There have been some stories we missed this week, as well as some new ones to talk about, so let’s get to ’em.
If you missed last week’s Shamrock vs. Baroni pay-per-view, it will be aired on Showtime tonight at 10pm EST. It will also be included on their OnDemand service beginning tomorrow.
In a related note, Frank Shamrock has issued a challenge to Renzo Gracie, and Gracie has aceepted. The fighters are open to any and all promoters who wish to put this fight together.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua recently injured his knee while training, and it was rumored that it was serious enough to keep him off of the UFC 76 card. Rua’s trainer told MMAWeekly that the injury is not serious and that Rua will continue physical therapy, as well as his regular training, and will be on schedule for his September 22nd UFC debut.
Talk all the shit you want about the guy, but this is why I love Dana White. The UFC President had some choice words for Tito Ortiz this week, following another of Ortiz’s whining sessions with the press. Ortiz told Yahoo! Sports that White and the UFC have not been giving him the exposure that he deserves, and that it’s an intentional tactic to drive down Tito’s price when contract renegotiation time rolls around.
White calls him on it, “There’s a billboard of his big ugly gorilla face at the busiest point in Las Vegas, where it can scare kids who are riding by in their cars. Guess whose ugly head is on our billboard in Times Square? He’s a moron: A complete and total moron. His whole career, he’s stepped over a dollar to pick up a dime. I’m sick of him. It’s time he started beating up someone other than a nearly 50-year-old Ken Shamrock. I’ll tell you what it is, it’s more proof, as if anybody needed any, that Tito is a moron.“
Zuffa-owned World Extreme Cagefighting has been signing a lot of new talent lately, in particular in their middleweight division. Recent signings include Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Jeff Curran, John Alessio, and Mark Hominick, among others.
Some potential names of competitors on The Ultimate Fighter 6 have surfaced. If you’d rather be surprised when the sixth season starts in September, feel free to scroll down to the next story.
Mac Danzig (16-4-1), Jon Koppenhaver (4-1), Richie Hightower (7-1), and Joe Scarola (3-0) are all rumored to be a part of the all-welterweight cast.
Danzig is a five-time King of the Cage lightweight champion, Koppenhaver is a vet of Total Combat, Hightower is a vet of Rage in the Cage, and Scarola is a star pupil of season 6 coach Matt Serra.
This is just too bizarre. Drew Fickett, who was scheduled to face The Ultimate Fighter 4’s Chris Lytle at UFC 73, is now out of the fight due to a serious knee injury. The reason it’s bizarre is because Fickett was a replacement for Jeff Joslin, who had to pull out of the fight due to injury.
Jason Gilliam will take Fickett’s place.
