The Return of Jay Isip?

If the card holds together, then ROC 22 will bring us the return of one of New Jersey's most exciting fighters. That's right, Jay Isip is coming back. "Who?" you ask? Back when BAMA FightNight was the only show in town, Isip - who hails from Team Endgame and fights like a 155-pound wrestler on crystal meth - was kicking ass in Shootfighting tournaments, and he made the leap to Reality Fighting and Sportfighting when those promotions rolled around. Yes, his record sucks, but the dude had zero problems fighting the best (Kurt Pellegrino, Frankie Edgar, Deividas Taurosevicius), and every time he fought you could count on a balls-to-the-wall performance. Pray that when November 21st comes, Isip is still on the card.

Things That Won't Happen at UFC 89

UFC 89. Birmingham, England. SpikeTV. Yeah, right on. Anyway, the following is a list of things that definitely won't happen at the Michael Bisping/Chris Leben headlined event.

1. Chris Leben will not win by omoplata.
2. Michael Bisping will not say anything after the bout that an American will be able to understand.
3. Brandon Vera will not do a victory dance resembling the Cha-Cha or the Charleston. Sadly.
4. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou will not utilize a cloaking device or shoulder-mounted laser.
5. Marcus Davis will not thank the Irish Republican Army for their war against the British.
6. Chris Lytle will not get cut and bleed profusely. Oh, forget that one. He's going to be spurting blood simply from walking to the cage.

Preliminary ROC 22 Card Released

A preliminary card for Ring of Combat 22 on November 21st has been released, and while the event is five weeks away - which is plenty of time for fighters to drop out - the assembled roster as it stands now is certainly an impressive one. Perennial top New Jersey fighter Chris Liguori makes his return, as does TUF veteran Dante Rivera (against TUF washout Paul Bradley), EliteXC veteran John Doyle, and jiu-jitsu black belt Igor Gracie. Some other fighters to watch:

• Tim Troxell - one of the best 145 pounders in the Garden State, he'll be facing ROC "Beasts of the Northeast" tournament finalist Dave Sachs.
• Tom Gallicchio - a top-ranked welterweight, Gallicchio will be taking on a tough but overmatched Rich Ashkar.
• Jimmie Rivera and Nick Pace - the next generation of Team Tiger Schulmann's MMA warriors, both fighters are transitioning to pro from extensive amateur careers.
• Leandro Hernandez - a tough BAMA FightNight vet in need of a win, Hernandez will be taking on UCL vet Andrew Leone.
• Dom Stanco - a welterweight with heavy, heavy hands, Stanco should be fighting for a belt soon.
• Greg Soto - a welterweight CITC champ, Soto is another fighter on the fast track to big things.
• Joe Abouata - the first guy to beat Carlton Haselrig, Abouata is a BCX champ and a top heavyweight in New Jersey.

Frenchman David Baron Prepared to Retreat, Surrender Against Jim Miller

UFC 89 is nearly upon us, and the Birmingham, England event features a bevy of moderately-talented US and international fighters mixed with scrubs - plus the occasional future star. One such future star is lightweight Jim Miller, a jiu-jitsu bad boy who went from dominating the New Jersey circuit to kicking Bart Palaszewski's ass in the IFL. His opponent for UFC 89: David Baron, a Frenchman with a judo background and a recent win over a past-his-prime Hayato Sakurai. Expect Baron to choke on a baguette, complain about America, and retreat and surrender at the earliest opportunity. UFC 89 will air for free on SpikeTV on Saturday night (on a tape delay), and the main event pits UK "Great White Hope" Michael Bisping against the hard-headed Chris Leben in a bout that promises a lot of crazed looks and unintelligible post-fight speeches.

TUF 8 Analysis: Episode 5

The fifth episode of TUF 8 saw a lot less alcohol consumption, a lot more of coach Nogueira speaking incoherently, and a quick fight between two light-heavyweights who belong in the minor leagues fighting for a cheap and tacky belt and bragging rights at the local Hooters.

• Junie Browning jumps the cage and threatens Efrain Escudero after Escudero's win. His punishment for this shameful outburst? Dana White shaking his head disapprovingly while simultaneously salivating over his new ticking time bomb/potential ratings goldmine. Frank Mir, please eat this guy already!
• The more I see Stankie stumbling around mumbling like that drunk Vietnam veteran uncle who everyone avoids at family gatherings, the more I like him. I predict the TUF kids are going to wake up one morning and find Stankie passed out on the lawn. That's just a hunch.
• Anderson Silva's guest appearance and subsequent sparring with the TUF kids made me think of a child casually batting around his GI Joe action figures. Only in that scenario, Silva would be the child's parent, and the TUF kids would be the discarded cardboard boxes the action figures came in.
• Coach Nogueira was very endearing going to the TUF house and asking the guys to lay off the pranks. He strikes me as the type of parent that shows up at school asking the bullies to please stop stuffing his son in a locker. Sadly, that always ends up with the son getting stuffed into a trash can instead.

The American Fight League is a Lie

It's time to face the truth, folks: the American Fight League, which made headlines a few months back for signing top female fighter Tara LaRosa, Bobby Lashley of the WWE, Elvis and a unicorn, is a lie. A big, fat lie. Their promised pay-per-view event has yet to materialize, and today it's being reported that the rematch between LaRosa and Roxanne Modaferri, which was slated for the November 8th Ironheart Crown show and to be paid for by the AFL (think: the lone Affliction bout on the last EliteXC card), is now kaput due to lack of funding. Listen, I enjoy a good pipe dream as much as the next guy, but when you promise fighters - and fans - the world, you should at least give them a continent or decent-sized island. The AFL, however, has given us nothing. Nothing! At least YAMMA Pit Fighting had a show and some T-shirts.

Thiago Alves to Face Opponent of Indeterminate Ethnic Origin

Things suddenly got more complicated for Thiago Alves. Originally scheduled to face Diego Sanchez at UFC 90 on October 25th, the American Top Team star welterweight will now square off against Josh Koscheck thanks to a rib injury Sanchez sustained in training - a last-minute change that definitely throws a monkey wrench in the works for the ATT fighter. "We trained to face a Mexican," says coach Ricardo Liborio. "But now... now what do we train for? A white guy? A black guy? This man is like 'Gonzo' from the Muppets. No one knows what he is!"

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.