lombard and our buddy Ryan Jimmo, 2012 is looking like it could be a make or break year for prospects outside the UFC.

Lucky for you, CagePotato and Youtube have combined their powers to compile an extensive look at Nelson’s background, which awaits you below.

(Take it easy, Todd, it’s not like you’re Anthony Johnson or somethin’.) 

We’ll give the fellas behind Super Fight League this, aside from their overly-lavish-yet-somehow-clusterfucked-production, their motocross-sized ring, and their pants-shittingly terrible theme song, they manage to book some intriguing matchups every now and again. Considering how green of a promotion SFL is, we’d almost consider throwing our support behind them if they didn’t insist on cancelling out those interesting matchups with ones involving Bob Sapp or Bobby Lashley on every other card. But today, we can put another check in the “You have our attention” column for the Indian promotion, as it has been announced that former UFC slugger Todd Duffee and Heavyweight submission/anarchy specialist Jeff Monson have been booked to throw down in the headlining bout of SFL’s fourth event.

Okay, so it’s not a match that will likely make your butthole pucker with excitement, but it’s a huge step up from their last headliner, and that counts for something, right?

We last saw the “official” record holder for fastest UFC knockout in action at Super Fight League’s second event, where he successfully knocked the poop out of Neil Grove in just over 30 seconds, snapping a two fight skidmark in the process. In case you haven’t noticed, the overarching theme of this article is all things related to feces. Just go with it.

Monson, on the other hand, is coming off a first round submission via North-South choke over Denis Komkin at the same M-1 Global event that saw Fedor Emelianenko nearly retire Pedro Rizzo from the waking world before announcing his own retirement from the sport shortly thereafter. Perhaps the most interesting angle of this match is that Monson has never been truly KO’d before, unless you count that time his ex-girlfriend nearly knocked him out of MMA competition for a decade by leaking those photos of him desecrating the Washington State Capitol building. In fact, Monson hasn’t even been finished in over 5 years (a third round TKO loss to Pedro Rizzo back in September of 2007), so Duffee can really make a statement if he is able to put away a guy like “The Snowman” considering not even Daniel Cormier was able to do so.

Videos of both fighter’s most recent performances are after the jump. 

(Sapp’s most recent effort attempt ”showing” against James Thompson. How do you know it’s a Bob Sapp joint? Because the introductions are twice as long as the fight.) 

In the difficult economic times that we are currently experiencing, Bob Sapp’s continual ability to stay employed as a “fighter” is nothing short of inspiring. And by inspiring, we mean infuriating. The man has fought nine times in the past three years, totaling just over fifteen minutes of ring time. There is not a doubt in any of our minds that the time he spent training for those fights was less than half of that. He has lost all but one of those contests, and word has it that the one man he defeated committed Sepukku shortly thereafter. Yet he continues to get work. He lost his last fight by submission due to (fake) leg injury, and tapped out to approximately two punches thrown by a BJJ expert in the fight before that. Yet he continues to get work.

Perhaps it is a sign, like the popularity of Jersey Shore or Nicki Minaj, that our culture has truly done a 180 in terms of what we consider worthy of our attention. Where in days past, it was a person’s abilities that brought them into the public eye, it seems now more than ever that we as a society are fixated with people who lack any discernable talent whatsoever.

Bob Sapp is living, breathing proof of this phenomenon.

Thankfully, it looks as if Sapp may finally be forced to take on a fighter who could make him reconsider his line of work altogether; someone who could possibly knock Sapp out cold before he gets the chance to call it quits. That man is none other than UFC veteran Soa Palelei, who is scheduled to take on Sapp at Cage Fighting Championships 21 on April 20th.

If there is a God, he will not allow Bob Sapp to walk away from this fight completely intact.

Part 1

Part 2

(Props to Allfreefightvideos for the…uh…free fight videos.) 

The sixteenth of December in the year 2000 marked the last time the UFC made an appearance in the Land of the Rising Sun, and to celebrate, we’ve managed to pull some strings and dig up the entire pay-per-view event for your viewing pleasure. Because here at CP, we like to consider ourselves the cool step dads of the MMA blogosphere. Though we may not be around as much as we should, when we show up, you best believe we bring the nudie mags, cigarettes, and that funny smelling water that makes you all giggly and tired. Sure, your mom says it’s evil and thinks it killed your old dad, and sure, when you come to there’s change missing off the dresser, but at the end of the day, you’re just happy we brought you a gift, right?

(Gentlemen, gentlemen, I’m just here for the aspic.)

Chalk up another win for anarchists everywhere. According to a Russian website, former UFC heavyweight title contender and renowned political actvist Jeff Monson was in a subway station just hours before his fight with Fedor Emelianenko when he witnessed two Moscow police officers aggressively badgering a poor, drunken homeless man, likely wearing a shawl and holding a baby, and decided to intervene. We’ll let “RT” explain how things went down:

One of the LifeJournal users was shocked when he met Monson in the city’s Metro, which he decided to take in order to make the 40-minute trip to the Moscow outskirts, where he was to hold a master class the day before the fight. He was dressed in hooded top and wearing flip-flops. The temperature on that day was around zero degrees.

On one of the stations he noticed two policemen trying to calm down a drunken man. Their methods seemed too aggressive to the American and he rushed to calm down the policemen. Monson’s escort decided not to wait until the American, known for his penchant for anarchism, beat up the surprised law-enforcers and stopped the scuffle. 

Your move, Jon Jones.

(Fight starts at the 2:38 mark. And is that Fedor’s new lady at the 29:22 mark? Alright, buddy. Upgrade. / Props: valetudorus via MMAMania)

It’s been a tough couple of years for heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko. First, a brilliant MMA strategist named Damian Demento went public with a groundbreaking strategy on how to defeat him, which involved putting the boots to Fedor’s belly and intentionally mispronouncing his name. Then, his next three opponents beat him by stoppage. Coincidence? I don’t know. You tell me.

What’s important is that Fedor finally got back in the win column on Sunday, winning a unanimous decision over American grappler Jeff Monson at M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson, in front of a crowd of over 20,000 at Moscow’s Olympic Stadium that included Vladimir Putin. The full fight video is above, which shows Fedor in more controlled, measured form than his recent appearances, choosing to stay on the outside and score with leg kicks and long punches for the majority of the fight.

Monson, unfortunately, had nothing for him. In fact, the only times the Snowman was able to get the fight to the ground is when he fell over after getting punched in the face.

(Monson when he fought Tim Sylvia for the UFC HW title)

Longtime Mixed Martial Arts fans are very familiar with ‘The Snowman’ Jeff Monson. He made his name as a Division 1 wrestler for Oregon State University, made his professional MMA debut in 1997, and has been a dominate force in the submission grappling world for many years. He has fought for every major MMA organization and one of the few fighters in the world to have fought on all corners of the globe. Back in 2006, fresh off a decision loss toTim Sylvia for the heavyweight title he requested a release from the UFC with intentions of one day facing Fedor Emelianenko. Negotiations fell through and the fight never happened until now.

Fedor vs. Monson will be held on Russian soil under the M-1 Global banner on November 20th 2011. Jeff took time out of his day to speak to the Lowkick.com about his upcoming fight with Fedor, the future of Strikeforce, tattoos and the idea of an epic battle between him and the ancient Roman emperor Julius Caesar. No holds are barred from this interview and this is a must read for fans of one of the most interesting people in Mixed Martial Arts.

You’ll be facing one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport when you go to Moscow, Russia to face Fedor Emelianenko. What have you been working in your camp to ensure victory on November 20th?
His standup is up is probably one of his greatest assets. I’ve been doing a lot of striking in my camp. In the past I didn’t really feel confident in it, but now we’ve been working on it and I feel much better in it.

By Anton Gurevich, Lowkick.com

(Photo courtesy of Lowkick.com/A.Gurevich)

Next weekend, “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (32-4) will look to prove he still knows how to win fights, squaring off against the fellow MMA veteran Jeff Monson in the main event of M-1 Global’s “Battle of Legends” in Moscow, Russia. The event will mark Emelianenko’s first bout in Russia since the BodogFights encounter with the now-retired Matt Lindland.

The “black stripe” of Fedor Emelianenko‘s career started back in June of 2009 with what was then a shocking defeat to Fabricio Werdum in just 60 seconds. The negative streak continued with a painful-to-watch TKO loss to the “Bigfoot”Antonio Silva, and the latest disappointment just a few months ago against Dan “Hendo” Henderson.

Against Jeff Monson, Fedor and his team hope for a different outcome.

(Two fighters, two very different interpretations of “business casual.” Photo courtesy of mixfight.ru)

On November 20th in Moscow, Jeff Monson will attempt to become the fourth-straight fighter to defeat Fedor Emelianenko. If Fedor has any scrap of motivation left, he should be able to return to the ‘W’ column in his home country — but who even knows at this point? You have to wonder if the Snowman wants this one more.

It’s been nearly two years since Fedor has tasted victory in MMA. Monson’s last fight snapped an eight-fight win streak, and he hasn’t beaten anybody of note since 2009, when he won a decision against Roy Nelson and submitted Sergei Kharitonov.

The above photo came from a recent M-1 Global press-conference in Moscow. Here are some notable quotes, via Lowkick:

(Damn. Mandy Moore is looking *rough*. / UFC 135 crowd gif via caposa)

- What’s Next for UFC 135′s Winners and Losers? (NBC Sports MMA)

- Exclusive: Paul Daley Discusses Beef With BAMMA and His Desire to Return to the UFC (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

- Here’s That Strange and Awkward Moment From Last Weekend’s Strikeforce Challengers (MiddleEasy)

- EliteXC’s Gary Shaw Tried To Sign Fedor Emelianenko, But Wouldn’t Meet M-1 Global’s Demands (MMA Convert)

- Chuck Liddell Talks Retirement, FOX Deal and ‘Hawaii Five-O’ Cameo (MMA Fighting)

- Save the Day: MMAMania Interview Exclusive With Demetrious Johnson (MMA Mania)

- ‘UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage’ Exclusive Photo Gallery (TheFightNerd)

- Jeff Monson Asks Pat Miletich, “How Can You Not Consider America a Terror Organization?” (FightOpinion)

- Charlie Brenneman: I Have Everything I’ve Ever Wanted Within My Grasp [Exclusive] (LowKick)

- Vitor Belfort Interested in December Dance Against Winner of Sonnen/Stann (Five Ounces of Pain)

- Dominick Cruz Lives Cheap, Enjoys Cruising in a Honda Civic (5th Round)

- UFC 135: Payout Perspective (MMA Payout)

(Video courtesy of YouTube/bisonkhan/CP Reader and retired fighter Dave Green)

- Five reasons why MMA is better than boxing right now (Complex)

- The Boardwalk Empire board game (ScreenJunkies)

- MMA Notebook: Dana White presser notes (NBC Sports)

- Damm signs with Bellator, expected to face Frausto-Gurgel in October in Canada (Tatame)

- 20 things every new UFC fans should know about MMA (BleacherReport)

- How to cozy up the man cave (MadeMan)

- Sgt. Slaughter plays bud guitar, defeats monster truck, is 1980s awesome (WithLeather)

- 11-year-old with MS bullied into committing suicide (TorontoSun)

- Jeff Monson asks Pat Miletich, “How can you not consider America a terror organization?” (FightOpinion)

- Simon Pegg continues to be awesome (FilmDrunk)

- Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson: Who has the statistical advantage at UFC 135? (MMAMania)

- Joe Warren and Alexis Vila headline Bellator’s Bantamweight tourney opening round (Clutch.MTV)

- Malcolm Brenner had  sexual relationship with a dolphin, then wrote a book about it (HolyTaco)

- DREAM 17 breakdown and predictions (MMAFighting)

- Guyism After Dark: Susie, Monika, or Filippa??? (Guyism)

- DNA from spit links fighter to rapes (9News)

- Supremacy MMA Video Game Review (The Fight Nerd)

(Fedor poses with his new protege, Kiril Biebernov. Photo via MiddleEasy)

M-1 Global officials have confirmed that Fedor Emelianenko will return to action against Jeff Monson, November 20th at an M-1 Global event in Moscow. Both fighters have signed contracts for the match, which is expected to take place at Moscow’s Olympic Stadium.

It will be Fedor’s first fight in his home country since his first-round submission of Matt Lindland at BodogFIGHT: Clash of the Nations in April 2007. Fedor entered that fight on a streak of 23 fights without a loss. Now he finds himself trying to pull the emergency brake on a three-fight losing skid. As for Monson, he most recently lost a decision to Daniel Cormier in June.

M-1 Global has reportedly been in negotiations with Showtime Sports to broadcast the event on Showtime.

(Yeah, Putin’s gonna get a big kick out of that, buddy. / Photo via hookedonmma)

Nursing a three-fight losing streak following his shockingly unsuccessful run in Strikeforce, Fedor Emelianenko will reportedly return to action against heavyweight veteran Jeff Monson on November 12th in Russia. Monson announced the matchup last night on Twitter, adding that the fight will be promoted by M-1 Global and there will be a press conference on September 16th. (“Putin will be there. Gonna try and get pic with him in my ‘Communist’ t-shirt.”)

Following his unsuccessful UFC title challenge against Tim Sylvia in November 2006, Monson left the UFC to pursue a bout with Emelianenko for BodogFIGHT. Though the match was scheduled for March 2007, negotiations fell apart and Emelianenko wound up fighting Matt Lindland instead.

By Mike Russell

(After as one year hiatus, W-1 is back with a solid inaugural U.S. show.)

Apparently rumors of the demise of Warrior One (W-1) MMA were greatly exaggerated as the Toronto, Ontario-based promotion that made waves with its stacked Canadian cards the past two years but hasn’t held an event since last October, is back with another impressive offering — this time for American MMA fans in Florida.

W-1: Reloaded is set for October 15 at the Bank United Center at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida and according to W-1 president Jack Bateman, the reason his organization has not held an event in almost a year is that it underwent an ownership restructuring and he and his new partners were carefully laying the groundwork for the promotion’s foray into the U.S. because they wanted to make sure they took their time and did it right.

“Everything has come together and I couldn’t be happier with the way the company has evolved and the quality of our first event in the States,” Bateman told CagePotato.com Monday. “I have a great group of partners who are at the top of their specific fields and whose skill sets bring a lot to the table when it comes to promotion and putting on events like we’ve come to be known for putting on. We have some big signings we’ve been working on and will be having a few of those names on our next card in Miami on October 15.”

(Goldie and Rogan get their groove on during the UFC 132 prelims. Props: atran416)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. (Welcome aboard, MMAPayout and FightOpinion!) E-mail feedback@cagepotato.com for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

- UFC 132: Payout Perspective (MMAPayout)

- Urijah Faber Considers Adapting His Fight Style Based on How MMA Judges Score Fights (FightOpinion)

- ‘Krazy Horse’ Bennett: “When I Got 22 Losses, I Realized That I Needed to Train” (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

- This Guy Learns the ‘Tap or Snap’ Rule the Hard Way (MiddleEasy)

- Why Tito Ortiz Winning Is a Good Thing (MMA Convert)

- UFC 134: Overweight Forrest Griffin Wants to Go Hard for 15 minutes Against ‘Shogun’ Rua (MMA Mania)

- Brian Bowles Hand Not Broken in UFC 132 Win, Wants Dominick Cruz Next (MMA Fighting)

- Fistic Fireworks: Ten Moments in the UFC’s Fourth of July History (Five Ounces of Pain)

- 4th of July Treat: Miesha Tate at UFC 132 (LowKick)

- Melvin Guillard Puts Belt Before Brothers…And Mother (5thRound)

- A Day in the Life of Jeff Monson, Part 8: Jeff Gets a New Tattoo (TheFightNerd)

- UFC 132: Five Lessons Learned (NBC Sports MMA)

Yeah, we were praying for something to happen in that fight, too.

Heading into last night’s Strikeforce card, there were a lot of potential storylines. There was Werdum continuing to clean out Strikeforce’s heavyweight division. There was Overeem avenging his loss to Werdum five years ago in devastating fashion. There were the returns to relevance of Josh Barnett and Jeff Monson, the rise of Daniel Cormier and “Othereem” getting the fans to learn his name. Yet after the event was over, the most compelling thing we can take from it is that Dallas has some educated MMA fans. While your average Affliction clad meathead was booing from the start of Cormier vs. Monson until the end of the night, Dallas fans only booed during Overeem vs. Werdum.

Normally I hate when fans boo fighters, but to say Overeem vs. Werdum was boo-worthy doesn’t begin to capture what a disappointment the main event was. We expected fireworks, and instead were given an even less relevant version of Silva vs. Leites (at least that fight was for a title). If that fight was under the UFC banner, Dana White would have immediately issued an apology to the fans and a threat to fire Werdum over another performance like that. To say the least, Werdum’s chances of getting back into the UFC were more than likely squashed by that fight three round Thales Leites impression.

(Where’s your creepy joker-smile now, playboy?)

The latest installment in Strikeforce’s Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament goes down tonight at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, featuring the long-awaited rematch between Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum, and Josh Barnett’s promotional debut against Brett Rogers. Plus, KJ Noons and Jorge Masvidal jockey for #1 contendership in the lightweight division, and 14-year veteran Jeff Monson collides with rising heavyweight star Daniel Cormier.

Handling the play-by-play for this evening will be the Shemp Howard of CagePotato’s liveblog-rotation, Matt Kaplan, so let him know you care in the comments section. Live results from the Showtime broadcast of “Overeem vs. Werdum” will be stacking up after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET; refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.

(“Overeem is my son. Scott Coker is my uncle. Gina Carano is my hot cousin. Josh Barnett is my sister’s meathead boyfriend.”)

Betting odds for the complete lineup of tomorrow night’s Strikeforce card were released yesterday, and looking over these numbers, it seems like the perfect opportunity to dig yourself out of the hole you put yourself in by following our previous gambling advice. Now, we don’t actually recommend the use of off-shore gambling sites these days, in light of the government’s recent eRaids, but hey, entertainment purposes and all, right? Check out the juiciest lines for Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum, courtesy of BestFightOdds.com, then listen very carefully to what we have to say…

Main Card (Showtime, 10 p.m.)
Alistair Overeem (-321) vs. Fabricio Werdum (+300)
Josh Barnett (-319) vs. Brett Rogers (+309)
K.J. Noons (-144) vs. Jorge Masvidal (+135)
Daniel Cormier (-300) vs. Jeff Monson (+325)
Valentijn Overeem (+111) vs. Chad Griggs (-122)

It’s no Ghengis Con joint, but it’s something. VidProps: ShoSports

Nation, amongst all the large names and ginormous dudes fighting this weekend, you may have overlooked Daniel Cormier. This weekend’s bout with heavyweight submission grappler/anarchist/tattoo enthusiast Jeff Monson will be Cormier’s fifth fight for Strikeforce since his debut in September of 2009 under the Challengers banner. Perhaps it’s no shock that Cormier isn’t a household name, considering the lack of promotion from his, uh, promotion, but he’s nonetheless a dude you should know.

Come on in past the jump and better know Daniel Cormier, so you’ll have something intelligent to say at the bar while his fight is on.

(“Most enjoyable thing I’d never do again? Definitely eating that live wolverine.”)

After years of bouncing from one regional event to another, Jeff Monson will finally return to the big leagues next month. ShoSports has confirmed that the former UFC heavyweight title contender will take on wrestling ace Daniel Cormier (7-0, five wins by first-round stoppage) at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum, June 18th in Dallas. Cormier was originally supposed to face undefeated rising star Shane Del Rosario at the event, but Del Rosario had to withdraw after being seriously injured in a car accident.

Monson is currently riding an eight-fight win streak (in seven different promotions), including W’s over Jason Guida, Travis Fulton, and former King of the Cage champ Tony Lopez. Oddly enough, this will be Monson’s fifth fight at heavyweight since he announced that he’d be dropping to light-heavyweight to be more competitive. He still hopes to make the drop this year.

At this point, the only non-heavyweight bout on the ‘Overeem vs. Werdum’ main card will be Gina Carano vs. Sarah D’Alelio. Check out the current lineup after the jump…

 
("I can’t touch my head, see.")

Jeff Monson is getting too old for this shit and is ready to settle down.

"The Snowman," who turns 40 in January, tells the Miami Herald that at just 5′ 9" his chances of being a heavyweight champion weren’t great, so the Olympia, Washington native made the decision to drop down to light heavyweight for the remainder of his career.

Following his final heavyweight fight last weekend — a win over Travis Fulton Saturday night at Fight Time Promotion’s event in Pompano Beach, Florida — Monson (38-11), who walks around at just over 230 pounds, will now drop down to fight at 205 where he says he will have a distinct size and strength advantage over his opponents.

"Losing the weight is difficult, but I used to lose a lot of weight when I wrestled in college,” he said. "Instead of me being the small guy at heavyweight, fighting the 265 guys, maybe I won’t be taller, but I’ll be one of the biggest 205-pounders out there. When I climb into the cage I’ll be 230 again with all my power behind me. This will be a new bonus for me.”

4-0 in his last four outings, Monson’s first fight in his new weight class will come tonight when he takes on 3-4 Sergey Shemetov at Israel FC: Genesis in Tel Aviv. A win over a sub .500 fighter like Shemetov likely won’t earn him an invite from Strikeforce or the UFC, but it will prove if the weight cut will affect Monson’s conditioning, which has been questionable in some of his recent fights.

(Joey Beltran predicts a slugfest against Matt Mitrione during the UFC 119 Spike TV Prelims, and explains the origin of his "Mexecutioner" nickname. Props: FightMagazine)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail feedback@cagepotato.com for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– CSAC’s George Dodd Explains Why Chael Sonnen Was Allowed to Compete at UFC 117 (MMA Fighting)

– Chael Sonnen Plans To Appeal Drug Test + Jim Rome’s Take On Sonnen (MMA Convert)

– UFC 119: Frank Mir’s Last Run At Heavyweight Title? (Heavy.com/MMA)

– Dunham, Sherk Headed in Different Directions Leading Up to UFC 119 (Versus MMA Beat)

– This Is What Google Says About Your Favorite Fighter (MiddleEasy)

– Snowman’s Land: Jeff Monson Discusses Next Fight in Israel, Drop to Light-Heavyweight (LowKick)

– The Best Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante Highlight Reel Ever (MMA Scraps)

- Understanding Why Chael Sonnen Failed His UFC 117 Drug Test; a Procedural Look (Watch Kalib Run)

– Bas Rutten Comments on Steroid Use in Mixed Martial Arts (Five Ounces of Pain)

(Photo courtesy of travisthehurricane.com)

Bellator announced yesterday that they have signed 14-2 prospect Travis "The Hurricane" Reddinger for their upcoming bantamweight tournament. You can’t miss him — he’s the guy with the enormous "BELLATOR" tattoo on his stomach. So did Reddinger get the piece done in a fit of excitement after he learned of his signing? Nope. It turns out it was just a strange coincidence. As Travis explained, he got the tat four-and-a-half years ago, long before Bellator Fighting Championships even existed: 

"For me it just symbolizes perseverance and the never-say-die mentality that I strive for. I know that Bellator stands for the warrior mentality as well, so it’s a great honor for me to be a part of the organization.”

Makes sense to us, though it’s still going to to look strange when he gets picked up by the WEC. Reddinger’s Bellator-ink earns him a spot in MMA’s Weird-Stomach-Tattoo Hall of Fame. You can check out the other members after the jump…

("I’m sorry, what was your name again?" PicProps: Sherdog)

Thank God that Josh Barnett only did a couple of the things he threatened to do to Geronimo dos Santos at Impact FC in Brisbane last night.  Despite his threats to the contrary, reports from Sherdog’s Jordan Breen – who was cageside for the event — indicate that Barnett’s short-and-sweet win over dos Santos in the main event of the upstart Australian promotion went strictly according to the unified rules. And no, that is not a euphemism.

The former UFC heavyweight champion took his enormo Brazilian opponent down and achieved full mount twice during the 2 minute, 45 second contest and eventually used a barrage of strikes from behind dos Santos to force John McCarthy to call the fight. Dos Santos attempted to protest the stoppage, but reportedly failed the “What the fuck is your problem?” test with his unsure, rubbery legs.

Fellow UFC castoffs  Karo Parisyan, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Jeff Monson also recorded wins, while former champion Carlos Newton lost an ugly fight to Brian Ebersole.

(Protect yourself at all times. Seriously, Daniel, *all* times.)

Australian upstart fight promotion Impact FC recently confirmed that UFC refugee Paul Daley will be competing at their July 18th show in Sydney — not on 7/3 as originally reported — against Chute Boxe product Daniel Acacio (21-9). According to impactfc.au.com, the Sydney fight card currently looks like this:

Ken Shamrock vs. Pedro Rizzo
Paul Daley vs. Daniel Acacio
Murilo Bustamante vs. Jesse Taylor
Jeff Monson vs. Ricco Rodriguez
Joaquim "Mamute" Ferreira vs. Sokoudjou
Paulo Filho vs. Denis Kang

Two thoughts come to mind upon seeing this lineup: 1) Damn, that’s a lot of star power for a brand-new league. And 2) My God, this is like the MMA equivalent of the Legion of Doom. Let’s run it down…

   
(Images courtesy of JorgDubin.com)

Art galleries don’t usually draw the TapouT-clad juicehead crowd — but thanks to an upcoming exhibition at the Peter Blake Gallery in Laguna Beach, that’s about to change. From May 6-29, painter Jorg Dubin will be showing nine of his MMA-themed works at the space, which feature such MMA legends as Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Brock Lesnar, and Fedor Emelianenko. Cage-fighters and naked chicks, huh? Sounds like something we can get behind. (Even if the one with Keith Jardine and the redheaded Mariska Hargitay-lookalike gives us the creeps for some reason.) But there’s deep meaning behind these bizarre and unique works. From the press release:

(‘Look guys, no one’s saying "Some Girls" wasn’t one hell of an album. But if we’re talking about the Stones at their absolute best, there’s no way we can not talk about "Beggars Banquet." Pepper spray me if you want, but I’ll be the guy singing "Factory Girl" all the way to the station.’)

MMA’s hardest working anarchist is showing no signs of slowing down in 2010.  Coming off a split decision victory in Tulsa, Oklahoma on January 16, Jeff Monson‘s next challenge will likely come at Shine Fights 3, where he’ll face pathetic mustache owner Dave "Pee Wee" Herman, according to The Rumble.  Despite a year full of legal troubles ranging from a graffiti-related arrest to assault on a grandfather clock, Monson still managed to fight five times in 2009 in a globetrotting effort that took him to Northern Ireland, Japan, and Mexico City, among other exotic locales, like Pensacola, Florida.

Herman is 3-0 since his only career loss to Mu Bae Choi in a Sengoku event last January.  Despite his impressive record and a little bit of hype after his time in EliteXC and Sengoku, he has yet to face really difficult competition.  Sure, he knocked out MMA old-timers Don Frye and Ron Waterman before smashing Jim York, but none of that proves very much at all these days.  A fight with Monson, who’s known as much for being a terror on the mat as he is for his contradictory tattoos (come on, an anarchy symbol and a hammer and sickle? you gotta chose one failed ideology and stick with it, Jeff), so this may be a good chance for us to find out whether Herman is for real. 

The fight is expected to be added to a card already featuring "Ninja" Rua vs. Falaniko Vitale, though no date or location has been pinned down just yet.  Who knows, maybe it will happen in your hometown.  Or the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.  Either seems equally likely, while only one has a can’t-miss gimmick to it.

(Braulio Estima vs. Xande Ribeiro in the men’s absolute finals. For more ADCC videos, check out YouTube.com/sourceBJJ.)

The level of Brazilian domination at the 2009 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championship was, as they might say, absolutely hidiculous. Brazilian grapplers swept every single division at the two-day event, which was held Saturday and Sunday at the Palau Municipal d’Esports de Badalona in Barcelona, Spain. Complete results are below; props to MMA Mania.

Day 1, 9/26/09

Men’s +99kg (+218 lbs.) Opening Round
Fabricio Werdum (Brazil) def. Rogent Lloret (Spain) via kimura
Tomasz Janiszewski (Poland) def. Antoine Jaoude (Brazil) via points
Romulo Barral (Brazil) def. Denis Roberts (Australia) via heel hook
Saulo Ribeiro (Brazil) def. Kouji Kanechika (Japan) via points
Jeff Monson (USA) def. Karol Bedorf (Poland) via points
Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen (Finland) def. Tom Erikson (USA) via heel hook
Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu (Brazil) def. Tom De Blass (USA) via points
Asa Fuller (USA) def. Mike Matell (Canada) via armbar

Men’s +99kg (+218 lbs.) Quarter-Finals
Fabricio Werdum (Brazil) def. Tomasz Janiszewski (Poland) via points
Saulo Ribeiro (Brazil) def. Romulo Barral (Brazil) via points
Jeff Monson (USA) def. Janne-Pekka Pietiläinen (Finland) via points
Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu (Brazil) def. Asa Fuller (USA) via points