Fedor Defeats Aoki in Grappling Match, Declared #1 Lightweight by WAMMA

Heavyweight superstar Fedor Emelianenko defeated top-ranked lightweight Shinya Aoki in a grappling exhibition match at DEEP/M-1 Challenge in Japan today, besting the crafty and popular Japanese submission specialist with an anklelock. After his victory, the Russian sambo champ - who's defeated the likes of Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia and various bears and Yetii in unarmed combat - was awarded the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) lightweight championship belt. "We feel that Fedor's accomplishments as lightweight merit it," said WAMMA executive Joe Bloggerstein. "He's the WAMMA heavyweight champ and now he's also the WAMMA lightweight champ, making him the man to beat in both divisions." Through the aid of a translator, the crestfallen Aoki added: "What's a 'WAMMA'?"

Feared Bounty Hunter Tom Gallicchio Travelling to Ohio to Capture Marcus Ajian Dead or Alive

Feared bounty hunter Tom "Boba Fett" Gallicchio will be travelling from New Jersey to Ohio this weekend to compete at some event in Akron called UMMAXX and capture opponent Marcus Ajian either dead or alive. This will mark Gallicchio's first venture out of the Garden State while tracking quarry, although it won't be the first time the dangerous Team Pellegrino representative has faced someone as purportedly submission-savvy as Ajian (to this day, Gallicchio still wears the pelt of vanquished foe Igor Gracie). Said local Imperial officer Admiral Piett of Gallicchio's impending visit: "Bounty hunters. We don't need their scum."

A Piece of MMA History: Sportfighting's "Bragging Rights"

Most know Brian Cimins as the man behind Grapplers Quest, the popular and long-running grappling tournament that has seen thousands upon thousands of would-be submission specialists hone their ground games on its mats throughout the years. But for those lucky enough to find themselves at the Marist High School gymnasium in Bayonne, New Jersey, on November 9th, 2002, Cimins was the promoter of Sportfighting's "Bragging Rights" - an MMA event that saw the humble debuts of Dante Rivera and Deividas Taurosevicius, Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu ace Nakapan Phungephorn scrap with sambo specialist Vlad Koulikov, and Team Renzo rep Mark Colangelo armbar Jon Weidler in a quick and surprising upset. Back then these were our Northeast up-and-comers and stars, and with just two Reality Fighting events and one Ring of Combat in the books, and BAMA Fight Night's schedule irregular at best, Sportfighting was the only other place one could see these fighters in action. Sadly, three years would pass before Cimins promoted another installment of his MMA brand, and he's since focused exclusively on Grapplers Quest. Meanwhile, Rivera went on to TUF, Taurosevicius went on to the IFL, and many of the other names on the card have gone into either teaching or obscurity (and in September, 2005, event referee Joe Priole died of cancer). However, on that November night in 2002, Sportfighting was king.

Fun with Laws

The bill to legalize MMA in New York State is on the front burner now getting scrutinized by the Tourism, Arts and Sports Development Committee (where it was stalled last year). If it survives, it gets voted on in the State Assembly and State Senate and then signed by the governor. Then it's "Yay. Woo. Party time. Pro MMA returns to New York." When the bill passes, credit should go to Zuffa and their regulatory guru Marc Ratner for getting all their legislative ducks in a row, but also to people like Jeff Blatnik, Brian McLaughlin and a ton of others who took the time to educate legislators whenever they could. So what are some of the more salient points of the current incarnation of the bill (a bill that's been re-written a few times already)?

• An 8.5% gate tax on all gross revenues generated from ticket sales. This is sort of hefty, and more than anything would be discouraging to mid- and lower-level promoters than to someone like the UFC or Strikeforce.
• A 3% tax on gross revenues from broadcasting, with a cap of $50,000 (i.e., the State maxes out on 50 large).
• The New York State Athletic Commission has to add martial arts organizations to its "approved list", which means blokes representing the United States Naked Oil Wrestling Federation and the International Karate and Coffee-Enema League might now have a chance at putting on sanctioned events - provided those organizations are viable and meet NYSAC standards.
• A "professional combative sports participant" is any fighter who competes for money, or teaches, or "pursues or assists in the practice of mixed martial arts as a means of obtaining a livelihood or pecuniary gain". Um, doesn't this sound like anyone connected to MMA, including journalists and fight gear and clothing salesman, would now be considered a participant?
• A "professional combative sports match or exhibition" is now any bout where participants receive anything for their troubles or admission is charged to the event. This pretty much sews up the loophole that allowed events like the Underground Combat League.
• Gyms teaching MMA are subject to licensing by the NYSAC.
• There's a three-year sunset clause on the bill, meaning that after three years the law is automatically repealed. Really, think of this just as a mandatory review clause to encourage tweaking if things aren't working out as planned.

UWC "Capital Punishment" Pics

UWC "Capital Punishment" Report

From on site reporter Adam Butterworth (pics to follow): "Fights were good, lots of short fights. Kris McCray keeps getting better and if you blinked you missed the finish - 39-second fight."

"The oddest fight was 'The Pistol' Villarisco, who was a far better striker but showed no urgency during the first two rounds. He lost both on the cards because he was on his back a lot... then completely took over in the third. Everyone thought they stopped the fight (they should have - he was destroying him), Villarisco jumped on the cage arms raised. Then they went to the scorecards! So time must have run out before they stopped it. He lost a decision. He's got serious stand-up skills but needs some sense of urgency and better takedown defense."

Did Mike Easton steamroll over his opponent? "I wouldn't say steamroll. Easton is actually a very patient fighter, and had he not sunk that choke the round was even. Plus, he got it from his guard. He has an excellent guard."

"[Damian] Dantibo looked excellent in knocking out fan-favorite and one of my favorites - Ron 'ChoirBoy' Stalling - in 13 seconds."

The Northeast's Top Ten Badasses Gone

The history of MMA is full of temporary superstars, guys who could headline a card and promise excitement but for some reason or another are no longer competing. Gone, yes, but not forgotten - not by MMA Journalist, at least. Here are, in no particular order, the top ten badasses from the Northeast who were total studs for a time and have since hung up the gloves:

1. Jay Coleman - A muscular ex-wrestler with heavy hands, Coleman had the uncanny ability to knock out other wrestlers (something about timing and rhythm and a deadly right hook). Early on he pounded out a win against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Leo Dalla, and he went up against Philippe Nover in a ROC tournament, where he lost via kimura.
2. Carlos Moreno - Moreno was the epitome of heavyweight knockout artist, a ROC champ and one of the most feared competitors in his day. He took his last bout on about a week's notice, a losing effort against Carlton Haselrig on the undercard of EliteXC's first show on CBS, and he hasn't fought since.
3. Tom Muller - A Matt Serra protege and highly-skilled grappler (duh), Muller handed Moreno his first loss back in 2004... and never stepped into the ring again. Did he lose interest in fighting and take up bobsledding? Who knows. But the dude was a machine.
4. Travis Roesler - The Philly-based Roesler was a skilled grappler like Muller, and very capable of hanging with the big boys. His last fight was a split decision loss to John Doyle back in 2006. Wherefor art thou, Travis?
5. Elvis Garcia - Garcia was Team Tiger Schulmann's first MMA star, and with big punching and a strong top game, the guy was like a mini Fedor. He pounded out Nardu Debra to win the ROC belt and his last fight was a quick KO over Christian Montes in 2006. I believe Garcia went on to just focus on teaching at TSMMA schools full-time. He was the man back in the day, though.
6. Laura D'Auguste - Hailed by all as the best 135-pound female fighter of her time, D'Auguste went undefeated taking on killers like Amanda Buckner, Roxanne Modafferi and Megumi Yabushita, and she even went to Japan and won a Smackgirl tournament. What happened? Marriage happened. But at least D'Auguste went out on top.
7. Jo-Jo Guarin - Sporting one of the best guards I've ever seen, Guarin was a dangerous jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai practitioner and an instructor at Sean Alvarez's school just north of New York City. His last sanctioned bout was a 2005 decision-loss to Elvis Garcia in a fight he took on about three days notice, and he was at the BET "Iron Ring" tryouts, where he suffered under piss-poor officiating (Guarin had his opponent in a choke and a know-nothing traditional martial artist referee stood them up).
8. Baba Shigeyasu - A durable and versatile lightweight with a ton of heart, Shigeyasu had enough grappling skill to go the distance with Wilson Reis - and even give Reis a hard time. This Japanese kid was pure toughness. His last bout was a decision win against Anthony Montanaro in 2007.
9. Daniel Akinyemi - Another well-rounded fighter, Akinyemi went from successful amateur to a stint on the Iron Ring, where he was featured slamming his opponent unconscious and suffering a dislocated shoulder as a result (he was awarded the win, though). Akinyemi was in contractual limbo with BET last I heard.
10. Alexis Aquino - Good old Aquino fought with his emotions most of the time, which made for some passionate-as-hell beatdowns. Yet he was also skilled, which meant excitement even when he lost. His only defeats were at the hands of Dante Rivera, Lyman Good and David Branch, who are three highly-skilled fighters themselves.

Kyle Maynard Somehow Not Submitted with Armlock or Leglock in MMA Debut

Congenital amputee Kyle Maynard made his MMA debut last night at Auburn Fight Night in Alabama, and while the storied wrestler with no shortage of heart came up short via unanimous decision loss, Maynard earned the moral victory by somehow not getting submitted via armlock or leglock. For three rounds Maynard stalked his foe around the cage, while opponent Yuri Castanov at first looked horrified then seemed mostly perplexed (and for punting Maynard out of the cage like a soccer ball in Round 2, Castanov was docked a point). "Credit to the little guy," said Castanov, a Russian Sambo master, afterwards. "He is very tough." In the end it was Castanov who had his arm raised, but by all accounts Maynard received more than a few standing ovations for his gutsy display.

Weekend Schedule

MMA Journalist's Adam Butterworth will be on hand to cover the Ultimate Warrior Challenge's "Capital Punishment" at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia on Saturday night. There's also an Asylum Fight League in Sayreville, New Jersey on Saturday - if you're in the neighborhood, those are always worth checking out.

Mitch the Intern's TUF 9 Recap: Episode 4

*Editor's note: Mitch the Intern is an NYU undergrad whose favorite Wednesday night pastime includes the TV in his dorm room, a green beanbag chair and two hits of acid. Enjoy.*

In this week's episode, the very fabric of space and time is threatened, plus more Brits speak with accents so thick they don't even understand themselves.

Tanned, rested, well-coiffed and friendly like a soccer hooligan is friendly, Michael Bisping greets his wards and puts them through their paces in a hard training session. His coaches are introduced - someone named "Sucker" to teach grappling, some unassuming bald guy to teach striking - and his team of countrymen/aspiring UFCers sweat and grunt and then hug each other and drink tea from porcelain cups, their pinky fingers jutting out as they say "jolly good" and "know wha' ah' mean, gov'nor?"

Then the Queen of England (also known as "Dan" - still no explanation why) trains her Team America: World Police, and introduces her coaching staff, which includes someone to teach boxing, someone to teach kickboxing, someone to teach grappling, someone to teach conditioning, someone to teach hygiene, someone to teach manners, someone to teach calligraphy, someone to teach mathematics, and someone that is apparently the Queen's oldest friend and helped her build sandcastles when they were but wee children spending holidays at the seaside. The Queen asks her team who sucks and who doesn't. Mark Miller raises his hand, so he gets to fight first against someone named Nick Ostrich.

It's then that the universe and all within it are put in jeopardy. For some reason, Bisping and his coaches watch the second TUF episode of the season on TV - which in turn was watched by editors at SpikeTV before being watched by us. That's people watching a TUF episode watching a TUF episode watching a TUF episode. Somewhere on Earth Stephen Hawking grows uneasy, while in the parallel universe known as "UI-8669a-Beta", the Overlord's Royal Guard's stand ready at the Gate Between Worlds, their Energy Lances held aloft. Why you gotta play us like that, Michael Bisping?

Back at the TUF house there are pranks. Tame, non-gay pranks. A Brit's t-shirt is defaced. And back at the gym, a Brit's shoes are written on. In the control room, a producer with a headset watches the dailies and shakes his head. Says to a young production assistant: "Nope. Not gay enough." The production assistant nods. Says to the editor: "Cue up the 'Meat Missile' clip."

Mark Miller looks into the camera and declares himself a 'Meat Missile'. All targeted demographics are hit.

It's fight day, and Miller and Ostrich enter the cage. They kick and punch and roll around, and late in the second round Ostrich makes his British teammates proud by planting his shin upside the American's head. Miller drops to examine a spot on the canvas that has suddenly become very interesting to him.

Later, the Queen of England confronts Miller. "I thought you said you didn't suck?" she says.

"No, I was one of the ones who did suck," comes his reply.