For all intents and purposes, EliteXC stopped functioning as a mixed martial arts company shortly after Seth Petruzelli knocked out Kimbo Slice. That event occurred close to three months ago. Since then, many of their fighters have remained out of action.
UFC President Dana White hopes that other top fighters not in the UFC pay close attention to what occurred with EliteXC.
“These guys are wasting their time by going to these fly by night companies,” White said. “That’s the worst thing an athlete can do - waste time. Fighters are crazy to waster their time.”
A few different companies have been rumored to be interested in purchasing the remnants of EliteXC. The most appealing assets of the company are the possibe television deals with CBS or Showtime and the fighter contracts.
While the UFC has not declared any recent interest in buying EliteXC, they have stated they do want to bring in a few of Elite’s fighters if they become available.
“We are interested in a few people like Robbie Lawler, Jake Shields, and Gina Carano,” said White.
Lawler and Shields are obvious fits for the UFC. With the current state of the UFC’s middleweight division, Lawler could find himself in the middle of the title picture almost immediately. However, in the past, White had been steadfast against having women fight under the Zuffa banner. Recently, White has eased up on that stance when it comes to Carano. The fact that White is now openly promoting the possibility of bringing in Carano shows that women’s fighting is a real possibility for the UFC or WEC.
“I’m the real deal and I’m ready for Condit. I’m ready for it, so it’s just a matter of getting (Condit) to agree, but (the WEC) definitely wants it to happen. It’s up to Condit’s camp to figure out what it wants. I’d like to fight as often as possible, but the way it’s looking, this is the fight I want to wait for. I don’t want to risk anything like I did before fighting Condit the first time. I was supposed to fight him when I fought Kevin Knabjan two months before, and I think I peaked too early for that. It’s hard to peak twice in two months, so if it comes out that way, that’s the way I’m going to have to take it.”
Those words came from WEC welterweight contender Brock Larson (24-2) just hours after his first round drubbing of Carlo Prater more five months ago at WEC 35. Since that time he’s stayed true to his word and has quietly waited for his rematch with division champ Carlos Condit to come to fruition.
Apparently, his patience is about to pay off.
The word on the street is that “The Natural Born Killer” will defend his title next on a WEC event in March against Larson. The two standout fighters first threw down at WEC 29 in August of 2007 with Condit securing an fight-ending armbar near the halfway point in round one.
The loss was only the second of Larson’s so far stellar career. His first setback came by unanimous decision at the hands of Jon Fitch back in 2005 at Ultimate Fight Night 2. On the other side of that coin, his hit list includes names like Prater, Shannon Ritch, Erik “Bad” Apple, John Allessio, Ryan Jensen, Keita Nakamura and others.
Of his 24 wins, only two of those have gone to decision, while 16 of his opponents have been forced to tap out. He knows how to finish fights. Carlos Condit definitely has his hands full, regardless of what happened in their first fight.
Here’s the champ’s thoughts on potentially facing Larson for a second time:
“It’s not ideal, because I have everything to lose, and he has everything to gain. The pool of contenders is a bit shallow. There’s not a whole lot of guys for me to fight. He’s a very tough guy, and just because I beat him before doesn’t mean anything. I’m going to have to be on my toes. I’m very motivated to fight him, and I’m looking forward to a very tough training camp.”
Condit’s last fight also came on the WEC 35 card in August. He successfully defended his title with a fourth round technical knockout win over Hiromitsu Miura in what is considered to be one of the best fights of 2008.
Larson trains with one of the real up-and-coming camps in the United States these days in Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. He gets day-to-day training with some of the top wrestlers in the sport and works with a team that is known for producing fighters with great cardio.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Condit was running out of gas late in that Miura fight. If Larson can avoid any early mistakes this time around, he may just have the stamina, strength and ability to become the next WEC welterweight champion.
As FiveOuncesOfPain.com wrote last month, the middleweight battle between Yushin Okami and Dean Lister during UFC 92 had all the hallmarks of a “loser leaves the UFC match.” That was indeed the case as word is now spreading that former Abu Dhabi champion has received his release from the promotion. However, according to a report by
However, according to a report by MMA Weekly, Lister’s management at Haykmaker’s Empire is claiming that he was released per his own request. The reason given as to why Lister wanted out of his UFC contract — which paid him $19,000 for his recent loss to Okami — was so that he could seek a new employer in 2009.
Lister departs the UFC with a career 4-2 record, which includes his unanimous decision loss to Okami at UFC 92. His only other loss took place against Nathan Marquardt during UFC Fight Night 8 while his win in the Octagon have come against against Jeremy Horn, Yuki Sasaki, Jordan Radev, and Alessio Sakara.
Prior to joining the UFC, Lister competed for the King of the Cage promotion and PRIDE. After going 6-2 with KOTC, Lister ventured to Japan where he competed in three fights under the PRIDE banner, going 1-2 with losses to Ricardo Arona and Amar Suloev and a victory over Akira Shoji.
A trip back to Japan may not be out of the cards for Lister, with the MMA Weekly report indicating that both Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza of DREAM and Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago are on his wish list of future opponents.
Every sport has an icon: an all-time great by whom all others, who came before and after, are judged. Be it Ruth, Jordan, Ali, Gretzky or Unitas, each of these legends has left behind a legacy that transcends time itself. While some came along during the golden age of their sport, others more recently made their permanent mark.
What is the formula that creates a true icon? Like mythical Greek gods, some appear as if they were born to inherit the crown. Other athletes lived each chapter of a Cinderella story: going from nothing to everything within the span of a career. Regardless of where they started, the end result was sheer domination of the competition: greatness in their era.
At first glance, the sport of mixed martial arts may seem like an infant in the eyes of a sports historian. After all, MMA has only been followed by the public eye for a mere decade and a half, and even less as a true sport. Its rules are still being fine-tuned on a somewhat regular basis. Head-butts have come and gone. Elbow strikes may, or may not, be allowed. So much depends on specific organizational rules, but its basis is set in stone. MMA is a sport of man versus man. Each warrior competes to test his skills in combat. Their tools come in the form of grappling, striking, and joint-lock submissions. Whether by knockout, tap-out, referee stoppage or judges’ decision, the ultimate goal is to win the contest.
Fedor Emelianenko hails from Russia. Still, to most MMA fans, he needs no introduction. His hands, as heavy as kettle bells, are wrecking balls covered by a layer of skin; and he has the grappling ability of a red-tailed boa with arms. With a record that is actually impeccable, Fedor has taken on, and defeated, all-comers who aren’t blocked by silly contract stipulations. His only loss came in the form of an illegal strike that caused a cut. This single blemish should actually read as a no-contest.
Throughout his MMA entire career, Fedor Emelianenko has been a monster among men. No fighter has made so many crucial fights appear to be so easy. Some playfully claim that he is half robot. On the rare occasion that Fedor has found himself in trouble, he has regrouped with seemingly effortless reversal. A true destroyer within his realm, outside of the ropes Fedor remains a gentleman. You’ll never hear the man admit that he is the best ever. All too often, when posed the question of "how or why" he is so good, he has responded that there is still much work to be done within his skill-set. If he had the gift of gab like an Ali, he’d rule Nike.
The year is 2009, and the sport of mixed martial arts is still growing in popularity while continually gaining more mainstream acceptance. Not only do I feel confident to say that I believe Fedor Emelianenko is an MMA icon, but also a true sports icon. The path is being paved; and it’s only a matter of time before MMA fight results are reported as widely as Monday Night Football scores. And it’s only a matter of time until the true sports fan mentions "Fedor: The Last Emperor," in the same sentence as "The Babe," "His Airness," and "Johnny U."
*On January 24th, Fedor Emelianenko will defend his WAMMA World Heavyweight Title vs. former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski on the "Affliction 2" fight card at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
