In addition, STRIKEFORCE has assembled eight of the world’s top ranked heavyweights to compete in the STRIKEFORCE World Grand Prix – Heavyweight Tournament, a three-stage, single-elimination tournament that will take place over several events in 2011.  The first two quarterfinal fights begin on Saturday, Feb. 12, live on SHOWTIME from the IZOD Center in E. Rutherford, N.J. In the main event, the 34-year-old Emelianenko will face the towering Antonio “Big Foot” Silva (15-2) in a STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL co-promoted event.  Co-featured on Feb. 12, former world champion Andrei Arlovski (15-8) will face Sergei Kharitonov (16-4), the last man to defeat current STRIKEFORCE Heavyweight World Champion Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem.

The other two quarterfinal matchups are as follows: Overeem (34-11, 1 NC) will face the only man to tap out Fedor, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1), while the heavy-handed Brett “The Grim” Rogers (11-2) will meet a hungry Josh Barnett (29-5). The location and date for these quarterfinal tournament fights are to be announced.

“We are thrilled to have come to a long-term agreement with Fedor and M-1 GLOBAL,” said STRIKEFORCE CEO Scott Coker. “To have the greatest MMA fighter of all-time put his legacy on the line in a single-elimination tournament will truly captivate MMA fans worldwide. STRIKEFORCE is home to the best heavyweight division in the world; the athlete who runs the gauntlet in a tournament such as this would have to be considered the best heavyweight fighter in the world.”

“I’m very pleased to be working with SHOWTIME and STRIKEFORCE and Mr. Coker and Mr. Hershman personally. Thanks to their interest and efforts, we’ve created what will go down in history as MMA’s greatest heavyweight tournament of all time,” said Vadim Finkelchtein, co-founder of M-1 Global. “M-1, STRIKEFORCE and SHOWTIME have built a partnership committed to the future growth of MMA—a sport where organizations represent a working collaborative that enable the best fighters in the world to fight each other. This agreement benefits everyone, especially the fans who’ll see Fedor in action more often.

“With SHOWTIME’s significance in the U.S. and M-1’s development of the European and Asian MMA markets, the cooperation will also deliver a global roster of talented fighters to viewers,” Finkelchtein continued. “During the coming year, we’ll be showcasing spectacular Grand Prix events using the same M-1 Selection tournament format, a series of events generating enthusiastic spectator interest keeping fans glued to their screens.”

“I can’t think of a better way to start 2011 than with this major announcement,” said Ken Hershman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports®. “Fedor is universally known to sports fans throughout the world and it is an honor to continue our work with M-1 GLOBAL and STRIKEFORCE in presenting this legendary fighter to SHOWTIME subscribers.

“SHOWTIME has enjoyed great success with its two most recent boxing tournaments—the Super Six World Boxing Classic and The Bantamweight Tournament,” Hershman continued. “And now, with the breadth of talent in the STRIKEFORCE heavyweight division, we have the privilege of staging one of the biggest tournaments in the history of this growing sport.  With the STRIKEFORCE World Grand Prix’s single-elimination format and the biggest names in the sport today, this tournament is something that no sports fan will want to miss.”

“I have been training very hard since my last fight and can’t wait to get back in the cage,” said the 6-foot, 235-pound Emelianenko, who hails from Stary Oskol, Russia and is promoted by M-1 GLOBAL.  “STRIKEFORCE has assembled a roster filled with the best heavyweights in the world and, together with M-1 GLOBAL, we have the opportunity to fight the best in a great tournament format.”

Fedor’s unprecedented, record-setting run of 28 professional MMA bouts without a defeat has prompted many MMA enthusiasts to label Fedor as the greatest of all time. Since his career began 10 years ago, Fedor has faced and defeated many rival superstars and champions of this era including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Andrei Arlovski and Mark “The Hammer” Coleman.

In what ranks among the most watched MMA fights in the United States, Fedor made his live primetime network television debut on Nov. 7, 2009 on CBS, when he defeated unbeaten rising star Brett Rogers in a STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL co-promoted event.  Despite a difficult first round in which he sustained a deep cut above his eye, Fedor turned the tide early in the second round with one vicious right-hand punch and finished Rogers shortly after.

Then, on June 26, 2010, Fedor suffered a stunning upset at the hands of Werdum, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., in one of the most watched MMA bouts on SHOWTIME.  Werdum, who has defeated a host of top rivals including Overeem, Silva and Brandon “The Truth” Vera, trapped Fedor’s arm in a triangle armbar that forced Fedor to tap out at the 1:09 mark of the opening round.

Fedor has only one other official loss on his record, the result of a doctor stoppage due to a cut he sustained seconds into a matchup with Japan’s Tsuyoshi Kosaka on Dec. 22, 2000.  Fedor avenged the TKO loss with his own first-round TKO of Kosaka at a PRIDE Fighting Championships event in Japan on April 3, 2005.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE, sanctioned by ISKA, has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts (MMA) series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.  In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement with SHOWTIME® to stage live events on the premium cable television network.  The promotion has since also produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television Network.

About M-1 Global

Founded in 1998, M-1 Global (www.M-1Global.com) has established itself in the realm of mixed martial arts (MMA) as the premiere entity for discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar fighters. With offices in St. Petersburg, Amsterdam, New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles and affiliates in Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Tokyo and Paris, the M-1 brand has staged over 70 events worldwide including the M-1 Selection and M-1 Challenge events and its co-produced Strikeforce events in the United States. Captivating the live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production values and match-ups, M-1 events boast some of the sport’s top names including Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Aleksander Emelianenko, Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Roman Zentsov, Stephan Struve and rising stars Shamil Zavurov, Byron Byrd, Alexander Sarnavskiy and Vinny Magalhaes. 2011 marks a breakthrough year with two Selections tournaments across Eastern & Western Europe, North America and Asia and a full calendar of Challenge events fuelled by a talent-rich contention system ranking M-1 Global’s Champions amongst the greatest in the sport.

M-1 Global’s greatest asset is the number one heavyweight fighter in mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. With daily coverage on all MMA-related websites in the world, and articles in Time Magazine, LA times and New York Times, Fedor and M-1 Global make a lifetime match serving as the catalyst to grow MMA in the 21st century.

Source: Mike Afromowitz/Strikeforce

Photo: Esther Lin/Strikeforce

“Nogueira vs. Velasquez is a great matchup between the present and the future of the heavyweight division,” said UFC President Dana White. “Nogueira showed in the Couture fight that he still has plenty left to offer at the top level of the game, and Velasquez was devastating in his win over Ben Rothwell, so with both guys in top form, we’re definitely going to see a number one contender emerge from this fight to take on the winner of the Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin title fight.”

Tickets for UFC 108 are priced at $600, $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50, not including applicable service charges, go on sale Saturday, November 14 at 10 a.m. at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at UFC.com, www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Thursday, November 12 at 10 a.m. PT via the website UFC.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Friday, November 13 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC 108 will be available live on pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, BellTV, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.95 for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available).

One of the sport’s legendary heavyweights, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) always seems to fight his way back into the title picture. With an outstanding 32-5-1, 1 NC record that includes wins in three of his first four UFC fights, the 33-year-old parlayed a unanimous decision victory against Heath Herring into a UFC interim heavyweight title shot where he submitted former UFC champion Tim Sylvia. At UFC 102 in Portland, Nogueira earned an exciting unanimous decision victory over hometown favorite and UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture. But now the only man to hold UFC and PRIDE heavyweight championship belts looks to stop the ascension of the sport’s newest rising star.

“I’m very excited to face an up-and-coming fighter such as Cain Velasquez,” Nogueira said. “I’m looking to get right back in the title picture. It will be interesting coming off that great win against a legend such as Randy Couture to now face a fighter who’s at the beginning of a promising career and who’s looking for that same success.”

Fresh off his dominating TKO victory against respected contender Ben Rothwell at UFC 104 in October, Cain Velasquez (fighting out of San Jose, Calif.) remains perfect in the UFC and has inched that much closer to a UFC heavyweight title shot. With only one fight going the distance, a unanimous decision victory over Cheick Kongo at UFC 99, the former two-time NCAA All-American wrestler from Arizona State has finished each of his other UFC opponents within two rounds. And as the owner of a professional MMA record of 7-0, it’s clear that there are very few heavyweights that can match Velasquez’s quickness or stop his takedowns.

“I am excited to fight a legend like Nogueira. He’s one of the fighters I watched growing up and admired – he’s definitely one of the greats, and a win over him is what I need to set me up for my shot at the title,” said Velasquez. “I have a lot respect for Noguiera and look forward to facing him in the Octagon.”

Ready to get his UFC light heavyweight title back, Rashad Evans (fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) has notched wins over some big names in the division, including consecutive knockout victories over Chuck Liddell and then champion Forrest Griffin. The Niagara Falls, New York native and former Michigan State University wrestler has won 18 of his 20 pro fights, including a draw against former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz. A skilled grappler that has tremendous knockout power, Evans will need all of his well-rounded abilities when he takes on Thiago Silva, the man who knocked out his teammate and training partner Keith Jardine.

“Thiago’s a hard puncher and a very good fighter, and I respect him,” said Evans. “But I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to get a little payback for Keith on January 2nd. This is gonna be a great fight for the fans, but I think I’ve got too many tools for Silva to deal with.”

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt that can get the knockout as easy as the tap out, Thiago Silva (fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) has won 14 of his first 15 pro fights. His 95 second KO victory over Jardine at UFC 102 was his fifth win in the UFC, with four coming via KO/TKO and one by submission. The 26-year-old has put away his opponents within two rounds in all of his UFC wins and he looks to throw his name in the UFC title contention hat with a win over former world titleholder Rashad Evans.

“Rashad Evans is a former UFC champion and one of the best light heavyweights in the world,” said Silva. “But he’s never faced a fighter like me, and once I hit him, I have no doubt that a victory is going to follow for me soon after.”

For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com, UK.UFC.com, GERMANY.UFC.com, UFCJapan.jp or UFCEspanol.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship®
UFC is the largest live pay-per-view event content provider in the world and the fastest growing main stream sports organization in history. Owned and operated by Zuffa™, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® produces over twelve live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iNDEMAND Networks, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN Entertainment, BellTV, SaskTel Max™, Shaw Pay-Per-View, and Viewers Choice. International distributors include WOWOW in Japan, Rede TV and Globosat’s Combate Channel and SporTV in Brazil, ESPN in United Kingdom, Televisa in Mexico and throughout Central America, with worldwide distribution via the Internet on UFC.com and Yahoo! Sports. UFC content is distributed commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada. UFC programming is distributed in 132 countries, territories and jurisdictions, reaching 430 million homes worldwide, in 20 different languages.

Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa® , The Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, registered service marks, trademarks, trade dress and/or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC and licensed to its affiliated entities and other licensees in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC, its affiliates or other respective owners.

Source: http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=25255

Did he reflect back on the 2008 Junior USAs, when he took the super-heavies and overall? If he did, McMillan must have felt deja-vu when he heard his name announced once again as the best man in town that evening. What made this accomplishment all the more special was the fact that he was one of seven young men to earn their pro card.

Also taking home pro cards were Bleu Taylor (bantamweight winner), Joe Vu (lightweight winner), Shavis Higa (welterweight winner), Nathan Detracy (middleweight winner), Seth Feroce (light heavyweight winner) and Jeff Long (heavyweight winner).

Some popular names finished out of the running, such as “Big” Sean Allen (6th – SH), Trey Brewer (8th – SH), Lee Banks (2nd – HW), P.J. Braun (12th – HW), Paul Sousa (13th – HW), Tamer El-Guindy (3rd – LHW), Branden Ray (4th – LHW) and Timothy Corscadden (DNP – LHW).

McMillan joins a list with some quality company in winning this contest. Lee Haney (1982), Shawn Ray (1987), Jay Cutler (1996) and Victor MArtinez (2000) all have enjoyed this honor.

In women’s bodybuilding, Kris Murrell won the heavyweight and overall titles and earned her pro card along with Lori Steele (lightweight winner), Lisette Acevedo (middleweight winner) and Nicole Berg (light heavyweight winner).

In figure, Mindi Smith was named the class E and overall winner, earning her pro card. Joining her on the paid circuit were Kimberle Trowbridge (class A), Kathleen Tesori (class B), Ava Cowan (class C), Taylor Gallagher (class D)and Holly Beck (class F).

As far as the bikini class went, Jessica Anderson won the overall and class E. Others who walked away with pro cards were Trina Goosby (class A), Erica Reder (class B), Alea Suarez (class C), Tianna Ta (class D) and Stephanie Lindsey (class F).

Emelianenko, known globally as Fedor, will make his premium television debut this Fall when his first fight under the new agreement airs live on SHOWTIME®. Up until now, Emelianenko’s live fights have aired exclusively on pay-per-view in the United States.

“I am looking forward to going back to work and fighting at the highest level,” said the 33-year-old Emelianenko.  During his nine year professional fight career, which included a four and a half year stay with the world’s former top MMA promotion, the now defunct PRIDE Fighting Championship, the Russian native has faced and defeated all comers.

In his last effort, the 6-foot, 235-pound Emelianenko decimated the number two ranked heavyweight at the time Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski with a single punch in the first round (3:14) of the main event of Affliction:  “Day of Reckoning” at Anaheim, California’s Honda Center on January 24.

“STRIKEFORCE is a top fight promotion that houses some of the greatest fighters in the world,” continued Emelianenko.  “I am prepared to fight any of them.”

“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with M-1 Global and Fedor,” said STRIKEFORCE Founder and CEO Scott Coker, a martial arts fight promoter of over 25 years.  “Fedor has been the reigning king of MMA’s heavyweight division for quite some time now so being able to work with M-1 and Fedor will substantially increase the level of competition amongst the athletes in this weight class.”

“With the addition of Fedor and STRIKEFORCE’s new relationship with M-1 Global, SHOWTIME is now the home of the best pound-for-pound male and female fighters in the world,” said Ken Hershman, Senior VP and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports®. “The Aug. 15 Carano-Cyborg matchup on SHOWTIME will clearly determine the best female mixed martial artist on the planet.  Then, come this Fall, our subscribers again will witness history when the universally recognized best male fighter—Fedor Emelianenko—joins the already long list of world-class athletes on the STRIKEFORCE roster, and for the first time ever plies his skills live on SHOWTIME.”

Hershman continued: “We are better positioned now than ever before to deliver on our promise to televise the top fighters in mixed martial arts today.”

“I am very happy and excited about the upcoming collaboration with Strikeforce,” said Vadim Finkelchtein, President of M-1 Global. “We are very pleased that we found a reliable partner and I feel that Strikeforce and M-1 can support each other on many things. This will create big opportunities for both parties to test their fighters against worthy opponents.”

Though his official professional record is 30-1, Emelianenko is considered undefeated.  The only blemish on his record is a December 22, 2000 fight that was stopped after 17 seconds and declared a TKO in favor of his opponent, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, due to a cut Emelianenko sustained in the opening seconds of the matchup in Osaka, Japan.

Amongst those on Emelianenko’s list of impressive conquests are former PRIDE Heavyweight Champions Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark “The Hammer” Coleman, and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic as well as former UFC Heavyweight Champions Kevin “The Monster” Randleman and Tim Sylvia, whom Emelianenko submitted with a rear naked choke only 36 seconds into their main event showdown at Affliction:  “Banned” on July 19, 2008.

Despite his extensive experience, Emelianenko’s debut under the new STRIKEFORCE-M-1 venture will, interestingly enough, mark his first start in a cage.  To date, all of his bouts have taken place in a ring.

After co-promoting two events live on SHOWTIME in 2007 and 2008, STRIKEFORCE in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the premium cable television network.

About STRIKEFORCE
STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.

About M-1 Global

M-1 Global (www.m-1global.com) has been one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organizations in the world for over a decade. M-1 has promoted over 150 shows worldwide since 1995.
Billed as the “World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts,” the M-1 Challenge is a full season of MMA events that showcases some of the best up and coming MMA fighters in the world. Broadcast to over 90 countries around the world, including HDNet in the United States, the M-1 Challenge pits teams of five fighters representing their respective countries against each other for international bragging rights and the title of M-1 Challenge Champions. Fighters who succeed on the M-1 Challenge’s international breeding ground will earn the opportunity to participate in major MMA events presented by M-1 Global and their promotional partners such as STRIKEFORCE.

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

Taylor Boyd looks like a mixture between a heel professional wrestler and the guy chasing teenagers through the woods in a slasher movie. The 6’3″, 300-pound New Jersey native put on a show with make-up and costume props. The NPC competitor has three contest wins so far in his young career, the last being the 2008 NPC New Jersey Suburban in the super heavyweight division.

It came as no surprise when Boyd said that his favorite body part to train were his 31-inch legs. “During them (leg workouts), you get so much overall muscle growth it’s incredible,” he said on his official website, www.taylorboyd.net. The mass monster further stated that he doesn’t change things up too much when it comes time to get ready for a show.

“My training style is heavy compound movements for offseason and contest prep.”

He does drop down to approximately 260 pounds for a competition, still nothing to sneeze at. In an era of bodybuilding where freaky size is the ‘in’ thing, Boyd fits the bill and surely made an impression in Pennsylvania last summer.

This is part of an exclusive series by MuscleSport Mag on the 2009 NPC Bill Grant Classic, for which we are one of the show’s official sponsors. The show will take place on Saturday July 18 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

NY Metropolitan Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure Championships Took on New Meaning in ‘09 - The chatter began in the area of the judge’s table and photographer’s pit as soon as he walked on the stage.

“Where is this guy from again?”

“He looks real good.”

There was definitely a buzz in the air when the overall winner of the men’s bodybuilding class made his appearance, fittingly the last one to hit the spotlight. Audrius Jegelevicius was clearly the star of the show at the 2009 Steve Stone New York Metropolitan Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure Championships and deservingly took home the top trophy of the night, which he proudly held as he made his way home via the Number 1 train headed uptown from the Chambers Street stop.

The 37-year-old Lithuanian also won the Super Heavyweight Division and beat out a well-conditioned Shaun Young (Heavyweight Division and Masters Overall, 35+ Over 176.25 winner) for the overall title on an evening that was about remembering a great man who dedicated his life to the sport that he loved.

The contest was renamed to pay homage to Steve Stone, who passed away during Olympia weekend last year. A moment of silence was done in his honor with a special moment between his widow and Bev Francis, the former great female bodybuilder who emceed the event.

Jegelevicius, who has been training for a quarter century, won his second show in the United States following his victory at the 2007 Eastern USA Championships. He is looking to do more damage in this country and plans on becoming a United States citizen. When asked if he will compete in the Nationals in November and have a chance to earn his pro card, he said there is a “90 percent chance” of that happening.

What began with a 12-year-old boy experimenting with a set of dumbbells back in Lithuania transformed into the shredded, 242-pound bodybuilder that had his hand held up in Manhattan. “The highest I was this year was 282,” he said, commenting on the mass he puts on in the offseason. He definitely brought the entire package to this show.

Perhaps the most entertaining portion of the card was the Pro Fitness competition, which was won by Shannon Meteraud. Trish Warren – who was being cheered on by her pro bodybuilder husband Branch and pro fitness competitor Jenny Lynn seated together in the first row – finished as the runner-up. Tina Durkin was the third place winner.

The others standing in the winner’s circle were Jermaine Morgan (Men’s Bodybuilding Light Heavyweight); Michael DePalma (Men’s Bodybuilding Middleweight, Masters 35+); Mike Grezzo (Men’s Bodybuilding Lightweight and Novice); John Kioskerides (Men’s Bodybuilding Bantamweight); Jeff Beckham (Men’s Bodybuilding Overall and Heavyweight); Frank Ruiz (Men’s Bodybuilding Light Heavyweight); Mario Valenzuela (Men’s Bodybuilding Novice Middleweight); Michael Dagro (Men’s Bodybuilding Novice Bantamweight); James Bocina (Men’s Bodybuilding Masters 45+); Calvin Myers (Men’s Bodybuilding Masters 55+); Michael Soltus (Men’s Bodybuilding Teen Overall and A); Nick Paladino (Men’s Bodybuilding Teen A); Marie Rita Penteado (Female Bodybuilding Overall); Melissa Stocker-Betz (Figure Overall, Class A and Masters 35+); Natalie Benjamin (Figure Class B); Kristen Nagrani (Fitness Class C); Stacey Curcio (Fitness); Blythe Alberg (Bikini Overall and Short Class) and Elise Firestone (Bikini Tall Class).

The variety that this show offered was definitely one of its plusses. Everything from “young” divisions to “old” was on the plate and the people in attendance at the Tribecca Performing Arts at BMCC certainly let their loud applause do the talking for them.

Hopefully they will recharge their batteries because just over a month after the show comes the IFBB New York Pro, an annual event held at the same venue also promoted by Francis and Steve Weinberger.

Morrison’s first fight back in a serious drive for a comeback was on January 31st on an Internet site called GOFIGHTLIVE.TV. For $5.99 you could watch him fight his opponent, Corey “Wiz Kid” Williams. I was so excited to watch the fight either live or an hour or two later. I went to the site only to discover there were technical problems and the fight would only be showed on tape later that night.

If Morrison were to find a way to fight again on a regular basis he may just be considered a guy who has a shot in a very weak heavyweight division. Just the fact that Evander Holyfield has made some strides is one indication of this. Yes there are some guys who can box, but it is not and never will be the day of the “Real Champ” such as a Muhammad Ali or even a George Foreman. Boxing has not groomed a heavyweight like that since Mike Tyson and we saw what happened to him. I guess the comeback is all in the hands of Morrison and keeping himself clean (if he physically can) and also getting himself back into shape. He did fight in 2007 and he was not in the best of shape. He even has admitted that he needs “more consistency” in the ring and in training. Without both of these he will not be able to go longer in fights and also compete toe-to-toe with the heavyweight fighters even if they are weak themselves.

I guess time will tell if this is a story, which will turn bad blood into good (well, at least for Morrison). There are many obstacles still to climb such as who will fight him?  Who will even take the time out to train him not knowing whether he will be allowed to fight or not. Every State Athletic Commission differs as far as testing and it could be that he just can’t get cleared in certain places ever. There is also the matter as Morrison has been quoted saying, ” I am a good white fighter in a predominately black and hispanic sport.” They (promoters) do not want me to succeed because I am white and good looking.”

That is something that remains to be seen. What we do know is that Morrison is taking his comeback seriously and anyone who did go for the pay-per-view didn’t see much in terms of an epic bout. Morrison floored the Wyoming journeyman Williams only 1:57 into the first round, possibly setting himself up for a bigger payday down the road.

Frankie “The Sports Guy” Maniscalco has been hosting his show in one capacity or another on WGBB and other outlets since 2007. Frankie prides himself on not only talking with former and current athletes but he also catches the story of people helping in the community. His interviews range from former baseball players like Tommy John to people giving back to help others.  Frankie has aired his show on such platforms asyoucastr and MVN. When Frankie is not doing a show on WGBB,  you can find him on the internet at Blog Talk Radio Sunday nights from 10:00pm to 11:00pm. He also started writing a blog on his website ( frankiethesportsguy.com ) as well as  writing a fantasy article for NY Baseball Digest. Whether on the air or in print, Frankie strives to capture his audience with the best guests and topics relating to sports.