Love Him or Hate Him, Tim Sylvia Fights

Guys we have a great fight that we're not going to be able to see. There's a reason Tim Sylvia left the UFC and this is the reason. It's been confirmed by a tremendously reputable source, www.sherdog.com that this fight will take place July 19th.

Besides Matt Lindland, a 185 pounder, Fedor hasn't fought a credible opponent since Mirko Cro Cop about 3 years ago.

This actually might be a bad stylistic matchup for Fedor. He is the #1 ranked heavyweight and the most dangerous fighter in the world, but there could be some serious ring-rust to go along with Sylvia being able to strike and submit. Sylvia isn't a jiu-jitsu specialist but has ground skills for a big man.

So where does this leave Randy Couture? Did you see how quickly Sylvia got a fight with Fedor? It took a little over a week. Couture could have fought out his contract and then sought after Fedor, but Captian America ran the risk of possibly losing.

Honestly guys, Randy Couture is losing respect by the day, especially by blaming the company that made him rich for them not landing his superfight. I'm not ecstatic by the way Dana White is running things but this is one of the few times I'm on the UFC's side.

Needless to say, this fight is gonna be better than Couture-Emelianenko would ever be. I'll eat those words when this fight happens because we're not gonna be able to watch it. Maybe something will happen with the cable networks before July but get ready to watch this fight on you tube.

It also goes to show that while MMA is mainstream, there's still a ton of fighters out there that we might never get to see.

We Have a Fight Folks: Fedor Confirms Fight With Tim Sylvia

Top ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko will fight Tim Sylvia on July 19. The Russian mixed martial arts champion confirmed the bout to Sherdog.com on Tuesday.

"Sylvia is a good fighter, a strong fighter, the former UFC heavyweight champion, which is important," Emelianenko said via telephone from Stary Oskol, Russia. "I am looking forward to fighting him and training hard for this fight."

While Emelianenko was short on details, sources close to the negotiations confirm that Fedor-Sylvia would headline a card tentatively scheduled for the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, the home base of HDNet Fights.

Attempts to confirm the fight with HDNet went unreturned, however sources indicate the bout will air on the Mark Cuban-owned network and is rumored to be promoted by Affliction, a clothing brand closely tied to MMA.

Affliction had been connected with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, however a June 28 Las Vegas date has since been discarded.

Emelianenko, a 31-year-old sambo practitioner, has faced criticism from media and fans alike after a string of fights against less than stellar competition. Sylvia would represent the Russian's first ranked opponent since his unanimous decision over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic nearly three years ago.

Widely regarded as the top heavyweight fighter in the world, Emelianenko (27-1-0, 1 NC) was recently freed from a letter of intent binding him to the now-defunct M-1 Global promotion.

Sylvia, 32, is coming off a submission loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) in February at UFC 81. After a spirited performance that saw him batter his foe at will with strikes, Sylvia (24-4-0) eventually fell victim to a classic Nogueira come-from-behind performance and succumbed to a guillotine choke early in the third round.

Kendall Grove vs. Evan Tanner at TUF 7 Finale

Two UFC middleweights very much in need of a win will meet at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale when Kendall Grove (8-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) takes on veteran Evan Tanner (32-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC).

Grove posted the fight on his official website, though the bout hasn't officially been announced by the UFC.

The finale, which caps off the current season of "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest," takes place June 21 at The Palms Las Vegas. Luigi Fioravanti and Diego Sanchez are expected to meet in the night's main event.

Tanner returned from a two-year absence and suffered a second-round knockout to Yushin Okami at UFC 82 last month. Soon after the loss, Tanner wrote a blog entry about overcoming alcohol addiction so he could return to the UFC. He said he was both thankful and relieved that the defeat didn't cause him to relapse.

Grove, the middleweight winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 3," began his UFC career with three consecutive vitories. However, he's since posted back-to-back losses -- both of which were first-round knockouts -- to Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera.

The middleweight bout, which features 37-year-old Tanner and 25-year-old Grove, will likely take place on the night's televised main card.

Report: Frank Shamrock Out For Up To Eight Months

Frank Shamrock, in defense of his Strikeforce middleweight championship a week ago, gave fans exactly what they wanted, other than a victory. He stood and went toe-to-toe, blow-for-blow with San Shou champion Cung Le. Unfortunately for him, Shamrock not only lost his title, but the use of his right forearm for the near future.

Blocking several of Le’s powerful kicks with his forearms, Shamrock had to block one too many and ended up suffering a broken right ulna. It was evident near the end of the third round, when Le threw a left head kick that Shamrock obviously had time to put his arm up to block, but instead opted to brace himself and move into the kick. Not the optimum defense for kicks as powerful as Le’s.

The injury required six screws and a metal plate to repair. It will keep him out of action for upwards of eight months, depending on how his body heals up.

He does plan to fight again, although the plate will have to be removed before he can re-enter the ring.

HEAVYWEIGHTS ROUND OUT UFC 84 FIGHT CARD

The headline bout at UFC 84 features a lightweight championship bout between current champion B.J. Penn and former champion Sean Sherk. Following a suspension by the California State Athletic Commission for a positive test for performance enhancing drugs, Sherk was stripped of the title. Penn won the vacated championship in January by defeating Joe Stevenson.

Other bouts confirmed on Monday include Rousimar Palhares vs. Ivan Salaverry, Terry Etim vs. Jeremy Stephens, and Shane Carwin vs. Christian Wellisch.

Carwin is a notable addition to the UFC’s heavyweight division. He is a Division II All-American in both wrestling and football. He is also undefeated, at 8-0, in mixed martial arts. Carwin should provide an athletic boost to a division that has seen the recent exodus of Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, former champion Tim Sylvia, and, likely, Andre Arlovski, also a former UFC champion.

Wellisch is 8-3 as a professional, but hasn’t seen action in the Octagon since last September due to finishing up law school. He is 2-1 in the UFC defeating Scott Junk and Anthony Perosh, losing only to Cheick Kongo. The American Kickboxing Academy teammate of Jon Fitch, Mike Swick, and Josh Koscheck has a wealth of experience and should prove a difficult first bout in the Octagon for Carwin.

UFC 84 also features the returns of Keith Jardine and Wanderlei Silva, who will battle in a light heavyweight contest. Another notable bout is the last fight on Tito Ortiz’s UFC contract, which he says he will not renew, against No. 4 ranked and undefeated light heavyweight Lyoto Machida.

UFC 84 Bouts (officially announced):

-B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk
-Keith Jardine vs. Wanderlei Silva
-Lyoto Machida vs. Tito Ortiz
-Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic
-Thiago Silva vs. Antonio Mendes
-Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
-John Koppenhaver vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
-Dong Hyun Kim vs. Jason Tan
-Rousimar Palhares vs. Ivan Salaverry
-Terry Etim vs. Jeremy Stephens
-Shane Carwin vs. Christian Wellisch

TUF 7 Episode Re-cap

With coaches Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin, the show features 32 -- not the usual 16 -- cast members. Only middleweight fighters compete on this season, dubbed "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest."

The show opens with a larger-than-normal group of fighters looking around the "TUF" gym and realizing something's up.

Dana White then enters the gym and confirms their suspicions.

"What I get tired of every season -- the thing that drives me f***ing crazy -- are the pussies and the posers who come on this show because they think they want to be fighters," White said. "They get here, and the f***ing cameras bother them, they get nervous, and they don't want to fight."

"It makes me sick to my stomach because I think of all the guys who wanted to be there and wanted that opportunity."

After a barrage of additional f-bombs and a new variant of the do-you-want-to-be-a-f***ing-fighter speech, White informs everyone that weigh-ins will take place in 24 hours and that everyone will be fighting in 48 hours. Jackson and Griffin are then told that the evaluations will take place during the bouts and that assistant coaches will corner each potential cast member during the flurry of fights.

The mass hysteria of 32 guys trying to make weight (while coming to terms with their upcoming fights and the chance of instantly being sent home) takes over the gym.

"Bunch of naked dudes," Griffin laughs. "Fantastic."

The fighters soon occupy every square inch of the gym to spar and stretch and work out to prepare for the bouts. White looks like the Grinch with an evil smile as he sits ringside, waiting for the carnage.

And just nine minutes into the episode, we jump into our first elimination bout.

Prince Mclean (4-5) vs. Mike Dolce (4-4)

Mclean is a Cincinanti fighter who trains with Jorge Gurgel. With five straight losses, he needs an impressive showing. Dolce, meanwhile, is a New Jersey fighter who finds pleasure in the fact that so many other guys are stressing about the fights. He seems thrilled to get in the cage.

Coach Jackson offers some words of encouragement as the fight begins: "Don't go home."

We are then introduced to a fairly annoying aspect of the fights: sporadic commentary from Griffin, Jackson and White. The fighters primarily drop in with corny jokes. White, meanwhile, shares his expert fight knowledge and explains to the world-class fighters what they're seeing and what's actually happening. Lucky them.

Anyway, the fight is underway, and a wild and sloppy exchange starts off things. Dolce controls the pace from the opening bell, though, and eventually drops his opponent with some stiff shots to the face, forcing the TKO stoppage.

Mclean tries to contain his emotions but understandingly takes the loss hard. Jackson's impressed with Dolce's performance but make its a point to tell everyone ringside that the guy doesn't smell that good and that it may have had something to do with the knockout. Everyone uncomfortably laughs.

Cale Yarbrough (0-0) vs. John Clarke (6-2)

Yarbrough, 21, calls himself the youngest fighter with the least experience. He's buddies with Griffin, who says his opponent -- a big wrestler -- is a bad match-up. Clarke, who had to cut 17 pounds to make weight, says this is his last hurrah in trying to become a professional fighter.

The coaches are unimpressed early on as the fighters fight from a big distance and attempt half-hearted takedowns. During a scramble on the ground, Clarke grabs an arm and nearly secures a kimura but instead takes his opponent's back. Yarbrough rolls into Clarke's full guard and then nearly secures an armbar. Yarbrough gets back to his feet, and as a gassed Clarke tries to get back to his feet, he's continually tagged with kicks and punches. Yarbrough earns the TKO victory.

Steve Byrnes (6-1) vs. Amir Sadollah (0-0)

After a 5-0 amateur record, the Virginia-based Sadollah faces a pro in Byrnes, a one-time UFC fighter. This would appear to be a pretty major mismatch.

Sadollah, a kickboxer, opens things with some straight kicks before Byrnes closes the distance and scores the takedown. Sadollah keeps his opponent tied up initially and then reverses the position. Byrnes grabs an arm and secures the armbar, but Sadollah escapes. Byrnes reclaimns the position but eats a series of elbows and punches before the round ends.

Both guys are bloodied and tired for the second round. Byrnes gets the early takedown, but Sadollah again escapes and then blasts his opponent with knees and punches. He then takes a top position and continues an assault of elbows before securing a fight-ending armbar.

The editors had to show highlights for the next four fights.

C.B. Dollaway (6-0) def. David Baggett (4-2) with a poweful display of leg kicks, elbows, and ground and pound. The assault leaves the coaches and White impressed.

Dante Rivera (10-2) def. John Wood (6-3) by scoring a takedown and then drags his opponent to his own corner, where he stops the fight with a kimura.

Nick Klein (3-0) def. David Mewborn (4-0), one of Griffin' friends and former training partners, with a takedown, ground and pound, and an arm-triangle choke.

Paul Bradley (5-0) def. Reggie Orr (5-5-1) but is criticized by White and the coaches for lay-and-praying his way to a unanimous-decision victory.

After those four condensed fights, we go back to a full-length feature.

Jeremy May (6-5) vs. Dave Roberts (4-5)

Roberts is the best friend and former wrestling teammate of Jackson, so he gets special treatment before the fight. Roberts, who fought way back at UFC 20, calls this the most important fight of his life. May, a Californian, notices the tutoring session but laughs it off when Jackson tells him to quit spying on them.

The fight's underway, and no one really connects on anything before May lets his hands fly and batters Roberts all over the cage. He somehow survives, but after trying to take the fight to the ground, Roberts gets caught in a fight-ending armbar. Jackson's devestated. May's on cloud nine and rubs some salt in Jackson's wounds when he walks by. You have to feel bad for Roberts, but May made everyone take notice.

Until next week.

Things We Learned From UFN 13

We learned that Kenny Florian is on a major tear and is definitely in line for a title shot. However, the fight didn't diminish Joe Lauzon in any way at all and he will still move up the ranks in the lightweight division.

The lightweight division is the most stacked in the UFC so look for Lauzon to fight someone like Frankie Edgar or Kurt Pellegrino in the near future. A fight against Nate Diaz would make some serious sense for the UFC as well.

As for Nate Diaz, he is rapidly rising up the ranks of the lightweight division. That triangle choke will be a highlight reel for quite some time as Diaz was celebrating before Pellegrino tapped out. Diaz wasn't showing anyone up, just pumped that he caught him in the choke and knew he had it deep.

Again, this fight didn't cause Kurt Pellegrino any harm as he'll move up the ranks as well. He was dominating the entire fight and had Diaz in some serious trouble twice. Both times the ref was calling for Diaz to defend himself or he was gonna stop it. It's a credit to Diaz that he was able to regain his composure and pull out the victory.

Karo Parisyan is never gonna get the title shot he earned over 3 years ago. It's not as if Thiago Alves is a soup can but Parisyan was supposed to win and move on to wait for his shot. Parisyan is definitely going to have to fight his way back into the ranks of the elite in the welterweight division.

It looks as if Alves is now right behind Jon Fitch for the number 1 contender spot. A fight between Alves and Diego Sanchez would be awesome but Sanchez is scheduled to fight in the near future.

We also learned that Tim Boetsch is a tough hombre. Filling in for an injured Stephan Bonnar, he brought it to Matt Hamill in a fairly entertaining fight. I'm certain the UFC will find an opponent for Boetsch next time instead of having him fill in for every injured fighter.

It was a lateral move for Matt Hamill as he was supposed to win anyway. His next fight should be against an elite fighter and he should be ready to go as soon as that nasty cut on his lip is healed.

One last thing we learned is James Irvin hits really, really hard.

Ultimate Fight Night Re-Cap

Sorry guys, had a busy couple days but did manage to catch the fights on Wednesday night which was probably the best fight card the UFC has put out.

Main Card:

Kenny Florian (9-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) took a giant stride toward title shot contention with a dominating second round and eventual TKO victory over fellow lightweight Joe Lauzon (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC).

Hoping to reclaim a second shot at the 155-pound title, Florian picked up his fourth consecutive victory since a loss to then-champ Sean Sherk at UFC 64.

"I knew it was going to be a tough fight," Florian said. "I probably shouldn't be here today fighting today. I pushed through some things physically, and I was just lucky to be here in the ring tonight."

Florian endured a frantic first round -- one that included a temporary stoppage as Herb Dean issued him a warning for strikes to the back of Lauzon's head. The strikes looked as though they primarily struck the top of the head, but as Lauzon adjusted his position, a few connected in the illegal area.

Lauzon used some takedowns and submission attempts and likely picked up some winning first-round scores, but the second round was all Florian. After securing the takedown, he spent the next two minutes delivering a brutal barrage and elbows and punches from the mount position. Referee Herb Dean held off on the stoppage as long as possible but finally relented at the 3:28 mark.

Although Lauzon's six-fight win streak was snapped, the B.J. Penn-trained fighter proved he can hang with the division's best.

Florian, though, was determined to get the victory.

"I'm not going to let anyone break my will in here," he said. "That's what I want to do -- take someone's heart."

In a fast-paced bout between evenly matched lightweights, "The Ultimate Fighter 5" stand-out Gray Maynard (5-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) out-pointed rising contender Frankie Edgar (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC). The back-and-forth, technical battle remained close through the first two rounds, but Maynard used no fewer than three slams to become the decisive winner of a pivotal third round.

As it turned out, though, he won all three rounds on all three judges' scorecards for the 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 victory. With the win, which snapped Edgar's previously unblemished record, the reality-TV star keeps his own undefeated record in tact.

"I'm not just a TV guy anymore," Maynard said.

After a close first round between two top welterweight contenders, Thiago Alves (15-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) blasted veteran Karo Parisyan (18-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) with a knee to the face. The blow caused Parisyan to collapse to the mat, and the stoppage came soon after Alves followed up the knee with a series of punches just 34 seconds into the second round.

Parisyan was angered and protested the stoppage, but Alves felt the call was justified.

"He was out," Alves said. "I caught him with the left knee, and he was out. I kept punching and punching."

With the victory, his fifth straight in the UFC, Alves moves ever closer to a title shot. However, he's not so much demanding one as he's simply hoping for a shot at the belt.

"I'm right on the top," Alves said of his standing in a crowded 170-pound division. "I'm ready, but I never choose my opponents."

Tim Boetsch made quite the impact when he took a fight on 10 days' notice and stopped veteran David Heath earlier this year. However, he wouldn't fare so well against "The Ultimate Fighter 3" cast member Matt Hamill.

After eating a knee and having his lip split wide open, Hamill was determined to end it early in the second. After Boetsch (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) failed on a single-leg takedown attempt, Hamill (4-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) collapsed on top of him and rained down a series of answered punches.

"I was going to keep punching until it was stopped," Hamill said.

Hamill landed dozens of undefended blows before the bout was finally called at 1:25 of the second round.

After being battered and bloodied for more than a round during his fight with Kurt Pellegrino, "The Ultimate Fighter 6" winner Nate Diaz used his opponent's sloppy slam to lock in a triangle choke. Diaz (9-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) celebrated the victory, flexing for the cameras and raising his arms in victory, before Pellegrino (11-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) could even tap from the submission.

"I just want people to know that sometimes people think that "[The] Ultimate Fighters" are sheltered," said Diaz, who specifically asked for a tough opponent in this fight. "Not me. I'm not looking for no shelter."

The victory, Diaz's fourth straight in the UFC, came at 3:06 of the second round.

A fight between light heavyweights Houston Alexander and James Irvin was expected to end quickly. Few would have predicted it would end so quickly and so devastatingly, though. Irvin (14-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) struck first, landing a Superman punch -- his first strike of the night -- dropping Alexander (8-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) to the mat, where a series of unanswered strikes continued. The bout was stopped, much to the dismay of Alexander, who claimed he never went unconscious.

With the eight-second TKO, Irvin goes into the record books tying the mark for the quickest knockout in UFC history.

Because of the several quick knockouts we were treated to the fight between Tommy Speer and Anthony Johnson. The TUF 6 runner up to Mac Danzig didn't have a chance as he was completely smothered by Johnson's strikes. The fight was ended by the ref at 51 seconds of the very first round due to strikes.

Preliminary Card

Josh Neer def. Din Thomas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Marcus Aurelio def. Ryan Roberts via submission (armbar) -- Round 1, 0:16
Manny Gamburyan def. Jeff Cox via submission (guillotine choke) -- Round 1, 1:41
Clay Guida def. Samy Schiavo via TKO (strikes) -- Round 1, 4:15
George Sotiropoulos def. Roman Mitichyan via TKO (strikes) -- Round 2, 2:24