I don't see what your issue is with the highlighted terms...What am I missing?
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Minotouro is guaranteed at Bitetti combat. After reading rumors on the internet Lil nog contacted the promotion to say he will be there to fight Alex Steibling. Minotouro said "I'm in. Nothing can keep me out of this event. I want to fight and I can't miss this one. I'm ready and dying to fight," .
But after Bitetti combat Lil nog pretty much has a done deal with UFC. Lil nog, Ricardo Arona, and Pedro Rizzo are scheduled to undergo test by the Army School of physical education around the time of the event, the first mma fighters ever to do so.
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I'd just really hate to start seeing "I'm a hard-core fan" in these threads as much as I'd hate to see "I'm a real cigar smoker" placed in all the CC threads.

As far as UFC 103, there are some good fights, but does it earn PPV status?:-)
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I don't think its worth it. Though I do want to see the last 2 fight on the card. UFC 104 looks even worse eventhough the main event might be fight of the year. If the UFC is so stacked, how comes most of their cards blow?
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Checked some MMA lines today and Crocop is listed as Even while Dos Santos is at -135ish. I don't know anything about Junior Dos Santos--is he really expected to win? Crocop's a pretty formidable guy.
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Cro-Cop hasn't done terribly well in the last year. If regulations are the same for boxing, if you get KO'ed, you get a 90 day vacation from competing in sanctioned events in many states. So maybe some ring-rust of sorts+poor showing over the last year?

I agree though...Mirko is a pretty tough dude and can end the fight with one shot...
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Ummm....Ok.:-)
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Whats everybody's take on Carwin/Lesnar? Just saw it posted on Google News for 106.
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Two really big guys with lots of power but when it comes down to it, I think Brock is the better wrestler and will prevail.

Some news:

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/...=9410&zoneid=2

According to a new rule passed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission Wednesday, referees in Nevada now have the opportunity to get a second look at a fight’s end to determine its legality.

The final wording as passed: “A referee at the conclusion of a contest or exhibition stopped immediately due to an injury to an unarmed combatant pursuant to NAC 467.718 and after making a decision, may view a replay if available in order to determine whether the injury in question was caused a legal blow or a foul.”

The rule addresses several controversial stoppages in recent history where a fighter lost a contest because the referee couldn’t see an injury that forced a bout’s stoppage.

A referee may now use instant replay to determine whether the action that caused the injury was legal or a foul and make a decision on the fight’s result. Only a referee can decide whether to order a replay.

In one of the most prominent examples of the need to address injury stoppages, UFC welterweight Anthony Johnson was unintentionally poked in the eye by Kevin Burns at UFC Fight Night 14 last July and was denied an appeal to his TKO loss due to the commission’s “lack of remedy” on the incident.

After a discussion on the issues surrounding the new rule, the five-member commission passed it by unanimous vote. NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer told MMAWeekly.com the rule could take effect in as early as 30 days.

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The “UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort” pay-per-view card is going toe-to-toe with the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez HBO pay-per-view event on Sept. 19.

The UFC is known for its creative marketing and counter-programming tactics and it looks like the MMA giant has come up with a good plan to beef up awareness for UFC 103.

The UFC will air a two-hour telecast of the UFC 103 undercard commercial free on Spike TV as a lead in for the UFC 103 main card on pay-per-view, according to a source at the UFC.

It remains to be seen how well either event will do with two major PPV events on the same night.

Will the UFC, which has been flourishing on PPV in these tough economic times, take a hit going head-to-head with a major boxing card?

Is Mayweather a legit pay-per-view draw? He had Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton to help pump up sales in his two biggest PPV fights.

Will boxing fans, who also follow MMA, bail on the UFC to see Mayweather back in action or will they be lured into watching Rich Franklin take on Vitor Belfort at UFC 103?

One thing is for sure, it’s going to be an interesting night of fights

http://punch.freedomblogging.com/200...spike-tv/6361/

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Looks like B.J. Penn was still able to get some changes through in his case against Georges St. Pierre... there is now a rule known as the "B.J. Penn Rule" that will allow the referee to foul fighters for excessive use of a substance that is deemed illegal.

"In a meeting held Wednesday in Las Vegas, the NSAC approved language prohibiting the use of foreign substances on a fighter’s body prior to or during a fight that "could result in an unfair advantage.

Dubbed by a commission official as the "B.J. Penn Rule," the use of foreign substances will now be added to a list of "fouls" in the Nevada Administrative Code that address tactics illegal to fighters, such as eye gouging, small joint manipulation, or biting."

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/8/20...was-still-able

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The Real Offer The UFC Presented To Fedor

The UFC's courtship of Fedor Emelianenko, which has been ongoing for nearly two years, ended again at the end of last month when the Russian heavyweight signed with Strikeforce. Ever since Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, purchased Pride FC in March 2007, the UFC has been in hot pursuit of Fedor. Despite the years of pursuit, Fedor has yet to meet in person with UFC President Dana White or UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta.

A lot of rumors have circulated about the offer that the UFC presented to Fedor. According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer newsletter, both sides met on July 28th. Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta were present at the meeting, as was Fedor's manager Vadim Finkelchtein, while Fedor listened in on a phone line and never said a word.

As reported last month, the UFC deal leaked to the internet by CBS Radio MMA host Carmichael Dave was for six fights at $30 million. According to Meltzer, that number is not accurate. The UFC presented Fedor with a three-fight deal, thinking that the fewer fights would be more enticing for Fedor as opposed to a longer term deal. The actual number was a $2 million guarantee per fight, plus a sliding percentage on PPV buys, so Fedor's per-fight take could have reached $5 million. While there was no $30 million offer, if he won the championship and the sport continued to draw the numbers it's doing now, he could have earned more. However, it is unclear if he could have been cut after a loss, a clause common in UFC contracts.

Most of the rest of the points are consistent with the Carmichael Dave report. Fedor was offered an immediate title shot with Brock Lesnar, with M-1 Global receiving a cut of the Lesnar - Fedor PPV (which would likely be the biggest PPV in MMA history) on top of Fedor's salary. With the sliding percentage he was presented on top of the $2 million guarantee, if that show did 800,000 buys (which would be a huge disappointment), Fedor would come out with a $3 million payday. However, if the show did a more realistic number like 1.5 million buys (which is a little less than what UFC 100 drew), he'd pocket more than $5 million, the biggest one-night payoff in the history of the sport, in addition to M-1 Global's take.

Fedor would also be able to don the M-1 Global logo on any of his attire and on his banners, and would be allowed to compete in combat sambo, a point of contention in their negotiations in 2007.

As reported before, the deal was turned down - like in 2007 - because M-1 Global wanted to be 50% co-promoters of and show headlined by Fedor, which means getting 50% of the profits after Fedor's cut. The negotiations ended shortly after M-1 Global refused to budge on that point.

"We will work only on co-promotion conditions," stated Vadim Finkelchtein, president of M-1 Global, after the meeting with White and Fertitta. "I don't understand the policy of the UFC. The UFC won't be able to control the whole world. The market is so big. . . The UFC proposal doesn't give us a chance for us to do what we want to do."

Fedor ended up signing with Strikeforce for an undisclosed salary, believed to be $1 million per fight. The deal is similar to his deal with Affliction in several ways. The deal with Strikeforce gives M-1 Global the rights to market the shows outside of North America, where the shows will be pushed as an M-1 Global event. In North America, the three shows headlined by Fedor will be billed as a joint promotion of M-1 Global and Strikeforce. This is similar to their deal with Affliction, where M-1 had the overseas rights for the Affliction shows and sold them to different sports stations as M-1 Global events, as opposed to Affliction.

"I am very happy and excited about the upcoming collaboration with Strikeforce," Finkelchtein stated after the Strikeforce deal was announced. "We are very pleased that we found a reliable partner and I feel that Strikeforce and M-1 can support each other on many things. This will create big opportunities for both parties to test their fighters against worthy opponents."

One interesting point, and this is likely the case for the Strikeforce deal, is that even though M-1 Global co-promoted the Affliction shows and were entitled to 50% of the profits from the shows headlined by Fedor, they did not fund 50% of the losses from those shows which eventually put Affliction out of business.

Affliction had pay-per-view revenue and still lost millions per show. Strikeforce generally does OK for their shows, with some shows losing a little while others generate a small profit. Up until Fedor's signing, their highest salaried fighter had been Frank Shamrock, who took home $369,790 for his fight with Nick Diaz last April. Meanwhile, the entire payroll for this past Sunday's Carano vs. Cyborg event, the biggest in company history, was only $468,500, which is less than half of what Fedor's take would likely be.

http://www.fightline.com/news/mma/20...ko/index.shtml
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I guess it might be fun to watch, but it will most likely be a boring fight. Two wrestlers with sub par striking skills is a bad matchup. I also think its funny how UFC fans say Fedor is ducking competition (eventhough his last 2 opponents and would be 3rd were ranked #2 the world). But this is the best the UFC can come up with for a title fight. Its almost as bad as the nobodies Anderson Silva has been fighting the last few years (except hendo).
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Whatever happened to the Cain Velazquez v. Shane Carwin fight scheduled for UFC 104? I would much rather see them fight to establish (at least somewhat) who the legit #1 contender is rather than just keep throwing guys at Brock. I guess this way though Dana can just get 2 Championships fights for Lesnar quickly rather than having any sort of order in the heavyweight division.
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Lesnar may be the better wrestler, but we have yet to see Carwin actually have to use his wrestling. (although Gonzaga did take him down)

The thing is they may both be subpar strikers, but Carwin has lethal KO power, something I'm sure Lesnar has, but Brock has yet to knock somebody out from his feet. His victories have all come via GnP, while Carwin has just demolished people including his KO of Gonzaga with a punch that was the equivalent of a jab. I doubt Brock will keep this on the feel tho, but if Carwin can, I think he has a serious shot to KO Lesnar.
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And it would make my heart sing like a bluebird.
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Originally Posted by :
“It would be in October or November. The location is to be determined. We have two more big show [this year] and one of them will be Fedor. We’re not interested in Ricco Rodriguez, that was a Ken Pavia rumor. Brett Rogers is obviously one of the candidates, Alistair Overeem, (Sergei) Kharitonov, maybe Paul Buentello. I think those four would be the top guys to choose from. I say let’s put him on TV a couple of times and then let him fight in the big fight.” Scott Coker

If they put Fedor on TV a couple of times and they have Buentello & Overeem as possible match ups, who they hell do they have as the big fight down the road?

Hopefully Rogers gets a good fight sooner than later.
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They've cloned a saber tooth tiger.
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More news bits:

Velasquez/Rothwell at 104 Official

http://mmajunkie.com/news/15923/cain...os-angeles.mma

With original opponent Shane Carwin receiving a recent upgrade to title-bout status, heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez (6-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will now face Ben Rothwell (30-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC 104.

AOL FanHouse was the first to report the new bout, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has been able to confirm the switch with sources close to the contest.

Featuring a light heavyweight title fight between current champion Lyoto Machida and challenger Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, UFC 104 takes place Oct. 24 in Los Angeles.

The undefeated Velasquez has earned four-straight wins in the UFC, including an impressive performance in June in a one-sided unanimous-decision win over Cheick Kongo. The UFC 99 bout was the first time the American Kickboxing trained fighter has been forced to a decision, having earned his previous five wins by TKO.

An eight-year veteran of the sport, Rothwell was slated to fight Chase Gormley at the recently canceled "Affliction: Trilogy" event. The 27-year-old has won 14 of his past 15 bouts, including two wins over UFC light heavyweight Krzysztof Soszynski, as well as wins over notables Ricco Rodriguez, Travis Fulton and Roy Nelson.

Velasquez was originally expected to met Carwin in the evening's co-main event. That fight was scratched in favor of Carwin taking on heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 106 in November.

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Penn vs Sanchez to headline UFC 105 free on Spike TV

http://insidefights.com/2009/08/21/s...dline-ufc-105/

A source within the UFC has confirmed to Inside Fights that BJ Penn will likely defend his lightweight title against Diego Sanchez in the main event of UFC 105.

Penn has claimed that he would never fight in the United Kingdom again after earning what he thought was an unacceptable purse for his fight against Joe Stevenson. The internal belief is that the free television show will likely pull in millions of viewers, and that kind of viewer base can help turn Penn and Sanchez into even bigger stars, which will translate into bigger pay per view buyrates for both fighters down the road.

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This sucks!

DirecTV to Drop Versus (WEC)

This story has flown under the radar (except on hockey blogs), but yes, Versus and DirecTV are having a spat. The existing deal between DirecTV and Versus expires after August 31st and the parties are presently unable to reach an agreement on financial terms to continue the partnership:

Versus, formerly Outdoor Life Network, was rebranded in 2006 and is the home of the National Hockey League as well as collegiate sports from the Pac-10, Big 12, Mountain West and Ivy League conferences, the Tour de France bicycle race, Davis Cup Tennis, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme Cage fighting (WEC), the Indy Racing League and Professional Boxing.

The network is available in about 75 million homes and is wholly-owned by Comcast. It is unclear how many subscribers the network has on DirecTV, which has about 24.2 million subscribers overall.

In a statement, DirecTV said that the dispute centers on carriage fees. According to SNL Kagan, Versus was getting about 18 cents per subscriber per month in carriage fees from cable operators in 2009.

"In our contract discussions, Comcast has demanded a deal for Versus that is not comparable to other providers and is pushing for a significant rate hike that does not reflect current market terms or the value of its programming," DirecTV said in a prepared statement. "We will continue to try and negotiate a fair deal, but we intend to hold the line on our programming costs and protect our customers against these unfair demands that are both discriminatory and wholly unrealistic given current market rates. If we do not reach an agreement, the network will come down on Sept. 1 following the expiration of our contract with Versus."

DirecTV has a different take: continue here http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/8/21...rop-versus-wec
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Comicast
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Seriously.... who makes these? Too funny.

Image
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What movie is the original clip from? it's on the tip of my tongue.
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I have no idea, The tape deck in the car is classic though. haha.
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