Addison Sports Management and Media: Morning Report: Frank Shamrock Blasts Dana White, Chael Sonnen Goes Off on Portland Radio Host

Michael Cohen, Getty Images

Jun 29, 2012 - Lately it seems like the UFC Hall of Fame -- and to a greater extent, what the Hall actually represents -- has became a surprisingly divisive topic.
First there was the Brock Lesnar dilemma. Both Randy Couture and Kenny Florian vouched for the big guy's credentials, but the community was decidedly split on honoring a man with a career 5-3 record. Then came the announcement of Tito Ortiz's upcoming induction, which nobody could've foreseen back when Ortiz and UFC President Dana White were training to punch each other in the face on the classic 90-minute special, Bad Blood: Dana White vs. Tito Ortiz.
And now Frank Shamrock wants in on the action. The five-time UFC champion voiced his displeasure at not being included in the Hall of Fame by ripping White a new one on Spike TV's MMA Uncensored Live.

"I believe I should be in the Hall of Fame," Shamrock declared. "But it ain't my Hall of Fame. If they want to put me in, that's great. It's not going to keep me up at night.
"It's definitely personal between Dana and I. I've done everything I can possibly do for this sport. I hope that would include UFC. You know, Dana and I don't get along. I think he's a total douchebag and a bully. I just, I got no breath for him."
Shamrock's feud with White is well documented, though given his current employment with Strikeforce, referring to your boss as a "douchebag" probably isn't the most tactful move.
Regardless, his credentials are hard to overlook. Shamrock became the first UFC light heavyweight champion, and defended his belt a then-record four times, including a memorable TKO victory over a young Tito Ortiz. He then left to become the inaugural WEC light heavyweight champion, and eventually, the inaugural Strikeforce middleweight champion, both of which ended up under Zuffa ownership. Plus, he made the best .gif ever.
It's tough to deny that résumé.

5 MUST-READ STORIES
Shamrock calls out White. Strikeforce commentator and former UFC champion Frank Shamrock blasted Dana White, referring to the Zuffa boss as a "total douchebag and a bully," while repeating he should already be a member of the UFC Hall of Fame.
Sonnen pulls a Sonnen, hangs up on interview. A local radio interview between Portland's John Canzano and UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen quickly went south when Canzano brought up the fighter's criminal past, and Sonnen responded by hanging up and saying he hoped Canzano wasn't still beating his wife.
Couture talks Silva vs. Sonnen II. Legendary multi-division champion Randy Couture discussed the unique dynamic to Silva-Sonnen II, why Sonnen's victory over Nate Marquardt altered his career trajectory, and how next weekend's rematch is going to play out.
White brags about hacker arrest. UFC President Dana White gleefully bragged about his involvement in the arrest of Mir Islam, aka JoshTheGod, who was taken down by FBI agents for his role in a credit card fraud ring.
UFC cuts Rocha. Carlos Eduardo Rocha was released by the UFC after losing consecutive bouts to Jake Ellenberger and Mike Pierce, the latter of which he referred to as '15 minutes of 'bulls---'.

MEDIA STEW
Ladies and gentlemen, smooth talking Chael Sonnen could make us buy anything. (HT: Reddit)

Among the topics found in Matt Serra and Forrest Griffin's conversation: shrinkage, man touching man time, dropping a deuce in Griffin's house, and giggle fits towards Strikeforce. Seriously, this needs to be a weekly show. (And yes, Serra visited Sonnen too, so just click here.)

Jose Aldo's destruction of Chad Mendes -- and the ensuing celebration -- is already classic footage, but when paired with a Brazilian broadcast team on the verge of losing their minds, it's hard not to get goosebumps all over again. (HT: Reddit)

Way back in 2003, Mr. Sonnen faced off against another unknown light heavyweight, Forrest Griffin, at the IFC: Global Domination single-day tournament. Other members of the absurd eight-man field: Shogun Rua, Babalu Sobral, Jeremy Horn and Trevor Prangley. (Just in case you were interested, Babalu decisioned Horn to win it all.) Props to Leon MacCormack for the find.

Check out the "most helpful" Amazon review for Chael's book. Click for supersize.

And of course, the next installment of UFC 148's The Silver Spider vs. The American Gangsta comic strip.

WELTERWEIGHTS BEWARE

WAKING UP WITH THE BUFF

HAPPY DAYS
OKAY, THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN
(Props to the appropriately named @Hugh_Jaload for the find.)

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Thursday, June 28, 2012):
N/A

FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today's Fanpost of the Day comes from Andy Davis, who asks for your opinion on: The Greatest Fight That Never Happened

Joe Silva has the best job on the planet. This man spends his days planning fights. He creates a path for a contender to rise to the championship. He gives the newcomer interesting challenges. He gets to claim that he set up the legendary fights that no one will forget. The man lives and breathes fighting.
He also has the worst job. Fights fall through all the time. Fighters get injured, they fail drug tests, and sometimes (expletive) just happens for the weirdest of reasons. And then he has to scramble to find a replacement, all the while bearing the disappointment of the fight that didn't happen. But perhaps worst of all, everyone else thinks they could do his job better than he can. And far more often than decrying a fight that is planned, we complain about the fights that don't happen.
As fans, the greatest fights are often the ones that didn't happen. As we know, the idea of a fight is often very different from what actually happens. Fights that look fantastic on paper don't always deliver, and we're often pleasantly surprised by fights that weren't very appealing. With that in mind, we as fans don't anticipate a stinker. Every (imaginary) fight is FOTY, even if we know they aren't going to happen. We love to pine for the fights that should've happened. Perhaps the moment has passed and two greats never met, like Randy/Fedor. Maybe there's still a chance, like GSP/Diaz. Or maybe there's a matchup in your head that you know will never happen, but it should, damnit!
My own personal favorite was Condit/Penn. When it was announced, I was merely excited. Then our own NickTheFace did his magic, and I went from excited, to drooling, to BRRRAAWA. I spent weeks anticipating, watching tape, trying the figure out how it would play out. Words do not describe how excited I was. I was (expletive) pumped.

Found something perfect for the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @shaunalshatti and we'll include it in Monday's post.