The Times They Are A-Changin'

Ron Scott Stevens, the chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission and hater of all things mixed martial arts, has been given the boot. His replacement: Melvina Lathan. MMA Journalist spoke with Commissioner Lathan a few months ago and learned that she's a big fan of the sport. Sweet!

A Career Retrospective of the Real Dream 5 Lightweight Grand Prix Winner

Regardless of the eye-injury that sidelined him in the finals, Philadelphia-born messiah Eddie Alvarez is the real winner of last weekend's Dream 5 Lightweight Grand Prix. He took out Andre Amade, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Joachim Hansen in impressive fashion to earn his berth in the finals, and though Hansen stepped in as an alternate to defeat Shinya Aoki when Alvarez was deemed unable to continue, the Nordic warrior can't really be all that proud of his new championship belt knowing he had to eat a unanimous decision loss along the way. So who is this Alvarez cat who's taken the international MMA scene by storm? Gather round kids, 'cause MMA Journalist was there when his career first began in the New Jersey fight circuit. - December '03 - Alvarez stepped into the ring for the first time at ROC 5, where he took out Team Serra/Longo rookie Anthony LaDonna. Takedown to punches from the mount to KO and it was all over in about four minutes. - April '04 - Alvarez had no trouble steamrolling over Pitts Penn fighter Adam Fearon at ROC 6, with Fearon tapping out in two minutes. - October '04 - Reality Fighting 7 saw the Alvarez phenemon take shape, as hundreds of cheering fans filled the stands to watch the Philly slugger KO grappler Chris Schlesinger in a minute. This phenemon caught the attention of MFC matchmaker Miguel Iturate, who scooped Alvarez up in the hopes that he'd reverse the promotion's ailing ticket sales. - February '05 - "USA vs. the World" was the theme of this MFC, and Alvarez stepped up to TKO Seichi Ikemoto. This one wasn't even close. - May '05 - MFC's "USA vs. Russia" pitted Alvarez against Danila Veselov. By now the word was out: don't let Alvarez punch you. The Russian got punched midway through the second round and it was all over. - November '05 - Daisuke Hanazawa fell at MFC's "USA vs. Japan" show. Alvarez's fans took up entire sections, and they went bananas and crowded the ring when he fought. The star even got his own pre-fight video montage - the only fighter on the card to get one. - June '06 - MFC put together another "USA vs. Russia" card, although Alvarez's bout with UFC vet Derrick Noble is more of a superfight. The legend of Alvarez had grown enough at this point to warrant a visit from West Coaster Jeff Sherwood (aka Sherdog). Sherwood predicted a KO win by Noble before the fight. Alvarez knocked Noble out in a minute. Sherwood conceded that Alvarez was the real deal. - After that, Alvarez hit the road, wrecking Hidenobu Koike in Japan, smoking Aaron Riley in British Columbia, and trouncing Scott Henze in Costa Rica. In Russia Nick Thompson handed Alvarez his only loss, but redemption came when he returned to the Garden State and defeated Matt Lee. And the rest is history.

Thomas Denny Out to Prove that All You Need to Fight on Network TV is Interesting Hair

Apparently all you need to earn a fight on network television is interesting hair. Don't believe me? Just ask perpetual journeyman Thomas "Wildman" Denny, a regional West Coast fighter who's fought and lost to some of the best while touting a curious array of hairstyles. On Saturday night, EliteXC returns to CBS with "Unfinished Business", a sophomore effort that will feature Robbie Lawler rematching with Scott Smith, Shayna Baszler spine-locking Cristiane Cyborg, and Jake Shields and Nick Thompson exchanging grooming tips in the cage. But the real star of the evening will be Denny's ever-changing locks when he takes on stoner Nick Diaz. Will the Wildman rock the cornrows? Will he go the multicolored route? Or will the mid-level fighter with the on-staff hairdresser throw down whilst sporting a pompadour, mohawk or bouffant? Only time will tell. But on Saturday night you can count on two things: Denny will lose, and his hair will be spectacular.

Evil Joe Silva Steals Match-Up Meant for Northeast Fans

Nefarious. Dastardly. Villainous. These are words often used to describe UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, whose latest act of treachery is the August 9th UFC 87 match-up between New York bad boy Jon Jones and New Jersey star Andre Gusmao. By rights, this pairing of explosive and ultra-exciting fighters belongs to fans in the Northeast - perhaps something savored as the main event on a ROC or BCX. Yet Silva wants otherwise. And now fans at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and on pay-per-view around the world, will get Jones vs. Gusmao instead. Sadly, this isn't the first time Silva has done this (the rematch between Pete "Drago" Sell and Chris Liguori was considered for UFC 45) and it likely won't be the last. Is no top-level fighter sacred? Will the Northeast ever get to keep one of its best athletes to itself? With Silva the Trickster, Silva the God of Mischief and Deceit, around to fulfill dreams and offer up lucrative contracts, probably not.

Miller Brothers to Stake Their Claim on the UFC's Lightweight and Middleweight Divisions

Trainer/manager Mike Constantino of the AMA Fight Club in New Jersey announced today that Jim and Dan Miller have been signed by the UFC. With flawless wrestling and top-notch submission skills, Jim has cut a swath through the Northeast's lightweights. He's won a slew of championship belts, and has wins over the likes of Chris Liguori and Bart Palaszewski. Older brother Dan - also a grappling stud - has done much of the same in the 185-pound weightclass, with his kneebar win over Miletich-trained Ryan McGivern garnering him the IFL title. How good are these guys? At the news that they were graduating to the UFC, the Northeast's lightweights and middleweights breathed a collective sigh of relief. Believe it, baby.

Observations from My Couch: Affliction "Banned"

- Matt Lindland edged out Brazilian newcomer Fabio "Negao" Nascimento for the unanimous decision win after a grueling three-round fight, which served to remind fans yet again that the "Law" is boring as hell. Boring. As. Hell. - Megadeth? Really? - Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Mike Pyle, Babalu, Mark Hominick and Vitor Belfort all scored victories by various means. According to the promoter, they will all fight champ Fedor Emelianenko simultaneously at the next event. Pyle and Hominick are even allowed to bring guns. - Megadeth? Seriously? - Josh Barnett's KO of Pedro Rizzo was a thing of beauty, and avenged Barnett's 2001 loss to the Brazilian slugger. Rizzo now must return Barnett's collection of Robotech: "The Macross Saga" DVDs and life-size Gundam replica. - Andre Arlovski crushed Ben Rothwell's soul. That's it. Nothing more needs to be said. - Megadeth? Really? This isn't some sort of joke? - Fedor's bout with Tim Sylvia lasted only 36 seconds. Why so quick? Fedor wanted to get back home so he could watch UFC Fight Night 14 on DVR.

Observations from My Couch: UFN 14

- CB Dollaway finished Jesse Taylor in impressive fashion, punctuating a very exciting and memorable season of TUF. Um, not. - Kevin Burns defeated Anthony Johnson via bout-ending gouge to the eyes. Afterwards, Burns assured fans that he has a full arsenal of such techniques at his disposal, including the throat-bite, the groin-kick and the chair-busted-over-opponent's-head-when-opponent-isn't-looking. Expect big things from this future champ. - Frankie Edgar looked great controlling Hermes Franca with repeated takedowns. Unfortunately, Edgar's win will be tarnished when Franca tests positive for rollerskates in his post-fight drug screen. - Brandon Vera and Reese Andy clashed and... zzzzzzz... zzzzzz... *snore* zzzzz... - UFC middleweight monster Anderson Silva dispatched light-heavyweight James Irvin in a minute and one second. Why so quickly? Silva wanted to get home and watch Affliction on DVR.

Point/Counterpoint: Fedor is God/Fedor is not God

Point: Fedor is God - Holy moley! Can you believe how fast Fedor Emelianenko wrecked former UFC champ Tim Sylvia at Saturday night's Affliction: "Banned" event? Thirty-six seconds and the giant from Maine was bloody and tapping. The Russian sambo player and Pride champ was large and in charge from beginning to end. Wow! If they ever meet in the ring, I'm not sure Randy Couture could defeat him. Clearly, Fedor is God. Counterpoint: Fedor is not God - Whatevs, bro. Fedor ain't no God. At most he's a minor diety. Like Ares or Thor or something.

Predictions for Affliction, UFC Fight Night 14 and DREAM

An MMA "superweekend" is upon us, as Affliction: "Banned" debuts on pay-per-view on Saturday night, UFC Fight Night 14 airs concurrently on SpikeTV, and DREAM's lightweight grand prix in Japan will conclude early Monday (for those of us checking out the play-by-play on Sherdog.com). MMA Journalist is breaking out its crystal ball to forecast what will happen at this veritable buffet of combat. - At Affliction, headliners Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia will clash in epic fashion. No one outside of MMA's hardcore fanbase will know the results, nor will they care. - At UFC Fight Night 14, middleweight champ Anderson Silva will have his hands full with light-heavyweight opponent James Irvin. Specifically, his hands will be full of the back of Irvin's neck as the Brazilian delivers a storm of bout-ending knees to Irvin's grill. - At UFC Fight Night 14, Frankie Edgar will go for a takedown at some point. Also, he will get it. - At Affliction, Mike Pyle, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Mike Whitehead and Matt Lindland will be paid in T-shirts adorned with designs of skulls, flames and other masculine things. - At UFC Fight Night 14, IFL expats Reese Andy, Rory Markham and Brad Blackburn will receive their paychecks, deposit them into their bank accounts, and be pleasantly surprised the checks don't bounce. You know, because that's what they're used to. - At DREAM, Eddie Alvarez will defeat his first Japanese opponent, but before he can compete in the final bout the promoters will make him complete the nigh-impossible "Ninja Warrior" obstacle course. He will do it.

Celebrity Gossip Site On Top of MMA World News

This just in! Famed celebrity gossip website TMZ.com is reporting that former UFC light-heavyweight champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has been arrested for felony hit and run in California. Sources on the scene say that Rampage, while hopped up on goofballs, chased by paparazzi and on the phone with hotel heiress Paris Hilton, drove his monster truck over Lindsay Lohan's lawn (crushing three Tiffany's garden gnomes in the process) then struck two parked cars before police were able to catch up with him. LAPD officers allegedly zapped the UFC star with tasers and beat him with nightsticks while shouting racial epithets. Said "Friends" actress Jennifer Aniston: "Oh, it's horrible." Stay tuned for more as TMZ.com reports the unbiased news to us.