Big Ben, Whitehead, Gusmao Out of IFL Grand Prix

Top-seeded IFL heavyweight Ben Rothwell, as well as light heavyweights Mike Whitehead and Andre Gusmao, have been pulled from the IFL World Grand Prix, Sam Caplan at ProElite.com is reporting.

After the IFL was unable to secure signed commitments from each fighter for next season, Rothwell and Whitehead were pulled from the opening round of the Grand Prix, which is scheduled for November 3 in Chicago.

The IFL reportedly tried to finalize the 2008 contracts for Rothwell and Whitehead but felt that the fighters’ management (both are managed by Monte Cox) was not cooperating.

Despite not appearing in the Grand Prix, Whitehead and Rothwell are still under contract with the IFL, which has no intention of releasing these fighters is hoping to sign both fighters for next season.

Replacing Ben Rothwell will be N.Y Pitbulls heavyweight Bryan Vetell, who will fight Antoine Jaoude in the heavyweight tournament semis. In the other semifinal match Roy Nelson and Reese Andy meet.

As for Andre Gusmao, the Pitbulls light heavyweight has been forced out of action with a foot injury suffered during the IFL Team Finals. With Gusmao, Whitehead, and alternate Jamal Patterson unavailable for the tournament, Vladimir Matyushenko will fight Alex Schoenauer for the IFL light heavyweight title on Nov. 3.

Tonight’s Battleground Focuses on Grand Prix

The latest episode of IFL Battleground will air tonight at 8 PM ET/PT (7 PM CT/MT) on MyNetwork and will feature IFL stars Ben Rothwell, Chris Horodecki, Jay Hieron, Vladimir Matyushenko, Mike Whitehead, and Benji Radach.

The IFL Grand Prix semis will be held on Saturday, November 3 at the Sears Centre in Chicago, and the finals will take place on Saturday, December 29 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.

In case you’re curious, here are the match-ups for the Grand Prix semis:

Lightweight

Wagnney Fabiano (Toronto) vs. John Gunderson (Nevada)

Chris Horodecki (L.A.) vs. Bart Palaszewski (Quad Cities)

Welterweight

Delson Heleno (N.Y.) vs. Mark Miller (Chicago)

Antonio McKee (Tokyo) vs. Jay Hieron (L.A.)

Middleweight

Benji Radach (L.A.) vs. Brent Beauparlant (Toronto)

Matt Horwich (Portland) vs. Brian Foster (San Jose)

Light Heavyweight

Vladimir Matyushenko (Tokyo) vs. Alex Schoenauer (L.A.)

Mike Whitehead (Tucson) vs. Mike Ciesnolevicz (Quad Cities)

Heavyweight

Ben Rothwell (Quad Cities) vs. Roy Nelson (Nevada)

Antoine Jaoude (Southern California) vs. Reese Andy (Seattle)

IFL Grand Prix Match-ups Announced

Here are the match-ups for the IFL Grand Prix opening round, which will be held on November 3 in Chicago. The finals will take place at in Uncasville, CT on December 29.

I'd love to know how and why Chris Horodecki didn't get the #1 seed, but I'm not at all upset that he and Palaszewski will be meeting in the opening round.

Matyushenko vs. Schonauer, Heleno vs. Miller, and Rothwell vs. Nelson should also be great fights.

Lightweight (155 lbs.)
- No. 1 Wagnney Fabiano (NY Dragons) vs. No. 4 John Gunderson (Nevada Lions)
- No. 2 Chris-Horodecki(LA Anacondas) vs. No. 3 Bart Palaszewski(Iowa Silverbacks)
Alternate: Shad Lierley (Seattle Tiger Sharks)

Welterweight (170 lbs.)
- No. 1 Delson Heleno (NY Pitbulls) vs. No. 4 Mark Miller (Chicago Red Bears)
- No. 2 Antonio McKee (Tokyo Sabres) vs. No. 3 Jay Hieron (LA Anacondas)
Alternate: Pat Healy (Nevada Lions)

Middleweight (185 lbs.)
- No. 1 Benji Radach (LA Anacondas) vs. No. 4 Brent Beauparlant (Toronto Dragons)
- No. 2 Matt Horwich (Portland Wolfpack) vs. No. 3 Brian Foster (San Jose Razorclaws)
Alternate: Fabio Leopoldo (NY Pitbulls)

Light Heavyweight (205 lbs.)
- No. 1 Vladimir Matyushenko (Tokyo Sabres) vs. No. 4 Alex Schoenauer (LA Anacondas)
- No. 2 Mike Whitehead (Tucson Scorpions) vs. No. 3 Mike Ciesnolevicz (Iowa Silverbacks)
Alternate: Jamal Patterson (NY Pitbulls)

Heavyweight (265 lbs.)
- No. 1 Ben Rothwell (Iowa Silverbacks) vs. No. 4 Roy Nelson (Nevada Lions)
- No. 2 Antoine Jaoude (So. Cal. Condors) vs. No. 3 Reese Andy (Seattle Tiger Sharks)
Alternate: Bryan Vetell (NY Pitbulls)

For more on the IFL Grand Prix tournament, click here.

Morning Droppings

- Undefeated lightweight Thiago Tavares and the always exciting Tyson Griffin are scheduled to fight as part of what is turning out to be an outstanding UFC 76 card. Don't be surprised if Tavares vs. Griffin turns out to be the fight of the night.

- In preparation for his UFC 75 fight against Matt Hammill, undefeated UFC light heavyweight Michael "The Count" Bisping will be travelling up to Big Bear, CA to train for a month with new UFC light-heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

- Kalib Starnes will make his next UFC octagon appearance against Alan Belcher in a middleweight bout at UFC 77 in Cincinnati.

- “Handsome” Matt Wiman, best known for his TUF 5 appearance and for eating a vicious flying knee from Spencer Fisher at UFC 60, will face fellow lightweight Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 76.

- On Wednesday (July 25), the IFL will announce the Grand Prix qualifiers for each division. Four fighters from each of the IFL’s five weight classes will compete in the IFL Grand Prix, which will be held over the course of several events. For more, check back in with Kodiak MMA's IFL Grand Prix coverage.

IFL News

Let’s just get right down to it.

IFL Grand Prix!

The IFL will announce the lineups for a Grand Prix in each weight class next Wednesday. For each weight class, four fighters will face off tournament style, with the winners earning championship titles for their respective weight classes. The Grand Prix will take place after the IFL finals and will be decided over the course of multiple fight cards.

New Coaches, New Cities

IFL head honcho Kurt Otto said yesterday in a press conference that although the IFL has no plans on adding to its 12-team league, there may be some coaching changes, as well team relocations.

August 2 Semifinals

The semifinal coaches have named replacements for their injured fighters, and the official rosters (for now, at least) are as follows:

Iowa Silverbacks vs. L.A. Anacondas
LW: Bart Palaszewski vs. Adam Disabato (in for Chris Horodecki)
WW: Rory Markham vs. Chris Clements (in for Jay Hieron)
MW: Gerald Harris (in for Ryan McGivern) vs. Benji Radach
LHW: Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Alex Schoenauer
HW: Ben Rothwell vs. Krzysztof Soszynski

Tokyo Sabers vs. N.Y. Pitbulls
LW: Savant Young vs. Erik Owings
WW: Antonio McKee vs. Delson Heleno
MW: David Phillips (in for Kaz Hamanaka) vs. Dan Miller (in for Fabio Leopoldo)
LHW: Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Jamal Patterson
HW: Wayne Cole vs. Bryan Vetell

With some excellent semifinal match-ups and the upcoming Grand Prix, the IFL is doing some big things in the mixed martial arts world. If you haven't warmed up to the IFL yet, I implore you to give it a shot. I wasn't thrilled by the MMA team concept initially, but it does make for good drama at times. Most important, though, the IFL delivers excellent fights and promising young talent.

Also, if you plan on attending the IFL semis at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ, be sure to enter discount code "IFLWEBNJ" and save 30% on $40, $65, and $125 tickets. Who loves ya.