Latest MMA Rumors
I grabbed this from the Wilcoxon blog over at Sportingnews.com. Here are some pretty good rumors covering the mixed martial arts world.
-Former UFC LHW champion Tito Ortiz has accepted a fight with Lyoto Machida scheduled to take place in May. This fight is the last one Ortiz’s contract and he has stated he will leave the UFC after the fight.
-Former UFC legend and announcer for PRIDE FC and the IFL, Bas Rutten has been named Vice President of Fighter Operations by the IFL. Bas will oversee contact between the IFL and the fighters and assist in matchmaking both for the org and when they have fighters compete outside of it.
-UFC is still working on a TV deal. The word came just over a week after reports said the deal with CBS stalled. The UFC official said they are still working on a deal and talking with various stations. The official also set a loose time table saying they planned to air the event on June 14th which is scheduled to take place in England.
-Akihiro Gono is out of his bout with Jon Fitch scheduled for UFC82. Gono needs surgery on an injured hand. Chris Wilson will replace him. Wilson has seen action in both the IFL and Bodog.
-Ricco Rodriguez is training for an upcoming fight against Antonio Silva for EliteXC.
-M-1 Global is reportedly having their 1st US show on April 11th possibly in Chicago. It is reported Aleks Emelianenko is going to face Josh Barnett on a card that will be headlined by Aleks older brother Fedor Emelianenko facing K-1 fighter Semmy Schilt. Both fights are rematches.
-In sponsorship news: Xyience Inc., a supplement company that sponsors many fighters and the UFC, has filed for Chapter 11.
-Harley Davidson who sponsored recent UFC events said the UFC is the first major sport not involving motor vehicles the company has ever sponsored.
-Finally, it is rumored that the UFC’s relationship with Affliction, a MMA clothing company, has soured. The early rumor is the UFC is dropping Affliction from their approved sponsors because Affliction is starting a MMA org.
