Monday, September 15, 2008

Affliction Teams Up With Golden Krust

Hot on the heels of the postponement of their October "Day of Reckoning" show, Affliction has announced a partnership between themselves and Caribbean bakery giant Golden Krust. In a press conference on Saturday, head seamstress Tom Atencio described the alliance as "ground breaking" and promised that it would "change the mixed martial arts industry forever". No word yet on what this means for the promotion in terms of breaking into the Las Vegas market or selling tickets to shows not headlined by Fedor Emelianenko, but Golden Krust is the world's leading producer of Jamaican beef patties, and its flavorful jerk marinade is heralded as the best jerk around.

Jon Koppenhaver Cut from UFC for Being "Too Classy"

According to preliminary reports, the UFC has released TUF 6 alum Jon Koppenhaver from his contract for being "too classy". Nicknamed "War Machine", Koppenhaver was recently praised for his moving Myspace tribute to the late Evan Tanner, and his tireless volunteer work in the community has left many wondering if he'd one day snag a Nobel Peace Prize. "He's really not what we're looking for in a fighter," said UFC Vice Dictator Joe Silva. "Nice doesn't sell fights. We're all about scum and villainy."

Empire State Warriors Challenge: "Bike 'n' Brawl"

This past weekend saw one of the aforementioned New York State underground shows come to fruition with the Empire State Warriors Challenge, a long-running promotion near Albany that uses amateur MMA rules akin to New Jersey's. Aptly dubbed "Bike 'n' Brawl" (the event took place at a biker rally), the card featured over a dozen bouts that paired fighters with backgrounds in traditional Japanese jujitsu and the like with fighters from actual MMA-focused gyms. "Basically, if you trained, you won," says Hudson Valley Jiu-Jitsu honcho Brian McLaughlin, whose student, John Incledon, won via kimura on Saturday night. McLaughlin is quick to point out that the event was big on fighter safety, was well-run and organized, and the rules meeting even included instructions on where to meet if the bikers rioted. In terms of helping the sport grow in New York, MMA Journalist definitely puts the Empire State Warriors Challenge amongst the good guys.