A few years ago the best of the best from the world of collegiate wrestling had basically one option to keep their career going. It was the Olympics or bust. Now that path leads more and more towards mixed martial arts The 2003 NCAA national champion at 149 pounds, Eric Larkin, made his professional debut last weekend in South Dakota, winning by rear naked choke in the first round. The most decorated wrestler to ever come out of Arizona State, the four time All-American had a great team around him in college and after school they helped him get ready for his MMA debut. Funny thing about Eric Larkin though... he never intended on becoming a fighter ...

Chuck Liddell will be fighting Rich Franklin in his next bout and not rival TUF 11 coach Tito Ortiz, Fighters Only has heard from a reliable source. The switch was initially reported to us just under two weeks ago but was only a rumour at that time. However, the rumour hit message boards late last night and an industry source confirmed that Liddell will indeed be facing former middleweight champion Rich Franklin. The fight is to headline an April 17th Fight Night event which will counter Strikeforce’s show on the same date. Rumour has it that the event will be staged in Nashville and be broadcast for free on the Spike TV network. That would present ...

UFC president Dana White was noticeably absent from The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale post-event press conference, and it may have been for the best. The Nevada State Athletic Commission utilized instant replay to determine the outcome of a mixed martial arts contest for the first time in its history on the TUF 10 Finale card, and White's favorite whipping-boy official, Steve Mazzagatti, was responsible for utilizing the technology. But NSAC executive director Keith Kizer was at the gathering, and he believes Mazzagatti handled the situation precisely as instructed by the commission's regulations. "It's completely up to the referee," Kizer said. "When Mazzagatti came around and looked at the replay, they were actually showing a perfect angle. ...