Seth Petruzelli came to the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., with little fanfare and almost no chance to make any kind of impression on anyone aside from those in the arena who would watch his scheduled undercard match before the bright lights of the CBS broadcast cameras went live.

By the time he left, millions knew his name.

The journeyman fighter destroyed the man and myth of Kimbo Slice, taking the fight on short notice and then making it a short night of work, requiring just 14 seconds to score a stunning but decisive knockout in the main event of EliteXC’s Saturday night fights.

Slice stalked Petruzelli early, but with his back against the cage, Petruzelli rocked Slice with a short right that put him down. Slice fell to the ground, and Petruzelli unloaded with a series of hard rights to the jaw. Slice ate a few of the shots before the referee called a stop to the action in what is one of the fastest knockouts in EliteXC history. The spotlight-stealing Petruzelli ran around the cage in celebration before graciously offering an excuse for Kimbo's loss.

“Honestly man, it was a crappy situation for both of us,” he said. “It’s unfortunate what happened to Ken [Shamrock]. [Kimbo] stepped up to fight at the last minute. I imagine both of our heads were messed up about it.  This isn’t street fighting; you’re supposed to have a set fight you can prepare for. He didn’t train for me, and I didn’t train for him, but that's what happens.”

Petruzelli was asked to face Slice (3-1) after Shamrock was forced to withdraw after being injured in the last 24 hours. The 44-year-old veteran was warming up with his training partner when he sustained a cut over his left eye that required six stitches to close. He was examined by Florida state boxing commission executive director Thomas Molloy and ringside doctor Dr. Allan fields, who decided Shamrock could not be cleared to fight.

That left EliteXC scrambling for a replacement for Slice, who was the center of the marketing campaign for the event. Fighter and announcer Frank Shamrock, who normally competes at 185 pounds, reportedly offered to fill the vacancy, but was denied. Frank Shamrock broke his arm in his March fight with Cung Le and likely would have not been medically cleared to fight by the state athletic commission. Eventually, Petruzelli was offered the spot and accepted, and Slice agreed to the fight just 40 minutes before the EliteXC broadcast was set to go live.

Petruzelli (10-6) had been scheduled for a light-heavyweight fight with Aaron Rosa, and after weighing in at 205.5 pounds on Friday, gave up a significant amount of size to Slice, who weighed in at 234.5 for the heavyweight fight. Even after rehydrating, Petruzelli was likely 10-15 pounds lighter than Slice, but it mattered little.

Petruzelli is a well-traveled fighter who began martial arts training as a child. Before joining the cast of the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, he fought for several promotions, including the WEC and King of the Cage. While with the UFC, he officially went 0-2 as a light-heavyweight, losing to Wilson Gouveia and Matt Hamill. Prior to handing Slice his first defeat, his best win came against MMA legend Dan Severn in 2004. Though known in the MMA world, he was not easily recognizable to casual fans.

Slice, meanwhile, had been trumpeted by EliteXC as one of the best fighters in the world, despite the fact that he was still inexperienced after only two years of full-time training, and some of the major media bought into the hype. His ratings draw, however, was unquestioned. In his first fight on CBS in May, he drew over 6.5 million viewers to watch him defeat James Thompson.

With Slice EliteXC's best known fighter, it will be interesting to see how they move forward with the luster off their crown jewel.

ICEMAN - by Chuck Liddell and Chad Millman

Chuck's biography probably gives more insight into the sport, than any of the other books. He talks a lot about what goes on back stage and analyzes his fights in detail. The one other point that stands out in this book - Chuck doesn't like Tito Ortiz!

A Fighter's Heart by Sam Sheridan

Rather than a famous fighter's biography, this is more about one man's quest to become a fighter.Sam Sheridan trains in MMA. Muay Thai and other martial arts in a sort of search for self. The Whole voyage culminates in an MMA fight which Sheridan describes in gritty detail from the inside.

This is gonna hurt by Tito Ortiz and Marc Shapiro

Fans of Tito will love this book. He's extremely open about his tough childhood and his problems with drugs and alcohol and other intimate details. Some fans would no doubt have liked to read more analysis of his fights, but you can't please everybody.

Middleweight kingpin likely to hang up gloves at end of current deal

UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who is considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world, is planning to retire at the age of 35, his manager Ed Soares told NBCSports.com.

Silva made waves in the MMA community last week when he reportedly told a Brazilian cable channel that he expected to retire next year. The interview has not yet aired but the alleged statement was released in a written excerpt.

Soares said Silva retiring next year was "absolutely impossible," but that he likely would finish his current contract before calling it quits.

Torn meniscus sends 'Mexican Fedor' for surgery and rehabilitation

 

The UFC had hoped to see Velasquez return to action on a Dec. 10 event scheduled for Fort Bragg, N.C.

Velasquez is a former Arizona State wrestler who earned All-America status twice during his collegiate career. He has been a quick study in MMA with a perfect 4-0 record and has dominated in both of his UFC fights with first-round TKOs.

Though he comes in with a wrestling background, the 26-year-old Velasquez has drawn raves from his teammates, trainers and insiders who praise his aptitude for learning and athletic ability.

Current Affliction fighter Paul Buentello is one of Velasquez's stablemates at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif. Buentello is a seasoned and respected fighter with almost 40 fights to his credit and has fought in major promotions including the UFC and Strikeforce.

"I think he'll give [current interim champ Antonio Rodrigo] Nogueira a good run for his money right now," Buentello said. "He's a push-push kind of guy. He just keeps going forward. He doesn't care. He's a Mexican version of Fedor Emelianenko. He has no worries about engaging. He overlooks it and goes straight forward."

Velasquez has adapted quickly to the standup game under the tutelage of AKA striking coach Javier Mendez. All four of his wins have been knockouts coming inside of a round.  In his April 2008 UFC debut, he overwhelmed Brad Morris in just 2:10. In July, he needed only 2:02 to finish off Jake O’Brien. In addition, he is noted for having an incredible work ethic and unending stamina which Buentello likens to a "marathon runner or Ironman triathlete."

Many insiders see him as the eventual heir to the heavyweight division.

When Affliction canceled their scheduled Oct. 11 show, they promised a huge announcement to come in the following days that would change the MMA landscape. A few days later, they announced a partnership with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions that will eventually lead to split boxing/MMA cards.

Then, days after that, they announced a co-promoted Affliction/EliteXC match on the upcoming Oct. 4 CBS show that will pit Andrei Arlovski against Roy Nelson.

Those developments have given a shot in the arm to the upstart companies as they attempt to usurp market share from industry leader UFC.

While such a scenario might ultimately improve the fortunes of both companies – and their fighters along with it – there is, for some, an immediate price to pay. While the headlines speak of potential, it comes largely at the sacrifice of the fighters. At least 20 athletes were preparing for an Oct. 11 matchup before the postponement. Not everyone has been promised a slot on the January rescheduling, and perhaps just as importantly, paydays have been lost.

Fighters must simply hope that they are taking one step backward to take two forward in the future, and that their faith is rewarded.

Dan Lauzon signed with Affliction just a few weeks prior to the show date was changed. When he was informed he wouldn’t be fighting on Oct. 11, he immediately spoke with World Championship Fighting promoter Joe Cavallaro and asked about participating on their Sept. 19 show.

“We would’ve put him on, no doubt,” said Cavallaro, who has promoted three Lauzon fights in WCF. “But I asked him, ‘Isn’t your brother [UFC’s Joe Lauzon] fighting two days before that? Aren’t you cornering him? How are you going to get back and make weight? How are you going to be prepared? We both realized it wasn’t the right decision.”

While Cavallaro said it might be possible to get Dan Lauzon on a November event and keep him active, not every fighter will be able to find a matchup and pay to their liking. NBCSports.com spoke with several fighters and managers, and all of them praised Affliction’s Tom Atencio for his professional handling of the situation, realizing that in this case, they would have to put the company’s fate ahead of their own. However, most acknowledged the difficulty that comes from a postponed or canceled match.

Paul Buentello is an MMA veteran and was slated to fight Roy Nelson until the plug was pulled. Buentello lives in Amarillo, Tex., but trains in San Jose, Calif. When he got word of the news, he was in the midst of training camp. He immediately packed up and went home, unsure of his future.

“It’s a little frustrating,” he said. “Being a fighter, it’s never easy. It’s always a struggle financially because your money situation is tied to your fights. It took the wind out of my sails a little. It slows the money train.”

Still, Buentello commends Affliction on their handling of the situation despite the fact that they did not immediately guarantee him a place on the January event.

“Sad to say it, but I’m used to it,” he said. “This isn’t the first time this has happened to me.”

The disappointment and financial strain of the athletes is tempered partially due to the realization that if the promotion can flourish, more opportunities will arise for them.

From the beginning of the Affliction fight promotion’s existence, Atencio has said the company will not tolerate losing money. Although details are still being worked out, a partnership with Golden Boy will spread the financial liability while doubling the promotional muscle. Both sides see it as a win-win.

“What this partnership does is mainstream the sport,” said Affliction chief operating officer Michael Cohen. “There are many who refuse to watch it because of ideology, because of perception. We believe that with Golden Boy, we can mainstream MMA to dispel any mischaracterization in the sport. This is a sport that despite its combative nature has very strict rules that are adhered to for the benefit and protection of the fighter.”

While boxing and MMA are close relatives in the combat sports world, they have often been bitter enemies. Many boxing purists have called MMA barbaric, while many MMA fans simply see boxing as boring and outdated. So combining the two on the same card will be an interesting experiment, though one that has been tried before. In June, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, a free card was held with five boxing fights, followed by four MMA bouts that drew an estimated 8,000 fans.

“I’m kind of worried and interested to see how it goes,” said Buentello, who counts himself as a boxing fan. “You might get an MMA match where there are two guys going at it in an action-packed fight for seven or eight minutes, and then you might transition to boxing and slow down the pace of crowd. But from another angle, I think it’s good. When it comes to sponsors, everyone knows what Golden Boy is about. That’s something I can bring to the table with sponsors. It’s interesting.”

“Affliction is aligning themselves with someone with experience in promoting,” said Jeff Clark, whose NCFC  Fight Management counts Affliction fighters Chris Horodecki and Mark Hominick as clients. “It’s a sport that is similar to MMA. [Golden Boy] has significant business experience, and believe it’s a good mix to add boxing with a more exciting sport. The contacts and promotion helps Affliction, while the demographic and action of MMA help boxing and Golden Boy.”

 

Be sure to tune in – MONDAY, September 22, 2008 – 7:00pmEST/ 4:00pm PST

G4’s “Attack Of The Show” takes viewers behind the scenes and into the cage on the grounds of The Playboy Mansion during “Strikeforce At The Mansion II.”

To find out where to watch in your area please visit: http://www.g4tv.com/channel.aspx

BE SURE TO TUNE IN!!!

 

During UFC 88 a a couple weeks ago, you may have noticed Rashad Evans walk into (and later out of) the ring with a Bill Gates T-shirt on. The shirt is of Gates' mugshot after being arrested as a young adult.

Evans told a radio show earlier this week that the reason he wears the shirt is an inside joke. Gates was arrested in Albuquerque, N.M., in Dec. 1975. At the time, Microsoft was based in Albuquerque, in the building next to the one that currently houses Greg Jackson's MMA, where Evans trains.

Apparently, Evans' shirt — or his knockout over Chuck Liddell — got someone's attention at Microsoft. The current UFC light-heavyweight No. 1 contender is in the company's newest commercial.

Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano participated in a well-attended open media workout Wednesday at Legends Mixed Martial Arts Training Center in Los Angeles.�The fighters will appear on the�upcoming third installment of CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS, broadcast live from the BankAtlantic Center, in Sunrise, Fla., on Saturday, Oct. 4 (9-11 p.m., ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

A major attraction, the undefeated, incredibly popular Kimbo, of Perrine, Fla., near Miami, will face legendary Hall Of Famer Ken Shamrock in a featured fight on a stellar, star-studded mixed martial arts card that includes women's superstar Gina Conviction, Carano and MMA standouts Jake Shields, Paul Daley and Murilo Ninja, Rua.

Tickets start at $30 and are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at (954) 523-3309 in Broward County, (305) 358-5885 in Dade County and (561) 966-3309 in Palm Beach County, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the BankAtlantic Center box offices (954) 835-7825.

The BankAtlantic Center box offices are located on both the North and South sides of the main entrance. Their normal business hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The box office will be open the day of the event beginning at 10 a.m. The first live fight begins at 6 p.m. ET. The event is presented by Los Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.'s live fight division, EliteXC.

Besides Kimbo-Shamrock, Shields defends his EliteXC welterweight belt against Daley, Carano collides with Kelly Kobold in a 140-pound bout and Rua, a former EliteXC middleweight belt-holder, faces Benji Radach at 185 pounds. Cristiane Cyborg Santos meets Yoko Takahashi and Florida-based Edson Berto faces Hawaii�s Mike Aina at 170 in top undercard fights. The undercard also will feature Florida favorites Crafton Wallace and Seth Petruzelli, who will face foes to be announced. Wallace has won four straight and six of seven. Petruzelli, a former cast member of the Ultimate Fighter, has won eight of his last 10 fights.

 

 

LAS VEGAS - Golden Boy Promotions will put boxing matches and mixed martial arts fights side-by-side in a new partnership with Affliction, the fledgling MMA promoter run by an apparel company.

Golden Boy and Affliction will be equal partners in a venture that will put on at least four multisport events starting in 2009, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said Saturday. Many smaller attempts have been made to pair the two combat sports on the same cards, but Golden Boy and Affliction hope to be the first to do it on a major scale.

"I think the two worlds have finally merged, and this is a perfect example,'' Affliction vice president Tom Atencio said.

MMA exploded in popularity earlier in the decade with the rise of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which dominates the sport. Affliction, a 3-year-old creator of Gothic-inflected men's T-shirts and apparel, edged into combat sports by sponsoring both MMA fighters and boxers, such as middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik.

Affliction then decided to try MMA promotion after its shirts were banned at UFC events, staging a successful debut show in Anaheim, Calif., on July 19. But Affliction then postponed an event scheduled for October in Las Vegas, leading industry watchers to wonder whether the promoter already was in trouble.

Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya's burgeoning promotions company, has long been intrigued by the idea of getting into MMA, with Schaefer driving the interest in its riches and loyal fan base.

"I think there's a tremendous opportunity for crossover promotions, and to team up with such an iconic brand like Affliction is a big step for us,'' Schaefer said.

Fedor Emelianenko, the vaunted MMA heavyweight who starred in the defunct Pride Fighting Championships, is expected to headline Affliction's next show in January, which could be the start of its partnership with Golden Boy. The card's postponement from October allowed time for Emelianenko's injured hand to heal.

Affliction Clothing will produce a new line of boxing T-shirts tied to Golden Boy's upcoming bouts, including De La Hoya's fight against Manny Pacquiao, to sell in its retail outlets and at fight venues. Affliction also will make shirts featuring old covers of Ring Magazine, the once-powerful boxing journal now owned by Golden Boy.