The Weekly Wrap: June 20-June 26
Odds & Ends
Odds & Ends
• Despite moving significantly further along in the approval process, it appears a bill to legalize MMA in the state of New York will not be voted on this year. The New York State Assembly, enraptured in a political tiff that has caused delays, ended its latest formal session without taking action on the MMA bill. A spokesman for an assemblyman pushing the bill told MMAWeekly.com that it will almost definitely return to the Tourism, Arts and Sports Committee in January. More than likely, an MMA event will not be held in the lucrative Empire State until late 2010 or 2011. The UFC’s president of regulatory affairs, Marc Ratner, told MMAWeekly.com that he remains “cautiously optimistic” the Senate could still reconvene and fit in a vote on the legislation in 2009.
• Pennsylvania will hold another sanctioned MMA event on Saturday, with the debut card from Ultimate Cage Fighting Championship at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. Rich Clementi, Kyle Jensen, Micah Miller, Phil Davis and Paul Bradley will compete at the show. Carlton Haselrig, 43, a former Pro Bowler for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the only collegiate wrestler in history to win six NCAA titles, will also be featured. Pennsylvania passed MMA regulations in February. The UFC will come to the state for the first time on Aug. 8 in Philadelphia.
• UFC President Dana White revealed on Spike TV that the organization will pursue Vitor Belfort as an addition to its middleweight roster. Belfort, one of the most well-known MMA fighters in Brazil, faces Sengoku 185-pound champion Jorge Santiago at Affliction “Trilogy” on Aug. 1. He delivered an emphatic knockout against Matt Lindland in January. White admitted he was intrigued by a Belfort vs. Anderson Silva matchup.
• UFC titleholders Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva were nominated for the 2009 ESPY Award for Best Fighter, according to a report from MMAJunkie.com.
• The UFC has added to its list of banned sponsors and has apparently introduced a system in which a company must pay a $100,000 fee for the right to sponsor a fighter on a UFC telecast. A report from FiveOuncesofPain.com states that One More Round, MMA Authentic and MMA Elite have been added to a banned list that includes Affliction and Full Tilt Poker.
• Japanese middleweight contender Kazuo Misaki pleaded guilty to an obstruction of justice charge in a Tokyo court. Misaki’s plea stems from an incident in March in which he drove away from a Tokyo police officer who had pulled him over for talking on his cell phone while driving. Misaki will probably not serve time in jail but did receive a three-year suspended sentence. He will not miss his fight against Kazuhiro Nakamura at Sengoku “Ninth Battle” on Aug. 2.
• UFC veteran Lee Murray was briefly released from a jail in Morocco, where was being held in connection with one of the biggest bank robberies in history in England three years ago. Murray was deemed a Moroccan citizen and released, but British authorities put in a request to have him tried on the robbery charges in Morocco, and he was arrested again to be tried.
• MMAWeekly.com reported that former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has been named in a civil lawsuit by a woman who had a miscarriage after her car was struck during a July police chase involving Jackson in California. Prosecutors have decided there was not enough evidence to tie Jackson’s actions to the miscarriage, but the woman, Holly Griggs, seeks $25,000 in damages.
• Despite moving significantly further along in the approval process, it appears a bill to legalize MMA in the state of New York will not be voted on this year. The New York State Assembly, enraptured in a political tiff that has caused delays, ended its latest formal session without taking action on the MMA bill. A spokesman for an assemblyman pushing the bill told MMAWeekly.com that it will almost definitely return to the Tourism, Arts and Sports Committee in January. More than likely, an MMA event will not be held in the lucrative Empire State until late 2010 or 2011. The UFC’s president of regulatory affairs, Marc Ratner, told MMAWeekly.com that he remains “cautiously optimistic” the Senate could still reconvene and fit in a vote on the legislation in 2009.
• Pennsylvania will hold another sanctioned MMA event on Saturday, with the debut card from Ultimate Cage Fighting Championship at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. Rich Clementi, Kyle Jensen, Micah Miller, Phil Davis and Paul Bradley will compete at the show. Carlton Haselrig, 43, a former Pro Bowler for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the only collegiate wrestler in history to win six NCAA titles, will also be featured. Pennsylvania passed MMA regulations in February. The UFC will come to the state for the first time on Aug. 8 in Philadelphia.
• UFC President Dana White revealed on Spike TV that the organization will pursue Vitor Belfort as an addition to its middleweight roster. Belfort, one of the most well-known MMA fighters in Brazil, faces Sengoku 185-pound champion Jorge Santiago at Affliction “Trilogy” on Aug. 1. He delivered an emphatic knockout against Matt Lindland in January. White admitted he was intrigued by a Belfort vs. Anderson Silva matchup.
• UFC titleholders Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva were nominated for the 2009 ESPY Award for Best Fighter, according to a report from MMAJunkie.com.
• The UFC has added to its list of banned sponsors and has apparently introduced a system in which a company must pay a $100,000 fee for the right to sponsor a fighter on a UFC telecast. A report from FiveOuncesofPain.com states that One More Round, MMA Authentic and MMA Elite have been added to a banned list that includes Affliction and Full Tilt Poker.
• Japanese middleweight contender Kazuo Misaki pleaded guilty to an obstruction of justice charge in a Tokyo court. Misaki’s plea stems from an incident in March in which he drove away from a Tokyo police officer who had pulled him over for talking on his cell phone while driving. Misaki will probably not serve time in jail but did receive a three-year suspended sentence. He will not miss his fight against Kazuhiro Nakamura at Sengoku “Ninth Battle” on Aug. 2.
• UFC veteran Lee Murray was briefly released from a jail in Morocco, where was being held in connection with one of the biggest bank robberies in history in England three years ago. Murray was deemed a Moroccan citizen and released, but British authorities put in a request to have him tried on the robbery charges in Morocco, and he was arrested again to be tried.
• MMAWeekly.com reported that former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has been named in a civil lawsuit by a woman who had a miscarriage after her car was struck during a July police chase involving Jackson in California. Prosecutors have decided there was not enough evidence to tie Jackson’s actions to the miscarriage, but the woman, Holly Griggs, seeks $25,000 in damages.
