Best of Luck to Jim Burman

As Fightlinker has reminded me (http://www.fightlinker.com/someones-popping-their-fighter-cherry.mma), fellow journalist Jim Burman is stepping into the ring for the first time tomorrow in some local Brit show. Burman writes for Fighters Only and he's been in the business for years, and he's part of that fraternity of fanboy-turned-journo so many of us claim membership in. So to Burman I say, "Best of luck, buddy, and break a leg (i.e., your opponent's)." Here's a pic of the two of us riding the subway here in New York City - we're either laughing or have gas. Or both.

New Jersey State Athletic Control Board to License Outlaw?

On March 28th Monte Cox's Extreme Challenge: "Mayhem at the Marina" comes to Trump Marina in Atlantic City, and while the event is headlined by top female fighter Tara LaRosa taking on up-and-comer Sally Krumdiak, one bout on the main card is raising eyebrows: Steve DeAngelis vs. Billy the Kidd. DeAngelis is one of the best 145-pounders the Garden State has to offer - capable of taking on nearly anyone and definitely destined for the WEC or Japan - but Billy the Kidd... Billy the Kidd is a well-known outlaw. Will the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board license a man wanted in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas for murder, cattle rustling, theft and cheating at poker? No one doubts DeAngelis' ability to handle whatever his opponent throws at him, but all it takes is one bullet from a .45 single-action six-shooter to end things unfairly. Also, should the commission allow this match-up, they'd essentially be condoning the fact that Billy the Kidd was a founding member of the vigilante group "The Regulators", and that during the course of his career he murdered lawmen and civilians alike. For the sake of fighter safety and especially common decency, let's hope the NJSACB does the right thing.

Asylum Fight League 12 to Feature 200+ Amateur Bouts

Asylum Fight League returns for their 12th installment tomorrow afternoon, this time at Club Abyss in Sayreville, New Jersey, and according to their website the card will be another 200+ bout epic. Hey, MMA Journalist digs amateur events and all, but these New Jersey shows tend to have as competitors everyone who's ever trained in MMA, and everyone who's ever thought about training in MMA - with the end result often leaving people in the venue on the verge of utter exhaustion and collapse (in fact, a referee actually passed out at one show back in 2007; the fighters in the cage at the time had to stop and revive him). Anyway, MMA Journalist will be there tomorrow to liveblog the event. For more info, go to the promotion's website at http://www.asylumfightleague.com .

For Black Friday

In honor of Charles "Mask" Lewis:

Trio of Anabolic Steroids Test Positive for Ken Shamrock

The anabolic steroids Stanozolol, Norandrosterone and Noretiocholanolone have tested positive for aging MMA legend Ken Shamrock and have been suspended for one year, according to a statement released yesterday by the anabolic steroid Deca-Durabolin. The positive test result comes after a post-fight screening for the February 13th Wargods event in California, an event that saw Shamrock defeat some laughably overweight dude via first-round armbar. "Shameful," said the steroid Sustanon. "That's all I have to say about it. It's just shameful." Added the human growth hormone Somatropin, which is used by a wide range of athletes and is virtually undetectable by current screening techniques, "This sort of thing simply will not be tolerated. I mean, Ken Shamrock? Really? Come on."

Rest In Peace Charles Lewis

The MMA community suffered another huge loss today, as Charles Lewis, a.k.a. "Mask" of the TapouT crew, was killed in a car crash in Newport Beach, California. Attend almost any fight show out on the West Coast and you'd run into the garishly-dressed TapouT crew, shaking hands, posing for pics and repping their popular clothing brand. I only knew Charles in that capacity, but he was friendly as hell and treated everyone like a long-lost brother (at the last EliteXC in Florida, he saw me and affectionately pressed his forehead to mine). When we lose a fighter, we think of the battles they've given us in the cage or ring, and the battles they'll no longer fight. Losing Charles means we've lost one of the sport's biggest supporters - a man who sponsored tons of fighters and helped ingrain MMA into the public's consciousness. Rest in peace, Mask. You will be missed.

TUF 9 Competitors Revealed

The list of competitors for the ninth season of "The Ultimate Fighter" has been revealed in a press release from SpikeTV. An eclectic mix of lightweights and welterweights from here and abroad, the roster (which includes coaches Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping, who will helm Team US and Team UK, respectively) is filled with names that may be unknown to the general public. To prime fans for the April 1st debut, MMA Journalist has picked out a few notable contestants. They are:

• Fatty McFat, Team UK, welterweight - the guy who can't make weight for his first fight and who gets replaced by Dark Horse O'Houlihan.
• Joe Scumbag, Team US, lightweight - the kid stricken with bi-polar disorder who alternates between acting like a gentleman and a jackass. He shows a modicum of talent, but everyone hates him and (rightfully) views him as a ticking time bomb. No matter who he stabs or poisons, Dana White will never boot him from the TUF house. Ratings, you know.
• Ian Noexperience, Team UK, lightweight - the chum the other sharks in the house will eat.
• A glass of water, Team US, welterweight - he gets drunk a lot, providing constant entertainment for viewers.
• Iwanna Breakstuff, Team US, lightweight - the man in charge of demolishing any and all furniture he can get his hands on.
• Chuck Liddell, Team US, light-heavyweight - under the influence of an assortment of prescription drugs and cough medicine, the former champ wanders confused and incoherent into the TUF house. No one is able to get him to leave.
• The Silver Surfer, Team US, welterweight - the ringer brought in with the expectation that he'll win it all.
• Patty Garblemouf, Team UK, lightweight - the talented fighter with the accent so thick, no one - not even his own teammates - can understand him. Even the subtitles that appear on screen whenever he speaks make no sense.
• The TUF house foosball table, Team IKEA, welterweight - having survived last season relatively intact, the foosball table returns to risk life and limb once more.

Lyman Good to Kill, Kill, Kill at Mohegan Sun on April 10th

Bellator Fighting Championships has announced the details for their second installment, and the event, which will take place on April 10th at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut will see Team Tiger Schulmann-trained assassin Lyman Good taking on ShoXC and King of the Cage welterweight Hector Urbina. This will mark the first time Good has fought since his March, 2008 murder of Alexis Aquino at ROC 18, which Good stood trial for but was later acquitted on the grounds that Aquino was asking for it. Since then, the New York City-based fighter has been honing himself to a keen edge, adding such deadly skills as demolitions and knife throwing to his already frightening arsenal of death-dealing abilities. Expect Urbina's blood to stain the BFC canvas bright red before the night is through. The event will air on ESPN Deportes the next day.

Details Emerge Regarding Frank Mir's Injury

As anyone who watched UFC 96 on Saturday knows, Frank Mir's rematch with Brock Lesnar, which was slated for UFC 98, has now been postponed due to Mir getting injured. Today, new details have emerged regarding the nature of the interim heavyweight champ's injury - and it ain't pretty. According to sources within Mir's camp, he "damaged his esophagus swallowing one of those 125-pound fighters last week. Possibly the Mexican one." As MMA Journalist reported last Wednesday, Mir was absent from the WEC broadcast because he'd eaten an unknown number of flyweight fighters that were to be introduced on air. Now the Las Vegas native is suffering from severe gastrointestinal distress, and it is his inability to train properly that forced the Mir/Lesnar II bout's rescheduling. Continued the source (who asked to remain unnamed), "Frank is amazing in that he can eat a human being whole without having to chew, like that big alien guy on Futurama named Lrrr from Omicron Persei 8. Unfortunately, if someone is bad - like a Mexican fighter who drinks water from Mexico, which we Americans can't drink - well, you and I would just spit that person out. Not Frank. He swallows them whole." The showdown between heavyweight champ Lesnar and interim champ Mir has been tentatively scheduled for UFC 100 in July.

Observations From My Couch: UFC 96

• All weekend long I was trying to think of something disparaging to say about Gray Maynard, as he defeated a fighter I like a lot in Jim Miller. I couldn't, though. Maynard just beat a very tough guy.
• Screw that. Gray Maynard sucks and is about as exciting as watching a constipated frog take a dump.
• Kendall Grove is one leg kick away from ending up like Corey Hill. Dude, eat a sandwich.
• Not only did Matt Hamill impress with that spectacular high-kick knockout, but he seemed pretty adept at speaking Deep Mountain Dwarvish (a la Lord of the Rings) in his post-fight interview. I think he invited fans to his afterparty in the Mines of Moria.
• Dear Jason Brilz, if I wanted to watch one man dry hump another... ah, never mind.
• Tamdan McCrory's motto is apparently "fight like a stud, curse like a sailor". I like that.
• I guess Mike Patt forgot that there is also grappling in mixed martial arts?
• I don't know why Yves Lavigne hates Pete Sell and wants him dead, but I will get to the bottom of this mystery soon.
• Shane Carwin: the man, the myth, the freight train.
• Quinton Jackson's fight against Keith Jardine was mildly entertaining, but his post-fight exchange with Rashad Evans very nearly broke the black-o-meter on my TV. Hmmm... No, let me redo that one. Quinton Jackson's fight against Keith Jardine was mildly entertaining, but his post-fight exchange with Rashad Evans made me think I was watching "The Iron Ring" on BET. Hmmm... Forget it, I got nothing.