iambuster2: RT @PaulMBourdett: @SI_PeterKing I'm wondering why people aren't bashing Peyton for leaving without shaking hands like Lebron was crucif ...

iambuster2: Thanks man! Coming from you I am truly honored. RT @pryor2two @iambuster2 is one of the greatest boxers to ever fight

iambuster2: would have loved to walk down the carpet wit cha! RT @jemelehill Me at the ESPN party. http://tweetphoto.com/10861887

iambuster2: RT @jemelehill: Me at the ESPN party. Sad @circa1908 wasn't there to walk me down the red carpet! http://tweetphoto.com/10861887

iambuster2: you are beautifulI We would have loved to walk down the carpet wit cha! http://tweetphoto.com/10861887

Liddell made a bikini buddy for life in DWTS partner

Damn you Chuck Liddell! We're all going to start siding with Tito Ortiz. Just kidding.

Liddell makes the common man weep about their own existence when he sees him doing photo shoots like the one he did with Anna Trebunskaya, his partner from Dancing with the Stars. It's just Chuck being Chuck. 

When commenting on allegations of Liddell being an alcoholic, Dana White put it perfectly.

"I think Chuck Liddell is a rich guy with a lot of time on his hands," said White. "He's single. He likes to go out and meet girls. Do what most guys like to do. He's a little old to be doing it but that's what he likes to do."

Maynard is still glad he didn't get the Penn fight

Gray Maynard is a pretty grounded and patient dude. That's why it was shocking to see him lose his cool and throw his gameplan out the window at Ultimate Fight Night 20 against Nate Diaz. With an impressive win, Maynard was in line to get the next shot at B.J. Penn's UFC lightweight title. It was pretty clear during the postfight that Maynard and his camp -- Randy Couture and Gil Martinez -- knew he had fallen behind Frank Edgar in the pecking order to land the Penn fight. Maynard was calm that night and again when Cagewriter tracked him down a few weeks later before Strikeforce: Miami.

Maynard said the timing just wasn't right.

"We can't just jump in there [and say] 'it's mine, let's do this.' It would've been tough to jump right into camp again."

His win over Diaz came on Jan. 11, which means he have roughly two weeks before going into another eight week training camp. Keep in mind, Maynard face got peppered pretty good by Diaz. He also said he's got some nagging injuries he'd like to heal up. Maynard said in the end, the decision is made by Couture and Martinez. His job is to say yes sir, no sir. 

There's also the issue of taking a fight 6,000 miles from his hometown of Las Vegas. Sounds like a lot of excuses but the bottomline is the time wasn't right for Maynard to take on the fight of his life.

Make sure you watch the end of the interview where Maynard talks about some of the NFL players, Patrick Willis and Calvin Pace, who came into Xtreme Couture just before and during the early part of the NFL season. 

As Jones/Vera nears, Versus and DirecTV still not close to a deal

DirecTV and Versus -- the televised home of World Extreme Cagefighting and the station that will air a stacked Fight Night on March 21 -- are still far away from coming together for a TV deal. They released this statement to our brother-blog, Puck Daddy.

"At this time, we are not optimistic that an agreement will be in place with DirecTV in time for the start of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs."

The Stanley Cup playoffs start in mid-April, meaning that it's unlikely that a deal to get Versus back onto DirecTV will happen in time for UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones. Not only that, it means that the March 6 WEC card, equally stacked, will not air on DirecTV. 

This is getting slightly ridiculous. Live MMA on non-pay-per-view or premium television is rare, but it's also key to the growth of the sport and the growth of the fanbase. Zuffa, which owns the WEC and the UFC, has been hands off of the DirecTV/Versus negotiations, but it's time to get involved. For the good of the fans, Dana White, the Fertittas and Reed Harris need to speak up, and work with the NHL to push both sides to get the deal done.

Otherwise, both hockey and MMA are going to have cadres of angry fans. I don't know about you, but angry hockey and MMA fans united in hate are not a group I'd want to come across. 

Serra thinks Hughes may be taking Gracie lightly

Now that Matt Serra is back on the winning track, he's ready to take some time off. When asked about who and when he wanted to fight next, Serra was non-committal on the topic saying whenever Joe Silva calls. If it fits in his schedule, he'll be ready to go.

His first order of business is to take in the Matt Hughes-Renzo Gracie at UFC 112 in early April. Serra said he'd love for the UFC to bring him over to Abu Dhabi in a promotional role so he could see the fight in person. Hughes has a rivalry with Serra from their appearances on Season 4 and 6 of "The Ultimate Fighter." Along with MMA trainer Marc Laimon, Hughes poked fun at Gracie jiu-jitsu. Hughes beat Royce at UFC 63 and Serra at UFC 98. Serra is a Gracie disciple.

Cagewriter asked Hughes at Strikeforce: Miami about why he took the Gracie fight (0:22 mark on video below). He joked, "'cause he's older than I am to be honest."

Sonnen rips Showtime says he prefers to fight the best

Chael Sonnen has been on fire the last week. First with his dominant win over top five middleweight Nate Marquardt. He also sizzled in front of microphones and cameras. As if the bevy of fighters he tore apart wasn't enough he even shredded Showtime on Saturday night.

"At the end of the day, if you want to get to the top of the card in the UFC, you gotta fight tough guys," Sonnen said during the UFC 109 postfight press conference (2:01 mark). "If you want to be a fighter and get in the cage and be a big deal at your local strip club, go to Showtime. If you want to fight real guys this is the place to be."

Sonnen was referencing Strikeforce, where its top middleweights include Dan Henderson, Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler, Nick Diaz, Tim Kennedy, Frank Shamrock, Scott Smith, "Jacare" Souza and his own teammate Matt Lindland.  

Sonnen is now in line for a shot at the UFC middleweight title. Anderson Silva defends his belt on April 10 against Vitor Belfort. Sonnen said he hopes Silva wins so he avoids the tougher fighter.