The remnants of Hurricane Ike struck Cincinnati last week, leaving most of the city without power. It was one of the most frustrating experiences I've ever gone through. There were days my house was hotter than 78 degrees thanks to the lack of air conditioning and I had no TV/Internet for more than a week.

I continued to update this blog, but I had to write the entries on paper and the only way to get them on my computer was to staple them to the screen. On a serious note, many people were seriously affected all over the country and my condolences go out to anyone who suffered real hardships as a result of the storm.

Besides, my life took a drastic turn for the better when I went out to Beverly Hills over the weekend to cover the Strikeforce event at the Playboy Mansion, which did not suck (I will have a report on the scene later this week).

There’s a lot of stuff on the horizon here at MMA Stomping Grounds, including a debate between author Kelly Crigger and me, an interview with The Ultimate Fighter season 8 coach Frank Mir, as well as a few other cool things on tap later this week. I’m also hoping to talk to Kimbo Slice before his fight against Ken Shamrock because if it’s the last hurrah for EliteXC, it could be the last time Slice is relevant.