Latest Seth Petruzelli Stories

The MMA event scheduled for Worcester, Massachusetts that is rumored to be importing Polish strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski to the U.S. to face former UFC champion Tim Sylvia has a new date.

Event promoter Corey Fischer told MMA Fighting that the event has been moved back a month, to May 21 from its original April 23 date, in order to solve a television scheduling conflict.

A bout between Seth Petruzelli and Houston Alexander is reportedly set for the April 23 mixed martial arts card at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts -- the same card on which former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia is planning to fight former World's Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski.

Before we go any further, I should note that I'm skeptical that this card is going to happen at all. I was unable to get in touch with the promoters and the bout is not listed at the DCU Center web site. But the Boston Herald has published multiple reports saying the fight card is going forward, so it's at least worth exploring what kind of card this would be.

Seth Petruzelli and Ken Shamrock are set to face each other in a five-round light heavyweight title fight for the debuting International Unlimited Fighting promotion on March 6 in Cancun, Mexico.

Petruzelli made the announcement Monday on his social media accounts and according to the colorfully-haired fighter, the event will air on pay-per-view and will feature other former K-1, PRIDE and UFC fighters.

2009 isn't over yet, but if you're wondering who my landslide choice for MMA businessman of the year is, it's already Roy Nelson.

Consider the fact that six short months ago Nelson was fighting on the undercard of the forgettable Roy Jones-Omar Sheika MMA/boxing pay-per-view and now he is a few hours away from being featured on what is shaping up to be the most watched telecast in UFC history.

Late Monday night, Dana White tweeted that he would be handing out free tickets to UFC 104 at a Pinkberry in midtown Manhattan. Several minutes before his expected arrival, I decided to check out the scene, fully expecting there to be 10 to 15 people hanging outside. Not so.

When I arrived there were at least 50 people anxiously waiting for White, and when he showed up 30 minutes later, there were at least 100 people outside, along with two police officers. Without hesitation, White promised every single person there a free ticket to UFC 104 in Los Angeles. FanHouse then briefly spoke to White while he was enjoying his frozen yogurt about Wednesday's much-anticipated edition of The Ultimate Fighter featuring Kimbo Slice vs. Roy Nelson. The interview is below.

Seth Petruzelli was victorious in his first fight back since knocking out Kimbo Slice last October on CBS and Marcio "Pe de Pano" Cruz captured the WFO heavyweight belt in the co-headlining bouts at Art of Fighting 3 Saturday in Tampa, Fla.

Petruzelli, who told FanHouse last week that wins on the local circuit could lead him to a UFC return against Slice, stopped one-time IFL competitor Chris Baten at 2:43 of the first round. Petruzelli sent Baten to the floor with an overhand right and followed with punches on the ground to call on the referee stoppage.

In his first fight since dispelling the EliteXC myth of Kimbo Slice, Seth Petruzelli returns Saturday against IFL veteran Chris Baten at Art of Fighting 4 in Tampa, Fla.

Last October, Petruzelli (10-4) became an unlikely hot topic when he accepted a main event fight against Slice on a few hours notice and proceeded to stop the EliteXC main draw in 14 seconds. Although the event on CBS turned out to be the third most watched MMA card ever, Slice's loss in credibility and Petruzelli's controversial comments following the fight heavily contributed to the company's closure within the end of the month.

When EliteXC was in the MMA business, its president, Gary Shaw, had no qualms calling Kimbo Slice the company's "franchise player," comparing his aura to that of Mike Tyson and anointing him as an MMA great. Meanwhile, on the other side of promoter hyperbole, UFC President Dana White would rip EliteXC for its "freakshow" promotion of Slice, and throw an occasional jab at the man himself, saying at one point, "Kimbo Slice would get murdered in the UFC."

But when EliteXC closed up shop and Slice needed a new place to ply his trade, people started asking White if Kimbo could possibly find a home in the octagon. White responded that the only way for Slice to join the UFC was by going on The Ultimate Fighter. Slice called his bluff, and as a result, the UFC and broadcast partner Spike TV are privately expecting the largest ratings in the show's history.

And Kimbo? He's just expecting a chance.

LAS VEGAS -- Kimbo Slice is picking technique over power in the UFC heavyweight championship clash between Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar at UFC 100.

"I dont like picking fights, everyone knows you can't pick fights, but you can go with who you think. I like Mir," he said. "I like them both, but the reason I say I like Mir is because he's a specialist.

"Brock got power," he continued, "but Brock got a lot of body that Mir can catch him with, so I kind of like Mir, man. I like Mir."

Back when Kimbo Slice was the biggest star of EliteXC, which was once viewed as the Ultimate Fighting Championship's biggest competitor, UFC President Dana White was fond of saying that Kimbo wasn't even good enough to win the UFC's reality show for MMA beginners, The Ultimate Fighter.

Now Kimbo has been given a spot on the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter, which begins taping this week, and I believe White will be proven right: Kimbo won't make it out of the house and into the UFC.

Roy Jones Jr. will return to the ring on March 21 to take on the little-known Omar Sheika in a card that he's promoting himself, with mixed martial arts fights featuring Seth Petruzelli and Bobby Lashley on the undercard.

Combining boxing and MMA has been tried before, although never in a card featuring a fighter as well known as Jones. And although neither Petruzelli nor Lashley is anywhere close to being a great MMA fighter, they're both well known: Petruzelli beat Kimbo Slice on national television in October, while Lashley was once among the most popular pro wrestlers in the WWE. Another MMA fight on the card is supposed to match Roy Nelson against Jeff Monson, although Monson's legal problems could make that difficult.