Morning Droppings

- EliteXC president Gary Shaw says that the company's deal with Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou has fallen through and the Cameroon native is now expected to sign with K-1 Hero’s in Japan.

- With Wanderlei Silva off the UFC 76 September card, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell is expected to face Keith Jardine in the event's headlining fight. This is a lackluster main event, and Jardine is no substitute for Silva.

- Fighter/referee extraordiannaire Herb Dean had to pull out of his Cage Rage 22 fight with Dave Legano due to an eye injury. The big Herbivore later announced that he will retire from fighting and stick to being a mediocre referee.

- Speaking of this weekend's Cage Rage event, I came across this little gem on MMAWeekly.com: "Joe Mac vs. Jeremy Bailey did not happen due to Joe Mac's face being slashed by a knife the night before."

Cage Rage 22 Card

The action goes down this Saturday, July 14, at London’s Wembley Arena. Click here for MMAWWeekly's full card breakdown.

You'll notice that appearing alongside notable MMA figures like Butterbean, Mario Sperry, and James Thompson is well-known referee Herb Dean!

Here's the full card:

ButterBean vs Tengiz Tedoradze

Mario Sperry vs Lee Hasdell

Cabbage vs James Thompson

Edson Drago vs Gary Turner

Herb Dean vs Dave Legeno

Mark Buchannan vs James McSweeny

Paul Cahoon vs Mark Epstein

Ronnie Mann vs Robbie Olivier

Marios Zaromskis vs Ross Mason

Ross Pointin vs Dean Bray

Joe Mac vs Bad Boy

Michael Johnson vs Damian Riccio

Tom Watson vs Ed Smith

Beyond "Big" John

"Big" John McCarthy is widely, and rightfully, regarded as the most skilled, experienced referee in the UFC and beyond. And he is. And everyone knows it.

"He's the best in the business," is probably the most insightful thing that commentator Mike Goldberg has ever said.

Now, don't get me wrong; I have no problem with Big John receiving accolades. He deserves it. The man has officiated over 500 mixed martial arts matches worldwide, holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, served as a key figure in authoring MMA Unified Rules, and has been recognized by the state of California for his accomplishments in "Mixed Martial Arts Safety & Growth." Clearly, Big John is the guy you want to keep the action moving, the rules enforced, and the fighters safe.

My only concern with the ongoing lovefest for Big John is that everyone - and I mean everyone! - hears about Big John being the best ref in the UFC. This includes Herb Dean, Mario Yamasaki, Steve Mazzagatti, and Yves Levigne. Who??? The other UFC referees. Oh yeah...them...

Imagine sitting at work or in school and constantly being reminded that someone else is that much better than you. Yuck.

That said, Kodiak MMA would like to spread some love to the other boys in black. You might not be at the level of a Big John McCarthy (and that's OK), but we still love ya, fellas!

Mario Yamasaki - Can any other ref carry the "Super Mario" nickname? Didn't think so. Yamasaki is also founder and instructor of the Yamasaki Academy in the USA, and the Yamasaki family has been teaching martial arts in Brazil for over for two generations.

Steve Mazzagatti - In Italian, his last name means "kills cats," so now he's got that going for him, which is nice. Plus, he's got the most delicious moustache this side of Don Frye (sometimes). A proud, devoted family man, Mazzagatti also serves as a firefighter/engineer in Las Vegas.

Yves Levigne - Very simply, Yves Levigne leads the league in silent letters.

Herb Dean - Dean may have been involved with the Shamrock-Ortiz 2 debacle, the Arlovski sucker punch and fence grab against Marcio Cruz, the questionable Cro Cop-Gonzaga stand up, and stopping the Mir-Sylvia AFTER Sylvia's arm snapped, but he holds the distinction of being the only UFC referee who fought Joe "Diesel" Riggs ( at Rage in the Cage 43) and submitted in Round 1 due to strikes.