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[NCRadioMan]

SPIKE TV TO START AIRING "BEST OF PRICE FC"
Monday, August 10, 2009 - by MMAWeekly.com Staff

Spike TV on Monday announced a new weekly mixed martial arts series. Best of Pride Fighting Championships will premier on Sunday, Jan. 11, at 11 p.m. ET/PT, featuring bouts from the now defunct fighting organization owned by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Word of the series first came to light when UFC President Dana White mentioned it at his Fight Club Q&A session at UFC 101 on Friday.

Hosted by Kenda Perez, the series features past and present UFC champions among the legendary MMA combatants that includes Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Dan Henderson, Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic, Wanderlei Silva, Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Mauricio Shogun Rua, Mark Coleman, Frank Trigg, Hidehiko Yoshida, Akihro Gono, and Takanoro Gomi.

As the destination for the best mixed martial arts on television, Spike TV is always looking for ways to give fight fans more of the incredible action and competition they crave, said Kevin Kay, president, Spike TV.

Pride held more than 60 mixed martial arts events during a decade of operation including the largest live MMA event audience record of over 70,000 people in August 2002. Zuffa, LLC purchased Pride in March 2007.

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DIAZ OFFICIALLY OFF THE CARD ACCORDING TO CSAC

It's Nick being Nick. The elder Diaz brother is one of the top 20 fighters in the world but the kid is a handful for any promoter. Diaz, who has boasted many times in the past that he's a marijuana smoker, no showed his mandatory test with the California State Athletic Commission on Friday. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker told the gathered media during a conference call today that the deadline is 3 p.m. PT. With all the uncertainty, the backup plan is now Jesse Taylor, of Ultimate Fighter 7 fame, squaring off against Jay Hieron. This fight has become a disaster. Remember Hieron was a late replacement for Joe Riggs.

Coker is taking the Diaz drama in stride:

"We've been in the business for 25 years -- in the martial arts fight business," he said. "And you know, when I was in my early 20's, and something like this happened, I would freak out, and get upset. But over the years, you know, you learn that it's part of the game. And you don't even try to create logic behind it because sometimes there's no logic behind the thought-process of, you know, what has happened or a fighter's decision or a manager's decision or just the circumstances that unfold because of circumstances."

UPDATE: DIAZ OFFICIALLY OFF THE CARD ACCORDING TO CSAC:
According to MMAWeekly, Bill Douglas, Assistant Executive Officer of the CSAC, said there would be no Monday test:
If Mr. Diaz is in fact in route to Los Angeles, then it is news to us because he has not notified us and considering that we are administering the test, wrote Douglas, I suggest that he or someone from his camp lets their fingers do the walking, reaches out to touch someone, or any other colorful catch phrase that you can think of stemming from an old telephone commercial."
Hieron said on the conference call that he wasn't going to freak out, after having several fights canceled or delayed over the last 18 months:

"I think I've been through everything bad a fighter could be through in his career. So I just chalk it up and keep going forward. Really, I can't control that situation with them, so I try to put it out of my mind. You know, everything will turn out the way it's supposed to, and I can't really stress about the situation. The good thing about it is that I've been through all this stuff before, and it helps me get through this."
Coker said that he had spoken with Diaz's trainer Cesar Gracie. He also mention the promotion had booked a flight for Diaz to get down to Los Angeles from Stockton this afternoon. This is a huge blow to the card and another slap in the face of Hieron, who loses out on a chance at a victory over a major name.