Seems like more people are giving Baroni a good shot at beating Frank because of the perception that Renzo “dominated” Shamrock in their recent fight.  This is so far from the truth.  Yes, Renzo was able to take Frank down multiple times, but once on the ground Frank was never in any real harm.  Take a look and judge for yourself:

There are a few good “betting values” out there today’s show.  Here is how my $1,000 bank roll is going to be distributed.

FRANK SHAMROCK +105
PHIL BARONI -135
*$250 on Shamrock (I feel confident that Shamrock’s experience, fight game, endurance, and ground skills will help him pull out the victory)

MURILLO RUA -125
JOEY VILLASENOR -105
*$300 on Murillo Rua (Villasenor is a good fight no doubt, but he’s going up against a guy who has fought some of the best in the world.  Ninja just has far too much fight experience to lose this one)

CARTER WILLIAMS +115
PAUL BUENTELLO -145
*$250 on Carter Williams (Carter really should be the heavy favorite in this fight.  His stand-up is superior to Buentello’s, just take a look at his K-1 fights.  Buentello won’t take him to the ground and Carter will easily out-strike him.)

TONY FRYKLUND +240
CUNG LE -300
*$100 Tony Fryklund (I’m not that confident in Fryklund, but there is good value here.  If he wins I’ll net $240 for my $100 bet.  Tony has been in the business for a long time and Cung Le is not a well rounded mixed martial artist.  Fryklund definitely has a chance here.)

NICK GONZALEZ +500
JOSH THOMPSON -700
*$100 on Nick Gonzalez (I don’t necessarily think he will win, but if he does I’ll get a return of $500.  Nick has only lost 1 of his last 10 fights, I think the odds are too skewed to not be ignored)

If all of my picks come through, my $1,000 will turn into $2,530.  Fingers crossed.

Tonight at midnight, Spike TV will air “Bad Blood: Penn vs. Pulver,” a 30 minute special hyping the rivalry between Jens and BJ.  I think we “get it” already, these two do not like each other.  Do we really have to fall into the trap of promoting every big fight in MMA as some sort of grudge match where both fighters want to kill one another?  Then again, I’ll probably Tivo it.

FRANK SHAMROCK +105
PHIL BARONI -135

MURILLO RUA -125
JOEY VILLASENOR -105

CARTER WILLIAMS +115
PAUL BUENTELLO -145

TONY FRYKLUND +240
CUNG LE -300

PAUL DALEY +105
DUANE LUDWIG -135

AARON WETHERSPOON +205
MIKE PYLE -255

NICK GONZALEZ +500
JOSH THOMPSON -700

*Source:  Bet On Fighting.com

Well, sort of. 

Tomorrow (Friday June 22nd) five under-card fights from EliteXC Strikeforce event will be streamed live and for free on http://www.proelite.com/mma.  According to today’s press conference, Pro Elite is promising a highly interactive experience for mixed martial arts fans who log-in.  This will include real-time voting and chat during the fights.  It may not be Shamrock and Baroni, but hell, it’s free.

The MMA action begins at 4:30pst/7:30 est!

Frank Shamrock was to have a highly anticipated appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight. 

Unfortunately, Jimmy had to go and have himself an emergency appendectomy last night.  Mr. Sarah Silverman is said to be doing fine and recovering as stated in this press release:

“The surgery was a success,” Kimmel’s publicist, Lewis Kay, said in an e-mail Thursday. “The rest of this week’s tapings of `Jimmy Kimmel Live’ have been canceled until he is back on his feet. He is resting comfortably and is looking forward to getting back to work.” 

Well, time to cancel that TIVO recording.