Nick Diaz to Utilize Special Marijuana Powers Against Eddie Alvarez

Lightweight stud Nick Diaz has a trick up his sleeve for Eddie Alvarez when the two face each other at EliteXC's November 8th event: special marijuana powers. Promising to "smoke" the hard-hitting Philly slugger once the cage door shuts, Diaz claims his top-level jiu-jitsu and aggressive boxing won't be needed when he "rolls" Alvarez up and employs some "puff, puff, pass" and "choke and cough". Said Diaz, "Um, yeah, so... I... wait, what?" EliteXC's November 8th event will be broadcast live on Showtime, and will also feature middleweight champ Robbie Lawler defending his belt against Joey Villasenor.

Ultimate Warrior Challenge: "Confrontation" Report

MMA Journalist reporter Adam Butterworth was on hand at the Ultimate Warrior Challenge in Fairfax, Virginia this past weekend to catch Washington, D.C.'s biggest (and only) MMA show. Urijah Faber and Carlos Condit were in attendance, TUF veteran Antwon Britt scored a quick knockout, badass Mike Easton squeaked by with a split decision, and ROC champ Binky Jones lost to Kyle Baker. "The show was awesome," said Adam. "Some terrific fights." Apparently, there were some terrific ring card girls, too.

Observations from My Couch: ShoXC 10/10

• A Brazilian whose nickname is "Tractor" lost to a man whose last name sounds an awful lot like "beer bong"... Sorry, I got nothing.
• Alexander Shlemenko took the best Bubba McDaniel had to offer on the ground, and in the closing seconds of the first round the Russian planted a flying knee into McDaniel's ribs that left him writhing in pain on the floor of the cage for quite some time. In fact, according to reports, McDaniels was writhing in pain on the dance floor at the after party, and his writhing continued long after he checked out of the fighters' hotel the next day.
• Jason Guida looked very impressive pushing that much smaller referee. Since his career in MMA doesn't seem to be working out, perhaps Guida might find success as a schoolyard bully.
• Kerry Schall may have lost to Dave Herman via TKO in just a little over a minute, but it was a moral victory for the man known as "Meat Truck". After all, he did not get kneed or kicked in the groin, nor did he fall out of the ring and onto a folding chair.

Tonight's ShoXC to Feature More Bribes and Fixed Fights

MMA Journalist has just received a fax from an EliteXC insider regarding tonight's ShoXC event in Hammond, Indiana. The event, which will be broadcast live on Showtime, will feature Dave Herman taking on TUF veteran Kerry Schall, as well as bouts with TUF washout Jason Guida and rising stars Anthony Lapsley and Bubba McDaniel. The fax - deemed to be credible as this source (which will remained unnamed) is a reliable one - seems to list the "under the table" bribes the competitors are receiving to ensure a specific performance. The list is as follows:

• Herman will be paid an additional $5,000 to not reveal why he is called "PeeWee" on national television.
• Schall will be paid an additional $2,000 if he promises to not offer Herman ride in his "Meat Truck".
• Guida will be paid an additional $10,000 if he successfully keeps his scrotum hidden from view.
• Lapsely will receive $500 worth of marijuana if he passes his post-fight drug screening.
• McDaniel will be given a real first name if victorious. Come on, "Bubba"? Seriously?

Underground Profile: Chaz Dimitropoulos

If you saw Fox 5 News' story on "Illegal Fight Clubs" a few weeks back, then you saw 169-pound MTA employee Chaz Dimitropoulos throwing down and throwing down hard at a July Underground Combat League event. Sporting a 2-1 record, a background in traditional Japanese Jujitsu and a lot of heart, Dimitropoulos won fans over with a gutsy performance over John Padron - a performance that saw Padron blast him in the face with a punch that swelled shut his eye in Round One and Dimitropoulos come back to snag an armbar in Round Two. "Who really wants to travel all the way out to New Jersey to do mixed martial arts?" says the up-and-coming fighter. "I don't think it's fair that we have to. If you're from New York, you should be able to fight in New York." What does the future hold for the part-time athlete? "I would definitely like to get a lot more fights under my belt," he says. "I would like to be comfortable in the ring. I don't want to be nervous at all - I want it to feel like I'm just in a training session."

Zach Arnold Says EliteXC Has Sinned, Must Die

Zach Arnold of FightOpinion.com has been around as long as I have, and in that time he's established himself as a journalist full of honesty and integrity. And in light of the recent EliteXC/Kimbo Slice stand-up bonus allegations, Zach really, really thinks EliteXC must die. Or at the very least, EliteXC honcho Jeremy Lappen and the Shaw father/son conglomerate need to be crucified, burned at the stake, dismembered and burned again. I admire Zach's fervor. Every sport needs a watchdog willing to decry every bad move and instance of possible unethical behavior. But one thing I learned in law school (yes, I went to law school), and especially in the New York City Police Academy (yes, I went there too), was that there's a difference between when something is wrong and when something is illegal. And in this instance, the Florida State Boxing Commission itself has already guffawed at the idea that EliteXC broke the law. Did EliteXC throw a stack of cash at Seth Petruzelli to encourage him not to go for a takedown against Kimbo Slice? Is the UFC guilty of the same thing when they show up in Phil Baroni's and Matt Lindland's locker rooms before their UFC 34 bout, promising them that they're gone from the promotion if they don't make their fight exciting? You know, it doesn't really matter. Because what happens in the cage is never what anyone plans. Not the promoters, not the fighters, not the fans. And that's what makes this sport so great.

Lyman Good Would Still Kill Jake Shields

EliteXC 170-pound champ Jake Shields had no problems controlling top UK welterweight Paul Daley on the ground at this past weekend's "Heat" event, but one thing was painfully obvious from cageside (and maybe pretty obvious watching on TV): Shields has crappy stand-up. From his ineffectual strikes to his poor wrestling to his apparent lack of confidence forcing him to shoot from halfway across the cage, a few things can be deduced - such as, he's a knockout waiting to happen. Or, that the first person with a great sprawl is going to give him fits. Or, that Lyman Good - who had signed with the organization last month but has yet to have a fight materialize - would kill him. Yes, Shields is an extremely skilled and talented grappler who has taken out some tough competition in the form of Renato Verissimo and Nick Thompson. But up close, the chinks in his armor are visible. It's just a matter of time before someone exploits them.

TUF 8 Analysis: Episode 4

Another episode of TUF, another night of drunken mayhem and coach Nogueira's subtitles.

• Junie Browning is an embarrassment to mixed martial arts. Please, PLEASE choke to death on your own vomit Mr. Browning. You're not even worthy enough to die in battle.
• How do you cut a fellow castmate with a glass and threaten others with a bottle and not get thrown off the show? Dana White, you have shamed us all.
• Was Stankie seen dressed up as a Scotsman during one of the training sessions? If so, that's awesome. Coach Nogueira should also bring in circus clowns and jugglers.
• When do we get to see Phillipe Nover knock someone out?

Scandal Alert: Petruzelli Paid to Actually Fight Kimbo Slice

EliteXC's "Heat" event, which featured Kimbo Slice taking on last-minute replacement Seth Petruzelli and losing in stunning fashion on CBS network television, is drawing some major heat from the media thanks to the shocking revelation that Petruzelli was actually paid to fight. In an interview conducted the day after the show, Petruzelli told reporters EliteXC offered to compensate him if he agreed to face their star attraction. He has since retracted his statements. "This is an outrage if it's true," said Kirk Thomas, spokesman for the Volunteer Fighters of America. "If a promoter actually paid money to a fighter to perform... That's just unethical. Something must be done."

The Reason Kimbo Took That Fight? Bread, Of Course

Hindsight may be 20/20, but no amount of retrospective analysis can answer everything. On Saturday night, when Ken Shamrock let officials know he was unable to compete, EliteXC superstar Kimbo Slice was offered Seth Petruzelli as a last-minute replacement opponent. Why did Kimbo take that fight against Petruzelli? MMA Journalist, in an exclusive interview with an EliteXC executive who asked to remain anonymous, has learned that, for his participation in the cobbled-together main event that he ultimately lost, the YouTube legend was promised a lot of bread. Specifically, he was promised his very own bakery. Apparently, the prospect of a lifetime supply of bagels and dinner rolls, as well as loaves of rye, wheat, white, challah and cinnamon swirl bread, was enough to sway him. Did Kimbo make the right choice? Only he can answer that, but when MMA Journalist attempted to contact him for comment, the man who lost on network television was too busy rolling in dough to respond.