Even in death, EliteXC manages to churn out controversy. In a recent interview with Sherdog's Jeff Sherwood, former EliteXC matchmaker, Jared Shaw gave his side of the story on all things EliteXC.

The most interesting portion of the interview came when the son of Gary Shaw spoke about the infamous events that led up to Kimbo Slice's knockout defeat to Seth Petruzelli.

Transcribed by Cage Potato:

I don’t really have a tell-all book. I don’t want to make any more money in MMA. I don’t really care what happens in my name. There was nothing fixed about that fight. I could give two shits if it went to the ground. Ken Shamrock was going to go to the ground. I was scared of this guy’s (Petruzelli's) K-1 legs. There was no fix, but there was an offer of a fix that night.

Should I get some police protection after this….no, just kidding.

Frank Shamrock pulled me in the back of a room, turned the music up and offered to work the fight against Kimbo Slice. I almost threw up in my own stomach because I had thought for the past six months prior to that that he and Cung Le had fixed their own fight unbeknownst to me again, because I just can’t understand why Frank Shamrock didn’t go to the ground against Cung Le. I really don’t. I still don’t, but then my stomach made me throw up in my own mouth and I had to swallow it. I was like, ‘Uh, Frank, I don’t fix fights.’ And he was like, I’ll make up for my brother and…’ I was like, ‘Yo. Are you not hearing me? I don’t do that.’ Sure enough, what’s karma? I get accused of fixing a fight right after.

Who knows what kind of shit storm Ol' $kala's comments are going to kick up but the thing that puzzles me most out of them is, how in the hell does one throw up in their own stomach?

The rest of the interview is very entertaining, even if you do think it is all lies and nonsense.

Update: Frank Shamrock responds via MMA Fighting:

"No, absolutely not," Shamrock said Monday on The MMA Hour, when asked by host Ariel Helwani about Shaw's claim. "That's some movie b.s. right there."
...
Shamrock says he doesn't know why Shaw would make such a statement, but reasons Shaw's career in MMA is over and he's looking for a way to make money.

"It sounds like he's trying to sell a book or something, or write a movie script," said Shamrock before asking: "Where would I get the music at? What are you talking about here? Do I just carry a beatbox with me?"

Shamrock says he would have never "fiddled with the truth." Fighting is for himself, his art and making money.

"Nothing else makes sense," he says.

Welcome back to From the Vault - a series here at Head Kick Legend focused on classic fights from kickboxing's past. With more and more fans discovering kickboxing every day, this series aims to revisit some of the sport's greatest fights.

YODSAENKLAI FAIRTEX v. VUYISILE COLOSSA
February 13, 2010

For this edition of From the Vault, we tackle something a bit different. Instead of looking into kickboxing's far past, we turn to one of the most talked about results from 2010: Yodsaenklai Fairtex v. Vuyisile "The Cheetah" Colossa. One of the biggest upsets in recent years, this fight remained unseen for months until footage finally surfaced recently. Now, we examine the lead up to the fight, and the controversial result.

Heading into this fight, Yodsaenklai was one of the top pound for pound Thai fighters on the planet. Starting in mid-2005, Yod had been on an unbelievable streak, winning countless fights against top opponents and only notching one loss - an extra round decision defeat in 2008 to Andy Souwer, at that time the reigning MAX champion and #1 ranked 70kg fighter in the world. Yod's streak included winning The Contender Asia by defeating John Wayne Parr, plus wins over Cosmo Alexandre, Marco Pique, and Tum Madsue among others. For some perspective, at the time Yod began his streak, Pride still existed, Badr Hari had yet to make his K-1 debut, and Chuck Liddell had just won the UFC Light Heavyweight belt. In short, the man was dominant, with no end to his spectacular run in sight.

On February 13, with thirteen straight wins behind him, Yodsaenklai stepped into the ring in Equatorial Guinea in Africa for what was assumed to be another relatively easy win. His opponent was Vuyisile Colossa, a 27 year old South African fighter.

A professional since 2002, Colossa had fought all over the world, gaining valuable experience competing in Hong Kong's Planet Battle, Thailand, and Europe. His path had brought him against many notable names in the sport including Naruepol Fairtex, Armen Petrosyan, and Tum Madsua. While these were undoubtedly helpful learning opportunities, Colossa had yet to earn that big win needed to break out and gain serious attention. His biggest win to date was a victory in early 2009 over Xu Yan, the Chinese fighter who would end 2009 with a K-1 win over Yuichiro Nagashima.

One other notable name appeared on the resume of Vusi Colossa: Yodsaenklai Fairtex. The two men had met twice before in the ring - first on November 25, 2008 in Hong Kong, then on March 26, 2009 in France. In both fights the result had been the same - Yodsaenklai via decision. For their third encounter, the two men would compete under modified Muay Thai rules: five 3-minute rounds with no elbows allowed.

Between Yod's dominance, Colossa's significantly lower ranking, and their two previous encounters, this looked like an easy fight to pick. Sure there were rumblings that Yodsaenklai had not looked quite as strong in his most recent outings, choosing to coast to decision victories rather than finish his opponents off, but he still was the heavy favorite here.

Five rounds later, the unthinkable had happened. The judges rendered a decision. Yodsaenklai had been defeated. Vuyisile Colossa had toppled the Muay Thai giant.

Almost immediately, questions began to be raised regarding the decision. Live reports indicated that it should have gone Yod's way, calling Colossa's victory into question. With no footage available, fans were left to wonder exactly what had happened in Guinea that night.

Last week, after months of anticipation, the fight showed up. A close look reveals much about how Colossa walked away with the win, and whether or not that win was deserved.

Fight video and analysis after the jump.

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Welcome back to From the Vault - a series here at Head Kick Legend focused on classic fights from kickboxing's past. With more and more fans discovering kickboxing every day, this series aims to revisit some of the sport's greatest fights.

JEROME LE BANNER v. MARK HUNT
May 25, 2002
K-1 World Grand Prix in Paris

He's done.
He needs to retire.
He's going to get hurt.
He's embarrassing himself.

As 2009 drew to a close, this was the accepted view of K-1 legend Jerome Le Banner. One of the all-time greats, Le Banner had been on the losing end far too much lately, capping off 2009 with arguably the worst performance of his career in a loss to Semmy Schilt. To many, it looked like the Hyper Battle Cyborg was finished.

Then he went and did a strange thing. He turned in the most aggressive, most passionate performance we've seen from him in years, beating back new generation star Tyrone Spong and showing fans that yes, there still is some life left in this man. For any long-time K-1 fan, Le Banner's win over Spong was a great moment. Because along with men like Aerts and Hoost, Jerome Le Banner IS K-1. He's been a part of the organization since 1995 and has been in countless classic battles over the years. Yet of all those battles he's fought, of all those men he's faced, few made such a mark on his career as the series of classic fights with Mark Hunt. And so, to remind ourselves what Le Banner once could do (and, who knows, what he could do again?) let's take a look at those classics.

By 2000, Le Banner was already a massively popular K-1 veteran. He'd been in there with all of the best, and with KO victories over names like Hoost, Aerts, and Greco, he'd shown that he was a man to be feared in the ring. Despite his fearsome reputation, Le Banner had yet to secure his name in the record books as a Grand Prix champion. A 1999 GP semi-finalist, JLB was one of the favorites for 2000, and he started the year in style with four straight knockout wins heading into the qualifying GP in Nagoya. That tournament featured two heavy favorites: Le Banner, and an opponent he knew all too well - Ernesto Hoost. A finals showdown between these two men seemed destined. But before getting there, Le Banner had to make it through the quarter and semi-finals. His night started against a relative unknown making his Japanese debut.

Mark Hunt came into fighting through the backdoor. Picked up by a trainer after a bar fight, Hunt had racked up a decent record against lower level opponents in Australia before entering the K-1 Oceania Qualifying GP. Three wins later, Mark Hunt had a ticket to the big stage in K-1 - the Nagoya GP and a fight with Jerome Le Banner. (Click here for the fight) Despite being the massive underdog, Hunt put in a game performance, however it was Le Banner's experience that led him to the decision win. Little did any of the audience know that they had just witnessed the first chapter in one of K-1's classic feuds.

After dispatching Hunt, Le Banner went on to win the Nagoya GP, defeating Hoost in the finals. Sadly, Le Banner suffered an injury, and was forced out of the 2000 GP, his dreams of being a Grand Prix champion forced to wait another year. Upon returning from injury, Le Banner faced another setback as he was knocked out in a tremendous fight with Mike Bernardo. Replays revealed that the knockout came just after the bell, so the fight was ruled a No Contest, yet this did not erase the image of JLB KO'd. From there, Le Banner went on what can only be described as a rampage, with a series of brutal knockout victories over Pavel Majer, Ebenezer Fontes Braga, Adam Watt, and Marc de Wit. With the 2001 GP about to begin, Le Banner wasn't just winning, he was destroying people.

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Welcome back to From the Vault - a series here at Head Kick Legend focused on classic fights from kickboxing's past. With more and more fans discovering kickboxing every day, this series aims to revisit some of the sport's greatest fights.

GARY GOODRIDGE v. CHALID "DIE FAUST" ARRAB
K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas 2006
April 29, 2006

To this day, I still know the exact moment I became hooked on MMA and, in turn, all combat sports.  I was a young professional wrestling fan who had heard rumblings from a friend about this brand new thing called the UFC where it was just like pro wrestling "but for real."  Intrigued, I headed to the video store and randomly picked up UFC 8.  There was a lot that got my attention right off the bat, but one moment in particular grabbed me and made me say "THIS is what I need to be watching."  That moment: Gary Goodridge v. Paul Herrera. 

For that, Gary Goodridge will forever hold a spot as one of my favorite fighters.  Yes, he's fallen on hard times in recent years, but there  was once a point where he was a highly dangerous striker, both in MMA and kickboxing.  So let's take a look back at one of Big Daddy's last stands, the 2006 Las Vegas GP.

Over the years, the Vegas GP has been home to some of the crazier fights in the K-1 canon - Bob Sapp v. Kimo, Ray Sefo v. Marvin Eastman...  K-1's desire to court the Vegas audience with both MMA and American fighters led to some strange match-ups, but usually a very entertaining and explosive card, and the 2006 GP was no exception.  In the quarter final round, two fighters made statements with explosive first round knock-outs.  Those men were Gary Goodridge and Chalid Die Faust.

Heading into this event Goodridge's legend was well known.  A former star of the UFC and Pride and now Hero's and K-1, Goodridge had a string of classic fights under his belt.  While he didn't always win the big fights, he had been in there with the best, and had some very impressive kickboxing wins on his resume, including Mike Bernardo, Cyril Abidi, and Carter Williams.  At the time, he was on a 3 fight losing streak, though those loses came against some of the sport's absolute best - Le Banner, Feitosa, Ignashov.  Splitting his time between K-1 and MMA, Goodridge was still a fighter with dynamite in his strikes, as evidenced by his spectacular KO of Don Frye at Shockwave 2003.

Looking like a man with something to prove, Goodridge made an immediate statement at the Vegas GP, knocking out his first round opponent Kengo in just 40 seconds.  After that win, Goodridge would face the highly regarded Scott Lighty in the semi-finals.  Lighty had made the finals of this event last year, defeating Chalid Die Faust along the way before losing a decision to Ruslan Karaev.  He was no match for Goodridge, who again knocked him out in the first, this time improving on his first fight with a 34 second KO, and earning himself a spot in the finals.

Chalid "Die Faust" Arrab was a relative newcomer to K-1, with not a tremendous amount of K-1 experience under his belt.  None the less, he had a reputation as a tough knockout artist from his boxing career (his nickname translates to "The Fist") and held a respectable 7-3 MMA record.  Coming into Vegas he was definitely not favored to win, as not only did he lack the same level of K-1 experience, he also had just one week before been involved in a major car accident in Germany.

In the quarter-finals, Chalid was paired with former WWE and WCW wrestler Sean O'Haire, making his 3rd pro kickboxing appearance.  Chalid quickly lived up to his nickname, knocking O'Haire out with a devastating uppercut in 23 seconds (and, incidentally, ending O'Haire's kickboxing career).  On to the semis, Chalid faced American Carter Williams, the 2003 Vegas GP champion.  It was a close fight that Williams took via split decision, however, when Williams could not continue on to the finals due to injury, Chalid got a second chance.

The finals were set.  The heavy-handed veteran Gary Goodridge v. the heavy-handed underdog Chalid Arrab.  Winner would get a pass to the Final 16.

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Welcome to From the Vault - a series here at Head Kick Legend focused on classic fights from kickboxing's past. With more and more fans discovering kickboxing every day, this series aims to revisit some of the sport's greatest fights.

MASATO v. ALBERT KRAUS
K-1 MAX Grand Prix Finals 2003
July 5, 2003

At the end of this month, one of Japan's most dominant and popular kickboxers will fight his retirement fight. Masato has been such a staple of MAX action since the inception of the MAX GP in 2002 that it is hard to imagine the division without him, and yet, starting in 2010, that will indeed be the case. With Masato heading out, we focus From the Vault on some of his most legendary performances. It's a chance to both honor and remember the legend, as well as remind some newer fans what Masato is capable of. And what better place to start than July 5, 2003.

In early 2002, K-1 officially launched their MAX division, spotlighting smaller, faster fighters instead of the heavyweights featured in the regular K-1 shows. From the first big MAX event, the Japan tournament 2002, it was clear that Masato was going to be the man to watch. He won that first tournament, defeating Kohiruimaki via decision in the finals, and earning himself a spot in the first ever MAX Grand Prix. There he defeated Duane Bang Ludwig in the opening round, before coming up against a young fighter by the name of Albert Kraus in the semi-finals.

Kraus had made his K-1 debut earlier that year with a win over Francis Itay. From there, he entered the GP and defeated Shane Chapman in the quarter-finals. Despite Kraus looking good in his wins, smart money had to be on Masato due to his higher visibility and five years' experience. And yet, a funny thing happened. Masato, the clear chosen one for MAX superstardom, lost. Albert Kraus scored the victory in a hard-fought decision win. With Masato out, Kraus cruised through the finals, knocking out Thai fighter Kaolan Kaovichit to become the first ever K-1 MAX World Grand Prix champion.

Knowing this was a fight fans were eager to see again, K-1 wasted no time setting up a rematch. On October 11, the two men met again, this time in a stand-alone fight that main evented a MAX show featuring a "Japan vs. the World" theme called the Champions' Challenge. The two had another drawn out battle, this time going five full rounds. But again, Masato fell short, as the fight ended in a draw.

As 2003 began, this was clearly a series that was not yet settled. Masato started the year in style, winning his second straight Japan tournament by defeating Kozo Takeda in the finals (and Genki Sudo along the way as well). For Kraus, this night was not as successful. Facing heavy-handed striker Mike Zambidis in a non-tournament fight, Kraus was knocked out in the 2nd round. As the 2003 Grand Prix tournament began to fall into place it seemed that momentum now favored Masato, but could he overcome Kraus?

Video and more after the jump.

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Welcome to From the Vault - a series here at Head Kick Legend focused on classic fights from kickboxing's past. With more and more fans discovering kickboxing every day, this series aims to revisit some of the sport's greatest fights.

ERNESTO HOOST v. MIRKO CRO COP FILIPOVIC
K-1 Grand Prix Finals 1999
December 5, 1999

From MMA fans new to K-1 and kickboxing, one of the most common questions I hear is "So just how good was Cro Cop in K-1?" As an MMA fighter, much is made of Mirko's K-1 experience, but then again much is also made of Cheick Kongo's kickboxing skills whenever he has a UFC fight, so it can be hard for someone with no K-1 knowledge to evaluate Cro Cop's position. The short answer - he was really quite good. For the long answer, let's take a close look at the 1999 K-1 Grand Prix Finals.

Mirko Filipovic made a splashy K-1 debut in 1996. A 22 year old amateur boxer with a claimed record of 40-5, Filipovic dove right in to the deep waters, making his K-1 and professional kickboxing debut as part of the 1996 Grand Prix, facing a young Jerome Le Banner in the opening round. In a mild upset, Cro Cop defeated Le Banner via decision, earning himself a spot in the next round against one of K-1's earliest superstars, Ernesto Hoost. Already an experienced veteran, Hoost was a huge challenge for any man to face in only his 2nd pro bout, and while Cro Cop gave it a great showing, Hoost ultimately defeated him in round 3.

For Cro Cop, this was a temporary end to his kickboxing career, as he stepped away for three years, returning in 1999 with wins over Jan Nortje and Ricky Nickolson and a decision loss to Xhavit Bajrami, all outside of K-1. His K-1 return took place on October 5, 1999 in the opening round of the 1999 Grand Prix. His opponent was GP veteran Mike Bernardo, and the fight is most definitely one to watch:

And with that, in many ways, the legend of Cro Cop was born. It's amazing that Bernardo survives that first kick, but it is clear here what kind of striking power Mirko possesses. He followed that up with stoppage victories over Musashi in the quarter finals and Sam Greco in the semi-finals, earning him his first trip to the finals of the K-1 Grand Prix. As luck would have it, his opponent was a man he knew.

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Welcome to From the Vault - a new series here at Head Kick Legend focused on classic fights from kickboxing's past. With more and more fans discovering kickboxing every day, this series aims to revisit some of the sport's greatest fights.

ERNESTO HOOST v. JEROME LE BANNER
December 7, 2002
K-1 Grand Prix Finals

Heading into the 2009 Grand Prix Finals, one man who is not receiving much media attention is Final 8 competitor Jerome Le Banner. Viewed as little more than a minor hurdle for Schilt to overcome before making the semi-finals, Le Banner is in the midst of a serious rough patch, going 2-4 in his last 6 fights. But as any old school fan can tell you, it hasn't always been this way for Le Banner. Once considered one of the K-1 elite, Le Banner is still one of the most popular fighters in the sport, and has earned that popularity through years of hard work. Today we look back at a very different time for Le Banner.

In the 2002 Grand Prix finals, Le Banner was on an unbelievable roll, having only lost once in his last 19 fights in an upset to Mark Hunt at last year's Grand Prix. In the Final 16, Le Banner easily dispatched Gary Goodridge with a one round KO. From there, he continued his dominance, defeating the man he would later retire in 2009, Musashi in the quarter finals by TKO and gaining revenge on his rival Mark Hunt in a hard fought decision in the semi-finals. As he stepped into the ring for the final bout of the evening, it seemed that his destiny had finally come. The time was now for the wildly popular, seven year K-1 veteran to finally take the crown that everyone knew he would one day hold.

His opponent that night had taken a much more winding road to the finals. "Mr. Perfect" Ernesto Hoost was one of the most decorated fighters in K-1 history. But the three time Grand Prix champion had fallen on hard times, drawing against Semmy Schilt in October before squaring off with the still feared Bob Sapp at the Final 16. At their Final 16 meeting, Sapp defeated Hoost, effectively ending his shot at the 2002 Grand Prix title. Luckily for Hoost, when Final 8 competitor Schilt went down with an injury, Hoost received the call up, and was faced up against Sapp again in the Final 8. In the rematch, Hoost lost again, eliminated for the 2nd time from the Grand Prix. Yet again, injuries pushed Hoost forward as Sapp dropped out. After defeating Ray Sefo in the semi-finals, Ernesto Hoost was in the unlikely spot of 2002 Grand Prix finalist, despite being eliminated twice already in the tournament.

With Le Banner on a roll, and Hoost having his problems, this looked like JLB's time.

Video after the jump

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Welcome to From the Vault - a new series here at Head Kick Legend focused on classic fights from kickboxing's past. With more and more fans discovering kickboxing every day, this series aims to revisit some of the sport's greatest fights.

MARK HUNT v. RAY SEFO
October 8, 2001
K-1 Fukuoka Grand Prix

There are a lot of great fights out there in the history banks of K-1. Often the very best of these fights are highly technical affairs, with both men showing superb defense, a variety of attacks, and well-executed strategy in order to best their opponent. This is not one of those fights.

On October 8, 2001, eight fighters stepped into the ring in Fukuoka, Japan for their final shot at the 2001 Grand Prix finals. The Fukuoka event was highlighted by two 4-man mini-tournaments, with the winner of each tournament advancing to the GP finals on December 8. As a result, the stakes for this show were extremely high, with every man knowing this night could effectively end his 2001 season. The last semi-final of the draw pitted two New Zealand countrymen at very different stages of their K-1 careers against one another.

On one side of the ring stood "Sugarfoot" Ray Sefo. One of the unofficial spokesmen of K-1, Sefo had been a fixture of the company since 1996 and had faced all the big names from Hoost to Aerts to LeBanner to Hug. In 2001, Sefo was coming off his greatest year, making it to the final fight of the 2000 Grand Prix, where he lost to the great Ernesto Hoost. Despite his 2000 successes, Sefo was coming in to this fight off of a loss to a little known fighter making his Japanese K-1 debut at the time by the name of Remy Bonjasky. A knockout machine with one of the highest KO ratios in K-1, Sefo was at the peak of his skills, and highly regarded.

His opponent was a relative newcomer to the sport of kickboxing. Mark Hunt had made his professional debut just two years earlier, and entered K-1 as a severe underdog in 2000 at the K-1 Oceania tournament. Hunt surprised fans in that tournament, coming out victorious and earning himself a shot on a main K-1 show. His K-1 debut came in July 2000, where he lost a decision to the man who would eventually become perhaps his greatest rival in Jerome Le Banner. After successfully defending his Oceania title in 2001, Hunt was now coming off back-to-back loses including a hard-fought decision loss to reigning champion Hoost (in one of those fight where the loser still walks away a winner), and to Peter Graham. Popular for his exciting style, Hunt was something of a wildcard in this tournament.

The stage was set. Two exciting, hard-hitting fighters, one known for his knockout power, one known for his resilience to being knocked out. Fans knew this one could be good.

Video and more after the jump.

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