The K-1 Dynamite!! bout on New Year's Eve between Shinya Aoki (picture) and Eddie Alvarez will determine the first ever World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) Lightweight Champion.

With just a few days to go before the show, it's been made official by press release that WAMMA will recognize the winner of the bout between Aoki and Alvarez as their lightweight champion. The press release also states that the winner will not receive the physical belt at the event, but it will be presented to them in a ceremony at a later date.

"New Year's Eve is rich in both history and tradition for combat sports in Japan," WAMMA Chief Operating Officer Michael Lynch said. "FEG officials have put together an amazing night of fights and WAMMA is looking forward to recognizing the winner of the Aoki versus Alvarez fight as our first ever lightweight champion."

Aoki and Alvarez would have met in the finals of the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix 2008, but Alvarez sustained an eye injury in his win earlier that night against Tatsuya Kawajiri. This brought in Joachim Hansen, who won the reserve bout, to step in for Alvarez. Hansen then defeated Aoki by TKO to become the first DREAM Lightweight Champion.

In the WAMMA rankings, Aoki is ranked number two in the lightweight division while Alvarez is ranked number three. UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn is ranked number one.

"WAMMA's board of directors supports the WAMMA pollsters in their recognition of BJ Penn as the number one rated lightweight fighter in the world," Lynch said. "However, Penn has not fought since May 24 and isn't scheduled to compete again until January 31. His January 31 fight will be contested at welterweight against Georges St. Pierre for the UFC's 170-pound crown. If Penn wins, UFC President Dana White has already stated that Penn's next fight will be a welterweight title defense against Thiago Alves. Needless to say, Penn's future as a regular competitor in the lightweight division is uncertain."

Lynch continued by saying that if Penn's returns to lightweight, WAMMA would approach the UFC to facilitate a fight between Penn and the WAMMA Lightweight Champion. However, that's only wishful thinking as the UFC has strongly opposed cooperating with WAMMA.

WAMMA is an independent sanctioning organization for mixed martial arts, with their own fighter rankings and championships. Earlier this year, Fedor Emelianenko became the first and only current WAMMA titleholder when he submitted Tim Sylvia in 36 seconds at Affliction: Banned. Fedor holds the WAMMA heavyweight title.

UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 fight card is perhaps the most anticipated of the year, featuring two title bouts and a third grudge match between MMA superstars Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

In one of the title bouts, Michigan State University's own former wrestling star Rashad Evans will go for the light heavyweight title against defending champion Forrest Griffin.

The other title bout features Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira against Frank Mir for the interim heavyweight title and the right to fight Brock Lesnar for the true heavyweight title down the line.

Here are the results for the event which took place at the MGM Grand Garden arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on last Saturday, December 27, 2008:

• "Sugar" Rashad Evans def. Forrest Griffin by TKO at 2:46 of Round 3

• Frank Mir def. Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira by TKO at 1:54 of Round 2

• CB "The Doberman" Dollaway def. Mike "The Master of Disaster" Massenzio by TKO at 3:01 of Round 1

• Quinton "Rampage" Jackson def. Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva by KO at 3:21 of Round 1

• Cheick Kongo def. Mostapha Al Turk by TKO at 4:37 of Round 1

• Yushin "Thunder" Okami def. Dean "The Boogeyman" Lister by unanimous decision

• Antoni Hardonk def. Mike "The Juggernaut" Wessel by TKO at 2:09 of Round 2

• Matt "The Hammer" Hamill def. Reese Andy by TKO at 2:19 of Round 2

• "Bad" Brad Blackburn def. Ryo "Piranha" Chonan by unanimous decision

• Pat "HD" Barry def. Dan "The Viking" Evensen by TKO at 2:36 of Round 1

UFC 92 will come to us live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, December 27, 2008. It will be called "The Ultimate 2008". Namely, that coming in it looks like the best MMA card of the year.

This event is the ultimate event of the year with the original Ultimate Fighter Forrest Griffin defending his title against "Sugar" Rashad Evans. Then the Ultimate Fighter coaches face off as Interim World Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira takes on former Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. Plus, two of the hardest hitting light heavyweight fighters go toe-to-toe when Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva battles former Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

Here is the fight card for the event:

• Forrest Griffin vs "Sugar" Rashad Evans

• Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira vs Frank Mir

• CB "The Doberman" Dollaway vs Mike "The Master of Disaster" Massenzio

• Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva vs Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

• Cheick Kongo vs Mostapha Al Turk

• Yushin "Thunder" Okami vs Dean "The Boogeyman" Lister

• Antoni Hardonk vs Mike "The Juggernaut" Wessel

• Matt "The Hammer" Hamill vs Reese Andy

• Ryo "Piranha" Chonan vs "Bad" Brad Blackburn

• Dan "The Viking" Evensen vs Pat "HD" Barry

Georges St-Pierre is to MMA like Sidney Crosby is to hockey or Kobe Bryant is to basketball. He is just on a whole different level.

Georges St-Pierre winning Sportnet's 2008 Athlete of the Year is not only an incredible achievement for the sport of MMA, but for GSP himself; just another chapter in what will surely be a UFC Hall of Fame career.

I remember Georges' debut and thinking to myself how impressive he was against UFC veteran Ivan Mengivar. He then proceeded to defeat one of my training partners at the time, Justin Bruckmann to win his first title, in what was only his second pro MMA bout. After his brutal victory over Pride veteran Travis Galbraith in his third fight, it was his fourth pro fight when it hit me; GSP was something truly special and I was witnessing something legendary unfold right before my eyes.

When GSP was originally matched up against Thomas 'The Wildman' Denny, I vividly recall voting down this match-up as I thought Georges was over-matched. Denny was 10-9 and had fought some big names coming into this bout. He had quite the name for himself and I just felt Georges wasn't ready for such a big challenge so early on in his career. How wrong I was.

Georges proceeded to dismantle Denny and crush the veteran en route to a TKO victory in the second round. The turning point for me was GSP's double leg entry in the first round as well as all of his takedowns and ground control. I thought to myself "this guy is on another level". He was simply too much for a fighter I had high regards for. It was like Georges was the veteran and Denny was the younger fighter. It not only opened my eyes to how good GSP was but it was a defining moment in my own MMA career as I was watching the birth of a legend less than five feet from where I was sitting.

Georges continued to develop his game and just got better and better. It wasn't like he was making baby steps in his development; he was making drastic improvements to his striking game, his takedown and throws, as well as his positional control on the ground. He would take control of the fight and never let his opponent catch up. Georges would start in fifth gear and never ease off the gas pedal.

Georges has set the standard for what 'rhythm' is in an MMA fight. His pace is relentless and often gets the better of his opponents as they just cannot keep up. They eventually begin to slow down giving Georges the opening he uses to finish the fight. Whether it's a left high kick to the head, or a left hook to set up a takedown, he is ruthless until he gets what he wants in the fight. As it stands right now, he is part of a select group of MMA fighters that are the gold standard and what the future of MMA will look like.

I often get asked to debate the merits of MMA fighters and whether or not they are true athletes. In all of my arguments, I bring up GSP. Here's a guy who trains with pro level boxers, not just your average recreational athlete at a boxing gym. He trains with Canada's Wrestling Team, not the local high school or college team. He travels to Brazil to work on his Jiu-Jitsu game; in essence, he is always training and sparring with world class, single discipline athletes. He does all of this because he is a multi-combat sport athlete and in order to achieve and maintain his level of dominance, he has to be exceptional at all levels of MMA, both offensively and defensively.

Right now, there are only a handful of MMA fighters that are on a true elite level. I am talking about fighters who can win by knockout, who can take the fight to the ground at will and can submit their opponent in the blink of an eye. There's Fedor Emelianenko, Anderson Silva, BJ Penn and Georges St-Pierre.

GSP, along with the aforementioned champions are ahead of their time. They are what the next generation of fighter will look like. They are great at all disciplines, are difficult to defeat and can win a bout at any given point in time. They can out box their opponent, they have exceptional takedown defence and if they choose, will take their opponent down to finish the fight with some ground and pound or a submission. They are the gold standard and are the living blueprint of what will be in years to come.

2008 may have been the year of GSP, but in 2009, he may just take it to a whole other level. Should GSP go undefeated in 2009, he will reach superstar status greater than what Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture did in their careers. On tap for GSP right now is a super-fight with BJ Penn in January, followed by a mandatory title defence against #1 contender Thiago Alves and then the unbelievable. Should he go undefeated against the latter, UFC President Dana White has publicly stated that a super-fight with Anderson Silva would follow suit.

If the stars align and this super-fight between GSP and Silva were to actually take place, and should Georges be victorious in that bout, I cannot begin to imagine how monstrous his worth would actually be to the UFC marketing machine. Add to all of this the fact that he has signed on with the CAA Talent Agency and we may not only see a repeat next year, but a true pop icon born in 2009.

Taken from: Sportsnet.ca

Bob Sapp fought a comedian at last year's Dynamite!! New Year's Eve event, and he will return this year with an even more unlikey opponent, which is a cartoon character.

FEG, the parent company of K-1 and DREAM, announced today that Sapp will take on a fighter under DREAM rules by the name of Kinniku Mantaro, a character out of the manga and anime series "Ultimate Muscle".

The fighter portraying Mantaro is a heavyweight that has been training at Kazushi Sakuraba's gym.

Only two days after Satoshi Ishii made it clear his interest in fighting for the UFC, UFC President Dana White has extended his hand to the 2008 Olympic judo gold medalist.

According to a report on Nikkan Sports, White released a statement two days ago through WOWOW, which televises UFC events in Japan, saying that Ishii has the potential to become a great mixed martial arts fighter. White applauded Ishii's decision to fight in the UFC and invited the judoka to Las Vegas to watch UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 on December 27, to which Ishii has accepted.

Ishii said on Wednesday that he wants to fight for the UFC instead of DREAM and plans to go in March to train with the American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida for his mixed martial arts debut sometime late 2009.

After a year of impressive wins including reclaiming the UFC Welterweight Champion, Georges "Rush" St. Pierre has been nominated for Canadian Athlete of the Year by Sportsnet.ca, one of Canada's leading sports websites.

Sportsnet's other nominees are Calgary Flames' captain Jarome Iginla, Minnesota Twins' All-Star Justin Morneau, tennis player Daniel Nestor and Paralympic wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc.

St. Pierre's year was highlighted by his second round TKO victory over Matt Serra in Montreal in April and a unanimous decision win over Jon Fitch in August.

Former UFC, IFL and WEC middleweight fighter Justin Levens and his wife were found dead on Wednesday afternoon. The bodies of Levens and Sarah McLean-Levens were found in their condominium in Laguna Niguel, California by the woman's mother, who then called authorities, according to Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Authorities said the bodies were found in a bedroom and a gun was also found at the scene.

Amormino said homicide investigators are looking into the case as a possible murder and suicide. There were no signs of a struggle, he said.

Levens fought in several different MMA promotions over the past few years including UFC, IFL and WEC. The former Marco Ruas' Vale Tudo student was scheduled to compete at Affliction: Banned in July of this year, but due to delays at the event, the fight was scrapped at the last minute. He later returned positive results for the painkiller Oxymorphone as part of his pre-fight drug testing. He was fined $1,000 and suspended until January 15, 2009.

Levens (9-8) had a promising career early on, winning his first seven fights and landing himself in the UFC, but he was never able to string together more than two wins from that point on. Levens's career ends on a five-fight losing streak and eight losses out of his last ten fights.

Coincidentally enough, Levens had actually once fought the late Evan Tanner at UFC 59. Tanner also found dead earlier this year due to dehydration in a California desert.

Levens, born in Philadelphia on April 18, 1980, was 28 at the time of his death. His wife, Sarah, was 25.

We also want to send out our sincere apologies to the Levens' family, friends and relatives.

TOKYO (AFP) — Japan's Olympic judo heavyweight champion Satoshi Ishii plans to join the US-based Ultimate Fighting Championship next year, bypassing domestic competitions.

The 21-year-old university student disappointed Japan's judo circles last month when he announced a switch to the cash-laden world of mixed martial arts three months after his gold-medal feat in his Olympic debut in Beijing.

"I have had UFC on my mind as my ultimate goal," Ishii was quoted as saying by the Nikkan Sports daily Wednesday.

"I had thought about fighting a few matches in Japan at first. But if this were train travel, my credentials would be an express ticket. I wonder why I should bother to go by a slow train," he said.

Ishii said UFC was "what (US) Major Leagues are to baseball."

"There are many strong fighters in the heavyweight rank. I think it's the real thing."

But Ishii, due to graduate from Tokyo's Kokushikan University in March, said he had not yet started talks with UFC.

UFC, packaged as a no-holds-barred sport with matches fought in a octagonal caged ring, is considered the largest mixed martial arts promotion in the world with growing popularity worldwide via television.

"I want to go to the United States around next March and make sure I can get used to the environment and go on without accumulating stress," he told the daily. "I'll make my debut next summer or autumn at the earliest."

Ishii, relatively small for a judo heavyweight at 181 centimetres (six feet) and 110 kilograms (240 pounds), has long expressed his wish to compete in mixed martial arts, which combines techniques from judo, karate, kick-boxing and wrestling.

He had been reportedly lured by DREAM and other Japanese mixed martial arts organisations.

Ishii was one of the only two Japanese who made the podium in men's judo as Japan registered a record-low Olympic medal haul in the sport at the Beijing Games.

Japan's judo establishment fears that Ishii, who has irritated judo purists with his no-holds-barred style, could inspire others to follow him into a sport full of colourful figures, in which his earnings could easily top 100 million yen (one million dollars) per match. (AFP)

World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) bantamweight fighter Will Ribeiro was in a motorcycle accident early Tuesday morning and is currently comatose in a hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to a report by Frank Curreri on WEC.tv.

Ribeiro's manager, Ed Soares, confirmed the news.

Soares said one of his assistants in Brazil told him Ribeiro was riding as a passenger on the motorcycle and was not wearing a helmet. The street they were riding on was slick due to rain. Ribeiro was rushed to a local hospital and underwent emergency surgery.

"My assistant said that the doctor said for sure that he (Ribeiro) has lost sight in one of his eyes," Soares told WEC.tv. "He's still in a coma. After surgery the doctor said there is a 50-50 shot that he will come out of it (survive)."

Ribeiro (10-2), launched his professional career five years ago in his native Brazil. After a 9-1 start to his career, which included a 3-0 mark in Shooto, he made his WEC debut with a split decision victory over Chase Beebe in June.

Ribeiro currently ranked No. 7 in the world at 135 pounds, competed recently at WEC 37 in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 3, where he lost by submission to No. 2 ranked Brian Bowles.

The 25-year-old Brazilian is an extremely well-rounded fighter who grew up poor and lost his father at the age of 2. His mother also died, leaving Ribeiro to raise his 12-year-old sister.

"He's a very positive guy, very hard-working, a good person," Soares said of Ribeiro to WEC.tv. "He had had a very rough life. His mother passed away like seven years ago and he took over the care of his younger sister. He's like a father-brother-mother to her... I'm still crushed right now."

Three-time K-1 World Grand Prix and current K-1 Super Heavyweight Champion Semmy Schilt will return to fighting under MMA rules on the big stage at FieLDS Dynamite!! 2008 on New Year's Eve at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Schilt (25-14-1 in MMA) has found greater success in K-1 but has had an extensive career as a mixed martial artist. Beginning with Pancrase, Schilt moved onto the UFC and then PRIDE FC. His last major MMA appearance was at a K-1 HERO'S event in August 2006, where he won via triangle choke against Kim Min-soo. He fought in January of this year, knocking out a relatively unknown opponent at an event in Serbia.

In one of the three bouts added on Tuesday to the card, Schilt will face fellow K-1 fighter Mighty Mo. Mighty Mo, a Samoan-American kickboxer, has only three professional MMA bouts to his credit, winning all three by TKO or KO, and this will mark his first MMA action in a year and a half. Schilt and Mighty Mo have fought before under K-1 kickboxing rules. Schilt defeated Mo by decision in a K-1 Super Heavyweight title bout in June 2007.

The other two additions are Yoshihiro Sato vs Artur Kyshenko in a K-1 bout and Hideo Tokoro vs Daisuke Nakamura in a MMA bout.

There are also two previously announced high profile lightweight MMA bouts on the card. Joachim Hansen, who won the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix earlier this year, will fight Gesias Calvancante and Shinya Aoki will square off with Eddie Alvarez.

Here is the current fight card for FieLDS Dynamite!! 2008:

• Semmy Schilt vs Mighty Mo (DREAM rules)

• Hideo Tokoro vs Daisuke Nakamura (DREAM rules)

• Yoshihiro Sato vs Artur Kyshenko (K-1 rules)

• Jerome LeBanner vs Mark Hunt (DREAM rules)

• Shinya Aoki vs Eddie Alvarez (DREAM rules)

• Kozo Takeda vs Tatsuya Kawajiri (K-1 rules)

• Musashi vs Gegard Mousasi (K-1 rules)

• Kazushi Sakuraba vs Kiyoshi Tamura (DREAM rules)

• Joachim Hansen vs Gesias "JZ Calvan" Calvancante (DREAM rules)

• HIROYA vs Shota Shimada (K-1 KOSHIEN Semifinal/K-1 rules)

• Ryuya Kusakabe vs Koya Urabe (K-1 KOSHIEN Semifinal/K-1 rules)

• Winner of HIROYA/Shimada vs Winner of Kusakabe/Urabe (K-1 KOSHIEN Final/K-1 rules)

UFC light heavyweight fighter Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch has signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC and is ready to get back to competition.

Boetsch made his big league debut in the International Fight League (IFL) as a late replacement to fight Belarusian MMA veteran Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko. He was given three days to prepare for the match, and fought the future champion to a decision. After this performance, Boetsch made his UFC debut at UFC 81: Breaking Point as a late replacement to fight David Heath. He was given ten days to prepare for the fight, and won by TKO in the first round. Boetsch received particular acclaim and a fan following for the way he threw Heath onto his head at the end of the fight. Boetsch next made his main card debut in the UFC as a replacement to fight Matt Hamill at UFC Fight Night 13 with six weeks to prepare for the fight. Though he opened a large gash on Hammill's lower lip, he found himself winded in the second round, leading to a TKO loss due to stikes from the ground.

Boetsch fought submission specialist Mike Patt at UFC 88: Breakthrough. For the first time in four fights, he did not enter the bout as a replacement for another fighter. he won by TKO in the 1st round.

Boetsch anticipates a March return to competition, though he is unsure of his next opponent. He is currently training at his gym, Triple Threat, in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.

"I'm real stoked," said Boetsch. "I'm excited to get back in there, secure my job for another year; that's always a good thing. I'm looking forward to getting in there and showing people the new an improved 'Barbarian'. And just continue to gain that experience and climb up the ladder."

Former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley won his mixed martial arts debut Saturday night at Mixed Fighting Alliance's inaugural show "There Will Be Blood" at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.

Lashley took down and rained down right hands against fellow MMA newcomer Joshua Franklin, opening a cut that led to the fight being stopped 41 seconds into the fight.

Lashley, who trains with the American Top Team, is a former National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Wrestling Champion.

In the main event of the card, ten-year MMA veteran Jeff "The Snowman" Monson avenged a TKO loss to Ricco Rodriguez from UFC 35: Throwdown in 2002 by winning a unanimous decision against the former UFC Heavyweight Champion.

One of the biggest friends of Gesias Cavalcante in American Top Team, Jorge Santiago is training for his fight at Sengoku, in January, when he takes a shot against Kazuo Misaki for the middleweight title. Set to fight in Japan in January 4th, Jorge Santiago will follow Gesias in his fight at K-1 Dynamite, against Joachim Hansen, champion of the DREAM lightweight GP.

"Gesias is a monster! He's training in a way that sometimes I don't know where he takes so energy (laughs). He's training to don't happen any surprises at the fight, he's with the ground, striking and wrestling well-trained… You can wait that he'll give a great show," guarantees Santiago, that discards the ambience of revenge between the fighters, that faced themselves in Shooto, in 2004, and finished with victory of the Norwegian. "I don't see it like a revenge, but like a new meeting. Gesias in that time was very young, that was his third professional fight and, of that time for now, he has changed a lot, like Hansen did."

If in the first meeting between the fighters Hansen won, Jorge has not doubts in his bets. "I can tell you certainly that the fight will be completely different. If somebody tells me that Hansen is two times better today, I can assert you that Gesias is ten times better than before (laughs)," guarantees Jorge, who continues in Japan after the fight of Gesias, to fight with Misaki in Sengoku and still support the team partner Antônio Bigfoot against Yoshihiro Nakao, in the same night.

Taken from: tatame.com

Former UFC heavyweight fighter Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum recently said during an interview that he has nothing definitive in terms of a potential contract after being released by the UFC. The Brazilian mixed martial artist did go on to make a comment regarding Affliction Entertainment though saying, "Affliction is promising more than 16 shows in 2009, mainly do not claiming exclusivity."

The starting point would obviously be January 24th "Day of Reckoning", but beyond that, nobody's heard anything.

We do know that the Affliction's roster goes as deep as January's card but they do have the capabilities to sign more fighters as the promotion moves forward.

K-1 World GP 2008 Final took place a little earlier this Saturday at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan.

It was an enjoyable event, filled with nonstop action. Unfortunately, it was marred by a bizarre and unsatisfying ending.

Yes, a bizarre and unsatifying ending. It was happen when Badr Hari pulled Remy Bonjasky to the ground in Round 2 and continued to pummel Bonjasky and even tried to stomp on his face.

It was truly shocking, especially seeing as he might of cost himself the whole tournament. Hari was given a yellow card for his "insanity" and fined 10% of his purse.

Bonjasky was given 5 minutes to recover but was still seeing double after the time elapsed. So, the referee called the match and disqualified Hari for his actions and talkabout a disappointing ending to an otherwise great event.

When all was said and done, Bonjasky was crowned the K-1 World GP Champion for a third time in his career.

This event also featured EliteXC fighter Kimbo Slice as guest commentator.

Here are the official results for K-1 World GP 2008 Final:

• Opening Fight #1: Taisei Ko (Japan/Kyokushin Kaikan) def. TAKERU (Japan/Seido Kaikan) by unanimous decision

• Opening Fight #2: Mitsugu Noda (Japan/Silver Ax) def. Tsutomu Takahagi (Japan/Team Dragon) by KO at 2:49 of Round 2

• Fight #1: K-1 World GP 2008 Quarterfinal #1: Badr Hari (Morocco/Show Time) def. Peter Aerts (Holland/Team Aerts) by TKO at 1:39 of Round 2

• Fight #2: K-1 World GP 2008 Quarterfinal #2: Errol Zimmerman (Suriname/Golden Glory) def. Ewerton Teixeira (Brazil/Kyokushin Kaikan) by split decision

• Fight #3: K-1 World GP 2008 Quarterfinal #3: Gokhan Saki (Turkey/Team Rebel) def. Ruslan Karaev (Russia) by unanimous decision

• Fight #4: K-1 World GP 2008 Quarterfinal #4: Remy Bonjasky (Holland/Team Bonjasky) def. Jerome LeBanner (France/LeBanner Xtream Team) by TKO at 1:46 of Round 3

• Fight #5: Reserve Fight #1: Ray Sefo (New Zealand/Ray Sefo Fight Academy) def. Choi Hong-man (Republic of Korea) by unanimous decision

• Fight #6: Reserve Fight #2: Melvin Manhoef (Holland/Mike's Gym) def. Paul Slowinski (Australia/Team Mr. Perfect) by Ko at 2:26 of Round 1

• Fight #7: K-1 World GP 2008 Semifinal #1: Badr Hari (Morocco/Show Time) def. Errol Zimmerman (Suriname/Golden Glory) by KO at 2:15 of Round 3

• Fight #8: K-1 World GP 2008 Semifinal #2: Remy Bonjasky (Holland/Team Bonjasky) def. Gokhan Saki (Turkey/Team Rebel) by KO at 0:53 or Round 2

• Fight #9: K-1 World GP 2008 Final: Remy Bonjasky (Holland/Team Bonjasky) def. Badr Hari (Morocco/Show Time) by disqualification at 0:53 of Round 2

FieLDS K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 Final will be held at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan on Saturday evening. The event will start at 5 PM in Japan time. Here is the fight card for the event:

• Opening Fight #1: TAKERU (Japan/Seido Kaikan) vs Taisei Ko (Japan/Kyokushin Kaikan)

• Opening Fight #2: Mitsugu Noda (Japan/Silver Ax) vs Tsutomu Takahagi (Japan/Team Dragon)

• Fight #1: K-1 World GP 2008 Quarterfinal #1: Peter Aerts (Holland/Team Aerts) vs Badr Hari (Morocco/Show Time)

• Fight #2: K-1 World GP 2008 Quarterfinal #2: Errol Zimmerman (Suriname/Golden Glory) vs Ewerton Teixeira (Brazil/Kyokushin Kaikan)

• Fight #3: K-1 World GP 2008 Quarterfinal #3: Gokhan Saki (Turkey/Team Rebel) vs Ruslan Karaev (Russia)

• Fight #4: K-1 World GP 2008 Quarterfinal #4: Remy Bonjasky (Holland/Team Bonjasky) vs Jerome LeBanner (France/LeBanner Xtream Team)

• Fight #5: Reserve Fight #1: Choi Hong-man (Republic of Korea) vs Ray Sefo (New Zealand/Ray Sefo Fight Academy)

• Fight #6: Reserve Fight #2: Paul Slowinski (Australia/Team Mr. Perfect) vs Melvin Manhoef (Holland/Mike's Gym)

• Fight #7: K-1 World GP 2008 Semifinal #1: winner of Quarterfinal #1 vs winner of Quarterfinal #2

• Fight #8: K-1 World GP 2008 Semifinal #2: winner of Quarterfinal #3 vs winner of Quarterfinal #4

• Fight #9: K-1 World GP 2008 Final: winner of Semifinal #1 vs winner of Semifinal #2

Many sources reported that Brett "The Grim" Rogers has been contacted by Affliction regarding a possible bout with Josh "The Babyface Assassin" Barnett (picture) on January 24 "Day of Reckoning" card at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Rogers is most known for his three impressive wins in the -- now bankrupt promotion -- EliteXC as well as calling out Kimbo Slice at a post-fight press conference.

Many believed that Rogers was next in line to fight Kimbo Slice if Slice had beaten Seth Petruzelli. Instead Rogers finds himself looking for another promotion to work with.

Barnett currently has no opponents for "Day of Reckoning" after being pulled out of the main event when Fedor Emelianenko returned to the card.

Originally intended as a day for a union of boxing and MMA fights, January 24 will now see separate pay-per-view cards from Golden Boy and Affliction promotion.

ESPN.com reported Monday night that the Antonio Margarito vs "Sugar" Shane Mosley welterweight boxing fight under Golden Boy and Top Rank promotions will happen after all on January 24 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will be officially announced at a news conference on December 6.

Affliction and Golden Boy announced in September that the two promotions had entered a partnership that could lead to four MMA/boxing events in 2009.

Golden Boy will still present the Affliction: Day of Reckoning event on January 24, but the scheduling of a boxing card on the same day could be a sign that the promotion doesn't think much of crossover potential between MMA and boxing fans.

After competing in the three legendary light heavyweight fights, former UFC champions Randy "The Natural" Couture and Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell (picture) could now meet during a heavyweight encounter at a June 13, 2009 event in Cologne, Germany.

The report comes from the UK based The Sun, which cites UFC officials as saying Liddell has been offered the heavyweight main event.

The Natural recently lost his heavyweight title to Brock Lesnar at UFC 91. Liddell, meanwhile, has dropped three of his four past fights at light heavyweight, but he's made no public statement regarding a potential move up to heavyweight division.

A source said that Couture is open to his fourth fight againsts Liddell, but we've been unable to confirm is the fight has been offered to Liddell.

With the event apparently in the works for Germany, it should come as little surprise that the UFC invited a small contingent of German press to UFC 91 to see Couture's main event with Lesnar. The 45-year-old Couture speaks German and has long been considered a likely headliner once the UFC does head to Germany, a market UFC officials have continually mentioned as a site for future expansion.

Couture and Liddell took part in a popular trilogy of fights that played out between 2003 and 2006. Couture scored a TKO in Round 3 at UFC 43 to win the first match-up for the interim heavyweight title (the former champion Tito Ortiz had been stripped of the title), but the 38-year-old Liddell won back the belt and made a successful title defense over Couture with two KO wins at UFC 52 and UFC 57.

With Liddell potentially tied up with the Germany event, he is apparently no longer being considered as an opponent for Anderson Silva at UFC 95 in London, England.

The Sun reported the possibility of the match, and though not opposed to the fight, Silva's manager, Ed Soares, last week told that UFC had not officially approached them about it.

The newspaper now reports that Silva, who is the current UFC Middleweight Champion, could instead meet one of the losers from UFC 92's two marquee 205-pound fights: UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin vs Rashad Evans or Wanderlei Silva vs Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

The fight would take place at 205 pounds as a non-title affair.

In the ever expanding "quest for the best" ADCC Championships is proud to announce that two of the World's top fighters have agreed to compete in the 2009 ADCC event. ADCC is proud to announce that PRIDE and Affliction Champion Fedor Emelianenko, widely considered the World's best fighter and 2008 DREAM Middleweight Champion Gregard Mousassi are set to compete in ADCC 2009. ADCC Europe President Marko Leistén confirmed the fighter's presence after a meeting with the two fighters manager Aby Echteld in Holland 8th November.

Fedor Emelianenko, after conquering the world of MMA, wants to show the world he is also the best submission grappler in the world. Fedor want to make history and expand on the pioneer spirit of what Mark Kerr did in the late 90's when he was the Champion of PRIDE and became the weight and Absolute Champion of ADCC and went on to defend his title in the Superfights for 2 editions.

Mousassi, the winner of the 2008 DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix where he defeated former World ABJJ Absolute and ADCC Middleweight Champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza in the final, also wants to test his ground skills against the top names in Submission Grappling. This sets up some humongous possible match-ups such as a re-match with "Jacare" or facing current ADCC Middleweight Champion and rising UFC star Demian Maia.

World lead organizer Guy Neivens was ecstatic with the addition: "At the top of my wish list I was one name: Fedor Emelianenko! And not only we got him but we also added another world star in Gregard Moussassi. It is a testament to the level and prestige of our conversation that the world's best continue to want to test themselves in our events." And he continued: "We couldn't be any happier. Now it is time for the rest of the world's best fighters to step up to the challenge!"

Taken from: adcombat.com

The Vice President of M-1 Jerry Millen is welcoming the UFC to co-promote a battle of champions between WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko and newly-crowned UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar (picture).

"Couture and WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko had publicly acknowledged a desire to fight each other multiple times over the course of the past year," Millen said in a statement released Tuesday. "While M-1 and Fedor remain interested in a match against Couture, we would also like to publicly state for the record that we would welcome a superfight between Fedor and Lesnar that would be held as a co-promoted event between the UFC, M-1, and Affliction Entertainment."

Millen believes that Fedor should remain the undisputed champion, and that the UFC is only calling Fedor "overrated" simply because UFC has not acquired the final PRIDE FC Champion to its roster.

The UFC currently has two heavyweight champions, Brock Lesnar and interim champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, whom Fedor has already defeated twice. With the Couture fight devalued, Millen wants especially the remaining superfight with Lesnar.

"While Brock Lesnar is an accomplished athlete and a talented fighter, we do not consider him to be the number one heavyweight in the world," Millen continued. "Until someone beats him, we strongly believe that Fedor should continue to be recognized as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. In a match between Fedor and Lesnar, we do not feel that at this stage Lesnar would be able to make it out of the first round."

We're glad to be back to give you news and reports of MMA events around the world. Here are the results for UFC 91 which took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on last Saturday, November 15, 2008:

• Brock Lesnar def. Randy "The Natural" Couture by TKO (strikes) at 3:07 of Round 2

• Kenny "Ken Flo" Florian def. Joe "Daddy" Stevenson by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:03 of Round 1

• Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga def. "Heavy" Josh Hendricks by TKO (strikes) at 1:01 of Round 1

• Demian Maia def. Nate "Rock" Quarry by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:13 of Round 1

• Dustin Hazelett def. Tamdan "The Barn Cat" McCrory by submission (armbar) at 3:59 of Round 1

• Aaron Riley def. Jorge Gurgel by unanimous decision

• Jeremy Stephens def. Rafael dos Anjos by TKO (strikes) at 0:39 of Round 3

• Mark Bocek def. Alvin "Kid" Robinson by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:16 of Round 3

• Matt "The Immortal" Brown def. Ryan "The Tank Engine" Thomas by submission (armbar) at 0:57 of Round 2

There will not be a loser in UFC 91 main event -- at least financially -- when Brock Lesnar and Randy "The Natural" Couture are finished battling for the UFC Heavyweight Title Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to the LA Times, the Nevada State Athletic Commission revealed Friday that both Couture and Lesnar will each earn a base pay of $250,000. If Lesnar wins, he will pocket an extra $200,000, and if Couture wins, he'll make an additional $250,000.

Both men could earn even more considering that the salaries reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission does not include sponsorships and possible additional bonuses, including a rumored cut of the pay-per-view revenue.

Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva has a huge opportunity in front of him after many experts felt that Silva's best days were beyond him after losing three fights in a row. Now he's looking at a showdown with a familiar opponent that could yield one of the biggest opportunities of his career, a chance at the UFC light heavyweight championship.

"I think after I beat Rampage (Quinton Jackson), it may be possible I fight with the champion," Silva told Fighter's Only Magazine.

If the Brazilian mixed martial artist were to win and Forrest Griffin got past Rashad Evans, it could setup a fight between sparring partners. When asked how he would deal with that possibility, Silva responded, "I am a professional and he is a professional. I like him, he is a very nice guy. Outside the Octagon, I am his friend, but inside the Octagon it is a business, a job."

The good thing is that we will not have to wait long to see if Silva would get a crack at Griffin as both fighters will be on the same card on December 27 at UFC 92.

November is never a great month for sports. The World Series is already over, the NBA and NHL's interminable regular seasons are just starting, and the NFL ruins the Thanksgiving by subjecting football fans to the Detroit Lions.

But on Saturday night, the heavyweight title will be on the line in the Ultimate Fighting Championship -- perhaps the biggest fight ever in the burgeoning sport of mixed martial arts.

Some sports fans have never heard of MMA, while others are under the impression that its fights are barbaric spectacles. The reality is that the UFC has intricate rules and boasts world class athletes. The sport attracts Olympic wrestlers and black belts, not street fighters and bar brawlers.

But Saturday night's fight will have be a spectacle, and deservedly so. The sport's greatest living legend, the 45-year-old Randy Couture, takes on the enormous Brock Lesnar, a former NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion who made a career in professional wrestling before returning to legitimate sport and giving MMA a try.

John McCarthy, who has worked as a referee in the sport since the second UFC event in 1994, calls the fight "The classic matchup -- probably the most physically impressive man in mixed martial arts (Lesnar) going against the most mentally impressive man (Couture)."

Dana White, the irascible president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, likes to say that his sport's biggest fights will some day be bigger than the Super Bowl in this country and the World Cup in the rest of the world. Like all great fight promoters, White is prone to hyperbole, but as the sport of mixed martial arts marches toward mainstream acceptance, the Couture-Lesnar fight could be its turning point. The fight will be purchased on pay-per-view by close to 1 million fans, and it is receiving a level of coverage from mainstream news sources that is unprecedented for the sport.

Although Couture is an intelligent, articulate man who is beloved by fans and doing something extraordinary by continuing to compete into his 40s, a victory by Lesnar would probably do more for the sport's long-term prospects. Fans are naturally drawn to the 31-year-old Lesnar, a strikingly impressive athlete with a gift for self-promotion.

Look for Couture to win because of his superior experience and knowledge -- Couture's background is in amateur wrestling, but he has also become a student of Eastern martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. But if Lesnar beats Couture in dominant fashion, it could be a star-making performance similar to Mike Tyson's 1988 knockouts of Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks.

Two decades after the pinnacle of Tyson's career, big fights have virtually disappeared from water-cooler conversations in America. But if there's a fight that can change that, it's Couture vs. Lesnar.

Taken from: nbcnewyork.com

According to an SEC filing (a public companies' financial statement or other formal document submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission) by ProElite, Inc. on Thursday, the company is refusing to close its doors without a fight.

On October 31, the company received a notice from Showtime Networks announcing the sale of ProElite assets at a public auction. On November 4, the cable network made an SEC filing announcing the sale and placed ads on several MMA websites advertising it. Showtime's Senior Vice President of Sports and Event Programming, Ken Hershman, also sits on ProElite's board of directors.

In line with a recent letter to fighter managers promising a return in early 2009, ProElite said it would do everything in its power to stay off the auctioning block.

"The Company plans to take all appropriate measures to prevent the sale from occurring," the filing states. "Such measures may include raising additional financing, filing a lawsuit enjoining the sale, filing a bankruptcy petition or negotiating a settlement with Showtime. There can be no assurances that the company will be successful in any of these actions."

According to some sources, ProElite's first tactic may be to sue CBS Networks over gate revenue produced by its third show, "Heat". The embattled company could argue the network forced them into default on a one million dollar loan from Showtime by misrouting the funds from the Sunrise, Florida, show.

A condition of Showtime's loan, dated June 18, said ProElite's assets could be sold or taken over if it did not maintain $550,000 in cash reserves.

"CBS took the gate revenue directly from Miami, and it was contracted to go through ProElite first," a source said. "If that had happened at the time that (Showtime) called in the note, there would have been enough money that they couldn't have called in the note. So there's a legal argument there."

"ProElite's claim would be that they could have raised the money in that time, but once Showtime called in that note, publicly, it ruined any chances of raising money."

An SEC filing on December 9 detailed an agreement between CBS and ProElite where CBS would cover all costs associated with the show, and "receive" all revenue from the event, though details on how that would occur were not specified.

The question now is whether ProElite can afford to go to battle with CBS in a civil court.

Requests to CBS and ProElite representatives asking for comment were not immediately returned.

The auction, however, could possibly determine the futures of fighters like Kimbo Slice, Gina Carano, Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler, Frank Shamrock, Nick Diaz, Cristiane Santos, Yves Edwards, Wilson Reis and many others.

Following the UFC 90 event at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, on October 25, 2008, three UFC fighters have been issued medical suspensions, following their performances.

Patrick "The Predator" Cote (picture), who suffered a knee injury shortly in to the third round of his fight with Anderson "The Spider" Silva, has been suspended for 45 days and can have no contact for 30 days. Cote will likely be sidelined longer depending on the nature of his knee injury.

UFC heavyweight Fabricio Werdum has been suspended 60 days, no contact for 45 days. Werdum lost to Junior Dos Santos via a stunning TKO in the first round.

Drew McFedries, who fought on the preliminary card, was also suspended for 30 days following his submission loss to Thales Leites in the first round.

It was a roller coaster ride of emotion at Wednesday night's World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) 36 in Hollywood, Florida, but when all was said and done, the numbers added up in the promotion's favor.

WEC 36 drew 5,227 fans accounting for $563,578 in revenue at the gate, according to WEC Vice President Peter Dropick, who said they were "just shy of a sellout".

The promotion's centerpiece, Urijah Faber, was upset in a featherweight title bout by American Top Team's Mike Brown. Chael Sonnen also knocked off middleweight champ Paulo Filho in a lackluster non-title affair, while Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and "Razor" Rob McCullough put on the Fight of the Night, which may also end up a "Fight of the Year" candidate.

The attendance pales in comparison to the promotion's draw at WEC 34 earlier this year in Sacramento, California, which drew 12,682 and also featured Faber in the main event. The dollar amount at the gate, however, isn't that far off considering the difference in attendance. WEC 34 garnered $738,855 at the gate.

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WEC 36 results:

• Mike Brown def. Urijah Faber by TKO (strikes) at 2:23 of Round 1

• Chael Sonnen def. Paulo Filho by unanimous decision

• Leonard Garcia def. Jens Pulver by TKO (strikes) at 1:12 of Round 1

• Jake Rosholt def. Nissen Osterneck by TKO (strikes) at 3:48 of Round 2

• Donald Cerrone def. Rob McCullough by unanimous decision

• Aaron Simpson def. David Avellan by KO (punch) at 0:18 of Round 1

• Jose Aldo def. Jonathan Brookins by TKO (strikes) at 0:45 of Round 3

• Carmelo Marrero def. Steve Steinbeiss by split decision

• Danny Castillo def. Rafael Dias by TKO (strikes) at 2:54 of Round 2

• Rani Yahya def. Yoshiro Maeda by submission (guillotine choke) at 3:30 of Round 1

"Let's get it on!" Remember the sentence? Yes, now we will hear that sentence again from the cage.

The California State Athletic Commission has assigned "Big" John McCarthy a referee's position at Strikeforce "Destruction" on November 21 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

The assignment will mark the 15-year veteran's return to officiating after McCarthy announced his retirement in December 2007 to join The Fight Network, a Canadian-based cable channel, as an on-air analyst and strategic advisor.

McCarthy oversaw his 535th bout between dynamic lightweights Clay Guida and Roger Huerta at "The Ultimate Fighter 6" Finale last December in Las Vegas, Nevada. He officiated his first bout at UFC 2 "No Way Out" in March 1994 in Denver, Colorado, and was among the original authors of the MMA's first set of guidelines in 1998.

In his analyst's role, the 45-year-old McCarthy provided color commentary for Canada's TKO and Hardcore Championship Fighting promotions, and most recently called the action alongside FOX Sports Network regulars Frank Trigg and Jay Glazer at Affliction "Banned" last July in Anaheim, California.

McCarthy resigned from The Fight Network on October 7, amidst rumors the channel was awash with financial difficulties.

"I had a good time doing (commentary) and it was fun," said McCarthy. "The Fight Network overextended itself and wasn't ready to do certain things that they said that they were going to be able to do. It just didn't work out there."

Rather than take another offer that would keep him outside the cage, McCarthy said he chose to return to the role he originated inside it.

"I missed doing it," said McCarthy. "Sometimes when you walk away from something and you think it's time, once you're away you realize what you're missing –- it's kind of like why guys come back to fighting. It's what I like doing. It's what I was meant to do."

Retired from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) where he served for 22 years, McCarthy instructed over 10,000 recruits in arrest and control procedures and survival tactics.

McCarthy has not veered far from his teaching roots. He conducted his second Certified Officials for MMA National Development (COMMAND) referee and judges' instructional course in October and has a third seminar planned for late November at his mixed martial arts academy in Valencia, California. The program is recognized by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC).

Though most recognizable from his tenure with the UFC, Big John said he has no expectations of where or when he will be placed for assignment.

"I have no control over that," he said. "That's up to athletic commissions and what you get assigned to. I may do one show a year. I may do 50. I don't know, but if I get assigned to something, then I'll be going if I can."

McCarthy was recently re-licensed as a referee with the athletic commissions in California, Ohio, and the River Cree in Alberta, Canada. He said he plans apply for licensure in additional states as well.

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.

World Victory Road presented Sengoku 6 last Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Here are the complete results for the show:

Main Card

• Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Moises Rimbon by unanimous decision

• Muhammad "Mo" Lawal def. Fabio Silva by TKO (strikes) at 0:41 of Round 3

• Sergey Golyaev def. Takanori Gomi by split decision

Lightweight Grand Prix Semifinals

• Kazunori Yokota def. Mizuto Hirota by unanimous decision

• Satoru Kitaoka def. Eiji Mitsuoka by submission (heel hook) at 1:16 of Round 1

Lightweight Grand Prix Reserve Bout

• Jorge Masvidal def. Seung Hwan Bang by unanimous decision

Lightweight Grand Prix Finals

• Satoru Kitaoka def. Kazunori Yokota by unanimous decision

Middleweight Grand Prix Semifinals

• Kazuhiro Nakamura def. Yuki Sasaki by unanimous decision

• Jorge Santiago def. Siyar Bahadurzada by submission (heel hook) at 1:10 of Round 1

Middleweight Grand Prix Reserve Bout

• Joe Doerksen def. Izuru Takeuchi by TKO (strikes) at 0:41 of Round 3

Middleweight Grand Prix Finals

• Jorge Santiago def. Kazuhiro Nakamura by TKO (strikes) at 0:49 of Round 3

COUNT Urijah Faber among those disappointed to see EliteXC close its doors last week and join the list of mixed martial arts promotional companies that saw their dreams of riches crumble under a flood of financial losses.

Faber wasn't directly affected by EliteXC folding because he's aligned with the WEC, which is owned by Zuffa, LLC, the same company that owns the highly successful UFC.

There was a time not so long ago when EliteXC appeared to be a viable threat to the UFC's dominance of mixed martial arts. EliteXC had Kimbo Slice and a contract for primetime shows on CBS. Now that EliteXC has folded, the UFC's stranglehold on the sport is that much tighter.

That's not necessarily a good thing as far as Faber is concerned. He would like to see more promotional companies in play, breeding the kind of competition that would ultimately benefit fighters.

"Fortunately, I'm with the best team out there," Faber said during a quick visit to Manhattan Thursday. "But competition is important. It's important for our economy; it's important for fighting and it's important for the fighters themselves."

Faber, 29, is one of the superstars of mixed martial arts, the reigning WEC featherweight champion. Nicknamed "The California Kid," he'll take a 21-1 record into the cage Wednesday night when he defends his title against Mike Brown (19-4) at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Versus will televise live, hoping to attract the more than 1.5 million viewers who turned in to see Faber's victory last June over Jens "Li'l Evil" Pulver, who is on Wednesday's undercard.

If this were baseball or football or even boxing, Faber would be earning close to seven figures each time he steps into the cage. He's smart, personable and the ladies like his golden blond hair. But Zuffa dictates who fights who, and for how much. With the absence of any type of free agency among fighters, purses will remain limited as long as there is no real competition among promoters. Faber has earned about $40,000 for each of his past three fights.

"It's not that I would ever want to go fight there," Faber said of EliteXC, "but the more companies around, the better. It's like if you have one casino, a few people are going to show up. But if you have 20 casinos, you have a bunch of people there. It's kind of the same idea."

Faber isn't complaining though. He's making a living doing what he loves to do - fight - and he's the headliner for the WEC, which was founded in 2001 to highlight fighters in the smaller weight classes.

"The UFC has the best fighters and I would have stood out in the UFC as well," Faber said, "but they want to use me as a catalyst for the WEC. I feel like I'm really lucky to be where I am and I'm fortunate to be the guy being pushed. But I'm also winning on top of that."

A former collegiate wrestler at UC-Davis, Faber will carry a 13-fight winning steak into the cage against Brown, the No. 2 ranked 145-pounder in the world. The fight was originally set for September but had to be postponed because of a hurricane threat.

Brown is known as an aggressive fighter who likes to overpower his opponents. But Faber is deceptively strong and his wrestling skills are complemented by an improved stand-up attack, making him one of the more versatile fighters in the sport.

"He does a lot of things pretty well," Faber said. "But what he does pretty well, I'm going to do just a little bit better."

Taken from: http://www.nypost.com/seven/11012008/sports/boxing/fighters_like_faber_concerned_with_mma_f_136265.htm