Preliminary Lineup for Saturday's Brooklyn Underground Show

Here's the lineup for tomorrow's Gladiator Martial Arts event, an underground MMA show in the deepest, darkest recesses of Brooklyn. This is from info I've gleaned online; whether this version of the card comes to fruition is another story entirely.

• Rafi (kickboxing and BJJ-165lbs) vs. Mighty Mouse (Krav Maga-145lbs)
• Greg (grappling-168lbs) vs. The Bully (streetfighting-155lbs)
• Braveheart (jujitsu-150lbs) vs. Malik Saldana (Muay Thai-150lbs)
• Lionheart (Muay Thai and MMA-125lbs) vs. Knightwing (Muay Thai-130lbs)
• J-Roc (Hulk Combat-170lbs) vs. Antonio "The Beast" Ramchelawon (wrestling and MMA-172lbs)

Apparently Joe "Heavy Hands", a 260-pound boxer, is still looking for an opponent.

Normally, I'd be concerned about the weight difference between Rafi and Mighty Mouse, which spans two weight classes. But as Mighty Mouse is a cartoon character from the 1940s with invulnerability, super-strength and the power of flight, he should be okay.

MMA Journalist will likely be there to liveblog the event.

Informative Article on MMA Magazines

Veteran writer and lensman Keith Mills has an informative article up at ADCC News analyzing the current crop of MMA magazines on the market. Mills' longtime day job has been in bookstores, so he knows the magazine publishing industry pretty well. Check it out here : http://www.adcombat.com/Article.asp?Article_ID=18835 .

July 2009 Independent World MMA Rankings

July 17, 2009: The July 2009 Independent World MMA Rankings have been released. These rankings are independent of any single MMA media outlet or sanctioning body, and are published on multiple web sites. Some of the best and most knowledgeable MMA writers from across the MMA media landscape have come together to form one independent voting panel.

These voting panel members are, in alphabetical order: Zach Arnold (FightOpinion); Nicholas Bailey (MMA Ratings); Jared Barnes (Houston Chronicle); Jordan Breen (Sherdog); Jim Genia (Full Contact Fighter, MMA Memories, and MMA Journalist Blog); Jesse Holland (MMA Mania); Robert Joyner (MMA Payout); Todd Martin (CBS Sportsline); Zac Robinson (Sports by the Numbers MMA; Leland Roling (Bloody Elbow); Michael David Smith (AOL Fanhouse); Jonathan Snowden (Author of "Total MMA: Inside Ultimate Fighting"); Joshua Stein (MMA Opinion), Ivan Trembow (Freelance); and Dave Walsh (Total MMA).

These rankings are independent of any single MMA media outlet or sanctioning body, and are published on multiple web sites. The rankings are tabulated on a monthly basis in each of the top seven weight classes of MMA, from heavyweight to bantamweight, with fighters receiving ten points for a first-place vote, nine points for a second-place vote, and so on.

The rankings are based purely on the votes of the members of the voting panel, with nobody's vote counting more than anybody else's vote, and no computerized voting. The voters are instructed to vote primarily based on fighters' actual accomplishments in the cage/ring (the quality of opposition that they've actually beaten), not based on a broad, subjective perception of which fighters would theoretically win fantasy match-ups.

Special thanks to Eric Kamander, Zach Arnold, and Joshua Stein for their invaluable help with this project, and special thanks to Garrett Bailey for designing our logo.

Inactivity: Fighters who have not fought in the past 12 months are not eligible to be ranked, and will regain their eligibility the next time they fight.

Disciplinary Suspensions: Fighters who are currently serving disciplinary suspensions are not eligible to be ranked.

Changing Weight Classes: When a fighter announces that he is leaving one weight class in order to fight in another weight class, the fighter is not eligible to be ranked in the new weight class until he has his first fight in the new weight class.

Catch Weight Fights: When fights are contested at weights that are in between the limits of the various weight classes, they are considered to be in the higher weight class. The weight limits for each weight class are listed at the top of the rankings for each weight class.

July 2009 Independent World MMA Rankings
Heavyweight Rankings (206 to 265 lbs.)
1. Fedor Emelianenko (30-1, 1 No Contest)
2. Brock Lesnar (4-1)
3. Josh Barnett (24-5)
4. Frank Mir (12-4)
5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1, 1 No Contest)
6. Randy Couture (16-9)
7. Alistair Overeem (29-11, 1 No Contest)
8. Shane Carwin (11-0)
9. Brett Rogers (10-0)
10. Andrei Arlovski (15-7)

Light Heavyweight Rankings (186 to 205 lbs.)
1. Lyoto Machida (15-0)
2. Quinton Jackson (30-7)
3. Rashad Evans (13-1-1)
4. Forrest Griffin (16-5)
5. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (18-3)
6. Rich Franklin (25-4, 1 No Contest)
7. Keith Jardine (14-5-1)
8. Dan Henderson (24-7)
9. Renato "Babalu" Sobral (32-8)
10. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (17-3)

Middleweight Rankings (171 to 185 lbs.)
1. Anderson Silva (24-4)
2. Yushin Okami (23-4)
3. Dan Henderson (25-7)
4. Nathan Marquardt (28-8-2)
5. Demian Maia (10-0)
6. Jorge Santiago (21-7)
7. Robbie Lawler (16-5, 1 No Contest)
8. Gegard Mousasi (25-2-1)
9. Vitor Belfort (18-8)
10. Thales Leites (14-2)

Welterweight Rankings (156 to 170 lbs.)
1. Georges St. Pierre (18-2)
2. Jon Fitch (19-3, 1 No Contest)
3. Thiago Alves (16-4)
4. Jake Shields (23-4-1)
5. Matt Hughes (43-7)
6. Josh Koscheck (12-4)
7. Martin Kampmann (15-2)
8. Mike Swick (14-2)
9. Carlos Condit (22-5)
10. Paulo Thiago (11-0)

Lightweight Rankings (146 to 155 lbs.)
1. B.J. Penn (13-5-1)
2. Kenny Florian (11-3)
3. Shinya Aoki (20-4, 1 No Contest)
4. Eddie Alvarez (17-2)
5. Joachim Hansen (19-7-1)
6. Tatsuya Kawajiri (24-5-2)
7. Diego Sanchez (21-2)
8. Frankie Edgar (10-1)
9. Gray Maynard (7-0, 1 No Contest)
10. Satoru Kitaoka (25-8-9)

Featherweight Rankings (136 to 145 lbs.)
1. Mike Brown (22-4)
2. Urijah Faber (22-3)
3. Wagnney Fabiano (12-1)
4. Jose Aldo (15-1)
5. Hatsu Hioki (19-3-2)
6. Leonard Garcia (12-4)
7. "Lion" Takeshi Inoue (16-3)
8. Dokonjonosuke Mishima (19-6-2)
9. Raphael Assuncao (13-1)
10. Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto (17-2)

Bantamweight Rankings (126 to 135 lbs.)
1. Miguel Torres (37-1)
2. Brian Bowles (7-0)
3. Takeya Mizugaki (11-3-2)
4. Masakatsu Ueda (9-0-2)
5. Joseph Benavidez (10-0)
6. Akitoshi Tamura (14-7-2)
7. Will Ribeiro (10-2)
8. Rani Yahya (14-4)
9. Damacio Page (11-4)
10. Manny Tapia (10-2-1)

Lest These Good Quotes Go to Waste...

Here are two quotes from New Jersey's Nick Lembo, quotes which didn't make the cut for an upcoming FCF article I just wrote but were too good to go to waste. The first is in response to why the Garden State hasn't had a big show recently. "The UFC has a difficult time finding an open date at the Prudential Center or Boardwalk Hall, which are really New Jersey's only two big venues. We do not have a lot of big-scale venues in New Jersey. Even Affliction had difficulty obtaining a desired open date at the Prudential Center. The WEC and Strikeforce have not come anywhere on the East Coast to date."

The next quote is in response to the question of if New York legalizing MMA is going to impact the number of New Jersey events. "I don't think it will hurt. More events and more venues will only make the sport grow. Boxing is legal in New York and that has no effect on the number of New Jersey boxing events."

Liveblog: Strikeforce NYC Presser Part 3

"What role do you think your size and power will play in the fight?" someone asks Cyborg. She then rips out that person's spine a la Mortal Kombat. Someone else asks Carano about how she got into MMA. Her answer contains nothing about whether or not Kit Cope has a sex tape with her. A reporter then asks Cyborg if she feels any added pressure due to the magnitude of the bout. The Brazilian eats her translator. There's going to be some sort of open workout outside after the presser, but I have to get back to the office.

IMG00281.jpg

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

IMG00280.jpg

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

Liveblog: Strikeforce NYC Presser Part 2

Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg are called to the podium individually, like they were coming to the cage for their fight. Carano gets the bigger pop from the crowd, but Cyborg clearly has her fans (werewolves, demons and other creatures that prey upon humans). Both fighters are cordial to each other, and even share a laugh when the Showtime exec sprays them down with a garden hose for the wet t-shirt contest. Nothing Earth shattering is said when Carano gets the microphone. She pretty much thanks everyone she's ever met. Cyborg, meanwhile, eats the microphone and urinates on the podium.

IMG00278.jpg

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

IMG00279.jpg

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

Liveblog: Strikeforce NYC Presser Part 1

MMA Journalist is here at the Strikeforce presser at Madison Square Garden. Maybe a little over 100 fans have turned out, with industry luminaries The Garv, Matt the Fight Nerd, Eddie Goldman and John Moody adding credence to the festivities. NYSAC Chairwoman Melvina Lathan is here. I asked her about MMA getting legalized here and she says she's more optimistic than ever. In terms of refreshments, there's cans of soda, coffee and tea. It's not the opulant spread of an Affliction presser, so maybe that means Strikeforce has a future.

Strikeforce "Carano vs. Cyborg" Presser in NYC Today

Strikeforce is holding a press conference at Madison Square Garden today for their upcoming San Jose show, a show headlined by Gina Carano and Cris "Cyborg" Santos. MMA Journalist will be there to liveblog, with a focus on whatever free schwag and/or food is provided, so stay tuned.

Underground MMA Show in Brooklyn This Coming Saturday

Another weekend, another underground show - this one in Brooklyn and called Gladiator Martial Arts. No clue on what it will be like, although a preliminary fight card seems to have a Krav Maga dude taking on a kickboxer, a grappler taking on a streetfighter, a jiu-jitsu guy taking on a Muay Thai guy, and who knows what else. Expect MMA Journalist to liveblog the whole affair. Unless I'm killed en route. Then expect nothing.