license

(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.

(In his own words: "Tattoos are my hobby. That is that." Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)

While you're trying to figure out what witty zingers might pass between Aleksander Emelianenko, Vladimir Putin, and Jean-Claude Van Damme in our latest caption contest, you might be wondering to yourself, what ever became of Aleks after he was kicked off the Affliction event amid rumors that he may or may not have Hepatitis B? Well don't worry. According to Aleks, it was all just a paperwork issue, as he explains to The Fight Network:

"I came late, couldn't get my Visa in time and I was not allowed to fight. I'm healthy."

That's weird, because just last week M-1's Raimond Joost said you had "medical issues." Granted, he also expressed optimism that they could be resolved, but he sure as hell didn't try and chalk the whole thing up to Visa troubles. Not to mention, if it was just a paperwork snafu, why would the CSAC's Bill Douglas say this:

“The one thing that I can absolutely say is that he (Emelianenko) was not and will not be cleared to fight in California. He is officially denied a license and that will stand for all of the United States of America.”

Aleks, I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that you are lying to us, and doing a really bad job of it. Couldn't you at least think of something more plausible? The strangest comment of the interview, however, was this one: