Friday Notes

Ah, how nice it feels to finally wake up early and have some free time to write. Been quite busy the past few weeks, and I haven't been able to update as much as I have wanted to. I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I have a lot of good articles planned for the future. So stay tuned, I promise I'll continue to improve upon the site. Here's the latest happenings in the world of Mixed Martial Arts:

• So, I'm sure by now everyone knows both UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk & his most recent opponent, Hermes Franca, both tested positive for steroids. Are these guys really that stupid? Franca has made a statement already, and claims he doped in order to "accelerate the healing process". Sherk on the other hand, has yet to release a statement. Personally, I don't blame "The Muscle Shark" for not speaking out yet. What excuse is the guy really going to have about the matter that isn't completely idiotic, or absolutely cliche. Where does this leave the Lightweight division? How annoying is this going to be not being able to see any of the recently proposed dream matches involving Sherk not happen for a YEAR? The boys over at the UFC offices need to quit beating around the bush and address the 1000 pound canary in the room.
  
  
• There is a pretty funny video that surfaced recently of B.J. Penn calling out Wanderlei Silva from back in the day. A lot of people discussing it liked to point out that Penn is holding a beer during the interview. This video reaffirms my beliefs that Penn fears no man. If it wasn't so dorky to wear MMA shirts when you don't train or fight, I would surely sport a "Just Scrap" shirt in honor of "The Prodigy".

• K-1 stalwart Dewey Cooper won his MMA debut last night against a previously undefeated nobody named Adam Smith at the Palace Fighting Championships. Cooper could be a force if he trains with the right people. I've always felt like a sprawl shouldn't be that hard to learn, but I know there is more to it than that. It could be a little late for him to come on, & I'm not even sure if he intends on pursuing an MMA career, but Team Quest would be a good place to start. Also on the card Shawn Bias, & Ruben "Warpath" Villareal, picked up victories. Not too many big names on the card, but the full results are up over on Sherdog.

• I previously reported that Chris Leben would be facing Mike Swick in the Main Event at UFC Fight Night 11. Instead, Johnathan Goulet has stepped up and will be fighting Swick on the under card. UFCJunkie.com has a good article on it. But apparently, Leben backed out, & Goulet started yapping on message boards trying to get Swick & the UFC's attention. Whether you want to look down on Goulet for going about it the way he did or not, kudos to the guy for getting back into the UFC because of it.
  
  Update: UFCJunkie.com is now reporting that Chris Leben will be fighting Terry Martin at UFC Fight Night 11. I think this is a harder fight for Leben than Swick was, and I look for Martin to completely overpower him.
  

• While we're on UFC Fight Night 11, apparently the Lightweight showdown between Din Thomas & Spencer Fisher will be moving up into the main event slot. I'm actually quite pumped for this fight, especially with the news on Sherk & the state of the division. Whatever the outcome, the winner of this fight could see himself fighting for an Interim title in the very near future. Fisher is always game, and Thomas finally looks like he might live up to the enormous amount of potential he's always had.

• Numerous sources are reporting that Boxing & EliteXC promoter Gary Shaw has been following in Don Imus's footsteps. Apparently Shaw called one of his eight African American fighters "a black monkey". Check out the article on Bet.com for more information on it.

• TIME Magazine has recently published an article discussing Women's Mixed Martial Arts. Not only does the article comment on it's "brutality", but also cites a few comments from good ol' Dana White. From the article: "I don't want to see two women beatin' on each other," says UFC president Dana White. "I don't like it.". Please Dana, quit trying to impress people with your chivalry, we know you would love to be the one who has Gina Carano signed to a contract right now. It seems that Dana will trash talk absolutely ANYTHING the UFC isn't doing now a days.
  

• Graciefighter.com is reporting that both Nick Diaz & Jake Shields will be fighting for ProElite FC in September. Apparently both fighters are still working out negotiations with Gary Shaw(Who's probably too busy dealing with his "black monkeys".) & that both are expected to compete on a card in September. Graciefighter.com also claims they will be announcing their opponents next week, so stay tuned.
  

• According to an article at the OCRegister.com, EliteXC's upcoming July 27th show is being billed as the debut of "ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series". Apparently it is an MMA runoff of the popular "ShoBox: The New Generation" series. Personally I think it's a great idea, & the thought of young MMA fighters getting their start on Showtime at a national level is awesome. Props to Showtime for bucking up & not being scared to show the fastest rising sport in the world. HBO needs to quit messing around, and give Jim Lampley a big slap on the face by showing MMA. Edson Berto & KJ Noons will do battle in the Main Event of the debut card.
  

That's it for today, please keep checking back for more updates. I plan on writing a few very opinionated articles here in the near future. I also plan to continue my Reviews, Predictions, Betting Help blogs for any big cards that may take place in the future. Remember, this is only the beginning.