posted by Ariel Helwani

So, as Large mentioned when I rejoined the No Mas family last month, I currently work for two other great websites: VERSUS.com and AOL FanHouse. I feel pretty blessed to have this opportunity … blah, blah, blah. I know no one wants to hear about my career or me. I just wanted to pass along some No Mas-friendly material I’ve cooked up as of late.

Chad Dawson Has Message For Rivals
Yes, that’s right, I’m no one-trick MMA pony; I can talk boxing with the best of them. Yesterday, I conducted an interview with Chad Dawson and he gave me some great stuff. For example:

On whether he thinks a fight against Bernard Hopkins will ever happen:
“I don’t know, because like you said, he’s all about the money. He made the statement saying, ‘Nobody knows who Chad Dawson is.’ Well, if nobody knows who Chad Dawson is, why is everybody pushing the fight? Why is HBO pushing the fight? If nobody knows who I am then why are you ducking me? I think he doesn’t want to get in the ring and get embarrassed.”

“Boxing is about the best fighting the best. Right now, me and Bernard Hopkins are the best light heavyweights in the world, so why not fight to see who is the best? I’ll tell you right now that I’m the best and I know I am the best; he’ll tell you that he thinks he’s the best. So, why not fight to see who’s the best? But that’s not happening right now. That’s why boxing is so messed up today, because the best don’t fight the best.”

And this gem about his kids:
“I named my first son, who’s six, Prince Chadwick. My name is Chadwick and that’s my first born, so I named him Prince Chadwick. Then I got my second son whose name is Sir Chancellor, which is presidential. And then I had a new born whose name is Royal Tiger Dawson. I just figured if I gave the first one such an original name, I have to keep it going.”

MMA to Roy Jones: You’re Not Welcome
It’s been a rough week for the former pound-for-pound king. First UFC president Dana White puts the kibosh on his plan to fight Anderson Silva in the UFC, and then Showtime Sports SVP and GM, Ken Hershman, whose network televises Strikeforce MMA events, says thanks, but no thanks, as well:

“I think it’s an insult to the integrity of mixed martial arts to think Roy Jones, or any professional boxer, can just come in and fight Nick Diaz in a mixed martial arts context,” Hershman said. “In a boxing context, it’s completely different. Beyond that, it’s not the strategy that we’re employing. We’re looking to build the best mixed martial arts brand. I believe that we have the best professional boxing brand on television and I think our fights, month in and month out, prove that. I don’t see the need to combine the two at the moment … I wouldn’t want to go down that path just now.”

Amen.

Toby Imada Becomes YouTube Star (AOL FanHouse)
If you haven’t seen Toby Imada’s insane inverted triangle choke from last Friday, stop what you are doing right now and watch the video below. And then click on the link above and check out my interview with Imada about how it all went down.

Andre Ward Once Considered MMA
Did you know Andre Ward once considered MMA? Well, he did, and it wasn’t too long ago:

“I thought about it,” Ward told Fanhouse on Monday. “Not in terms of taking it up as a career, but kind of like a one and done kind of thing. ”

Interesting. Don’t worry, Ward told me he doesn’t plan on leaving boxing anytime soon and also plans to kick Edison Miranda’s trash-talking ass into the next hemisphere.

Living the Dream with ESPN’s Erin Andrews
Finally, this is a couple of weeks old, but I thought some of you might get a kick out of it. I interviewed Erin Andrews at a recent EA Sports party and the interview took an amusing turn towards awkwardsville towards the end.