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Volume #1: Special Tactics

Volume #2: Clinch Take Downs From the Dominant Position

Volume #3: Closing the Distance

Volume #4: Take Downs for Grappling

Volume #5: Ground Fighting from a Wrestler’s Perspective

Volume #6: The Fight Clinic

Most surprisingly though, Sylvia publicly vacated his UFC title just moments before the advisory board handed down its punishment. "Being the champ means so much to me, but tarnishing it means a lot to me too and I didn’t want to do that," responded Sylvia a few hours after the hearing’s completion. "I brought it up to Monte [Cox, Sylvia’s manager], and he thought it was a great idea. I thought, people want to say that I don’t deserve the belt- well, okay, the UFC can have it back."

Following his decision, Sylvia and Cox met with Zuffa Sports Entertainment at 7:30 AM this morning to announce his intentions. "They thought it was a ballsy move and that they respected me a whole lot more for what I was going to do." In addition, Sylvia said the UFC granted him an immediate title fight upon his return to the promotion, if a suspension deemed him unable to participate for whatever period of time.

Along with vacating the belt, NSAC Chief Deputy Attorney General Keith Kizer named many factors that led to the Commission’s somewhat lenient ruling today for Sylvia. "He was very emotional, very apologetic. He explained that he took this stuff and conveyed that he was sorry for doing so, that he really took it to get a better physique so it could help him with endorsement deals."

In addition, Kizer stated that testimony from board member Dr. Flip Homansky also helped to corroborate Sylvia’s claims that he was solely seeking the cosmetic benefits of the illegal substance. "Doctor Homansky pointed out that it [stanzolol] is in fact one of the steroids that actually isn’t utilized to increase your strength, but is used to increase your looks. That did gel with what Mr. Sylvia was telling us."

According to Kizer, questioning from the five-member advisory board revealed that Sylvia had obtained the drug through "a friend of a friend," and when pressed further, Sylvia could not provide a name for this anonymous source. Sylvia described being approached by various individuals in the multiple training facilities he had visited following his February 28th’s UFC 44 heavyweight title victory over Ricco Rodriguez. Enticed by the promises of an improved physique, Sylvia says he succumb to the temptation and partook in the drug approximately a month following the fight, but quickly gave it up.

Sylvia’s suspension becomes active from the day in which the infraction occurred, making the heavyweight competitor eligible to fight again in Nevada after January 26, 2004. On the competition timeline, that could make Sylvia eligible to fight as early as UFC 46 depending on the date that the show will take place.

Although Sylvia’s case was a compelling factor in today’s already scheduled meeting, there were other substantial MMA developments on the docket:

• Kanji "Antonio" Inoki and Wallid Ismael were granted a Nevada promoter’s license under their company name International Sports Management. Despite NSAC’s inquiries of potential "worked fights,", Inoki (an executive producer of PRIDE and former pro-wrestler) confirmed that none of the matches under this yet-to-be named promotion would be predetermined.
• With little discussion, the NSAC passed an amendment to an active MMA (and boxing) rule regarding "low blows." The rule’s validity in MMA was brought into question following last November’s WFA 3 event, in which competitor Frank Trigg was awarded a title victory when opponent Dennis Hallman couldn’t continue following an unintentional low blow. According to the amendment (which will activate in 45 days): Any accidental foul, now including low blows, happening before the end of the third round in a title fight and before the end of the second round in a non-title fight, would be declared a "no contest" under MMA rules. (If the unintentional foul does occur after the allotted time listed above, the fight’s outcome goes to the judges’ scorecards.) Commented Kizer, "I know Mr. Hallman probably prefers that we had [retroactively] done a ‘no contest’, but he was actually able to enable a change to the rules because he wrote a very good letter to the Commission explaining why the rules should be changed and we’ve acted upon that."
• Legal representation for Gan McGee issued a "petition for declaratory ruling," requesting that the Commission alter the outcome of the Sylvia fight to a "no contest." According to Kizer, McGee’s lawyer, Jim Gallo, will first have prove that the NSAC actually has jurisdiction over the matter. "It has to be collusion, it has to be a miscounting of the score cards, or the referee has to mess up," Kizer lists of the necessary scenarios that must occur for the Commission to step in with a judgment. "Here, of course, we don’t have the second two, but the first one, you know, it’s a very creative argument by Mr. Gallo [referring to Gallo’s claims that Sylvia colluded with his drug source to fraudulently earn his victory.] We’ll see if it goes from there." The Commission is required to have a hearing within 60 days, and thereafter, render one of three potential decisions. "This would be on the agenda and be discussed among the five commissioners and then they’d make the ruling, which would either be — we don’t have jurisdiction, we do have jurisdiction but were not going to grant it [the reversed ruling], or we do have jurisdiction and we are going to grant it." According to Gallo’s drafted document, McGee’s contract included an option to terminate [the contract] if the NSAC determined McGee the loser of the recent title fight in question. If the Commission were to decide that it does indeed have jurisdiction and then rule for a "no contest," McGee’s contract with the UFC would become active once again.

The Nordic no-holds-barred scene has a new rising star, European Vale Tudo. The first event ‘Genesis’ is to be held on December 6th in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Daniel Bergman to face Guy Mezger

Europe’s new vale tudo production starts with a bang. This is potentially one of the greatest mixed martial arts fights ever to take place in Europe! Guy Mezger (Lion’s Den Dallas) former King of Pancrase, UFC Champion and Pride veteran fights Daniel Bergman (Shooters Alpha Team) one of the Nordic countries most promising fighters.

Travis Lutter looks for new challenges

Travis Lutter, ADCC 3rd, Hook’n Shoot champion, IWC winner and now also Ultimate Submission Showdown champion, has accepted to fight on European Vale Tudo ‘Genesis’.

Richard Bohlenius makes comeback

Richard Bohlenius from SBJJA Stockholm, one of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts pioneers of the Nordic countries, has accepted to fight on European Vale Tudo ‘Genesis’.

Step into the cage!

European Vale Tudo ‘Genesis’ is the first Vale Tudo/No Holds Barred event in the Nordic countries that is held in a cage! The rules and weight classes are mainly the same as in the UFC.

Do you want to fight on EVT?

• Chris Hipkiss def. Wayne Dart by Arm Bar – 2:07 R1
• Chin Weakasingh def. John Waite by Arm Bar – 2:11 R1
• SEMI-PRO – Mark Smith def. Leon Dickens by Arm Bar – 3:15 R1
• Kassin Hopkins def. Henrique Santana by Decision after 3 rounds
• Ricky Andrews def. Phil Gildea by TKO (Ref Stoppage) – 3:13 R1
• Lance King def. Johnnie Mitchell by Tap Out (Strikes) – 0:58 R2
• Ross Pettifer def. Rob Evans – Evans broke his leg – 0:04 R1
• Dave Elliott def. Paul Sutherland by Triangle Choke – 4:36 R1
• Paul Jenkins def. Ian Pyatt by KO – 3:10 R1
• Will Elworthy def. Jeremy Bailey by Arm Bar – 1:14 R1
• Pete Tiarks def. Ricky Moore – Moore unable to answer bell for Round 2
• Jean Silva def. Andy Cooper by Front Choke – 3:46 R2
• Mark Weir def. Jean Francois Lenogue by Rear Naked Choke – 4:13 R1