Shawn Tompkins death ruled a heart attack. Tompkins’ manager, Gary Ibarra reveals family’s history of heart disease. Jon Fitch expected back in the cage at UFC 139 in San Jose, rumored opponent is Johny Hendricks..
Shawn Tompkins death ruled a heart attack. Tompkins’ manager, Gary Ibarra reveals family’s history of heart disease.
Jon Fitch expected back in the cage at UFC 139 in San Jose, rumored opponent is Johny Hendricks.
UFC on Versus 5 produces 6 indefinite medically suspended fighters including: Jim Miller, Amir Saddolah, Duane Ludwig, C.B. Dollaway, Kyle Noke, and T.J Obrien. Full breakdown of all 12 suspensions: here.
UFC on Versus 5 salaries and bonuses released. Chris Lytle highest paid at $200,000. More here.
UFC on Versus 6 to feature Fabricio Maldonado vs. Aaron Rosa.
Our friends over at The Fight Nerd caught up with Gary Shaw recently and they asked the former EliteXC live events president what he thought about the latest incarnation of ProElite. Not surprisingly, Shaw didn’t hold back when describing the promotion’s chances in the current MMA landscape dominated by the UFC.
“I think it’s laughable. The people running it are jokes. It’s not real and the only game in town is the UFC. I wouldn’t have been [interested in being involved with ProElite again]. All of my time is with boxing. Like I said, the only game in town is the UFC. You can’t beat them any longer. They are too entrenched,” Shaw explained. “They bought the next best thing, which was Strikeforce. Fedor’ s gone from the scene. So, right now it’s only the UFC. They’re miles ahead of everyone right now. It’s like us coming up with some fast food franchise and beating McDonald’s and Burger King. It’s not gonna happen.”
(Video courtesy of TheFightNerd)
Our friends over at The Fight Nerd caught up with Gary Shaw recently and they asked the former EliteXC live events president what he thought about the latest incarnation of ProElite. Not surprisingly, Shaw didn’t hold back when describing the promotion’s chances in the current MMA landscape dominated by the UFC.
“I think it’s laughable. The people running it are jokes. It’s not real and the only game in town is the UFC. I wouldn’t have been [interested in being involved with ProElite again]. All of my time is with boxing. Like I said, the only game in town is the UFC. You can’t beat them any longer. They are too entrenched,” Shaw explained. “They bought the next best thing, which was Strikeforce. Fedor’ s gone from the scene. So, right now it’s only the UFC. They’re miles ahead of everyone right now. It’s like us coming up with some fast food franchise and beating McDonald’s and Burger King. It’s not gonna happen.”
Needless to say, Shaw isn’t a fan of new ProElite president T.Jay Thompson, who became a five-year executive consultant with the company after it purchased his Icon Sport promotion back in 2007 for $350,000 U.S. and “hundreds of thousands” of PELE shares, and for good reason. Thompson, whose role in the promotion was downgraded after Shaw stepped down from the organization, has openly criticized both Shaw and his son Jared for mismanaging EliteXC and was the individual who first made mention of Shaw paying Seth Petruzelli to not take Kimbo Slice down. The accusations led to an investigation by the Florida Athletic Commission and some say prompted CBS to sever ties with the struggling organization.
Slice, AKA Kevin Ferguson is finally making his boxing debut and, under the watchful eye of former EliteXC vice president Jared Shaw, he will likely have a decent run of beating up overmatched opponents while restocking his breadbox with boxing dollars.
Here’s the lead-in from the hyped-up press release Shaw sent out today:
“Forget the kicking and wrestling, Kevin ‘Kimbo Slice’ Ferguson will soon be where he should have been all along… busting heads in a boxing ring.
On Saturday, August 13, legendary street brawler Kimbo Slice will make his long-awaited professional boxing debut in the four-round main event of a Gary Shaw Productions and Tony Holden Promotions boxing extravaganza at Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma.
Slice became the Internet’s first street-certified action hero by smashing down a series of opponents in brutal backyard fist fights. The announcement is good news for fight fans, as he will surely administer a much-needed shot of adrenaline into the American heavyweight scene.”
Slice, AKA Kevin Ferguson is finally making his boxing debut and, under the watchful eye of former EliteXC vice president Jared Shaw, he will likely have a decent run of beating up overmatched opponents while restocking his breadbox with boxing dollars.
Here’s the lead-in from the hyped-up press release Shaw sent out today:
“Forget the kicking and wrestling, Kevin ‘Kimbo Slice’ Ferguson will soon be where he should have been all along… busting heads in a boxing ring.
On Saturday, August 13, legendary street brawler Kimbo Slice will make his long-awaited professional boxing debut in the four-round main event of a Gary Shaw Productions and Tony Holden Promotions boxing extravaganza at Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma.
Slice became the Internet’s first street-certified action hero by smashing down a series of opponents in brutal backyard fist fights. The announcement is good news for fight fans, as he will surely administer a much-needed shot of adrenaline into the American heavyweight scene.”
I’m not sure Kimbo will inject anything into the heavyweight boxing scene, but there will be those who watch if not simply for the freakshow factor the backyard brawler will bring.
His first bout under the Gary Shaw Productions banner will be on August 13 in Miami, Oklahoma against a yet-to-be-named victim.
Here’s what the promoter formerly known as $kala, whose new title according to today’s release is “Team Kimbo Promotional Advisor,” had to say about Kimbo’s future in the boxing ring:
“Kimbo was always meant to be in the ring. He’s one of the hardest punchers in the world and on August 13, his journey to becoming America’s heavyweight begins. The first stop will be Oklahoma in what will become the Kimbo Slice Express.”
Slice’s longtime manager “Icey” Mike Imber, said that in spite of Gary Shaw’s earlier assertions that his charge isn’t putting in the effort necessary to succeed in the sport, Kimbo has been training hard for his debut with boxing coach Randy Khatami and that he has also spent some time in top-rated contender Alfredo Angulo’s camp working with his trainer Clemente Medina.
“He’s completely focused on his boxing career and excited to showcase his talents inside the squared circle. Kimbo Slice is hungry and when that man wants his bread, he’s scary. Even in his losses, ‘Kimbo’ brought a level of excitement that few fighters can generate,” Shaw said. “He is a genuine personality with unbelievable strength and character, and we’re excited about his prospects in boxing.The minute he steps in the ring, he’ll be one of the most recognizable and talked-about fighters in the sport, and his fans around the world will once again feel the excitement.”
If only his performance inside the ring or cage was as impressive as the buzz surrounding Slice, he may have some longevity in combat sports.
Yeah, if you’re looking for warm fuzzies, you can stop reading now. These two aren’t on the list. (Pic: MMAConvert.com)
Being a father must be one of the most thankless jobs on Earth. I say this not as a dad, but as a son who can only imagine what I put my father through. Sure, there are probably some happy times, like watching your son get his first hit on the baseball court, but largely it’s a never ending torrent of putting up with your son’s immature bullshit, and for that you get thought of one day a year at which time you’re rewarded with an ugly ass tie and a “Free Oil Change” coupon for the truck your son smashed up.
On this special occasion, take a few minutes to grab your old man, have a seat, and enjoy some good old fashioned shadenfreude with some of our sport’s less celebrated father-son moments. You may laugh, you may cry, but hopefully you’ll both realize that things could be a lot worse. Who knows, after a beer or two you may even decide to celebrate your strengthened bond by taking a class together.
To all the dads out there, keep fighting the good fight.
Yeah, if you’re looking for warm fuzzies, you can stop reading now. These two aren’t on the list. (Pic: MMAConvert.com)
Being a father must be one of the most thankless jobs on Earth. I say this not as a dad, but as a son who can only imagine what I put my father through. Sure, there are probably some happy times, like watching your son get his first hit on the baseball court, but largely it’s a never ending torrent of putting up with your son’s immature bullshit, and for that you get thought of one day a year at which time you’re rewarded with an ugly ass tie and a “Free Oil Change” coupon for the truck your son smashed up.
On this special occasion, take a few minutes to grab your old man, have a seat, and enjoy some good old fashioned shadenfreude with some of our sport’s less celebrated father-son moments. You may laugh, you may cry, but hopefully you’ll both realize that things could be a lot worse. Who knows, after a beer or two you may even decide to celebrate your strengthened bond by taking a class together.
To all the dads out there, keep fighting the good fight.
Chris Leben’s Breakdown On TUF Season 1
Maybe it’s just all the topless drunk dudes in acid wash jeans hanging around the pool, but in retrospect doesn’t TUF 1 look a little…you know… (original TUF footage)
After thirteen seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, it’s hard to believe that there was a time when fighters getting drunk in a house and smashing things was considered fresh and innovative television. Practically everyone has been calling for the show to be revamped, but long before the in-house antics grew stale there were brave pioneers like Chis Leben who broke down doors in the entertainment industry by breaking down doors in the TUF house.
Leben has his fair share of personal demons burning within, and adding alcohol to the mix serves only to fan the flames. During his stint on the show, “The Crippler” summoned the courage to confide in his TUF housemates that he had been abandoned by his father as a young child, which later served as ammunition for Bobby Southworth during a drunken argument. After calling Leben a “fatherless bastard” and telling him that he was so worthless that he was left in a garbage can, Southworth half-heartedly apologized, but he and Koscheck were only warming up. When Leben retreated to avoid confrontation and sleep it off outside, the two decided to turn a water hose on him. Pushed to his emotional breaking point, Leben lashed out at any object standing between him and his tormentors. And the rest, as they say, is reality tv history.
(Yes, at this point they are in fact just fucking with us.)
Man, it’s like the Shaw family doesn’t even check with each other anymore before they go to the media and just start saying stuff. Remember it was less than two weeks ago that Gary Shaw told us that his longtime crush object Kimbo Slice would probably not be entering the world of boxing after finding out “how hard it is to be a boxer.” Well, on Tuesday, not 15 days later, Jared Shaw – Shaw Trek the Next Generation, if you will – made an appearance on MMA Weekly radio and immediately started issuing “open challenges” on behalf of one Kevin Ferguson, professional boxer.
Specifically, Shaw invited NFL player Ray Edwards to meet Slice in a boxing match. Edwards, a defensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings, will make his own professional boxing debut this Friday at a casino in the Gopher State, against an as-yet unnamed opponent. So that sounds just super. Shaw’s comments and some of Edwards’ own ridiculousness are after the jump …
(Yes, at this point they are in fact just fucking with us.)
Man, it’s like the Shaw family doesn’t even check with each other anymore before they go to the media and just start saying stuff. Remember it was less than two weeks ago that Gary Shaw told us that his longtime crush object Kimbo Slice would probably not be entering the world of boxing after finding out “how hard it is to be a boxer.” Well, on Tuesday, not 15 days later, Jared Shaw – Shaw Trek the Next Generation, if you will – made an appearance on MMA Weekly radio and immediately started issuing “open challenges” on behalf of one Kevin Ferguson, professional boxer.
Specifically, Shaw invited NFL player Ray Edwards to meet Slice in a boxing match. Edwards, a defensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings, will make his own professional boxing debut this Friday at a casino in the Gopher State, against an as-yet unnamed opponent. So that sounds just super. Shaw’s comments and some of Edwards’ own ridiculousness are after the jump …
“That fight I will deliver,” Shaw declared. “If Ray Edwards wants to step up and fight Kimbo Slice I will deliver that to the public. There’s two guys that come from athletic backgrounds, that haven’t been in the ring that many times, so let’s see two big boys bang it out. If Ray Edwards thinks he’s a great boxer, then maybe he thinks he can go through Kevin Ferguson very quickly.”
You’ll remember that even before Gary Shaw pronounced Slice’s pugilistic career DOA earlier this month, we quoted the dude as far back as last Thanksgiving essentially sounding pretty disgusted with Kimbo’s work habits. At the time, the street brawler-turned-MMA-failure-turned … something-or-other had ditched training camp to head back to Miami for the holidays, and Shaw didn’t seem particularly hopeful that he’d return. As of a couple of weeks ago, it sounded like his fears had been confirmed.
Not so, says Jared Shaw, who told MMA Weekly that Slice just wanted to take some time off to film a movie, that he’s been staying in shape and that he still wants to fight. At least, J-Shaw thinks he still wants to fight.
“I’m always in contact with Kimbo and his camp, and they’re great,” Jared Shaw said. “Kimbo’s enjoying his life post a lot of training years. The first time out in boxing it just wasn’t the right timing, he had some aches, he wanted to go shoot a film, ‘The Scorpion King,’ and we just left it open ended. I have good feelings that Kimbo Slice still wants to make an impact in the fight game. However, he can define his own impact.”
That brings us to Edwards, who declared early on in the NFL lockout that he wasn’t going to “wait around” for the owners and the players’ union to figure out how to divvy up the billions. Instead, he decided to launch a fly-by-night fighting career. Because, you know, why wouldn’t you risk a potential seven-figure football contract by taking two-bit boxing matches in Podunk casinos in places like Hinckley, Minn?
That’s where Edwards will fight this weekend: The Grand Casino in Hinckley. Not exactly the MGM Grand, eh? Anyway, a couple of months ago Edwards went on ESPN TV and made a bunch of statements so crazy you might’ve thought he was trying to be an honorary member of the Shaw family, including but not limited to alleging his boxing trainers think he has the potential be the best heavyweight ever. Not just the best right now, mind you, not just the best in the comparatively shitty and shallow 2011 heavyweight division, but the best ever.
More recently, he told the Star Tribune newspaper that he’s inked a two-fight deal with the above mentioned casino and that he could fight again in June if the NFL’s labor dispute is still raging. That fight – if Jared Shaw has his way – could conceivably be against Slice.
First though, maybe Edwards should just find out who he’s fighting on Friday.
(Video courtesy YouTube/FightHubTV)
I don’t know if it’s just coincidence, but most of the people involved with mixed martial arts who I can’t stand are either named Gary or Shaw. There’s the obvious Gary Shaw, his son Jared "$kala" Sha…
(Video courtesy YouTube/FightHubTV)
I don’t know if it’s just coincidence, but most of the people involved with mixed martial arts who I can’t stand are either named Gary or Shaw. There’s the obvious Gary Shaw, his son Jared "$kala" Shaw and then there’s Jerry Millen, who changed his name from his given name of Gary because he thought Jer or Jerdog sounded cooler. Seriously.
