Let’s face it, the International Fight League is not your typical MMA organization. Mixed Martial Artists who are lucky enough to land in the IFL are rewarded with consistent salaries, health insurance, and regular weekly fight schedules across the country. Forget about unvarying one-on-one training or fighting as well. The IFL utilizes teams that are headed by MMA veterans like Renzo Gracie and Dan Severn and based out of major cities like Los Angeles, Tokyo, Japan and New York City. The shows are televised on MyNetworkTV and Fox Sports Net and include former light-heavyweight fighter Bas Rutten as a ringside color commentator. Welcome to the “fighter friendly” Mixed Martial Arts organization.

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It seems like the doping headlines never end. Only months after Royce Gracie was found to have used an illegal substance before his K-1 Hero’s bout with Kazushi Sakuraba, current UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk and recent challenger Hermes Franca both tested positive using urine samples taken before UFC 73.

Franca immediately issued his apology stating that he was forced to use illegal substances to facilitate the healing process of an injured ankle 8 weeks before he was set to face Sherk in the octagon. Franca’s excuse might be the only thing to keep UFC President Dana White from doing anything irrational in regards to the Brazilian’s MMA career in the largest fighting organization.

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If the UFC and Dana White want the best guys who are quickly moving up through the ranks, they should have paid more attention to Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, a young and dangerous Judo and Muay Thai fighter. Why Sokoudjou? Well, any fighter who comes off of two knockout wins against Brazilian Top Team light-heavyweight fighters Ricardo Arona and Antonio Rogerio Noguiera, while up against 16-1 odds, should be given a chance to showcase more of their skills in the largest MMA Organization in the world.

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Now that we are in Week 5 and my decision to continue with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training has been communicated, I have decided to mix up the layout of the White Collar Submission column. This column focuses on my development while training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu while working and being a full-time husband and father.

Week 5 consisted of a Saturday class with a different instructor and an entirely different, albeit extremely useful, format.

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Calling all East Coast grapplers and MMA fighters. The prominent North American Grappling Association has began it’s summer/fall tournament series with the first tournament on June 9th in Suwanee, Georgia at the Suwanee Sports Academy. The latest event was recently held on June 23rd at Bryant University in New Smithfield, Rhode Island with the New England Grappling Championships. Featuring 200 GI and No-GI classes, the tournament was held using 16 rings with class winners being awarded with a gold NAGA championship belts or a sword in many different weight and experience classes. Results can be found at NAGA’s website.

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Forget about the Ortiz vs. Rashad fight; it ended in a foreseeable draw. Herring vs. Nogueira? It only ended in the typical Herring fashion with a judges decision after three rounds of mostly standup fighting. The Florian fight ended with KenFlo victorious and threatening the rest of the 155 pound weight class while his ridiculously obnoxious corner danced and screamed behind him. The focus of the UFC 73 main card was on the two championship bouts with Middleweight Anderson Silva up against Pancrase champion Nathan Marquardt and Lightweight Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk fighting Hermes Franca.

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It seems that more fighters are getting caught with drugs these days than ever. It’s not like they are being thoroughly punished; the fines are weak, the suspensions are short, and the short-term positives seem to outweigh the negatives. Why should anyone stop attempting to cheat a little to get bigger and better?

The major organizations are still bringing back the guys who have cheated in the past. Stephan Bonnar, busted last August for using illegal steroids, is back in UFC 73. Josh Barnett was caught using drugs in the UFC in 2002 and he continued to fight more than a dozen more opponents afterwards, mostly in the Pride organization in Japan. Tim Sylvia was stripped of his heavyweight title when he tested positive for an anabolic steroid during his fight in UFC 44 in 2003. Similar to others who were busted, Sylvia was given numerous other chances to reclaim his title as the Heavyweight Champion.

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