But a scuffle during an event is fairly commonplace (it’s in the hockey rule book and the main attraction for many fans) and is usually explained by very competitive athletes losing it a bit in the heat of competition. Sweet chin music and hard fouls are merely part of their respective games.

In a sport as physical as mixed martial arts, things get heated and trash talk are part of the show. Saturday night’s StrikeForce event in Nashville was no exception. What makes this totally different than your average baseball bean brawl or pushing and shoving at a boxing press conference is because it happened during a MMA event on national television.

Jake Shields had just won his bout against Dan Henderson to improve his record to 21-4-1 and was being interviewed in the cage by CBS’ Gus Johnson, one hell of a basketball announcer but is out of his element calling MMA fights. Jason “Mayhem” Miller, who lost via decision to Shields back in November, somehow entered the cage and interrupted the live interview.

“Where’s my rematch, buddy?” Miller asked with a smile. Shields shoved him and a melee ensued. Miller’s corner men pulled him away while others went after Shields. The overhead camera clearly shows punches and kicks being thrown on a fallen Miller.

“Sometimes these things happen in MMA,” said Johnson, who was still in the crowded cage with his microphone, being heard not only over the television but also in the arena. “A lot of testosterone in the cage. Gentlemen, we’re on national television,” he futilely pleaded before announcing that they were going to step away for a commercial break.

What Johnson needed to do – and Monday morning quarterbacking is not our norm but in this case we feel the need to make an exception – was not to single out MMA. Saying that these things happen in sports would have sufficed. Even the testosterone remark can be overlooked. Hopefully the educated viewer understood what he meant and will not jump to any conclusions or accusations.

StrikeForce CEO Scott Coker reserved judgement on what action he would take until reviewing the video, although he said that he would indeed do so. “There is no place for that type of behavior in StrikeForce or any other MMA league,” said Coker, who was en route to the press conference area when the incident took place and did not witness it.

Coker also did not know why Miller (23-7), who had won an earlier fight against Tin Stout, was in the cage. “When you have the corner men that Jake has and something like that happens, you know there’s going to be an issue,” commented Coker. “I don’t know why [Miller] couldn’t have thought that out because I could have told you that prior to that. We should have kept them apart. I had no idea that he was going to do something like that but it will never happen again.”

Now we await the fallout from the mainstream media, who will undoubtedly use this incident as ammunition why MMA is ‘barbaric.’ “This is bad for the, which is still in its infancy,” Coker said. As it is, the media treats MMA as a second-class citizen and barely gives it a sniff. And having periodic network coverage result in an incident that even a member of their own announcing team mishandled will not do it any favors.

So the next time there is a fight on the basketball court or baseball diamond, listen to the reaction of the broadcast booth and see if there are any consistencies with Johnson’s rant.

Stock Photo: Esther Lin/StrikeForce

While they may have went as mainstream as they could by making the well-known Brock Lesnar the subject of the story, it was a quality segment with a live interview of the injured UFC heavyweight champion and league president Dana White.

“Let’s make it clear. I’m still the UFC heavyweight champion,” Lesnar said emphatically. The 32-year-old has been out since October with ended up being diagnosed as diverticulosis, a severe case of diverticulitis. He narrowly avoided surgery that would have resulted in his colon being removed, necessitating a colostomy bag and the end of his career and a completely different quality of life.

Since then, Lesnar has put back 30 of the 40 pounds that he lost in the hospital and has dumbfounded doctors by his recovery. “Basically the doctors said he got a lottery ticket,” White added. “It’s a miracle.”

So when will we see Lesnar back in the Octagon now that he has medical clearance? Well, before that happens, an interim heavyweight champ will be named at March’s UFC 111 in New Jersey. Shane Carwin, who Lesnar was scheduled to defend the belt against in November, will face Frank Mir. The winner will then take their shot against Lesnar (4-1), most likely in Australia this August.

To the average sports fan, they may have made a trip to the bathroom during this interview. But for the rest of us, not many stories are bigger than the champ – who was cut down before his prime by a freak medical condition – coming back to kick some ass. The outspoken Lesnar may be MMA’s most recognizable face right now and his return can only be good for the growth of the sport – at least on ESPN.

Coleman originally intended on competing in this year’s Olympia but his travel commitments with BSN proved to be too much and would have affected his preparation.

The back injury that caused him to finish in fourth place at the 2007 Mr. Olympia and subsequent surgery  that made him sit out 2008 is 100 percent and was not a factor in Coleman putting off his comeback by a year. Coleman feels that the time off will be an advantage for him, as far as the back recuperation and not putting his body through contest prep for the past few years.

Coleman made a recent guest posing appearance at the Atlantic States in New York City and stated that he weighed under 300 pounds that night. During his active career, he said that he would go as high as 320 in the offseason and cut down to approximately 295 on stage.

Tied with Lee Haney for the most Olympia wins, Coleman still has that fire and desire to go out there and will make history with his ninth Olympia victory.

When ‘The King’ walks on the stage next year in Las Vegas, it will be the biggest comeback in bodybuilding history since Arnold Schwarzenegger returned in 1980 after five years away from competing.

The episode including the interview can be heard using the media player below.

BE SURE TO READ OUR UPCOMING ONLINE MAGAZINE FOR UPDATES ON THE RON COLEMAN COMEBACK. THIS WILL BE PRODUCED THE SAME AS A PRINT PUBLICATION AND HAVE A ‘PAGE FLIPPER’ VIEWER.