Karo Parisyan

The Nevada State Athletic Commission announced Tuesday that UFC welterweight Karo Parisyan will remain temporarily suspended after testing positive for Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, and Hydromorphone following his January victory over Dong Hyun Kim

In the days leading up to the bout rumors surfaced that Parisyan may not be medically cleared for the contest due to a prescription taken for anxiety and panic attacks, causing the UFC to have a replacement on hand should he be forced out of the fight. However, “The Heat” was ultimately permitted to compete, earning a close decision win at UFC 94.

With it appearing to be only a matter of time before a suspension and fine are handed down, Parisyan will next appear in front of the NSAC in mid-March when the commission is expected to make a final ruling on the test.

It is expected that his suspension will make him unavailable for his rumored UFC 98 fight against Josh Koscheck.

Georges St-Pierre

UFC 100 is expected to be the biggest show in the history of the UFC and rumors have already started to swirl about the event and what the UFC will offer fans. UFC President Dana White confirmed during a recent radio show appearance in Canada that the event will feature a title bout between welterweight title-holder Georges St-Pierre and American Top Team number-one contender Thiago Alves.

Both of these fighters have had their share of controversy over the past twelve months. GSP was a target of fellow fighters, fans, and the media after his now-controversial victory over BJ Penn, which resulted in what we now know as “grease gate”. Alves’ controversy resulted from his inability to make weight for a June 2008 fight with Matt Hughes. “The Pitbull” also found himself in some hot water regarding banned dietetics, but that is a buried issue at this point in time.

UFC 100 is sure to be an amazing night of MMA. We know of one title fight to take place, but others are likely to follow. Rumors indicate that TUF coaches Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson will meet on the card and Rashad Evans is expected to put the light heavyweight belt on the line against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson or Lyoto Machida. We have several months before the event and the UFC is sure to throw together an amazing night that will attract a record number of fans for the historic 100th event. One thing I would like to see at the event is the induction of some additional fighters into the UFC Hall of Fame.

MMAFrenzy.com will share additional rumors and news on UFC 100 as it becomes available.

The fight card is full of guys you may have heard of, and some that you definitely will in the future. The fight card consists of:

• Kris McCray vs. Manny Okorie
• Brendan Schaub vs. Dave Brytus
• Kyle Baker vs. Levon Maynard
• Felice Herrig vs. Iman Achhal
• Cody Donovan vs. Phil Davis
• Ron Stallings vs. Whisper Goodman
• Marcus Foran vs. Richie Hightower
• John Dobson vs. Jose Villarisco

The co-main events of the night:

• Antwain Britt vs. Jamal Patterson
• Mike Easton vs. Chase Beebe

If the fight card itself didn’t impress you the special guests might. Expected to be on hand is future UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes, Robbie Lawler, and Hermes Franca.

Jon Koppenhaver

Jon Koppenhaver is a colorful character and when it comes to his Myspace blog he holds nothing back, truthfully putting his opinion on the site for everyone to read. After several recent posts cost him his job with the soon-to-debut Bellator Fighting Championships, he decided to try to clear some things up. The following are his newest comments.

“As you all know I post some very controversial bulletins, a few of which have affected my career in a very negative way. At this I feel the need to clear a few things up. First, I need to admit that my comment regarding Obama was completely out of line. In all sincerity I do not wish any harm done to the President and I realize that it was a very stupid thing to write so I am publicly apologizing to the President and to his supporters.

In the beginning of my career it was brought to my attention (by some ignorant advisors, which I now realize) that my image as a professional fighter is more marketable if I am controversial. Controversy does grab attention. Part of creating that controversy is consistently saying things in a public format that I know will cause a reaction. Along with my loyal fans, I know that part of my popularity as a fighter is that people want to see me get my ass kicked. I knew that my Obama bulletin would gain me more fans as well as make a lot more people hate me and that was exactly the reaction I was going for. Obama is one of the most loved people in the country right now.

Once I thought it through, it was too late. I removed the post an hour later. But the harm was done. So, at this point I’m being a man and I’m publicly admitting that I was wrong. What I wrote was stupid. So once again I want to reiterate the point that I really do not hope anything bad happens to him.

I also want to man up and apologize for my comments that I made regarding the Bellator Fighting Championship, ESPN and Disney. You can’t imagine the frustration of training day after day, week after week, year after year, to do one thing: FIGHT. I was really looking forward to showcasing my ability in that tournament. There’s no way for you to imagine the heartbreak I felt when I found out that I wasn’t going to be able to compete. Looking back now, I realize that if I ran an up and coming professional organization like Bellator, I wouldn’t want my event associated with a “wild card” posting crazy shit about the President either. I understand why they did what they did. I admit that. I’m still pissed that I can’t compete in the tournament, but there is no one I can be pissed at other than MYSELF.

The last thing I want to address is my recent arrest Saturday night. There is a lot of B.S. information online and I want to clear things up. I was not out drinking, and I wasn’t hanging out in that club. I was employed there. The incident occurred with a co-worker and a 300lbs. doorman at that. After discussing what really happened with my attorneys, I am confident that once all is said and done, it will be easy to prove that I did not commit any battery that night. I’d love to get into details, but I can’t right now.

A month ago I moved back to Las Vegas to take advantage of the training partners and resources at Xtreme Couture and I have been training harder and with more intensity and discipline than at any point in my life. I only have one real goal in my MMA career: to prove to myself and to the world that I am the best. I know that I can compete against the best in the world and I can beat them. All over the underground people are saying that my career is finished, that I’m self-destructing, and that I’m a “loose cannon.”

What I have to say to those people is this: WATCH ME. I am one of the hardest working fighters in MMA today. Though I admit I’ve made a couple of dumb decisions, I want the world to know that I will prove every critic wrong. I’ll fight wherever I can, and I’ll prove that I belong at the very top. I thank my supporters for sticking by me, and I dare my haters to bet against me.”

This sounds like a true apology from a man that is willing to change. The move to Vegas should be a good one with the training partners at Xtreme Couture providing him many great things, one of which could be much needed leadership. If he is serious about his fighting career then he definitely has some serious work ahead of him. Not only does he have to prove his worth to an organization, but also has to prove to the millions of MMA fans that he is a fighter to be reckoned with. If Junie Browning can fight in the UFC, so can Koppenhaver.

Jens Pulver

Jens “Little Evil” Pulver has lost 3 straight and has lost 5 out of his last 6 fights. Most fighters would take this sign and hang it up, but not Jens. It is no doubt that Pulver is one of the most important lightweights in the history of the sport, but it appears that his career could be coming to a close. I say appears because that is only if you are looking at his glass as half empty. In Pulver’s eyes the glass may not appear half full, but it is certainly not empty. In his most recent blog entry on his website, Pulver had this to say about his future in the sport:

“I meant what I said I am not done, I am gonna stay the course cause I believe in AMC and Matt Hume. I know that I am improving and I know that what I am learning out there is relevant and I will come back from all this. My life has been a roller coaster full of ups and downs, but it is a ride I am not ready to get off of just yet. I am too Driven and enjoy being around the fans too much to pack it in just yet. I hope all is well with all of you.”

Jens Pulver began fighting in the UFC well before many of the current fighters on the roster. Although he has been around awhile don’t call him old. At worst you could call him seasoned. In his illustrious career he is 22-11-1. He has wins over B.J. Penn, Cub Swanson, Robert Emerson, Caol Uno, and Joe Stevenson. He has been a coach on the UFC’s reality show The Ultimate Fighter, and is a face of the old school Miletich camp. He is one of those fighters that you can’t help but like. At this point in time it is unknown who Pulver will take on next, but he now has an upward climb in the future if he wants another title shot.

Cole Miller

UFC lightweight Cole Miller does more than just fight. In his time away from the Octagon he likes to participate in Triathlons. If you are not familiar a tri, as they are often referred, it is a race in which the participants swim, bike, and run. Some MMA fighters use triathlons to keep an intense level of conditioning while not specifically training for a fight and Cole Miller is one of these fighters. The triathlon season has started and he is not wasting any time, completing races on the 1st and 8th of February.

These long distance races were a combination of 1/4 mile swim, 10 mile bike, and a 2.5 mile run. On his personal website (colemiller.com) Cole said “I finished 10th in my age group. My times have to get alot better since im turning 25 this year i got bumped up into a new , harder, age group. Anyways my time was 1:02, not bad. I had a solid run and swim. the bike is what im worst at and the course was not a straight loop like last weeks, it was a slower course with more turns in it so my bike was alot slower than i wouldve liked. all in all i enjoyed the tri much more than last weekends. the water has been so cold so my wetsuit has become my new best friend… I wish i could do another one next weekend but there won’t be another one in my area until 3/1. I’m looking forward to it.”

In the near future Cole will begin training for MMA badboy Junie Browning, who Miller will face on April Fool’s day at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Miller is 3-1 in his UFC career and is also a benefactor of The Ultimate Fighter.

Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Emelianenko is considered to be the best heavyweight fighter in the history of MMA, ranking in the top 2 or 3 in every pound for pound ranking you will find. In Russia he is their Michael Jordan, but his sport of calling is Sambo. Fedor and his brother Aleksander will enter the 2009 Russian Combat Sambo Championship, which takes place on February 21st at Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. The two brothers will both enter the competition in the same weight class of 100-Kg, making an all-Emelianenko finals a likely possibility.

Fedor will be looking to do something he hasn’t ever done as he tries to rebound from a third place finish in his last Sambo Tourney. Fedor is in a league of his own when it comes to wins and losses in both sports. He has only suffered 1 MMA loss and that was due to an illegal elbow with many feel that he has never been beaten in the sport of MMA. His recent Sambo loss last November was not as controversial. He suffered a 8-5 loss to Bulgarian Blagoi Ivanov, but was able to finish third in the tournament. The loss was his first in 8 years in the sport.

Everyone outside of Fedor’s camp made this a much larger deal than truth be told. Everyone has a bad day. Although the king of Sambo had seemed to be unbeatable, the loss was simply one loss. One reason the loss was taken out of proportion was the fact that Sambo is more of a past time for him. It isn’t what pays the bills, and outside of Russia it is not what defines the fighter.

Fedor successfully defended his WAMMA world title against Andrei Arlovski via first-round knockout in January and at this time his next opponent for an MMA fight has not been put on paper, though he’s expected to meet Josh Barnett this summer.

Jason Mayhem Miller

Attention all Mayhem Monkeys:  Jason “Mayhem” Miller will return from his short retirement to face Kala “Kolohe” Hose in the headlining matchup of KINGDOM MMA’s debut event on the weekend of March 28th at the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii.

In his career Miller has a solid record of 21-6, owning wins over Denis Kang and Robbie Lawler. He also took current UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre to a decision, but was defeated in the bout.  His last fight was last June where he suffered a defeat at the hands of Ronaldo Souza. Prior to that fight he was riding the wave of a 4 fight win streak.  Miller will undoubtedly be the stronger fighter on the ground in this match up of styles, and that is where he most likely will push for this one to go.

Hose can accurately be defined as a pure standup fighter.  All of his 7 wins have been by TKO.  Kala is an exciting fighter that rarely leaves the fight in the hands of the judges. He hasn’t let a fight go to decision since losing a unanimous decision to Reese Andy in the early part of 2005.  Hose will likely try to keep the fight standing so that he can use his superior punching power to finish Miller.

This looks to be an exciting fight and will provide the winner with a key victory to add to their resume.  Mayhem was once a fighter that seemed destined to be a UFC star.  His exciting style and solid ground game could be marketed in the UFC today but they have shown little to no interest.

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for the latest MMA news.

Rich Clementi

The UFC is continuing to shrink their roster, cutting a hand full of fighters in recent days, according to Five Ounces of Pain, including Rich Clementi, Luigi Fioravanti, Derek Downey, Christian Wellisch, and Eddie Sanchez. This move not only downsizes the UFC’s massive roster, but will also put the fear of being cut on the minds of many struggling UFC fighters.

Luigi Fioravanti is an American Top Team member that has fought to a .500 record by going 2-2 in his last four fights. He was defeated by 170-pound up and comer Anthony Johnson via first round TKO at UFC Fight Night 17 last Saturday. Although this didn’t appear to be a terrible loss, it does appear to be the one that cost Luigi his Job.

The magic number to be worried about being released seems to be two-straight as Clementi, Wellisch, and Sanchez all had two-straight losses.

Rich Clementi is not far off from a 3 fight win streak that had him starting to climb the lightweight rankings. That streak came to a crashing halt as he then lost his next two bouts. Fresh off of losses to Gray Maynard and Gleison Tibau he is now on the outside looking in.

Christian Wellisch’s string of bad luck started with a loss to Shane Carwin and continued against Jake O’Brien while Eddie Sanchez suffered losses to Justin McCully and Antoni Hardonk.

Downey lost his UFC debut at UFN 17 last weekend against fellow newcomer Nick Catone and will not get another chance to prove to the UFC brass that he is worth keeping.

The UFC is known for having the best fighters in the world and one way to make sure they live up to this reputation is to drop fighters that may be struggling or have not shown signs of being a true contender. Luigi Fioravanti and Rich Clementi have both shown signs of being at least a mid-tier fighter, but the UFC didn’t agree. Other fighters that could be on the way out in the future could be Pete Sell (lost 4 out of last 5), Kendall Grove (lost 2 out of last 3), and Jorge Rivera (lost 5 out of last 9).

Hughes recently announced on his official website that he will likely be able to fight in 6 to 7 months:

“Went to the doctor yesterday, he performed quite a few tests on my knee. With the results of the tests on my knee and from what I have told him, he definitely thinks the MCL and the PCL is rebuilding itself. The next time I go back up there, in a month to a month and a half, I will get an MRI and that way he can get a picture of the knee and he can see better what’s going on. So right now, I’m going to work out lightly, try and build up my quadricep as much as I can. Do nothing with the hamstring really, from what he said and he says possibly being able to fight in 6-7 months.”

Based on the timeline it doesn’t appear Hughes will be ready to fight rival and fellow former champion Matt Serra on the UFC’s late-December new years show.

Many fans and critics feel that Hughes should hang up the gloves while continuing to coach full time at the H.I.T Squad, but Hughes wants to keep fighting. In MMA’s version of Brett Favre we will have to wait and see what the future holds.