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Photo by International Fight League.

The IFL will be changing in many ways in 2008 and we’re here to tell you all about it…

The promotion held a conference call yesterday afternoon to announce the new changes and answer any questions that the press might have had. IFL Commissioner Kurt Otto and IFL Manager of Public Relations Jerry Milani were both on hand during the call.

Teams, Titles, and TV

The IFL will be switching from a team to a camp format meaning that instead of the Quad City Silverbacks and Portland Wolfpack, Miletich Fighting Systems and Team Quest will now be represented. Events will now feature teams putting three fighters in place to compete instead of five like in the past. This was done in order to create easier injury replacement situations.

Camps that are not under contract with the IFL will be permitted to compete. Team Punishment and Xtreme Couture are examples of this. Fighters from those camps can also compete for a title. Speaking of titles, each event will feature a minimum of eight fights - two title defenses and two matches between teams. Preliminary bouts are an option for each event also, especially for those that will be entering via the IFL Draft.

The IFL’s next event will take place at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on February 29th. They currently have a deal in place with FOX Sports Net and are currently in discussions with MyNetworkTV. They are also in talks with other networks as well.

Updates on Frye, Rothwell, Rutten, Angle, and Gusmao

Don Frye will no longer be coaching with the IFL but will continue to do his “Dear Don” episodes as well as visiting with US troops overseas in conjunction with the IFL. Ben Rothwell is currently not with the IFL and is a free agent. Otto stated that while he’s sure that Rothwell will end up somewhere else, he hopes that he would consider a return in the future.

Bas Rutten will not be coaching in 2008 and will remain as the color commentator on broadcasts. There is no real news involving Kurt Angle except that Angle’s manager formally expressed his client’s interest in competing inside the confines of the IFL.

As far the Andre Gusmao situation goes, Gusmao and his agent misinterpreted his contract and attempted to strike a deal with the IFL. The IFL let the UFC know that they still had his rights and they retracted their offer. Otto and company are currently in talks with Gusmao and his representation during an exclusive negotiation period.

Miscellaneous Notes

There was no official mention of plans to have another IFL Grand Prix. Both fighters with multi-fight deals and single-fight deals will be busy. No intent to include women in the fold anytime soon. The old IFL teams and logos will be done away with. Rosters will be announced after the new year. No indication of a formal set of standings for next season. Plans are currently to tame the travel schedule. Shorts will have an IFL logo and the logo of the camp on them. The IFL’s official “road map” is here. Sam Caplan has another excellent breakdown of everything here. Jarry Park has audio of the call here.

According to Jarry Park’s recent interview with former UFC ring girl Ali Sonoma, her and Diego Sanchez have ended their relationship:

AH: Are you and Diego still together?

AS: No, we decided to call it quits based on our careers. I will be away for months...we are still best friends, though. We talk everyday. I do and always will love him. He is on a different level of any guy I have ever met.

Yeah, he’s on a different level than everyone else alright…

It’s interesting to note that according to Ali, she was never under contract with the UFC, she was just working on an independent basis. Rumor has it that she’s turned her career to acting these days.

MMA News has a new interview up with long-time MMA referee “Big” John McCarthy that details McCarthy’s entire career and his recent decision to retire from officiating.

When asked about a possible return in the future, McCarthy didn’t rule it out:

MMANews.com: Is there any chance you would return to being a ref or is that on the back burner at this point?

“Big” John McCarthy: It’s on the back burner at this point but never say never. Could I referee again? Sure.

The UFC has apparently turned down an offer from M-1 Global to do a cross-promotional fight between UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko.

The news comes from Steve Sievert of The Houston Chronicle who has a direct quote from Couture himself:

“We got an official offer from M-1 to the UFC to do a co-promotion for the Couture-Emelianenko fight, and they (UFC) rejected that offer. Really, the only thing standing in the way for that fight right now is Dana and the UFC. Obviously, M-1 is happy to do a co-promotion like that. It only serves to help them. I think the UFC is looking at it the other way, and it’s like why do we want to help out another organization? The fans want to see that fight. At some point, you have to put that first.”

It kind of depends when exactly this offer was made. If it was made during the period of time where Couture and the UFC were at each other’s throats, I can certainly see why Dana White and company would throw the offer aside. No matter what happens, I’m sure we’ll see this fight eventually.