Hawaii and Indiana have both begun to regulate mixed martial arts this week, boosting the number of states which officially sanction the sport to 39.

Pennsylvania also began regulating MMA in recent months, with Pittsburgh's first event taking place last weekend and the UFC's "Keystone State" debut slated for August 8 with UFC 101 in Philadelphia.

One of the last major holdouts on the list of 11 states which have yet to legalize the sport is New York. Though a bill to regulate MMA is making progress in the state's legislature, it won't be until next year at the earliest until it could be approved with the first UFC event in the state unlikely until 2011.

A UFC event in Indianapolis, Indiana appears most-likely with the new regulation now in place, with an event in Hawaii, the home state of UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn (picture), likely on hold for the time being due to steep taxes and fees that accompany the state's regulation.

Un-sanctioned MMA events have been frequently held in both Indiana and Hawaii in the past, but the official regulation of MMA opens the doors for major promotions such as the UFC and Strikeforce to hold events in the states.

Tuff-N-Uff will present the Las Vegas' first all-female mixed martial arts card at the Orleans Arena at 8 PM on Saturday, July 10. Featuring 24 fighters, each with a unique fighting background, "Tuff Girls" will be headlined by Barb Honchak and Las Vegan Meegan Thomas (picture) who will fight in the 125-pound weight class for the Tuff Girl Belt.

The announcement of this event also marks the 15th anniversary of Tuff-N-Uff's first event. June 18, 1994 Tuff-N-Uff hosted an amateur kickboxing event in Chicago, Illinois.

With diverse backgrounds and coming from all facets of life, these female athletes have proven their MMA skills in the amateur ranks. Fighting in the main event, Barb Honchak has compiled an impressive record of 6-1, while her opponent Meegan Thomas is undefeated with three wins under her belt. The other bouts will feature battles in weight classes ranging from 105 pounds to the 170 pounds.

Taking place the night before the biggest event in MMA history, UFC 100, "Tuff Girls" will showcase amateur women fighters who may one day rival professional fighters like Gina Carano and Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos. Other former Tuff-N-Uff fighters who have turned professional include Jon Fitch and Aaron Riley.

Tickets for the event are on sale now for $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the fight. Tickets may be purchased by calling 702.284.7777, online at www.orleansarena.com or in person at the Orleans Arena box office located at 4500 West Tropicana Avenue at Arville Road.

Former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley made quick work of Mike Cook at Maximum Fighting Championship 21: Hard Knocks Friday in Alberta, Canada. Lashley dismantled the Californian fighter in just 24 seconds.

Cook came to the ring wearing a pro wrestling lucha libre mask while taunting Lashley with popular WWE poses. Lashley was annoyed, denying Cook of a glove touch seconds before the start of the fight. As soon as the bell rang, Lashley charged at Cook and applied a guillotine choke. Lashley held on to the guillotine choke and took Cook to the ground, forcing Cook to go limp. Referee "Big" John McCarthy called the fight off just 24 seconds into Round 1.

His opponent, Mike Cook, didn't have any major wins on his record. Cook also lost to former WWE Tough Enough contender Daniel Puder by a rear naked choke.

In the post fight interview, Lashley stated, "Now he can put back on the mask and have fun with himself."

The former WWE US Champion and ECW Champion improved his MMA record to 3-0, but it's apparent that his pro wrestling background will stick with him for quite some time.

Lashley doesn't have much time to rest, as his next challenge is just around the corner in MMA veteran Bob Sapp on June 27 at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi.

MMA Big Show has signed a deal with Goliath Productions and AMG Networks for the regional promotion to be televised in syndication nationally and internationally.

Two-hour specials and 13 half-hour episodes are slated to begin airing in the fall.

"We are starting out by airing some of our historical fights such as Mojo Horne vs. Josh Haynes, which was a banger, then move to airing our new matchups starting from our March and April events while aiming towards live two-hour specials," said promoter Jason Appleton.

MMA Big Show will release the full TV schedule for each market on its website at MMABigShow.com.

Strikeforce middleweight Phil Baroni and Jeff Piecoro of Fox Sports are commentators for the promotion.

Yesterday, the UFC announced it has partnered with Grapplers Quest to host the first ever UFC sponsored grappling tournament.

Held in conjunction with the historic UFC 100 event, the tournament will be held on July 10 and 11 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of the previously announced UFC Fan Expo.

Open to the first 1,500 registered competitors, the announcement stated the UFC expects the event to "be the largest submission, grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in history".

The Grapplers Quest event will award "thousands of dollars in prizes" across multiple divisions that include men, women and children from all skill levels.

Registration is currently open for the event. Entry fees start at $89 to register in one division and include a free two-day pass to the UFC Fan Expo – a $50 value.

The tournament schedule includes all adult, no-gi divisions and superfights on Friday, July 10, while all children, teen and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu divisions will be contested on Saturday, July 11.

Grapplers Quest held its first event in 1997, the first ever submission grappling tournament contested in the US. Current UFC fighters Mark Bocek, Kenny Florian, Matt Hughes, Denis Kang, Eliot Marshall, Mike Massenzio, Kurt Pellegrino, Matt Riddle and Brandon Vera have all competed in previous editions of Grapplers Quest.

The Grapplers Quest tournament is the latest addition to the UFC Fan Expo's growing two-day lineup of events. The organization has also planned meet-and-greets with several current and historic stars of ZUFFA-owned organizations as well as mixed martial arts demonstrations and training sessions.

Registration for the grappling tournament is available at Grapplers Quest's official website, while tickets for the UFC Fan Expo can be purchased the event's official website. Ultimate VIP Packages for the event have already sold out.

Do you like women's mixed martial arts or women's submission wrestling? Well, if you like it, just check out the video below. The video is about two Russian female submission wrestlers in a sparring session at a female fighting club in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Team Takedown and Cobra Kai members Jake Rosholt, Johnny Hendricks and Shane Roller will all enter the 15th Grapplers Quest in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 9.

The three fighters come from accomplished collegiate wrestling backgrounds and study grappling under Marc Laimon. For Grapplers Quest, they will grapple at a weight division above their respective mixed martial arts weight class.

UFC middleweight Rosholt will hit the mats in the light heavyweight division. His next MMA fight will be against Chris Leben at UFC 102 on August 29. Rosholt lost in his UFC debut in February when he was forced to succumb to Dan Miller's guillotine choke at the 63-second mark.

Hendricks, who will make his UFC debut against The Ultimate Fighter 7 winner Amir Sadollah in a welterweight bout at UFC 101 on August 8, will grapple in the middleweight division.

Rosholt and Hendricks were transferred to the UFC after the WEC phased out its welterweight and middleweight divisions. Roller, a lightweight, stayed on with the WEC.

Roller will compete at Grapplers Quest as a welterweight. The 29-year-old fighter lost earlier this month via TKO to Ben Henderson at WEC 40: Torres vs. Mizugaki.

Rage in the Cage (RITC) promoter Roland Sarria will make his mixed martial arts debut on Friday, April 17 in Phoenix, Arizona after 125 RITC events spanning over ten years.

45 year-old Sarria will take on Richard Frye in a middleweight bout. Sarria is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and the founder of the RITC Training Center. Joe Riggs and Edwin Dewees are among the UFC veterans who have developed through the RITC school and promotion.

RITC 126 will be headlined by Richard Hale will defend his RITC heavyweight title against Rich Beecroft. Also on the fight card will be five-time IFL competitor John Gunderson taking on Eric Regan in a welterweight bout.

EA Sports is already a dominant force in sports gaming but there's one sport they haven't tackled yet: mixed martial arts. If EA Sports boss Peter Moore has anything to say about it, though, they'll expand into MMA soon.

"Obviously we've got Fight Night -- we're incredibly excited about Fight Night -- but boxing, for me, sadly feels like it's the past of fighting and Mixed Martial Arts feels like it's the future of fighting," Moore told IGN at EA Sports' Season Opener on Thursday.

The fact that retired greats Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson are the cover athletes for Fight Night Round 4 does suggest that EA views the sport in a more historical or nostalgic light. The suggestion that boxing's best days are past might not sit well with fans but there's no indication that they'll abandon the Fight Night series.

As IGN notes, THQ currently has the video game license for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the largest mixed martial arts organization in the world, until 2011. You'd expect them to make a bid for the UFC license once that deal expires. Maybe EA will test the market by first releasing an MMA game without an official license.

Source: CinemaBlend.com

Danny Davis, the founder and owner of the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), better known to pro wrestling fans as one half of "The Nightmares" with Ken Wayne, has launched the Vyper Fight League in Louisville, Kentucky. The VFL has ushered in a new era in the world of mixed martial arts. Just like the VFL's mission to bring the biggest and baddest cage fighting to the MMA loyal fans.

"Just like OVW revitalized professional wrestling, so too will VFL revitalize the already booming sport of MMA!" the promotion states.

OVW was the previously development program for the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where pro wrestlers signed to development deals with the WWE honed their craft until an open spot was available on the actual WWE show.

The first VFL event, "Enter the Vyper's Pit", happens Friday, April 24 at the recently rechristened Vyper's Pit Arena in Louisville, Kentucky.

For more information about the promotion, please visit VFL's official website.

HARRISBURG — Coming soon: a mixed martial arts fight near you.

The State Athletic Commission has sanctioned the bouts, sometimes called "extreme fighting," which mix kickboxing, boxing, wrestling and martial arts. They're featured on Spike TV through the Ultimate Fighting Championship series.

Rules governing the sport take effect Friday, lifting a ban on such contests in Pennsylvania.

Drawing from a base of older boxing fans and a younger generation that grew up after boxing's heyday, such fights might surpass pugilism's popularity, said Joe Pritzi, 31, of Mt. Washington.

"This type of fighting shows a range of ability," said Pritzi, a black belt in tae kwan do.

"Once they approve the regulations, you'll probably see promoters coming out of the woodwork," predicted Karen Latta, who manages fighters at a Montgomery County academy.

Pennsylvania joins a growing number of states that permit mixed martial arts, including Nevada, New Jersey, Maryland, California, Florida and Ohio.

The State Athletic Commission expects four to five events a month.

Greg Sirb, the commission's executive director, said the fights can be held in small and large arenas. He expects facilities such as Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh and Bryce Jordan Center in State College to stage them.

Fighters typically square off in octagon-shaped cages. Winners knock out opponents, or gain a submission where the opponent concedes by "tapping out." Referees sometimes call bouts because fighters are too battered to continue.

Fighters wear light gloves but no headgear or shin guards in professional contests. In amateur bouts, they must wear shin guards, under the regulations, Sirb said.

Shows can mix amateur and pro bouts, but each show must have two pro bouts on the card, Sirb said.

Gov. Ed Rendell is ready to fight in the octagon, his spokesman quipped Monday.

"After six years of rough-and-tumble politics in Harrisburg, we believe (he) may be the most qualified to fight for the championship in this extreme sport," said Chuck Ardo, the governor's press secretary.

Santino Achille, owner of Steel City Martial Arts in Castle Shannon, said Pennsylvania's approval of the sport is exciting.

"I don't think there's a sport in the world that's growing faster," he said.

In the televised sport's early days, people would boo if combatants grappled on the ground longer than 30 seconds, as Achille's students learn to do.

"Now, when somebody changes on the ground, improves their position, they cheer," Achille said. "It's a very educated crowd."

Source: pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib

Dojo Fightgear sent out the following press release today:

Dojo Fightgear, the Official Sponsor for Ultimate Womens Combat!

Dojo Fightgear Inc, based in Oxnard, California is pleased to announce the release of our Series 2 collection of Mixed Martial Arts apparel. Along with being an official sponsor for the TV reality show Fight School, based in Lakewood, CA. Dojo Fightgear is also pleased to announce the proud sponsorship of a NEW Reality Show called Ultimate Women's Combat. This show will be hosted by none other than the MMA Legend Bas Rutten and the world's sexiest supermodel Joanna Krupa. The coaches selected for this groundbreaking show will be Cesar Gracie from the world famous Gracie Family, MMA sensations Tara LaRosa and Dr. Rosie Sexton. The show will cover the fastest growing sport and will mainly focus on showcasing the skills of Women's Mixed Martial Arts! In conjunction with Lyle Howry Productions, Ultimate Womens Combat along with Dojo Fightgear will be televised on a major network channel. So check us out www.dojofightgear.com for the latest news and apparel!.

Dojo Fightgear Inc. is a Mixed Martial Arts apparel company that supports the hard work and dedication that these Mixed Martial Artist's display in and out of the ring. We focus on discipline, determination and dedication. We believe that anything in life can be achieved and support the individuals that display this type of work ethic.

By: Erin Buller

The Cage Fights on Friday night helped raise about $800 for a local family, officials said Monday.

Wyoming Mixed Martial Arts held its Cage Fight fundraiser Friday at the Machine Shop to raise money for two-year old Tyler Roberts, who was in an accident at home on Nov. 23 and spent a month in Primary Children's Hospital undergoing three brain surgeries.

Tyler is on the mend now, his mother Janell Roberts said Friday.

But he's still in need of extensive physical therapy and home care and that's where WMMA stepped in.

Dave Lowe, a cage fight promotor with the WMMA, said they wanted to do something for this family and decided to donate 10 percent of Friday's Cage Fight earnings to the Roberts' family.

Lowe said Dedicate Clothing and Section 8 Clothing of Ogden also helped raise donations for Tyler's medical expenses.

"I'm overwhelmed with all the support the community has given us," Roberts said. "I want to say thank you to Dave for all of his efforts."

Roberts said she is employed with Jubilee. She is a single mother of two — Tyler and his five-year-old brother, Dieter.

Cage fighting is a mixed martial arts sport that combines boxing, wrestling, kickboxing and other forms of martial arts.

Friday's event included 17 individual fights, Lowe said.

He said he estimates about 1,200 people packed the Machine Shop, with about half of those coming in from Utah.

"The Evanston police let us take an intermission so people could move their cars to avoid tickets (it was so packed)," Lowe said. "This was the largest show I've ever done."

Source: UintaCountyHerald.com

Satoshi Ishii, the Beijing Olympic gold medalist in the men's over 100 kg judo division, announced on Monday that he has started his career as a professional mixed martial arts fighter.

"I'm a professional fighter from today," the 21-year-old judoka said at a press conference on Monday, where he made an official announcement about his new career. "To become the strongest of the world's six billion people has been my dream since I was little. I think mixed martial arts is the toughest combat sports."

Finally putting an end to all the commotion regarding his retirement from judo, Ishii showed no regret about his decision. He revealed that he had decided to quit judo before he was chosen as a representative for the Beijing Olympics. "You only get one life, and I don't want to have any regrets. I will start as a beginner in mixed martial arts," said Ishii.

Although Ishii said he had yet to decide on when to debut and which MMA organization to join, he is expected to take part in the DREAM fighting event alongside his high school senior Yoshihiro Akiyama.

Former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley's December mixed martial arts debut was in jeopardy because the company he is signed to -- the American Fight League (AFL) -- announced it is ceasing operations until the first quarter of 2009.

But, a local radio ads running in Miami, Florida are now advertising that Lashley will compete in his first official MMA bout on December 13th at an event promoted by Mixed Fight Alliance called "There Will Be Blood". The show will take place at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. No opponent has been announced yet.

Lashley signed a two-fight deal with an option for a third earlier this year, but like most of the other fighters under contract with the fledgling AFL promotion, he still has the freedom to fight in other organizations so long as it doesn't interfere with any AFL obligations.

From MMANews.com:

After making a name for himself in the world of professional wrestling, Bobby Lashley is now ready to test himself in the confines of the MMA world. At 6'3" and 250 lbs, this monster of force brings a wrestling background with him that has seen him capture 3 national titles and also have the honor of being a four time All American.

With his first fight on the horizon, Lashley talks to Chris Howie about how his training has gone and where he wants to see himself in this sport in this MMANews.com exclusive interview.

Chris Howie with MMANews.com: How has your transition into the MMA world been working out for you?

Bobby Lashley: I'll tell you what man, it's been going very well. Things have been going very smoothly. I've been training at different place but most recently I've been at American Top Team and running the gauntlet down there. When I am home in Denver I have been training my jiu-jitsu with people here. I wrestled for several years so the transition wasn't too bad because I was familiar with that level of training. Things have been working out really well.

MMANews.com: How have you adapted to adding striking and jiu-jitsu to your arsenal?

Bobby Lashley: From my evaluation at ATT I think it showed I have adapted very well. Wrestling and jiu-jitsu, to me, kind of goes hand in hand. If you have a good wrestling background, going to jiu-jitsu is not the most difficult thing to do. There is a level of learning the submissions which I have been working on but I think it has come along well. I have been working on my striking for about 7 months now, so that is coming along very well also. I'm pretty comfortable with where I am at now but I know there is another level that I can go to. But right now I am comfortable with what I have learned and comfortable with where I am going.

MMANews.com: You have been training with ATT, which is one of the best teams in North America, how have things been going for you there?

Bobby Lashley: I love it down there man. The trainers are really hands on. Marcus "Conan" Silveira has kind of taken me under his wing down there and been like a personal mentor of mine. He really has been showing me a lot and working with me on every aspect of the game. He really wants to see me do well. He was one of the first people to evaluate me down there. He liked what he saw and seen a tremendous amount of potential so that is not a bad person to have as a mentor. It's a great place to be with a great group of guys. Everybody is rooting for you to do well down there.

MMANews.com: What are the plans for your first fight?

Bobby Lashley: It's looking like December 13th will be the date. We have the contract on hand right now and we are just working out all the details but December 13th will be the date.

MMANews.com: Which organization will it be with?

Bobby Lashley: I am originally signed with the AFL but as everyone knows they have been going through some troubles right now in getting everything together and I have been waiting and put on the back burner a little bit. It will be in Miami, FL with one of the bigger MMA promotions there. Not one of the real big organizations like the UFC, EXC, or Strikeforce but it will be held at the American Airlines Arena so I can tell you that if it is being held at a venue like that it will be a big show.

MMANews.com: Are there any opponents lined up for you yet?

Bobby Lashley: It is all in the works right now. I have the contract but am waiting for approval from the AFL. We should have the approval today and then we will sign the contract.

MMANews.com: With the AFL running into the problems that they have along the way, which has meant your MMA debut would be put on hold, did you find that situation disappointing or was it a blessing in disguise so that you could continue to train more and learn new skills?

Bobby Lashley: Yeah it was good to be able to work on things a little bit more. I have no ego coming into this sport and I am a student of the game. I have a wrestling background which is my martial art but I have so much that I can learn. Like Brock (Lesnar) who had a name from being in a different business, there will be a lot of people coming around to watch me fight, when I do fight, so it is going to be harder for me to work my way up. I'm going to be pushed harder and higher a little quicker than a normal person coming into MMA. Getting to train for six more months was a blessing.

MMANews.com: What are your thoughts on the crowd atmosphere you will experience? You have been in front of huge crowds during wrestling events like Wrestlemania but do you think the MMA crowd will be different than that of pro wrestling?

Bobby Lashley: I'm sure the crowds will be a little different. When I was in the WWE I loved being in front of the crowds, the bigger the better. At Wrestlemania I was in front of 85,000 people and at my first WWE match I was in front of 17,000 so I'm sure things will be different but being in front of the crowd isn’t something I will be nervous about.

MMANews.com: What does have you nervous going into your first fight?

Bobby Lashley: Just the competition. I wrestled for 18 years and there is a level of nerves that go into every match. My coaches always told me if you are not nervous you are not ready. So, I'm completely confident going into the fight but there are going to be some nerves. It will be my first MMA match and it's not going to be just wrestling it is going to be everything. There will be a lot of pressure on me as well because a lot of people will be watching saying "Oh this is Bobby Lashley, will he sink or will he swim?" So, that is in the back of my mind but I welcome all of this and I am really confident because of the training I am getting. So I will be a little nervous but after I get in there and throw a couple punches and get fired up a little bit and get some contact those nerves will be gone and I will be in the right mind frame.

MMANews.com: Does the pressure of having a name coming into a sport like MMA get to your head?

Bobby Lashley: Yeah I definitely think I have some pressure but that comes with the territory and I knew that coming into it. I knew that with the wrestling background a lot of the fans I had with the WWE are going to want to see what I can do and I know that the MMA fans are going to question me because I do have the pro wrestling background. I don't mind it. I am going into this as a MMA fighter so there will be wins and losses and I know that is going to happen. What I am going to do is prepare myself for this and I am going to be ready for every fight that I have.

MMANews.com: What is your amateur wrestling background?

Bobby Lashley: In High School I won the High School Championships. When I went to college I was a three time National Champion and a four time All-American. Afterwards I went to the Olympic Training Center and I trained there for a little while. I wrestled on the Army team and I was an Armed Forces Champion a couple times. I also went to the World Championships and won a silver medal there.

MMANews.com: So you got game..

Bobby Lashley: I am bringing a tremendous amount of thunder.

MMANews.com: What are your goals in MMA?

Bobby Lashley: I want to hold the title and be a champion. Everyone knows the UFC is the elite of MMA and if that is where I end up that is where I want to be a champion. I see myself with the athletic ability I have and the mind frame that I have and everything I else I bring to this sport I think that I am going to be there and I will be one of the top guys in the sport at heavyweight no matter what organization I am in.

MMANews.com: How big will you be coming into your fights?

Bobby Lashley: Well my weight has been fluctuating because of my training but right now I am around 255 lbs. The lightest I will come in at is 250 lbs and the heaviest will be around 260 lbs.

MMANews.com: So cutting weight will not be an issue for you?

Bobby Lashley: No not at all. That was one thing I did kind of think about when I started going in and training because my training has been really tough. I'm the type of person to over train. I do my boxing and kickboxing and my grappling and then I am doing my cardio and watching submission tournaments and MMA at the same time so I am always training. When I got into it I thought about making it down to 205 lbs because I used to wrestle at 211 lbs and that wasn't a hard cut for me. Right now I'm eating everything in site to stay at 250 lbs but I feel comfortable at heavyweight because I feel I am strong enough and I am quick enough for heavyweight. If weight does keep shedding off me than I may possibly look at 205 lbs.

MMANews.com: Do you feel that with the credentials you do have people should not be overlooking you because of your WWE background?

Bobby Lashley: Some of the hardcore MMA fans, and I don't want to bad mouth anyone but they can be kind of…I don't know, ignorant. Sure, I took my time and I went to the WWE but would I take that back? No because I made a lot of money and was able to do a lot of things for my family that I never thought I would be able to do. I think the MMA fans are not realizing what I did before that. I busted my ass for years in wrestling and have accomplished things that not a lot of people have accomplished in the sport of wrestling and they can't take that away from me. Some of the MMA fans go and take a jiu-jitsu class and they think they have more credibility than someone that spent there life around a sport like wrestling. I think with me going to ATT I am showing the dedication I have to this sport and when I start fighting I will show people that I am not just a WWE pro wrestler coming to this sport and that I am actually a student of the game trying to win titles.

MMANews.com: Is Brock Lesnar helping to change people's perception on a former WWE wrestler making the transition to MMA with a solid amateur wrestling background?

Bobby Lashley: I think Brock is just that kind of guy and you have to respect him for it. He came in there and knew he had the WWE stigma on his back but he took on tough competition right off the bat and I think people are starting to realize that. Yeah he is a big guy, but he is learning and doing really well and with this title fight against Randy Couture he has another chance to prove himself.

MMANews.com:Who do you see winning that fight?

Bobby Lashley: Brock is a big dude man. Randy is a really really great fighter but if he comes in at around 220 lbs you are looking at a 60 lbs different. That is hard to even out. It is going to be hard to beat Brock if you are that small. Brock is an athlete and he isn't a slouch. You are facing a 280 lbs athlete when you fight Brock.

MMANews.com: With a couple of solid victories on the independent shows, do you feel the UFC could come calling?

Bobby Lashley: The UFC won't come calling me, I will come for the UFC. I am going to prove myself and I am going to show them what I can do. If they want me that is where I will be going.

MMANews.com: Great Bobby, I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me today and I am looking forward to your MMA debut.

Bobby Lashley: Thank You.

We've been down this road before but maybe this time former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Champion Kurt Angle is serious. He recently spoke to SunSport saying, "I'm talking to several fight companies about doing MMA by the end of next year."

Even though he's in talks with several "fight companies", it's almost clear that he only wants to compete in the UFC.

"I've always wanted to do it. I'm the only Olympic gold medalist that will enter the Octagon and it feels right for me," Angle continued.

He did say that he's received offers from several promotions like Affliction and EliteXC, but those aren't the promotions that he has his eye on. "I can almost guarantee you're going to see me in the Octagon," he proclaimed.

So, if that's gonna be true, we will see Kurt Angle compete in the UFC in 2009.

Eric Hibler, one of the trainers at the Pittsburgh Fight Club in Kurt Angle's hometown in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania tells that Angle has been training and would like to have at least one mixed martial arts fight before he is unable to.

"Kurt is an international superstar with a very busy schedule. When Kurt is in town he does train here," Hibler revealed.

"He's very low profile and easy to talk to. Everyone likes him and he's the man when it comes to fired-up hard workouts."

"Kurt is an amazing open-minded individual and his ability to focus on a task is world class, no matter what we are working on. However, MMA even though it relates, is very different from wrestling."

"Kurt must relearn strategy and tactics for better game play with real fighting. On the other hand, Kurt is a trainer's dream. He was born to train and compete."

"For now, his wrestling gives him excellent penetration ability for takedown transitions and a strong ground sense to help his positioning for ground and pound and submission set-ups," added him.

"Kurt's planning to participate in at least one MMA fight when he gets the right offer."

"To date he has not signed with any fight promotion."

Some sources reported that Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling superstar Kurt Angle is now training twice a week in mixed martial arts (MMA) at Eric Hibler’s Pittsburgh Fight Club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

A bill regulating mixed martial arts in Arizona was signed into law Monday by Governor Janet Napolitano. The law will direct the Arizona Boxing Commission to adopt rules for unarmed combat consistent with the unified rules for MMA, which means the commission will be able to allow closed fist punches and elbows on the ground in addition to other regulations. The law takes effect 90 days after the legislative session ends.

"I am extremely pleased that we were able to agree on a bill that will effectively promote commerce and bring a very popular sport to the state," said the bill's sponsor, Republican Jonathan Paton, in a news release.

The Arizona Daily Star described Paton as a "mixed martial arts enthusiast who first learned about the sport as an Army reservist and continued to follow it while stationed in Iraq".

Ken Shamrock offered his support through the legislative process. "Arizona becomes the next state to welcome mixed martial arts, the world's fastest growing sport," he said in a statement. "I was very fortunate to work with the Arizona Legislature, including Republican Jonathan Paton and Senate Chief of Staff Victor Riches, as well as with John Montano, the associate director of the Boxing Commission on this bill. Now the fans can enjoy, and the fighters can participate in MMA events in their home state, and I am extremely excited about the prospect of bringing professional MMA events to Arizona."