MMA Update For Tuesday June 19th, 2007
Written by Chris Howie
Intro
Lots of news to get to so lets jump on in.
Dana White In Talks With Angle
Dana white recently stated that he was in talks with Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle but believed Angle needed to work on his MMA skills. I also stated he believed Angle would be destroyed if he stepped into the Octagon. Personally I think with the proper training Angle could have a decent career in the world of MMA. His age could play a factor and his history of neck problems could also play a major part in training to become an 'ultimate fighter'. I think the reason Dana continues to show interest in Angle is because he knows no matter what skill angle brings to the Octagon, beforehand is where he can make his money. Angle is a big name that could and most likely would bring a lot of professional wrestling on board with PPV buys. Don't be surprised if something eventually happens down the road.
Bisping vs. Shamrock?
Rumours were rampant over the last few days that Michael Bispings opponent for his next fight at UFC 75 would not be Matt Hamill but UFC Legend, Ken Shamrock. A source close to MMANews.com squashed these rumours saying the fight is unlikely to happen. In my opinion, Bisping VS Shamrock = Money. Shamrock's a legend and people want to see Legends no matter how old they get. Having a win over Ken Shamrock on your record isn't a bad thing. Shamrock could also be a potential bad match-up for Bispings untested ground game. Bisping had problems against Elvis Sinosic when the fight hit the mat and if Ken Shamrock is put in the same position Sinosic was in, nearly submitting Bisping, there is a very good chance “The Count” could be tapping. I for one am for this fight and hope it happens. I'd rather see Bisping and Shamrock than Bisping and Hamill for some reason. Maybe it's nostalgia.
Kimbo vs. Mercer Downgraded To Exhibition
I'm not really surprised that the NJAC would only partially approve of this fight. It's more of a side show than anything at this point and it can be easily understood why they would not want to sanction it. I understand people wanting to make some money, but in a sport that is trying to make it's mark sideshows like this along without Tommy Morrison throwing down in the cage really do nothing to make the sport look good. Sure it gets MMA on sports channels and in magazines such as Sports Illustrated but not in the light that makes it look like the true sport that it is.
Fight Night 10 Fight Payouts
The following were the fighter payouts from last Tuesday's Fight Night Live. Not a bad take for everyone:
-Spencer Fisher ($26,000) def. Sam Stout ($6,000)
-Jon Fitch ($36,000) def. Roan Carneiro ($5,000)
-Drew McFedries ($14,000) def. Jordan Radev ($5,000)
-Thiago Tavares ($10,000) def. Jason Black ($6,000)
-Forrest Petz ($8,000) def. Luigi Fioravanti ($8,000)
-Tamdan McCrory ($8,000) def. Pete Spratt ($12,000)
-Gleison Tibau ($10,000) def. Jeff Cox ($3,500)
-Anthony Johnson ($6,000) def. Chad Reiner ($3,000)
-Nate Mohr ($6,000) def. Luke Caudillo ($3,000)
Total fighter pay out: $175,500
More Info Released On Royce Gracies Positive Steroid Test
Royce Gracies positive test for the steroid Nandrolone indicates that the MMA legend had 25x more the normal level the human body can produce. Both his “A” and “B” came back positive. By the sounds of the results it seems pointless for Mr. Gracie to try and say he didn't know what he was taking. This is an unfortunate occurence to see happen in the MMA world. Maybe there is more to the story. We'll have to wait and see Royce Gracies retort to the test results.
Outro
Well that is it for today. It's a big weekend for MMA fans as Friday night is the EliteXC/Strikeforce show headlined by Frank Shamrock and Phil Baroni for the vacant Strikeforce Middleweight championship. Also coming up on Saturday is the Ultimate Fighter 5 finale with finalist Nate Diaz and Manny Gamburyan squaring off to decide who is this season “Ultimate Fighter”. The main event of that card is the much anticipated grudge match between BJ Penn and Jens Pulver in a rematch from there 2002 lightweight championship bout.
Any questions for the daily update can be sent to [email protected]. Remember to check out MMANews.com this weekend for full coverage of both big events.
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