Thursday, July 23 8:14 pm PT: Though it lacks the box office muscle of a typical trilogy, former World Extreme Cagefighting light heavyweight champions Steve Cantwell and Brian Stann will meet for the third time at UFC Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.
The UFC this week announced the matchup between the two 205-pounders, who have split their first two meetings against one another.
Cantwell (7-2) has posted four wins in five fights, losing only to the world-ranked Luis Arthur Cane in that span. The 22-year-old Long Beach, Calif., native has finished all seven of his victories, four of them by submission, three of them by knockout or technical knockout.
Thursday, July 23 5:00 pm PT: Affliction middleweight contender Vitor Belfort began his training week in Las Vegas preparing for Jorge Santiago. He may end it preparing for the fight of his life.
Though still unconfirmed as of noon eastern Thursday by Affliction or Belfort’s representation, it appears likely Belfort will be stepping in to replace an unlicensed Josh Barnett against Fedor Emelianenko at “Affliction: Trilogy” on August 1.
The situation has been the talk of Belfort’s training at Xtreme Couture under the supervision of trainer Shawn Tompkins, who told Real Fighter magazine correspondent Sacha Feinman that much of the week has been fueled on a mixture of confusion and adrenaline.
Thursday, July 23 11:55 am PT: Three-time Vitor Belfort rival and Xtreme Couture founder Randy Couture spoke to Real Fighter magazine contributor Sacha Feinman on Wednesday about Belfort’s chances against Fedor Emelianenko in a still-unconfirmed bout August 1 at “Affliction: Trilogy.”
“Vitor has always been tremendously talented and he’s always had a ton of gifts,” Couture told Feinman. “It’s just a matter of putting him in the right environment to let them flourish.”
Thursday, July 23 11:48 am PT: The Las Vegas-based camp of middleweight Vitor Belfort spoke exclusively to Real Fighter magazine correspondent Sacha Feinman about Belfort’s potential in an unconfirmed bout with Fedor Emelianenko at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 1.
Xtreme Couture trainer Shawn Tompkins, who is overseeing Belfort’s training, told Feinman that Emelianenko and original opponent Jorge Santiago have more in common than expected. “We were preparing for a right-handed fighter and for a guy who primarily stalks his opponent, uses his jab a lot, tries to get Vitor to the ground and we think Fedor will do the same,” he said.
“I truly believe that the kink in Fedor’s armor is what Vitor is best at: his speed and his boxing."
Thursday, July 23 10:59 am PT: Kenny Florian is all smiles: Sherdog’s Jack Encarnacao, reports that Massachusetts’s state Senate opened the door for mixed martial arts Tuesday, approving a bill that would make the sport legal in Boston for the first time.
While the regulation still needs to be approved by the House Ways and Means Committee, the procedure appears academic at this point. UFC’s Marc Ratner said the promotion is eyeing a summer 2010 event if everything goes through without incident.
Massachusetts would be the 41st state to sanction mixed martial arts, with one key differential: Each town/village/city would reserve the right to bar events from taking place in their jurisdiction. It brings up an interesting issue of micro community standards versus macro state regulation. Previously apolitical fight fans may find some reason to attend city council meetings in the coming months.
Thursday, July 23 1:33 am PT: I pulled into the Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts parking lot around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday and the first thing I noticed was a taxi parked outside the entrance. I squinted to see which fighter was about to jump out –- maybe an out-of-towner that had overslept and missed his ride. Instead, two tourists piled out with cameras in hand and looks of anticipation on their faces.
I was quickly reminded that Randy Couture’s gym is unlike any other. Fans will pay the $15 taxi ride from the Strip into town’s less-frequented industrial section for a glimpse of the UFC legend and his star-studded squad grinding through their training sessions.
Thursday, July 23 12:05 am PT: Cementing speculation running throughout the industry, the California State Athletic Commission confirmed to Sherdog.com that ousted Affliction heavyweight contender Josh Barnett’s urine turned up positive for steroids. Specifically, the metabolite 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one. Rolls right off the tongue, no?
Chemists may recognize 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one as an indicator of the drug Drostanolone, an anabolic commonly used when one wants to avoid the side effect of increased estrogen while reducing body fat and minimizing water retention. (Per Bodybuilding.com, which is lightning-quick in reminding readers that the information shared is for “entertainment purposes only.") Less practical applications include ambitions for mass gain, strength or fighting Fedor Emelianenko.
While I hate to paint Barnett with too heavy a brush before more facts are known, it is somewhat rare to see smoke in the absence of fire.
Thursday, July 23 12:00 am PT: Just a brief passage on the no-explanation-needed Affliction meltdown of the week: With Josh Barnett benched for having some suspect urine and a main event bout with Fedor Emelianenko suddenly vaporware, the promotion is currently earmarked as having some serious trouble. It’s being perceived as a death rattle.
That would be true -- if Emelianenko were fighting Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture or another UFC-polished athlete. Barnett is a terrific fighter, but his ability to draw in the states has never been explored. Dialed-in fans were excited, but your average “Ultimate Fighter”-chugging casuals know him best as the guy who struggled to put away Gilbert Yvel in January.
The old “no such thing as bad publicity” coat hanger has never been more warranted. Affliction has stirred up more media attention for their Aug. 1 event than would have otherwise been expected; people indifferent to the show (and possibly Barnett) are now suddenly intrigued by how Emelianenko will handle the challenge of a late replacement. Call it viral marketing at its accidental best.
