The Lion Fight Promotions’ WBC full rules Muay Thai main event showdown between light heavyweight champion Joe Schilling (12-1, 10 KO’s) and undefeated top contender and bitter rival Simon Marcus (22-0, 17 KO’s), will be contested under winner-take-all terms at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, Feb. 25.  The terms have been approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).
The winner of the highly-anticipated matchup will take home not only his purse, but also his opponent’s entire purse, a rarity in combative sports.

“Joe was talking a lot about what he’s going to do to me and this and that, so I said ‘Put your money where your mouth is,” explained Marcus, who initiated the challenge to Schilling online two weeks ago.  “Money has never been the most important thing to me.  What’s important to me is that I show people – especially the media that have him ranked ahead of me – that I can dominate Joe.”

Schilling, who has been enduring a rigorous training camp that included regular sparring sessions with UFC superstar Nick Diaz before Diaz’s UFC 143 main event battle with Carlos Condit last Saturday, Feb. 4, has never been one to shy away from any kind of fight.

“He offered me the opportunity to take his purse and mine and I didn’t hesitate for a second to agree to it,” said Schilling, .who appeared on the final two episodes of “UFC 143 Primetime: Diaz vs. Condit” on FX,  “I’m going to kick his ass either way and, now it’ll just be more money in my pocket.  I’m going to expose him and show everyone that he’s just a pop tart.

“From the beginning, our goal has been to put together the best possible matchups between the top Muay Thai fighters in the world and, when you have two fighters like this who are so confident that they’re willing to put their entire payday on the line, it just makes a great matchup into an even greater one,” said Lion Fight Promotions CEO Scott Kent.

“The winner take-all purse concept has rarely been used in Nevada,” said Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer.  “This certainly should bring added interest and intrigue to this contest.”

Tickets, priced from $25, are available for purchase at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino box office, at all Ticketmaster outlets (800-745-3000) and online at Ticketmaster.com.

In other Lion Fight Promotions: Battle In The Desert 5, Live from The Joint main card action, streaking Las Vegas star and WBC International Middleweight Champion Chaz Mulkey (7-4, 3 KO’s), fresh off his fifth consecutive win at Lion Fight Promotions’ last event on Nov. 19, will face his toughest test to date in two-time world champion and WBC No. 5 ranked super middleweight (168 pounds) contender Gregory Choplin (59-9, 22 KO’s) of Miami, Fla. by way of Paris, France in the middleweight (160 pounds) co-main event.

Mulkey was victorious over British champion Simon Chu via unanimous decision in the main event of Battle In The Desert 4, Lion from The Joint, while Choplin, dropping down a weight class, is looking to return to the win column after two consecutive losses in Nov. and Dec 2011 in his native France.

Following his hard-fought, majority decision victory over Rami Ibrahim on Nov. 19, WBC national champion Phanuwat “Coke” Chunhawat (146-24-1, 24 KO’s) of Oakland, Calif. via Thailand will return to the squared circle an attempt to avenge a June 2011 defeat when he battles 21-year-old young gun Matt Embree (19-3, 9 KO’s) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada with the vacant WBC international lightweight (135 pounds) championship at stake.

The matchup between Chunhawat and Embree will serve as a rubber match.  In Sept. 2010, Chunhawat edged out a split decision over Embree, who returned the favor by winning in the same fashion in the second meeting.

Jose Palacios (5-2, 3 KO’s) of San Jose, Calif. will meet Shane Oblonsky (6-2, 3 KO’s) of Santa Ana, Calif. in a welterweight (147 pounds) matchup. Vivian Leung (2-0, 1 KO) of Las Vegas via Saskatoon, Canada will face Tiffany Van Soest (1-0) of San Diego, Calif. in a super bantamweight (122 pounds) bout.  Power striker Scotty Leffler (4-2, 3 KO’s) of Las Vegas will meet Sheldon Gaines (2-4, 1 KO) of Los Angeles, Calif. in a 142 pound catch weight fight and 21-year-old top prospect Anthony Castrejon (2-0, 1 KO) of Las Vegas will make the third start of his promising young career in a super bantamweight (122 pounds) fight with 28-year-old Francisco Barragan of Dallas, TX.

Doors at The Joint open at 4 p.m.  The first preliminary card bout will begin at 5 p.m.
About Lion Fight Promotions:

Lion Fight Promotions is a Las Vegas, Nevada-based world championship Muay Thai kickboxing promotion dedicated to producing matchups between the best Muay Thai fighters in the world in their respective weight classes.  Led by former Las Vegas casino executive, Scott Kent, the promotional company has been developed in consultation with Christine Toledo, one of the sport’s most popular champions and star of the Oxygen Network reality television show Fight Girls.  Both Kent and Toledo share a common passion for Muay Thai and are working together to promote the sport.

About Hard Rock Hotel & Casino:

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is Las Vegas’ off-strip playground, just minutes and less than three miles from McCarran International Airport.  The premier destination entertainment resort is owned by Brookfield Real Estate Finance Fund II, a division of Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM) and managed by WG-Harmon, LLC, a subsidiary of Warner Gaming, LLC.  Built in 1995, the property completed a $750 million expansion in 2010. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino offers an energetic entertainment and gaming experience with the services and amenities associated with a boutique luxury resort hotel. The property is known for its innovative nightlife and music scene where acts such as The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney, Incubus, Linkin Park, Foo Fighters and Carlos Santana have all performed.  Features of the property include an 11-story Casino Tower with 640 guest rooms, 17-story Paradise Tower with 490 rooms and suites and the all-suite HRH Tower with 359 suites, eight spa villas and seven penthouse suites; 72,000 square feet of casino space; 80,000 square feet of flexible meeting and convention space; more than $3 million in rare music memorabilia throughout the hotel; the luxurious Vanity Nightclub; Reliquary Water Sanctuary & Spa; Reliquary Salon; 4.8 acres of tropical pool paradise; REHAB, the trendsetting Sunday afternoon pool party; The Joint concert venue; Hart & Huntington Tattoo Co.; restaurants including traditional steakhouse with an edge 35 Steaks + Martinis, tapas hotspot Johnny Smalls, Mexican cantina Pink Taco, ‘round the clock diner Mr. Lucky’s Café and world-renowned Nobu; numerous cocktail lounges including The Lounge across from Pink Taco, Peacock Lounge and Blitzed Sports Lounge; and a state-of-the-art Fitness Center.  For room availability and additional information call 800.HRD.ROCK (800.473.7625) or visit www.hardrockhotel.com.

Contact:
Mike Afromowitz (917) 566-8754, mikea@yourwitzend.com
Christine Toledo (702) 480-6799, christine@lionfightpromotions.com

Courtesy of Mike Afromowitz/Lion Fight Promotions

“Our partnership with DREAM forms a promotional bond with the most prominent Japanese MMA organization,” said Billy Kelly, President of ProElite and COO of Stratus Media Group Inc. (SMDI:OTCBB) — parent company of ProElite. “Dream has developed a stable of great fighters on their roster and a strong team behind the scenes. With this exchange, the two organizations are building a cultural and fight-event bridge that our fans are sure to welcome.  W

The initial fighter exchange debuts this Saturday, January 21, in Hawaii when DREAM star and Japanese fan favorite Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa takes on Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove in the ProElite main event at the Neal Blaisdell Center.

“I’m really honored to join the partnership with ProElite,” said DREAM Event Producer Keiichi Sasahara.  “It is important for us to exploit Asian or Pan-pacific markets by improving relationships with foreign organizations like ProElite. We would like to make this fighter exchange program a first step to generate synergistic success for both organizations.”

DREAM Light heavyweight tournament runner-up Tatsuya Mizuno will take on Ilima Maiava, also on the Honolulu fight card while the always exciting voice of Japanese MMA, Lenne Hardt, will be joining the shows as the fighter walk out announcer.   The ProElite main fight card will be televised live on HDNet at 10:00 P.M. EST.  Tickets are on sale at the Neal Blaisdell Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), www.ticketmaster.com, andwww.proelite.com.

ABOUT PROELITE

Founded in 2006, ProElite has been a major global force in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA). ProElite, based in Los Angeles, California, continues its legacy to hold key domestic and international live MMA events. The company owns U.K. based MMA brand Cage Rage and is a significant stakeholder in Spirit MC in South Korea. ProElite signed a broadcast deal with HD NET in October 2011 to show our fights live in the highest quality video for consumers and will continue this great partnership into our future events. ProElite also produced one of the highest rated televised broadcasts of a live major network MMA event.

www.proelite.com

ABOUT STRATUS

Headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA, with offices in Los Angeles, California; New York City, NY; Geneva, Switzerland; and Perugia, Italy, Stratus Media Group, Inc. (SMDI) is an owner, operator, developer, producer, and marketer of live entertainment events. In addition, the company owns Stratus White, a new standard in personal lifestyle and card services for the global affluent. Available by invitation only, Stratus White is a discreet, elite member & partner community providing exclusive and unparalleled service and access across the luxury product & travel, social, sporting, cultural and philanthropic areas of life, including events and experiences.
www.stratusmediagroup.com
www.stratuswhite.com

ABOUT DREAM

Headquartered in Tokyo, DREAM is the only major Japanese major mixed martial arts organization started in 2008 and has held 20 events since. World-class fighters such as Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Hiroyuki Takaya and Gegard Mousasi have been fighting for the organization. DREAM is widely regarded as the top MMA event in Asia and aiming for Asian market in 2012 in order to take a leadership to bring the Asian MMA scene to the next step.

www.dreamofficial.com

Knothe was originally set to fight in Shark Fights 17 against Ricco Rodriquez, but because of a misunderstanding, couldn’t make the agreed upon catch weight.  Knothe spent the next two hours cutting over twenty pounds, but the commission deemed it too dangerous for him to drop anymore weight.  Shark Fights executive Wes Nolen states, “This main event title shot against Bobby Lashley is the perfect opportunity to make it up to Karl for the misunderstanding at Shark Fights 17.”  Nolen went on to say, “I want to thank Bobby Lashley for all his patience.  After three opponent changes, it would have been very easy for Bobby to call off the fight, but he’s a true fighter that accepted any and all opponents we put in front of him.  He has never complained once and just continues to train hard.”
Shark Fights 21 will take place on Friday, November 11, 2011 at The Fair Park Coliseum in Lubbock, Texas and will be broadcast via tape delay on FUEL TV beginning December 23, 2011.  Doors Open at 6:00pm CST.  Fights start at 7pm CST.  Tickets for Shark Fights 21 are on sale now at www.selectaseatlubbock.com.  Tickets are priced at $20, $30, $40, $55, $65, $75, and $100.  For more information, or current Shark Fights news, please visit www.sharkfights.com or www.facebook.com/sharkfights.  Fight card subject to change.

Main Event:
-Bobby Lashley (6-1) vs Karl Knothe (17-5)

Co-Main Event:
-Tony Bonello (15-1-1) vs Dave Roberts (4-7)

Main Card:
-Cody Pfister (5-3) vs. Isais Martinez (6-3)
-Willie Parks (3-1) vs Anselmo Martinez (7-5)
-Gabe Vasquez (4-4) vs Zach Haney (3-5)

Preliminary Bout:
-Daniel Almeida (6-0) vs John King (2-2)
-Cody East (0-0) vs Adenilson Clementino (1-0)
-Matt Hobar (3-0) vs Donnie Frye (3-10)
-Jeremiah Castillo (3-13) vs Zavier Garcia (0-1)
-Brian Joseph (1-0) vs Marcus Baldivia (0-1)

About Shark Fight Promotions:

Texas based Shark Fight Promotions, founded in 2007, is an integrated entertainment and media company in the combat sports industry, committed to producing high quality fight events and effectively showcasing elite MMA talent. The company is engaged in the production, promotion, presentation and marketing of premier professional mixed martial arts fighting competitions. As an integrated entertainment and media company, Shark Fight Promotions is organized around three principal business activities: Live Event Promotions, Broadcast Television and Digital Media Production and Distribution, Sponsorship and Brand Licensing.  As Mixed Martial Arts continues its dominance as the fastest growing sport in the world, Shark Fights is poised to become one of the top fight promotions in the industry.

Shark Fight Promotions can be followed via Facebook at facebook.com/SharkFights and via Twitter at twitter.com/SharkFights.
About FUEL TV 

FUEL TV is the only cable and satellite television network that features the exciting world of adrenaline and thrill-seeking sports and the stories that surround them. This new generation of sports provides a rich landscape of some of the most vibrant and action-packed television entertainment in the world. See why young adrenaline sports fans call FUEL TV the channel they never turn off. FUEL TV, part of FOX Sports Media Group, was launched July 1, 2003 and is seen in more than 30 million U.S. homes and can be accessed by broadband, mobile devices and other digital platforms such as iTunes®. FUEL TV programming is available in more than 50 countries around the world with 24/7 channels operating in Australia and Europe. To subscribe to FUEL TV, call 877-4-FUEL-TV. For program times and other information, visit www.fuel.tv.

###

Media Contact for Shark Fights: 

George Meng

Media and Public Relations

818-333-3694

pr@sharkfp.com

EXTREME TENSION!

Saturday, September 18th 2010

Doors open at 7pm TO MEET ‘THE BEAST’ - Show begins at 8pm

THIS IS AN AN ALL AMATEUR MMA CARD

Another Guest Added: Wilson Reis a jiu-jitsu world champion and first and only Elite XC Bantam weight champion (former) will be in attendance and also signing autographs.

TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED ON LINE AT www.the-dangerzone.com TICKETS WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR PRICE IS $5 MORE. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN FIGHTING ON FUTURE VA DANGER ZONE EVENTS OR YOU WANT TO SPONSOR CONTACT TIM TIBBS AT timtibbs@dangerzonemma.com IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HEALTH AND WELLNESS OR SAVING SOME MONEY VISIT MY SITES www.timtibbs.ieiro.com www.savingssociety.com/tibbs

Christian Darrow, the self-proclaimed undefeated prison fighter, was scheduled to go up against Bobby Campbell – who was going to be a trainer at Darrow’s Attica MMA gym –  in a kick boxing bout on a sanctioned card in Deer Park, New York. This match-to-be was hyped to shit with multiple YouTube videos, some that were quite entertaining. One was a press conference that Darrow arrived fashionably late to because, in his own words, “I got hammered drunk and lost my Camaro at like one o’clock in the morning. I think I woke up at like 5:08 on someone’s kitchen floor.”

Darrow, 48, has lost approximately 100 pounds over the last year and a half since getting out of jail after serving nearly 19 years for armed bank robbery and a major reason has been drug use, mainly cocaine. At the conference, he claimed to have been off cocaine for 22 days and that he was “getting in shape by not doing what I do.”

Bringing up his last fight, Darrow mentioned that before getting in the ring against James Funaro, that he had “OD’d on Sunday, had been getting high Monday to Wednesday, got high in the bathroom before I got in the ring” and that his ankle was broken in seven places (as well as suffering a broken rib) from the first round knockout he suffered a few months back.

“Everyone knows that I was embarrassed over that,” Darrow added. Speaking of the upcoming fight, Darrow said, “I’ll get in there if I’m dying to fight.”

Fast forward a few weeks and Darrow did show up, but with a doctor’s note in hand instead of ring gear. “I was not medically cleared to fight Bobby Campbell because of an eye injury,” Darrow stated on what has become the most infamous voice mail greeting on the Internet. “Everybody’s saying it’s fake or  I claimed it, but I could give two fucks. I’m not going blind to fight Bobby Campbell.”

Darrow went on to say that he was carrying the promotion and that as soon as he is medically cleared, he wanted to fight. “Don’t run away like you did in the parking lot,” he added.

So the mystery continues – if you want it to. We here at MuscleSport Mag have no problem admitting that we became involved with Darrow back in January because of the hype surrounding him on the Internet. Shit, we were hoping to be jumping on the bandwagon of the north east version of Kimbo Slice. Not taking a shot with this guy would have been bad business, so we gave it a go.

After the UCL no-show, it became apparent that Darrow had more problems than protecting his reputation. The guy apparently had a substance abuse problem and looked every bit the part. The last time that we had contact with him was in early March just after the Funaro loss.

But curiousity got the better of us and we did a little Google search over the summer. Sure enough, Darrow was once again up there with the pre-fight videos with Campbell. We decided to sit this one out and watch from afar, and after what happened we are glad that we made that decision.

Don’t bet that this will be the last anyone hears from Darrow. Just not sure yet if this will be a place for the news – good or bad.

The 27-year-old Couture, a member of the Las Vegas, Nev., based Xtreme Couture fight team, will face Lucas Stark of Chandler, Ariz. in a three-round lightweight (155 pounds) bout.

Looking to make a name for himself in the sport his father helped pioneer, Couture compiled an amateur record of 5-1-1 competing as a lightweight with all five wins coming by way of submission.  He has had access to a who’s who of MMA royalty as training partners and coaches, which, coupled with a solid amateur career, has given him the background and confidence to take his fight career to the next level.

Couture, whose parents split up when he was in sixth grade, spent his high school years in suburban Seattle.  With his father being a former wrestling coach at Oklahoma State University, Couture naturally developed into a talented high school wrestler.

Following high school, Couture enrolled in Western Washington University in Bellingham, where he graduated in 2004 with a mathematics degree. He worked at a local bank until he realized his desire to work in the family business.

Couture began his MMA training in 2006, working diligently to mature into a well-rounded fighter, adding Muay Thai and a dangerous submission game to his repertoire.  In January 2008, he moved to Las Vegas to train with his father.

In his final amateur bout on March 26, Couture fought to a draw against Sean Bollinger for the Tuff-N-UFF 155-pound title fight at The Orleans in Las Vegas.

Tickets for the Aug. 13 STRIKEFORCE Challengers event are on sale now through www.livenation.com <http://www.livenation.com/> , www.STRIKEFORCE.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/> , the Dodge Theatre Box Office, any Ticketmaster outlet or by phone at (800) 745-3000

In the main event, Phoenix native and MMA star Joe “Diesel” Riggs will take on knockout artist Louis Taylor at a catch weight of 182 pounds.

The event will also showcase a four-woman, single-elimination 135-pound tournament featuring STRIKEFORCE Women’s welterweight prospects Miesha “Takedown” Tate, Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm, Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano and Maiju Kujala.

Dodge Theatre doors will open at 5:15 p.m. MT for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event.  The first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. and the first main card bout will begin at 8 p.m.

STRIKEFORCE Challengers is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. The series is designed to provide today’s top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event.

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.

Source: Mike Afrmowitz/SrikeForce

The first-ever STRIKEFORCE event scheduled for mid-week will take place in the midst of the E3 Expo, the premier trade show for computer and video games. During E3 Expo 2010 at the L.A. Convention Center, EA SPORTS(tm) will exhibit its highly anticipated title, EA SPORTS MMA, in which STRIKEFORCE is featured as a premier league.

Tickets are on sale at STAPLES Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com <http://www.ticketmaster.com/> ) and STRIKEFORCE’S official website (www.strikeforce.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/> ).  Tickets will also be sold at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE box office on days when events take place there.

In other televised matches, hard-hitting “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (17-5) will collide with ex- STRIKEFORCE light heavyweight (205 pounds) champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral, at a catch weight of 195 pounds, DREAM belt-holder Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis (13-4) will face Evangelista Cyborg (17-13) in a welterweight (170 pounds) contest and American military hero, Tim Kennedy, will take on the dangerous Trevor Prangley in a middleweight match.

The SHOWTIME broadcast will begin at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). Doors at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE will open for the event at 6:15 p.m. PT.  The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m. and the first main card fight will begin at 8 p.m.

Noons will be making his STRIKEFORCE debut and fifth start on SHOWTIME. He has won four consecutive fights and is 7-1 in his last eight outings. His last defeat came to Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett on Feb. 10, 2007, in the opening bout on the historic first MMA fight card ever broadcast on network premium television (SHOWTIME).

A confident, prolific striker, Noons is the last fighter to defeat current STRIKEFORCE welterweight champion Nick Diaz. In a thrilling, bloody fight on Nov. 10, 2007, Noons won by first-round TKO when a cageside doctor stopped matters after the round due to excessive cuts around Diaz’ eyes.

The 5-foot-11, 27-year-old Noons won his three ensuing fights after the setback to Krazy Horse – all by knockout — over Edson Berto (KO 3, knee) on July 27, 2007, Diaz and Yves Edwards (TKO 1, punches and elbows) on June 14, 2008.

Following a near-two-year respite to continue a boxing career, Noons returned to MMA and won a decision over Andre Armado at DREAM 13 last March 22.

“They’re a lot of good fights out there for me in STRIKEFORCE,” said Noons, a former EliteXC 155-pound titleholder. “I’m looking forward to getting a good win and moving on to bigger and better things. Fighting in Los Angeles is very cool. I’m sure I’ll have a lot of friends and fans there rooting for me.”

The boyishly handsome Noons, who was born and raised in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, has been fighting for more than 20 years.

“My father was a professional kick boxer so I’ve been in martial arts since I was five or six years old and boxing and Muay Thai since I was eight or nine,” he said. “I’ve been doing this forever and finally it’s my time to shine again and I’m ready.”

Heun, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt who prefers to kickbox in the cage, is a superb athlete and former IFL and EliteXC fighter who turned pro in 2006.

The 5-foot-10, 30-year-old Eddie Bravo-trained fighter is competing for the first time since losing his STRIKEFORCE debut on a decision in one of the most entertaining brawls of the year to Jorge Gurgel during a STRIKEFORCE: Challengers event on June 19, 2009.

The setback in a fiercely contested, electrifying slugfest between two ground fighters that gave the fans a kickboxing exhibition stole the show. At the conclusion of a grueling, non-stop-action encounter fought at a catch weight of 160 pounds, they got a standing ovation.

Bloodied and battered, the athletes “put on a fight for the ages at 160 pounds,” SHOWTIME announcer Mauro Ranallo commented during the telecast.

“I may go home a couple of bucks shorter and with some scrapes but that was the most fun I’ve ever had. I live for those 15 minutes,” said Heun, who was the stronger fighter at the finish despite coming up short by the scores of 29-28 and 30-27 twice.

The loss ended a three-fight winning streak for the aggressive-minded Heun, who entered the bout, his first in nine months, having won seven of eight.

Heun is anxious to put together another winning streak, beginning on June 16. “I’ve been eyeing a fight like this, and have been calling out Noons for a long time,” Heun said. I’m beyond thrilled this fight was made. If Noons thinks this is going to be easy, he is in for the surprise of his life. This is my time”

Before turning to MMA, Heun was a former Division III National Qualifier wrestler at the University of Ithaca where he majored in English.  After graduating, Heun did not enter MMA immediately. Instead, he went into the corporate world and even owned his own clothing apparel line. He would later leave Colorado and move to California where he began to work as a dental assistant. A little more than a year ago, Heun beat up a bully MTV’s “Bully Beatdown.”

Doors at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE  will open at 6:15 p.m. PT.  The first preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com <http://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.

A guest on today’s “Opie and Anthony” satellite radio show on SiriusXM, Rogan (who is also a stand-up comedian and a ‘friend’ of the show) was asked by fellow comedian Jim Norton when Brock Lesnar will make his return in the Octagon against Shane Carwin.

“It will be on July 3, unless Lesnar fights Fedor,” Rogan responded.

This opened up an entirely new and exciting topic of the possibility of Fedor Emelianenko, arguably the best heavyweight mixed martial artist in the world, coming to UFC to face their top big man. Rogan added that White always does his best to bring the fans the fights they want to see and this is definitely one that has been the topic of discussion for some time.

“I would say the odds are 50/50 (of Fedor coming to the UFC),” said Rogan. ”With the Russian promoters, they’re tough to deal with. Anyone else and the odds would be 100 percent.”

White has gone on record as saying that Fedor has become his “obsession” but that he never negotiates with fighters that have contracts with other organizations, in this case StrikeForce/M-1 Global. On a video interview posted by Fanhouse/MMA Fighting.com this week on YouTube, White remarked, “I want it worse than the fans want it now. Believe me.”

White was very coy and spoke in general terms when the interviewer asked him about Fedor’s contract situation. White indicated that he has spoken to Fedor’s management personnel “more recent than you think.” The UFC mastermind also mentioned that the two sides, while there may not be the presence of “bad blood,” have “talked smack” to one another in  the past, most likely right before Fedor, 33, signed with StrikeForce last August. At the time, Fedor was quoted as saying, “I am looking forward to going back to work and fighting at the highest level. StrikeForce is a top fight promotion that houses some of the greatest fighters in the world. I am prepared to fight any of them.”

Known as “The Last Emperor,” Fedor has a professional MMA 31-1-0 record, with the one defeat of the controversial variety. On December 22, 2000, he sustained a cut at the beginning of the first round versus Tsuyoshi Kohsaka in Osaka, Japan. The fight was stopped and the official decision was a TKO for Kohsaka. At 6′ and 230 pounds, the native of Russia would be giving up three inches in height and 35 pounds in weight to the 32-year-old Lesnar.

The Minnesotan will be making a comeback after having to sit out since pounding Frank Mir at UFC 100 on July 11, 2009. Lesnar suffered an illness first diagnosed as mononucleosis, but was later discovered to be a serious case of diverticulitis. Because of a perforated intestine, Lesnar suffered many ailments, with mono being the least of his problems. Lesnar underwent surgery last November and all told, lost approximately 40 pounds.

Both he and White apeared on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” in January announcing that Lesnar was back in training and had put back 30 pounds of the weight he lost while being sick and his subsequent convalescence. He is still considered the UFC Heavyweight Champion and was scheduled to fight either Carwin or Mir to unify the titles. In March, Carwin won the interim championship by defeating Mir in New Jersey at UFC 111.

But now with these recent developments, that all may change – for the better. White wouldn’t have it any other way.

MuscleSport Mag has contacted StrikeForce for a response and to ascertain the status of Fedor’s contract. We will do a follow-up once a reply is sent.

“After being knocked around by a grown man, someone closer to my age or size was a joke to me,” Darrow said with a laugh at something that is far from funny. “When you’re growing up, everyone knows that one kid who was faster than anyone else around, could play baseball better, or was tougher. Well, that was me. I could fight.”

Darrow strayed in his adulthood and served 19 years in prison, the majority of his sentences due to bank robberies. He was released on October 17, 2008, but not before he had his fair share of jailhouse brawls. To stay alive behind bars, Darrow had to do whatever was necessary. He claims to have an undefeated fight “record” in jail, and the fact that he is here to talk about it gives it some credence.

Now 48, Darrow has endured more than just someone trying to shank him in the commissary. He was first diagnosed with skin cancer five years ago and has to deal with that fear every day since.

Regardless of his illness, Darrow has chosen to do what he has always done best now that he is a free man. He has entered the world of mixed martial arts, the burgeoning sport that was not even invented yet when Darrow first went to prison.

“They call this Ultimate Fighting…that’s the dumbest shit I ever heard,” Darrow said emphatically. “This is just a sport, that’s all. You can tap out, there’s a referee there to rescue you, there are rounds and rules. Where I came from (prison), you had to do what you had to do just to stay alive – sometimes against more than one guy.”

Speaking in his place of business awaiting its grand opening, Attica MMA Gym (www.atticamma.com) in Farmingville, New York, Darrow has made strides in a short period of time. He has joined the USFC promotion, once known as the Underground Street Fighting Championship but now called the Ultimate Super Fight Championship, Inc. JoJo Energy Drink has signed him to an endorsement contract and he is preparing for his inaugural match in February versus James Funaro, a local amateur fighter with a 4-3 record who last fought on December 11, 2009 at Asylum Fight League XXIV. He lost by a TKO to Michael Fischetti when the referee stopped the fight due to a cut at 2:27 of the first round.

Funaro, 23, stands at 5’11” and weighs 177 pounds. Darrow is slightly taller at 6’ and has come down from 240 pounds a year and a half ago to 175. The latter has signed a one-fight contract with the Underground Combat League (www.savevaletudo.com) to face Funaro. According to Peter Storm, the owner of the UCL, this fight will answer many of the questions being asked.

“I’m really excited that Christian will be making his official MMA debut in our league,” he said. “This is a good opportunity for everyone to see what he can do. The UCL has been around for seven years and is the number one amateur league in the country.”

Storm called this fight a “grudge match,” and one that could “garner a lot of attention.” This stems from a recent altercation that Darrow had with Funaro, one that has been the subject of much chatter on the Internet.

“This young man wrote some things online, that I was dating his cousin and there was some personal animosity towards me,” said Darrow. “I then heard that he was teaching at this school where I had sent my five-year-old son to camp. And he said some foul things.” Darrow then stated that he went down to the location on his own to confront Funaro and they took it outside.

“I got a little nervous, there was a bunch of guys around me and I slapped him,” he admits. “He took me down then his brother took a video camera out.” That’s when Darrow had to make a decision, one that would have either make or break the contract that he signed with JoJo Energy Drink just a few months earlier that prohibits him from street fighting.

“I told him to put the camera away and that I couldn’t fight back,” continued Darrow. “This young man (James Funaro) hit me with about 20 nasty-ass shots, broke my jaw and knocked me out. The kid could fight.”

The next battle will take place at an undisclosed location somewhere in the five boroughs of New York City. MMA has not been legalized in the state yet, thus the reason why cards such as this one need to be held under such clandestinity. There has even been talk of a reality television show based on the league and its fighters, hopefully culminating with the passing of the law to make MMA legal in New York.

As he looks ahead, Darrow said, “When I get in there with Funaro, will the cage become bars and his hands become knives (in his mind)? Probably.”

Darrow may even reach back into his memory when he was a mere seven years old and had a much tougher opponent than Funaro to deal with.

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