Over a year removed from a fight that never was, the friction between Din Thomas and Ricardo Mayorga has still not subsided. Mayorga has continuously made statements regarding fights with mixed martial arts fighters and has been largely ignored, until now. As the one-year mark from the failed Shine Fights "Worlds Collide" event that was to be headlined by Mayorga vs. Thomas passed, Thomas—who has not fought since then—still wants to settle the score with the former boxing champion.

In a statement to MMA Spot’s Andrew Yount, the nine-time UFC veteran relit the flame that the two began burning over a year ago.

"Comedian Steve Harvey said, ‘Dogs don't bark at parked cars...they only bark at cars that are moving.’ This couldn't be more evident than all the Chihuahua style yappin' from Ricardo Mayorga. It's easy to yap when there’s people to protect him at press conferences, weigh-ins, and now on Twitter. He claims to want to fight Nick Diaz, B.J. Penn, and myself, of course. He had his chance with me at Shine Fights last May in Fayetteville, N.C. and he didn't show up."

Thomas went on to explain how he saw the situation surrounding Mayorga’s unwillingness to step into the ring against him last May........READ MORE

Drew "Night Rider" Fickett has been competing in the sport of mixed martial arts for over 10 years. He has fought for the biggest promotions in the world including the UFC and Strikeforce, amassing over 50 professional fights on his record (40-13). Fickett is the type of person that does not walk the same lines as most people, often opting to cut his own trail to walk through. Best known for his antics outside of the cage, he is looking to change that legacy, and is off to a good start. MMA Spot's Thomas Caldwell got a chance to catch up with the "Night Rider" to talk about the past, present and future, of one of the sport's most talented fighters.

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Caldwell:  How have you been doing?
Fickett:  I've been doing good. I just got some good news today that I'm really excited about. It has nothing to do with MMA or my professional life, but it's some great news!



Caldwell:  August of 2008 through August of 2009 wasn't a very good 12 month span for you, and a lot of people wrote you off as a waste of talent that would never make it back to the top level of MMA. Later, you admitted that for many of those fights you didn't even train. Considering your recent success inside the ring, what can you attribute the change to?
Fickett:  There was definitely a big mental change for me. You know, just staying focused, living a healthy lifestyle, and surrounding myself with people that will help me down that road and not hold me back. I think the biggest and number one priority in my life, that changed my life, is my daughter. I've had a very spiritual and very God-transcending experience. God just told me, "You better shape up, live and fight to the full of your potential, because you have so much talent you better embrace it or your daughter is not going to be able to live and prosper like you want her to."

Caldwell:  A lot of your past problems and downfalls have been attributed to alcohol abuse. Is that something that you have worked on? Are you still drinking?
Fickett:  I really don't want to talk about that anymore. It's in the past and I'm focused on the future. Yes, I've quit drinking and feel like a totally different man. I've talked enough about that. I'm just really tired of talking about it, if you know what I mean.

Caldwell:  Was your daughter's birth the biggest changing point in your life?
Fickett:  I'm not going to lie. It's really hard. I took care of my daughter, day in and day out until she was about a year old. Her mother worked a lot and I took care of my daughter. I hate to say this, but I really didn't realize how much I love my daughter until she got a little older and I was able to interact with her. I cared for her and obviously I loved her more than anything. It's just such a surreal experience, you know? And then me and her mother split and I wasn't able to see her everyday, and it broke my heart. It was something I took for granted, and it was then, that I really realized what I had and that's when I really made the change.

Caldwell:  What is your contract status with Shine Fights? Do you still have fights on your contract with them and is that an exclusive contract?
Fickett:  Actually, first I want to thank Jason Chambers and Santino Defranco as well as the whole organization. They really put themselves out there for me. I know I've had some screw ups in the past and no else would take me in. No one else would even give me a chance to show everyone what I can do. Yes, I do have a contract with Shine. It is not an exclusive contract, but I believe they are going to give me a fight in November or December. That's going to be the next time that the fans are going to see me and it will be with Shine.
 
Caldwell:  So Shine is planning on having another event his year?
Fickett:  Yeah, I know there was a lot of hoopla about what happened down in Florida with Don King, as well as in Virgina with the boxing commission. But I'll tell you what, they run a tight ship—it's very organized. Less than a week from their scheduled event in Virgina they were able to pick the event up and move it across the country.

I don't think people realize how big of a deal that was—from the venue, to the fighters, to the ring—all that stuff had to be moved. I don't think Shine got nearly enough credit for doing what they did. Then on top of that, it turned out to be one hell of a show. So there is no doubt in my mind that there will be another Shine event. Santino Defranco and Jason Chambers, as well as the rest of the guys with Shine will make it happen.

Caldwell:  Most of your career has been fought at welterweight but with this recent comeback you have dropped a weight class and have been successful at lightweight. Is the move permanent or do you want to eventually go back to welterweight?
Fickett:  I think I'm doing pretty good at 155 pounds, so I don't think there is any point in moving back up.

Caldwell:  Recently Antonio McKee has said some things about you such as, "I'll smash his ass." Now, I know you guys have a pretty long history, so how would you like to respond to that?
Fickett:  I have no comment. I'm not going to bad mouth anybody. He's a tough guy, he's a savage. He's doing what he needs to do to keep his name in front of people. He's just trying to get a fight, and I hope he does find a fight. I hope we can fight some day, but I'm not going to sit here say things just to say things. I'll do my talking in the cage.

Caldwell: McKee is currently the lightweight champ of Maximum Fighting Championship, an organization that you have a not so good history with. The owner, Mark Pavelich has even come out and said that he would never work with you again. Would you ever consider fighting for MFC or Pavelich again?
Fickett:  You know I never say never. I know that we've had our differences in the past, but if I were to sit down and talk with Mark and we were to come to an agreement—sure, I'd be honored to fight for them.

Caldwell: Speaking of the UFC, is your ultimate goal to get back there?
Fickett:  I don't know. I mean there are a lot of good fights and a lot of good fighters outside of the UFC, but I think eventually I'm going to have to fight in the UFC in order to fight the best fighters in the world. So, yeah, eventually that would be my goal.

Caldwell: If you could fight anyone in any organization right now, who would it be?
Fickett:  Hands down, B.J. Penn.

Caldwell:  At 170 or 155 pounds?
Fickett:  155. I've always wanted to fight B.J. Bring it on. I'd love to fight him. He's a hero of mine, and I still think he's got what it takes and I'd like to fight him before he retires. You know? I'm in my prime and he's still in his prime, and I'd like to make that happen.

Caldwell:  You said that you plan on fighting for Shine again this year. Are you looking for other fights outside of Shine?
Fickett:  Shine has treated me well. So, if they keep treating me well and keep paying me good money—and getting me top level opponents—for sure, I'll fight for Shine. But, you know, everyone has a budget. I'm not sure if they are going to able to bring in the best guys all the time. I want to fight the best guys all the time, you know? I don't want any easy fights. Sometimes I underestimate guys that are really tough, [when] technically they aren't on the map. I don't want to overlook anybody and if I'm always fighting name opponents I will be Drew Fickett at 110 percent.

Caldwell:  There are still plenty of people in the world of MMA that doubt you because of your past. What message do you have for those people?
Fickett:  To the doubters out there, have faith. The more people that doubt me, the more people I'm going to be able to inspire. If no one ever doubted me, then every thing would be easy, right? I've walked a hard path, and I know that there are a lot of people that have had it harder than I have. I just have to take my experience relative, and see that, as a fighter, I've had a pretty tough life, a pretty tough path. It just goes to show, if you really put your mind to something and you really are inspired by God, or your own spirituality or whatever you believe in—if you really believe in that and you believe in yourself the human mind is amazing and you can accomplish anything that you want.

Check Out The Rest Of The Article HERE

Props: MMA Spot

Quoteworthy:

"I have not been paid in any way by Shine. Ron Foster, my only contact who bothered returning my calls, has apparently been fired by the company. Dorian Price, Devin Price, and Jason Chambers have all ignored my every attempt at communication. I haven't received as much as a text message concerning reimbursement. In all my 60 pro and amateur fights, I have never been so disrespected or felt so disposable. My experience with Shine has been nothing short of chaotic; everything from my opponent (who changed five times), to plane tickets (which we got 12 hours before we left), to hotel accommodations was a disaster. The most disrespectful part of the endeavor was the total lack of communication from Shine. I still haven't heard one word from them since this disaster started."

Despite recent claims from Shine Fights CEO Devin Price to reimburse fighters who were stiffed by the cancellation of his "Worlds Collide: Mayorga vs. Thomas" pay-per-view event back on May 15, well-traveled MMA veteran Zac George insists he hasn't seen a dime -- even as the promotion moves forward with plans to stage another event on Sept. 10 in Fairfax. What recourse do fighters have against promotions that don't pay their athletes? And do fellow fighters have an obligation to refuse work knowing their combat brethren are getting stiffed by the very promotion that wants to employ them? Sound off Maniacs.

(FanPost edited and promoted by MMAmania.com)

Props: MMA Spot

Quoteworthy:

"I told [Joe Silva] I was interested in fighting Phil Davis, so he said he would call him. [Phil Davis] said he’d take the fight; he said, 'Rock with it,' so I said, 'Cool' and that was it. (Davis) needs to be ready, in general, to go through the exchanges. I don’t think he is as threatening to me with his wrestling, as he was to the other two guys. They were more worried about it than I’ll be, being that I come from a wrestling background. He’s a real gifted wrestler, but I’m not worried about that in the fight. If it’s him wrestling me to death, I’m not worried about that."

UFC light heavyweight Rodney Wallace is not concerned about Phil Davis' pedigree or hype. When his original opponent Stanislav Nedkov had to withdraw with just two weeks to go until the fight, "Sho'Nuff the Master" asked specifically for Davis. Although he is currently 0-2 with the organization and 9-2 overall, Wallace may be thinking about the future with his request. Will "Mr. Wonderful" make him ancient history?

(Fanpost edited and promoted by MMAmania.com)

The welterweight division may be dominated by UFC champion Georges St-Pierre, but talented young fighters like Tyron Woodley, John Hathway, Dong Hyun Kim, and Anthony Johnson plan to make sure that the pound-for-pound great has tough competition for years to come. Outside of the major promotions, there is an influx of young talent—many with international credentials in MMA and other sports—looking to break onto the big stage. Welterweight has always been one of the deepest divisions, and the following ten fighters are here to prove that.

Continue reading this post »

Rosi Sexton, the world's #1 ranked super flyweight, will be making a return to her native England to fight at the recently announced Cage Warriors event "CWFC 37: Right To Fight." Her opponent will be another top ranked fighter in Angela Magana. The fight, scheduled for May 22 at the NEC in Birmingham, England, will be contested at the flyweight limit of 115 pounds. Sources close to both camps have confirmed the agreement, though no contracts have reportedly been received.

Full Article at MMA Spot

Following B.J. Penn's disappointing loss to Frankie Edgar at "UFC 112: Invincible," the former lightweight champion's trainer Jason Parillo discusses his thoughts on the fight. Back home in the U.S., MMA Spot's Breanna Armstrong met with Parillo at the RVCA training center in Costa Mesa, Calif. to find out what he thinks may have led to Penn's uncharacteristic performance, the odd 50-45 score that has many scratching their heads, and what the future holds for Penn.

Armstrong: What do you think about B.J.’s fight?

Parillo: I can’t really say if there was a winner, nor a loser of the fight, but obviously the winner was Frankie Edgar. So it’s nothing to complain about at the end of the day, you just have to go on. But I don’t think that B.J. was himself, I don’t think that he established what we were trying to establish in that fight. I expected B.J. to have a showcase fight, I expected him to win in a high fashion. I thought leading up to fight week we had him going in that direction and camps don’t always go smoothly, but B.J.’s reaction time wasn’t where it normally is. I don’t know if we were a little over trained and not so much under trained. B.J.’s definitely looked better physically. He didn’t have the same energy walking out to the cage. Normally, you can feel that energy coming off of him and I didn’t feel that energy as much. B.J. felt that he had enough talent to beat Frankie even on a bad day. And B.J. ended up having a bad day. I’m not making excuses; I think Frankie is a hell of a fighter. I think he established his game plan of what he wanted to do and I think we knew that was exactly what his game plan was. I knew it personally. And I thought we established B.J.’s movement in cutting out the cage, to where he could have smothered that speed and took advantage of Frankie but he never got off to do it.

Armstrong: What do you think about the judge that gave all five rounds to Edgar?

Parillo: It was shady, I felt that the judges were in a position where if there was any close round what so ever, they would give it to Frankie. Because B.J. was supposed to dominate, and so if he is not dominating, he might as well be losing the round. No doubt the first and second round B.J. won, I feel he won the third round too, some people might think it’s a draw or might go one way or the other, the fourth is questionable and the fifth I feel that it went to Frankie. The 45 and 50 round is crazy but these judges are only human. I know that when I come home after my job, maybe I make a few wrong calls at times. And that judge probably questions a couple of rounds that he judged himself.

Armstrong: How was B.J. after the fight?

Parillo: He wasn’t hurt, his eyes were puffed up a little bit. But he was kind of at the same place that he was at before the fight. He was a little flat. I think that he was having a really bad day. His natural ability and reflexes still weren’t there a little bit but his reaction time wasn’t the B.J. that I’ve seen.

Armstrong: What’s next?

Parillo: I talked to B.J. this morning about a couple new things. I am going to talk to him in a week and just give him some time for things to settle down. Everyone has their own opinions especially with such a high profile fight like this one. He’ll be back. This is what B.J. does. He’s a fighter. This is what he loves to do the most. He’ll be back and I think he’ll win the title for sure.

Photos: Juice Anda

Courtesy of MMA Spot.net

MMA Spot confirmed today that nine-fight UFC veteran Din Thomas has signed a deal to join Shine Fight Promotions. Thomas recently made headlines when he called out professional boxing star Ricardo Mayorga in advance of Mayorga’s MMA debut this coming March. Thomas' pointed words for the slugger may have lead to the signing, and it now looks like Shine may have decided to put Mayorga’s will to fight top competition, and Thomas’ chin, to test.

Continue reading this post »

The list of fighters lining up to welcome former pro boxer Ricardo Mayorga is growing longer and more distinguished by the day. Today, nine-time UFC fighter Din ‘Dinyero’ Thomas had some very strong words for the recent Shine Fights signee. Thomas did not hold back when sending his message directly to Mayorga, his managers, and Shine Fights matchmakers.

”Ricardo Mayorga just signed to fight in Shine. I think he is afraid of me. If he does accept the fight I will put him into retirement and send him back to his fruit stand in Nicaragua. He will be wearing a straw hat, smoking cigarettes, and selling bananas once and for all. This is MMA and I will beat him standing or on the ground. I will let him pick how he wants to lose his first MMA fight.”

MMA Spot Article

Long read, so here are a few exerts from it, but this Blood Doc has guys like Couture and Vitor Belfort swear by the anti-aging affects of this guys' work.

I'm really interested to see what kind of feedback comes from other supplement companies and nutritionists.

Randy Couture was asked in a recent MMA FanHouse interview how he maintains such a good physical condition that allows him to fight twice in three months at the age of 46. "The last couple years I've spent a lot of time getting my blood chemistry evaluated, taking the supplements and eating the things that my blood chemistry says I should be. That's been the biggest thing the last couple years, age 45 and 46," Couture replied. So, who is evaluating Randy’s blood, and who is choosing his supplements and telling him what to eat? The answer is Dr. John Fitzgerald. Dr. Fitzgerald, who has come to be known as Blood Doc John, works not only with Randy Couture but also other Xtreme Couture athletes such as Gray Maynard and Martin Kampmann. Along with Randy, Dr. Fitzgerald is now offering the same supplements his athletes take to the public through Xtreme Couture Athletic Pharmaceuticals, or XCAP.The partnership with Randy and Xtreme Couture all started when the doctor got a new patient named Phil Friedman, who happens to be one of Randy’s training partners.

Blood Doc John: Phil told others at Xtreme Couture the great results he got and things took off from there. What is crazy about this is that I was really burned out from seeing patients and wasn't interested in seeing patients anymore, but this relationship has been good for us both and I have a renewed enthusiasm from the fun I have had working with athletes again. Spot: What kind of results did Phil Friedman have? BDJ: His energy returned, resting and recovery heart rate returned to normal, he could sleep again, and his episodes of dizziness left. Spot: How long did it take Phil to see these results? BDJ: Four days, the adrenal glandular works very fast.

Continue reading this post »

UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar has fallen on rough times as of late. The UFC president, Dana White, recently confirmed to the Associated Press that Lesnar has contracted a digestive disease known as diverticulitis, along with his previous diagnosis of mononucleosis, commonly referred to as “mono.” The question on every MMA fan’s mind is, “What does this mean about Brock’s immediate and long term future?” We will attempt to describe both of these illnesses and the potential damages they may have on Lesnar’s mixed martial arts career.

According to MedicineNet, diverticulitis is a digestive disorder found commonly in the large intestine that stems from diverticula in the colon rupturing and becoming infected. Diverticula form when the lining of the colon thickens and pressure within the colon pushes the lining through cracks in the muscle wall creating sacks along the muscle wall of the colon. When someone has diverticula along their intestinal muscle wall it is called diverticulosis which usually has no symptoms. Diverticulitis then occurs when one (or several) of these diverticuli become infected and rupture causing bacteria to be released.

Common symptoms of severe diverticulitis include: abdominal pain, feeling feverish, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, and collection of puss in the pelvis. If not treated, severe diverticulitis can lead to a potentially fatal condition known as peritonitis which is inflammation of the entire abdominal lining. Antibiotics, along with surgery to remove the part of the colon that has been infected, are the treatments used to derail severe cases of diverticulitis like Lesnar’s.

For more information about Lesnar's possible recovery time and potential obstacles CLICK HERE.

Put Gerald Harris’ name among the other established MMA veterans that want a shot to earn their way in to the Octagon by going through "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series. While other names being rumored to be applying for the next season of the show are coming off of disappointing stretches in their careers or periods of inactivity, Harris is one of the hottest middleweights in the sport at the moment.

Harris (16-2), a contestant on season seven of the show, lost to Amir Sadollah during his stay in the house, was only one of a few fighters from the show not to compete at the finale.

Since the show wrapped, Harris has gone 6-0 with five of his wins coming by first round stoppage. His most recent bout saw him become the Shark Fights middleweight champion, destroying former UFC signee Nissen Osterneck in just 46 seconds. ‘Hurricane’ has also greatly improved his grappling over the last two years, winning one of the largest NAGA grappling tournaments earlier this year.

All of this success has lead to a stack of offers sitting on Gerald’s desk. He has recently received, or currently has, offers from Strikeforce, Dream, Sengoku, not to mention the many regional promotions that would like to see him in the cage. However, Gerald has repeatedly held on to his dream to one day fight in the Octagon.

With some luck, UFC officials will take note of Harris' desire and sacrifice and give him another shot to live his dream.

MMA Spot

Put Gerald Harris’ name among the other established MMA veterans that want a shot to earn their way in to the Octagon by going through "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series. While other names being rumored to be applying for the next season of the show are coming off of disappointing stretches in their careers or periods of inactivity, Harris is one of the hottest middleweights in the sport at the moment.

Harris (16-2), a contestant on season seven of the show, lost to Amir Sadollah during his stay in the house, was only one of a few fighters from the show not to compete at the finale.

Since the show wrapped, Harris has gone 6-0 with five of his wins coming by first round stoppage. His most recent bout saw him become the Shark Fights middleweight champion, destroying former UFC signee Nissen Osterneck in just 46 seconds. ‘Hurricane’ has also greatly improved his grappling over the last two years, winning one of the largest NAGA grappling tournaments earlier this year.

All of this success has lead to a stack of offers sitting on Gerald’s desk. He has recently received, or currently has, offers from Strikeforce, Dream, Sengoku, not to mention the many regional promotions that would like to see him in the cage. However, Gerald has repeatedly held on to his dream to one day fight in the Octagon.

With some luck, UFC officials will take note of Harris' desire and sacrifice and give him another shot to live his dream.

MMA Spot

Jim Wallhead Wins At "Knuckle Up At The Manor" Che Mills and Jim Wallhead battled it out in the main event at "Knuckle Up At The Manor" over the weekend. With all of the pressure and rumors circling around two of the best unsigned fighters in the business, Wallhead managed to win a very scrappy technical battle. Rumors circulated for weeks that Zuffa or another major U.S. organization has had their eye on both fighters and opened preliminary discussions with one of them.

 

 

One rumor hanging over the bout was that Wallhead, a natural welterweight fighter, may be offered a spot in the WEC's lightweight division if he is willing to drop down in weight. For Wallhead, the decision victory at "Knuckle Up" was a big weight off his shoulders. Knowing that, win or lose, he had likely outgrown the local U.K. MMA scene. A win would likely bring offers from the major organizations, while a loss could send him searching far and wide for suitable opponents on upstart shows, a situation not too dissimilar to the career paths of high-end free agents like Jeff Monson.

Full article........

After rumors and reports began circling in late July that Josh Barnett had failed a drug test in preparation for his August 1 bout at Affliction/M-1 Global’s Trilogy event against Fedor Emelianenko, Affliction MMA head, Tom Atencio, confirmed that Barnett had indeed been denied a license to fight by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC). While Atencio had said that the Trilogy event was still on as scheduled, the event was subsequently scrapped, and Affliction quickly bowed out of the fight promotion business.

Now the man at the center of the debacle that was Affliction's not-to-be Trilogy event will finally get his day in court. Josh Barnett is scheduled to have his appeal heard on the denial of his license by the California State Athletic Commission on Monday, October 26, 2009, in Los Angeles.

Barnett's June 25 drug test came back positive for 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, an anabolic steroid. The CSAC learned of the results July 21 and immediately denied a license for Barnett. After hearing of the denial Barnett quickly proclaimed his innocence and filed an appeal. Now, three months later the commission will hear that appeal. It is expected that Barnett's case will rely heavily on the results from his "B" sample that was collected at the same time as the sample that was found to be positive.

The CSAC is among the toughest drug testing standards of any Athletic Commission in the country. It is the only commission that requires drug tests to be observed in the presence of a commission representative prior to a bout.

Whether or not Barnett's denied license is overturned, the damage has more than been done. His opportunity to face Fedor Emelianenko is likely gone, along with the big pay day that would have accompanied his bout with Emelianenko. Sponsors and other potential high-profile fights have also likely turned their back on 'The Baby-Faced Assassin'. Not to mention all the carnage left behind from Affliction's demise.

MMA Spot

It has been a tumultuous week for Junie Browning. After reportedly being rushed to the hospital for taking over a dozen anti-anxiety pills in an attempt to "harm himself", he was then arrested for allegedly assaulting several members of the hospital staff. As a result, UFC officials dropped the former The Ultimate Fighter cast member from the organization. Browning was not out of work long, as it appears as though he has already had his next fight booked.

Jason Appleton, President of MMA Big Show, announced earlier today that his organization has already picked up the volatile fighter to compete on MMA Big Show's November 28 event entitled 'Onslaught'. Browning (3-1) will face Scott Cornwell (1-0) in the main event at the Belterra Casino Resort & Spa in Indiana. No other details for the card are immediately known.

We will bring more details as they become available.

MMA Spot