NBC

(Props: MMA Scraps)

All I can think when I watch this video of one of Wanderlei Silva's insane recent workouts is man, Rampage is going to get smashed. I tried covering my nose up with masking tape the other day and gassed out going up the stairs. It's inspiring what Silva can do, is all I'm saying. Compare that to the clip below, where Dana White, BJ Penn, and Sean Sherk show up on the set of NBC's new series Momma's Boys. (Basic premise of the show: A trio of dudes try to pull some tail despite their mothers' best efforts to cockblock them. It's executive produced by Ryan Seacrest, so you know you'll be getting quality.) Anyway, the UFC crew puts the reality show cast through a grueling 11-minute workout. And they get to breathe through ther noses. And one dude still needs to get picked up by an ambulance. Pathetic.

(Props: NBC)

(Props: MMA Scraps)

When we wrote about American judoka Ryan Reser and his plea for more love from MMA fans, some of you responded with disappointment that there wasn't a lot of judo on tap during NBC's Olympic coverage. Here's a clip courtesy of Korean TV and, no matter what Reser says, I don't see it catching on the way MMA did. Maybe it's just me, but the most exciting part of these clips is the announcers losing their minds during the brief bursts of action. Anyway, you people said you wanted to see it. So soak it up, jerks.

(Jason Miller on the unpleasant end of an Army Ranger "stress position.")

Two new MMA-based television series are being readied for debut — and we're already liking them better than The Iron Ring and Settle Your Grudge.

— Next Monday through Wednesday at 10 p.m., the mini-series T.O.P. Army Fighter will air on the Military Channel. Each episode features military personnel competing in four-man tournaments — in seven weight classes ranging from flyweight to heavyweight — using modified MMA rules that prohibit knee strikes to the head and leg-locks, among other attacks. The fights will take place in a ring and will employ a scoring system that awards points for things like takedowns and passing guard. Army Ranger and MMA pro Tim Kennedy (IFL, HDNet Fights) will be one of the 28 servicemen competing on the show. Sounds like it could be a bit too complicated for its own good, but hey, it's fighting on free TV. Now we just have to figure out what the hell the Military Channel is.

— GI vs. Pro, a series where MMA-trained armed services members fight professional mixed martial artists, debuts July 19th on Fox Sports Net. The action will be more traditional than T.O.P. Army Fighter's, with each match slated for three five-minute rounds inside a circular cage. The GI team will be led by BodogFIGHT/FCC vet Nick Agallar, while the Pros squad will be led by UFC/KOTC vet Chris Brennan. Both lightweights will face off in a match during the show's September 13th finale.

— In other MMA-on-TV news, Strikeforce on NBC premieres late this Saturday night at 2 a.m., immediately following Poker After Dark. The first episode will focus on Cung Le, and will include his June 2006 fight with Brian Warren. With that time-slot, how could it not succeed!

(Props: MMAJunkie)

Here's the video from Chuck Liddell's appearance on Late Night With Conan O'Brien on Monday. The best exchange:

Conan: There's an old adage in fighting...no sex before a fight. And when you're training for a fight, no sex. What's your feeling about that?
Chuck: I don't believe in that, I never have. I actually go the opposite, I think.
Conan: Sex during the fight?

As Chuck explains, what's harmful is going out and chasing sex all night, but he doesn't have to chase it anymore so there's no problem. Makes sense...

(Props: MMA Mania)

With Tito on Celebrity Apprentice, Ricco on Celebrity Rehab, and Tank on Jimmy Kimmel Live, last night was one big TV party — and we have the couch-sores to prove it. If you had better things to do, we envy you. But here's what you missed:

The Celebrity Apprentice
The episode began with Tito Ortiz working out and explaining his charity, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. A nine-year-old girl named Elizabeth with "brittle bone disease" came to meet him and gave him a drawing of a garden. Tito nearly destroyed her with a bear hug. This segment was probably thrown together to make up for the fact that he was basically absent from the rest of the episode, in which Hydra and Empresario battled to sell the most Broadway show tickets. The men sneaked off with a very close win, and Jennie Finch was fired for always taking a back-seat "assistant" role. But Tito was equally under-the-radar in the challenge, and if the men had lost, he might have been in danger of getting kicked off himself.

Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew
Ricco Rodriguez made his first appearance at the treatment facility, checking in for his habitual cocaine use. As he explained, after finding success in the UFC, he discovered cocaine, started going through an 8-ball per day, and was the first "ultimate fighter" to be suspended for coke. His usage also led to domestic disputes with his girlfriend, which once resulted in them both being arrested and their one-year-old son being taken by child protective services. Ricco came off like the classic, freaked-out cokehead on his first day in the facility, visibly nervous when the staff went through his bag, and calling out the staff and the other celebrity addicts for their hostility and rudeness, all of which was in his head. In return, the female residents seemed to find him intolorably arrogant and cocky. We don't think little Ricco will be making any friends at camp this summer. But the most shocking moment was Ricco's story about a car accident he was in while under the influence.