Chris Leben Tests Positive For White Trashiness

UFC 89 main eventer Chris Leben, who turned in a gutsy performance against Michael Bisping at the October 18th UK event despite losing a unanimous decision, has tested positive for white trashiness according to reports. Although he was sporting cornrows and spending an inordinate amount of time in trailer parks, Leben's positive test results comes as a surprise to many - especially to those who had believed his claims that he'd given up manufacturing crystal meth and had gotten his life back on track. "We're disappointed in Chris," said UFC Chief Welfare Check Co-Signer Dana White. "He's apologized and taken responsibility for his actions, but we don't tolerate any white trash in the UFC." As punishment, Leben faces a nine-month suspension, a substantial fine, and must subsist on food stamps.

Shane Ott Still Hanging in There

MMA Journalist just received this email from Tina Sieracki, a friend of Shane Ott's and his family: "Please correct your blog on Shane. He is very much still alive, although in critical but stable condition. He is still alive and fighting for his life." This is, of course, fantastic news, and according to Sieracki, Ott's family is by his side. She adds: "He has a large group of close friends pulling for him and he is in each and every one of our thoughts at this time." Shane, MMA Journalist is pulling for you.

Rest In Peace Shane Ott (Update: See Above)

Shane Ott, a Combat in the Cage champ and IFL competitor, was in a motorcycle accident yesterday and died from his injuries. He was 36-years-old. Ott last fought in March at BCX 4, where he lost via TKO to Carlton Haselrig, but he was always considered one of the East Coast's most-dangerous heavyweights - and with unstoppable takedowns, fierce ground-and-pound, and a plethora of tattoos covering his body, he definitely looked the part. Ott was, however, extremely friendly and approachable, and when asked what it was like to fight in the IFL in only his second professional bout, he would not hesitate in describing how happy it made him to have made his young son so proud. Shane Ott, you will be missed. (Update: see "Shane Ott Still Hanging in There.)

Ex-Drug Mule Leonard Garcia Focused on WEC 36 Bout

Looking to put his days as a drug mule for the Mexican cartel behind him, 145-pound scrapper Leonard Garcia is very focused on his upcoming WEC 36 bout against former UFC champ Jens Pulver - his first bout back since being swept up in a DEA investigation in March. Garcia's arrest and detainment, which kept him on ice for months, left fans wondering if they'd see the man who battled Roger Huerta and Cole Miller in the Octagon ever again. "That's all behind me now," says Garcia, who sometimes regurgitates old cocaine-filled balloons after intense workouts. "I'm an MMA fighter. That's my job. Not ferrying drugs." The November 5th WEC 36 also features a featherweight championship bout between Urijah Faber and Mike Brown and will air live on the Versus cable channel.

Japanese MMA Scene Still Very Relevant

Tomorrow night, at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, Sengoku will trudge forward with its sixth event - an event that brings us the final two rounds of its lightweight and middleweight grand prix tournaments, plus some moderately interesting bouts featuring Takanori Gomi, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (yes, the brother of that dude on TUF 8), Jorge Masvidal and Joe Doerksen. Like DREAM, Sengoku is struggling to fill the void Pride FC left behind, and like DREAM, there are some compelling match-ups on deck that could affect fighter rankings worldwide. And sadly, like DREAM, Sengoku will most likely garner the attention of only hardcore fans here in the States. In the past year, Sengoku and DREAM have given studs like Roger Gracie, Eddie Alvarez, Josh Barnett and a ton of others a platform to show the international audience that they're bad, bad men and worthy of respect. It's behooves any true MMA fan to visit sites like http://Sherdog.com and http://www.japan-mma.com/ and check these events out.

Underground Profile: Kaream Ellington

Sometimes promising athletes realize their full potential, sometimes they don't. At an Underground Combat League event in December of 2004, 200-pound Bronx native Kaream Ellington clashed with 335-pound wrestling monster Bryan Vetell. It was a true "David vs. Goliath" bout that saw "David" survive almost seven grueling minutes of ground and pound to turn the tables and get the tap out via strikes. The win made the crowd go absolutely berserk, and it seemed to set Ellington's career back on track - a year and a half later the Muay Thai-trained warrior was dodging Kenichi Yamamoto's leglocks at the Mixed Fighting Championship in Atlantic City, then it was off to Costa Rica for BodogFIGHT and off to Japan for a match against a Brazilian. But now it's been two years since Ellington last fought. Will we ever see the talented competitor - who won an IFC tournament in New Jersey back in 2000, fought at seminal Garden State show BAMA FightNight and won a four-man tournament at the first UCL - fight again? With Ellington's personal problems, that's hard to answer. He will, however, always be the man who gutted out a win against "Goliath" to show New York City fight fans what a mixed martial artist was capable of. Realized or unrealized potential notwithstanding, that's something.

K-1 Interested in Letting Seth Petruzelli Sink Their Promotion Too

DREAM may be interested in Seth "Promotion Killer" Petruzelli for their New Years Eve event, according to preliminary reports. The Japanese fight organization is famous for circus freak show bouts with the likes of Bob Sapp, Don Frye and Akebono, and is considering hosting a Petruzelli/Kimbo Slice rematch - which would give Petruzelli an opportunity to reveal whatever DREAM secrets he could in post-event interviews. "We like what Mr. Petruzelli did to EliteXC," said DREAM president Sadaharu Tanigawa. "DREAM has been fixing fights for a while now, and what better way to reveal that to the public than to have the Promotion Killer do it for us?" No word yet on whether Slice will be available for this match-up.

TUF 8 Analysis: Episode 7

The seventh episode of TUF 8, blah, blah, blah. Eccentric assistant coach Stankie was very subdued this week, as prior to filming he'd spent a few nights in Clark County Jail for bringing a live grenade into famed strip joint Spearmint Rhino. Hey man, it wasn't like he was going to pull the pin or anything.

• Coach Mir's victory speech to Junie Browning consisted of a lot of "Dude, you suck!" and a tiny bit of "But congrats anyway". Interesting coaching style, buddy.
• Running on a treadmill with a scuba mask on and diving into a giant ice bath? Last night, Wanderlei Silva was sitting in his living room with his conditioning coach, and they were laughing their asses off at the young fighters tricked into taking part in these elaborate pranks disguised as "cutting-edge training methods".
• Why is Shane Nelson getting camera time? Didn't he already get beat? He should be out mowing a lawn somewhere.
• Okay, let me get this straight: Krzysztof Soszynski requests a body bag and the producers don't flip out? Come on. You just know Dana White got a phone call on that one.
• Fiery Brazilian drama between Coach Nogueira and Vinicius Magalhaes alert! Woot-woot! Someone is defintely getting stabbed with one of those giant meat skewers they use at churrascarias.
• Vinny's fight against Jules Bruchez was a solid ten on the "meh" meter.

Randy Couture Refutes Spam Email, Says Size Doesn't Matter

In an official statement released yesterday, UFC heavyweight champ Randy Couture declared that size doesn't matter, refuting a spam email he received claiming that "bigger iz betta in da bedroom!!!1" (sic). The MMA legend, who has often found himself dwarfed by opponents in and out of the cage, went on to state that "it's not the size of the fighter in the fight, but the size of the fight in the fighter" - a belief that, coupled with his superior wrestling pedigree and unwavering work ethic, has yielded him belts in both the light-heavyweight and heavyweight divisions as well as countless girlfriends and wives. "I'm not a big guy," said Couture. "But I know how to use what I have." Couture returns to the Octagon at UFC 91 after a well-publicized resignation and subsequent legal battle. He'll face 265-pound behemoth Brock Lesnar.

Pete Sell Credits UFC 90 Win to Scientology

Pete "Drago" Sell, who defeated Josh Burkman via unanimous decision at UFC 90 to snap a four-fight losing streak, credits his win and new found focus to Scientology, and in a post-event interview, thanks the L. Ron Hubbard science fiction novel-based religion for putting him back on the winning track. "Yo, my thetan levels are off the hook now," says the Team Serra/Longo welterweight and TUF 4 veteran, who regularly socializes with John Travolta and Tom Cruise at official Church of Scientology meetings. He adds: "The whole agonized future of this planet, every man, woman and child on it, and your own destiny for the next endless trillions of years depend on what you do here and now with and in Scientology." No word yet on when Sell will return to the Octagon.