What’s happening in the world of mixed martial arts now…

By Loretta Hunt (loretta@thefightnetwork.com)

The Fight Network is off to Los Angeles and the Wizard World Comic Book and Pop Culture Convention today, where official weigh-ins for this weekend’s International Fight League event kick-off at the L.A. Convention Center at 3 PM PST.


Weighing in today for Saturday’s event at The Forum:

Sabres (Tokyo) (1-0) vs. Condors (Southern Calif.) (1-0)

Trenell “Savant” Young (1-0 IFL, 7-4 0verall) vs. Adam Lynn (0-1, 10-6)
Antonio McKee (1-0, 18-3-2) vs. Rodrigo Rua s (0-0, 3-3-1)
Kazuhiro Hamanaka (0-1, 4-3-1) vs. Jeremy Williams (1-0, 6-2)
Vladimir Matyushenko (1-0, 16-3) vs. Justin Levens (0-1, 9-4)
Wayne Cole (0-0, 6-3) vs. Antoine Jaoude (1-0, 5-2)

Razorclaws (San Jose) (0-1) vs. Anacondas (Los Angeles) (1-0)

Josh Odom (1-1, 4-2) vs. Chris Horodecki (4-0, 8-0)
Donnie Liles (0-0, 7-2) vs. Jay Hieron (3-1, 11-3)
Brian Foster (1-1, 8-10) vs. Benji Radach (1-0, 13-3)
Brian Ebersole (San Jose, Calif.) (0-0, 27-12) vs. Alex Schoenauer (2-3, 10-7)
Dan Christison (Las Vegas) (0-0, 8-4) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (2-2, 11-6-1)


COMING TO A TV SCREEN NEAR YOU - KIMBO

Black Entertainment Television (BET) is the latest outlet to dive into the MMA fray, commencing auditions this week for a reality TV series entitled “The Iron Ring.” Under the New Jersey Athletic Control Board’s eye this past week, hopefuls sparred and grappled for the camera in the hopes of being selected. The hook is these fighters will be relegated under hip-hip celebrities who will oversee their training, culminating in a round-robin tournament.

In N.J., musical artist Ludacris attended auditions; while in Florida, Baltimore Ravens’ linebacker Ray Lewis and infamous Internet brawler Kimbo Slice will have a hand in the selection process. In Los Angeles, comedian/actor Eddie Griffin and musical artist Snoop Dog have been enlisted.

The project is being spearheaded by Zilo Network Co-Founders and Executive Producers David Isaacs and Campbell McLaren, who with Semaphore Entertainment Group, produced some of the Ultimate Fighting Championship events throughout the 1990s.


A CAUTIONARY TALE

Though MMA has gone through unprecedented growth and good fortune over the last few months, not all stories are rosy. In "A Cautionary Tale," The Fight Network’s Jack Encarnacao investigates the circumstances surrounding New Hampshire native Calvin Bales, 37, who suffered a stroke following a fight on Nov 17. No medical testing was conducted prior to his bout, he says.

POSTED -- 03/16/07