http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/home.aspxPaul Lazenby covers everything MMA.en-usCopyright 2012, CFOX-FMThu, 17 May 2012 02:47:22 GMTFri, 04 May 2012 02:49:25 GMT1http://emmisinteractive.comMaking good on his promise to come out of retirement, world-traveled (and BC-based) MMA pioneer Kultar “The Black Mamba” Gill has committed to a May 6th battle with South Africa’s Quinton Arendse in New Delhi, India for the fast-rising Super Fight League.  And fighting on the same card will be one of the brightest stars of Kultar’s “Mamba MMA” fight team in Gurdarshan (Gary) “St. Lion” Mangat.  Fresh off a decision win over the dangerous Dan “The Samurai” Lin, former Battlefield Fight League amateur champion Mangat looks to go 3-0 as a professional at the expense of China’s Liu Si Cong.  Best of luck to St. Lion and the Mamba in bringing back victories from their ancestral home to their current one!  For information on how to watch the fights LIVE, visit PaulLazenby.com!http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10379756prlazenby@gmail.com (Paul Lazenby)http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10379756Fri, 04 May 2012 02:49:25 GMTNever let it be said that the upcoming Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva UFC middleweight title fight was relocated from Brazil to Las Vegas because of any fear on Sonnen’s part, as the Oregon-based wrestler demonstrated when he traveled to Rio de Janeiro on April 24th to address his millions of Brazilian detractors.  Security measures were at an all-time high for Brazil’s most hated athlete, who showed no fear at a UFC 148 press conference as he strutted around wearing a “disguise” of a fake nose and eyeglasses, telling an increasingly-combative press corps: “People were asking, which Nogueira brother was I?  The fat one or the bald one?  The one that was good or the one that was never good?”  The plug eventually had to be pulled when hostilities reached a fever pitch, with UFC president Dana White reporting that one member of the Brazilian press even jabbed Sonnen with ...http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10377129prlazenby@gmail.com (Paul Lazenby)http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10377129Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:36:42 GMTOn April 21st, after over a half-decade of relentless campaigning, Duncan, BC native and former UFC title contender John “The Natural” Alessio was finally granted his long-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC 145 in Atlanta, GA.  Stepping in to face the supremely-tough Jiu-jitsu monster Mark Bocek only one month after scoring a grinding three-round victory over Ryan Healy in Hamilton, ON, Alessio acquitted himself well in his first UFC fight since 2006, giving his opponent fits with superior standing skills but unfortunately ceding the advantage to Bocek whenever the fight hit the ground.  However, Alessio fought hard and competitively to the final second, and walked away having turned in a performance that definitely warrants a return to the greatest MMA show on earth!http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10374130prlazenby@gmail.com (Paul Lazenby)http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10374130Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:15:47 GMTIn the wake of UFC heavyweight title contender Alistair Overeem testing positive for elevated testosterone levels, many were wondering what would become of his scheduled shot against champion Junior Dos Santos at UFC 146.  But even though Overeem has yet to state his case before the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the UFC wisely chose to pull the plug on the bout before possibly being forced to do so.  Former champion Frank Mir, who was slated to face Cain Velasquez on the same all-heavyweight card, has now been bumped up into contender status after his well-timed appeals for the vacant spot, while mammoth Brazilian Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva will be stepping in to face Velasquez in Mir’s place.  Although drug test disasters are far from a new thing, Overeem may have just set the record for the most expensive case of testosterone-related self-destruction in the history of the UFC!http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10374127prlazenby@gmail.com (Paul Lazenby)http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10374127Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:15:20 GMTOn the verge of the biggest fight of his already-illustrious career, former Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 champion Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem may have blown his chance at a multimillion-dollar run in the UFC.  After delaying a drug test prior to his December 30th bout with Brock Lesnar by taking off for his native Holland, Overeem was granted only a provisional license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, under the condition that he submit to several surprise drug tests.  One of those tests came at a March 28th press conference for his upcoming title shot against UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos, and the results did not do the hypermuscular Dutchman any favours. The NSAC allows athletes to have a testosterone/epitestosterone ratio of up to 6:1, but Overeem logged a staggering 14:1, signifying the highly-likely use of performance-enhancing drugs.  It appears that Overeem’s UFC career may be ending just as ...http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10368418prlazenby@gmail.com (Paul Lazenby)http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10368418Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:28:11 GMTIn the wake of Brock Lesnar’s retirement from MMA competition, many speculated on a possible return of the former UFC heavyweight champion to his previous home of World Wrestling Entertainment.  However, despite a grandstand challenge from The Undertaker at UFC 121, and WWE chairman Vince McMahon’s intense interest in regaining one of his top draws, the prospects of a Lesnar return to wrestling--sorry, “sports entertainment”--looked dim.  But then it was announced that Lesnar had been released from his UFC contract, rendering him free of its restrictive "non-compete" clause.  After he was spotted at Miami International Airport prior to WrestleMania XXVIII, WWE fans felt sure that Lesnar's comeback was soon to happen, and on the April 2nd episode of Monday Night RAW, it did.  With minutes to go in the broadcast, Lesnar emerged to hit John Cena with the dreaded F-5, sending the capacity crowd into a frenzy and serving emphatic ...http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10367627prlazenby@gmail.com (Paul Lazenby)http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10367627Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:28:15 GMTIt’s been a tough week for two of the biggest names to come out of Strikeforce, “King” Mo Lawal and Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem. Overeem was recently sentenced to 50 hours of community service and anger-management counseling after a January 2nd incident in which he allegedly pushed a woman in the face outside a Las Vegas casino. But Lawal had it far worse, receiving a punishment for a failed steroid test (which he blamed on an over-the-counter supplement called "S-Mass") that included a 9-month suspension and a $39 000 fine. But it got even worse for former NCAA wrestling champion Lawal, as his subsequent Twitter remarks about Nevada State Athletic Commission official Pat Lundvall being a “racist bitch” earned him his walking papers from Zuffa, turning him into an outcast from both Strikeforce and UFC. Certainly not a career-defining week for either fighter, and hopefully one from which they ...http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10365513prlazenby@gmail.com (Paul Lazenby)http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10365513Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:04:34 GMTIn a move that sadly surprised few, UFC president Dana White recently announced at a press conference in Calgary that, over the next two years, that city along with Montreal and Toronto would be the three Canadian centres getting visits from the world’s top MMA organization. Conspicuously absent was Vancouver, which had received visits on both of the past two summers, but which had also heaped more rules, regulations, taxes and fees upon UFC than any host city in its history. Going back several years, Vancouver City Council has made it obvious that, in spite of the tremendous support and stellar track record of MMA in this city, they do not welcome the world’s fastest-growing sport or the badly-needed money that comes with it. Without even completely understanding what MMA is, they have done everything they could to drive it away (details on the PUNCH INNA FACE video blog at ...http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10363462prlazenby@gmail.com (Paul Lazenby)http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10363462Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:51:59 GMTOne month after Vancouver hosted the invitation-only world premiere of the new documentary "I am Bruce Lee", our city will finally see public screenings of what is arguably the best onscreen examination of the iconic movie star ever to date.  A co-production of Spike TV, Lee’s daughter Shannon and local author/filmmaker Pete McCormack (who also gave us the universally-acclaimed "Facing Ali"), "I am Bruce Lee" digs further beneath the surface of the legendary martial artist than ever before, using interview and movie/TV clips, discussions with celebrities and fighters, and most importantly, extensive insight straight from the mouths of Lee’s daughter and his widow, Linda.  There are only two screenings scheduled for this must-see film on March 8th and 17th, so visit http://www.cineplex.com/Events.aspx to get your tickets NOW!http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10357852prlazenby@gmail.com (Paul Lazenby)http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10357852Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:30:12 GMTOn Saturday night, Olympic judo medalist “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey shocked the world by claiming the Strikeforce women’s world bantamweight title in her very first fight at that weight.  While her entire undefeated career (4-0 with 4 submissions) had been spent at 145, Rousey dropped to 135 to face champion Miesha “Takedown” Tate, with whom Rousey had been trading smack-talk for weeks in a build-up that nearly ended with a brawl at the weigh-in.  And just like in every other fight of her pro career, Rousey (who was cornered by the iconic "Judo" Gene Lebell and who uses her nickname with the blessing of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper) ended things in the first round with an armbar that gruesomely snapped the champion’s limb the way Rousey did to Gibson MMA’s Julia Budd last November.  Next up for the Rowdy one is a defense against former champion and Victoria native Sarah Kaufman, whose ...http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10355929prlazenby@gmail.com (Paul Lazenby)http://www.cfox.com/blog/fox_mma_minute/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10355929Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:10:45 GMT