My MMA Resource

A divide among New York Democrats has stalled the legalization of MMA, says state assemblyman Steven Englebright.

Englebright, a Democrat who chairs the assembly’s Tourism, Parks, Arts
and Sports Development Committee, has twice sponsored legislation that
would legalize MMA in the Empire State. Last year, his committee
green-lighted the sport, and this year, the state senate gave the OK.

But following recent developments, Englebright is not optimistic that MMA will be
voted on this year.

MMAjunkie.com Radio goes “PRIMETIME” tonight at a special start time of 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT).

Our star-studded show includes UFC 116 co-headliner Chris Leben and
main-card fighter Matt Brown, who both join us in studio with UFC
veteran Nate Quarry, to discuss this weekend’s big event.

MMAjunkie.com Radio airs live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. Listen to and watch a video stream of the two-hour show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

LAS VEGAS – It was obvious from the first moment UFC heavyweight
champion Brock Lesnar walked into Wednesday’s open
workout session promoting his UFC 116 bout with Shane Carwin that something was different.

It wasn’t about the way he hit the mitts – southpaw – during a brief workout session
or the way his physique has changed during his year away from
competition, though there were those things, too.

No, the big difference with Lesnar in contrast to previous pre-fight
media sessions was the smile that he flashed easily and often. Lesnar said that’s just one of the changes you an expect to see on Saturday night, and you can stop comparing him to his opponent, by the way.

Alistair Overeem may not fight Ricco Rodriguez
at DREAM.15, according to a member of his team.

Martin De Jong, who trains the Strikeforce heavyweight champion, said
his camp will talk to DREAM representatives at the end of this week to
determine Overeem’s future in the Japanese promotion.

“If he’s
going to fight, he’s probably not going to fight Ricco Rodriguez,” De
Jong today told MMAjunkie.com.

Alistair Overeem will not fight Ricco Rodriguez at DREAM.15 – and he may not fight in the promotion ever again, according to his representative.

Martin De Jong, who trains the Strikeforce heavyweight champion, said his camp will talk to DREAM representatives at the end of this week to determine Overeem’s future in the Japanese promotion.

“Right now, I can just say he’s not going to fight Ricco, and he’s not sure if he’s going to fight in DREAM,” De Jong today told MMAjunkie.com.

In his final fight before a scheduled one-year jailing, War Machine takes on fellow UFC veteran John Alessio in the co-main-event of “Tachi Palace Fights 5: Stars and Strikes.”

A source close to the fighter today confirmed with MMAjunkie.com that Brad Blackburn, who originally was slated to fight Alessio, was forced off the card with an undisclosed injury.

TPF 5 takes place July 9 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif.

Following the unfortunate and recent death of South Carolina MMA fighter Michael Kirkham, the MMA industry again has turned its attention to pro-fighter licensing requirements.

Kirkham’s death is still under investigation, so it’s not clear if the tragedy could have been avoided.

But after reading the guidelines put forth by South Carolina and other state athletic commissions, MMAjunkie.com medical columnist Dr. Johnny Benjamin proposes some enhanced standardized requirements that may just help future competitors.