End of an Era, Signages and more...

Liddell with long-time trainer John Hackleman::
PHOTO CREDIT-CombatLifestyle.com

"Tonight was the end of an era. One of the greatest guys in the sport fought his last fight tonight... You're never going to see Chuck Liddell on the canvas again," Dana White said rather reassuringly after Liddell's loss to Mauricio Rua last Saturday in Montreal. White, seen in his v*log (7:44), trying to convince the 39-year-old athlete it's time to retire (seen here as "doing the right thing").
The break down is, who knows if Chuck really wants to retire. But, close friends like Dana care about him and don't want to see him get hurt- no matter the loss in pay-per-view amounts. According to White, Chuck will "always be with us and he'll always be part of the UFC" sounding slightly more like a eulogy than a retirement. " The Iceman left fans with uncertainty simply saying he'd "talk to everybody, talk to all my people, my friends" and then make an official decision. We're patiently waiting Chuck.

In brighter news...

RUMOR MILL
After beating Kala Hose Saturday via RNC (in the first round) "Mayhem" Miller has agreed to go fight in DREAM. Rumor is he'll face Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza for the MiddleWeight Title at Dream 9. The title was relinquished by Gegard Mousasi in order to move to the Light Heavy Weight class. If the battle happens (again) at it will be May 26 at the Yokohama Arena- Yokohama, Japan.

Tom Atencio made clear last week they would not counter program UFC 100. "It's not a possibility. It doesn't make sense." No Tom, it doesn't. That's what "sensible" fold have been screaming all along. No word yet on when the next Affliction show will be; however, some have suggested a super show in partnership with DREAM or someone of the sorts. We'll see....

UFC 100
Tickets went on sale last Thursday to the UFC Fan Club, Friday to the Newsletter crowd and were all ate up before the general public could even get their hands on them. The Newsletter does not cost anything to sign up, they just periodically e-mail you to not forget about upcoming events and when tickets go on sale.
Sooo really anyone who really wants to go to a UFC event should sign up for the Newsletter (HERE) and have access to ticket presales. Nonetheless, with 100's prices ($100-$1000) and with the economy the way it was it's a wonder how these things went so fast. Credit cards? Missed mortgages? Scalpers? Either way, the only way you're getting your hands on a ticket now is through a secondary market with a huge price increase. I'm glad the UFC is doing so well and can't wait for the event... even if I'm watching it from Mandalay's closed circuit room.

NSAC
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has granted Mark Coleman, 44, his license to fight at UFC 100- but only after he made his case he was still capable of competently competing in the milestone event. The Commission's job is to look after the health and safety of the fighters it regulates. In Coleman's case it was questionable as to whether he should be allow to continue; especially after his last fight. "The Hammer" admitted he needs to amp it up for this fight and outlined he moved to Las Vegas recently and will be training with the top gyms in the area to prepare for Bonnar. The NSAC was convinced enough to give him a one-fight license; they will re-evaluate his case after 100- everything depends on how he performs there. Hopefully he shows up, but with Liddell set to (tentatively) retire at 39 when is it time to hang up the gloves and move to the sideline? For the sake of the Commission Coleman better show up.

INKED
PHOTO CREDIT: MMAWEEKLY.com

Kevin Randleman has signed to fight with StrikeForce. The Ohio State champ has been training at Xtreme Couture and will be a good addition to StrikeForce's shallow HeavyWeight pool.







UFC 102
Matt Hamill vs Brandon Vera has been moved to UFC 102.

102 will also see Junior Dos Santos face Tito Ortiz-protegé Justin McCully. Both McCully and Dos Santos are coming off wins, over Sanchez and Struve respectively. The August bout will be 8 months after McCully's last fight-for someone that's had conditioning problems in the past that can make a big difference.

LightWeights Evan Dunham and Matt Veach have also been added to the Portland card.

21 days earlier at UFC 101 Aaron Riley will get a chance to redeem himself after the controversial stoppage at UFC 96. Shane Nelson had dropped Riley at 96 and the bout was stopped -prematurely- by referee Rick Fike.

Miss something? Questions? Comments? E-mail me: samantha.lynn.johnson@gmail.com