MMA-URLS

Every fighter has peaks and valleys in their career, but Alistair Overeem certainly experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows over the last couple of months. Retweet this Share on Facebook • Email • StumbleUpon • Reddit • Digg • Technorati • Instapaper • Tumblr • Google Reader • LinkedIn

Posted in: alistair overeem, month, belt ’, bull, months retweet

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

After a hearing that dragged on for what felt like hours and hours, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) brought the hammer down earlier today (Mon., May 21, 2012) on Nick Diaz for his failed drug test for marijuana metabolites at UFC 143 back on Feb. 4, 2012, in Las Vegas. And they didn't hold back one bit. That's because Diaz was suspended for 12 months retroactive to the date of his fight against Carlos Condit, which means he'll be out of action until at least February 2013. On top of that, he was fined 30-percent of his entire fight purse. If that seems harsh, well, that's because it is. Remember, Alistair Overeem was suspended for nine months after he tested with a T/E ratio of 14:1 and reportedly attempted to duck out on tests. Then again, this was Diaz's second drug test failure for marijuana in the state of Nevada, the first coming all the way back in 2007 after his thrilling submission victory over Takanori Gomi. He was suspended six months and fined 20-percent of his purse for that first offense. To read more on Diaz's hearing in front of the NSAC today, including all the relevant notes and quotes, click here.

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, month, test, drug test

Read the full article at MMA Mania

The way the news broke about Jon Jones' arrest for alleged DUI is exactly the opposite of his heroic act 14 months ago.

Posted in: mma, jone, month, lefko, dui

Read the full article at sportsnet.ca

It is always painful for us fans to see a fighter or athlete we have grown up watching be forced to hang ‘em up before their time. I can only imagine how hard it must be for the athlete themselves knowing they are still in peak physical condition, still capable of achieving great things and [...]

Posted in: time i, couple months, athlete, month, melendez

Read the full article at Fighthub TV

The day may come when New York will legalize MMA, but until then New Jersey will continue to host the UFC with 2 cards in next two months.

Posted in: ufc, fox, month, card, jersey

Read the full article at sportsnet.ca

NEW YORK -- It's been three months since Nick Diaz fought, three months since his forced exile from MMA following a UFC 143 post-fight drug test that came back positive for marijuana metabolites. While Diaz's legal team is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with the Nevada state athletic commission regarding a suspension, he's back home in Stockton enjoying some of his other athletic passions, including jiu-jitsu and triathlons. And judging from the comments of his brother Nate, he's not spending much time pining for a return to the octagon. "The way things have been going since forever, I don’t think he’s interested," Nate said. "He’s not interested in fighting, but who knows what’s going to happen in the future."Nick (26-8, 1 no contest) moved to the UFC in mid-2011 and was expected to face welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre for the title before skipping two press conferences and being yanked from the bout by UFC president Dana White. Diaz's actions were costly, because though he beat BJ Penn at UFC 137, he dropped a close unanimous decision to Carlos Condit just three months later, moving him out of top contender status. That's a spot his brother could reach this weekend with a win.While Nate continues making final preparations for his UFC on FOX 3 main event matchup with Jim Miller, Nick has been training for a jiu-jitsu superfight with vaunted grappler Braulio Estima at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo on May 12 in Lon Beach, California.Nick also helped Nate prepare for this fight. As of Wednesday afternoon, Nate was not sure if Nick would make it to East Rutherford, New Jersey to support him on fight night, but if he makes it, he will be one of his cornermen for the bout. It's just one of the many things Nick has going on right now. Far from missing fighting, Nick might make fighting miss him."Most people retire but they don’t got s--- to do," Nate said. "They’re going to get fat, they’re going to get bored, they’re going to sit at home. Nick’s competing in a jiu-jitsu tournament next weekend. He just did four triathlons in the last two months, and he’s having fun, man. Staying busy."

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, month, nate

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

UFC president Dana White went on the Jim Rome radio show today and answered questions regarding the suspension of UFC Heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem. Perhaps the most interesting comment Dana made was his admission that he hadn't heard the outcome of Overeem's hearing yesterday before the Nevada State Athletic Commission until Rome told him. White has been traveling a great deal. He returned from Brazil to Los Angeles yesterday and is headed home to Las Vegas today. In Brazil he announced the move of the UFC Middleweight championship bout between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen from Brazil's UFC 147 to UFC 148 in Las Vegas. Related Posts: Alistair Overeem License Denied By NSAC, Unable To Reapply For 9 Months | Alistair Overeem's Doctor Has A Very Interesting Background | Alistair Overeem Live NSAC Hearing Updates Rome wasted no time in cutting to the chase and immediately got White on the record regarding Overeem. It wasn't pretty. Dana's comments after the jump... Jim Rome: Dana Alistair Overeem failed a random drug test for elevated testosterone last month. The Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended him for 9 months. What was your reaction when you first heard it? Dana White:Actually I didn't hear it until you just told me right this second. Rome: You don't know that story? White: I'm in Los Angeles. I was in Brazil yesterday with Anderson Silva. I landed at 4 in the morning. I flew like 22 hours yesterday. I flew down to Miami and then to Rio and back to L.A. So it's the first I'd heard that. I knew he was going before the Commission but I didn't know what happened. Rome: So what is your reaction to that? White: I wasn't very optimistic about his chances. I didn't think things were going to turn out very well for him. So as expected. 9 months? 9 months isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Rome: What did you expect? White: I thought he'd get a year, easily a year. Rome: So he blamed it on elevated levels of anti-inflammatory meds he was taking at the time. White: Here's the rules. If that's the case, if he was on anti-inflammatories meds, whatever the deal was, you're supposed to disclose that to the commission before the test whatever you're taking. You're supposed to disclose that to the commission before the test not after the test. Rome: Am I allowed to say this Dana? It sounds like garbage. White: I'm not a fan. I'm not a fan at all. You're not going to hear me on your radio show defending Alistair Overeem believe me. Rome: So is that going to cost him his spot with your company? White: I don't know. We'll see. We'll see what happens man. You know he went before the commission and the commission gave him 9 months. I'm sure he's going to have to go in and get tested again. Before he went in there he sat down to lunch with me and my partner looked us in the face and said 'I'm the most tested athlete in all of sports they can test me whenever they want to." Well he flew in for the press conference, they tested him and now he's on a 9 month suspension. Rome: Do you feel he lied to you? White: I do yea. I know he lied to me. Rome: I'm guessing you don't like guys lying to you Dana. White: I don't like it. You know you sit down and you have these guys that you do business with and you say let's sit down, be honest with me and let's figure out how we can work together. And then they sit there and lie to your face. I don't know. Not the kind of guys I want to do business with. Rome: He may have been the most tested athletes in your sport but now he's one of the most suspended athletes in your sport. White: Yeah. So we'll see what happens. I've been on the road non-stop. I just got into L.A. and I get into Vegas tonight. I don't really know the full story of what went down but we'll figure out what happens from here. Latest From Our Partners Latest From Our Partners 10 Fighters With Most To Lose This Year (BR) 25 Best Finishers in MMA Today (BR) Alexander Gustafsson And 10 Fighters Who Will Earn A Title Shot (BR) 12 Most Memorable Moments In LHW History (BR) The Most Underrated Fighter In Each MMA Division (BR)

Posted in: overeem, dana, month, commission, rome

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Technically it isn't a suspension as he was never licensed at the time, it's a denial of license, but it's essentially the same thing and quite frankly, everyone knows what a suspension is without having to explain it. Even though I just did. Whatever. The suspension/denial is retroactive to March, done somewhat purposely so that 'Reem would be able to fight on the traditional New Year's Eve card. Quick aside, this business savvy on the part of the NSAC illustrates that they're not dummies and know what side of toast their bread is buttered on. The UFC draws a lot of money into the state and 'Reem is a fairly big attraction (no pun intended). Going very harsh on him would not be in their best business interests, and quite honestly the language they used was nothing short of fellatio. Again, this is done purposely. When you're the big star with real lawyers and the whole nine yards, you get treated better than if you're undercard Joe Nobody. Here's what the days events boiled down to: Overeem tried to lay the blame at the hands of a doctor (more on him later), whom he was recommended to by friend and former UFC fighter Tra Telligman. His claim was that the doctor gave him a shot that unbeknownst to him, had testosterone in it. Some of this claim was probably aided in the fact that his doctor, one Dr. Hector Molina, came across as a bumbling idiot incapable of properly administering Tylenol, much less give valid medical advice. The flip side of it is that he associated himself with such a moron, that he should be punished just for that. There's more to it than just that, however. Both Overeem and the doctor gave such conflicting, roundabout stories that at least to me, it basically came across as a lie followed by a series of other lies to cover up that lie. As anyone who's ever got caught telling a lie to their parents can attest (or the other way around), it's fairly easy to pick up on, because it snowballs and it's hard to keep stuff straight. For example there's this part from early in the hearing: Overeem tried to flee the building at time of random test, jumped into a car and sped off despite being told that he had to stay to give a sample. Claims he "didn't realize" he needed to stick around and was going to an interview, then changed story that he was going to talk about his battery case, then changed story again that he was going to try to avoid Golden Glory serving him papers. UFC says they made it entirely clear that he needed to stick around. I mean... wow. You can get a really good summary of quotes from the hearing over at BE (which is what I did, so much easier than typing all that myself), but the long and short of it is that today was a circus. It's his fault, no I told him that, now it's this story, now that story... Blah. It's frustrating that as a fan we have to become equal parts science majors and pre-legals to know the ins and outs of what's happening with this sport, but that's what we've come to now. Oh, and we're also part detective. Check this information that one intrepid googler found on that thread: Overeem’s physician Dr. Hector Molina was also disciplined for selling narcotic prescriptions online back in ‘04. There’s a newspaper article pasted here: http://www.voy.com/156189/3/494.htmlHe also did this: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2011/12/20/plastic-surgery-nightmare-for-texas-teen/And has a domestic violence arrest on his record: http://www.localnewsonly.com/2010lno/news/05/10_05_01colleyarrests.htm Quite frankly, I'm glad this whole absurdity has been closed for some many months. Alistair cheated, whether unknowingly (right) or knowingly and got punished mostly in line with other people caught for this offense. Santos got a year. Lawal got nine months. Sonnen got a year and had it reduced upon appeal. This was neither light nor harsh, and unless Dana White tells 'Reem to go pound sand, he'll have a fight at the end of the year. Hopefully he'll also be tested like very month to ensure he doesn't cheat again (or at least cheats better. Shrug).

Posted in: year, part, month, story, doctor

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

The NSAC denied Alistair Overeem's application for a fight licence Tuesday as a result of his failed drug test, and he won't be able to reapply for nine months.

Posted in: fight, overeem, month, drug test, licence

Read the full article at sportsnet.ca

Alistair Overeem was in person at today's Nevada Athletic Commission meeting to address his positive test for elevated testosterone levels at his random pre-fight drug test for UFC 146. His item was last on a thirty-six item agenda. In a bit of an interesting twist, two fighters ahead of Overeem had tested positive for banned substances and tried different (and ineffective) defenses. Shawn Fitzsimmons claimed that he was on a program for low testosterone but never went to an endocrinologist, and when called out on having tried to stop using a month out from the fight and "cycle off" he was suspended 9 months, lost his $1,500 win bonus, was fined 30% of his show money and had the win changed to a no contest. The same punishment (without the win bonus which wasn't applicable) was given to boxer Javier Flores who claimed he had taken what he thought were vitamin B-12 injections. With the table set that the commission wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with shady stories about why positive tests had been returned. It was made clear from the start that Overeem and the rest of the UFC 146 press conference participants were told they would be tested and needed to stick around for the testing. As soon as the presser was over, Overeem attempted to run out of the building before being stopped and told it was going to be treated as a positive test. His excuse was that he was going to an interview, then he changed the story to that he was going to speak to his attorney about his battery case and then changed again that he was avoiding being served by Golden Glory with papers. When it was time to pick one of the stories, Overeem's lawyer went with the story that they were trying to avoid being served with papers by Golden Glory. Overeem's lawyer continued with the story of Overeem being given an anti-inflammatory and then said that he still had a vial of the medicine he was given and that it turns out that the vial had "B-12, Texamethazone, keterolec and testosterone." The lawyer asserted that it was not known by Overeem that testosterone was in the injection and that it is behind what caused the spike in his testosterone level. A motion for a 45-60 day continuance by Alistair's team was denied when it was determined that there was no benefit to the fighter or the public, resulting in Overeem being questioned about the string of injuries he claimed to have suffered that made him need to get the injection to begin with. Overeem also clarified that he did not ask what was in the injection beyond what little he was told by the doctor. That is one of the key points to the hearing as the athlete is the one responsible for anything put in their body. "I didn't know" being an acceptable excuse opens the door for every fighter who ever tests positive for anything going forward. Questioning of Overeem concluded and the questioning of the doctor (Dr. Molina) who injected Overeem began. The already generally negative outlook for Overeem got worse during the questioning as Molina had his story change, couldn't pronounce the names of the medications in the injection and put on a classically bad performance that seemed as though it would doom Overeem. In the end, the commission said that they feel Overeem is a championship level fighter, and the commission doesn't feel that he "juices" with steroids, but the burden is on the fighter to understand what is put into their body. They denied his license due to the failed drug test which normally would carry with it a 12 month period before he could re-apply. The commission did feel that reducing that to nine months from the March 27th test date was appropriate with the caveat that Overeem not apply to fight anywhere else during that nine month period. This was felt to be the most appropriate course of action given that they didn't feel that he was using it for performance enhancing purposes but did test positive. He will be able to re-apply around the end of December which effectively ends his 2012 campaign without a single fight. We will have much more reaction in the coming hours and days to this incredible and bizarre hearing.

Posted in: overeem, month, test, story, testosterone

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

The commission just ruled that AO is out for nine months from Mar. 27th, after which time he could get a licence after passing a drug test. submitted by wbrooks88 [link] [13 comments]

Posted in: month, commission, drug test, ão, wbrook

Read the full article at Reddit

Junior dos Santos spoke about his new opponent for UFC 146, what would be the first defense of his UFC Heavyweight title. Dos Santos welcomed the challenge of fighting Frank Mir, but admitted that he has to prepare for a totally different match-up, just one month before getting inside the Octagon. UFC 146 will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 26th. Submit your picks

Posted in: ufc, mir, do, month, garden arena

Read the full article at Low Kick

How the fight cards for Bellator this month are shaping up.

Posted in: bellator, month, aoki, experience, fight cards

Read the full article at Fight Opinion

There haven't been a whole lot of good MMA documentaries produced over the years, however, over the next two months, three of the best will be released. First, "Fightville," the story of young Dustin Poirier, his coach Tim Credeur and the Louisiana fight scene comes out in New York and Los Angeles theatres on Friday, as well as video on demand, iTunes and Xbox. It's a fascinating look at the humble beginnings of an MMA fighter's career. Both Poirier and Credeur were on the most recent episode of The MMA Hour to discuss the film. Check out the interview below. Then, on June 1, "Like Water," a documentary chronicling Anderson Silva's life between his strange showing against Demian Maia at UFC 112 and his showdown against rival Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 comes out in select theaters across the country and VOD. And finally, "Such Great Heights," a film about Jon Fitch's road to the UFC welterweight title fight against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 87 will be released on DVD, iTunes and VOD on June 12. Its trailer can be seen below. Together, all three films tell the complete story of an MMA fighter. From the road to the UFC, to the drive to a title shot, to the struggle to remain on top. Two months. Three great MMA films. Move over "Smashing Machine," you finally have some company.

Posted in: ufc, mma, month, film, mma documentaries

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Flash back to April 11, 2008. Jon Jones is a 20-year-old kid preparing for his professional debut at a sleepy show in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Forward three months and six profoundly violent finishes later, "Bones" is on the receiving end of a phone call to replace Tomasz Drwal against undefeated prospect Andre Gusmao two weeks out from UFC 87. No matter how many times it's repeated, that timeline is absolutely absurd. Show me a kid out there that just picked up a basketball and could be talented enough to play for the Miami Heat in August. Go ahead, I'll wait. Bonus points if he's under the American legal drinking age. So while Jones readies for the first defining moment of his young career tomorrow, it seems appropriate to look back at the lanky guy who ran roughshod over the entire northeast, playing the game he loved and emulating the men he saw on television. Knowing what we know now, flashes of what Jones would eventually become are all over this footage. Also, his nickname used to be Sexual Chocolate. 5 MUST-READ STORIES UFC 145 open workouts. From Rashad Evans to Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, the MMA Fighting team was in Atlanta, talking to the top fighters on Saturday's UFC 145 fight card and checking out the open workouts. Georges St-Pierre to return to training in two months. UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre expects to resume MMA training in two months and opened the door for a move to middleweight if teammate Rory MacDonald becomes the No. 1 contender within the next few years. Dana White UFC 145 video blog. Take a behind-the-scenes look at last Saturday's Swedish event, UFC on FUEL 2: Gustafsson vs. Silva, with the first edition of Dana White's UFC 145 video blogs. Shinya Aoki out to prove Eddie Alvarez victory wasn't luck. DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki is determined to prove luck had nothing to do with his 2008 victory over Eddie Alvarez in advance of their Bellator 66 rematch. NSAC won't hear from Nick Diaz on April 24. The Nevada State Athletic Commission issued a statement refusing to hear Nick Diaz's case on April 24th until the existence of a medical marijuana card can be provided. MEDIA STEW This is where it all started. Jonathan Dwight Jones, future UFC champion, enters the cage for the first time against Brad "The Barroom Brawler" Bernard to a quiet reception in Foxborough. He may be just 20 years old, but certain aspects of his fighting style are already unmistakable, both good and bad. (By the way, Bernard would never fight again. Though neither would we after this.) Just seven days later, Jones is back in action against Carlos Eduardo. This would be Jones' longest pre-UFC fight, so it remains a fascinating retrospective of a kid still putting everything together. The flashy offense, the confidence bordering on cockiness, the staunch takedown defense, and the obvious Anderson Silva influences are all on display here. Three more weeks pass and Jon has already picked up another win -- a 75-second guillotine finish over Anthony Pina. Now he meets Ryan Verrett, an unlucky man sporting a 1-3 record, at a cramped show in Connecticut. So if you're keeping track, Bones has been a professional fighter for almost four weeks, is already 3-0, and is about to earn the fastest knockout of his career. This kid's going places. Another month goes by and Jones notches a 36-second win over Parker Porter, before meeting Moyses Gabin in his final fight on the regional scene. And it would be a fitting sendoff. After a surprisingly back-and-forth brawl, Jones exits the cage with the USKBA light heavyweight strap around his waist. Less than a month later, he's in Minneapolis for UFC 87. Elsewhere, Anderson Silva posed for this picture and referred to himself as a metrosexual. (Photo via Globo) BRON'S ABOARD THE JONES WAGON Hey I really appreciate having your support @KingJames. Striving for greatness. Keep inspiring. — Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) April 19, 2012 MAYBE? @SUGARRAYLEONARD "thanks for the kind words..coming from you maybe I should fight again..you just made my day!" — BJ PENN (@bjpenndotcom) April 19, 2012 KEEPING IT LOOSE I'm gonna make weight 2morrow but I don't know about my neck! Look at him doing interviews yesterday! Lol instagr.am/p/JnG_BWE1IX/ — Rashad Evans (@SugaRashadEvans) April 19, 2012 FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS Announced yesterday (Thursday, April 19, 2012): N/A FANPOST OF THE DAY Today's Fanpost of the Day is a money-making main card preview by BE's jim-ma UFC 145: Looking For Upsets Hominick vs Yagin Mark Hominick is an overwhelming favourite in this fight, having fought for the title just two fights ago, he has the ability to win with knockouts and submissions. In his fight with Jose Aldo he showed an ability to score grinding take downs too. He fights Eddie Yagin who is yet to score a win in the UFC. The only thing that points to an upset here is that in Hominick's last outing he was knocked out in seven seconds. That was as a result of coming in horrendously careless against Chan Sung Jung and I doubt he would make that mistake again. Yagin is no match for the Canadian on the feet and should not be able to take him down. There is always the chance of a big punch getting through or a submission opportunity being taken, but I doubt it will happen. Upsettability: 1/5 Bocek vs Alessio Mark Bocek is the big favourite in this contest at around 4-1. The Brazilian Ju Jutsu black belt has been in the UFC for ages and fought against some of its toughest fighters. John Alessio has been there too, having fought in the UFC and WEC between 2006 and 2008. Four years later, he has won 10 of his last 11 fights and finally gets the call to return to the UFC, as a replacement for the injured Matt Wiman. I suppose the odds are stacked in Bocek's favour because he has been fighting tougher opponents in recent years and has the ability to control where the fight happens. That being said, Alessio is a dangerous fighter both standing and on the mat and it is by no means a stretch that he might snatch a submission or a knockout. Bocek's the favourite, but there's plenty of chance of an upset here. Upsettability: 3/5 Found something perfect for the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @shaunalshatti and we'll include it in Monday's post.

Posted in: ufc, fight, jone, month, april

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

The last time fans saw UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub inside the Octagon was last August when “The Hybrid” hooked up with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 134. While things looked good for Schaub in the early moments of the fight they took a drastic turn midway through the opening round with Nogueira landing a knockout blow to pick up the victory. This weekend Schaub will look to numb the sting of defeat at UFC 145 when he faces Ben Rothwell, a 31-8 finisher who is coming off a loss and has also been out of action for more than six months. The 29-year old Schaub spoke some about the match-up after today’s open workouts where he said the time off has given him a chance to sure up some holes in his game. “It’s just about doing my thing. I could care less what he’s doing or what he’s upset about. I’m just gonna go in there and have fun. It’s gonna be a good night,” said Schaub. “It’ll be eight months by the time I step back in there so that’s a long time for me but I used it to get better. And eight months for me is a long time to get better, so I’m excited to get in there and show my hard work.” Schaub Admits Rothwell is Tough but That Won’t Be Enough to Win Fans can catch Schaub-Rothwell on the PPV portion of Saturday night’s card. Chances are the judges’ scorecards won’t come into play, essentially guaranteeing an action-packed outing, as Schaub has finished seven of the eight opponents he’s beaten while Rothwell has 28 stoppages in his 31 total victories. Check out video of Schaub-Rothwell discussing their bout below: PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, time, i ’m, month, schaub

Read the full article at Fighters.com

UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre is working his way back from knee surgery that has kept him sidelined for several months. St. Pierre, who will be in Atlanta for UFC 145 this weekend helping corner training partner Rory MacDonald in the co-main event against Che Mills, feels like the rehab has been long but clearly needed this time around. After pulling out of a planned bout last year with a different knee injury GSP went too hard in practice and injured his other knee, resulting in torn ligaments and major surgery. Now, months removed from the operation, he is starting to feel more like his old self. “It feels very good,” said St. Pierre of his leg in a recent interview with MMA Junkie. “In two months, I’m back to training. I’m in good shape now, but I’m not in fighting shape. In two months it’ll be 100 percent. Now I feel something is not 100 percent. But in two months, it’ll be out of mind.” “Rush” still looks to be targeting November 17 for his return when the UFC has a show planned for his hometown of Montreal. Barring another injury GSP will face Carlos Condit to unify his title with Condit’s interim belt. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: pierre, st, month, shape, shape ”

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

After months of inactivity, Shooto world champions Kuniyoshi Hironaka and Koetsu Okazaki will look to defend their respective titles for the first time next month.

Posted in: title, month, shooto, koetsu okazaki, hironaka

Read the full article at Sherdog

Most recently, I signed a 1 year contract which ended last month. I noticed they charged me this month so I called the gym, who referred me to their billing company. The billing company said the contract "automatically renews" unless I send in a cancellation request through certified mail, and even then the cancellation happens 30 days after the letter is postmarked, which means I'll at least be charged for one more month (even though I can't even go to the gym at this point). This is the thrid martial arts gym I've been a member of, and every single time I've left there's been some ridiculous drama which involves making it a pain in the ass to end my membership while also being overcharged and never getting my money back. WTF is up with this BS? Has anybody else had similar problems? submitted by B_Master [link] [7 comments]

Posted in: month, i cant, gym, billing company, billing

Read the full article at Reddit

Imagine you're Dana White for a second. You wake up one morning in February 2011 and hear that Greg Jackson protege Jon Jones has stated in an interview that he would fight then-teammate Rashad Evans if necessary. Angels sing. Dancing commences. You know you have a surefire main event for a future show, because these are two of the best light heavyweights in the world and they're suddenly at odds. Guaranteed PPV buys in the hopper! Get Lorenzo on the phone! Joy! Rapture! Time flies though. A full 14 months after the seeds were sewn, the two men are finally going to meet in the cage at UFC 145. Jones and Evans have been bickering back and forth since Evans made the decision to leave Jackson's camp right after Jones won the title at UFC 128. They were supposed to fight at UFC 133. Then UFC 140. They've been posturing for what seems like forever now. Has it been too long? Are people still willing to pony up 60 dollars to watch what amounts to a one-match show? Can the show hit the magical one million PPV buy mark that some expect? Sure, Rashad has drawn a million buys twice. His UFC 114 bout against Quinton Jackson was drawn out for a while as well, and sold big. And Jones is steadily increasing as a PPV draw. Despite that, I don't believe that these guys, even with their seemingly bottomless bag of promotional tricks, are popular enough to carry this on their own anymore. Why? Fourteen months is too long for these two men, that's why. I know I'm not the only one that is sick of listening to both of them. The Primetime episode that hyped the bout did terrible ratings numbers and is a clear indicator that some fans might have tuned them out by now as well. The UFC has actively encouraged the two grown men to squabble like children for months They act like ex-friends who hate each other and refuse to be in the same room together - yet they were able to sit down on opposite sides of Jon Anik and argue (ie. sell their fight) just a couple of days ago. Maybe I'm just burned out on pre-fight hype after falling for it so many times before, but this stuff seems pretty transparent to me. The fighters and the promotion are doing their very best to throw the wool over your eyes and get you to buy a one-match card where the champ is a prohibitive -500 favorite...eight months after the hype peaked. Are we all really that gullible? At least Rampage/Rashad at UFC 114 was an even fight. This one isn't even close. I'm not trying to be the whiner in the corner, hoping that the card doesn't succeed. At the same time though, I'm getting kind of sick of the UFC promoting boxing-style cards that feature one "relevant" bout and a bunch of filler. That's certainly what this card looks like to me, and what happens if the one relevant bout has lost some of its luster? No one's going to buy this card to see Rory MacDonald or Brendan Schaub, right? Well, a lot of people aren't going to buy it to see Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans either after this long. And it's not hard to figure out why.

Posted in: ufc, jone, month, card, evan

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

For a man who knows everything about every single kickboxer to ever come out of Eastern Europe's asshole, HDNet mic man Michael Schiavello sure has an interesting interpretation of how steroid testing works: You know, while we’re talking about the subject, Kenny, I just wanna chime in here on a couple things that have been playing on my mind, the last week or so, since the news of Alistair (Overeem) broke. Alistair doesn’t have a license with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), so how are they testing him in the first place when he doesn’t have a license with them? By what jurisdiction are they testing him? And ‘B,’ everyone seems to be hanging Alistair out to dry. They’ve been nailing him to the cross and crucifying him, but it’s still two months away from his fight. You know, he hasn’t technically cheated. Because, unless he pisses hot on the fight night, how could he possibly have cheated? There’s still an opportunity he can get from the 14:1 down to the allowed 6:1 level by fight time. But we’re calling him out as a cheat, two months out from a fight? I feel like I have battered wife syndrome. I've been getting punched in the face with all this steroid crap for so long that a part of me thinks the above statement almost makes sense. MMA Mania pokes holes in the licensing argument: The "conditional license" granted for Overeem to fight Lesnar at UFC 141 carried a condition that he was subject to two drug tests in the following six months. Speaking to NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer, Overeem's failed test was the first of those two tests.For those who argue that the NSAC had no jurisdiction to test Overeem because the conditional license he was granted at UFC 141 expired on Dec. 31, 2012 (one-day after the event), thanks for playing, but I wouldn't hang my future on that argument. While the conditional license granted for UFC 141 expired, the agreement to the subsequent drug tests over the next six months did not. Schiavello also said he believes 99% of top fighters are juicing, a number I can only hope is just as wrong as the above statement. But I've heard other people who should know throwing out numbers in the similarly depressing 90s as well. Even if these guys are so wrong they doubled their numbers, it would still mean 45% - nearly half - of top MMA fighters are probably using PEDs. And if you times that by 3, you get 135%. Square that and you'll see an unbelievable 18225% of all MMA fighters are using. ZOMG! (gif by Gordo, and yes there are more strange Schiavello / Overeem creations by him after the jump) read more

Posted in: fight, overeem, month, drug tests, license

Read the full article at Fightlinker

submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: nick diaz, nick, month, mattyblayze, jiujitsu

Read the full article at Reddit

Fighter of the Month: Joseph Benavidez As an undersized bantamweight, the 5-foot-4 Benavidez fought an uphill battle in the WEC and later the UFC. Still, he went 7-2 at 135 pounds under the Zuffa banner, with both losses coming to current UFC champion Dominick Cruz.

Posted in: ufc, pound, month, benavidez, zuffa banner

Read the full article at Yahoo! Sports

I thought I would start doing this every 3 months. Lets do a top 10 fights that didn't air on UFC or Strikeforce. Lets get the smaller shows some love. There are so many shows that people can't keep up with them. Please List Show: Fighter vs Fighter submitted by blueboybob [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: fight, month, didnt air, ufcstrikeforce i, people cant

Read the full article at Reddit

Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed Lawal, who tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone following a Jan. 7, 2012, win over Lorenz Larkin, had his hearing today in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). "King Mo," maintained throughout the process that he bought a supplement over the counter at Max Muscle and was unaware that it could ever turn up illegal. Because, really, you can't buy it at a store and have it be against the rules, right? Wrong. Drostanolone, also found in previous drug test results from Josh Barnett and Hermes Franca, is popular among athletes and competitive bodybuilders because its "anti-estrogenic properties make it a very effective cutting agent." So when Lawal went in front of the commission today, with his back pressed firmly against the wall, he simply said he would take whatever punishment given "like a man." Good thing, too, because the hammer came down hard. Lawal's punishment includes (per Josh Gross): A nine month suspension applied retroactively to Jan. 7 A $39,000 fine. That number comes from the fact that he was fined 30-percent of his purse and had to return his win bonus. His win over Larkin was overturned to a "No Contest." Mess with the bull, get the horns. Or something like that. On top of all this, Lawal also re-injured his knee in the Larkin fight. Not only that, he suffered from a "life threatening" staph infection that almost sapped his will to live. Now, he's on the road to recovery. And at least he'll have the next seven months or so to hang back and get healthy. And hey, his pockets are a lot lighter, so that should help too. Kind of.

Posted in: lorenz larkin, month, larkin, lawal, contest mess

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Strikeforce fighter Muhammed Lawal has just recently pulled through a very scary moment in his life, having a serious issue with staph infection that had him fighting for his life. While on the road to recovery from that scare, he is still dealing with the fallout from a positive drug test after defeating Lorenz Larkin in his most recent Strikeforce bout. Today the judgement came down and it's pretty harsh. Josh Gross tweeted out the damage: @JoshGrossESPNJosh Gross Don't get popped for banned substances in Nevada. Mo Lawal's punishment: $39,000 fine, 9 month suspension, win vs. Larkin changed to NC. Mar 27 via web Favorite Retweet Reply Stephie "Crooklyn" Daniels talked to Mo about his health and commission issues in a recent interview for Bloody Elbow. Here's the commission stuff from the interview: SD: Can you give an update on your athletic commission hearing? ML: Yep. March 27 is commission time. I'll be there. I'll be speaking. I'll have all my evidence together. I really can't speak out on anything just yet, but I think that everything will come out good. SD: If everything pans out the way you want it to, with the commission, how long would it be before you're able to get back to action, considering your recent health concerns? ML: Once the infection is gone, I would have to stay on rehab a little bit longer, and then be cleared to start training. I'm hoping I'll be able to fight by Fall. I'd say about four months before I could really start training hard, and six months before I could fight. So seeing as how Mo wasn't going to fight again, that's hardly a major hit. But Mo had a lot of medical bills due to the recent health concerns and losing almost $40,000 (he made $95,000 including his win bonus) is nothing to sneeze at. But, it's important to remember that the athletic commission is supposed to carry out their punishment the same for everyone, they can't take it easy on him because he got ill after the fact.

Posted in: month, commission, mo, damage joshgrossespnjosh, health concerns

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

The UFC issued medical suspensions to nine fighters from this past weekend's UFC 144 event. Three of them - main-event winner Benson Henderson and co-main-event loser Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, as well as Elji Mitsuoka - could be out up to six months. The UFC, which served as its own regulatory body for the overseas event, today confirmed the suspensions with MMAjunkie.com.

Posted in: ufc, suspension, month, event today, elji mitsuoka

Read the full article at MMA Junkie

Much to his dismay, War Machine broke news earlier this month that he had been sentenced to another year in jail for some “old bullshit” only months after his first stint behind bars. What War didn’t tell us at the time was what that “old bullshit” was. Well, now that War in back in the clink, he has finally found the free time to fill everyone in. For those of you who don’t know: over 3 years ago while working at a club in Vegas, I was involved in an altercation with a co-worker. This guy was 6’3″ and over 300 lbs. and he did not like me. Long story short, after a couple months of tension it came to a head, and we got in a big argument. Unfortunately, words could not solve this problem and he came at me. Luckily for me, I was quicker, and with my training as an MMA fighter, I was able to protect myself against my much larger opponent. The “fight” wasn’t shit, one punch landed, and after a brief wrestling match, I landed on top. The problem was that the one punch caused a cut that needed stitches and during our fall his knee was injured. That being said, it shouldn’t be a problem at all, but in America, the winner of a fight goes to jail. I guess it’s like survival of the weakest nowadays, at least in this country. So for the last 3+ years, my lawyer and the D.A. have been in negotiations. D.A. didn’t want to risk trial ’cause his case was pathetic & weak, but didn’t want to dismiss charges ’cause the big guy had medical bills and I didn’t want to plea out to something because it was self-defense. So this shit went on and on and then I do a year in San Diego on a different fight. I do my time and just want to get on with my life and put all drama behind me, so I tell my lawyer, “fuck it I’ll sign their B.S. deal as long as there’s no time involved, just med. bills and probation.” Bam, I sign it and enter plea of guilty. A month later, I go before the sentencing Judge Valerie Adair, and I’m accused of taking steroids and on and on, 1 year in jail! WTF!? Yeah, my attorney conveniently forgot to mention that if the judge doesn’t like my physique, profession, and is on the RAG, she can totally disregard the plea agreement and do whatever she wants. Yup, good ole’ U-S of A. Land of the free (wait, I’m in jail), home of the brave (umm… defending yourself & winning a fight against a dude twice your size, isn’t that brave?)… Fuck it! I WILL GET BACK UP. So basically, War just ran into the wrong judge who decided to throw out his plea deal based on her perception that he’s a juiced-up cage fighter with anger management issues. Assuming his side of the story and that assessment are accurate, that’s extremely unfortunate because while that may have been the case before (sans the steroids part, I couldn’t speak to that), WM seems to have learned how to control that side of him by removing all the bad influences in his life. The good news is War seems to be keeping a relatively positive attitude despite his latest detour in life and hopes to get some boxing tips from Floyd Mayweather Jr. when he does his stint in Vegas jail in June.

Posted in: time, year, month, war, jail

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Derek Brunson has been scratched from next month's Strikeforce MMA card because he failed his medical exam.

Posted in: strikeforce, month, card, brunson, exam

Read the full article at sportsnet.ca

Personally and professionally, 2011 was an arduous year for Jake Shields.Over the previous five-plus years, the American Jiu-Jitsu practitioner had defeated the likes of Martin Kampmann, Dan Henderson, and Carlos Condit to become one of the top pound-for-pound competitors in the sport.When the year began, Shields stood as the #1 contender in the UFC welterweight division, riding a 15-fight winning streak into the main event of UFC 129, the biggest show in the organization’s history, against its biggest star, Georges St-Pierre.The 33-year-old dropped a unanimous decision to the currently sidelined welterweight champion, his first loss since December 2004. The sting of losing to St-Pierre was nothing compared to the devastating loss Shields suffered four months later.In late August, Shields’ father and manager, Jack, passed away; he was 67-years-old.Scheduled to headline Ultimate Fight Night 25 in New Orleans, Louisiana less than a month later against the surging Jake Ellenberger, Shields went through with the fight, saying at the time that it was what his father would have wanted him to do.The bout lasted just 53 seconds. Before Shields had time to get comfortable in the cage, Ellenberger caught him with a knee that dropped him to the canvas, before pouncing on his downed opponent, and pounding out the finish. After five years without a loss in the cage, Shields had suffered back-to-back defeats in the span of five months, and a far more painful loss outside of the Octagon as well.“Six months ago was a tough time, losing my father; he was my manager, we were really close,” said Shields. “Losing him right before going into the Ellenberger fight was tough, and then walking in there, and getting clipped by a knee early on — in the first minute — and losing that.“It was a tough time — losing my dad, and the fight — I was a little depressed after that. It took me a couple of months to get my head back together, and start training again.”No one would have questioned Shields had he opted to withdraw from the Ellenberger fight. With five months to reflect the situation, he sees no point in second-guessing his choice to fight.“It was a tough decision to make back then, but it’s one of those things — you go out there and get clipped. You can’t go out there and have regrets or make excuses. It’s unfortunate that the night didn’t turn out the way I wanted, but I can’t go out there and have regrets about it. If I had pulled out, I probably would have had regrets about that. I made the decision, and now I have to live with it. All I can do is come back even stronger than ever in this fight.”Shields returns to the cage Saturday night, welcoming Japanese star Yoshihiro Akiyama to the welterweight division.Always considered undersized for the middleweight ranks, the 36-year-old judoka finally makes the move down to the 170-pound weight class in the midst of a three-fight losing streak, and having earned just a single victory — a controversial split decision win over Alan Belcher at UFC 100 — since signing with the UFC in February 2009.After having squared off with the Canadian superstar St-Pierre in front of 55,000-plus fans in the raucous Rogers Centre last April in Toronto, Saturday’s contest will mark the second time in 10 months that Shields has taken on the “hometown favorite” in front of a massive audience.He has no issues stepping in against Akiyama on his home turf, and appreciates the show of faith from the UFC, putting him right back on the main card despite his current two-fight skid.“I have no problem going and fighting people in their hometowns where they’re the favored ones,” admitted the former Shooto, EliteXC, and Strikeforce champion. “And it’s great that even after my back-to-back losses, the UFC hasn’t lost faith in me; they’ve still put me as one of the top fights on this card. It means a lot that they still have that faith in me, and I want to go out and show them that they’re not making a mistake, and put Akiyama away.”Having suffered a pair of defeats professionally, and one of the greatest losses anyone can face in his personal life, Shields is using the trials and tribulations of last year as motivation to help him get back on track in 2012, beginning this weekend at UFC 144.“I think I’m more motivated,” Shields said when asked how the last year has impacted his approach to his career. “Going on a six-year winning streak, and then having back-to-back losses, losing my father — it was a tough year for me in 2011. I want to change that, get that behind me, and start out fresh this year, starting with Akiyama; put on a great performance, and get back into title contention.“Right now I’m in a great headspace; I feel great. As far as training goes, I feel the best I’ve ever felt. I just can’t wait to get out there and fight. If I feel the way I do (now) in the fight, I have no doubt that I’ll go out there, perform well, and bring home the victory.”Shields mixed things up for this training camp, moving around more than he had in previous camps in order to get a fresh look or two in preparation for his return to the Octagon.“I do the majority of my training with Cesar Gracie still — with Nick (Diaz), Nate (Diaz), (Gilbert Melendez), and those guys — but I spent a week out with Michael (Bisping), and the guys at Imperial (Athletics). It gave me some different sparring partners, some different looks; helped me see a few different things. I think it’s always good to stay open-minded and try to expand what you’re doing.”After well over a decade in the sport, Saturday night’s contest will mark the first time Shields has stepped into the cage on a two-fight losing streak. Not only is he hungry to get back into the win column, but Shields also sees his return to Japan as the ideal location to commence the next chapter in his career.“Japan is where I first started making a name for myself. I was completely unknown and they brought me out to fight (Hayato) “Mach” Sakurai — who was #2-ranked fighter in the world at that time — and I went out there and pulled a huge upset.“Pretty much no one picked me, and that kind of got me started on my career as a real professional fighter. To go back to where I got my career started is great. I want to go out there and re-energize my career where I first got it going 10 years ago.”

Posted in: fight, shield, loss, year, month

Read the full article at UFC

The roar of the crowd ... the sound of bare feet shuffling against canvas ... the unexplainable electricity inside the building. They are all mere echos today as crowds in the tens of thousands have dwindled down to a fraction of that amount. The Saitama Super Arena, host of this Saturday's (Feb. 25) UFC 144 event, has been home to some of the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) events in the history of the sport. "Ghosts of Saitama" will take a look at some of those moments, forever preserved and never forgotten. The Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, officially opened its doors on Sept. 1, 2000. Three months later, Pride Fighting Championships (Pride) held its first event in the building. It was the beginning of a near seven-year long relationship, one that would bring fans fights like Wanderlei Silva's second shellacking of Quinton Jackson and the wild brawl between Don Frye and Yoshihiro Takayama. And it all started at Pride 12 known in the states as "Cold Fury." More than 25,000 fans packed into the Saitama Super Arena to watch the event, which was more than six months removed from the finals of the 2000 grand prix. Pride's popularity surged in the period right after Mark Coleman became the world's best heavyweight and events like "Cold Fury" helped continue the momentum the promotion was enjoying. With ace Kazushi Sakuraba in its corner, there seemed nothing Pride could do to prevent its from being the biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion in the world. His "Gracie Hunter" moniker came full circle at this event, while a Brazilian and an American went toe-to-toe to help decide who the Japanese legend would face next. Two future and two former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) titleholders fought at the event, helping along the theory that Pride is where champions came to fight. Let's take a closer look at the historic event: UFC 13 tournament winner Guy Mezger was having more trouble across the Pacific than he had inside the Octagon. After losing a split decision to Japanese stalwart Akira Shoji, he entered the 2000 grand prix and faced off against Sakuraba in the opening round. The bout went all 15 minutes and to a judges' decision. In a fight many felt the Lion's Den had done enough to win, the scorecard read a "draw." One angry Ken Shamrock later and Mezger had forfeited the bout. A decision win four months later surely helped his confidence, but the devastating knockout loss he suffered to "The Axe Murderer" a few months after didn't help matters. Nearly a year into his Pride career and Mezger was sitting on a 1-3 record. Mezger helped tilt the numbers more in his favor with a brutal knockout over Alexander Otsuka in less than two minutes. Future UFC welterweight and heavyweight champions Carlos Newton and Ricco Rodriguez made appearances, each picking up a unanimous decision wins over their opponents, while former middleweight contender Ricardo Almeida made his MMA debut in a winning effort over Shoji. Heath Herring continued his impressive run after a come-from-behind upset win over Tom Erikson a few months before by defeating Enson Inoue. Pride 2000 grand prix quarterfinal opponents Kazuyuki Fujita and Mark Kerr each stepped inside the ring, but like that evening in Tokyo seven months prior, Fujita come out a winner, while "The Smashing Machine" came up short. "Ol' Ironhead" bested Gilbert Yvel over 10 minutes, while Kerr fell to Igor Vovchanchyn in 15 minutes. Kerr would, of course, be deeply affected by personal and substance abuse issues in the ensuing years, finding success only twice more in his career before retiring in 2009. The two big fights on the event would end up being Wanderlei Silva taking on Dan Henderson and the headliner of Kazushi Sakuraba and Ryan Gracie. At the time, both Silva and "Hendo" were relative newcomers to the sport and had hardly achieved the legendary status each enjoys today. But, both were still exciting scrappers and the match up didn't disappoint. Unable to get the Brazilian onto his back, Henderson was forced to stand and bang with "The Axe Murderer." For all his wrestling accolades, "Hendo" did well for himself on his feet and it'd be no surprise if this performance -- combined with his brutal knockout of Renzo Gracie three months later -- is what gave the Team Quest fighter the confidence he needed in his stand up to become the knockout machine we all know and love today. The main event saw Sakuraba solidify his "Gracie Hunter" nickname when he defeated his fourth member of the vaunted "first family of MMA." He nearly snapped Royler's arm at Pride 8, dominated Royce for 1.5 hours at the grand prix and then made good on his previous threat when he dislocated Renzo's elbow at Pride 10. His performance against Ryan was more Royce than Royler and Renzo as the Japanese legend was unable to submit the Brazilian, but still had no trouble defeating him. "Saku" didn't even seem to take the younger Gracie seriously and seemed more interested in entertaining the audience with bits than anything else. Pride 12 wouldn't have the same air as future events, but it was a more than fitting beginning to what would become the promotion's legacy at the Saitama Super Arena. More from the "Ghosts of Saitama" series: Ghosts of Saitama: In 2004, the world's greatest heavyweights descended upon Saitama Super Arena

Posted in: event, month, pride, saitama, arena

Read the full article at MMA Mania

submitted by seanie7 [link] [11 comments]

Posted in: ufc, month, ufctv, valentine, seanie

Read the full article at Reddit

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] The month of February has already started and a substantial event in Thai Boxe Mania has already taken place, but that doesn't mean there isn't some other great action this month. The big boys don't have any shows this month but there's a bunch of smaller shows in terms of recognition, most notably SuperKombat and FighterZone that have some great fights happening. The five fights selected for this month are all over the world, from the USA to Singapore and from the Netherlands to Thailand. Not all in the same place, they also won't all be the under the same rules. Click "Read More" to see five great fights we've picked out to keep an eye on this month. Five Fantastic Fights In February...

Posted in: fight, month, february, liverkickcom part, boys dont

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Middleweight Tim Kennedy has endured some of the harshest conditions known to mankind as a Special Forces sniper with numerous tours of duty in hot-zones like Iraq and Afghanistan. However, when it comes to what he’s put up with since deciding to fully focus on his MMA career, the 32-year old isn’t sure he can take much more. Kennedy, signed to Strikeforce, has only fought twice a year since 2009 and hasn’t been seen in the cage since July when he beat Robbie Lawler. With the exception of a minor injury issue forcing him out of an expected fight with Luke Rockhold, Kennedy has not only been ready to compete but actively lobbing for an opportunity to do so. Unfortunately his pleas have for the most part fallen on deaf ears, a byproduct of Strikeforce officials being preoccupied with their own organizational issues. Regardless, the situation as a whole has now worn Kennedy down to the point he’s considering other career options, a point he expressed in a telling conversation with MiddleEasy. “I’m getting real sick of this MMA scene right now. Waiting around for fights and the politics between Strikeforce and Showtime and the UFC and Zuffa. I’m just kind of getting over it, man. I miss the simplicity of life as a soldier,” said Kennedy. “So, I don’t know. I don’t know what I want to do. I have some extreme survival and athlete type shows possibly going and, so, I don’t know, man, I don’t know. It’s going to be a curious year. I haven’t fought in…months. Now it will be a year before my next fight. A year lay off, and not by choice. I was out two weeks with an injury in a twelve month time frame? It’s shenanigans. If my job is to fight and I only get a fight once every twelve months I can’t afford to keep fighting. I gotta do something else, I have to figure it out.” Kennedy is also understandably in tune with world news, particularly related to potential conflict in the world, and sees the distinct possibility of having to return to the battlefield full time depending on how messy things get between Israel-Iran in the coming months. Though the bulk of his attention is still on Mixed Martial Arts his mind is still very aware of how numbered his days in the sport may be whether by choice or otherwise. “Fight-wise, I’m training my butt off. I’m supposed to fight Luke Rockhold when his hand is better. I would fight him next week if his hand was better. I’m training as if I have a fight in two months, even though I know he just got his cast off,” explained the candid Kennedy of his present circumstances. “Is my focus going to be shifting (to military duties)? Uh, not yet. It may be a little premature. I’m still going to be training a lot with my unit. I’m still working on a lot. But no. Day to day not much will change, it’s just always going to be on mind as to what I’m doing with my time.” The 14-3 Kennedy has won six of his last seven scraps including his last two with the lone exception being a closely contested decision loss to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. He has never been cleanly finished in his career, another testament to his toughness and potential, losing due to a cut in his MMA debut with the other stumble a subsequent outpointing to Jason Miller in 2007. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: fight, year, month, kennedy, man i

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

The list of walking wounded is lengthy following this past weekend's UFC 143 event. The Nevada State Athletic Commission issued medical suspensions to 15 of the event's 22 fighters, according to a list of suspensions today emailed to MMAjunkie.com. UFC 143 fighters Fabricio Werdum, Clifford Starks, Ed Herman, Edwin Figueroa, Matt Riddle, Henry Martinez and Michael Kuiper all could be out of action for up to six months due to ailments ranging from contusions to broken bones to a groin injury.

Posted in: ufc, suspension, month, nevada state, michael kuiper

Read the full article at MMA Junkie

I'm thinking about joining a gym here in Boulder, Colorado. The price seems a bit much to me. 175$ a month for BJJ/Muay Thai classes. My last gym was 120$ a month and even that was pricey to me. So, what are you paying now for your gym? submitted by Ozx [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: month, gym, gym im, boulder colorado, boulder

Read the full article at Reddit

If you were one of the 30,000 Xbox Live members who received UFC 141 for free, but couldn’t watch it because of technical issues, Microsoft has some good news for you. They’re giving you UFC 142 for free this weekend and a month of Xbox Live to make amends. The news was revealed in an email Microsoft sent out to those affected earlier today. Via MMA Mania: You’re receiving this note because you were one of the many fans who registered to experience UFC 141 on Xbox LIVE. First and foremost, please allow us to apologize for the technical issues that impacted your access to UFC 141 on Xbox LIVE. We remain committed to providing you with the quality experience you expect, therefore we completed a thorough investigation into the issues that prevented you from enjoying UFC 141 on Xbox LIVE, and we’re confident that we’ve addressed the problems. We’d love it if you’d give us a second chance, and we’d like to offer you another opportunity to experience UFC on Xbox LIVE free of charge with UFC RIO: Aldo vs. Mendes on January 14th, 2012. Instructions on how to access UFC RIO on Xbox LIVE are outlined below. In addition, we’re providing all those impacted by the UFC 141 technical issues with one month of free Xbox LIVE Gold membership. As we continue to polish and refine the application, new functionality and features will be released. In the meantime, we believe we’re building the most compelling, interactive way to experience the fun and excitement of UFC in your living room, and now it is our job to prove it to you. Thank you for being a valued Xbox LIVE member. Sincerely, The Xbox LIVE Team Aldo vs. Mendes may not as be appealing as Lesnar vs. Overeem, but it’s still free, plus you get a month of Xbox Live and you never had to pay a dime. Can’t really complain about that.

Posted in: ufc, issue, month, xbox, experience

Read the full article at MMA Convert

submitted by CodenameDeadpool [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: vs, month, gomi, food, id sharediaz

Read the full article at Reddit

Former UFC lightweight title contender Hermes Franca was sentenced to 42 months in prison on Friday after being convicted of sexually abusing an underage girl at a Clackamas, Ore., martial arts school where he once taught, according to a report in The Oregonian.

Posted in: ufc, month, prison, arts school, clackamas ore

Read the full article at Sherdog

Former UFC lightweight contender Hermes Franca has been sentenced to 42 months in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting an underage student at one of his academies in Oregon.

Posted in: ufc, month, prison, herme, contender hermes

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Four fighters from Saturday’s UFC 141 have been handed potential six-month medical suspensions by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Posted in: ufc, saturday, month, nevada state, nevada

Read the full article at Sherdog

Several fighters could be out for six months or more following Friday night's UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem in Las Vegas.

Posted in: ufc, fighter, month, lesnar, friday

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

submitted by razzark666 [link] [3 comments]

Posted in: ufc, month, bet, redditor, razzark

Read the full article at Reddit

Donald Cerrone doesn’t care where he sits in the rankings.He doesn’t worry about where critics or fans place him amongst the elite lightweights in the UFC.Even though he steps into the Octagon on Friday night riding a six-fight winning streak that includes four wins in 2011, three Fight Night bonuses, and back-to-back first-round finishes, “Cowboy” is only concerned with getting another opportunity to step into the cage and collect some more money.“I could give a s**t who’s over me,” answered Cerrone, the words snapping out with the speed and ferocity of the leg kicks he used to pummel Vagner Rocha at UFC 131 back in June. “It’s pretty much keep going, man. Just keep ‘em coming.”While 2011 has been a breakout year for Cerrone, he had showed flashes of his potential during his days in the WEC.A perennial title contender, the 28-year-old battled for the organization’s lightweight belt on three occasions over a six-fight stretch, beginning with his controversial first encounter with Jamie Varner. Never able to emerge with the gold wrapped around his waist, Cerrone slipped into the background slightly as the WEC’s lightweight ranks merged into the UFC’s deepest division.Reigning champion Anthony Pettis and former titleholder Benson Henderson garnered the majority of the attention in the wake of their classic battle at WEC 53, though Cerrone had earned a victory on the company’s final card as well, submitting Chris Horodecki in the second round. It was his second victory in three months, a follow-up to the dominant win he collected in his long-awaited rematch with Varner a few months earlier.Like many of his fellow WEC graduates, Cerrone entered the UFC with a chip on his shoulder, ready to show that he was every bit as good as the competitors in the UFC’s 155-pound division.“The proof is in the pudding there, man,” said the callous “Cowboy,” the chip still maintaining its former address. “There’s not much left to say. We all need someone to doubt on us. Just tell them to keep on doubting on me.”There are few doubting Cerrone at this point. He’s won four more times over the last ten months, extending the winning streak he began in the WEC to six, propelling himself further up the lightweight rankings with each subsequent victory.Cerrone stepped in for an injured Sam Stout at UFC 126 in February and submitted Paul Kelly in the second round, earning Submission of the Night honors in the process. Four months later, he thrashed Rocha in Vancouver, but it wasn’t until his last two fights that people really started to sit up and take notice.“I just feel like I’m hot,” admitted Cerone. “I don’t know, that’s just how life goes, in waves like that. You’ll be on top and then you’re at your lowest time. Right now, I feel good; everything seems to be going right.”In August, he blitzed youngster Charles Oliveira, crumpling the talented Brazilian under a torrent of strikes. Two months later, he filled in for Stout again and earned a similar result as he had in February, halting Dennis Siver’s climb up the rankings with a first round submission win at UFC 137.Like many observers, Cerrone believes he’s always had the potential for this kind of success.“I think I’ve always had it there — it’s just been getting my mind to tell my body what to do, getting my mind right. I’ve been figuring out what it takes for me to fight in the cage the way that I do in practice, you know?”Heading into the fight with Siver in October, Cerrone made it known that if everything went as planned, he wanted to fight for a fifth time in 2011. UFC matchmaker Joe Silva granted him his wish.“I’m super-excited. That’s what I asked for so bring it on. Close out the year with another fight — more money, more exposure, more everything.”Just a few days after UFC 137 was officially in the books, Cerrone was paired with Nate Diaz.After a four-fight stint as a welterweight, Diaz returned to the lightweight division at UFC 135 in September and picked apart Takanori Gomi, submitting the Japanese veteran in the first round. It was the best performance of his career, and immediately put the former Ultimate Fighter winner in the mix in the 155-pound ranks.Now the two are matched up in the co-main event slot of the UFC’s year-end event, with the victor likely to earn a place on the short list of title contenders heading into 2012. It’s a pairing that should produce fireworks when the cage door closes on Friday night.Both Cerrone and Diaz are extremely well rounded, capable of dominating an opponent with their striking or submission games, and transitioning between the two seamlessly.That’s one way of putting it. Cerrone sums up his opponent’s approach in a much less analytical way.“He’s game man, for sure. He talks a lot, and he gets in there and fights. I’m excited,” said Cerrone of his opponent, echoing feelings he shared earlier in the month when he praised Diaz and his brother for their approach in the cage.“If I bumped into him in the parking lot and said, `What’s up?’ we’re throwing down, and I like that mentality. You can’t teach that. They come to fight, and me too.”Like his older brother, Nate Diaz also knows how to fire up his opponent before they even step into the cage, and he’s done just that with Cerrone. Not that the fiery “Cowboy” really needed any extra motivation.“Unfortunately, he ran his mouth too much this time, and now he’s going to be in trouble. I’m excited to fight him. Ring the bell. Let’s go!”

Posted in: ufc, fight, ’t, month, cerrone

Read the full article at UFC

UFC fighters aren't the only ones with accident insurance these days. Six months after the UFC parent company announced a program to cover athletes outside the cage, a Tennessee-based insurance company offers a plan that costs a little over $20 a month. Fighters are not only covered out-of-competition but are eligible to receive compensation for injuries suffered during fights and get a $100,000 life insurance policy, according to Jeremy Augusta, CEO of Combat Sports Insurance.

Posted in: fighter, month, insurance, accident insurance, month fighters

Read the full article at MMA Junkie

"When I'm fighting with Overeem, I'm not sure, because I never stopped training, but two times the fight was canceled. I don't stop training. Normally guys train two months, three months for camp, I'm training six-seven months. For sure I was overtraining. With Overeem, I had no power, I was tired. I have the opportunity now [in UFC] to fight Overeem again because now, he win one time, I won the other time in PRIDE. I submit him, he don't submit me, just decision. I want this fight. Maybe not now, but one day." UFC turned Strikeforce turned UFC fighter Fabricio Werdum is finally returning to the Octagon as he prepares for a 265-pound showdown opposite Roy Nelson at UFC 143 on Feb. 4, 2012, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. "Vai Cavalo" hopes to get back "in the mix" with a victory over "Big Country" but more importantly, a "Sin City" win over the Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 champ gets him one step closer to a trilogy with Alistair Overeem, who took the Brazilian to an uninspired decision earlier this year in Strikeforce. Anyone want to see these two settle their score? Or not so much?

Posted in: ufc, fight, overeem, month, im

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Despite initial reports that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira wouldn’t require surgery for a broken arm suffered against Frank Mir at UFC 140, “Minotauro” has since undergone surgery to repair the injury and could return to the UFC in as soon as six months, according to a statement on his official website: Mr. Nogueira suffered a complex fracture of his right humerus.  The fracture started at the mid-portion of the bone and extended into his elbow region.  Unfortunately, the radial nerve(one of the main nerves that gives power and sensation to the hand) was injured by the event.  The nerve was in the area of the fracture and the bone was pinching the nerve.  Prior to the surgery he had very little strength in his hand and no strength in his thumb. The surgery involved an incision down the back of his arm.  The nerve was taken out of the fracture site and treated.  The fracture was fixed with a plate and 16 screws and now less than 12 hours after the surgery the function is returning to his hand and the bone is fixed.  We anticipate initiating range of motion exercises today and will start strengthening in the next month.  If everything goes well he will begin full training in the next several months and should be 100% for competition fighting in six months or less.  We anticipate a complete and full recovery. Nogueira (33-7-1) is 4-3 since the PRIDE veteran joined the UFC in 2007, including a first-round knockout of Brendan Schaub in his native Brazil in August before falling victim to a first-round kimura against Mir moments after hurting the fellow former champion with punches. For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Posted in: ufc, month, surgery, fracture, nerve

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

Good news, "Rush" fans. Georges St. Pierre, who blew out the ACL in his knee while training to fight Nick Diaz at UFC 143 on Feb. 4, 2012, today announced that the surgery in Los Angeles, Calif., was a "huge success." His positive reaction (via Twitter.com): Dr. ElAttrache says my surgery (ACL patellar tendon autograft) was huge success! Ligament very strong. Tks for support! Currently, there is no timetable for a potential return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC); however, it's possible that we won't see the promotion's welterweight champion back inside the Octagon for at least 10 months or more. In the meantime, Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz will battle for the interim 170-pound belt on SuperBowl weekend to keep the division moving. Upon his return, St. Pierre is expected to face the winner of that bout, or the current interim champion, if the Condit-Diaz winner is no longer in the top spot. St. Pierre was bit bad by the injury bug recently -- this latest setback was his second in a span of two months, the first of which forced him out of a title fight against the "Natural Born Killer" at UFC 137 back in October. Be sure to check out a great breakdown of all the welterweight drama that has plagued one of the UFC's most celebrated divisions in recent months right here.

Posted in: ufc, pierre, st, month, injury bug

Read the full article at MMA Mania

submitted by zanonymous [link] [comment]

Posted in: month, surgery, nog, zanonymous link, fightready

Read the full article at Reddit

Jason “Mayhem” Miller suffered a broken nose in a TKO loss to rival coach Michael Bisping at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale this past Saturday and has been sidelined for six months until June 3 unless cleared early by a doctor, according to medical suspensions handed down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Bisping’s one month suspension for a right eye hematoma ends on Jan. 3 before he’s scheduled to return to the Octagon to face Demian Maia at UFC on Fox 2 on Jan. 28. Six month suspensions also went to Diego Brandao (left hand and jaw), Louis Gaudinot (right hand), Stephen Bass (jaw), Bryan Caraway (right knee and left hand). T.J. Dillashaw and Dustin Pague were suspended until Jan. 18, while Dennis Bermudez, Tony Ferguson, Marsus Brimage, Stephen Siler, and Josh Clopton must sit out until Jan. 3. For complete coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale, click here. Pictured: Jason Miller

Posted in: right, suspension, month, jan, tko loss

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

Filed under: UFC, NewsUFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has injured his knee for the second time in two months, forcing him out of action once again. But this injury is much worse than the one that cost him a few weeks and a date with Carlos Condit in October. This time, the champ tore his ACL and will be out around 10 months, UFC president Dana White announced. The issue will cost him a spot in the UFC 143 main event, and one of 2012's most anticipated matchups against former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz. Instead, Diaz (26-7, 1 no contest) will face Carlos Condit in a bout that White says will be for the interim welterweight championship. As you may recall, Condit (27-5) has had a roller coaster ride in the booking department recently. After knocking out Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 132, he was going to fight BJ Penn at UFC 139, then got the slot against St-Pierre when Diaz went AWOL for two press appearances. But that opportunity came and went when St-Pierre suffered his first knee injury. Condit didn't end up fighting in October, instead choosing to wait for St-Pierre to heal. But even that plan went awry when Diaz overwhelmed Penn, and St-Pierre insisted upon fighting the Stockton, California native. So Condit was moved aside and thrust into a matchup with Josh Koscheck. And now Koscheck is the odd man out. That's enough to make your head spin, but the long and short of it is that the Condit-Diaz winner will be the interim champ, and whenever St-Pierre returns, he'll face the holder of that faux belt. This is the second major injury St-Pierre (22-2) has suffered as champion. During a successful July 2009 title defense against Thiago Alves, he tore his groin and didn't fight again until over eight months later. By the time he returns, St-Pierre will have had over a year on the sidelines. His last bout was an April 2011 unanimous decision win over Jake Shields. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, month, condit, carlos condit, stpierre

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

While the past month may have taken a lot out of UFC president Dana White, he's not showing any signs of slowing down.

Posted in: ufc, brydon, month, lot, flag

Read the full article at sportsnet.ca

A few weeks ago Five Ounces of Pain put together a contest for readers providing an opportunity to win a Matt Hamill Prize Pack by sharing an inspirational story (or through a few other means). All of the entries have been compiled and winners randomly drawn meaning a quintet of lucky entrants will be receiving an early gift this holiday in the form of a TapouT T-Shirt and some other swag related to The Hammer, a film documenting the struggles and success of the former UFC light heavyweight. On a personal note, I want to thank everyone who entered as many of your stories were moving and sincerely made me wish we had enough prizes to send to the entire lot. Never before have I been so proud to be a part of the 5 OZ community! And now for the winners (followed by some of the excellent entries we received)… Will Vogenitz Stephen Floyd Jones Ray Mercado Shane Reilly Christopher Bolinski If your name is on that list you will receive an email confirming the distinction. If not, again, thank you for taking the time to be part of this contest and rest assured we will have future giveaways coming down the road. And now for a few of your inspirational stories: “Five days after my fifteenth birthday my father passed away. He was only 41 years old and a diabetic. I found myself turning away from my family and mostly my mother and turning to my friends for guidance and support. At the ripe age of 17 I dropped out of high school and entered into the United States Army. Ft. Knox Kentucky is where at 17 I found myself amongst a group of much older and wiser men. Scared shitless would be to say the least. I was a kid trying to play an adults game. Two days after arriving I sprained my ankle on a march. I was placed in a cast and separated from all of the others. Two months and one day after I arrived I found myself with a medical discharge for my ankle injury. I was still 17 without the support and guidance of the US Army or the education from high school. I attempted to re-enter high school. The school district did not want to allow me to enter back as they stated that no one has ever dropped out and attempted to come back and be successful. I explained that they did not know me. Two years later I graduated with the largest scholarship awarded in my county, attended Utica College of Syracuse University and became Recreational Therapist. Currently I work with court adjudicated juvenile delinquents after they were placed in residential placements and have a wonderful family with a wife and 2 children, oh yeah and my 2 German Shepherds. Thanks for taking the time to read this even if I do not win, getting my story heard means a lot.” – Chris “My cousin Geoff was born with downs syndrome 25 years ago. I’ve seen this courageous young man grow into an amazing guy. He’s gone through alot in his life. He went to regular school and was picked on and such from a young age and still does today. Despite being picked on he overcame his “Disability” and has become a hard working, Dedicated young man. He’s been a true inspiration to me as watching him grow up showed me to never doubt yourself, Always believe that you can become anything and accomplish your goals. Geoff is my inspiration to become the best that I can be!” – Andrew “I was never comfortable with confrontation because I was beat up a lot back in high school. One day during driving class I was bullied to a fight which I promptly backed down for fear of becoming humiliated, walking away pretending I was “bigger than that”, honestly he would have had it coming. As I did I was attacked from behind and sent to the hospital for two days. I decided while in there that I needed to do something to end my shameful unwillingness to defend myself. I sought out several programs and decided to take a chance with something called “Krav Maga”. The first class I ever participated in I was throwing up flem (I don’t smoke). It was addictive for sure, then eventually they introduced different stress drills designed to get students used to our own nervous emotions and adrenaline rushes. I’ve been with it ever since then, however a year into it a random drunk tried shoving me to the side yelling at me for no apparent reason. Without thinking I swung…and knocked him out cold. I went to make sure his friends weren’t going to jump in and as I did I got punched in the back of my head sending my hand through a mirror above an ATM. They ran, I laughed, then I fished the piece of mirror lodged in my wrist out myself where the gashly scar remains. I literally look at it some days reflecting on my transition and my journey in doing so. I hold myself now at a higher standard without letting anyone take that right from me.” – Charles “My son was born a cardiac child. Three holes in his heart, parachuted mitral valve, enlarged pulmonary artery, cystic hygroma, and club feet. It’s a lot to work with for your first child, but we had been informed there were likely going to be these issues, ultra sounds are a wonderful early detection machine. The six open heart surgeries were tough to get through, as was the fact that he was blue for almost his entire first year. But the hardest part, at least for me, was the day we took him home. He was half the size of a normal baby so they couldn’t perform all the surgeries immediately. We had been living at the Ronald McDonald house near the hospital for 3 months while he was still in the NICU. We lived 100 miles away in a small town and wanted badly to take him home by Christmas. The doctors and installed and central iv line into his heart to deliver medicine every three hours 24/7. We assured them that, if they gave us the medicine, we would give it to him on time. The doctors agreed and let us take our child home for three months until his next scheduled surgery. My wife was still recovering from the pregnancy (whole ‘nother story) so the job of administering his medicine fell to me. For three months every day at Midnight, 3am, 6am, noon, 3pm, and 6pm; I woke, measured the medicine, attached the machine to my baby sons chest, delivered the medicine and observed him for any complications. Each delivery took around 30 minutes. For three months I didn’t sleep for longer than 2 hrs at a time. The doctors were impressed. Today my son is in the Second grade. He’s smart, funny, and a hell of a good dancer.” – Shane “My boyfriend Robert Flores has wanted to be an MMA fighter since he was a young child. He grew up watching wrestling and watching Tito Ortiz grow in the octagon and also knew he wanted to get into something fighting related. When he was 13 years old, his jiu jitsu instructor entered him in the local NAGA tornament where he competed against adults in the expert division. He won 1st place beating grown men. He was ecstatic and what made the day even better was that an idol of his, Matt Serra was there. He approaced Matt Serra after to get a picture with him and he told Matt that he has just won 1st place and Matt Serra responded “Thats good but this sport isn’t for everyone kid”, and walked away. Robbie was heartbroken and quit training for a while. He started fighting again a few years later and switched fight camps.He earned his black belt in MMA in 6 months, became a level 3 instructor and took a few kickboxing and MMA fights in 2008 and 2009. Robbie was doing really well until he got into a bad car accident and the contracted tuberculosis in the same year. He was quarantined in a hospital in Westchester, NY and was forced to put mma on the backburner. He has since recovered fully and changed camps again and is still struggling to take it to the next level. He has had such a hard road to his dream, and there is much more that I haven’t even mentioned.” – Dorothea “My side job is doing Quality Assurance Inspections for a local non profit which serves the Developmentally Disabled community. Day in & out I see folks whose afflictions interfere with and effect their avid pursuit of a fulfilling life… the clients I work with are involved in vocational programs and educational programs that help them become part of the community through work and social inclusions. There is a group of younger clients whom attend a vocational program in which they learn automotive maintance. At first you would say to your self sounds like a bit of a challenge for this particular sect of society BUT this group of guys ( most of whom have been part of the program 10 plus years) perform oil changes, rotate tires, change washer blades and a slew of other minor maintence issues. When this program started nobody believed this group could be successfully trained to perform these tasks but they have been so successful 2 of them have actually landed jobs in repair shops in the area. The mission statement of the org. is “What really matters is what you do with what you have…” I used to think blah blah another cheesy sentiment but then I realized as I worked with this community more and more they really truely make the most of their lives. Things we take for granted are major accomplishments for these folks and if the rest of the population put as much effort into bettering themselves as I have seen these folks put forth, then the world would probably be rolling a bit smoother.” – Ray “I have a friend that passed away on October 19, 2010. My friend Dane Strassman was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma back in 1996. Dane with his wife and 2 children battled his cancer through chemo for over a year and a half and in 1998 Dane was found to have beaten Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Surviving and beating cancer is an amazing miracle and Dane changed his life completely by eating healthly and being active. But sad to say that on October 19, 2011 my friend Dane was found passed out behind the wheel of his car at a traffic light in Philadelphia, Pa. A short while later he was pronounced dead due to a massive heart attack. Since Dane’s passing his life has been an inspiration to me. I have changed my life by living healthy and living it to the fullest. It just proves that we are here today but are not promised tomorrow.” – Will PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: day, year, month, school, program

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Three fighters could be sidelined for up to six months following Saturday's UFC on Fox 1.

Posted in: ufc, fox, month, bradley, saturdays ufc

Read the full article at Sherdog

There's been a lot of talk this week about what the UFC on Fox event means historically. While true perspective can't be calculated until after things have concluded, Saturday will mark a pretty important day and milestone for the world's largest MMA promotion.It may sound like a 'duh' statement, but a lot can happen in a short amount of time in MMA. Just this year alone, we've seen No. 1 buy No. 2, No. 1 sign a network deal, champions cross over, miss press conferences and then get title shots, stars get injured and more. December will be a fun month for those year-end retrospective pieces as there's a ton to discuss.But with Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos set to go in front of potentially the biggest audience to ever watch an MMA bout, it got me to thinking about where the current crop of UFC champions were five years ago. To paraphrase the Talking Heads, how did we get here? Be the Sherman to my Mr. Peabody and jump in the time machine with me to November 12, 2006, when the UFC was ready to close out their second year of the boom period and had just wrapped their fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter. The UFC Five years ago today, the TUF 4 finale was set for Las Vegas and would feature Matt Serra picking up a split decision win over Chris Lytle to win a shot at the welterweight title and Travis Lutter submitting Patrick Cote in the first round to get a shot at the middleweight gold. TUF 4 was entitled "The Comeback" and featured all former UFC fighters looking to get back to the big time. Serra would take advantage of his opportunity, while Lutter couldn't make weight and failed at his. An interesting note on this card: Martin Kampmann beat Thales Leites by unanimous decision in the night's opening fight.One week later, then-UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes was preparing to defend against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 65 with Tim Sylvia defending his heavyweight gold against Jeff Monson. For perspective, Sylvia just headlined for ProElite while Monson is preparing for a fight in Russia against Fedor Emelianenko. A lot can happen in five years. UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez The man that is preparing for the first defense of his gold was a month removed from the first pro win of his career five years ago, a 1:58 TKO win over Jesse Fujarczyk on the undercard of a Strikeforce event featuring Paul Buentello vs. Tank Abbott in the main event. UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick CruzThe reigning 135-pound kingpin was 9-0 and coming off his featherweight debut in a decision win over Shad Smith at a regional show. He was less than five months away from getting his only career loss at the hands of Urijah Faber in his WEC debut. UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones How quickly has Jones shot up the ranks? Five years ago, he had yet to compete professionally. That wouldn't happen until April 2008 and now he's beating up guys like Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Rampage Jackson.UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo Five years ago, Aldo was sitting at 8-1 in the Brazilian MMA scene but had only fought once in 2006. It would be about 18 months until he went on his path of destruction in the WEC that would eventually lead to his current reign in the UFC. UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva "The Spider" was enjoying his first month as UFC Middleweight Champion after his destruction of Rich Franklin at UFC 64 -- the kickoff to a reign that is still going strong five years later. In that time, Silva is 12-0 in two weight classes and has defended his belt nine consecutive times. UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar The 4-0 Edgar was a week out from a tilt with Jim Miller for the Reality Fighting group in Atlantic City, NJ -- a fight he'd win by unanimous decision. He would get his first taste of UFC action four months later in a UFC 67 Fight Of The Night against Tyson Griffin and never looked back. UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. PierreReferenced earlier, St. Pierre was one week out from his first title shot and what would become a short first title reign that ended at the hands of the aforementioned Serra. St. Pierre has done just fine in the last five years with the majority spent being recognized as one of the two best fighters in the world. In November 2016, what will this list look like? Will we be talking about how the next UFC/Fox deal should double in rights fees? Will pay-per-view still be alive? Could any of these champions still be on the list? SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 1: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos

Posted in: ufc, time, champion, year, month

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

UFC 137 undercard competitors Brandon Vera and Bart Palaszewski could be out of action for up to six months after sustaining injuries Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

Posted in: ufc, month, vera, bart palaszewski, injuries saturday

Read the full article at Sherdog

"Disrespected" Georges St-Pierre badly wants to fight Nick Diaz, who insinuated that St-Pierre ducked him this month.

Posted in: fight, diaz, month, february, stpierre

Read the full article at Yahoo! Sports

It looks like Bellator has its first genuine grudge match developing where a pair of competitors appears on the cusp of fighting for personal, not professional, reasons. Though the sympathy from most was immediate last week when 115-pound female champion Zoila Gurgel tore her ACL will training for a bout at Bellator 57, her opponent in the since-cancelled clash, Carina Damm, has been far from understanding where Gurgel’s health is concerned. Damm spoke out about the situation over the weekend where she questioned how legitimate Gurgel’s affliction actually is, an implication “The Warrior Princess” did not take kindly to in return. “Unfortunately she came out with that story, but nobody sent me anything that proves it’s true,” Damm explained to Tatame. Gurgel Reveals Heartbreak Over Injured Knee Gurgel quickly fired back when approached for a comment in regards to Damm insinuating she may be lying about her injured knee, saying, “Why in the world would I fake a COMPLETE TORN ACL? That’s like the longest recovery and rehab time out of any type of (injury in) MMA. 6-12 months… Why would I want to wait to fight that long, ever? I needed that fight. Now, I can’t do a damn thing (for) 6-12 months (until) after surgery. Ooooh, this girl hit a nerve! That girl must be out of her mind.” “And as far as showing HER proof, she’s must be on drugs, or those steroids she was caught on,” Gurgel continued while taking a shot at Damm for testing positive for PEDs in 2008. “Very professional by the way! She wants to be nasty and play dirty and talk crap while I’m waiting on getting this stupid surgery done so I can hurry these 6-12 months of recovery to get back in the cage? She’s out of her mind! I can be a lot meaner, but I’ll bring it in the cage when I get back, hopefully before the end of next year. She’ll get what she’s asking for. This girl is pushing buttons with the wrong fighter.” If Gurgel didn’t already have a high-level of motivation to get back in shape due to the frustration of a bum leg she certainly should now. She holds an overall record of 11-1 including a win over top female Megumi Fujii, while Damm is 17-6 in her career with thirteen stoppages including eight submissions and five TKOs. PHOTO CREDIT – BODOG Tweet

Posted in: month, gurgel, knee, girl, damm

Read the full article at Fighters.com

As a self proclaimed nerd who enjoys hand to hand combat as much in the "RL" as the digital world, MyTakeRadio is a regular in my podcast rotation. Sharing the same sensibilities as many of us at MiddleEasy, MyTakeRadio discusses the finer things in life: like comics and robots. So when Rich, the host of 'MyTake' asked us to join the trifecta of MyTakeRadio, MMAValor and Unveil NYC Gaming for a chance to raise some cash for Breast Cancer Awareness month, we jumped at the chance. So we present to you: Brawling 4 Boobies. Here is Rich to explain more. On February 28, 2000 I lost my mother to breast cancer. It has been a long 11 years for my family and I. Over time I realized that the brand I have built can be a great tool to raise donations to help others cope and endure with losing a loved one to this illness.My Take Radio in partnership with Unveil NYC, Middleeasy and MMA Valor will be hosting an XBOX Live community gaming event called Brawling For Boobies. Every weeknight starting on 10/24 we will host lobbies for some of the fighting games we all love. Gamers participating are asked to donate what they can in order to participate for that evenings play. Here are the tentative titles and dates.10/24- Mortal Kombat10/25-EA MMA10/26-Marvel v Capcom 310/27-UFC Undisputed10/28 Super Street Fighter 4 AE/ SF3 Third Strike Online.Gameplay will begin at 9pm est and end 11pm est. On Friday since there are two titles we will extend playtime until 12am. You do not need to play if want to donate. We are doing this to promote community play for a good cause so every little bit helps. We will leave our donation page open till the end of the month. Add Xbox gamertag's MiddleEasy, Akuma25 and UnveilGaming. I will be on the MiddleEasy Xbox Gamertag the 25th and the 27th 100% guaranteed, and I might pick up a copy of MVC3 if I have the time. Let's Brawl 4 Boobies! Please click the ribbon to donate.

Posted in: month, middleeasy, xbox, breast, boobie

Read the full article at Middle Easy

After a five-round unanimous decision loss to Jose Aldo at UFC 136 earlier this month, Kenny Florian, wasn't exactly sure what his mixed martial arts (MMA) fight future might hold. It took two weeks of reflection for Florian, 35, to take it all in and make a decision: He still wants to compete, but he wants to do it again at his natural weight class, which is at lightweight. Florian recently decided to drop to featherweight after two failed attempts at winning the 155-pound title. However, after one win (Diego Nunes) and the loss to 145-pound kingpin "Scarface," Florian wants to take six months to put the 10 pounds back on his wiry frame and just "see what happens next." The Dover, Mass., native explains his situation to the Boston Herald: "I still love this sport tremendously and still want to be a part of it. I know myself and it's not even just being competitive, but it's just being there learning and competing. There's still very much a fire burning there so I'm going to do it....  I didn't get in this to be second-best, of course. But at the same time, not everybody can be a champion. I'm just going to go back to 155, work my way up, take it one fight at a time and see where it puts me. I think there's exciting fights out there for me, there's still challenges out there for me, there's still things I'd like to try to improve on and that's the main thing. I don't necessarily have the title in my eyes, but I do have my own personal goals as far as the technical level that I want to get to." Florian competed 12 times at lightweight from 2006 to 2010, losing two title fights -- Sean Sherk for the vacant strap early in that tenure and to B.J. Penn via submission three years later -- as well as a number one contender eliminator match to Gray Maynard in late 2010. It was that last defeat to "The Bully" that sent Florian south looking for answers; however, he basically admits that it was a failed experiment because he never really "felt 100 percent" at the weight class. Florian knows that he will once again have to work his way back up the lightweight ladder, one fight at a time. He's done it before, twice, but will the third time be the charm?

Posted in: fight, time, month, florian, there

Read the full article at MMA Mania

When the squad at Fiore MMA heard Georges St-Pierre was injured and out of UFC 137, a buzz lit up the room. Not because the UFC welterweight champ had been injured, of course, but because it meant that one lucky pair of fighters from the preliminary card would get a big promotion. Maybe that pair would include team middleweight, Dustin Jacoby, who until the start of this month had been a sharp up-and-comer waiting for his big-show shot.

Posted in: ufc, month, georges stpierre, team middleweight, fiore mma

Read the full article at MMA Junkie

submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: ufc, month, mattyblayze, cancer, breast

Read the full article at Reddit

submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [4 comments]

Posted in: ufc, jone, month, doctor, mattyblayze

Read the full article at Reddit

Let's take a look at 5 non-main event fights you should really be paying attention to during the final months of 2011.

Posted in: ufc, fight, month, ufc fights, rest

Read the full article at Heavy MMA

Strikeforce's future will likely be decided in the next month.

Posted in: strikeforce, showtime, month, month ’, future

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Shinya Aoki will be back in the headlining slot for the first time in 14 months this Saturday when the spindly submission artist tangles with “Razor” Rob McCullough in the main event of Dream 17.

Posted in: dream, event, shinya aoki, spindly, month

Read the full article at Sherdog