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Inside the Mind of Mayhem

Ben Fowlkes — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:00:20 +0000

Filed under: Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive

It's just after 6 p.m. in an upscale steakhouse in Houston and already Jason "Mayhem" Miller is yelling at me. Maybe it's not so much at me. More like near me. More like near everyone in the room, and people are starting to notice.

"It's stupid, all these people who are so worried about communism if we get free health care," Miller says, his voice rising far past what most people would consider an indoor volume. "What if the fire department made you go through the same steps as the non-socialist health care system?"

Businessmen in ties glance up from their prime rib dinners at the next table. Any thought they may have had of asking Miller to keep it down vanish when they see the source of the commotion - a rangy, cauliflower-eared 29-year-old with a nose that looks as if it's been broken just for fun on more than one occasion, gesturing spastically as he becomes more agitated.

"Imagine, you call them up and they're like, 'Do you have fire insurance?' And you're saying, 'Uh, my house is burning down right now.' 'Are you PPO or HMO? 'The house is on fire!' 'What's your policy number?' 'Okay, it's, uh, 97JK39W2.' 'What's your group ID?' 'AHHHHHH! MY HOUSE IS GONE!'"

He erupts into his trademark laugh, an almost cartoonishly maniacal cackle that suggests he might be on the verge of either torturing James Bond or simply flipping the table over on a whim. It's the kind of laugh that makes me briefly wonder whether this whole dinner idea, where I would sit down with Miller to learn a little about what makes this enigmatic fighter tick, was really such a brilliant notion.

Karo Parisyan Welcomed Back to UFC, Offered Dennis Hallman at UFC 123

Ariel Helwani — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:00:09 +0000

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, News

Less than a year after Dana White tweeted that Karo Parisyan would never fight again in the UFC, "The Heat" has been welcomed back to the organization and offered a fight against Dennis Hallman at UFC 123 in Auburn Hills, Mich.

MMA Fighting confirmed the news with two sources close to the situation, as well as Parisyan himself Thursday afternoon.

Both Parisyan and Hallman have yet to sign the bout agreements, which have been issued to both fighters, but both fighters have verbally agreed to the welterweight bout.

Joe Soto, Joe Warren Meet in Bellator’s First True Title Fight

Matt Erickson — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:00:07 +0000

Filed under: Bellator, News

The surge in popularity of mixed martial arts in the last five years brought with it plenty of upstart promotions looking for their piece of the pie.

A few major promotions have come along, and a few have gone away, including EliteXC and Affliction, both rather infamously.

When Bellator Fighting Championships arrived in spring 2009, it launched with a format unique enough to give it a better shot at longevity than some of its predecessors.

Using season-long tournaments, Bellator crowned champions in four weight classes in its first season. The Season 2 tournaments in those classes created opponents for the Season 1 champs to defend their belts against.

Thursday, in Season 3, in its 27th event, Bellator gets to see some of the fruits of its labor when Season 1 featherweight title winner Joe Soto meets Season 2 tournament champ Joe Warren in San Antonio. It will be Bellator's first true title fight.

Joe Warren Planning on Leaving MMA for 2012 Olympic Run

Ariel Helwani — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:00:05 +0000

Filed under: Bellator, News

Joe Warren has certainly made an impact in his 17-month pro MMA career.

He defeated veterans Chase Beebe and Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto in his first two fights, which just so happened to be in the DREAM featherweight tournament in 2009. Those wins landed him in the finals of the tournament before losing to eventual champion Bibiano Fernandes.

Warren rebounded from that defeat to win the Bellator Season 2 featherweight tournament. Thursday evening, he challenges champion Joe Soto for the Bellator 145-pound belt.

Three weeks later, Warren will face the dangerous Michihiro Omigawa at DREAM.16.

Obviously, Warren expects to win both those fights. He also expects to be the DREAM featherweight champion by Jan. 1, 2011.

His next move, though, might surprise you.

Warren told host Mauro Ranallo on Sirius' The Fight Show earlier this week, that he plans to leave MMA this time next year to make a run at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

UFC 118 Fighter Salaries: James Toney Earns $500,000 in Debut Loss

Ariel Helwani — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:00:02 +0000

Filed under: UFC, News

The Massachusetts State Athletic Commission released Thursday the salary figures for last Saturday's UFC 118 event at the TD Garden. The biggest surprise is, without a doubt, James Toney earning more than any other fighter on the card. "Lights Out" walked away with a cool $500,000 for his 199-second MMA debut.

His opponent, Randy Couture, earned $250,000 for his win, while lightweight champion Frankie Edgar walked away with his belt and $96,000.

Of course, the salaries reported to the commission do not necessarily represent a fighter's final earnings once sponsorships and extra bonuses are factored in.

The purses (show/win bonus) are below.