MMA-URLS

Don Frye has a voice like an angel, and this video of him singing karaoke proves it

Don Frye famously said the following about Russian men a few years ago on Inside MMA: 'God damn Russians are the last men on the planet. Everybody in the US has been feminized so bad that we should all be carrying a purse and high heels. Those are the last men, we need a Putin. Where's our Putin? We need someone that's going to kick ass and not run around apologizing for it.' I pretty much live my life by that quote except for one amendment: Don Frye + Russian men are the last men in the world. So it surprised me a bit to see Don Frye willing to sing his heart out in front of a crowd of people. That just doesn't seem like an act a man with his caliber of testosterone would perform (granted he had a beer in hand, so that adds man points). Was this something a Russian man would do? I searched the internet up and down for 'Russian Karaoke' and a near seven minute search yielded only this happy gathering around a table. It's OK though, we don't think any less of Don Frye for grunting his way through this Karaoke performance for Karyn Bryant, we know he could make our heads explode with a twitch of his mustache...Actually grunting is a nice way of putting it, and I lied in the headline to be funny: Don Frye's singing voice sounds like the sun dying. [Source]

Posted in: men, man, frye, russian, russian men

The Abu Dhabi World Pro Qualifications Wrapped Up Last Week

With the completion of the San Diego trials and the New York trials last week, the qualifiers for the 2012 Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu Jitsu Cup are set. The actual tournament begins Thursday, April 12th in Abu Dhabi and runs for three days as elite grappling competitors compete to see who gets the cash prize, the fame and the respect. Andre Galvao wins the 183 lb division and a trip to Abu Dhabi for the World Pro by beating Clark Gracie in a fierce, controversial match. The Brazilian jiu jitsu scene has tons of tournaments going on here and there, but only a select few really have the world stage to showcase stars and only a smaller subset of those tournaments offer cash prizes to the medalists. The tournaments people recognize as being traditionally important usually do not give money to the winners, so entering the Pan Ams or the Mundials, run by the IBJJF, is essentially a labor of love. Hundreds or thousands of hours are spent training, bodies are pushed to their physical limits and time is taken from other, more immediately profitable pursuits. The fame of winning the Mundials can and usually does transfer over into seminars, private lessons, DVDs and larger home academies, but for the dozens of competitors who do not win or cannot work a world title into a lucrative seminar circuit, what happens? They go to where the prize money is and work to win those tournaments. Hit the jump for the full results of the San Diego Trials and the New York Trials, as well as some background on the World Pro and the submission grappling scene. There have been other tournaments that offered cash prizes in the past - the CBJJO even caused massive fractures in dominant competition teams that still resonate today - but the biggest mostly faded away after a big initial splash, while the smaller tournaments trundled along in near obscurity. However, the Abu Dhabi World Pro has only built momentum and a truly staggering roster of competitors and champions after instantaneously catapulting to the top of the sport in 2009. Having the backing of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, is a significant point to note. The immense pockets of the UAE grappling enthusiasts affords the World Pro organization considerable resources that are flat out not attainable for other tournaments and organizations, yet it seems that the scale of participation and depth of competition may allow this organization to last and truly change the competitive landscape in submission grappling. It is also worth noting that the backers and directors of the World Pro are different from the ADCC backers and directors - although both are closely linked. In a way, the World Pro has weakened the draw for the bigger IBJJF tournaments, as many top of the line competitors are now passing up the European Opens, the Chicago Opens and even the Pan Ams to train for and compete in the World Pro Trials or the World Pro itself. The Mundials are still the most prestigious, but with the financial sirens of MMA, ADCCs and the World Pro, the IBJJF as a whole may be feeling pressure to change its tournament model. In the next few years, the competitive landscape of submission grappling is going to see the big organizations make their decision regarding cash prizes. The resulting fallout is going to make and break some interesting figures and teams in that landscape. We will always have Rio and the Brazilian Nacionals though. The following is as near as I can tell, the most complete list of World Pro competitors at the top level: San Diego (U.S.) Qualifiers: Men's Brown and Black Belts 143 lbs - The results say Laercio Fernandes, but the qualifier might be Guilherme Mendes, since Gui actually won the match in the finals. Maybe he's already in and Laercio gets the spot. I don't know at this point. 163 lbs - Zak Maxwell 183lbs - Andre Galvao 202 lbs - Alexandre Ribeiro Over 202 lbs - Marcel Fortuna Women's Purple/Brown/Black Belts Light (Below 139 lbs) - Angelica Galvao Heavy (Over 139 lbs) - Emily Wetzel New York (U.S.) Qualifiers: Men's Brown and Black Belts 143 lbs - Bruno Malfacine 163 lbs - Lucas Lepri 183 lbs - Lucas Leite 202 lbs - Roberto "Tussa" Alencar Over 202 lbs - Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu Women's Purple/Brown/Black Belts Light - Vianca Jager Heavy - Valerie Worthington Gramado (Brazil) Qualifiers: Men's Brown and Black Belts 143 lbs - Isaque Paiva 163 lbs - Davi Ramos 183 lbs - Victor Bonfim 202 lbs - Alexandre de Sousa Over 202 lbs - Marcus Almeida Women's Purple/Brown/Black Light: Luana Alzuguir Heavy: Fernanda Mazzeli London (U.K.) Qualifiers: Men's Brown and Black Belts 143 lbs - Maximiliano Campos 163 lbs - Pedro Bessa 183 lbs - Mathias Ribeiro 202 lbs - Nilton Garcia Over 202lbs - Chris Bowe Women's Purple/Brown/Black Light: Yasmine Wilson Lisbon (Portugal) Qualifiers: Men's Brown and Black Belts 143 lbs - Jedrzej Loska 163 lbs - Maxime Olivier 183 lbs - Luca Anacoreta 202 lbs - Marcelo Bernardo Over 202 lbs - Valdimiro Afonso Women's Purple/Brown/Black Light: Kristin Doeblin Heavy: Shanti Abelha Montreal (Canada) Qualifiers: Men's Brown and Black Belts 143 lbs - Wellington Dias 163 lbs - J.T. Torres 183 lbs - D.J. Jackson 202 lbs - Jimmy Harbison Over 202 lbs - Pete Roberts Women's Purple/Brown/Black Light - Mackenzie Dern Heavy - Allison Tremblay Helsinki (Finland) Qualifiers: Men's Brown and Black Belts 183 lbs - Martin Aedma 202 lbs - Tero Pyylampi Over 202 lbs - Janne Autio Women's Purple/Brown/Black Light: Patricia Kazimierczak Heavy: Venla Luukkonen Sydney (Australia) Qualifiers: Men's Brown and Black Belts 143 lbs - David Marinakis 163 lbs - Thiago Braga 183 lbs - Kit Dale 202 lbs - Neil Owen Over 202 lbs - Michael Wilson Women's Purple/Brown/Black Light: Sunny Munn Heavy: Maren Frerichs Cape Town (South Africa) Qualifiers: Men's Brown and Black Belts 202 lbs - Emyr Sanzel Women's Purple/Brown/Black Heavy: Penny Thomas Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Qualifiers: Men's Brown and Black Belts 143 lbs - Gabriel Wilcox 163 lbs - Vinicius Marinho 183 lbs - Adriano Silva 202 lbs - Rodolfo Vieira Over 202 lbs - Ricardo Evangelista Women's Purple/Brown/Black Light: Jessica Santos Heavy: Gabrielle Garcia San Antonio (U.S.) Qualifiers: Men's Brown and Black Belts Men's Absolute winner: Rafael Lovato Jr. Women's Purple/Brown/Black Women's Absolute winner: Sijara Eubanks Auckland (New Zealand) Qualifiers: Men's Brown and Black Belts: 143lbs - Carlos Viera 202lbs - Andrew Dearsley Men's Absolute winner: Alex Scott (actually came in 2nd to Carlos Viera above) Women's Absolute winner: Kate Aroa Warsaw (Poland) Qualifiers: Men's Brown and Black Belts: 143lbs - Daniel Wrzesniewski 163lbs - Maciej Polok 183lbs - Eduardo "Teta" Rios 202lbs - Oliver Geddes Over 2012 lbs - Alexander Trans Female Light: Jani Larsson Female Heavy: Monica Silva Tokyo (Japan) Qualifiers: Men's Brown and Black Belts 143lbs - Kataniwara Katsunori 163lbs - Roberto Souza 183lbs - Marco Souza 202lbs - Toshio Fernando Tsushima Over 202lbs - Karim Byron Women's Purple/Brown/Black Light: Shioda Sayaka Heavy: Kodera Katsura Natal (Brazil) Qualifiers: Men's Brown and Black Belts 143lbs - Thiago Barreto 163lbs - Leandro Lo Pereira 183lbs - Bruno Alves 202lbs - Caio Magalhaes Over 202lbs - Antonio Carlos Women's Purple/Brown/Black Light - Marina Ribeiro Heavy - Luiza Monteiro

Posted in: belt, lb, women, men, qualifier

Hey! Shinya Aoki is on the cover of Men's Health in Singapore!

If you ask me, everyone who has ran far away from the Baka Survivor with their limbs fully intact should be on the cover of Men's Health. Shinya Aoki does not care about a man's health, The Master of Flying Submissions will do whatever it takes to make sure a man is not healthy, especially if he is in a ring or cage with them. Remember his famous quote on the Hirota arm break? "When I had his arm behind his back, I could feel it popping,” Aoki said. “I thought, ‘Well, this guy’s pride just won’t let him tap, will it?’ So without hesitation, I broke it. I heard it break, and I thought, ‘Ah, there, I just broke it.’ I was stopped afterward, but even if I hadn’t been, continuing to break it more would have been fine by me" None of Aoki's limb twisting mayhem has stopped the Singapore edition of Men's Health from putting the Dream lightweight champ on the cover of their latest issue. Look at him. He's awesome. [Source]

Posted in: shinya aoki, aoki, men, health, mens health

Snapshot of the Day: Shinya Aoki on the Cover of Men's Health MagazineThe April Issue of Men's...

Snapshot of the Day: Shinya Aoki on the Cover of Men's Health Magazine The April Issue of Men's Health Magazine in Singapore features the DREAM lightweight champion, who has become a huge star in the country after joining the Evolve MMA Fight Team. Shinya Aoki is set to face off against Eddie Alvarez in Bellator next month, and he has also agreed to headline a future ONE FC event some time in 2012. Check out our exclusive interview with Aoki here.

Posted in: aoki, eddie alvarez, men, april issue, mens snapshot

Men vs Women in the army

EQUALITY! While you'll probably have to wait a few years for Ronda Rousey and Bryan Caraway to fight, the army already has unisex ass kicking in their MMA combatives program: Elaborately staged cage fights — including some pitting women against men — started in 2008, in part because commanders realized they helped with recruiting.In the most recent cage-fighting competition, more than 300 men and 25 women — up from five last year — competed over four days in February at Ft. Hood in Texas.One woman made it to the finals. But at least three female fighters were carried out on stretchers. Others limped to a green canvas tent that served as a first-aid station. One fighter burst into tears, upset that a referee had halted her fight before she felt beaten.Unlike participants in Army boxing matches, cage fighters wear open-fingered gloves with thin padding and no headgear. They mostly fight barefoot, wearing camouflage fatigues or T-shirts.Most of the women fight in the lightest weight classes: bantamweight and flyweight. To help balance the odds, they are allowed to outweigh men in the same class by 10 pounds. From the sound of the article, it doesn't end up well for a lot of the women fighting in these tournaments. One gets choked, several get stretchered out, and one ends up in the hospital. But as far as the army is concerned, it's better getting your ass kicked by your fellow soldiers now than being murdered by the Taliban later. Winning or losing is the window dressing here, it's really all about being prepared for the kind of life and death situations you may find yourself in overseas.

Posted in: fight, fighter, women, men, army

Read the full article at Fightlinker

TUF Live Ep 1: 1.28 million viewers.

The Ultimate Fighter Live on FX drew 1.28 million viewers according to a press release provided by the UFC. The ratings won the new Friday night MMA wars at it did better than SpikeTV’s UFC’s Ultimate Fighter Fridays and MTV2’s Bellator 60 live event. Via UFC press release: The series debut of The Ultimate Fighter® Live on FX got off to a strong start Friday night (3/9/12, 9:00-11:38 PM) delivering 1.28 Million Total Viewers, 953,000 Adults 18-49 and 538,000 Adults 18-34, and ranking among the top five cable programs on Friday in Men 18-34 (#2), Adults 18-34 (#3), Men 18-49 (#4), and Adults 18-49 (#5) The Ultimate Fighter® Live (9-11:38 PM ET) was up +58% in Adults 18-49, +96% in Men 18-49 and +124% in Men 18-34 vs. year ago time period. Compared to other MMA telecasts on Friday evening, The Ultimate Fighter® Live Season 1 debut significantly outperformed Spike’s repeat counter-programming of The Ultimate Fighter® Season 10 by +189% in delivery of Adults 18-34, +162% among Adults 18-49, +208% with Men 18-34, and +167% in Men 18-49, and it also battered live MMA bouts on MTV2 by +703% in delivery of Adults 18-34, +947% among Adults 18-49, +568% with Men 18-34, and +842% in Men 18-49. Payout Perspective: Bear in mind that its the UFC press release, but the numbers show that TUF Live won the night of MMA. This can be attributed to the UFC and Fox marketing machines which hyped the show almost everywhere. Bellator 60 garnered just 169,000 viewers as the season premiere ratings are down from last season. Promising news for Bellator was that online streaming of its preliminary bouts on Spike.com were up 58 percent from season 5’s average. No numbers were given but we shall assume that its a sizeable increase. It will be interesting to see how competitive (or lopsided) the MMA Friday night ratings will be over the next couple months.

Posted in: fighter, men, friday, fighter ®, adult

Read the full article at MMA Payout

Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 15 contestant Dakota Cochrane's gay porn past adds new twist to live season

Last October, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White said he "didn't care" if his company employed a gay fighter. In fact, he even went so far as to encourage them to "come out of the closet." Here's an excerpt from that conversation: "I'll tell you right now, if there was a gay fighter in UFC, I wish he would come out. I could care less if there's a gay fighter in the UFC. There probably is and there's probably more than one. I mean, it's 2012. Give me a break." Be careful what you wish for. Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 15 contestant Dakota Cochrane, who Middle Easy reports is none other than former gay porn star "Danny," could be the first fighter to hold White accountable for his previous statements. For better or for worse. Cochrane (11-2) is perhaps best known in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) for his lopsided unanimous decision win over Jamie Varner at Titan Fighting Championship 20 last September. That win, along with his overall record, was enough to earn him a spot on the FX Channel's March 9 premiere. But even if Cochrane has White in his corner, how will the other contestants react to his presence in the tight living quarters of the TUF house, along with daily grappling drills and other incidental contact? As silly as it sounds, some heterosexual men, like heavyweight legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, just can't bare the thought of having homosexual hands on his Brazilian body. Not that I want to speak for the gay community, but I'm pretty sure the inside of an MMA gym is the last place anyone wants to be looking for a cheap thrill. Ever walk into the men's locker room after a hard day of training? It's like a potpourri of sweat and swamp ass. Still, the mere thought of homosexuality is enough to upset the apple cart for some men, and it will be interesting to see how the inclusion (or perhaps exclusion) of Cochrane affects the day-to-day happenings on the show. Especially when the booze starts flowing. Find out who Cochrane will share the house with on The Ultimate Fighter 15 (assuming he makes it past the opening elimination rounds) when it premieres a week from Friday by checking out the complete roster right here. More news and notes on TUF 15 here.

Posted in: fighter, tuf, men, cochrane, contestant

The Martial Chronicles: Fighting Presidents

This is a revised version of a post that appeared in Bloody Elbow last year. Every 3rd Monday of February we here in the United States of America celebrate Presidents’ Day to honor those that have occupied the highest office in the land. To mark this day I thought it would be fitting to rank the Presidents. Not by their achievements in office, nor by any great leadership they may have shown in troubled times, but instead by their ability to kick ass. An ability that was not uncommon amongst our former heads of state, many of whom were quit adept in the art of unarmed combat. For example, our 38th president, Gerald R. Ford, was not only a tremendous athlete who excelled in football at the University of Michigan, but he also excelled in boxing, coaching it first at Yale and then in the Navy during his service in the second World War. Dwight Eisenhower too was a standout in football, during a time when many wanted to ban the sport for its brutality, and also boxed and wrestled, with his instructor at West Point being none other than former American Heavyweight Champion and master catch-as-catch-can wrestler Tom Jenkins. Amongst our Commander-in-Chiefs wrestling has easily been the most popular martial art. James Garfield, Franklin Pierce, Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Chester Arthur were all ardent wrestlers. Sometimes so much so that it would interfere with their political lives: Pierce wrestled in the New Hampshire House of Representatives building while he was the house speaker, and Grant famously apologized to a surrendering General Robert E. Lee at Appomatox for the mess at his campsite, a result of Grant and "some of the boys" having a wrestling match the previous night. Some of our former Presidents didn’t merely practice the craft, but actually excelled in it. Zachary Taylor was well known for his "scuffling" abilities amongst the Illinois Volunteers during the Black Hawk uprising, while William Taft was a fourth generation wrestler under the collar and elbow style, and was famed for his mastery of the "flying mare". "Big Bill", as the 225 lb. William was known during his youth, would twice win the intramural heavyweight championships at Yale. Not all though were of Taylor’s or Taft’s level: Calvin Coolidge was described by his father as being only "tolerable good" until age 14 when he quit, focusing instead on "duding around and daydreaming about being a big-city lawyer". Amongst all these fighting Presidents three clearly stand above their peers and are truly worthy of consideration as being the toughest men to hold the office of Commander-in-Chief. 3. George Washington Originally today’s Holiday was simply known as Washington’s Day in honor of our very fist president George Washington whose birthday in fact falls on February 22nd. All through his life Washington was renown for his toughness and bravery, almost to the point of foolhardiness. "I heard the bullets whistle and, believe me, there is something charming to the sound of bullets" was how he described his feelings on the battlefield in a letter to his bother. He was a man that led from the front and gave himself no advantage or luxury accorded by his position or rank as Commander of the Continental Army, suffering the same hardships as the men that served beneath him. He was also one hell of a wrestler. As a youth Washington attended Rev. Maury's Academy at Fredericksburg, Virginia, a finishing school which had a well deserved reputation as a fine place to learn how to grapple. Having no experience with the sport when he first arrived at age 15, young Washington found himself bullied by the sons of the widow he boarded with. Quickly he set himself to learning all he could of "collar-and-elbow" and soon had the "satisfaction of throwing the widow's sons with ease, grace, and celerity." [EN1] By age 18 Washington's became renown as the best "tosser" in Northern Virginia, and would find himself challenged by the wresting champion of Virginia. On a Saturday the two faced off in a collar-and-elbow contest. Washington would prove victorious, gaining the title of champion of the Colony, with his defeated opponent describing the match thus: "After a short, fierce struggle, I felt myself grasped and hurled upon the ground with a jar that shook the marrow in my bones." [EN2] Washington’s skills remained with him as he grew older, as evident by the stories told. "On one occasion, when he was Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary forces at Boston" he broke up a fight between two soldiers of the colonies by "seizing them one after another by the collar, tossed them into separate, writhing heaps, hurling them in all directions as if they had been ten-pins." In late 1776 at the age of 46 (and in the midst of waging war against the English crown), he demonstrated his old champion caliber abilities when he accepted a challenge from seven members of the Massachusetts Volunteer Guard, agreeing to face each of them in succession. "The Commander of the Continental Armies summoned enough of his old form to deal flying mares to seven saucy volunteers from Massachusetts." [EN3] 2. Theodore Roosevelt Teddy Roosevelt grew up a sickly and asthmatic child, who took up rigorous exercise to combat his numerous ailments. One of the first sports he studied. with his father’s hearty encouragement, was boxing and his first boxing-master was an ex-prize-fighter named John Long. Long grew confident enough in the young Roosevelt’s progress that eventually he entered him into a lightweight tournament with the prize being a pewter mug. To everyone’s surprise, including Roosevelt’s, he won the tournament and the trophy. [EN4] Teddy would go on to box while at Yale, although he never won any championships while there, and would continue with his pugilistic practices until a sparring session detached his retina and almost left him blind while Governor of New York, forcing him to focus solely on grappling for the remainder of his years. Roosevelt had begun wrestling at a young age as well, and even competed in it at Harvard, reaching the finals in a championship tournament one year under the catch-catch-can rules. Roosevelt continued wrestling late into life, describing in his autobiography how, while serving as the Governor of New York, he had a wrestling mat purchased by the state Comptroller so that the Middleweight Champion of America could stop by three or four afternoons a week to grapple with him. The final martial art he took up was Judo, which he learned from a visiting Yamashita Yoshiaki while Roosevelt was serving as President. [EN5] He described his White House practices in the exotic Japanese fighting style in letters he wrote to his son Kermit: I am wrestling with two Japanese wrestlers three times a week. I am not the age or the build one would think to be whirled lightly over an opponent's head and batted down on a mattress without damage. But they are so skilful that I have not been hurt at all. My throat is a little sore, because once when one of them had a strangle hold I also got hold of his windpipe and thought I could perhaps choke him off before he could choke me. However, he got ahead. [EN6] For two years, Roosevelt studied Kodokan Judo with Yamashita, eventually attaining the rank of 3rd degree brown belt and the title of most well rounded of all the fighting presidents. 1. Abraham Lincoln There can be little doubt that there was no tougher President than Abraham Lincoln. While his gaunt and lanky appearance fooled many, the 6’4" 214 lb man who would go down as perhaps our nation’s greatest leader, was a splendid athlete, whose strength was legendary in the Kentucky and Illinois backwoods. Often he was described as a "Hercules", a "Samson". or simply the "strongest man I ever knew" and the testimony of many reinforces that impression. Numerous stories exist detailing how "He could strike with a maul a heavier blow - could sink an axe deeper into wood than any man I ever saw", how his strength was so great that "he was equal to three men, having on a certain occasion carried a load of six hundred pounds", or how on another occasion "he walked away with a pair of logs which three robust men were skeptical of their ability to carry. " [EN7] One particularly incident at the Old Mill in Salem is worth repeating, where according to William Herndon: "By an arrangement of ropes and straps, harnessed about his hips, he was enabled one day at the mill to astonish a crowd of village celebrities by lifting a box of stones weighing near a thousand pounds." Before one discards this tale outright, others describe they witnessed Lincoln "lift betwen 1000 and 1300 lbs of rock waid in a Boxx ..." and still others reported that they saw him "in the old mill on the river bank to lift a box of stones weighing from one thousand to twelve hundred pounds." [EN8] Besides his prodigious strength, Lincoln was a phenomenal wrestler in both American collar-and-elbow (which included ground grappling unlike the version practiced in the old country) and the brutal backwoods catch style of rough-and-ready, a skill he aptly demonstrated at age 19 when he defended his stepbrother John Johnston's river barge from highjackers by throwing the seven thugs overboard in a wild skirmish. Soon after he tangled with the king of the creole roughnecks in New Orleans, using a hammerlock to get his opponent to apologize for insulting him. He would also break up a bare-knuckle fight between Johnston and William Grigsby, throwing Grigsby out of the center of the ring and challenging the enraged crowd that "if any of you want to try it, come on and whet your horns." No one took him up on the offer. [EN9] Back home in Coles Country Illinois in 1830, the now 21 year-old Lincoln encountered Daniel Needham, the self proclaimed "best man in the county" . Abe would win the match in two straight falls, but his opponent, his pride hurt, then challenged him to a "rough-and-tumble" fight. "Needham", drawled Lincoln, "are you satisfied that I can throw you? If you are not, and must be convinced through a thrashing, I will do that, too, for your sake." Needham wisely shook hands and made his peace with Lincoln who was now proclaimed the wrestling champion of his county and soon the whole of Southern Illinois and Northern Kentucky. [EN10] In 1831 Lincoln would engage in his most celebrated wrestling match against the local leader of the Clary Grove boys, a group of bullies who terrorized the residences of New Salem, named Jack Armstrong and who was described by Daniel Green Burner as being "considered the best man in all this country for a scuffle" and by Lincoln himself as being as "strong as a Russian bear". After a brief skirmish Lincoln took "the great bully by the throat and shook him like a rag…" before slamming him to the ground and rendering him unconscious. [EN11] While serving as a militia officer in the Sangamon Country Volunteers during the Black Hawk War, Mr. Lincoln took a "prominent part" in wrestling matches. One fellow soldier recalled that "Very few men in the army could successfully complete with Mr. Lincoln, either in wrestling or swimming; he well understood both arts." ." Others testified that "His Specialty was Side holds; he threw down all men." And that Lincoln would often be found "wrestling for the Company against every Bully Brought up". [EN12] Lincoln quarreled not only with outside companies, but sometime his own as well, according to his longtime friend William G. Green. When his men threatened to kill an old Indian who stumbled into their camp, Captain Lincoln blocked the soldiers' path and stated that any who wished to kill their visitor had best "choose your weapon." Again, no one took him up on his offer. [EN13] Lincoln found much success while wrestling during the War, and after disposing of seven opponents he found himself one win away from the regimental championship. Lincoln’s opponent for the title would be Private Nathan Dow Thompson, a fellow soldier from his home state and who was well known as the champion of Northern Illinois. The two men clashed, and after taking a respite since neither man had gained the advantage, Lincoln remarked that Thompson was "the most powerful man I ever had hold of." Upon resuming the match Lincoln would finally taste defeat as Thompson would throw him twice. [EN14] It was a remarkable feat by Thompson, for while Lincoln is thought to have competed in some 300 wrestling matches during his life, according to Bob Dellinger, director emeritus of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. "we can only find one recorded defeat of Lincoln in 12 years", Lincoln would proudly declare himself the second best wrestler in Illinois, behind only Thompson, for years to come. And Tyler Durden. Lincoln would kick your ass. ENDNOTES EN 1: From Milos to Londos by Nat Fliescher (Ring Magazine, 1936) EN 2: ibid. EN 3: Charles Wilson detailed it in his book, The Magnificent Scuttlers (Brattleboro: Stephen Greene Press, 1959) EN 4: Roosevelt describes with some detail his interest and experiences in combat sports in Chapter 2: The Vigors of Life of his autobiography, Theodore Roosevelt - An Autobiograph (The MacMillan Company 1913) EN 5: Yamashita Yoshiaki was one of the "Four Guardians of the Kodokan", and an important figure in the development and rise of Kodokan Judo. Yamashita visited America in an attempt to spread Kano Jigoro's art around the world, and in 1904 met and began instructing the President in the "Gentle-way'. The President was so enamored with the Japanese sport that he had Yoshiaki assigned to the position of wrestling instructor at the Naval Academy. Yamashita would hold that position for almost two years before returning to his native Japan. EN 6: In a letter dated March 5, 1904 to his son Kermit Roosevelt. In another letter to Kermit he describes Yamashita working off his back against his other son, Grant. EN 7: The quotes are from Daniel Green Burner, John Gillespie, and Eliot Herndon and can be found in Herndon's Informants. EN 8: Herndon's story of Lincoln's feats at the old mill can be be found in Herndon's informants. The other two witnesses where Ward. H. Lamon and J. Rowan Herndon. EN 9: All of these encounters are described in much greater detail in Nat Fleischer's From Milos to Londos (Ring Magazine, 1936) EN 10: The Needman encounter at "Wabash Point" is taken from Abraham Lincoln, The Physical Man by Albert Kaplan. EN 11: There are many versions of his encounter with Jack Armstrong. The one I used is an amalgamation of the most common elements. Other descriptions of the encounter can be found at here and here. EN 12: The various statements are from Douglas L. Wilson and Rodney O. Davis, Herndon's Informants: Letters, Interviews, and Statements about Abraham Lincoln. EN 13: Douglas L. Wilson and Rodney O. Davis, Herndon's Informants: Letters, Interviews, and Statements about Abraham Lincoln. Letter from Jason Duncan to William Hi. Herndon, May 28, 1865 EN 14: Thompson was the Champion of St. Clair County. A more thorough description of their encounter can be found in David Herbert Donald's Abraham We are Lincoln Men: Abraham Lincoln and Friends as well as here.

Posted in: president, men, man, lincoln, roosevelt

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

UFC on FX results recap: Mike Easton vs Jared Papazian fight review and analysis

While neither men were household names heading into their UFC on FX main card showdown last night (January 20, 2012), bantamweights Mike Easton and Jared Papazian put on a terrific show for the fans in a thrilling back and forth battle in Nashville. From the opening seconds, fans knew they were in for a treat as both men closed the distance and began unloading quick strikes to each other's faces. Papazian, taking the fight on very short notice, certainly won over some new fans with his tenacious fighting style and willingness to trade blow for blow with anyone, but it was Easton who came away with a close majority decision. So what helped "Hulk" pull out the victory? And where do both men go from here? The crowd was quickly roaring as both men exchanged powerful short strikes in the clinch early, colliding in the center of the cage with neither man backing down. The bout quickly transitioned into a grueling clinch battle along the fence with both men switching positions and grinding against the fence. In the regular striking exchanges, Papazian looked to stay on the outside and circle while Easton hunkered down and stalked his foe, trying to cut him off with his footwork, constantly moving towards his opponent. When the clapper signaled 10 seconds remaining in the round, both men exploded in violence, finishing it just like they started and having to be separated by the referee when the horn sounded. Easton continued to utilize constant forward pressure in the second round, but this also became slightly predictable as Papazian began looking to land a big right uppercut on his slightly forward-leaning foe. After trying and missing several times in the first round, Easton finally found a home for his powerful leg kicks, knocking "The Jackhammer" off balance and following up with a right hand. With the round extremely close, "Hulk" likely earned some brownie points with a pair of takedowns in the final minute, although he wasn't able to do much with either. Papazian's corner implored him to go for broke in between rounds and he took their advice, pushing a tremendous pace in the third and throwing a very large volume of strikes. Easton was happy to oblige him as both men threw down in a third round that may have been the most entertaining of them all. "The Jackhammer" found a home for his right uppercut with 15 seconds remaining in the fight, but he couldn't do enough to offset Easton's pressure from the first two rounds, as the judges sided with "Hulk" via majority decision. The only complaint I had about this fight was the absolute travesty that it wasn't awarded "Fight of the Night." In my opinion, both men put on by far the most entertaining bout of the evening and both deserved an extra $45,000 for their performance. Hopefully they were awarded backstage with some large discretionary bonuses. For Jared Papazian, he has nothing to feel sorry about. He stepped up on short notice against a highly touted fighter and put on a tremendous show. He was in this fight from start to finish and refused to back down, trading blow for blow for fifteen straight minutes. He finished just as strong as he started and he definitely left the Octagon with a significant amount of new fans. If there was one complaint about his fight, he might have focused a little too heavily on countering and circling away instead of initiating some of the action at times. If he's serious about dropping down to flyweight next, he's going to be a huge 125 pounder and at just 23 years old, he could be a big player in the division down the road. If he stays at bantamweight, an interesting fight would be someone like Walel Watson, but if he does indeed cut to flyweight like he says, there aren't many potential 125 pounders on the UFC roster at the moment. For now, potential flyweight opponents could be The Ultimate Fighter 14 cast members Josh Ferguson or Louis Gaudinot. For Mike Easton, he put on a good performance, but this also wasn't the type of dominant victory that will launch him into contender status. He did a good job with his constant forward pressure, but he could not get off nearly as many leg kicks as he should have. His kicks are one of his most dangerous weapons and either that's a testament to Papazian's preparation, or he simply didn't utilize one of his greatest strengths enough, focusing instead on punching. Easton is still a strong bantamweight and has potential to be an upper-mid level fighter in the division for years to come, or maybe even better if he can continue to improve. I'd like to see him step in against the winner of Chris Cariaso vs. Takeya Mizugaki next. Other possible opponents include Yves Jabouin or maybe even TUF 14 winner John Dodson (if he stays at 135 pounds). So what did you think, Maniacs? Should this bout have been awarded "Fight of the Night?" Did Easton do enough to win? What did you think of Jared Papazian in his UFC debut? Sound off! For complete UFC on FX results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.

Posted in: fight, round, men, easton, papazian

A Lesson in Street MMA: Sometimes it's not MMA at all, just Russians fighting in their underwear

In an interview with Inside MMA, Don Frye made a comment about Russians being 'the last men on the planet'. It went something like this: 'The Russians don't like to be told what to do, especially by some pansy (Dana White). God damn Russians are the last men on the planet. Everybody in the US has been feminized so bad that we should all be carrying a purse and high heels. Those are the last men, we need a Putin. Where's our Putin? We need someone that's going to kick ass and not run around apologizing for it.' Looks like Don Frye was on to something. Check out this video from the UG of a brutal KO between two Russian soldiers sparring because there's apparently nothing to do in Russia besides fight in your underwear.

Posted in: mma, men, kick ass, street mma, russian

Study Finds Fear Runs High in Mixed Martial Artists

There was a fascinating paper that ran in Social Psychology Quarterly titled "Managing Emotional Manhood: Fighting and Fostering Fear in Mixed Martial Arts." The paper focused on how deep fear runs in even such supposedly "manly" men as mixed martial artists and the social mandate that such emotional reactions be hidden. A small sample from early in the paper: While fighters in the locker room prepared for combat in the cage, two men from the previous fight staggered in. Juan1-the victor-had shiny contusions under both eyes and made it to a folding chair where he sat staring into space. As two paramedics tried to keep him conscious, he cracked a smile with swollen lips and tried unsuccessfully to communicate meaningfully. As the paramedics carried Juan off on a stretcher, Mike-his opponent-leaned against a wall and talked with his trainer. As blood flowed from his nose and mouth, Mike began to sob. His trainer handed him a towel, which he brought to his face with shaking hands. When asked if he was upset about Juan, he pulled away the bloodied towel and said, "I don't like losing." ... Although MMA fighters' emotion management may appear unique, it reflects a long-lived cultural mandate that "real men" control their fear and other emotions (Kimmel 1996). Peers (Fine 1987), parents (McGuffey 2008), and coaches (Messner 1992) often ostracize boys who express fear, pain, empathy, and sadness. Boys learn that they are supposed to exhibit emotional restraint and "quiet control" (Messner 2009:96). As adults, men often face fear, whether at work (Haas 1977), on the street (Anderson 1999), or in leisure activities (Holyfield and Fine 1997). And not letting fear get the best of you-exhibiting bravery-is a culturally revered quality of manhood (see e.g., Connell 1995). But how do men control their emotions, and what does this have to with gender identity? More after the jump... The paper also talked about some of what motivated the fear that they faced: MMA fighters most commonly talked about fearing injury and losing. Fighters understood how painful injuries were and that serious ones could end their fighting careers, or worse. There have been two well-publicized deaths of fighters resulting from brain injuries sustained in North American MMA fights since 2007. Although interviewees agreed that, as Rocky put it, "in most cases you're going to come out of it [and] you're going to live," death lurked in the shadows of the cage. When asked what he worried about before his fights, for example, Kenneth said, "You are wondering if they are thinking of this incredible move that is really going to kill you." Dominic said, "This sport is not golf; you can't get hurt or killed playing golf." The possibility of death elevated MMA's manhood quotient. ... In addition to fearing injury, cage fighters also feared losing. Casey feared looking "like a chump in front of all these people . . . if you get knocked out at your first fight in three seconds, then that's all they will remember." Mike said, "You really don't want to let your family or teammates down," and Kenneth said, "The name of the [MMA] school is kind of riding on you. You have to represent for your school." Minutes after Dean lost a fight, he said, "I feel like shit! I came out in front of my hometown and I got tapped out in like under a minute." Buster said "the feeling of losing is the worst feeling in the world, especially when you sell 100 tickets and you have a lot of your friends and family there." Jimmy said that when a fight starts going bad: "You start getting down on yourself. Like, ‘Oh no, he's going to get the chicken wing-he got the chicken wing and it hurts. Ow! I look stupid out here. I'm losing.'" Echoing others, these men suggested that they feared losing because it made them feel embarrassed and ashamed-emotions that are antithetical to cultural definitions of manhood. It's an interesting thing to have been around the sport in various capacities and hearing how often guys talk about "nerves" and such. I actually trained with a pro fighter with well over thirty fights for a period of time to whom I confessed that I felt some degree of nerves before heavy sparring sessions, even after having sparred in boxing gyms prior to training at an MMA gym. He said that he felt the same thing even after fighting for over ten years. That the possibility of even being embarrassed in the gym never really faded for him. Even in this space that is meant to teach, where failure should provide room for improvement, the nerves still existed. It's interesting how well they captured the backstage atmosphere of fights and give a readable (but still scientific) overview of the fear driven motivations of the fighter. I seriously urge you to go give it a read.

Posted in: fight, mma, fighter, men, fear

Tron MMA from Russia is the greatest thing you’ve never heard of

In an interview with Inside MMA, Don Frye made a comment about Russians being 'the last men on the planet'. It went something like this: 'The Russians don't like to be told what to do, especially by some pansy. God damn Russians are the last men on the planet. Everybody in the US has been feminized so bad that we should all be carrying a purse and high heels. Those are the last men, we need a Putin. Where's our Putin? We need someone that's going to kick ass and not run around apologizing for it.' Looks like Don Frye was on to something. Welcome to Tron MMA, a league that Guy Ritchie only wishes he created. Fighters compete outside in the dirt, guarded by unforgiving, tightly knit ropes. There are referees that are trained in the ways of Tron MMA and the crowd appears to be hand-selected from the boss level on Pit Fighter. Check out this clip of the finals in which a 42-year old laborer takes on a young guy that appears to be Gummo's cousin. While you're at it, check out more of Tron MMA on their YouTube page.

Posted in: mma, men, russian, tron mma, tron

Top 5 UFC fights in the promotion's modern history

With a large group of mixed martial arts (MMA) fans (including B.J. Penn) claiming that the epic, five-round war between Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson, which took place at UFC 139 from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on Nov. 19, 2011, is among the best battles ever, now is the perfect time to debate its competition. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White gushed that the 205-pound clash between "Shogun" and "Hendo" was "top three best fights ever in MMA, without a doubt." That's, unsurprisingly, a bold statement, but arguably inaccurate, considering that there have been countless MMA matches taking place across the globe for more than two decades now. In fact, on the same night as UFC 139, Bellator's Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler, put on a show for the ages, a back-and-forth brawl that was arguably more exciting than the Rua-Henderson knock-down, drag-out brawl. However, it just didn't get the same love and attention because, well, it's not the UFC. Regardless, there have been several amazing UFC fights in the past decade and the UFC 139 main event is certainly one of the very best. But, which other fights deserve to be ranked right up there with it? My top five best UFC fights ever after the jump: #5: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 117, which saw Sonnen lay a beating on the pound-for-pound king only to lose it all with less than 2.5 minutes to go in an epic five-round title fight. #4: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 3 at UFC 136, during which "The Answer" showed the heart of champion in a fight that Hollywood scripted for the big screen in the 1980's starring Sylvester Stallone as "Rocky." #3: Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg 2 at UFC 52, the insane fight where Matt Hughes refused to be defeated and a welterweight legacy was reinforced. #2: Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79: "Nemesis," which was a fight that was years in the making and managed to eclipse the main event. If there was ever a fight that had more pressure to match the hype surrounding it this was the one and it lived up to all the expectations. Two of the sports biggest stars competing on the biggest stage put it all on the line And drumroll please ... #1: Mauricio Rua vs Dan Henderson, the best of the best where viewers witnessed a bout for the ages that showcased awesome transitions, willing strikers who know only to move forward and fight, submission attempts, scrambles, grappling exchanges, knees, incredible heart, recovery, never quit mentalities -- you name it, this fight had it. Only two legends who have already cemented their mark on the sport could achieved such a masterpiece. The efforts of both men (not just men, but men of men), culminating to become the best fight in UFC history. Unless, of course, you have a better fight in mind such as Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar 1, perhaps? Let's hear it. Poll Which fight do you feel should have made the Top 5 Randy Couture vs Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 Dan Henderson vs Ramapage Jackson 2007 unification bout Randy Couture vs Chuck Liddell at UFC 43 B.J. Penn vs Jens Pulver I Diego Sanchez vs Karo Parisian / Clay Guida Forrest Griffin vs Stephan Bonnar at TUF Finale Other, explain in comments section below 15 votes | Results

Posted in: ufc, fight, vs, ufc fights, men

Frank Trigg Launches Dating and Relationship Blog for Women

Hello, ladies. If you're a female fan of mixed martial arts (MMA), a sport that boasts one of the largest male 18-34 demographics in any medium, you're likely to have your pick of the litter when it comes to finding a man. If not, don't fret. You no longer have to save up for that expensive rhinoplasty or $600 salon makeover. And cancel that subscription to Cosmopolitan as well. After all, there's no need for such trite solutions when all you have to do is talk to former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight contender Frank Trigg, a man who "has dated over 300 women and was married twice before finding "The One." Now he's using that street cred as a springboard for his new "Ask Trigg" blog, where he "dishes on love and the male psyche, while guiding readers through the complex world of dating and relationships." "Twinkle Toes" explains: "I’m extremely happy that my blog has been so well received. Let’s face it, what men say and how women interpret it is usually totally different. Through 'Ask Trigg,' I can help the ladies better understand what the men in their lives are trying to say. I can also help them look at certain dating and relationship issues from a man’s perspective. When it comes to the dynamics of dating and relationships sometimes it seems more complicated than it really is. It all comes down to communication. " Here's some friendly advice for all the Maniacs who keep striking out at the bar scene and in the clubs. It's time to get real. Man-up, leave your egos at the door and "Ask Trigg" for help. After all, he's already on his third marriage, he's got to know something, even if it's what NOT to do. And ladies, Frank is ready to be frank, and tell you what's up with all those confusing signals men are sending you. But don't take my word for it, "Ask Trigg" yourself by clicking here.

Posted in: lady, relationship, men, he, trigg

The UFC gave out $70,000 performance bonuses to four men following the UFC 138 card. The bonuses...

The UFC gave out $70,000 performance bonuses to four men following the UFC 138 card. The bonuses were announced at the UFC 138 post-fight press conference, which was not streamed live. Fight of the Night: Brad Pickett vs. Renan Barao Knockout of the Night: Che Mills Submission of the Night: Terry Etim

Posted in: ufc, night, men, bonus, performance