This is the latest collection of articles and news from MMAMadness.com Copyright 2008 MMAMadness.com http://mmamadness.com/insight.html A former 2 sport All American and NFL prospect, Shane Carwin is making a huge dent in the UFC heavyweight division. http://mmamadness.com/insight/article/360 At 6'4" and 255 lbs., former two sport All American and NFL prospect Shane Carwin has become a force within the UFC's heavyweight division. http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2756 A re-cap of a fantastic seminar for a great cause. http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2757 Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - If you ask most longtime MMA fans (and competitors) who their favorite fighter is, if Wanderlei Silva isn't at the top of the list, he's at least in the top five. But what is it about "The Axe Murderer" that has garnered him a legion of fans around the world over the last 12 years? Is it the staredowns, the loosening of his wrists before a fight? Nah, it's all about the fights, and here are seven that made Silva the fighter he is today. http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2755 UFC fighters Roger Huerta and Brandon Vera bet on the upcoming boxing match between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao. http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2754 Martin Kampmann is latest fighter to be added to the card for UFC 93 on Jan. 17 in Dublin, Ireland, FiveOuncesOfPain.com has learned. Kampmann, who recently signed a contract extension with the UFC, will be making his welterweight debut on the show against an opponent to be determined. The Denmark native is 13-2 in his professional mixed [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2753 it's been six months since World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight titleholder Miguel Torres last defended his belt. On Dec. 3, he takes on undefeated Manny Tapia... http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2752 Former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho was released from his contract earlier this week and his manager, Ed Soares, says now it's all about a rebuilding process for the fighter... http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2751 The Bellator Fighting Championships, which will begin a 12-week fight series on ESPN Deportes in April, has confirmed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com that the promotion is interested in possibly signing former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed the news during an exclusive interview with Five Ounces of Pain on Friday. "We're absolutely interested in Paulo," [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2750 Few outside the inner circle of Sam Vasquez knew his name before his fateful Oct. 20, 2007 bout with Vince Libardi at a Renegades Extreme Fighting show in Houston http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2749 UFC 92 "The Ultimate 2008" preview trailer (The long version) video. Headlining the event will be three great fights between: Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans, Rampage Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva and Frank Mir taking on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2748 Separate published reports indicate that light heavyweight Steve Steinbeiss and middleweight Nissen Osterneck have been transferred from the roster of Zuffa-owned World Extreme Cagefighting to its sister promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Both additions to the UFC roster come as a mild surprise. Steinbeiss and Osterneck competed at WEC 36 on Nov. 5 and both lost [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2747 Former NCAA All-American wrestler Cain Velasquez has every intention of remaining with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, according to a report by Franklin McNeil of ESPN.com and the Newark Star-Ledger. McNeil issued the report during this week's edition of "MMA Live," which can be viewed every week on FiveOuncesOfPain.com. Velasquez is considered by most pundits to be one [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2746 Shooto held its Tradition 4�event earlier today at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Some great fights went down and there were also a few familiar faces in the audience with the likes of Takanori Gomi and others watching in on the action. Takeshi Inoue was able to add another Shooto belt to his collection. [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2745 Note: Lauzon is penciled in to fight Hermes Franca at UFC Fight Night 7 on February 7, 2008. For more details click here. E. BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (November 29, 2008) -– UFC lightweight contender Joe ''J-Lau'' Lauzon's recent 12-day goodwill trip visiting U.S. military troops in Iraq and Kuwait was a knockout for everybody. Lauzon (17-4, 4 KOs, [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2744 Arizona Combat Sports light heavyweight Steve Steinbeiss is UFC bound, according to his representatives at LG Sports Marketing... http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2743 Pat Miletich, founder and patriarch of Miletich Fighting Systems, is tired of watching all the young whippersnappers having fun. He wants back in the ring, and he'll be making his return at Adrenaline MMA's sophomore effort on Dec. 11... http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2742 A rumored welterweight matchup between Dan Hardy and Rory Markham that would place at UFC 95 at the O2 Arena in London on Feb. 17 has gained a lot of traction on various Internet news outlets over the course of the last week. Despite the high level of speculation surrounding the proposed matchup, FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned Friday [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2741 World Victory Road on Friday confirmed that Antonio Silva would compete on its Jan. 4 event, Sengoku 7. The EliteXC heavyweight champion is slated to face Yoshihiro Nakao... http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2740 According to a report by Franklin McNeil of ESPN.com and the Newark Star-Ledger, the camp for Fabricio Werdum approached Affliction Entertainment in an attempt to place the former PRIDE and UFC heavyweight with the organization. McNeil revealed the news during this week's edition of MMA Live, which can be viewed on FiveOuncesOfPain.com. McNeil stated that both sides [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2739 FEG president Sadaharu Tanikawa provided an update on the New Year's Eve "FieLDS Dynamite!!" card during a conference held Thursday at the Akasaka Biz Tower in Tokyo, Japan. - Alistair Overeem wants to fight Mirko "Cro Cop" but FEG wants Overeem to fight somebody else.  - In another strange matchup fitting for a New Year's Eve card in Japan, lightweight Shinya Aoki vs. middleweight Yoshihiro Akiyama is expected to happen. read more http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2738 Click for Video http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2737 John Alessio could easily be described as one of the best welterweights not currently fighting in the UFC. The 28-year old fighter got his jump into mixed martial arts at the young age of 19 and hasn't looked back since. In the nine years that Alessio has been in the business he has waged combat [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2736 Be careful if you get a Christmas card from the UFC this month - it might not be that lifetime subscription to the jelly-of-the-month club you were hoping for. Fresh on the heels of recent releases of Fabricio Werdum and Jorge Gurgel, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou has been cut from the UFC roster according to Five Ounces [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2735 WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko announced Friday through a press release issued by M-1 Global that he has canceled a planned press tour in order to begin his training camp for his upcoming fight on Jan. 24 at Affliction's "Day of Reckoning" vs. former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. Emelianenko, 28-1, had been scheduled to make [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2734 Ivan Serati will make his UFC debut when he takes on Tomasz Drwal at UFC 93 "Franklin vs. Henderson" at the O2 in Dublin on Jan. 17, 2009. MMAFighting.com learned of the light-heavyweight matchup on Thursday from Serati's management. Serati (10-2) of Monza, Italy built his name in the UK with the UWC and Cage Rage promotions. His most high profile fight was a first-round TKO loss to Vitor Belfort at Cage Rage 21 "Judgement Day" in April 2007. read more http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2733 December is going to be an action-packed month for live mixed martial arts action with several intriguing matchups in store for fans. However, one of the most intriguing matchups on the docket for next month is a welterweight encounter between King of the Cage and EliteXC veteran Thomas "Wildman" Denny and one of the greatest welterweights [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2732 DREAM middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi and DREAM lightweight GP finalist Tatsuya Kawajiri will test their standup at the "Dynamite!! 2008" New Year's Eve event in Saitama, Japan. Mousasi will take on 4-time K-1 Japan GP winner Musashi, while Kawajiri will face off against K-1 World MAX veteran Kozo Takeda in K-1 kickboxing bouts. Current "Dynamite!! 2008" fight card: read more http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2731 B.J. Penn doesn't operate in the usual mode of a champion defending his title. He operates on a different plane, a plane reserved for icons and legends... http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2730 Although Donald Cerrone's previous "Fight of the Night" performance against Rob McCullough wasn't aired on the live broadcast of WEC 36, he can rest assured that his next fight - expected to be at WEC 38 - will be. In an exclusive interview with FiveOuncesOfPain.com, Cerrone confirmed that he was expecting to [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2726 Sugar Rashad Evans is set to take on the UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 �gThe Ultimate 2008�� on December 27 in Las Vegas. Also on the card�c Quinton �gRampage�h Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2729 Brazilian jiu-jitsu submission specialist Rousimar Palhares (8-2) and mixed martial arts journeyman Jeremy Horn (80-18-5) are expected to collide in a 185-pound tilt at UFC 93 at The O2 in Dublin, Ireland, on January 17, according to a report confirmed by InTheGuard.tv. The up-and-coming Palhares recently dropped a unanimous decision to Dan Henderson at UFC 88: [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2728 Strikeforce recently bolstered its lightweight division with the signing of Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Jorge Gurgel (12-5), according to ProMMA.info. Terms of the contract were undisclosed at this time, but he hopes to make his debut with the promotion sometime in early 2009. The former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) was released from the [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2727 Ten fights have been finalized for Adrenaline MMA's second-ever event to take place on Thursday, December 11, at the i wireless Center in Moline, Illinois. FiveOuncesOfPain.com confirmed the current lineup during a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon with long-time MMA promoter and manager, Monte Cox. Headlining the show will be the first welterweight champion in UFC history [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2725 Aleksander Emelianenko could be Josh Barnett's opponent at Affliction 2 "Day of Reckoning" on Jan. 24 in Anaheim, California. Emelianenko tells Russian sports website Sports.ru in an interview published Tuesday that his next fight could be a rematch against Barnett at Affliction "Day of Reckoning." Emelianenko was tapped out by Barnett  in May 2006 with a keylock at PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute. read more http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2724 An explosive match up between heavy-handed welterweights Dan Hardy (20–6) and Rory Markham (16-4) is in the works for UFC 95 from the O2 Arena in London, England, on February 21, according to MMAWeekly.com. Hardy lived up to his billing as the top British 170-pound prospect in his Octagon debut with a hard-fought split decision win [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2723 Nate Marquardt Makes Claim For TUF 9 Coaching Position http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2722 What initially started as an innocent attempt by Jeff Curran to raise the level of excitement even further in the WEC's bantamweight division has now taken on a life of its own. During a recent C3 Full Contact Fighting event in which Curran was inducted into the promotion's Hall of Fame, the former featherweight-turned-bantamweight competitor responded [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2721 Click for Video http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2720 Final Card For UFC: Fight For Our Troops 12/10 http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2719 Final Card For WEC 37 On December 3rd In Las Vegas http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2718 Affliction Trying To Put Together Josh Barnett Vs. Brett Rogers http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2717 Forget Waldo. Where's Arona? The mixed martial arts world last saw Ricardo Arona in April 2007 when he was on the wrong end of a Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou technical knockout at Pride 34. In the 19 months that followed, as Arona retreated to the shadows http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2716 In a Nov. 19 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, ProElite indicated that the troubled company could possibly be close to receiving new funding from an outside source. "The Company is continuing discussions with potential strategic investors to secure financing sufficient to cure any possible default under the Showtime loan agreements. However, there is no [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2715 Former Elite XC lightweight contender, Eddie Alvarez, has signed on with Bellator Fighting Championships, which will air on ESPN Deportes according to the fighter... http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2714 BJ Penn and Georges St. Pierre featured on local Hawaiian news hyping what could become the biggest fight in UFC history. http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2713 Despite earlier reports that a Urijah Faber vs. Jose Aldo bout was likely for the WEC's as-yet-unannounced January card, sources close to the bout have now revealed that Faber will instead take part in a rematch. Unfortunately for Faber, that rematch is not the one he was seeking with new featherweight champion Mike Brown, but instead with former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver. Faber defeated Pulver by unanimous decision in their memorable first meeting at WEC 34 in June. http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2712 With new WEC featherweight champ Mike Brown on the sidelines due to torn cartilage in his ribs, the organization appears set to offer former champion Urijah Faber a bout with heavy-handed Brazilian Jose Aldo at WEC 38. Sources close to Aldo first alerted MMAjunkie.com of the potential bout, which has yet to be signed. Faber had openly requested a rematch with Brown, but the new champ will not be ready in time for a Jan. 25, 2009, date with "The California Kid" in San Diego. http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2711 Hermes Franca (19-7) and Joe Lauzon (17- 4) have been offered bout agreements to compete in a 155-pound match up at UFC Fight Night 17 at The Palms Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 7. MMAmania.com today confirmed that the lightweight bout, which would likely air on the televised Spike TV main card, [...] http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2710 Joe Riggs has been through more than his share of difficult situations. But at his recent bout with Luke Stewart at "Strikeforce: Destruction," the "Diesel" found himself facing a brand new challenge. "I broke my hand like the first 10 seconds of the fight," Riggs told TAGG Radio, the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com. "It [expletive] sucked. "I've never broken my hand in a fight. If that's what it feels like, I don't want to do that [expletive]. That hurt." http://mmamadness.com/insight/news/2709