Article about Kerr and much more..

Underground
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I don't know if this was posted but talks all about the fight Kerr pulled out of and history of the sport:

http://www.westword.com/Issues/2006-05-11/news/feature2_full.html

A couple more matches into the night, a six-foot, 270-pound figure with a shaved head climbed into the ring. Rico Vecc -- founder of the ACF, an ex-con whose given name is Rico Vecchiarelli -- grabbed the mike. "Straight out of jail, right," he said, then asked fighter Mark Kerr to step into the ring. Kerr is a legend in mixed martial arts, a star of the sport's Japanese league who overcame an addiction to injectable painkillers and hadn't fought in the United States in nine years, hadn't fought at all for two. His comeback was touted as the main event at the May 6 tournament.

"Mark hurt his hand earlier this week, and the doctor will not allow him to fight," Vecc announced, handing the mike to Kerr.

"I've had easier walks down to the ring than tonight," Kerr said, as the crowd erupted in boos and shouts of "Pussy!"

The ACF cheerleaders circled the ring and tried to calm the crowd, but then Kerr's scheduled opponent, the huge Wes Sims, took the mike. "Folks, I want you to know that I knew nothing about this bullshit," he said. "I busted my ass for the last three months so that I could beat yours," he added, pointing at Kerr. And then Sims was crowned ACF champ.

Even before Vecc's announcement, rumors had been circulating that the Kerr/Sims match might not take place. And while fans of mixed martial arts were taking their seats in the Coliseum that evening, another league competing with the ACF was putting fliers for its upcoming fight on the cars parked outside. Vecc's ACF is just one of the martial arts fight promotions filling smaller venues around the country with a sport that's now battling boxing in the pay-per-view world. And when they're not fighting more mainstream sports for an audience, these promoters are fighting each other. The competition is fierce.

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TTT

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The article was just an excuse by the writer to slight Rico Vecc aka Rico Vecchiarelli , and make the sport of MMA look barbaric IMHO. There was no need to mention that Rico was a ex-con , or that he is facing 8 years in prison on a Class 3 felony securities fraud. What did that have to do with the event , or the history of the sport. I also like how he had to fit the word Mafia-esque somewhere in his article. The whole introductary paragraph of women screaming for blood, and fight like a man, not a bitch was so unneccassary. It was just a bunch of garbage.