The scrutiny is essentially a replay of the battle the sport fought stateside for more than a decade. The UFC has agreed to not allow anyone under 18 to attend UFC 99 in an attempt to placate Cologne officials who have publicly decried the event, according to a report from Yahoo Sports. The UFC has sold about 7,200 tickets for the event.
• The New York legislature has set a date of June 3 for the first round of debate on whether to move a bill on that will legalize MMA, which the UFC has been aggressively pushing for more than a year. Three committees need to debate the bill before it goes to a vote on the Senate floor. The committee on which Bob Reilly serves, an adamant opponent of MMA legalization, will debate on June 3. The bill was stalled in that first committee last year.
• Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson is free of his MMA contract with the Pro Elite organization, Sherdog.com reported. The magnetic brawler’s manager, Mike Imber, told Sherdog that Slice couldn’t reach an agreement with Strikeforce to make the transition, but that his MMA career is “far from over.” Ferguson could also make his pro boxing debut this summer.
• The top two bouts on Maximum Fighting Championships "Hard Knocks" card on May 15 couldn't have played out more differently, as a sudden 24-second submission was followed by a grueling and tactical 25-minute title scrap.
Trevor Prangley became the new MFC light heavyweight champion taking a unanimous decision over Antonio McKee pupil Emanuel Newton. Prangley looked to be spent after round one cardio-wise, but came out much stronger in each successive round. The match ended with a wild photo finish, as Prangley threw a head kick that put both men down, Newton in a daze and Prangley in pain from the impact to an injured foot. Prangley, 36, said he felt the judges’ cards were too decisive in his favor, and said he'd be glad to give a rematch to Newtown.
On the other end of the spectrum, Bobby Lashley showed nothing short of killer instinct in his third professional fight, putting Mike Cook to sleep in just 24 seconds with a brute-strength front choke. The hold was applied from the headlock position, and put Cook out as referee John McCarthy stepped in. Lashley was expressly fired up by Cook wearing the mask of popular WWE wrestler Rey Misterio during the weigh-in and his ring entrance, and refused to touch gloves before the fight started. Lashley, who next fights Bob Sapp on a June 27 pay-per-view, said afterward that he wanted to make Cook pay for poking fun at his professional wrestling background.
Also on the card, two well-traveled UFC veterans got back on the winning track after back-to-back losses. John Alessio snapped a two-fight losing streak, bringing down Andrew Buckland with a left hook, eventually working to mount and sinking the rear-naked choke in in the first. In the opener, Marvin Eastman, 39, rained heavy elbows on Oklahoman Aron Lofton for the second-round TKO.
The bouts were broadcast on HDNet, with some 1,500 fans on hand at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta, Canada. The MFC is set to return in September. Jason MacDonald, who was cut from the UFC after his loss to Nate Quarry on April 18, will return to the MFC ranks on the show.
• Vladimir Matyushenko bounced back from his January loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by taking a unanimous decision over UFC veteran Jason Lambert atop the premiere event from the "Call To Arms" promotion May 16 in Ontario, Calif. The card aired as an Internet pay-per-view.
• KSW, Poland's top MMA organization, crowned its first champion May 15, as ShoXC veteran Mahmed Khalidov knocked out Pride veteran Daniel Acacio with knee and punches in 1:10 to claim the international championship. Sherdog.com reported that Khalidov, a light heavyweight who hasn't lost since 2005, is in negotiations with Sengoku parent company World Victory Road.
• UFC lightweight B.J. Penn claimed in a video blog this week that he has no interest in fighting in Nevada again due to the way the state athletic commission handled his complaint about his January fight with Georges St. Pierre. Penn has sought some kind of sanction against St. Pierre for having Vaseline rubbed on his body during their Jan. 31 fight at UFC 94. The commission held hearings with Penn and members of St. Pierre's corner and decided not to act on Penn's request. Penn's attorney has asked the commission to put to paper their findings in the investigation, possibly to be used as the basis of a lawsuit. Penn said Keith Kizer, executive director of the commission, "can't be trusted."