Pismo Beach, and all the clams you can eat. Also, the 2nd Annual  Polar Bear Plunge earlier this month. What, a polar bear dip in March? In California?

Better not make Chuck Liddell angry. The pride of San Luis Obispo was on hand as part of the fundraising effort for the Special Olympics. The face of the UFC joked with reporters that 15 minutes in the Pacific would be preferable to his daily ice bath.

Is that the only way he can forget Willa Ford? No; hockey fans (and those who watch The Ultimate Fighter) will be familiar with the ice bath as a way to reduce other forms of swelling, such as after an injury, or simply after an intense workout. Liddell and his most recent opponent, Wanderlei Silva, are just two of the MMA warriors taking the plunge. It might work for you, too – but check with your doctor first.

Last week Ken Shamrock was accused of being a longtime user of steroids by his brother Frank Shamrock. Of course Ken is countering this claim saying that it is “absolutely false.”

Here is the statement that Ken released today on MMAjunkie.com:

During a recent interview with MMA Madness, Frank Shamrock stated that I have used steroids “my whole life.” In making such a reckless and irresponsible statement, Frank has attacked my character. As such, I unfortunately find it necessary to respond to his allegations. I’m not sure what his motives were, but Frank’s allegations are absolutely false.

During the interview, Frank also comments on the percentage of fighters that are allegedly using steroids, promoters that supposedly don’t care about their fighters unless they win, and the industry’s drug testing policies, or lack thereof. I would like to set the record straight.

Our sport has policies in place to deter steroid use and to weed out the guys that, as my brother says, “…are taking shortcuts to gain fame.” I have been subjected to mandatory steroid testing countless times, and I have never tested positive for steroids, nor have I ever refused a test. Furthermore, my experience has always been that the promoters and fighters willingly comply with the drug testing mandated by the various athletic commissions.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has always administered steroid and drug testing for licensed fighters. Recently, in an effort to further strengthen steroid testing policies, the NSAC implemented short-notice drug testing for MMA fighters. Fighters are now required to test at fixed times during the year, and are also randomly tested. Commissions in other states have similar policies in place. These policies clearly work as fighters occasionally do test positive and the penalties are significant.

For Frank to state that a majority of fighters use steroids and that the promoters do not care, or that they somehow condone the use of steroids, is unbelievably irresponsible. It tarnishes the image of every fighter and promoter in this industry. The comments Frank made about me and about the industry itself are based purely on his personal opinion, not on facts.

Frank should acknowledge that his comments were without merit and irresponsible, and apologize for the disparaging remarks he has made towards the fighters, promoters, and to the various athletic commissions who regulate MMA.

Every once in a while in the world of contact sports, you see violence. Not necessarily an attempt to injure, but a skilled open-field tackle, a hard screen, or an old-school hip check that reminds you why pro athletes wear all that body armor.

Here in no particular order are 10 athletes that I think could make it in MMA if they wanted to.

1. Ichiro: A middleweight at 170 pounds, Ichiro has the discipline of a warrior.
2. Philip Rivers: Might need to taste defeat once or twice more, but otherwise indomitable.
3. Ray Lewis: High intimidation factor.
4. Dion Phaneuf: Calgary Flames defenseman is a general on the ice.
5. Steve Hutchinson: Seahawks haven’t been the same without him.
6. Allen Iverson: Look the man in the eyes. He’d shake up the welterweights.
7. Tiger Woods: Would excel at Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Peerless conditioning.
8. Vitali Klitschko: Never knocked down as a professional. Owns a doctorate.
9. Tony Stewart: A lot of talking, but you have to be fearless to drive NASCAR.
10. Shaquille O’Neal: Think of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Bruce Lee. Now add 100 pounds.

Ah, crud. This June’s UFC main event in London, England was supposed to be Chuck Liddell and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. But Rua has a bum knee, so Rashad Evans is stepping into the spotlight.

The disappointment is not because Evans is a ham-and-egger. He’s 11-0-1 in MMA action, coming out of The Ultimate Fighter 2 program as the winner (and in the same “graduating class” as Keith Jardine). But Evans lacks the star power and the back-story that made Liddell-Rua so compelling.

Which, naturally, makes Evans a solid value pick at +205. It’s true that killer instinct is a crucial component of a fighter, and Evans is the kind of guy you’d feel comfortable leaving your children with. He was studying to be a cop – the good kind – before entering the octagon. But that doesn’t mean Evans can’t fight. And Liddell has already shown his vulnerability against Jardine. There’s no reason to believe Evans can’t win this battle, too.

There are many moments that have defined the former, and currently interim, welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. His losses as well as wins that have shaped this mixed martial art great.

His fight against his octagon hero Matt Hughes in Oct. of 2004 UFC 50 was a fight where people questioned his resolve. In the first round GSP was doing pretty good until Hughes was able to lock in an armbar with seconds left in the opening frame. GSP immediately tapped unknowing that in seconds he would have got a reprieve. It was a decision he regretted almost instantly.

After this loss, St-Pierre came back to prove that he was a stronger mental player against the UFC 58 fight against BJ Penn. GSP commented on the fight saying “You can be as skillful as you want, but if you don’t have the mental toughness, you’re not going to go anywhere, and in our sport, sooner or later, you’ll need that to win a fight.”

A few years later in Nov. 2006 at the UFC 65 St.-Pierre got his second shot at Hughes. GSP won the match giving Hughes a kick to the head in round two. It was the result that St-Pierre wanted.

It wasn’t until UFC 74 that GSP had probably the most important fight in his career. It was rumored that he had talent but didn’t have want it took to be something great. During this fight against Josh Koscheck dominating him and showed people that you can’t keep a good man down.

Finally at UFC 79 St-Pierre met Hughes again stepping in for Serra on short notice. This was a gutsy move. If he lost, he would be losing the trilogy again the future Hall of Famer and giving up a guaranteed title shot in 2008. GSP was even sharper and more dominant than he was in his second fight against Hughes. This was the moment he re-established himself as one of the sport’s best, pound for pound.

UFC Fight Night will have a couple of good bouts worth checking out. Super-aggressive Houston Alexander will return off his loss to Thiago Silva at UFC 78. He will fight James Irvin, who also suffered a lost to Silva in ‘07. I think Alexander will be too much for Irvin to handle, knocking him out in the first round.

Nat Diaz will continue his successful run against veteran Kurt Pellegrino. Diaz will be tested against Pellegrino, but I think Diaz’s long frame will give him an advantage in what is sure to be ground battle between the two BJJ fighters.

Tim Boetsch is coming off a win over David Heath at UFC 81 and will have his hands full with Matt Hamill. Hamill’s only loss came via controversial split decision against Michael Bisping. I’ll say Hamill wins this one in the second round, after he wears down Boetsch.

Next month’s UFC 83 event is not your typical MMA show. It’s the promotion’s maiden voyage into Canada; seven of the 11 matches on the card will feature Canadian content, led by the main event pitting Georges St. Pierre against Matt Serra for the undisputed Welterweight title.

The relative lack of star power on the undercard leaves just five of the 11 fights up on the betting board, and none of those five figures to be a close contest. But the interest in the main event dwarfs all other concerns. St. Pierre (-450) is the heavy favorite on his home soil of Montreal. However, Serra is a compelling value pick at +300, having already beaten GSP for the Welterweight crown one year ago.

Sharp MMA bettors are already fully aware how proficient the fighters coming out of The Ultimate Fighter reality series have been. Graduates include Serra, Keith Jardine, Diego Sanchez, Josh Koscheck and Forrest Griffin. GSP, garde-toi.

Montreal is currently up to its baguette in snow. But it’ll be a hot night at the Bell Center come Apr. 19, when the UFC holds its first pay-per-view on Canadian soil. The main event pits Georges St. Pierre, born just south of Montreal in the village of Saint-Isidore, against Matt Serra for the undisputed Welterweight title.

St. Pierre (15-2 lifetime) is the prohibitive favorite at –450, with Serra at +300. This is the second go-around for these two fighters; one year ago at UFC 69, Serra took the strap from GSP as a +1100 underdog. St. Pierre blamed the loss on personal problems, overhauled his staff, and has since out-wrestled former NCAA champion Josh Koscheck and forced Matt Hughes to submit.

Serra (9-4) never got to defend his title after suffering a herniated disc. He claims to be at full strength, but can he stop GSP’s quest for revenge after a year away from the octagon? Snow telling.

UFC 83 in beautiful Montreal  is coming up next month. The main event of this nine-bout card: Matt Serra versus local boy Georges St. Pierre for the Undisputed Welterweight championship.

From a betting perspective, Serra is absolutely the right choice at +300. He was an even better choice at +1100 when he beat St. Pierre for the title one year ago at UFC 69. But I am fully expecting St. Pierre (-450) to get his pound of flesh in front of a capacity Bell Centre crowd.

This is UFC’s first event in Canada, a country with a considerable appetite for combat sports. UFC 83 sold out the 21,000-seat venue faster than a St. Pierre superman punch. The place will erupt if and when GSP regains his Welterweight crown. Perhaps the UFC will put the cherry on top by introducing Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture to the crowd…

UFC 82 was supposed to be the first test for Anderson Silva since he started fighting in the octagon, but it turned out to be just another day at the office for the Undisputed Middleweight Champion. Silva came out aggressive in the second round, overpowering Henderson with strikes, and was able to maneuver into a rear-naked choke in the last few seconds of the round.

The Cheick Kongo / Heath “The Texas Crazy Horse” Herring fight promised to be a stand-up war, but quickly turned into a wrestling match. Both fighters looked impressive on the ground, and Herring was able to gain a split decision.

Here are the rest of the UFC 82 results:
Jon Fitch defeats Chris Wilson - unanimous decision.
Yushin Okami defeats Evan Tanner - KO round 2.
Chris Leben defeats Alessio Sakara - 3:16 round 1.
Josh Koscheck defeats Dustin Hazelett - TKO round 2.