The big plan to make pay-per-view super cards featuring both MMA and boxing has apparently already been knocked out ... for the time being, anyway.

ESPN.com reports Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions has changed its mind about combining the two sports. Last month Golden Boy and MMA upstart Affliction announced a deal to co-promote events.

The deal came in the days following Affliction's cancellation of a scheduled card in Las Vegas.

The move was met with skepticism from fans of both sports. However, many in the MMA world hoped the partnership could lead to bigger paydays for fighters and help make Affliction viable competition to the UFC.

Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com that criticism of merging the sports was part of the decision to scrap the idea.

Here's a snip:

"We want to get to know the MMA market better and truly evaluate if there are synergies between the two sports. We are planning to do some focus groups where we will ask boxing and MMA fans how they would feel about it. Once we get the results of that, then we'll be in a much better position to decide which strategy to apply."

The companies still plan to promote the Affliction "Day of Reckoning" on Jan. 24 in Anaheim, Calif. However, it will be as an MMA-only event and include no boxing matches.

"Day of Reckoning" will be headlined with a blockbuster heavyweight showdown between Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski.

Affliction is taking a page from the UFC playbook. The company plans to begin filming a reality television show featuring a MMA tournament.

Sound familiar?

UFC has been doing it since 2005, with The Ultimate Fighter now in its eighth season.

Affliction, along with M-1 Global and Donald Trump, officially announced yesterday that it plans to be begin filming a series called "Fighting Fedor." It does not have a television outlet ... yet.

For those who may have missed our earlier announcements, the Affliction show will focus on a 16-man heavyweight tournament with the winner getting a match against Fedor Emelianenko, making it perhaps the first tournament in MMA history that nobody wants to "win."

"I don't know who is going to make it through, but whoever it is will be incredible," Trump said. "The show will be spectacular, unique, and is going to be a special event. It will be taped in St. Petersburg, Russia. I'm going to be there, but I don't want to compete on the show."

Affliction and Trump hope to draw fighters from across the globe.

The announcement comes weeks after the UFC announced it will film The Ultimate Fighter 9 with a "U.S. vs U.K." theme.

That season will feature TUF 3 winner Michael Bisping. Emelianenko headlined the first Affliction card, winning with a submission of former UFC champion Tim Sylvia in 36 seconds.

The 32-year-old Russian will next face Andrei Arlovski at Affliction "Day of Reckoning" on January 24 in Anaheim, Calif.

"What Fedor means to Affliction is what Michael Jordan was to the Chicago Bulls and the NBA, what Mike Tyson was to boxing, and what Tiger Woods is to golf," said Michael Cohen, COO of Affliction Entertainment Group. "Through his abilities, Affliction Entertainment intends to attract more fighters to the sport that represents the highest standards of athleticism."

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more details on "Fighting Fedor."

Tonight was a night many MMA enthusiasts had circled on their calendar. Las Vegas, the longtime home for the UFC, was scheduled to host Affliction 'Day of Reckoning'. It didn't get that. Affliction canceled the card, rescheduling it to January and relocating to Anaheim, Calif.

Instead, Sin City was treated to Night of Combat II, a nine-bout card that served as a showcase for Xtreme Couture fighters, who won seven of their eight fights. Kim Couture, who promoted the event, did not announce the attendance total but several thousand fans showed up to the Saturday night card that featured an array of former UFC and IFL stars.

"I know the house wasn't full," Couture said. "But I put this on for the guys and as long as they had fun it was worth it. I'd like to think we're going to do more shows." Couture said it hasn't been determined if the fights would be held in Las Vegas or other cities with Xtreme Couture gyms. There are six Xtreme Couture training centers across the country.

Only the main event -- a battle between Rick Roufus (4-3), a six-time world kickboxing champion and UFC veteran Hector Ramirez (7-3-1) -- did not feature an Xtreme Couture fighter.

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It's not a "Day of Reckoning," but it is something.

Even though the Oct. 11 Affliction II card was recently postponed, "Sin City" is still set to host a mixed martial event at the Thomas & Mack Center, which is located on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, on the same date.

A MMA card called "A Night of Combat II" will be held at the site on Oct. 11., featuring:

Hector "Sick Dog" Ramirez vs. Jesse Forbes
Jay Hieron vs Bryson Kamaka
Mike Pyle vs. Brian Gassaway
John Alessio vs. Gideon Ray
Josh Haynes vs. Steve Byrnes
JJ Mix vs. John Halverson
Patrick "Kui" Gonzalves vs. Ryan Lamareaux
Ian Omalza vs Ryan Hass
Elana Reed vs Stephanie Palmer

It will be Hieron's first fight since the IFL shut down earlier this year. He was the organization's welterweight champion. His opponent, Kamaka, is 6-13 and has lost his last three fights.

Pyle is coming off a submission win at Affliction I and had been scheduled to fight at Affliction II. He fights Gassaway, a WEC and UFC veteran.

Haynes appeared on the third season of The Ultimate Fighter, losing in the in the finals to season light heavyweight winner Michael Bisping. Later Haynes gained infamy for his performance on VH1's Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge, where he competed against other so-called celebrities such as Vanilla Ice and Stephen Baldwin.

The First Night of Combat was held at the Thomas & Mack in June. The event was the first in Nevada that had both boxing and MMA. The evening began with boxing matches broadcast on ESPN Friday Night Fights. Those fights were followed by five MMA bouts.

The public was given free tickets to the event.

It featured the infamous Kim Couture fight, in which her jaw was broken during the first round of a bloodbath loss. Alessio also last fought on that card, winning via submission over Pete Spratt.

Tickets range from $18 to $53 for the nine-fight card. For more details click here.

The investigation into Quinton "Rampage" Jackson’s arrest last month in California will continue, while the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s arraignment has been postponed.

The news was first reported by Sherdog.com. Other media has been slow to pick up the story.

Jackson, 30, was scheduled for arraignment in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Friday. Police arrested the fighter on several charges on July 15 after a bizarre hit-and-run incident.

Police reports indicate Jackson’s rampage was driving a Ford pick-up, adorned with a photo of himself, that struck other vehicles, jumped medians and swerved onto sidewalks.

It has been reported that a woman suffered a miscarriage after her SUV was struck by Jackson’s truck (although there is no evidence at this time that proves the two are related).

"The district attorney’s office is responsible for filing charges and that case is still under investigation based on some new evidence that has been discovered," Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, told Sherdog.

Jackson has not been given his next court date. He was released on $25,000 bail only hours after the arrest. The next day he was hospitalized following reports of erratic behavior.

The strange week came in the aftermath of his loss to Forrest Griffin on July 5 at UFC 86 in Las Vegas.

Dana White, UFC president, has said the fighter was living on a diet of energy drinks and water for several days prior to the arrest and hospitalization.

Since then Jackson has split with Juanito Ibarra -- his longtime trainer and fellow born-again Christian.

Jackson appealed his jovial self during a press conference last week during the lead up to UFC 87 in Minneapolis.

Dana White provided additional comments on the Quinton "Rampage" Jackson arrest and hospitalization this morning on the Opie & Anthony Show on XM Radio.

Among the odder moments of the nearly 12-minute appearance was White, the UFC president, noting Jackson was "born again" in 2003.

Jackson's actions (partying in Las Vegas included) over the past few days don't seem fit in with the Christian tradition and certainly don't provide any answers for his recent behavior.

However, his bizarre diet during that time might provide some clues.

"He went on some crazy fasting thing," White said. "He didn't drink anything but water and energy drinks for four or five days. He didn't sleep a lot."

It's obviously not a clinical diagnosis. But it’s the closest thing to an explanation that’s been offered by anybody close with the former UFC champion to date.

We can only assume that White mentioned religion as a way of saying that Jackson’s a good person -- an opinion that is shared by most people in MMA.

White said Jackson is still in a hospital undergoing a psychological examination.

"He's alright," White said. "When the thing happened it made no sense to me at all."

Then: "I don't know what he's going through right now. He's a friend of mine. He's a good guy."

Jackson, a father of four, becoming a born-again Christian has been noted in numerous publications over the past year. His trainer, Juanito Ibarra, is also a born-again Christian.

In a chat with the Las Vegas Sun today UFC Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs, Marc Ratner, said the company was "still gathering information" on Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's strange behavior over the past several days.

In the two days since the 30-year-old fighter was arrested following a hit and run accident in California the UFC has been virtually mum. However, several media outlets reported that UFC President Dana White flew to California to bail out the former champ.

And while in the "Golden State" White was interviewed by a radio station called KLOS. Here's what he had to say via Yahoo!Sports.com:

"I'm actually here right now, I'm in Southern California. I've been dealing with this all day yesterday, I haven't really gotten to the bottom of this yet. I don't know what I'm going to do about it yet. Last night when he got out, Rampage is very religious ... yeah I'm dealing with it.... It's not really about a fine. At the end of the day, we care about these guys. A lot of these guys are our friends. I want to find out what's wrong with Rampage and get him taken care of."

A day after the arrest (and White's interview), Jackson was involved in another situation with police that led to him being taken to see mental health professionals.

UFC.com has no mention of the arrest.

In addition, in an ESPN.com chat today Tim Sylvia fielded a question about the recent legal problems encountered by Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

Both Sylvia and Jackson are former UFC champions.

"I feel for Rampage. I've been there. Unfortunately, he's handled it differently than others have. My heart goes out to him. I wish I could go and take him and bring him to Iowa and help settle him down. He's a friend
of mine."

Sylvia also spoke about his training and preparation for his Saturday fight with Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction: "Banned."

Former UFC light heavyweight champion, Chuck Liddell, also weighed in on the topic in a recent TMZ.com interview. Jackson defeated Liddell to capture the 205-pound crown.

Here are his thoughts:

"I know Rampage in and out of the ring. He is a great showman in the ring and a smart level-leaded businessman outside of it. I am shocked over this. It's really out of character for him. I don't know all the details on what happened, but i just hope everyone involved is ok."

Finally, his good friend and training partner, Michael Bisping, also shared his thoughts via The Sun on the bizarre string of events that have transpired in the last 48 hours.

Here's what "The Count" had to say:

"I’m reeling in shock after hearing about Rampage. I’m devastated for him. It’s not like Rampage. He’s a good guy, he’s a law-abiding citizen. I’m very, very concerned for him. He’s a very close friend and this certainly doesn’t sound like him. I’m concerned about what’s going on.... If you lose a fight you’re always very upset but Rampage is experienced -- it’s not the first time he’s lost a fight -– he’s been on the scene a long time. Initially he was disappointed at losing but he seemed to take it all in good spirits. I spoke to him last Thursday before I flew back to England and he seemed fine -– the same old Rampage -- so I’m shocked and concerned."

Join the club.

The details of Quinton "Rampage" Jackon’s arrest Tuesday have spread across the globe as both mainstream media and the MMA world are reporting the gritty details of the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s brush with the law.

Yahoo!Sports.com writers Kevin Iole and Dave Meltzer, two of the most connected and influential mainstream journalists covering MMA, wrote that Dana White, UFC president, flew to California to post Jackson’s $25,000 bail.

He apparently posted bail this morning; however, there are no details at this time as to who sprung him.

The fact that Jackson was driving a 2008 Ford F-350 with his own picture on the side has ensured the media will have a field day. Even if the incident did not involve a recognizable celebrity, the facts would make news of the weird items across the country.

The Associated Press version of the story ran in at least 85 newspapers in the United States and beyond this morning.

It notes the 30-year-old fighter was booked into Orange County Jail for investigation of felony evading, hit and run and reckless driving.

The arrest came after Costa Mesa, Calif., police saw Jackson’s truck, complete with his image and logos for one of his main sponsors, Toyo Tires, involved in numerous collisions. During the five-minute chase, it has been reported, he also drove on the sidewalk and thee wrong side of the road.

Jackson was taken into custody at gunpoint. An image first posted by TMZ.com shows the fighter laying on the pavement as police approach.

Nobody was injured.

Jackson dropped a controversial decision to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86 in Las Vegas only 11 days ago. The Irvine, Calif., fighter earned about $300,000 in that fight.

Check out the arrest video of Rampage after the jump, as well as a video interview that Rampage conducted just one day prior to the incident. He seems a bit off.

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Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia offered a peak at his strategy for his upcoming fight against Fedor Emelianenko during a conference call on Thursday.

"I don¹t think my game plans have ever been much of a secret," he said. "Stand up and brawl, defend the takedowns at all costs and try to knock him out."

The former UFC heavyweight champion took questions about the event, Fedor, his back and the long-term future of the sport.

"I think Affliction has signed seven of the top heavyweights in the world," Sylvia said. "Three of us are former UFC champions. Fedor is on the card and he gets to fight a top 10 fighter."

But his Russian opponent might spur more debate than any other man in MMA. Some think he's the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Others think he's just an overrated PRIDE fighter.

"He's beaten everybody they've thrown in front of him," Sylvia said. "How could he be overrated?"

And, of course, it wouldn¹t be an interview with the Maine-iac without some talk about how he's the man the fans love to hate.

"It doesn¹t bother me like people think it does," he said. "I'm a fighter and I love to fight."

Self-styled millionaire Donald Trump refused to throw any verbal jabs at the UFC during a 15-minute conference call to hype the upcoming Affliction "Banned" event.

"Dana's been very respectful of me and I of him," Trump said on the day White called Affliction promoter Tony Atencio a "T-shirt guy."

We're 10 days away from the kind of MMA war that hasn't been seen in years ­... if ever.

On July 19 the Trump-backed Affliction Banned card will attempt to take a step toward dethroning the UFC as the biggest organization in the world. It has built a card of top-notch heavyweights ­ -- arguably the UFC's weakest division ­ -- headlined with Fedor Emelianenko against Tim Sylvia. It also added some other big names: Josh Barnett, Pedro Rizzo, Ben Rothwell, Andrei Arlovski and Matt Lindland.

But in a slick counter the UFC has thrown together a free Ultimate Fight Night on Spike featuring Anderson Silva.

The Affliction card will cost $39.99 on pay-per-view. However, two fights, including Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Aleksander Emelianenko, will air for free on Fox Sports Net.

The fight, to be held in Anaheim, Calif., is sold out. The UFC card will be in the Palms in Las Vegas.

"I think we may top them because we have the better fighters," Trump said, although he wouldn't comment on the UFC's business decision to directly oppose Affliction until after the events.

It will first time in recent memory two big MMA cards will square off head-to-head.

Affliction has placed a billboard in New York's Times Square to go along with a flashy Web site and advertising on a few fan Web sites.

It's unclear if that will be enough for the start-up company to make big money, especially when it's being opposed by the UFC.

This isn't the first time the UFC has thrown a wrench into a rival's plans. The UFC previously aired a Chuck Liddell special during last month's inaugural EliteXC event on CBS. It also plans to re-air UFC 84 during the next CBS EliteXC telecast on July 26.

Quick notes: Trump said he believes Tito Ortiz would like to fight for Affliction, although there hasn¹t been any official discussions ... The business man said he expects New York to sanction MMA in the near future ... Trump swore he's a long-time MMA fan. "I enjoy it," he said. "I watch it. I like the MMA stuff. It's the new wave. I don¹t know if it¹s taking over from boxing. But I think it might be."

In the wake of the UFC 86: "Jackson vs. Griffin" main event, Juanito Ibarra -- the manager and trainer for Quinton "Rampage" Jackson -- has been saying he plans to protest the unanimous decision his fighter dropped against new 205-pound champion, Forrest Griffin.

Following the fight, Ibarra told anyone who would listen that to become champion "you have to beat the champion." He clearly feels "Rampage" was robbed of a win ... and his championship belt.

Challenger Forrest Griffin won the fight 48-46 on two judges cards and 49-46 on the third.

Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, said Tuesday that no formal protest has been filed and that he does not expect one from Ibarra.

Kizer said, however, Ibarra did contact with complaints about the first round scoring. In that round Jackson landed some nice uppercuts, including one that seemed to hurt Griffin.

But, Kizer pointed out, giving the round to Jackson would only mean Griffin would take a majority decision and still be the new UFC light heavyweight champion -- perhaps that's the reason no formal protest has been filed at this time.

Changing the first round would mean the following:

Adalaide Byrd scored the fight 48-46 and gave the first to Griffin. Her decision would become a 47-47 draw.

Roy Hilbert scored the fight 49-46 and also gave the first to Griffin. His
decision would become 48-47, still for Griffin.

Nelson Hamilton scored the fight 48-46. But he awarded the first round to
Jackson. His score would remain 48-46 for Griffin.

Interestingly, many of those on press row had the bout scored a draw giving Jackson rounds one, three and four, while believing Griffin took a 10-8 round in two and won the fifth.

The result is apparently all in the eye of the beholder.

There was a Ricco Rodriquez sighting in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. The former UFC heavyweight champ participated in a four-round boxing match at the Las Vegas Hilton that resembled something closer to one of those old-school Toughman contests at a rodeo arena in West Virginia.

Rodriguez lost in a split decision to Chad Davis -- a Phoenix fighter who earned his first career win -- according to the Las Vegas Sun.

Ricco, to put it gently, didn’t look too suave. He weighed in at 270 pounds, his stomach toppling over the elastic band on his Throwdown shorts.

Xtreme Couture boxing coach Ron Frazier cornered the former champ.

Rodriquez won his last MMA fight on June 27 at something called Ultimate Combat Experience. That came after the Gods of War show in Charlotte, N.C., was canceled. Ricco was supposed to headline that arena show in a fight against Jeff Monson. He also participated in April’s YAMMA Pit Fighting event.

Since beating Randy Couture in 2002, things have been strange for Ricco. Bizarrely he attempted to sell his UFC belt online and appeared on VH1’s "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew."

Perhaps the most interesting part of the Ricco fight was former professional heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson watching from ringside. "Iron Mike" wasn’t impressed with the performance.

"Are you going to throw some punches or what?" he asked in round one.

And later:

"Come on," Tyson begged in his famous falsetto. "Try to hurt each other."

It didn't happen.

There will still be no knees the head of fallen opponents.

That’s the major news out of Montreal, where The Association of Boxing Commissions met to make some slight revisions to Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

It’s unclear what this might mean. The Nevada and California commissions, two of the most powerful MMA regulatory bodies, did not attend the meeting. Forty other commissions, however, did make the trek.

The Unified Rules have been used as regulations across the United States and Canada since their creation in 2001. The rules are often cited as being a major reason for the sudden explosion in the sport’s popularity.

It’s unclear if California and Nevada will adopt the rules. UFC President Dana White, in fact, made it clear that he does not intend to let changes happen anytime soon in a recent Yahoo!Sports.com interview.

Here's a snip from White:

"There’s going to be a fight. And you know I don’t roll over easily."

ABC officials said there was discussion of allowing knees to a downed opponent, but it was determined to be too radical for the dozens of commissions across the country just getting involved in the sport.

The main revision made this week was a clear definition of the "back of a competitor’s head" as the "crown of the head down the centerline of the skill into the spine, with a one inch variance to each side." This means strikes to behind the ear would be legal.

The new definition is not without its critics.

"Behind the ear should be illegal, period," Arizona commissioner John Montano told Sherdog.com in a recent report. "If you want to give one inch and the guy says, ‘I'm sorry. I missed it by an inch.' No, I'm not going to answer to somebody that missed it by an inch. It's very simple. Don't hit behind the ear and you won't miss it by an inch."

Among the creators of the revisions was legendary referee "Big" John McCarthy. He is in favor of the new definition, noting it would prevent strikes after one fighter takes another’s back.

Other highlights out of Montreal include:

Permitting downward elbow strikes.

Making the smothering of the mouth or nose a foul, thus preventing a fighter from using their hand to alter an opponent’s breathing.

Clarifying the recovery period allowed to a fighter on the receiving end of a foul. A fighter who has been struck with a low blow will have up to five minutes to recover. A doctor will determine is a recovery period is granted on all other fouls.

Defining 14 men’s weight classes from 105-pound flyweights to 265-pound super heavyweights. The weight classes would alter the UFC’s current classes.

However, promotions will not be forced to make the changes and it seems unlikely the UFC would be willing to alter its organizational structure.

In fact, White went on the record as saying, "No, we’re not following that," when the new weight divisions were mentioned.

It's hard to say what will happen next, but don't expect anything to change anytime soon ... this appears to be the beginning of a long, protracted battle.

EliteXC may be headed to Las Vegas.

The company has filed for a promoters license in Nevada, Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletics Commission (NSAC), said in a recent chat with the Las Vegas Sun.

Promoters must get a license to hold sanctioned fights in the state. Kizer said granting the license would likely be discussed at a commission meeting in the nex 45 days.

"I know they really want to do a show in Nevada," Kizer said. "I think they would do well here."

Las Vegas is home to the UFC corporate headquarters.

The UFC routinely sells out venues on the Strip. However, with the exception of two Pride shows in late 2006 and early 2007, rival promotions have not ventured into the city that bills itself as the "Fight Capital of the World."

In the chat, Kizer also said it’s likely that today’s UFC 86 will be one of the top five MMA gates in Nevada history. That would mean Zuffa is set to earn at least $3.3 million with tonight’s live attendance. The number one MMA gate in the state remains Liddell-Ortiz II at $5.3 million.

It would be tough to break that record in Mandalay Bay. The MGM Grand -- site of the top gate -- holds more than 2,000 more people than Mandalay.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) will soon be legal in Delaware, according to a story in today's edition of The News Journal.

A state legislator had been spearheading an effort to ban the sport as part of so-called "Toughman" laws that were being discussed in the State Assembly.

"The safety of the individual is the concern," Rep. Robert J Valihura Jr. told The News Journal earlier this week. "We intended to outlaw bare-knuckle boxing matches at the turn of the century."

The law, if passed, would have meant fighters and promoters could be charged with a class A misdemeanor for participating in MMA events.

However, common sense prevailed and last night the bill was amended to allow an MMA advisor to be placed on the state's Combative Sports Advisory Council.

State officials said it's likely that a national organization will be placed in charge of future MMA events in the state, which does not have a boxing commission.

The neighboring Pennsylvania State Athletics Commission has sanctioned boxing in Delaware for several years. That commission has also never sanctioned MMA. However, the Pennsylvania commission has drafted regulations that could go into effect later this year.