Roger Huerta Forgoes UFC Contract to Star in Mexican Soap Opera

UFC lightweight star Roger Huerta announced this week that he will not be re-signing with the organization. Instead, the man who's waged many a war in the Octagon (and even graced the cover of Sports Illustrated) will pursue a career in acting, and his first role will be as a giant anthropomorphic bumblebee in the telenovela Roger la del Barrio. Said Huerta, "All my life I've watched these programs on Telemundo and now I get to star in one. It's a dream come true." Roger la del Barrio is the story of a bumblebee trying to find love in South Central Los Angeles, and will air weekday afternoons. Check your local listings.

The Best Female Fighter in the World Capable of Making Weight Returns

The best female fighter in the world capable of making a contracted weight, a.k.a. Tara LaRosa, returns to action on January 23rd at Extreme Challenge: "War at the Shore". Her opponent will be Alexis Davis, an overmatched chick from Who Cares, Idaho. Known for a well-rounded skill set and having extensive experience, LaRosa was BodogFIGHT's 135-pound champ when that organization crapped the bed, and although she hasn't fought in over a year, LaRosa is still widely believed to be at the top of the food chain in women's MMA (despite possessing a fraction of the notoriety held by the zoftig and rubenesque Gina Carano). Expect the Fight Factory warrior to trounce Davis, sending her back to her job as a hostess at Denny's in defeat.

Quinton Jackson Pleads Guilty to "Driving While a Minority"; Will Receive Nightstick Beating at Later Date

Former UFC light-heavyweight champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who in July led police in Costa Mesa on a wild, high-speed chase in a vehicle bearing his likeness, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of "driving while a minority" yesterday - a lesser charge than the felony "evading" and "reckless driving" offenses he was originally charged with. It is believed that, in agreeing to the plea bargain, Jackson will ultimately avoid extensive jail time. He will be sentenced at a later date. In California, the crime of driving while a minority usually results in a beating with a nightstick, although some offenders have been handcuffed and shot in the back.

Ring of Combat Bans UCL Competitors

MMA Journalist just received this release from promoter Lou Neglia, the man behind Ring of Combat:

To Whom It May Concern:

I have the best wishes in mind for the entire mixed martial arts community for the new year.

I have great hopes for the continued growth of the sport in my home state of New York and nationwide.

With that in mind, I must announce that I will no longer permit contestants to compete in my event (Ring of Combat) if they still choose to compete in unregulated, unsanctioned or illegal events. For example, if a contestant chooses to compete in a UCL event, they will no longer be welcome to compete on future events that I promote.

There is no valid reason for a contestant to compete in an unsafe and unregulated atmosphere. Those who choose to do so are not acting in the best interests of the future growth and acceptance of this sport.

This policy will go into effect as of the date of this writing.

Sincerely,

Louis Neglia

Promoter, Ring of Combat

Alvarez Out of "War at the Shore"; Who Could Be a Viable Replacement on Short Notice?

No one.

MMA Journalist's Best of 2008 Awards

The year 2008 is now on for the history books, so it's time for MMA Journalist's best of 2008 awards. Thanks to everyone who sent in email votes, and no, UFaberFangurl13, I won't leave my wife for you. Without further ado, the list:

• Best Organization to Die a Miserable Death - EliteXC, come on down! You are the next contestant on, "We Had So Much Potential and Squandered It!" Weee!
• Best Embarassment to the Sport - Little Jared Shaw. Ugh.
• Best Episode of Narcolepsy - Chuck Liddel's prolonged nap at the end of his UFC 88 bout against Rashad Evans. Has anyone seen an interview with him since? I think he's still sleeping.
• Best Abuser of Ripped Fuel and other Training Supplements - Paulo Filho. Dude, I like ephedra as much as the next guy, but there comes a time when you have to say, "No thanks. I think I'll just slam 20 Redbulls instead."
• Best Mythical Monster Debunked as Merely a Steroid User - Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva. Sorry man, but you're not real.
• Best Entourage That Will Threaten Your Opponent if You Lose - Kimbo Slice's peeps. Seth Petruzelli is still in hiding.
• Best Tattoo of a Dingling on a Fighter's Chest - Randy Couture. Haha, just kidding.

Scenes From a Visit to Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro's School in NYC

MMA Journalist paid a visit to Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro's school in Midtown Manhattan tonight (check out the upcoming issue of Full Contact Fighter for the resulting interview). "Who the heck is Shaolin?" Why, you lousy noob! Shaolin is a three-time Mundial BJJ champ who's been a dominant force amongst lightweights worldwide for years. Sadly, he fights only in Japan now, but that could all change in the future.

Prediction for Extreme Challenge's "War at the Shore": It Could Be Awesome... or It Could Suck

Extreme Challenge's "War at the Shore" event, slated for January 23rd at the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City, is just a little more than two weeks away, and based on what we know of the card - and what we don't know - MMA Journalist is predicting that the event could be very awesome. Or it could suck. It's still unknown if headliner Eddie Alvarez will be able to compete (thanks to Shinya Aoki's heelhook last week in Japan), and while the card is full of local stars and attractions, like Wilson Reis, Charlie Brenneman, Tuan Pham, Jesus Martinez and Zack Makovsky, they're facing unknowns from distant locales such as Ohio and Texas. Which begs the question: how many people are going to buy tickets to see a local guy fight someone no one knows anything about? Last but not least is Tara LaRosa, who is supposed to be on the card, but is still facing the illustrious "TBD". MMA Journalist will be there to liveblog regardless, but I sincerely hope this event works out. Extreme Challenge is too solid a brand for the promotion to come back to New Jersey and have a stinker.

Gray Maynard to Attempt to Make Sweet, Slow and Methodical Man-Love to Jim Miller at UFC 96

According to http://thegarv.com , Gray Maynard will be facing Jim Miller at UFC 96 - a match-up that will no doubt see the Xtreme Couture lightweight use his lay-and-pray strategy to attempt to make sweet, slow and methodical man-love to the exciting Octagon star. Both men are coming off of wins, with Maynard dry-humping Rich Clementi for the decision at UFC 90 and Miller dominating Matt Wiman in a heart-pounding three-round war at UFC Fight Night: "Fight for the Troops". The one-dimensional Maynard should have a tough time against the well-rounded Miller at UFC 96, though, and fans should expect a big, fat loss on his record after the March 7th event.

Jorge "Macaco" Patino to Relive Brazil's Vale Tudo Glory Days in Newark, New Jersey

Jorge "Macaco" Patino, a grizzled veteran of many old-school Brazilian vale tudo battles, will be returning to action on February 7th at Essex County College in Newark, New Jersey, headlining an event called "The Return of Macaco". Patino, who's faced everyone from Pat Miletich in the UFC to Kazuo Misaki in Pride: Bushido, and who has competed in everything from Deep to Jungle Fight to Cage Rage, will square off against some dude with only a fraction of his experience named Brandon Olsen - and with luck, fans will be treated to a brutal and bloody battle culminating in a riot (think 1997's Pentagon Combat in Rio de Janeiro). Go to http://www.kapmma.com/ for more info.