and the next person for the CARE team to savage on a podcast is...

Phil Baroni who failed his pre-fight drug test for his June 22 fight with Frank Shamrock.

Frank Shamrock, Cung Le and Tony Fryklund all passed. The only other failure on the card was Carter Williams for cocaine.

Baroni is suspended a year and fined $2,500.

Continue Reading!

Melvin Guillard has a new training partner

Carter Williams tests positive for cocaine

Williams lost in a heavyweight bout at last Friday's Strikeforce/EXC show to Paul Buentello.

This man is very stupid.

Continue Reading!

Roundtable Recap: Nightmare June is over...

Yes, the nightmare of June which saw 9 Predictions contests is over.

Congratulations go out to myself, Art and Euan for being the only ones in the group to pick all 9 of them. Welcome to Mark Danger who joined the club on the last day, thus ensuring heel status for time to come, however not by me as his comments about the D&D tag title match made me laugh hard.

Scott just missed picking all of them...he picked 8 of 9 events. He only missed WEC.
Wade picked in 6 of 9 events.
Ric picked 5 of 9 events.

Everyone's updated statistics are behind the cut:



Casey Trowbridge: 12 contest wins in 30 events
EXC: 3 E, 22 W, 11 L, 66.7%
Pride: 2 E, 6 W, 10 L,, 1 NC 37.5%
UFC: 10 E, 56 W, 32 L, 1 NC 62.9%
WEC: 1 Event, 6 W, 3 L, 66.7%
MMA: 16 E, 90 W, 56 L, 2 NC 60.8%
TNA: 6 E, 32 W, 22 L, 59.3%
WWE: 8 E, 37 W, 21 L, 1 NC 62.7%
Wrestling: 14 E, 69 W, 43 L, 1NC 61.1%
Overall: 30 E, 159 W, 99 L, 3 NC 60.9%

Contests Won/Tied: New Year’s Revolution, No Way Out, Pride 33, Destination X, UFC 69, Sacrifice, UFC 71, One Night Stand, WEC 28 on Versus, Strikeforce/EXC, TUF 5 Finale, Vengeance

I'm on a hot streak, with 3 in a row!

Art Shimko: 5 contest wins in 27 events
EXC: 3 E, 22 W, 11 L, 66.7%
Pride: 0 E, 0 W, 0 L, 0%
UFC: 10 E, 50 W, 38 L, 1 NC 56.2%
WEC: 1 e, 6 W, 3 L, 66.7%
MMA: 14 E, 78 W, 52 L, 1 NC 59.5%
TNA: 5 E, 23 W, 21 L, 52.3%
WWE: 8 E, 32 W, 24 L, 1 NC 56.1%
Wrestling: 13 E, 55 W, 45 L, 1 NC 54.5%
Overall: 27 E, 133 W, 97 L, 2 NC 57.3%

Contests Won/Tied: UFC 71, Dynamite USA, One Night Stand, WEC 28 on Versus, Vengeance

Art had a good month in some respects, and not so good in others.

Ric Gillespie: 7 contest wins in 21 events
EXC: 2 events, 11 W, 12 L, 47.8%
Pride: 1 event, 4 W, 4 L,, 1 NC 44.4%
UFC: 9 E, 51 W, 23 L, 1NC 68.0%
WEC: 0 E, 0 W, 0 L, 0%
MMA: 12 E, 66 W, 39 L, 2 NC 61.7%
TNA: 2 E, 9 W, 8 L, 52.9%
WWE: 7 E, 30 W, 19 L, 61.2%
Wrestling: 9 E, 39 W, 27 L, 59.1%
Overall: 21 E, 105 W, 66 L,, 2 NC 60.7%

Contests Won/Tied: Fight Night 8, No Way Out, Pride 33, Fight Night 9, Backlash, UFC 71, UFC 72

Just a ponk little gay.

Euan Taylor: 7 contest wins in 29 events
EXC: 3 E, 18 W, 15 L, 54.5%
Pride: 2 E, 9 W, 7 L, 1, NC 52.9%
UFC: 10 E, 49 W, 39 L, 1NC 55.1%
WEC: 1 event, 6 W, 3 L, 66.7%
MMA: 16 E, 82 W, 64 L,, 2 NC 55.4%
TNA: 6 E, 30 W, 23 L, 56.6%
WWE: 7 E, 25 W, 24 L, 1 NC 50.0%
Wrestling: 13 E, 55 W, 47 L, 1 NC 53.4%
Overall: 29 E, 137 W, 111 L, 3 NC 54.6%

Contests Won/Tied: EXC Destany, Destination X, Wrestlemania 23, Pride 34, UFC 70, Sacrifice, WEC 28 on Versus.

Strikeforce was a disaster for Euan, but he still managed to pick every show even while on holiday.

Scott Liedle: 5 contest wins in 28 events
EXC: 3 events, 17 W, 16 L, 51.5%
Pride: 2 E, 5 W, 11 L,, 1 NC 29.4%
UFC: 10 E, 48 W, 40 L,1NC 53.9%
WEC: 0 E, 0 W, 0 L, 0%
MMA: 15 E, 70 W, 67 L, 2 NC 50.4%
TNA: 6 E, 29 W, 25 L, 53.7%
WWE: 7 E, 35 W, 16 L, 1 NC 67.3%
Wrestling: 13 E, 64 W, 41 L, 1 NC 60.4%
Overall: 28 E, 134 W, 108 L, 3 NC 54.7%

Contests Won/Tied: No Way Out, Wrestlemania 23, Fight Night 10, TNA Slammiversary, Vengeance

Nobody has a greater disparity between Wrestling success and MMA success than Scott.

Wade Wallenstein: 9 Contest wins in 22 events
EXC: 2 events, 12 W, 11 L, 52.2%
Pride: 1 event, 2 W, 6 L,, 1 NC 22.2%
UFC: 6 E, 34 W, 18 L, 65.4%
WEC: 0 E, 0 W, 0 L, 0%
MMA: 9 E, 48 W, 35 L,, 1 NC 57.1%
TNA: 6 E, 35 W, 19 L, 64.8%
WWE: 7 E, 35 W, 16 L, 1 NC 67.3%
Wrestling: 13 E, 70 W, 35 L, 1 NC 66.0%
Overall: 22 E, 118 W, 70 L,, 2 NC 62.1%

Contests Won/Tied: Royal Rumble, UFC 67, Against All Odds, Destination X, Lockdown, Sacrifice, Judgment Day, One Night Stand, Vengeance

As soon as my bout of laziness ends, I'm killing him. He does well in everything and it drives me mad.

Marcus Erickson: 4 contest wins in 9 events
EXC: 1 event, 7 W, 3 L, 70.0%
Pride: 0 E, 0 W, 0 L, 0%
UFC: 3 E, 17 W, 9 L, 65.4%
WEC: 0 E, 0 W, 0 L, 0%
MMA: 4 E, 24 W, 12 L, 66.7%
TNA: 3 E, 16 W, 10 L, 61.5%
WWE: 2 E, 7 W, 6 L, 53.8%
Wrestling: 5 E, 23 W, 16 L, 59.0%
Overall: 9 E, 47 W, 28 L, 62.7%

Contests Won/Tied: Final Resolution, No Way Out, UFC 68, Destination X.

Hasn't picked a show in forever but I'm too lazy to remove him from the chart.

Mark Danger: 1 Contest Wins in 1 Events
EXC: 0 E, 0 W, 0 L, 0%
Pride: 0 E, 0 W, 0 L, 0%
UFC: 0 E, 0 W, 0 L, 0%
WEC: 0 E, 0 W, 0 L, 0%
MMA: 0 E, 0 W, 0 L, 0%
TNA: 0 E, 0 W, 0 L, 0%
WWE: 1 E, 6 W, 2 L, 1 NC 66.7%
Wrestling: 1 E, 6 W, 2 L, 1 NC 67.7%
Overall: 1 E, 6 W, 2 L, 1 NC 66.7%

Contests Won/Tied: Vengeance

1 contest, 1 tied victory, several people wanting to hunt him down. All in all it is a win-win.

Relatively speaking unless events spring up suddenly, July is quiet with a mere 3 events.

Thank God, Jesus and the Late Mr. McMahon for that.

Continue Reading!

I love Dave sometimes...

Today's awesome...

--The Las Vegas Sun at www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sports/2007/jun/22/566641739.html on Bob Arum copying from UFC. He and Vince McMahon both are
on that kick now. Unlike McMahon, Arum said, Arum said UFC guys "fight like girls." The story is funny as he yelled about the Republicans on the athletic
commission that fined Jose Luis Castillo $250,000 for failing to make weight against Diego Corrales. More on UFC: "I don't think it's competitive from
the standpoint of the actual contest," he said. "They certainly have a better presentation than boxing people do. They have attracted a very young audience,
but look who they appeal to....Look at the UFC fighters. 90-something percent are big white guys from the Midwest." So I woke up this morning and said,
what a beautiful morning it is here in the Midwest. I wish I could go to the beach, but damn, I live in the Midwest. Well, actually I do wish I could go
to the beach, but I've got to write about a show that featured a Vietnamese guy from San Jose, a Mexican guy from San Jose, an Italian guy from New York,
another Mexican guy from San Jose, an African-American son of a pro wrestler, an African-American guy who ate too many donuts from Modesto, a cocky white
guy from Stanford, and some Brazilian guy who everyone runs up to him and thinks it's his brother. Freaking clueless out-of-touch semi-racist boxing promoters.

I need to invent new stars to give to this quote.

Continue Reading!

Shamrock Chokes Out Baroni For Strikeforce World Title In Barnburner EliteXC-Strikeforce MMA Main Event Live On Showtime PPV

‘Ninja’ Stops Villasenor, Le KO’s Fryklund in Classic Mixed Martial Arts Extravaganza from HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA

Contact Your Local Cable Provider for PPV Schedule

SAN JOSE, Calif.--June 23, 2007--Before a crowd of 10,850 attending EliteXC-Strikeforce’s live MMA event produced and distributed on SHOWTIME® PPV, Frank Shamrock (strikeforceusa.net, frankshamrock.proelite.com) became the first Strikeforce middleweight (185 lb. limit) champion in history by submitting Phil “The New York Bad Ass” Baroni (strikeforceusa.net, philbaroni.proelite.com) with a rear naked choke four minutes into the second round of their EliteXC-Strikeforce main event showdown that was nothing short of an all-out slugfest.



In other fights, Murilo “Ninja” Rua (murilorua.proelite.com) finished fellow former Pride Fighting Championship star Joey “Dream Smasher” Villasenor (joeyvillasenor.proelite.com) in two rounds to capture the vacant EliteXC middleweight crown, and world San Shou kickboxing champion Cung Le (strikeforceusa.net, cungle.proelite.com) extended his undefeated mixed martial arts record to 4-0 by stopping UFC veteran Tony “The Freak” Fryklund (strikeforceusa.net, tonyfryklund.proelite.com) in the second round of their featured contest.

The Shamrock-Baroni meeting lived up to all its hype and anticipation as both fighters rushed out of the gates and attempted to draw first blood. Shamrock controlled the first round, bombing on his opponent with punches before dropping Baroni with a hard right hand.

Shamrock was penalized one point for striking Baroni to the back of the head with two right hands. After the fight resumed, Baroni shot in and took Shamrock to the mat. The fighters worked their way back to their feet and Shamrock quickly went to work with his hands, repeatedly scoring with his jab and right hand.

In the second round, Baroni retaliated, attacking Shamrock’s body with right hand punches. Baroni answered a one-two punch combination by shooting for a takedown, but Shamrock defended by sprawling. Shamrock took Baroni’s back and secured a rear naked chokehold. Refusing to tap, Baroni was choked into unconsciousness. The referee halted the fight and awarded the technical knockout victory and Strikeforce title to Shamrock.

In the first-ever EliteXC Middleweight championship, after putting in a calculated first round of work, “Ninja” Rua exploded in the second round, unloading a flurry of punches and finally dropping Villasenor with a right hand counter. Rua rushed in and scored a handful of punches on his downed opponent before the referee stopped the fight at the 1:05 mark and declared Rua the winner and first-ever EliteXC 185 pound champion.

Like he did in his first three efforts in the cage, Cung Le quickly went to work with his arsenal of kicks before dropping Fryklund with a right hand. Le was completely poised throughout the first round.

In the second stanza, Fryklund found his mark and began backing Le up with his own punch combinations. Le successfully fought him off and, in the opening seconds of the third round, went on the attack; his right kick to the body set up a right hand that dropped and finished Fryklund at the 25 second mark of the round.

In other action, Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello continued his reign of terror over mixed martial arts’s heavyweight division by hammering former K-1 North America tournament champion Carter “The Beast” Williams. Buentello dominated the first round of the matchup and, at the start of the second, unloaded two quick uppercuts to William’s chin that put Williams on his back and out of the fight.

Full Strikeforce-EliteXC “Shamrock vs. Baroni” Fight Card Results:

Seth Kleinbeck def. Sam Spengler – TKO (Strikes) 2nd Round (2:55)

Chris Cariaso def. Anthony Figueroa – Unanimous Decision (3 Rounds)

Rex Richards def. Ray Seraille – TKO (Punches) 1st Round (:34)

Luke Stewart def. Jason Von Flue – TKO (Strikes) 3rd Round (2:17)

Mike Pyle def. Aaron Wethersppon – Unanimous Decision (3 Rounds)

Nik Theotikos def. Nikk Covert – KO (Punch) 1st Round (1:13)

Edson Berto def. Victor Valenzuela – Submission (Heel Hook) 1st Round (:47)

Paul Buentello def. Carter Williams – KO (Punch) 2nd Round (:10)

Murilo Rua def. Joey Villasenor – TKO (Strikes) 2nd Round (1:05)

Josh Thomson def. Nick Gonzalez – Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1st Round (1:42)

Cung Le def. Tony Fryklund – TKO (Strikes) 3rd Round (:25)

Frank Shamrock def. Phil Baroni – TKO (Rear Naked Choke) 2nd Round (4:00)

Paul Daley def. Duane Ludwig – TKO (Strikes) 2nd Round (:42)

All of the “Shamrock vs. Baroni” undercard fights are available for viewing at www.proelite.com.

“Shamrock vs. Baroni” is co-produced by ProElite, Inc. [Pink Sheets: PELE:PK], the parent company of EliteXC and Strikeforce.

About ProElite, Inc.

ProElite Inc. [Pink Sheets: PELE:PK] delivers the most exciting entertainment experience in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with live arena-based entertainment events, cable television programming on Showtime Networks and community-driven interactive broadband entertainment via the Internet. ProElite embraces MMA with the highest levels of honor, integrity, discipline and self-esteem all the while remaining inclusive for fighters, fans and schools. ProElite’s live fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular live MMA fight events that showcase the world’s top fighters. ProElite’s interactive business, ProElite.com, capitalizes on the growing popularity of the sport of mixed martial arts by building a community of mixed martial arts enthusiasts. In addition to streaming the most exciting live fights to the web, ProElite expands the fan base of the sport by providing a comprehensive set of online social networking tools for fans, fighters and organizations. ProElite.com – Empowering the Fight CommunityTM

About Strikeforce

Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. The rapidly growing organization recently re-launched its website, www.strikeforceusa.net, which boasts a bold new look and all-new features, including video streaming capability. Since 1995, Strikeforce has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME® TOO™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE® and TMC XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD™, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND™ and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND™. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI is also an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL, a venture of NBC Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME® PPV.

Contacts
The Rose Group for ProElite
Whitney Ashley, 310-280-3710
whitney@therosegrp.com
or
Strikeforce
Mike Afromowitz, 917-566-8754
muaythaimes@aol.com
or
Showtime Networks Inc.
Chris DeBlasio, 917-445-7467
Chris.DeBlasio@Showtime.net
or
Brener Zwikel and Associates for EliteXC
John Beyrooty, 562-233-7477
johnnybey@aol.com

Continue Reading!

Roundtable recap: Strikeforce/EXC

Well, I won't have a full standings update until after Vengeance, I ain't doing this 3 times in 3 days thanks.

Here's how Strikeforce went down:

From First to worst.

1. Casey Trowbridge: 9-4
   
2. Wade Wallenstein: 8-5)
   
3. Art Shimko: 7-6
   
4. Ric Gillespie: 6-7
   
5. Scott Liedle: 5-8
   
6. Euan Taylor: 3-10

No, Euan's is not a typo it was that bad.

Carter Williams, Jason Von Flue, Joey Villasenor and Duane Ludwig...you all failed me. Villasenor, that's the third strike against you, I am now 0-3 in picking outcomes of your fights. I pick you to win, you lose, I pick you to lose, you win.

Cung Le is my hero and to the rest of you...I warned you.

Continue Reading!

Strikeforce/EXC Live Pay-Per-View Round-By-Round Coverage

Yes, it is true, I'll have live round-by-round coverage of the PPV portion of the event as it happens. I was once again unable to see the internet portion and once again don't know why. Results behind the cut, refresh your browser for the latest.

Our roundtable predictions are here

Ric went 3-3 in his roundtable picks for the pro elite show. I went 5-1...but Euan did great, he was 1-5.




They say that Krazy Horse pulled out of the fight earlier in the week, no mention as to his time in jail.

Jimmy Lennon is in the hizouse

Bill Goldberg is doing interviews tonight...way to make the lightweights seem even smaller.

Match 1: Edson Berto Vs. Victor Valenzuela - 3X5 Lightweight

Valenzuela: 5'10, 155, 5-1-2
Berto: 5'9, 155, 10-3-1
Referee: Mario Yamasaki

R1: Berto hits a high kick and then takes Valenzuela down right away in the round. Berto gets the heel hook and gets Valenzuela to tap.

Winner: Edson Berto - 0:47 R1

Bill Goldberg in the prefight essentially called the finish.

He asks Berto to walk him through the fight and I can't understand a word this man said. He speaks with marbels in his mouth.

Match 2: Carter "The Beast" Williams Vs. Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello 3X5 Heavyweight

Buentello: 6'2, 250.5, 22-9-0
Williams: 6'1, 265.5, 3-1-0
Referee: Steve Mazagatti

R1: In a fight that was expected to be on the feet, went to the ground right away. Williams starts out the round strong, taking Buentello down and they're back up.
They end up in the clinch and exchange some knees. A lot of action in a heavyweight bout. Buentello tried a guillotine but Williams was able to escape.
Buentello starts to unload with blows to Williams, and my being the only 1 to pick Williams isn't looking so hot.
They end up back in the clinch and up against the fense with less than a minute left in the round.
Williams has never been out of R1 in any of his 4 fights.

Scoring: A fun round, Williams got the takedown and it was really close. I'm going to go Williams but you could argue for Buentello. 10-9.

R2: Buentello comes out, fakes the jab hits the uppercut and that's all she wrote.

Winner: Paul Buentello - 0:10 R2 TKO
Well, I wasn't the only one to pick Williams...so did Ric, you're not catching me tonight Lesbian!!

Goldberg with Buentello: Goldberg can't tell spanish from hebrew.
You've heard one of these interviews you've heard this one.

Match 3: Murilo "Ninja" Rua Vs. "Smokin'" Joe Villasenor - 5X5 Middleweight

Rua: 5'11, 184, 13-7-1
Villasenor: 6'0, 184, 23-5-0
Referee: Mario Yamasaki

R1: Villasenor hits a big left hok that rocks Rua. Rua backs up and they're back in the clinch. They end up in side control and like 78% of the Proelite voters predicted Rua. Ric was the only one in our group if I recall correctly.
Rua on his back going for a leglock from the bottom.
Rua comes back with strikes and they transition in to half guard and then Rua shifts in to side control.

Crowd boos the ground work.

Joey Villasenor is able to reverse out and is back up on his feet and they trade shots. Rua scores a takedown and we're back to where we were.

Rua throws down some elbows and the round comes to an end.

Scoring: Rua's round 10-9, JV stunned him early but Rua did more.

R2: Rua tries a Robbie Lawler coming out with the flying knee. JV is more aware of it this time.

Rua is teeing off with strikes. Rua clobbers Villasenor and this fight is all over.

Winner: Murilo "Ninja" Rua - 1:05 R2 KO
I'm 0-3 in Villasenor fights.

Goldberg interviews Rua and it is wacky.

Match 4: Josh Thompson Vs. Nick Gonzalez - 3X5 Lightweight

Gonzalez: 5'6, 155, 11-4-0
Thompson: 5'10, 154, 11-2-1
Referee: Herb Dean

Thompson gets the big hometown pop.

R1: Gonzalez has held his own with Roger Huerta according to Morro. Thompson overwhelms Gonzalez and is looking for a rear-naked choke early but Gonzalez is trying to fight it off....but Thompson sinks it in and it is all over.

Winner: Josh Thompson - 1:42 R1 Submission Rear Naked Choke

Match 5: Tony "The Freak" Fryklund Vs. Cung Le - 3X5 Middleweight

I've been wanting to see Le for a long time. I was the only one to pick Le to win, I will either be very smart or very dumb at the end of this.

Fryklund: 36, 5'10, 177.5, 13-8-0
Le: 35, 5'10, 179, 3-0-0
Referee: Herb Dean

R1: A jufustinormous pop for Le.

Le is just working over Fryklund who decides his best defense is to stand there and take it.

He's just eating shot after shot after shot from Le.

Le is just whooping Fryklund's ass.

Kick to the head and then a spinning heel kick.

Fryklund is just getting kicked and kicked like he is Cung Le's football.

Round ends.

Scoring: Le's round 10-9...unless I can give Fryklund -10 for that round. This was a beating.

r2: It is back to Le just kicking Fryklund like Le is me and Fryklund is Ric.

I don't know how to describe this. You all need to see Cung Le right now. If UFC doesn't try and steal this guy...they're really stupid.

Fryklund keeps trying the spinning backfist and they're just not hitting.

Fryklund is trying a flurry of his own to end the round but really the term pissing in the wind comes to mind.

Morro says that surrender isn't in Fryklund's vocabulary. Le is beating all sorts of words out of him at this point.

Scoring: Le 10-9!

R3: Third round Le finishes the job...Fryklund is freakin dun dun dun!

Cung Le is a freakin star.

A freakin...star!

I was the only one to pick him to win this fight.

I said: "Cung Le is awesome".

He won, and you guys we warned.

Winner: Cung Le - 0:25 R3 TKO

Goldberg with Le: I don't care what he says he's awesome.

Match 6: "The New York Badass" Phil Baroni Vs. Frank Shamrock - 5X5 Middleweight

Baroni: 31, 5'9, 183, 10-7-0
Shamrock: 34, 5'10, 184, 21-8-1
Referee: Steve Mazagatti

R1: Baroni unloads on Shamrock early to start the round.
Baroni takes down Shamrock but this is where Frank wants to be. Shamrock knocks Baroni down and is going for a choke. Shamrock is taunting Baroni.

Mazagatti calls for time due to punches to the back of Baroni's head. 2 EXC fights, 2 times this happens. A point taken away from Frank.

Baroni comes back quickly and takes Shamrock down and again that's where he wants to be.

Shamrock tags Baroni again and is owning Baroni.

Baroni is out on his feet and Shamrock is hammering him in a bad way.

Shamrock nails more punches and Baroni takes him down to end the round.

Scoring: Because of the point being taken away, I'm giving this a 9-8 round for Shamrock.

R2: Baroni starts with strikes early but they end up in the clinch.
Baroni rocks Shamrock for a bit and then it is Shamrock's turn. Shamrock talked about an injury prior to the fight is fighting like a man with a bad wheel.

Baroni gives up his back and Shamrock looking for the choke as the crowd is going absolutely insane.

Baroni is done, and Shamrock is the Strikeforce middleweight champion.

Jufustitastinormous doesn't describe the pop for Shamrock.

Winner; Frank Shamrock - 4:00 R2 Submission

Goldberg interviews Shamrock and he doesn't need to say anything the crowd does the talking. Shamrock does talk about his injury and such.

Match 7: Duane "Bang" Ludwig Vs. Paul "semtex" Dale - 3X5 Welterweight

Daley: 24, 5'9, 170, 14-6-2
Ludwig: 28, 5'10, 170, 15-6-0
Referee: John Shorely

R1: Not a lot of action in the first round but most of it is on the feet.
If this were the WWE, this would be the women's match sandwiched between the 2 main events, only this isn't being followed by John Cena.

Daley took Ludwig down but Ludwig was right back on his feet quickly.

Round ends to a series of boos.

Scoring: Daley 10-9 and that's all I'm going to say about this.

R2: It doesn't last long as Daley KO'ed Ludwig. Euan called it...1 of 3 he got right tonight BTW.

Winner: Paul Daley - 0:42 r2 KO

UFC ain't topping this event.

This is card of the year so far.

Continue Reading!

The Undercard Of EliteXC's 'Strikeforce: Shamrock Vs. Baroni' Is In The Books

The lowdown from San Jose's HP Pavilion:

- Middleweights: Seth Kleinbeck defeated (ref-stoppage TKO @ 2:55 - round 2) Sam Spengler. I didn't score the first round, as they did such a good job of hiding the stream, I couldn't find it until about 7:34 PM, and nothing fucking happened. I know Gina Carano and Todd Keneley. were on commentary, and both of them sucked. Both displayed their lack of MMA experience, which didn't bother me as much as the fact neither seemed to have a personality. Oh, and that geeky rapper was back. Just before the finish, Spengler took an accidental low-blow (which he was given time to recover from), which may or may not have affected the outcome, then was mounted and punched until the ref stepped in to put a stop to the bout. I originally had picked Kleinbeck to win, but was hoping Spengler could pull off the upset.



- Bantamweights: Chris Cariaso defeated (unanimous decision of 30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Anthony Figueroa. Everyone else was given fifteen-minutes, while these guys only got nine. Yeah, nobody wants to see the lighter guys get equal time. Cariaso worked an impressive ground-game, considering his experience is in Muay Thai, and definitely took the first round. The second was a bit harder to score, but I still gave it to Cariaso. No, I'm not going into why, as I'm still a little perturbed by this whole shitty stream (which took forever to find and isn't providing me with the clearest picture). As the fight wound down, Cariaso seemed unwilling to engage, as Figueroa had started to figure out his style, but for Figgy, it was too little too late. I had it 29-28, Cariaso. So far, for my picks, I'm 2-0.

- Super heavyweights: Rex Richards defeated (ref-stoppage TKO @ 0:34 - round 1) Ray Seraille. Seraille took the fight on short notice, although I haven't been paying enough attention to know more than that. Guess I was wrong about that fifteen-minutes thing, as these guys were also given only nine. Richards' size (three-hundred-five-pounds) was way too much for, and a series of punches dropped Seraille, who was merely covering up as Richards continued to reign down blows, when the ref stopped in to end the bout.

- Catchweight (one-hundred-seventy-three-pounds): Jason Von Flue defeated (ref-stoppage TKO @ 2:17 - round 3) Luke Stewart. Early in the first, Von Flue took an accidental low-blow, which seems to be the "in" thing on this card. Stewart's mix of kickboxing and grappling ability seemed to fluster Von Flue, and although he didn't dominate, I gave the first to Stewart. Carano didn't realize how good Von Flue in on the ground, and kept thinking it was over, but Von Flue was never in any real danger. Early in the second, Von Flue received another accidental low-blow, this one costing Stewart a point. To be fair, Von Flue should've lost at least one-point for grabbing the fence, which he repeatedly did in both rounds. Stewart definitely did enough in the latter half to win the second, even getting Von Flue's back, but time expired. I'd have scored it 10-9, but since Stewart lost a point, I considered it a draw (9-9). In the third, Stewart gained early control of Von Flue's back, then took it down and secured full mount. Herb Dean gave Von Flue seemingly forever to fight back from a shitload of blows, before stepping in for the finish. I'm now 1-3, which sucks, but impress me Stewart do.

- Geeky rapper interviewed Shogun Rua, who said he's more nervous about watching his brother fight, than he is about fighting. Geeky rapper also got to be mounted by Carano, and even correctly picked more winners than me. He's now officially even wussier than Casey.

- Welterweights: Mike Pyle (cornered by birthday-boy Randy Couture, among others) defeated (unanimous decision of 30-27, 29-27, 30-27) Aaron Wetherspoon. Wetherspoon, now a born-again Christian, was supposedly once in a gang. Sure, me too, pal. For some reason, these guys were allowed to use elbows on the ground. During intros, some really loud chick was given a close-up. Gee, thanks, guys. Exciting round, which I barely gave to Pyle, who kept it on the ground for a while. Wetherspoon got up and controlled the standup, although he didn't get to tee-off, like he wanted. In the second, Pyle's game plan was to pick apart Wetherspoon in the standup, but that didn't exactly work. I gave the second to Wetherspoon. In the third, Pyle used a diverse attack of boxing, kickboxing, and wrestling to bloody Wetherspoon and dominate the round. I gave the fight to Pyle (29-28), but finished the broadcast with a lot of respect for Wetherspoon (and, as far as my picks, at 2-3).

- I'm sure there were some other fights, but I don't give a fuck, so maybe second-wussy-in-command will provide those results for you.

Eh, not bad, but nothing to persuade me to purchase the pay-per-view.

PS: Go, Shamrock!

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MMA News and Notes for 06/22

Lets take a look around the world on a busy weekend.

As usual, all the good stuff requires you to click the cut.



Joe Lauzon is interviewed by Inside Fighting and says that B.J. Penn suggests he move to Hawaii and train with him. Well, moving to Hawaii would rule...but if you train with B.J. Penn, expect your conditioning to end up in the nearest toilet. Of course, if I lived in Hawaii my conditioning would suck to and I know this because it sucks now so why would it change?

Is EXC teaming with producer Mark Burnett on a reality series?

Krazy Horse was released from jail but due to traffic missed his flight to be at yesterday's weigh-ins. He is expected to be at tonight's show.

Josh Barnett says nice things about the UFC and Bodog in the audio interview which starts at the 27:00 mark or so.

Dan Henderson Vs. Quinton Jackson and Matt Hamill Vs. Michael Bisping are official

Season 5 of TUF was a season to remember ...for the lowest ratings of the series.

Andy Wang is Pursuing Perfection unless it leads to him listening to his corner or going with his strength in a fight, those are just crazy theories he'll never try.

Jens Pulver looks for 2 in a row
while B.J. Penn has been wining like a bitch for 5 years

Gray Maynard wants to go Nelson Munce on the light weight division I wonder if he wouldn't be better off trying to go all Jimbo Jones instead?

It is Manny Gamburyan's relentless charge that leads him to Vegas on Saturday most people I know are led to Vegas by a map. Manny had better be careful, too much relentless charge and the NSAC might suspend him for 8 months.

Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports:
Pulver eyes rematch
Roger Huerta is a rising star

Manny Gamburyan is the Ultimate Underdog and we're not talking the movie here.

Jens Pulver is in for the fight of his life

Bad Blood: Penn Vs. Pulver to air on Versus tonight?

A breakdown of the last few weeks worth of TUF ratings is here

Rex Richards talks his Strikeforce return

Jeff Curran is ready for his move to the WEC

Cung Le is stepping up in competition tonight.

Ben Rothwell was a ringside observer as the Toronto Dragons nearly ruined his post-season chances.

A look back at the IFL's Vegas event is here

The Orange County Register makes fun of Manny's height

I'm done with this for now, maybe more later if I can be bothered.

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Final Strikeforce reminder

The time is drawing near to submit your picks I lock the thread when the show starts. Euan, Art, Wade and myself have stepped up as manly men. Ric and Scott and all you readers are ponk little gay.

I continue to be amazed that as of this moment, only I believe Cung Le will beat Tony Fryklund while the rest of the pack predicts a Fryklund win. You guys could look really silly when this night is over. So could I but then I'm used to it.

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MMA would seem to have a new fan

Mark Purdy - San Jose Mercury News
I will reserve comment on the football portion of his piece for awhile longer.

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Roundtable Reminders

I've already pimped Strikeforce and as of now, you can read my picks as well as Euan's for that show. I believe the show starts at 7:00 PM tomorrow so that's when you've got to have your picks in.

Saturday is the Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale and as of now my picks are available for your reading pleasure and you may add yours as well.

Last and like I said yesterday, least is WWE 'Vengeance' and as of now, nobody has made picks and that's ok because the show isn't until Sunday.

I offer this as a reminder to the rest of CARE/Jabronis, but also as an invitation to the rest. All you need to do is sign up for the forum and post your predictions in the appropriate thread. In the past, only the CARE/Jabroni team had posting access to that particular folder but it is now open to everyone, so we invite you to join us.

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Strikeforce weigh-in results

...here...

and that means it is probably safe to finalize your predictions for the show. I've got to warn you, Euan's are super entertaining and probably won't be topped. However, don't let that stop you from trying, you've got 14 fights to try and write something as funny as Euan. You can see what he wrote, and add your own here

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News, Notes and Quotes from the Strikeforce/EXC Press Conference

...here...

As a Reminder, I'll have live round-by-round of the PPV portion of this event starting at 10:00 PM ET. As for the Pro Elite portion of the event, I'm hoping that either Ric or I will have something. Those remembering my saga last time will know that me seeing that portion is anything but a certainty.

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Roundtable Reminder

There are 3 this week.

First up we have Strikeforce/EXC 'Judgment Day' 06/22
Euan did some great work on his.

Next up is The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale 06/23

Last and judging by the build, least...WWE 'Vengeance' 06/24

All shows lock at the beginning of the event.

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Strikeforce/EXC Judgment Day (are they still calling it that?) Update

...here...

Most of it is stuff we know about Rua and Baroni being cleared but there are a few other notes.

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Rua and Baroni cleared to fight

...details...

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EliteXC's 'Strikeforce' Main Event In Jeopardy

Phil Baroni, after previously being cleared by the CSAC, is currently in danger of having his license pulled, because the California State Athletic Commission has just been made aware of an issue with at least one of Baroni's past MRI results, which date all the way back to 2004 (when Baroni fought for the UFC, and certain parties already seem to be linking certain parties in the UFC to how the CSAC came into possession of this paperwork).

I'm sure Casey, myself, or someone will have more on this, but if the fight doesn't come off, this would majorly suck, maybe as much as the absence of "Crazy Horse" or Rua.

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Nooooooooooooooooooo

Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett off of Strikeforce?

Update: Edson Berto the replacement?

Ric tells me it is still possible Krazy Horse could fight.

Oh please to God, Jesus and the dearly departed Mr. McMahon let it be so.

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MMA News and Notes for 06/19

Ric wrote the following earlier today

If You Missed 'Bad Blood: BJ Penn Vs. Jens Pulver'...

You're a fucking idiot, because that shit rocked!

PS: If you give Pulver even a remote chance of winning this fight, you're an even bigger idiot.

Now, if you're offended by this, you really shouldn't be. After all, nobody is as big an expert on being an idiot as Ric. They'd ask him to write a book on the subject but they know it would take him too long to learn how to write. So when Ric says you're an idiot for thinking certain ways, it is not because of supression of thought but a result of years and years of experience. This is a public service brought to you by Casey Trowbridge and the Old Country Times.

The rest of the stuff is behind the cut:



Dana White says that dissolving Pride is a possibility I call it a likelyhood.

Phil Baroni Interview: here

Manny Gamburyan Interview here

Ken Shamrock wants to fight in UFC again

The CSAC does more talking about the drug test failure of some guy named Royce something.

Anthony Figueroa is ready for his fight friday on the Strikeforce show against Chris Cariaso.

Murilo "Ninja" Rua is still trying to get licensed in California.

Kevin Iole writes that Saturday was an Ultimate Success

I want to take Dana White up on his offer:

There are times I’ve been caught walking somewhere and I have an important meeting. But I’ll stay there for two-and-a-half hours. I don’t care what I have to do. If I have somewhere to go, a meeting, people waiting for me, a rehearsal for the show, I don’t care. We’re successful because we make sure every last fan gets what he wants.”

I, as a fan, want to see Gabe Ruediger Vs. Travis Lutter in a UFC eat-off contest...on a show headlined by Frank Shamrock Vs. Marlon Sims and Noah Thomas ina 2-on-1 handicap streetfight with Butterbean as special ref. I don't think that's too much to ask?

Rich Franklin is getting a Title Shot and they really need to quit telling guys this before fights.

The payouts for last Tuesday’s UFC Fight Night 10 card have been made available by the state of Florida. These figures do not include deductions or bonuses:

Spencer Fisher ($26,000) defeated Sam Stout ($6,000)

Jon Fitch ($36,000) defeated Roan Carneiro ($5,000)

Drew McFedries ($14,000) defeated Jordan Radev ($5,000)

Thiago Tavares ($10,000) defeated Jason Black ($6,000)

Forrest Petz ($8,000) defeated Luigi Fioravanto ($8,000)

Tamdan McCory ($8,000) defeated Pete Spratt ($12,000)

Gleison Tibau ($10,000) defeated Jeff Cox ($3,500)

Anthony Johnson ($6,000) defeated Chad Reiner ($3,000)

Nate Mohr ($6,000) defeated Luke Caudillo ($3,000)

Credit: 5 Ounces of Pain (Note to Petz and Fioravanti, don't expect fight of the night bonuses)

Could Diego Sanchez Vs. Hayato Sakurai not be happening?

Robbie Lawler is injured and his Icon Sport Middleweight title defense against Kala Kolohe Hose in Hawaii has been postponed until September 15.

Randy Couture is headed to Canada and it is doubtful that Rampage Jackson will ever be able to do the same.

This Saturday's fight between Kimbo Slice and Ray Mercer is only going to be an exhibition and will not be judged.

Gina Carano will be added to the announce team for coverage of Friday's Strikeforce/EXC undercard on Pro Elite.com

Nate Diaz is doing the family name proud

B.J. Penn has 5 years worth of payback on his mind

FHM has a look at Rochelle Leah

I love the UFC.com headline for the FHM story:

UFC® All Access™ Host Rachelle Leah Breaks Out!

There's a joke in there somewhere and unfortunately, I think we made it a few podcasts ago.

Randy Couture is popular or something.

I'll have more later, of that you can be sure.

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