Faber debuts with a bang at bantamweight, puts Mizugaki to sleep

There were no stamina or motivational issues tonight for Urijah Faber. In his first fight down at 135 pounds, Urijah Faber sent a nasty message to the rest of the division. He seized an opening, jumped on Takeyu Mizugaki's back and put him to sleep. The Japanese fighter refused to tap to a rear-naked choke and was left in a zombie-like state by the time referee Josh Rosenthal waved off the fight. Faber wins the main event in Las Vegas at the 4:50 mark of the first round at WEC 52. 

Following the quick win, Faber (23-4, 9-3 WEC) was fired up. He sent a clear message to the current champ Dominick Cruz.

"I wanted to finish. I'm a finisher, I think that's what this division needs," Faber told Versus' Craig Hummer.

Update: Faber won submission of the night and a $10,000 bonus. 

Update II: Faber told the media that he's going to split his bonus money with teammate Joe Benavidez, who also scored a submission finish in his victory over Waggney Fabiano. 

Cruz, the WEC bantamweight champ has a seven-fight win streak, but five of those victories have come by decision. Who handed the 25-year-old his only loss? Faber did back in 2007 at 145 pounds. Cruz will defend the WEC belt one more time in December against Scott Jorgensen. If he does so successfully, it would be a natural for Faber and Cruz to meet in the first UFC bantamweight title fight sometime in 2011. 

"We're going to the UFC after this. It's been an awesome run with the WEC," Faber said. "It's time to step it up and get my belt in the UFC."

Faber was the biggest star in the WEC for years. Sporting a three-year unbeaten from 2005-2008, he carried the promotion. Then fighters got a little bigger at 145 pounds and Faber found it difficult to compete. At 5-foot-6, he's a natural down at 135. 

"I've been in title contention for like six years now. When I first started fighting there was no 135-pound weight class. So it's not like I had the choice. I was just the best guy at 145," Faber said. "So now it's my time to shine down here. I'm at my most competitive weight. It's my time. It's a new era baby!"

This was an impressive win considering the caliber of competition. Mizugaki (13-5-2, 2-3 WEC) has faced the best of the best in the WEC, that includes going the distance with former 135 champ Miguel Torres. He's a tough cookie and wasn't about to tap. 

"The Japanese have that fighting spirit," Faber said. "This guy is known as a guy who goes to the very end. I knew I'd have to do something drastic and put him out and I did."

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Despite UFC/WEC merger, Versus still committed to MMA

With the UFC and WEC merging, Versus, the television home for the WEC, seemed to be the odd man out. However, it's stepped up its commitment to MMA, and on Thursday, will try out a pre-show and post-show hosted by MMA reporter Ariel Helwani and Molly Qerim, who was formerly on ESPN's "MMA Live."

Marc Fein, the executive vice president of programming, production and business operations for Versus, told Cagewriter that Versus is just as committed to MMA as ever.

"With our relationship with the UFC and WEC, we already started with integration on 'The Daily Line.' With this show, we stepped up with the opportunity on doing a pre-show and a post-show, just like all other major sporting events do, and do a full-on 30-minute show."

"The Daily Line," a nightly show covering all sports, was canceled because the show never really gained traction with viewers. The hope is that the pre- and post-show will entice MMA viewers with a mix of interviews, highlights and fight discussions. UFC president Dana White and heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez are scheduled to appear on Thursday's pre-show. The success of Thursday's show will determine the future of the show.

"We want to get this one under our belt, see what the ratings are, see what the fan and viewer reactions are. Obviously, we need to see when the shows are scheduled to see what we can accommodate, but we're going to step back, evaluate it, and see where," Fein said. "We want to give the UFC/WEC fans a place to come where they come in and get a great, 30-minute show, then after the fight, take a look back and break down the fights."

The network will continue its relationship with Zuffa, the company which owns both the UFC and WEC, despite the merger of the two promotions. Earlier this year, it aired two different UFC events, and next year will expand to four cards.

"Having four UFC fights is absolutely a great thing. We still have rights to run our WEC library going back to 2007 of all the great WEC fights and 'WrekCages,' and things we're doing now like a pre-show and post-show. For us, we think it's great for the brand. It's a natural evolution of expanding our relationship with them."

It always wants to keep the conversation growing, but it is focused on its last two WEC events. 

"We love the sport. We love the UFC. We love the WEC and we're always looking to expand. When the time comes, we'll cross that bridge. Right now, our focus is the two fights the rest of this year which is going to have major implications for these fighters going into the UFC, and also the four UFC fights next year, and I'm sure we'll have more conversations."

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Back Of The Phone Apps: Instagram, Picplz, Path Vs. Front Of The Phone App: DailyBooth

Today during the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, DailyBooth CEO Brian Pokorny took the stage to talk a bit about "picture talking" -- that is, social communication through photos. Obviously, Pokorny believes this is a key form of communication amongst the younger generation. But he's not the only one. Mobile photo sharing apps are getting a lot of buzz and gaining a lot of users now. But Pokorny has an interesting insight as to why DailyBooth is different from the rest of the pack. In Pokorny's view, the hot apps like Instagram, Picplz, and Plurk are "back of the phone apps". What he means by that is that their users mainly use the back camera on their smartphones. But new smartphones are increasingly gaining a front-facing camera too. And that's DailyBooth's wheelhouse.

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Marquardt won't blame Sonnen loss on steroids

After his last second loss to Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen tested positive for high levels of testosterone. Without knowing the reason, it's taken a lot of the string away from his great performance. It also begs the question -- was this the only time his testosterone was at a high level for a fight? Nate Marquardt was upset by Sonnen at UFC 109. That win led to Sonnen's title shot. But Marquardt has no interest in connecting the dots.

"My thinking is, it doesn't matter if the guy I'm fighting is on steroids," Marquardt told the Las Vegas Sun. "I don't care about that. I should be able to beat him either way. I feel like I can fight someone on steroids and still have them at a disadvantage.

"If you're a true athlete, the best way is to be natural. Anything you get from steroids you're trading off somewhere else, whether it's your cardio or longevity in the sport. You need all those things."

It sounds like Marquardt is also uncomfortable with judging Sonnen before all the facts come out.

"Honestly, I really don't know what to think. I don't know the facts," Marquardt said. "Either way, he's a tough guy and he's going to be back before long."

That's probably from experience. Marquardt had his own run-in with a state commission back in 2005 at Ultimate Fight Night 1. He tested positive for high levels of nandralone and received a six-month suspension. Marquardt fought the suspension, saying the positive result came from taking an over-the-counter supplement, and it got reduced to five months.

Marquardt places the blame for the Sonnen loss squarely on his own shoulders saying he lost some of his fire before the fight.

Another positive steroid test turned up Tuesday. Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole confirmed with Marc Ratner, UFC's VP of Regulatory Affairs, that Vinicius Quieroz tested positive for Stanozolol at UFC 120. The UFC rookie is done with the promotion. UFC U.K. chief Marshall Zelaznik told MMAjunkie that Quieroz also forfeited the discretionary bonus that he received for his loss against Rob Broughton.

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DWTS? Kurt: ?We all think it?s unfair when we get kicked off?

With the semifinals just a week away, there was no denying former NFL star Kurt Warner and his partner Anna Trebunskaya had their sights set on that elusive Dancing With the Stars mirror ball trophy. The couple even had one of their best nights of the competition with Monday?s performance show and were awarded 24 out of 30 for their waltz and 24 for their instant cha cha cha.

But with frontrunners Brandy and Jennifer Grey tying for top place on the leaderboard, and Kurt?s closest scoring couple being Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas, it was Bristol?s fans who rallied to vote her through another week, leaving Kurt and Anna the last couple standing as their elimination was announced, continuing the theme of this season: dance well and you are eliminated. ?Gosh it was unfair,? joked Kurt after the show. ?We all think it?s unfair when we get kicked off.?

Given Kurt had zero dance training when he joined the show, he and Anna could not be prouder of how long he lasted. ?I am so proud of Kurt and what he achieved,? Anna tells In Touch. ?He was an amazing student and did everything I wanted him to do.?

?We felt for a long time we should have gotten better scores than we did,? adds Kurt. ?So you are disappointed and a little biased, but there are so many things that go into this and at this point I am just glad it?s me and not one of these other guys.?

While everyone on the show will miss Kurt, he and Anna will dance again at the finale in two weeks. But in the meantime, Kurt is looking forward to whatever new ventures come his way and couldn?t be more thankful for his DWTS experience. ?This show is all about jumping into new challenges and proving to yourself you can accomplish the unexpected. And for me that is what life is going to be from here on out,? he smiles.

For more with Kurt and Anna, click here.

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Parisyan always thought White would let him fight again

Karo Parisyan has had a lot of low points over the years, but he was at rock bottom the Friday before UFC 106. Because of struggles with an anxiety disorder and injuries, the veteran fighter had to drop out of his bout against Dustin Hazelett. Dana White lost his cool, going ballistic on Twitter.

Karo Parisyan has [expletive] over the UFC, the fans and his opponent again!!! He will not be fighting saturday or ever again in the UFC!!

Parisyan has worked way back into the good graces of the promotion and the UFC president. He returns to the Octagon this weekend at UFC 123 against Dennis Hallman.

The Armenian had been fighting for White since 2003, so he never lost hope.

"I never thought the door was closed," Parisyan told The Canadian Press. "I knew that I would fight again, I just knew it. I know Dana White. I know how he thinks, I know how he works. And when somebody says something like that, I know that in the heat of the moment he got pissed and he just said that. I knew I would eventually make my way back to the UFC because I didn't kill nobody."

In addition to bailing from a fight at UFC 88 because of his mental struggles, he was also fined $32,000 and suspended for nine months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after a positive test for pain killers at UFC 94.

"Anxiety led to that going even more crazy," Parisyan said. "It was just whole combination of things, man. I've never been 100 per cent walking in the cage. The best I've been was maybe 70 per cent and I wasn't even 10 per cent for that (UFC 88) fight."

Optimism was about all Parisyan had after what were two difficult years. He was also confident that he could talk White into giving him another shot.

"Dana's got a heart, man. He has a heart. And he does care about his fighters. He does care about people," Parisyan said. "Sure, if you need money, you talk to him, you tell him. Dana never says no that much, unless it's something outrageous. He'll work with you."

Now the pressure is really on for Parisyan. He’s only fought once in 22 months and the NSAC fine buried him in debt. At least this is a start. It’d be nice to see Parisyan reach his potential. This was a guy who was on the verge of a UFC welterweight title shot back in 2005. His career is now a fight-by-fight proposition.

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Donnie Walsh Undergoes Hip Replacement Surgery

Filed under: Knicks, Nuggets, NBA Rumors

DENVER -- On a day in which the focus is on Carmelo Anthony facing the New York Knicks for the first time this season, Knicks president Donnie Walsh had hip replacement surgery Tuesday in New York.

A Knicks spokesman said Walsh had the procedure on his right hip and will be in the hospital for a few days. The spokesman said Walsh will work out of his New York home "during his first phase of rehabilitation'' after getting out of the hospital.

Most of the focus on the Knicks lately has been on whether they might end up with Anthony, a Denver Nuggets star forward who can opt out of his contract and become a free agent next summer. Many believe Anthony wants to play with the Knicks, and he could even get there by the Feb. 24 trade deadline if he forces a trade to New York.

Walsh, 69, has been in charge of Knicks' personnel moves since April 2008. The Knicks cleared much cap room last summer to make a run at star free agent LeBron James, who ended up going to Miami. New York signed Amar'e Stoudemire as a consolation.

Walsh, though, seems primed now to make a run at Anthony.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter @christomasson

 

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The Amazing Race?s Mallory on the sudden proposal: ?It was like we were on The Bachelor!?

On the November 14 episode of The Amazing Race 17, Mallory Ervin thought she had wandered onto the wrong reality show as fellow contestant Chad Waltrip proposed to his girlfriend/partner, Stephanie Smith. ?It was like we were on The Bachelor!? Mallory laughs to In Touch about the surprising engagement, which shocked the racers during a brief lull in a grueling challenge in Muscat, Oman. ?We like Chad and Stephanie a lot,? Mallory adds. ?It was so nice to step back to reality and see there really is life beyond the Race!? Unfortunately for Mallory and her father/partner, Gary, the competition ended on week eight after losing their way to the elusive Jabel Shams. Though they were hours behind the other teams, the pair kept their spirits up. ?We really tried to stay positive,? Mallory says. ?We had nothing to lose.? The two may have lost out on the million-dollar prize, but they gained priceless relationships with their fellow contestants. ?It was a competition and we wanted to win," Gary concludes, ?but we made some lifelong friendships!?

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'Dancing With The Stars' Results: Brandy Shocked By Elimination

'I don't know how I feel right now,' singer says.
By Kelley L. Carter

Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy on "Dancing With the Stars" Tuesday
Photo: ABC

Tuesday night was perhaps the most shocking elimination in the entire season 11 of "Dancing With the Stars": R&B singer Brandy was the celebrity who went home, in spite of being asked to do the evening's reprisal dance, the Argentine tango.

Once again, instead of being sent home, Bristol Palin proved she's the little engine that could. Palin is one of the final three, alongside Jennifer Grey and Kyle Massey. On Monday night's show, Palin gave her best performance of the entire competition, with the judges telling the politician's daughter that she was on fire. "I still think you've come so far," judge Carrie Ann Inaba told her.

When Brandy was named the celebrity going home, members of the audience audibly gasped, some booed, and her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, addressed the disappointed fans.

"People vote and their voices count," he said. "I don't regret a second ... of being on this season. It's been an amazing journey."

Brandy seemed as shocked as the rest. On Monday night, she was the second-highest scorer; her first routine was the paso doble, and judge Len Goodman said that the singer gave 100 percent. Her second performance of the night was the Argentine tango, and judge Bruno Tonioli couldn't get enough. He said her performance was "languid and voluptuous and full of emotional depth." She ended up scoring 57 out of 60 possible points.

Throughout much of the entire season, Brandy was at the top of the leader board, impressing judges.

"I don't know how I feel right now," she said, crying.

Were you shocked by this week's "Dancing With the Stars"? Talk about it in the comments.

Related Artists

• Brandy

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Faber debuts at 135; Was the weight cut too much?

Urijah Faber finally saw the light at featherweight. He couldn't beat the champ Jose Aldo and had to admit he was a little too small for today's featherweights. His drop to 135 was greeted by Zuffa with open arms. The cut didn't seem outrageous and Faber would be one of the bigger fighters at the new weight. One thing we didn't take into account was how strenuous that cut would be for Faber.

He may be fine tomorrow night in the cage, but his face didn't look great today. It wasn't James Irvin scary, but Faber's eyes were sunk in and he looked a bit drawn.

Check out the gaze at he stared at the scale (3:32 mark). He looked a little worried. Shortly after clocking in at 136, Faber admitted the cut was not easy.

"It's been a fun cut," Faber told Versus' Craig Hummer. "It's been a little difficult at the end (but) I feel great."

Faber draws a tough assignment in the main event at WEC 52. He battles Takeya Mizugaki (13-4). He's 2-2 in WEC and that includes going the distance with Miguel Torres. The Japanese brawler has also won two fight of the night honors. He's one tough hombre.

Only one fighter missed weight. Zack Micklewright was 158, well over the 155-pound. He got down to 156 in the allotted time. 

The best accessories of the day award goes to LC Davis. Wearing sunglasses and a white headband (1:16 mark), the featherweight looked like he paying homage to former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon.

WEC 52 weigh-in (Courtesy MMAjunkie):

Urijah Faber (136) v. Takeya Mizugaki (136)
Chad Mendes (145.5) v. Javier Vazquez (146)
Erik Koch (146) v. Francisco Rivera (146)
Joseph Benavidez (136) v. Wagnney Fabiano (136)
Demetrious Johnson (135) v. Damacio Page (136)

PRELIMINARY CARD
Raphael Assuncao (146) v. L.C. Davis (146)
Edward Faaloloto (154) v. Anthony Njokuani (156)
Zack Micklewright (156) v. Dustin Poirier (155)
Clint Godfrey (136) v. Michael McDonald (135)
Mackens Semerzier (145) v. Cub Swanson (145)
Yves Jabouin (145) v. Brandon Visher (145)

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The Future Will Be Personalized

Today, we live in a world where we?re constantly overwhelmed by information. There are over 90M tweets per day, 34 hours of YouTube video uploaded every minute, and every Facebook user has an average of 130 friends who are becoming more and more active all the time. We also experience this with content farms flooding search results and with the thousands of articles available everyday on traditional websites like the New York Times and ESPN: of which only a handful appeal to each of our individual interests.

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RIM CEO Jim Balsillie To Steve Jobs: ? You Don?t Need An App For The Web?

Research in Motion CEO Jim Balsillie may still be smarting from the fact that Apple passed it in smartphone market share last quarter. Steve Jobs made a point to rub it in during Apple's most recent earnings conference call: "?We?ve now past RIM, and I don?t see them catching up to us in the near future.? Asked what he would say to Jobs if he were present today at the Web 2.0 Summit, Balsillie shot back: "You finally showed up." The implication being that RIM practically invented the smartphone category and is not going anywhere. Balsillie went on to contrast the Blackberry approach to Apple's when it comes to web apps. There may be 300,000 apps for the iPhone and iPad, but the only app you really need is the browser. "You don?t need an app for the Web," he says, and that is equally true for the mobile Web.

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Report: Valentine, Hershiser, Shulman New Voices of 'Sunday Night Baseball'

by FanHouse Staff

Filed under: Sports Business and Media

Those familiar with ESPN's baseball coverage shouldn't have much trouble adjusting to the new voices of the network's signature show, "Sunday Night Baseball."

Dan Shulman will be the play-by-play man working alongside analysts Bobby Valentine and Orel Hershiser, according to a New York Times report. An official announcement is expected "soon," the paper said.

Shulman and Valentine will be new to Sunday nights, stepping in for the longtime pair of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan after ESPN declined to renew their contracts. Hershiser had shared the booth with Miller and Morgan in 2010, the duo's 21st season working "Sunday Night Baseball."

 

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Faber debuts at 135; Was the weight cut too much?

Urijah Faber finally saw the light at featherweight. He couldn't beat the champ Jose Aldo and had to admit he was a little too small for today's featherweights. His drop to 135 was greeted by Zuffa with open arms. The cut didn't seem outrageous and Faber would be one of the bigger fighters at the new weight. One thing we didn't take into account was how strenuous that cut would be for Faber.

He may be fine tomorrow night in the cage, but his face didn't look great today. It wasn't James Irvin scary, but Faber's eyes were sunk in and he looked a bit drawn.

Check out the gaze at he stared at the scale (3:32 mark). He looked a little worried. Shortly after clocking in at 136, Faber admitted the cut was not easy.

"It's been a fun cut," Faber told Versus' Craig Hummer. "It's been a little difficult at the end (but) I feel great."

Faber draws a tough assignment in the main event at WEC 52. He battles Takeya Mizugaki (13-4). He's 2-2 in WEC and that includes going the distance with Miguel Torres. The Japanese brawler has also won two fight of the night honors. He's one tough hombre.

Only one fighter missed weight. Zack Micklewright was 158, well over the 155-pound. He got down to 156 in the allotted time. 

The best accessories of the day award goes to LC Davis. Wearing sunglasses and a white headband (1:16 mark), the featherweight looked like he paying homage to former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon.

WEC 52 weigh-in (Courtesy MMAjunkie):

Urijah Faber (136) v. Takeya Mizugaki (136)
Chad Mendes (145.5) v. Javier Vazquez (146)
Erik Koch (146) v. Francisco Rivera (146)
Joseph Benavidez (136) v. Wagnney Fabiano (136)
Demetrious Johnson (135) v. Damacio Page (136)

PRELIMINARY CARD
Raphael Assuncao (146) v. L.C. Davis (146)
Edward Faaloloto (154) v. Anthony Njokuani (156)
Zack Micklewright (156) v. Dustin Poirier (155)
Clint Godfrey (136) v. Michael McDonald (135)
Mackens Semerzier (145) v. Cub Swanson (145)
Yves Jabouin (145) v. Brandon Visher (145)

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WEC 52 kick of the night: Koch destroys Rivera

Seconds after his short battle against Francisco Rivera, Erik Koch slapped his shins. If he had the flexibility, a kiss to each leg would've been more appropriate. The lanky featherweight came out looking to land a big head kick and did so in the first two minutes of the fight. He drilled his opponent on the chin and Rivera went down hard. Koch jumped on top to land a few hammer fists but it was over. Referee Steve Mazzagatti saved Rivera at 1:36 of the first round. 

Koch missed with a high kick in the opening 10 seconds. Rivera, a late replacement, made the mistake of not heeding that warning. He was stationary in front of Koch, who waited for th right time to unleash the finishing head kick with the left leg. 

Koch (11-1, 3-1 WEC) is another top notch prospect to emerge from Duke Roufus' camp in Wisconsin. With some work on his grappling, the 22-year-old could be a real player at featherweight in the UFC. 

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Strikeforce and Bellator bicker over making Alvarez-Melendez fight

Sometime in the near future Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez need to fight but the possibility of that lightweight showdown taking place looks more bleak by the day. That's because boxing's nasty habit is sneaking into the world of mixed martial arts.

The sweet science crippled itself in the 90's by denying fans their desired megafights because promoters Don King and Bob Arum couldn't co-exist.

Imagine what their battles would've been like if there had been dozens of Internet boxing radio shows, Twitter and Facebook. Could the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather discussions go any worse? Sure they could if Bob Arum and Camp Mayweather decided to smash each other daily on the Internet. 

That's exactly what's happening with the proposed Alvarez-Melendez fight.

Bellator's Bjorn Rebney, the promoter for Alvarez, fired the first shot saying that Strikeforce's Scott Coker didn't want to make the fight. On Sherdog's Savage Dog Show, Coker said he didn't enjoy the discussion taking place through the media.

"Bjorn’s saying he’s texting me 11, 12 times an hour. I’m not sure if he’s trying to be a level-five clinger or anything like that, but I haven’t received one text from the guy," Coker said. "I’m not sure what the motivation is, but maybe it’s just his way of staying in the media, staying in the press."

Rebney wasn't pleased, so he released the actual texts (pictured).

Then Strikeforce's P.R. chief Mike Afromowitz said that's Coker's old phone number. Texts aside, Coker went on to say Bellator is in a position of weakness. They need him more than he needs them. 

"I understand why he wants to do it so badly. Who is there left for Eddie Alvarez to fight; honestly, that has any relevance? That's why he wants this to happen," said Coker. "We're busy guys. We've got some great fights we're going to put together next year." 

Coker said one of those fights may be sooner than that. He's working on getting Melendez to Japan to rematch against Aoki on New Year's Eve. 

Rebney and Alvarez have also gotten under Coker's skin by saying Melendez is avoiding the fight. 

"Let’s face it: Gilbert’s fought everybody," Coker said. "He beat the guy that Eddie lost to (Aoki). For them to say, ‘Oh, Gilbert’s ducking him’ -- come on, let’s be real. Gilbert has ducked nobody and neither has Eddie. These are two great fighters. The thing is, if Bjorn’s serious about doing this, then there has to be a business component that has to be worked out. Unfortunately, that hasn’t started yet. It’s just been a bunch of stuff in the media. He’s chosen the media to use it as a platform to try to push this thing along, but I think it’s maybe a PR move."

Rebney is the guy who needs to get this thing back on track. Whatever happened to dialing the phone, and actually speaking to someone? Unless he does that or gets out to Northern California to discuss things, he may be turning Alvarez into a worthless commodity. 

Listen here for entire interview (1:43:58 mark)

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AEG Jumps into Race for NFL Team in L.A.

by Jon Weinbach

Filed under: Chargers, Raiders, Rams, Sports Business and Media

LOS ANGELES -- It's now been 15 years since the Rams and Raiders left town, a fruitless decade-and-a-half of pontificating about the National Football League's return to Los Angeles. In that span, just about every Southern California billionaire, power broker or wannabe - from real estate and art mogul Eli Broad to former Hollywood super-agent Michael Ovitz to troubled Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt - has been involved in talks to bring an NFL franchise back to L.A., all to no avail.

Meanwhile, the NFL has done just fine without L.A. It has added teams in Houston and Cleveland, national TV ratings have soared, franchise values have skyrocketed and the league even beat Al Davis in court to acquire the "relocation rights" to the L.A. market, so any club that wants to move here will have to pay fellow NFL owners a tidy sum for the privilege. And those scorned L.A. fans? They've managed to survive - and get to watch more games than ever before without a hometown NFL club.

But here's the unlikely newsflash: the stars appear to be aligning - no, really -- for a pro football's return to Hollywood. A confluence of developments, ranging from aging owners in several NFL markets to real estate developments in L.A., has changed the landscape and reinvigorated discussions about pro football's future in the country's No. 2 media market. The biggest momentum boost: a recently-unveiled plan by Anschutz Entertainment Group to erect a privately-financed, $725 million stadium in downtown L.A. next to Staples Center, the wildly successful arena it built and opened a decade ago.

 

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Five-Step Drop: Southern Miss Shooting Update Is Not Good

Filed under: Minnesota, Southern Miss, Stanford, Texas, Coaching, Injuries

FanHouse's college football staff provides you with a personal quarterback. We do the primary and secondary reads for you so you can properly start your day

1. Martez Smith, one of the three Southern Mississippi players shot in an altercation early Sunday morning, is paralyzed from the waist down, reports WAPT TV in Jackson, Miss. The station says Smith's grandfather, James Smith, told them, "My son called me and told me he couldn't move his legs." As of Monday night the school had not released any official statements about Smith's condition. The Clarion-Ledger of Jackson reports that USM players were banned from some Hattiesburg-area night clubs by their coach but the Hunt Club, where the players were shot, was not one of those clubs.

2. It's now to the point where another Texas loss doesn't get anybody's attention. Shouldn't that put Mack Brown on the very hottest of hot seats? One would think so. Every other Texas coach since 1950 has been fired or forced out of the job, but Ross Lucksinger of InsideTexas.com writes that Mack Brown may escape that fate. Why? Because Brown takes care of business against his rivals. His 8-2 record against Texas A&M and 4-2 record in his last six games with Oklahoma are both far better than any of his predecessors could manage. Lucksinger believes Brown will survive this season even if Texas doesn't make it to a bowl game.

 

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FanHouse Top 30: No. 4 Pittsburgh

Filed under: Pittsburgh, Big East

No. 4 Pittsburgh (25-9, 13-5 Big East)

In: F Lamar Patterson (R-Fr.), G Isaiah Epps (Fr.), F Talib Zanna (R-Fr.), G Cameron Wright (Fr.), F J.J. Moore (Fr.), F Aron Nwankwo (Fr.)
Out: G Jermaine Dixon, G Chase Adams, F Dwight Miller

This is the year that Pittsburgh was supposed to be really good, not last year. That was supposed to be a rebuilding/recovery season, when the impressive freshman class and transfers built a bridge from the DeJuan Blair-Sam Young group that flirted with the No. 1 ranking and was an electrifying Scottie Reynolds drive away from the Final Four.

Yet last year, the Panthers stunned everybody, probably even themselves, not that they would admit it. Not only did they hang around the top of the Big East all year -- cruising in with 25 wins and a trip to the second round of the NCAAs -- but they did it with a few leftovers from the Elite Eight team, two of whom wouldn't do much for the first month or so (the injured Jermaine Dixon, the academically-ineligible Gilbert Brown). It was the newcomers and patch-job players who adhered to coach Jamie Dixon's defense-first, patient-offense principles.

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Alessio Sakara Out of UFC 122 With Illness

by Michael David SmithAbout an hour after UFC 122 started on Saturday in Oberhausen, Germany, fans got some bad news: Alessio Sakara is out of his co-main event fight against Jorge Rivera because of an illness.

MMAjunkie.com first reported and the UFC confirmed that the bout has been scrapped, and Duane Ludwig vs. Nick Osipczak has been moved up from the non-televised undercard to the main card. Sakara has what the UFC is describing as "flu like symptoms."

 

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