Affliction has posted their first promo video for “Day of Reckoning” featuring Josh Barnett and Andrei Arlovski:

Walking computer of fighting techniques, MMA legend and general badass Bas Rutten dropped by the San Francisco 49ers locker room to give them a motivational speech. If they were smart, they’d listen to the man:
Apparently Rutten isn’t the only non-traditional motivational speaker to visit the Niners lately. Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer …

Sorry MMA fans…ESPN today said that they don’t have a spare half hour on their schedule of poker, aerobic competitions, celebrity car auctions and interminable programs featuring their catch phrase chattering talking heads that pass for journalists to air MMA Live on broadcast TV:
“MMA Live” won’t be heading to ESPN’s airwaves, after all. (Not anytime …

It’s listed among their rumors, but this is a good approximation of the current state of the fightcard for Affliction: Day of Reckoning:
MAIN CARD (PPV)
* Andrei Arlovski vs. Josh Barnett
* Tito Ortiz vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral
* Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
…

Here’s a clip of Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten interviewing Joseph Benavidez and Urijah Faber:

Strikeforce will be holding another show at the Playboy Mansion on September 20, 2008. No official fights as of yet, but Joe Riggs is saying in interviews that he’ll be there and we’re also hearing Josh Thomson and Renato “Babalu” Sobral’s names mentioned as well:
The California-based Strikeforce organization today officially announced its upcoming return …

While we’ve been impressed with the 180 degree turnaround that HD Net has made in the quality of their DREAM coverage (particularly the announcing of Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten which has been stellar in their recent efforts) we miss the great prefight videos done by Daisuke Sato. HDNet can’t show these for copyright …

MMA Junkie is reporting that Joe Riggs wasn’t cleared by the California State Athletic Commision and will be replaced by Drew Fickett on Friday’s Strikeforce show:
Riggs had been scheduled to fight for the first time since injuring his back at a February Strikeforce event. The bout was halted after Riggs was injured during a hip …

Nick Diaz’s story about KJ Noons throwing the first metaphorical blow that led to the in-cage fracas at the last EliteXC show just got a lot more credible. Diaz suggests that Noons encountered him at the hotel and did some kind of arrogant tough guy act. Initially, that sounded like Diaz trying to …

We just added Sportfight XXIII: Heated Rivals to our live round by round coverage schedule. Founded by a couple of pretty fair fighters–Matt Lindland and Randy Couture–and based in the Savage Science’s hometown of Portland, OR, Sportfight is arguably the best regional MMA promotion in the country.
Sportfight XXIII live coverage begins Friday, …