Other Changes to Unified Rules Proposed at ABC Conference

Last week the Association of Boxing Commissioners met for their annual conference and hammered out some new weight classes for the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts (versions of which are followed by New Jersey, Nevada, California and most of the free world). In addition, certain fouls were added, certain fouls were removed and clarification was added to existing prohibitions, while a proposed amendment to the "no knees to the head of a downed opponent" rule was shot down. What else was proposed but did not make the final cut? MMA Journalist has obtained the following list from the conference transcript: - 1) When facing Kimbo Slice, opponents must never attempt to take the fight to the ground. - 2) No one can speak ill of Dana White. Ever. Seriously. - 3) Gina Carano is no longer required to make her contracted weight. For her, weight classes are merely a suggestion. - 4) Team-based MMA, with cockamamie team names like the "Washington Woodchucks", "Seattle Squid", "Tulsa Tumbleweeds", etc., is not allowed. - 5) Dear God, no more promotions from online gambling moguls. Please. - 6) Are we ordering pizza for lunch? If so, put me down for a pepperoni. Also, a diet Pepsi. - 7) "The Ultimate Fighter" must go on forever and ever, until Zuffa and SpikeTV have milked every dollar and modicum of talent possible from fans and fighters. - 8) Nick Lembo cannot possibly think that tie matches his shirt, can he? - 9) If you think that's bad, you should've seen Armando Garcia's sombrero from last year. - 10) Wait, are we being recorded?

What The Hell Are You Thinking?

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Shooto Legend Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira Screws Self, Fans

Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira, a former Shooto champ and legendary master of the ten-finger guillotine, has tested positive for steroids. Pequeno (which means "cheater" in Portuguese) last fought at WEC 34 in Sacramento, California, where he lost via second-round beatdown to Jose "Just Some Scrub" Aldo. For failing his post-fight drug test, the decorated Brazilian featherweight has garnered himself a year-long suspension and a healthy dose of the "sully" of his good name.

Apparently Smackgirl and the IFL Share the Same Accountants

Veteran journo Shu Hirata of "boutreviewusa.com" and "adcombat.com" is reporting that the July 24th Smackgirl show in Japan has been cancelled, leaving a big question mark over the organization's future. Say it ain't so! Smackgirl is the longest-running female MMA promotion in the world, and despite a 30-seconds-on-the-ground rule, it has produced some badass bouts and tournaments. What went wrong with the organization that has featured likes of Laura D'Auguste, Hitomi Akano, Tara LaRosa, Roxanne Modafferi, Amanda Buckner and Megumi Fuji? According to Hirata, a loss of a major sponsor and a cash shortage are the most likely culprits, but everyone is waiting on Smackgirl to make an official announcement. Stay tuned for more.

Observations from My Couch: UFC 86

-Tyson Griffin looked impressive out-working his opponent for the unanimous decision win. Unfortunately, commentators Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan again remarked about the size of his butt. It makes me feel uncomfortable and icky. -Josh Koscheck and Chris Lytle did an excellent job re-enacting that scene in Friday the 13th Part 4 when Jason hacks up those coeds and gets blood everywhere. Very convincing. -Melvin Guillard defeated Denis Siver via quick knockout, shaking the very foundation of the lightweight rankings. -Neither Patrick Cote nor Ricardo Almeida showed anything that could prove to be a threat to middleweight champ Anderson Silva. In fact, I think both fighters realized this going into the last round, so they made concerted efforts to lose knowing the winner would have to face certain doom. -Forrest Griffin clearly won against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Which just goes to show that tons of hard work, unwavering dedication and literally selling your soul to the Devil can get you a UFC championship belt.

Lyman Good Article in FCF

This month's issue of Full Contact Fighter has an article on Team Tiger Schulmann welterweight Lyman Good, an undefeated stud destined for big things. Pick up a copy, or check out a pdf of the article at the Tiger Schulmann website (http://www.tsk.com/imgs/news/2008pics/lyman.pdf).

ROC 20 Notes

Friday's Ring of Combat 20 did not feature Team Tiger Schulmann star Lyman Good wrecking opponent John Howard as promised (Howard apparently self-wrecked days before and couldn't compete). But despite this match-up getting scrubbed there were still two other marquee bouts atop a stacked card of locals. Some notes: -Vasilica Goian vs. Joey Camacho- It was Romanian national wrestling champ against Division 1 wrestler, and Camacho was getting the better of the switches and scrambles. Unfortunately, Goian did a great job tying him up when on the bottom. The split decision could've gone either way. -Dom Stanco- For Godsakes people, don't stand and trade with this guy. He. Will. Kill. You. -Ryan LaFlare, Eddie Fyvie and Costas Phillippou- Very, very bad dudes. -Nick Catone- Tough and skilled, but he still needs to be tested. -Tom Gallicchio vs. Doug Gordon- Two very talented fighters, with Gallicchio's dominant performance stealing the show. I want to see Gallicchio in EliteXC or in a WEC. I could see him ground-and-pounding the holy hell out of Carlos Condit for the WEC belt.

MFC Promoter Mark Pavelich Wants His Dignity Back

It's always amusing to watch a promoter lose his head. Case in point: the Mark Pavelich/Drew Fickett conflagration, which erupted this weekend when the Maximum Fighting Championship promoter blasted Fickett for even considering taking a Strikeforce fight five weeks before the UFC veteran's scheduled MFC bout. Would Fickett have been in breach of his MFC contract if he'd accepted the Strikeforce bout? Did the contract stipulate a five-week pre-fight prohibition? Who cares! Pavelich - who's been accused of douchebaggery in the past - went ballistic, and Fickett aired all the dirty laundry, including a purported Pavelich voicemail, online. Isn't the Internet great?

Fraternal Twins to Rematch at ROC 20

Fraternal twins Tom Gallicchio and Doug Gordon, who were seperated at birth and raised by different families, are set to clash at Friday's Ring of Combat 20 at the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City. The bout, which pairs up two aggressive and experienced fighters for the USKBA welterweight title, is a rematch of their Cage Fury Fighting Championship 4 bout last year - a bout Gordon won via third round guillotine after a hard-fought battle. Most siblings refuse to fight each other. Why such a strong effort from these two? "Siblings are often very competitive," says psychologist Avry Ibrahim. "Whether they are competing for a parent's love, the last piece of chicken at the dinner table, or a mixed martial arts championship belt, brothers can - and will - push themselves harder to win. It's human nature." When Gallicchio and Gordon meet at ROC 20, fans can definitely expect more of the same this time around.

EliteXC Treads Dangerously Close to Credibility with July 26th Match-Ups

EliteXC's second primetime CBS extravaganza will tread dangerously close to the realm of credibility with the announced match-ups for their July 26th show. The number two MMA organization in the US revealed in a press release that, in addition to the Robbie Lawler/Scott Smith rematch for the middleweight belt, welterweight star Jake Shields will take on BodogFIGHT champ Nick Thompson for top 170-pound honors while Antonio Silva will scrap for the heavyweight belt (against Pride veteran Sergei Kharitonov, according to Sherdog.com). Whether this sudden and shocking change in direction by EliteXC matchmakers is indicative of a shift from the organization's Kimbo-centric "freak show" business model to one of legitimacy is unknown, but Gary Shaw offspring Jared gave the following statement on his Myspace page: "Lolz!!1 I rulz! Eat dat Dana u bald bich!!@"