Author: Jordy McElroy

Dana White: "Nate Marquardt Has to Man Up"

The reasoning behind Nate Marquardt’s failure to pass his required medical examinations is shrouded with more mystery than a Sherlock Holmes novel. A day after firing the former middleweight contender, UFC President Dana White sounded off on the UFC on…

The reasoning behind Nate Marquardt’s failure to pass his required medical examinations is shrouded with more mystery than a Sherlock Holmes novel.

A day after firing the former middleweight contender, UFC President Dana White sounded off on the UFC on Versus 4 pre-fight show.

He stated that he was upset with Marquardt for not addressing the issues handed down to him by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission (PSAC).

According to White and the PSAC, they are legally bound from releasing details on the situation, and it’s completely up to Marquardt whether or not he wants to explain the situation to the fans.

“Pennsylvania laws are unfortunate that the commission can’t come out and announce medical records or medical situations with fighters, but I think it’s pretty clear to the fans and everybody else that I’m pretty disgusted with Nate Marquardt. He’s been cut from the UFC. He won’t fight in the UFC ever again,” White told Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com.

“Bottom line is, what Nate Marquardt’s thing is, it’s bad enough to be cut from the UFC.”

While White has his issues with Marquardt, he believes that the fans have a right to know why the former title contender failed to pass his medical examinations. The ball is in Marquardt’s court. If anything, White hopes Marquardt will ‘man up’ and come clean about the situation.

“Nate Marquardt’s gonna have to man up and come out and tell the world why he didn’t pass his medicals.” said White. “When he does that, I think everybody is going to understand why he was cut from the UFC.”

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Should the UFC Hold a Lightweight Grand Prix to Decide the Next Title Contender?

The UFC lightweight division is at a standstill. With champion Frankie Edgar and top contender Gray Maynard sidelined with injuries, there is no clear direction for some of the division’s brightest stars. Most would agree that Jim Miller is currently a…

The UFC lightweight division is at a standstill.

With champion Frankie Edgar and top contender Gray Maynard sidelined with injuries, there is no clear direction for some of the division’s brightest stars.

Most would agree that Jim Miller is currently ahead of the herd. He is set to face former WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson on August 14 in a possible title eliminator bout.

With no timeline set for Edgar or Maynard’s return, the future remains uncertain. Even if Miller defeated Henderson, he would likely be forced to choose between taking a fight or going on an extended hiatus and waiting for a title shot.

What can the UFC do to sort out the excessively stacked and talented 155-pound division? UFC lightweight contender Melvin Guillard has an idea.

“Edgar and Maynard still haven’t fought again, so right now, everybody’s at a standstill,” Guillard told ESPN.com. “The only solution I see is them doing a 155-pound grand prix tournament, and putting everybody in brackets and weeding the losers to giving a true No. 1 contender a fight here in the next year or so.”

With the success of the ongoing Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, UFC President Dana White could entertain the idea. The lightweight division is arguably the most stacked in the entire sport. With Strikeforce onboard and their partnership with Dream, fans can also hope for cross-promotional entries of upper-echelon talent like Gilbert Melendez and Shinya Aoki.

What about a B.J. Penn return?

A lightweight tourney would probably peak the Hawaiian’s interest. Former two-time title contender Kenny Florian would be another name to consider, but he is apparently next in line to challenge Jose Aldo for the featherweight title.

“I honestly felt after the [Evan] Dunham fight that it was going to move me a lot higher,” Guillard said. “But they’re still ranking guys like Dennis Siver ahead of me, and I knocked this chump out in less than two minutes. He even called me out again, trying to fight me again.”

Siver entered the title mix after securing major victories over George Sotiropoulos and Spencer Fisher. Guillard doesn’t mind fighting guys like Siver and his upcoming opponent Shane Roller, but he is looking for fights that will further his position in the lightweight division.

“Honestly, you guys and all the fans are going to be like, ‘well, we kind of knew that was going to happen…why was Shane Roller even in the cage with Melvin?’ So, it’s just one of those fights where, for me, it doesn’t make sense…but it always makes sense when you’re in there to make a paycheck,” said Guillard.

“As far as I’m concerned, that’s all it’s going to do for me is bless me with another paycheck. But as far as moving me up the rankings and making me more elite? I don’t think that’s going to do anything.”

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Should the UFC Hold a Lightweight Grand Prix to Decide the Next Title Contender?

The UFC lightweight division is at a standstill. With champion Frankie Edgar and top contender Gray Maynard sidelined with injuries, there is no clear direction for some of the division’s brightest stars. Most would agree that Jim Miller is currently a…

The UFC lightweight division is at a standstill.

With champion Frankie Edgar and top contender Gray Maynard sidelined with injuries, there is no clear direction for some of the division’s brightest stars.

Most would agree that Jim Miller is currently ahead of the herd. He is set to face former WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson on August 14 in a possible title eliminator bout.

With no timeline set for Edgar or Maynard’s return, the future remains uncertain. Even if Miller defeated Henderson, he would likely be forced to choose between taking a fight or going on an extended hiatus and waiting for a title shot.

What can the UFC do to sort out the excessively stacked and talented 155-pound division? UFC lightweight contender Melvin Guillard has an idea.

“Edgar and Maynard still haven’t fought again, so right now, everybody’s at a standstill,” Guillard told ESPN.com. “The only solution I see is them doing a 155-pound grand prix tournament, and putting everybody in brackets and weeding the losers to giving a true No. 1 contender a fight here in the next year or so.”

With the success of the ongoing Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, UFC President Dana White could entertain the idea. The lightweight division is arguably the most stacked in the entire sport. With Strikeforce onboard and their partnership with Dream, fans can also hope for cross-promotional entries of upper-echelon talent like Gilbert Melendez and Shinya Aoki.

What about a B.J. Penn return?

A lightweight tourney would probably peak the Hawaiian’s interest. Former two-time title contender Kenny Florian would be another name to consider, but he is apparently next in line to challenge Jose Aldo for the featherweight title.

“I honestly felt after the [Evan] Dunham fight that it was going to move me a lot higher,” Guillard said. “But they’re still ranking guys like Dennis Siver ahead of me, and I knocked this chump out in less than two minutes. He even called me out again, trying to fight me again.”

Siver entered the title mix after securing major victories over George Sotiropoulos and Spencer Fisher. Guillard doesn’t mind fighting guys like Siver and his upcoming opponent Shane Roller, but he is looking for fights that will further his position in the lightweight division.

“Honestly, you guys and all the fans are going to be like, ‘well, we kind of knew that was going to happen…why was Shane Roller even in the cage with Melvin?’ So, it’s just one of those fights where, for me, it doesn’t make sense…but it always makes sense when you’re in there to make a paycheck,” said Guillard.

“As far as I’m concerned, that’s all it’s going to do for me is bless me with another paycheck. But as far as moving me up the rankings and making me more elite? I don’t think that’s going to do anything.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Gina Carano’s Team Speaks, Return "Very Soon"

Gina Carano will be ready to resume training “very soon.”There were plenty of rumors circulating about why Carano wasn’t medically cleared to compete on the Strikeforce: Dallas card, but Carano’s team laid those rumors to rest in a text message read to…

Gina Carano will be ready to resume training “very soon.”

There were plenty of rumors circulating about why Carano wasn’t medically cleared to compete on the Strikeforce: Dallas card, but Carano’s team laid those rumors to rest in a text message read to the media by Scott Coker.

“Gina is feeling much better after having undergone some medical attention and is looking forward to getting back into training very soon. She would like to express thanks to Team Jackson for a wonderful training camp, Strikeforce, and the fans.”

Carano hasn’t fought since losing to Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos in August 2009. After the bout, the proposed “Face of Women’s MMA” went on an extended hiatus to shoot the upcoming action film “Haywire”.

Carano announced in February that she was preparing to make her MMA return, and Strikeforce eventually settled on the Dallas event and Sarah D’Alelio as an opponent.

As the fight approached, it was announced that Carano had to pull out of the bout due to unknown medical reasons.

Coker wasn’t able to elaborate on Carano’s medical condition or a return date.

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Kimbo Slice Story Coming to a Theatre Near You

Kimbo Slice could be “throwin’ dem thangs” on the big screen. “Entourage” director Kevin Connolly is apparently interested in directing and producing a movie centering around the life of the former UFC and EliteXC superstar. “Kimbo Slice is known as on…

Kimbo Slice could be “throwin’ dem thangs” on the big screen.

“Entourage” director Kevin Connolly is apparently interested in directing and producing a movie centering around the life of the former UFC and EliteXC superstar.

“Kimbo Slice is known as one of the first YouTube celebrities,” Connolly told TheWrap. “He was the first person I ever sat in front of a computer and typed somebody’s name into YouTube. His fights ended up on the internet, his backyard fights, and he all of a sudden…became a celebrity.”

Slice’s backyard brawls are well-documented. He eventually accepted the challenge to venture into the world of MMA. While the EliteXC helped Slice ascend to superstardom, it was his time on season 10 of the Ultimate Fighter that helped him earn the respect of hardcore fans.

People were finally able to see past all of the EliteXC’s smoke and mirrors. Slice was a humble individual that was thankful for every opportunity he had.

“It’s so personal to sit with a writer who you don’t know and tell them your deepest, darkest secrets and your life story, so I think it took him a second to get used to,” said Connolly. “But him and the writer really hit it off, and I couldn’t be happier with the script. I’m ready to go.”

Connolly hopes to enlist Slice to play the star role in the film. There is certainly a vast amount of material to go on should the project get the green light.

“I’m trying to get the Kimbo Slice story made,” Connolly stated. “I have his life rights. We have a script that’s great. It’s out and about, and the powers that be are trying to put the money together.”

Connolly wants to begin working on the movie at the conclusion of Entourage, which will begin airing its final eight episodes on July 24.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

MMA World Rankings (Updated 6-20-2011)

MMA fans have waited a long time to see how the improved Alistair Overeem would fare against ranked opposition. They finally got that chance at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum. In one of the most lackluster main events of the year, Overeem huffed and p…

MMA fans have waited a long time to see how the improved Alistair Overeem would fare against ranked opposition.

They finally got that chance at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum.

In one of the most lackluster main events of the year, Overeem huffed and puffed his way to a unanimous decision victory over Fabricio Werdum in their quarterfinal bout of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.

While the victory was significant in regards to Overeem’s heavyweight advancement, his performance turned a multitude of believers into critics.

Meanwhile, perennial heel Josh Barnett impressed in his second-round submission win over Brett Rogers. Could “The Baby-Faced Assassin” be the true favorite to win the Strikeforce Grand Prix?

Along with Strikeforce, the UFC has sent the MMA universe into a frenzy with a multitude of live events. Fresh off the heels of UFC 130, the TUF 13 Finale, and UFC 131, there have been plenty of changes in the world rankings.

These rankings rely heavily on quality of competition and defeating previously ranked opponents. They are not based on possibilities––such as fighter A would beat fighter B.

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