mma news

Rumors have swirled in the mixed martial arts world about the status of the sport's heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko, who was surprisingly not included in the upcoming Strikeforce card on CBS. Is Fedor hurt? Will Fedor still fight Fabricio Werdum? Are Fedor and his promotion, M-1 Global, having problems with Strikeforce? Will Fedor fight in Japan? Will he fight in the UFC?

M-1 Global's official response: Yes, maybe, no, maybe and no.

When James Toney will make his UFC debut remains to be seen, but the multi-time boxing champion already has plenty of fighters interested in facing him, from former UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture to relative newcomer Kimbo Slice.

Because of his pro boxing background, Toney will present a fascinating test case when the UFC matches him up and a state athletic commission goes through the process of approving an opponent. MMA Fighting spoke to one of the men who could be faced with the task, Nevada state athletic commission executive director Keith Kizer, on what potential roadblocks the UFC could expect to face in setting up a potential bout.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker commented Thursday on Fedor Emelianenko's absence from the April 17 Strikeforce-CBS card, downplaying the promotion's contract renegotiations with Fedor and his M-1 Global management.

"I look forward to having Fedor back and I think it'll happen sometime late second quarter and maybe in the summertime," Coker said Thursday on ESPN's MMA Live. "I feel confident that we'll get through this process, and move on."

M-1 Global last week confirmed Fedor would not be fighting on the Strikeforce-CBS card in April. According to M-1 Global, Fedor will fight in May against Fabricio Werdum.

The UFC formally announced last month that Kimbo Slice would be making his pay-per-view debut at UFC 113. But Kimbo's fight against Matt Mitrione is still absent from the official UFC 113 card at UFC.com.

And a whole lot of people are thinking that it's more than just coincidence that Kimbo's next fight was called into question just hours after the UFC announced that James Toney will step into the Octagon.

Mixed martial artists are often either reluctant to talk about their game plans heading into a fight or unable to articulate their strategy in a way that's accessible to fans, but I really like this video in which Miguel Torres and Joseph Benavidez talk about what they're expecting from their bout Saturday night at WEC 47.

While we still don't know who James Toney will face in his Octagon debut, UFC legend Randy Couture has let it be known that he wants to be the one to introduce the former boxing champion to the world of mixed martial arts.

"The Natural" took to Twitter just a couple of hours after the news of Toney's signing was made official by the organization, and wrote: "I hope I'm the first guy they call to fight tony! [sic] :)"

Just three days into his WEC 48 training camp, former champ Jamie Varner announced Wednesday on his Twitter that opponent Kamal Shalorus has pulled out due to injury from the April 24 pay-per-view card in Sacramento, Calif.

The lightweight matchup was not officially confirmed by the organization, but it was targeted and would have likely been slotted for the pay-per-view portion of the card.

For bantamweight Dominick Cruz, it's all about the preparation to become a champion. The time to train triumphs any material possession, and even if he successfully captures the WEC title this Sunday at WEC 47, he'll continue living a not-so-championship lifestyle.

In the 24-year-old's San Diego apartment, his kitchen, bedroom, and living room are all steps away. Correction, not even steps; the current No. 1 contender can reach those basic amenities by simply, turning around.

Despite fighting five times for the WEC and next week challenging for the belt, he currently lives in a one-room studio.