Global Gossip

Hey NASCAR racing fans, here’s an update from Bodybuilding.com and FUBAR, who have partnered up to sponsor this car…

News headline at NASCAR.com:  "Sauter pleased as he gets EM Motorsports in first race - After 10 DNQs, Toccoa, Ga., team to start 43rd at Fontana".

FONTANA, Calif. — At the far end of the garage in stall No. 20, directly across from a nondescript white hauler, EM Motorsports team members were doing something unusual on a Saturday afternoon at Auto Club Speedway.

They were preparing the No. 08 Dodge for practice.

For the first time in 11 attempts this season — the ultimate definition of "if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again" — John Carter’s Georgia-based one-car operation made the show.

To read the full article, click here:

http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/cup/08/30/fontana.happyhour.jsauter/index.html

FUBAR, the sponsor on the hood, is a new drink Bodybuilding.com is currently selling. Check out the drink here:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/fubar/fubardrink.html

For more info about FUBAR, click here:

http://www.getfubar.com/

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/fubar/fubar.htm

Check out our new Beijing 2008 Olympics Blog right here on BodySpace.

Only 8 more days until 8/08/2008!  (When the Summer Olympics officially start in Beijing, China!)

http://blog.bodybuilding.com/Beijing2008

Two of the most explosive heavyweights of all time came back to the world of MMA and did not dissapoint.  
Arguably the pound for pound best fighter the world has ever seen, Fedor Emelianenko dismantled former UFC HW champ Tim Sylvia in a mere 36 seconds.  Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski returned to his championship form as he destroyed "Big" Ben Rothwell.  

After the Fedor fight there is no question in my mind who the top fighter is, it’s him!  He’s like the terminator, he comes to the ring emotionless with a blank stare and once that bell rings, it’s on!  Sylvia had a game plan to use his jab to keep him at bay, but that didn’t work as Fedor bum rushed him with barrage of punishing punches that floored the 6′8 giant.  On the ground Fedor wasted no time sinking in a half a$$ guillotine choke that did the trick as Big Tim quickly tapped out.  
Fedor earned the WAMMA heavy weight belt that was presented by Donald Trump.  He was asked who he wanted to fight next and he said Randy Couture!  Couture entered the ring and had a chat with his friend Fedor and was hopeful that this supersite would take place this year.  Stay tuned for that one!

I was sitting excuse me standing sixth row during the event and the electricity of the crowd was over whelming.  The crowd was very much Pro Fedor.  
I’ve had the opportunity to witness a lot of fights live and this by far was the best!  If Fedor is fighting anywhere near you, you gotta check it out.

I was also able to score a picture with Randy and let him know about what bodybuilding.com has been doing with the MMA scene and asked him to check out my writings, so that was cool!

The Co main event was an absolute violent slobber nocker with Andrei Arlovski punishing the very resilent Ben Rothwell.  I gained a lot of respect for the chin of Rothwell as he with stood ppunishment from Andrei the whole fight.  

The second round of this fight was amazing and one of the best rounds this year.  Arlovski was punishing Rothwell with combos and nearly sunk in a nice heel hook.  Rothwell was able to gain top position on Andrei and let loose with some stinging elbows and punches.  
The third round belonged to Arlovski as he hurt Rothwell with huge knees and punches and earned the TKO victory.

Rumor has it that a superfight between Fedor Emelianenko and Andrei Arlovski will happen Oct. 11 in Las Vegas at the Thomas and Mack Center, look for me ringside for that one!  Hopefully Tito will be in action as well!

All in all this was a huge success for Affliction and MMA fans in general.  Affliction easily has the best heavyweight talent in the world and will no doubt give us the dream matches we’ve wanted for years!  The competition will no doubt force the UFC to up their game to give us even better cards than what we’ve had before, so it’s a good time to be a MMA Fan!!!!!

Also on the card was "Babalu" and "The Baby Faced Assasin" Josh Barnett.

Renato "Babalu" Sobral was able to defeat Mike Whitehead via unaimous decision.  The BJJ expert Babalu looked good inside the ring with some nice punches and stiff leg kicks.  Whitehead wasn’t able to do much more than lay and pray and the judges took notice, giving Babalu the victory.  Next in line for Babalu might be his former training partner Nogueria, or his dream match would be against my all time fave Tito Ortiz who attended the event with girlfriend Jenna Jameson.  I would love to see that battle!

Josh Barnett (no relation to me that I know of) he is from Seattle where I’m from too but who knows.  Anyways the former UFC heavyweight Champ avenged a early career loss to former UFC standout Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo with a brutal knockout in the 2nd round.  "I said I’d like to have that win back, but you know, Pedro is as tough as they get," Barnett said. "You take nothing for granted with a guy like him."

Barnett landed a huge left hook that floored Rizzo and followed it up with 2 punishing rights for the KO!  Who’s next for Barnett in the Stacked heavyweight division?  "Anyone dumb enough to sign that dotted line," Barnett said. "They’re all badasses, but they ain’t me."  LOL Classic, he must be my cousin! lol

I just got back from Anaheim California where the upstart clothing company Affliction teamed up with "The Donald" Trump where the provided us a great night of fights.  After a choppy start that had some delays the fights went underway at about 445.  

We witnessed the return of "The Phenom" Vitor Belfort at a new weight class (185) he was able to knock out Terry Martin in the second round.  He stunned him with a flying knee and followed it up with a devastating 1-2 punch combo that sent Martin through the ropes.  Belfort who trains with Randy Couture could prove to be a contender for Anderson Silva’s belt if he somehow makes his way back to the UFC!

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira twin brother of UFC heavyweight champ was able to TKO Edwin Dewees in the first round.  Dewees who trains with Ken Shamrock was most famous for his stint on the Ultimate fighter the comeback.  His inexperience against top level competition like Lil Nog was noticed by us and by his opponent has Lil Nog let his hands fly after letting him up.  He wasted no time sending him to the floor and the ref had no choice than to stop the bout.

Matt Lindland made his return to MMA in his own methodical fashion as he earned a unanimous decision victory over Fabio Nacsimiento.

Bodybuilding.com is now an official sponsor of a NASCAR car this weekend. Below is a mock-up of the car. We will have pics of the race next week!

FUBAR, the sponsor on the hood, is a new drink Bodybuilding.com will be selling. We are going to put it up on pre-sale for this weekend’s race!! Product should be here and available next week.  Check out the brand at www.getfubar.com!

Enjoy!

World Leader in Fighting Action Figure Toys JAKKS Pacific® Secures Ultimate Master Toy License For Ultimate Fighting Championship®
JAKKS Strengthens Action Figure Portfolio of Major ‘Fight’ Brands with UFC® License

MALIBU, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The world leader in fighting action figure toys, JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (Nasdaq:JAKK), announced today that it has signed an exclusive, four year worldwide Master Toy license agreement with the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization, with a planned product launch expected to commence in 2009.

The new UFC product line from JAKKSTM will be collector-focused, and the license covers UFC legend Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, Brock Lesnar, Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira, Michael "The Count" Bisping and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva, among others. The license also includes the famed UFC Octagon™, and role-play items based on the UFC brand and its classic and current roster of star fighters.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship organization is the world’s leading professional mixed martial arts group, regulated by the most prestigious sports regulatory bodies in the United States. UFC live pay-per-view events take place at preeminent destinations including MGM Grand®, MEN Arena, Mandalay Bay® and O2 Arena, and they consistently draw sell-out crowds with record-breaking gates. Presenting more than twelve pay-per-view events per year, the UFC stands as the largest pay-per-view content provider in the country.

The UFC also dominates television with its reality series, The Ultimate Fighter®, now heading into its eighth season. The Ultimate Fighter has reigned supreme for years in the coveted 18-34 male ratings demographic, and it regularly enjoys higher ratings than traditional franchise sports such as the NBA®, NHL® and NASCAR®, as well as NCAA® football and basketball. In partnership with Spike TV® cable network, the UFC also presents ten live UFC® Fight Night™ events and 26 taped programs of the popular program UFC® Unleashed™.

“The UFC is a perfect match for JAKKS, given our extensive expertise in developing and marketing collector driven sports action figures,” said Stephen Berman, President and COO, JAKKS Pacific. “UFC’s enormous and growing popularity amongst adults, coupled with the extensive roster of physically powerful star fighters, gives JAKKS a substantial base to work with, and should be a powerhouse combination for the line. Our objective is to give collectors an authentic UFC experience.”

“We are thrilled to have JAKKS on board as our first official UFC action figure partner,” said Dana White, UFC President. “The demand for UFC is tremendous, and through this relationship with JAKKS, we can present authentic UFC products and have them available to our loyal UFC fans all around the world.”

I originally wrote this on HARDBODY.com but I wanted to share this tragedy with the bodybuilding world here. Many of you know Amanda and followed her career. It is with great sadness I report this new.

I’ve been on the phone all morning with those closest to Amanda Jo. Everyone’s story is consistent at this point. The last time anyone heard from Amanda Jo was on Monday night. Her family and friends tried to reach her but there was no response. They contacted the police and filed a missing person’s report as this was unlike her. She hadn’t been to the gym in a couple days and Amanda never missed a workout. When she hadn’t logged onto myspace or been to the gym, friends knew something was wrong. She was preparing to do the Europa Super show, a show which she had won two times before.

Amanda was very close to her family and her father’s health had been failing as of late. AJ loved to be on her MYSPACE page. She enjoyed using the “mood” feature on the site and checked her email there several times a day. I had been talking with Amanda about her returning to the stage and we were planning out a photo shoot for the Europa. I’m numb as I write this as she was an amazing woman who I cared about as did many in and out of the fitness industry. She was anxious to return to competition and show everyone how hard she’d been working since the Olympia. We joked about being hungry and how dieting can be challenging.

News is still being collected but it appears her ex-boyfriend Dave Jacobs shot her and then turned the gun on himself. The two were found in his home of Texas. Dave Jacobs has been in the news over a steroid bust and was recently convicted for the incident. Despite friends and family encouraging Amanda to keep her distance from him she fell back into his control several times. Dave’s mentality was one that if he couldn’t have Amanda Jo no one would and at this point it appears he took it to the ultimate extreme.

UPDATE: the New York Times article is now available.

The Road to the Arnold

A documentary on Ryan "Bench Monster" Kennelly, 4x Arnold Classic Heavyweight Bench Press Champion is now playing in streaming video at:

www.HardcorePowerlifting.com

This film is sponsored by House of Pain Ironwear.

Good luck with your training and the sponsors hope that you enjoy the film!

Gina Joy Carano may have spent too much time in the hospitality room of American Gladiators. Gina (nicknamed “conviction” in the MMA world) failed to make weight for her upcoming fight. Carano weighed in at 144.5lbs (weight class is 140lbs) and according to MMAmania.com, the New Jersey Athletic Control Board Deputy Attorney didn’t want her to cut any more weight. The fight will still go on but Gina will surrender a percentage of the purse. Gina will fight as part of the new CBS deal with EliteXC coined “Saturday Night Fights”. The fights air this Saturday on CBS.

Did Ron Avidan from getbig.com provide her with dieting tips while on the American Gladiator Set? Perhaps she should visit the bodybuilding.com store for a fat burner.

The NPC and IFBB lost a dear friend this week when John Organ passed away in his Florida apartment. I loved this guy, he was always easy going and upbeat. I covered the West Palm Beach show for the last two years and it was always a pleasure. Just last weekend I was telling a makeup artist friend of mine that I was going to make the trip a bit longer and do photo shoots on the beach again. The show’s future is still undecided at this point but I will keep you posted on any news. John will be missed by many and at age 49 you never know when your time is up.

Rest in Peace my friend.

Below is the information for his funeral arrangements as well as his obituary. You can leave a tribute to him and his family here. Thanks to Bodysport.com for the link.

Visitation:
Sunday May 25, 2008
2:00 pm until time of Service

Visitation Location:
Quattlebaum Funeral Home, 1201 South Olive Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33401.

Service Date:
Sunday May 25, 2008 3:00 PM

Service Location:
A Reception will be held at the Funeral Home immediately following the Service

John Porter Organ, 49 years old, of West Palm Beach, FL, died at his home on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 following sudden cardiac arrest. Born in Hammond, Indiana, he was a resident of the Palm Beach area since 1963 and graduated Forest Hill High School, Class of 1976. John was a well known Personal Fitness Trainer who operated “Bodies Are My Business”; and was a trainer at Ultima Fitness Downtown. He was also a Nationally Accredited Judge for fitness competitions; and organized and promoted many bodybuilding and fitness shows.

John is survived by his mother, Joan M. Leary (James) of Lake Worth, FL; and father, Orlin J. Organ, Jr. of Eldorado, IL; four siblings, Gary Organ of McLeansboro, IL, Sherry L. Fieser (Brad) of Deland, FL, David L. Organ of Lake Worth, FL, and William “Joey” Thomas (Gena) of Tallahassee, FL; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A Memorial Service will be held at 3:00 PM on Sunday, May 25, 2008 at Quattlebaum Funeral Home, 1201 South Olive Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33401 with Rev. William Michaels, Associate Pastor of Trinity Church International, officiating. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Sunday beginning at 2:00 PM, and at a Reception immediately following the Service. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in John’s memory to: American Diabetes Association, Memorial Program ADA, 1500 West Cypress Creek Road, Suite 104, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309 www.diabetes.org.