MMA-URLS

Rashad Evans And Dan Henderson Train For UFC 161 (VIDEO)

UFC light heavyweights Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans square off this Saturday night at UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson and during their camp UFC Tonight followed the pair through a few of their normal training days. The winner of Evans Vs Henderson will no doubt be one step closer to challenging for the light heavyweight title, but both have had long roads to travel before they climb into the octagon this weekend. Check out parts one and two courtesy of Fuel TV. UFC 161: Evans Vs Henderson takes place on June 15 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. UFC 161 will be the first time the UFC has held an event in Winnipeg. Part 1 Part 2 Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports The post Rashad Evans And Dan Henderson Train For UFC 161 (VIDEO) appeared first on Fighters.com.

Posted in: ufc, saturday night, henderson, part, evan

UFC 161 Training Day (Part 2)

With a more narrow focus, the second part of this mini-series highlights the personal effects of fighting and time consuming training camps. Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans are the focus, as they prepare to fight at UFC 161The post UFC 161 Training Day (Part 2) appeared first on MMA Convert.

Posted in: ufc, part, rashad evans, training, focus

UFC 161 Trainign Day (Part 1)

The main event stars Rashad Evana and Dan Henderson’s training camps are highlighted before they clash at UFC 161.The post UFC 161 Trainign Day (Part 1) appeared first on MMA Convert.

Posted in: ufc, day, part, trainign, evana

Rashad Evans Says His Swagger is Back

If fans felt UFC light heavyweight Rashad Evans looked like a shell of himself in a February loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira it’s because he was. Outside of dealing with a few personal issues, Evans recently revealed he decided to reel in his personality instead of approaching the bout as he usually would. Evans explained his rationale to MMAJunkie, saying his “swagger” had returned for this weekend’s rumble with Dan Henderson at UFC 161… “I turned down the swagger a little because I wanted to be more focused in my competitions. But when I did that, I took a little piece away from me. I took a little of that go inside of me that pushed me, that part that made me get into a dogfight with anybody and do anything to get the win.” “When I go out there and compete, I have to be cocky. That’s how I compete. I have to have my swag out there and be like that because that’s a part of me. It’s a part you’d never see of me in regular life because I joke around and smile, and you don’t see that side.” “But when I compete, I want the person I’m fighting to know that he shouldn’t have even signed the contract to fight me. He should be embarrassed, and I want to embarrass him for doing so.” SOURCE: MMAJunkie PHOTO CREDIT: The post Rashad Evans Says His Swagger is Back appeared first on Fighters.com.

Posted in: part, dan henderson, rashad, evan, swagger

Part I of our exclusive interview with Ralek Gracie on Metamoris II

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on DstryrSG, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] This kind of speaks for itself. And, as much as I’d like to spend the next few minutes attempting to be mildly humorous, you have 10 minutes of Ralek Gracie Interview to consume and digest. I’ll just say this – we had great time sitting with Ralek and asking him a bunch of questions. This is Part 1; it’s all about Metamoris, and it gives you great insight into Ralek's point of view on his event. Part II, which is coming momentarily, is just your run of the mill DSTRYResque buffoonery. We'll claim it’s hilarious, but maybe it’s just moderately humorous. Either way, we expect you to watch it. Special thanks to our comrades who made it happen – my old teammate and friend, John Salami, for fiming/directing, Mike Dytri aka Ludwig Van Clothing for providing an amazing location. Of course, thanks to Ralek for coming out and being a great subject

Posted in: part, dstryrsg part, middleeasy networkdiv, part i, ralek

Phil Baroni's ONE FC 9 Guest Blog Part 5: Fighting for something more than pride, fame and glory

The following is Phil Baroni's guest blog post for Bloody Elbow as writes about the lead up to his ONE FC 9 bout against a Japanese star from ZST, Nobutatsu Suzuki. The event happens on May 31 in Manila, Philippines. If you missed the earlier editions, you can check it here: PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 I'm in Manila and I'm doing a lot of TV and radio interviews to promote the fight. The Filipino fans are very happy to have me back, and they were at the airport when I arrived. ONE FC boss Victor Cui tweeted my flight arrival, and fans were at the airport to welcome me and Swick back to manila. It was a great surprise, and I'm even happier to be back here. I had a tough, long, and hard training camp at AKA but now the work is done, and it's time to handle my business in the ONE FC cage. For every fight you have to find a new motivation. It's been a roller coaster my career and sometimes I have to play mind games with myself to find that extra drive, to get my training into the next gear, to over drive. This time, it was being left out of a stupid article about upcoming fights on my team. I was left out not because the team forgot about me, only because the stupid interviewer forgot to ask. The head coach has a lot to deal with, and deep down I know leaving me out of an interview means nothing really. The head coach of the sport's best team has a lot on his mind, never less a title defense of the UFC heavyweight champion. Sometimes you got to trick yourself and motivate yourself to go harder. To search for that reason, I used being left out of an article as that extra nudge. I know this fight is a big one. It's huge, and a big chunk of my future is riding on it. My poor wife has made as many sacrifices as I have. Even more really, because she is sacrificing for me to accomplish my goals and my dreams, working two jobs and going to school full-time so I can live in San Jose and train at AKA full-time. I don't want to let her down. I will show with my performance in the ring, that the move and the investment in me and my career was worth it. I'm very lucky, blessed even, that my wife is my biggest fan. She's the truest and most inspirational motivation to me, and she never let me give up on my dreams and my goals. She worked and carried the load a lot of the times in between fights, and when the pay checks weren't coming in. This is my time and my chance to show her that she made the right decision supporting me and my career, and not telling me to hang it up and get a real job. I owe her a lot and I'm not letting this Japanese c**ksucker stand in the way of me accomplishing my goals and winning the last fight on my ONE FC contract. In actuality, somebody up there must not like this motherf**ker, because he just got put into the biggest fight against the hungriest and best conditioned NYBA there has ever been. I'm not just fighting for my own fame and glory anymore. I have new inspiration, and I'm not just fighting for myself or my PRIDE anymore. I'm fighting for somebody else and our future, and I'm not letting this busta stop me. He got himself in some big f*cking trouble and he doesn't even know it. This ain't ZST motherf*cker, this is ONE FC. This shit right here is as real as it gets, and if you f*ck up, you're gonna pay for it. This motherf*cker f*cked up real bad by signing that contract. That's about all I got to say. I'm gonna go take a dump now, get ready to roll with Mike Swick, then hit pads with Greg Surat in a bit. This Honda, Toyota, Suzuki motherf*cker, whatever his name is, is going to get f*cking wrecked on Friday night. He's going to get sent home in worse condition than a f*cking California roll at a cheap all you can eat sushi buffet. Make sure you order the stream, check out ONE FC 9: Rise to Power, and see some real hardcore, no hiding behind stupid rules shit, and see what Asian MMA is all about. -NYBA, Phil Baroni

Posted in: fight, part, lot, fc, im

Matt Riddle: “Bellator is doing a lot of great things right now, and I want to be a part of it.”

The UFC releases fighters on a monthly basis and often does so in bulk, so it’s rarely a surprise to see a familiar face flash across the news wire based on newfound free agency. However, when welterweight Matt Riddle was axed by the organization earlier this year it drew some attention based on the cut being unrelated to performance inside the Octagon. Rather, Riddle’s issue with the UFC involved repeated infractions for marijuana use. It didn’t take long for Riddle to find a new professional home, signing with Legacy FC for a summer debut before Bellator ultimately swooped in to acquire his contract. Riddle spoke about his immediate future in an official press release announcing the deal, explaining it was a no brainer to take his talents to the Bellator ring. “I had so many options after I left the UFC, but knowing that I was able to compete in a tournament against guys like Paul Daley, Ben Saunders, and Douglas Lima, signing with Bellator was an easy decision,” said Riddle. “This division is just so stacked, and being able to fight in a tournament makes it even better. Bellator is doing a lot of great things right now, and I want to be a part of it.” Like all fighters in his position, Riddle’s goal is to emerge with a six-figure payday and title-shot in tow by winning one of the company’s trademark tournaments. However, getting a crack at the championship isn’t his only objective. “No questions asked, I want to win the next Bellator Welterweight Tournament, get my shot at the title and take my beautiful wife to the MTV Awards and meet Snoop Dogg,” the 27-year old stated. “I’ve seen all the pictures of Bellator guys walking red carpets and it’s something I want to earn and be able to do. What could be better than that?” Riddle is 7-3 in his career with another two triumphs now standing as No Contests due to failed drug tests for having toked. Had they stood he would be on a four-fight winning streak. All of Riddle’s bouts have taken place under the UFC banner. No date/opponent have been targeted for Riddle’s Bellator unveiling though it was mentioned it will take place this fall as part of the Season 9 field. The post Matt Riddle: “Bellator is doing a lot of great things right now, and I want to be a part of it.” appeared first on Five Ounces of Pain.

Posted in: ufc, bellator, riddle, part, things right

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Georges St-Pierre Lands Disney Movie Part

Georges St-Pierre has landed his next part in a major motion picture.

Posted in: part, picture, land, george, stpierre

Phil Baroni's ONE FC 9 Guest Blog Part 4: 'I guess I'm more like Mark Coleman than I thought'

The following is Phil Baroni's guest blog post for Bloody Elbow as writes about the lead up to his ONE FC 9 bout against a Japanese star from ZST, Nobutatsu Suzuki. The event happens on May 31 in Manila, Philippines. If you missed the earlier editions, you can check it here: PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 It's coming down to the nitty-gritty. Fight camp is almost done, and this is going to be my last hard full week before I take off for Manila. I've got my cornermen set, and it will be Mike Swick and Greg Surat. All I have to do now is to get my flights and check-in accommodations set up, because I plan on arriving early, then it's party time. It's funny, man. There have been a whole bunch of reporters and media in and f*cking out of AKA as of late. Tons of media have been filming and setting up shop. Now, I know all these jokers pretty much, from the dudes that run and report for the MMA websites, to the crew that works for the UFC. I even know the film crew longer than ZUFFA knows these guys. These motherf*ckers were filming my ass in toughman long before I even fought in the UFC. I remember when ZUFFA hired them and I ran into them in Vegas over 12 years ago. Yeah, I know all the faces and they all remember me, probably wondering what the f*ck am I still doing here. ha ha! Well anyway, my point is that my own "Dana White media scrum" back in the day, after those workouts or whatever, have now turned into a "Hi". What used to be a line, or even a funny remark about my opponent to get an interview, has now turned into a "Hi", and a quick look away. Ha ha! Oh f*cking well. I rather just go about my business anyway. I mean look at these recent interviews about AKA. No mention of my fight. Yeah Gray Maynard is my boy, and I love the guy. I'm happy he is here training with me again as he brings a ton of useful stuff to the team, but that being said, I've been here since 2005. I was the guy who was fighting in the big leagues, and repping AKA in a little show called PRIDE. Remember that? Ever hear of it? Well it used to be big, really f*cking big back in the day. I guess that was when I was young, and I guess I'm not a kid anymore. ha ha! Nobody on the team even mentioned my win in the last ONE FC. Nobody saw it. Then my DREAM NYE fight, I had no cornerman to go with me. Everyone had the UFC heavyweight championship to worry about. Not some fight on NYE in Japan. I used to think NYE in Japan was a big card which carried some prestige, but WTF do I know? Really, I don't give a f*ck. I do my own thing. I always have. I guess I'm more like Mark Coleman than I thought. I'm a loner really. But it is what it is, and I just use it as motivation to train harder and push further. Now I'm getting a bunch of emails and questions from Asian media about the rumors that I signed a deal with Bellator. A bunch of shit stirrers really, ha ha. All media is the same no matter where it comes from, and I guess you are all going to have to wait and see how that turns out. I might even be too busy training hard to answer any questions or comments about how this stuff got put together. After all these years in the game, all I have to say is that I'm a prize fighter and I'm here to fight for the biggest prize available. Anyway, it's time to get dressed and go spar. In case you were wondering, I got a chump to KO in Manila on May 31st. -NYBA, Phil Baroni

Posted in: fight, media, part, im, mark coleman

UFC Select Launches as Part of YouTube Pay Channel Roll-Out

UFC Select on YouTubeThe Ultimate Fighting Championship on Thursday was part of YouTube’s roll-out of paid subscription channels.

Posted in: ufc, part, channel, youtube, rollout

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Excellent two part documentary on Dan Hardy, made after he'd lost four in a row.

submitted by epicsinminutes [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: part, dan, hed, part documentary, epicsinminute

It's All Over (part 1)

submitted by Derevnia25 [link] [comment]

Posted in: derevnia, part

Dana White expects Chael Sonnen to remain a part of the UFC after he retires from fighting

submitted by anotherquery [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: ufc, part, chael sonnen, chael, anotherquery

UFC parts ways with Cheick Kongo

submitted by billsfan13 [link] [10 comments]

Posted in: ufc, way, kongo, cheick kongo, part

Sara McMann: The Personality of a Winner

Over the course of a few minutes chatting with UFC debutant and former Olympic Silver medalist Sara McMann, she will let you know three things about her personality: she’s a sore loser, she has no patience, and she can be a bit obsessive. The funny thing is, those are all positive traits when it comes to her quest for excellence in the sporting world, and she’s not ashamed of any of them.She’s not lying either. Just go to her website, saramcmann.com, and scroll down. There, you’ll see a picture of her standing on the podium at the 2004 Olympics, receiving her Silver medal in freestyle wrestling. That was a remarkable accomplishment and something to be proud of, but you couldn’t tell it from McMann’s face. There was no attempt to put on a plastic smile for the cameras; she was devastated that she lost and she didn’t care who knew it.“I think that I’ve always been someone that takes losses very personally,” said McMann, who lost a razor-thin 3-2 match to Japan’s Kaori Icho. “I know at the end of the day it’s a sport and it’s not like I’m gonna go out and get hung if I lost, but I have a lot of expectations on myself and I know how much I sacrificed and put into things, especially that being such a close match. I set my sights on being the champion, and I’m the kind of person that once I really set my sights on a goal, anything less is difficult for me. I’m a really driven person and clearly a sore loser. Eventually you come to terms with things and I really competed the best that I absolutely could. I did everything that I could and did the right things, and I have that peace of mind, so I just have to accept the fact that even if it’s your best and your best performance, sometimes your best isn’t enough. Sometimes people are still better than you, so you have to get over it.”It took a while though, long enough for McMann to get back on the mat, collect even more titles and accolades and make another run at the Olympics. She would fall short of making the 2008 team though, leaving her with another dose of disappointment. Deciding that she was going to retire from wrestling, McMann still had the urge to compete, with jiu-jitsu being a logical next step for her.“At first, I just knew that I wanted to compete still,” she said. “I knew that I was done competing in wrestling and I wanted to retire from wrestling at the time, but I still wanted to be a competitor, so I was thinking that I would start learning jiu-jitsu. A lot of the parts of my athletic training made me very compatible for jiu-jitsu, but it was obviously different enough technique-wise that I would feel like I was doing a different sport. But it wouldn’t be like saying ‘oh, I want to join the ballet.’ (Laughs) It wouldn’t be drastically different from what I had been doing.”What a friend later suggested would be though, as he told McMann that she would be a perfect fit for MMA. The Takoma Park, Maryland native then went to a striking practice. “I said ‘this is awesome,’” laughed McMann, with printed words on a screen not even coming close to describing how she said ‘awesome.’ “I totally fell in love. I was terrible at it and I still have a long way to go from where I want to be in my mind, but it hooked me like wrestling did, and if things are really difficult for me, I get a little bit obsessive.”Six pro fights later, she is 6-0, regarded as one of the best bantamweight fighters in the world, and two days away from her UFC debut on Saturday against Germany’s Sheila Gaff. You could chalk that success up to her wrestling background and athletic prowess, but more likely it comes from having the ability to chuck her ego to the side and go from being the best wrestler in the room to the greenest MMA fighter in the gym.“Absolutely,” she agrees. “Part of it was frustration towards other people and frustration towards myself because I know I’m a good athlete, but there’s no way around it. Everybody has to put in their time for years to get the muscle memory. Things will not be automatic. Even though I knew what to do correctly and my body could execute it, learning when to do it, how to set people up, and all the advanced level stuff, it was just out of my grasp. And I’m not a very patient person. When it comes to athletics, I think that’s part of my drive. I want to be awesome and I want to be awesome yesterday.”She’s pretty awesome now, and not just because of what she’s done in wrestling and MMA. A mother of a four-year-old daughter, McMann has also fought through tragedies that would have crippled most people, with her brother Jason being murdered in 1999, and her fiancee Steven killed in a 2004 car accident. It’s this resilient part of McMann’s personality that she doesn’t talk about as freely as the aforementioned traits, but it may be the one that has pushed her to the heights she has already reached. In other words, there are great athletes in practice, and those who actually do it when it counts. To do that takes more than technique and athleticism. It comes from somewhere deeper. Sara McMann has that special something that makes her a prime time performer.“I think that what makes me the athlete that I am and being able to bridge the gap between doing it in practice and doing it in competition is something in my personality and in my character,” she said. “And I think that same part of me is what helped me through all the struggles in my life. The same part of me that will fight to do everything I can to win is also the same part of me when I get knocked down really hard by life that will make me fight to do everything I can to get back on my feet to be successful and live the life that I want to live.”

Posted in: ’t, i ’m, part, thing, mcmann

Singularity Alert: How real life Mass Effect technology can save Gustaffson/Mousasi

You live your life watching Star Wars and reading comic books, but our unrealistic expectations on future technologies may have been tempered by how far Back to the Future II overshot a 2015 version of Hill Valley. There's no way we will ever actually live the Blade Runner life, or have a military that looks like it was ripped out of the pages of Ender's Game. Or could we? Whatever leads to hoverboards, especially ones that have enough power to work on water... The science fiction we grew up reading and watching is increasingly getting closer to being real, and technology from the Mass Effect videogame is the latest fiction to become reality. Yep, Medi-Gel or Veti-Gel, as it's called, has been developed by NYU student Joe Landolina. It's not as flashy as it's videogame counterpart, but it works wonders just like it, sealing wounds in an instant. All of this is awesome, and it can and will probably save millions of lives and limbs in the future, but let's focus on the now: This stuff could've saved Gustaffson vs. Mousasi. Look at the video below. WARNING: there's a demonstration with meat and blood if you're squeamish, but it's not that bad in my opinion. Besides the obvious question of "When," the next question is if the Veti-Gel will have any future iteration where it could seal up cuts between rounds. Unfortunately, it sounds like we may be part cyborg by the time the gel evolves to that point. I discussed this briefly with Jon Gelber M.D. of FightMedicine.net: With a background in Tissue Engineering myself, I am interested to see how the cells repopulate the scaffold/matrix. That takes time. In fact, that is a huge part of tissue engineering itself is to build a scaffold, populate it with cells, and then hope the cells make the right kind of tissue. Can this change the way fighters recover from an injury in camp? I know this is asking a lot but perhaps in the future it could be used between rounds? There is certainly promise here, especially with the holding pressure part. The tissue engineering part will require a lot of research. Whether it can be used in a fight would depend on its material properties. It has to be able to withstand a punch or elbow. Could this rid the MMA world of lengthy medical suspensions for cuts? That would depend on the tissue engineering part. The cells may populate the scaffold, but it takes time for them to produce new tissue. And at the microscopic level it would need to have the right geometry to withstand both shearing and compressive forces. It's good to know that if we tumble off our hoverboard in a few years and crack our heads we will be able to grab some gel and seal the wound right up. They need to make a combo style gel/medi gel for head wounds. In the near futre, I hope at least this stuff can maybe save a few fights. Thanks to Synthsis for the find.

Posted in: part, cell, future, tissue, tissue engineering

Body Talk with Arianny

UFC 360: In our last interview, you were stoked about going to Brazil. What did you think?Arianny Celeste: I really like Brazil. I love the culture, and people are very warm and kindhearted, and most of all I like being by the beach. I like the hot weather. I like the tiny little bikinis. I think they accentuate my body the best—the smaller the better.What is the sexiest thing about Brazilian culture?They are just very comfortable with their bodies. They don’t mind sitting on the beach in tiny little thongs. Even the guys are wearing little…umm…little shorts. Though, they’re very comfortable and I like that about them. You can tell that they take care of their bodies as well.What’s going through your mind when you are on stage at the weigh-ins?When I am going out, I’m just thinking, obviously, “I hope I look good.” The guys have some of the most amazing bodies ever, so you know, it’s kind of interesting to watch. But when I am watching the promos, especially when it is a huge fight, I just get goosebumps just to wake up and go to the fight.What is the most attractive muscle or body part on a guy?The most attractive part are the hip flexors, right? ’Cause it is connected to everything else. [Laughs] What? I’m older now. I can talk about it! I’m not a virgin, so…What body part of yours do you work out most in the gym?Well, I’m very petite, so I have to work on my bum and my legs all the time. Probably every day. That is my main focus.How do you stay motivated to stay in shape?I guess, to be honest, I’m pretty vain. I’m not gonna lie, I like to look good. I like to feel good. I think the first part of looking good is getting in the gym every morning. Even if you eat a cheeseburger the night before, getting in the gym just clears your head and makes you feel okay about that cheeseburger. What would you tell someone who has some athletic goals or fitness goals that they want to achieve and needs to push through a mental roadblock?I would say, put up an image board of inspiration, body types that they like, goals that they have so they wake up and see that every day. If you are gonna ignore that every day, you are not working hard and you’re not caring about yourself. The first thing you do when you wake up is look at that board and say, “I’m gonna do something good for myself today.” Then you go and you do it and you feel amazing afterwards. This interview originally appeared in issue 19 of UFC 360Click here to subscribe to UFC 360, the official magazine of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, available now in print and digital editions.

Posted in: ufc, i ’m, part, body, ’m

Cesar Gracie responds to Dana White’s “childish” remarks about his management of the Diaz’s.

And why would any of the talk stop now? In retrospect, about two weeks ago at this time we were kind of wondering what was with the lull in the UFC 158 hype, then BOOM, the floodgates opened and now this is one of the most hyped fights since the original GSP/Diaz was set to go down 18 months ago. Yesterday, we posted about Dana White stating that he thinks Cesar Gracie is part of the Diaz brother’s PR problem, and now Cesar has responded with the the verbal missiles you would expect from someone who manages the Diaz brothers. First Cesar responds directly to Dana’s allegations. Then, he discusses the no-show of Nick Diaz at the open workouts, and how much of the responsibility falls on the UFC for booking such odd flight times for Nick. It’s kind of childish really, and it came out of left field. I think it started when I had mentioned the thing about possibly upgrading Nick’s plane ticket from coach to business class. I had tweeted that because I thought these fighters that do the main event fights, and make the promotions millions of dollars, they need to be treated a little bit better. I thought it was not a big deal on my part to point that out. It started with that. I think later, it was something he said about Nick and Nate being late to their interviews, costing the company over $50,000. I questioned that a little bit, and talked about it in an interview. They got their stuff done. They were a little late with it, but costing $50k seemed a little ridiculous. It just kind of set Dana on a rant about those two things. This is a free country, and people can have their own opinions. If he wants to try to act like a baby about it, that’s his prerogative. I’ve always been cool with Dana, so this kind of came out of left field for me. To address the issue about me being part of the problem, the thing he has to understand, and I think, for the most part, he does understand, that the Diaz’ are gonna do what they’re gonna do. I can’t make them do something different. I will tell them what they need to do, I’ll say what Dana wants them to do, but as far as making grown men do something that they don’t want to do, it’s very difficult, and there’s nothing I can actually do about that. I think Dana knows that, so I don’t really understand why he’s trying to put a spin on it, saying I’m part of the problem, as if I’m the one telling them not to do something, which is absolutely ridiculous, and the farthest thing from the truth. Cesar on media obligations: We definitely have to do media obligations to sell fights, but sometimes there’s a conflict of interest. They got Nick the ticket, he gets to Canada at midnight, and then he has to go through customs, and then he has to work out, because he’s been on a plane for I don’t know how many hours. It’s a whole day of travel, so he has to work out because he’s cutting weight. Nick didn’t get in until like 5 am after his workout. They had the media thing, which they wanted him to be in the lobby at 1030 am. There’s going to be conflicts like that, and Nick wasn’t trying to disrespect anybody. He loves his fans. They just need to be a little bit more understanding, and maybe get together with the fighters when they put these schedules together. What’s going to work guys? What is going to have the least impact on your training and your weight cut? What is going to have the least impact on all these things that are going to affect you in your fight? Nick wants to be 100% on Saturday, so he can have the best fight he can. I know the other fighters, privately, they’ve told us they love it, because someone is actually doing what they should be doing. That’s Nick Diaz. “That’s Nick Diaz” sounds like a fair enough reason for anything. Thanks to BloodyElbow for the quotes.

Posted in: diaz, nick, dana, part, thing

Read the full article at Fighthub TV

UFC 158: Cesar Gracie responds to Dana White's comment that he is 'part of the problem'

submitted by JoeSonDonut [link] [7 comments]

Posted in: ufc, part, white, dana whites, joesondonut

Cesar Gracie believes it's ‘absolutely ridiculous' Dana White thinks he's part of the Nick Diaz problem

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White ruffled some feathers yesterday (March 14, 2013) when he said in a media scrum (watch it here) following the UFC 158: "St. Pierre vs. Diaz" pre-fight press conference that famed trained Cesar Gracie is a part of the problem when it comes to having Nick Diaz meet media obligations. Gracie, however, seems to disagree, and says not just Nick, but both of the Diaz brothers are their own men and he has no final say on what either man should or should not do. Firstly, here's what White had to say to the media about Gracie: "I think Cesar Gracie is a huge part of the problem, to be honest with you ... Obviously, as far as a trainer goes, Cesar Gracie must be a damn good trainer, because look at the camp that he's created. But Cesar Gracie likes to play bullshit games that drive me crazy. But as far as trainer, he's their trainer that's their guy and obviously he's a good one or [the Diaz brothers] wouldn't be where they are today. Do I think it's an act? No, I think Cesar's a dick, that's what I think. I think Cesar does stuff that's bullshit. I don't think it's an act or a shtick or anything else." It didn't take long for the head of Team Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to reply to White's harsh statements, as on Friday (March 15, 2013) Gracie spoke with Stephanie "Crooklyn" Daniels of Bloody Elbow (read the complete interview here) and gave a response regarding his relationship with Diaz brothers and how he influences them. His words: "To address the issue about me being part of the problem, the thing he has to understand, and I think, for the most part, he does understand, that the Diaz' are gonna do what they're gonna do. I can't make them do something different. I will tell them what they need to do, I'll say what Dana wants them to do, but as far as making grown men do something that they don't want to do, it's very difficult, and there's nothing I can actually do about that. I think Dana knows that, so I don't really understand why he's trying to put a spin on it, saying I'm part of the problem, as if I'm the one telling them not to do something, which is absolutely ridiculous, and the farthest thing from the truth." Could this be the beginning of a heated saga between White and Gracie? It's possible, but it seems like the latter did his best to take the high road after being on the wrong end of some pretty brutal comments. What did you think of Gracie's response? Let us know in the comments section below.

Posted in: diaz, part, gracie, cesar gracie, cesar

Stephan Bonnar breaks silence over steroid use, strained relationship with Dana White and UFC

Stephan Bonnar's mixed martial arts (MMA) fight career was pretty much over, according to "The American Psycho" himself. After not getting his desired third fight against friendly-rival Forrest Griffin, one of the men who helped the promotion become what it is today, Bonnar revealed he would consider calling it quits should that bout or another "big" fight not be granted. Though he never really "officially" threw in the towel on his fighting career, his mind was pretty much already made up. It's odd really, considering he was riding a three-fight winning streak. Company president Dana White kept advising him to hang up his fight gloves -- while his calls for a high-profile fight were going unanswered -- and that was enough for him to consider cashing in on his 401k early. That's when he also decided there would be no harm in taking steroids for his surgically-repaired knee. So, in went the banned substance and soon after, the phone rang. And on the other side of that call was the biggest fight he -- or any other MMA fighter -- could ever want. A shot to face the pound-for-pound best, Anderson Silva. But the damage had been done, as the steroids had already been taken. However, had he known the biggest fight of his career was going to be offered to him, he would have never taken the banned substance, as he revealed on his appearance on The MMA Hour, breaking his silence after five months: "It's frustrating because here is the thing. The research will tell you that the detection for that particular one is like one or two months. When I took this fight, I had exactly three weeks to train and shed 35 pounds. Do you really think after I heard I was going to get this fight I would take something that was going to be in my system? No. The truth of the matter is, I've been out of action a long time and I'd been holding out trying to get the big fights and they weren't coming. I met with Dana multiple times and he told me straight up, 'What you're asking for is not going to happen and I think you should retire.' And we both kind of came to an agreement that the best thing for me to do is to retire." According to Bonnar, he wasn't using Drostanolone to gain an advantage over his opponents, he was doing it for health reasons, to help his ailing knee after undergoing two stem cell procedures. And by all accounts, his fighting days were over, but, he wanted to get back into training to get his body right. "Believe it or not, there are some therapeutic uses to some of the banned substances. Bottom line, I wanted to get my strength back. I was very weak. My body didn't feel good, my joints didn't feel good. That was my goal, just start training again and help other guys get better and make it part of my life because I was coming to grips that I wasn't going to fight again." Bonnar said he doesn't regret taking the bout against Silva -- which he lost via first round knockout (KO) -- because he felt the substance would be out of his system come fight night. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't and because of it, he was suspended from fighting, which eventually lead to his official retirement. On top of that, his very close relationship with White, whom often said Bonnar was like a son to him, has been strained to the point of absolutely no contact: "That was the hardest thing, too. You know, there's no way if I thought there was any possibility of it showing up, that I would have taken the fight. I finally get the opportunity I've been begging for in vain for so long. I thought I'd go out there and put on a better fight, but then stuff like this happens. It's like I came to his house and took a shit on his carpet. It just kills me. I'm like, 'Come on, Dana, give me this opportunity,' and then I make him look like that. I'm really sorry. Dana and Lorenzo, I love those guys. I always wanted to be a part of the UFC and I always thought of it as the coolest thing ever and I worked really hard outside of the Octagon with all the TV work I've done, the merchandising, appearances, all the PR, going around talking to kids at school, going to boys' homes. That was really important to me, to be part of the UFC in ways other than fighting. That's been hardest thing for me. I worked so hard over the years doing all those things to kind of give myself a home in the UFC outside of the actual fighting part of it, and I feel I ruined that." For his part, Bonnar says it would be best for him to not attempt to reach either White or Lorenzo for a good while: "I feel the best thing for me to do is to respectfully piss off. It's not to sit there and go, 'Oh, come on Dana, give me another chance.' I fucked up and I'll put my tail between my legs and leave you guys alone for a while." That decision is something that is hard for Bonnar to do, especially since many expected him to be part of the organization forever. It's sad, really. While cheating is never, ever to be condoned, it seems in this case, Stephan wasn't taking the steroid with the intent of gaining an advantage over his opponent, because according to him, there was no one to gain an advantage over at that time. What say you Maniacs? How do you take Bonnar's admission and comments? Could this all have been avoided had there been a better and more direct line of communication as far as fight and retirement plans go with Bonnar and UFC? You've now heard both sides ... but are you buying "The American Psycho's" story?

Posted in: fight, dana, part, thing, bonnar

Variety of issues driving young fighters away from MMA

Mike Chiappetta has an important piece up at MMA Fighting dealing with the wave of young fighters who have recently chosen to walk away from the sport of mixed martial arts. Chiappetta looks at a number of fighters, many of them once mainstays of the UFC and Bellator rosters, who have chosen to walk away from the sport seemingly at their athletic peaks including Mark Hominick, Nick Thompson, Nick Denis, Cole Konrad, Kyle Kingsbury, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Jonathan Brookins and Tom DeBlass. Cole Konrad, former Bellator Heavyweight champion had one the most interesting reasons for leaving the sport, he got a better offer to work as an agricultural commodities trainer. The graduate degree-holding Konrad explained his decision: "When I was weighing the opportunity I was given vs. fighting, I had to face the reality that fighting is a pretty dead-end job," he said. "Am I going to be 35 or 40 and still fighting? Then where do I go when I'm done, when I've never had a real job? Was I going to make as much money where I would be able to retire at that age? It's possible. But the reality is, given my physique, I didn't see that happening. However you want to look at it, that definitely plays a part. You have to look the part, act the part, be the part to cash big checks. I was pretty successful fighting, but in other aspects I wasn't exactly what was being sought for a high-profile fighter." Nick Denis, another highly educated fighter, had an even more though provoking reason for leaving the game behind: fear of brain damage. Here's what he had to say: Denis has now almost completely divorced himself from the sport. He says that while he tries not to think about any future brain issues, there are little moments, like forgetting the name of a famous actor, for instance, that make him wonder how much damage was already done. He's also haunted by the thoughts of the damage he might have caused his opponents and sparring partners. Denis said at one time he was obsessed with the sport, but the love affair has burned out. Asked when was the last time he watched a fight, he pauses for several seconds. Ultimately, he can't remember. "Part of me doesn't want to support it," he says. But he also believes that people have the right to do what they want with their own bodies. They just need to understand the risks. Chiappetta also spoke to Kyle Kingsbury who had similiar concerns: It wasn't just the losing. In the gym, Kingsbury had been alarmed by what he'd seen from teammates and others in the fight game. He'd heard some slurring words. There were others who drooled sometimes without realizing it. With his proclivity for wars, was that where he was headed? "I've had my face broken twice in my last four fights," he said. "This last fight it was broken in two different places. Taken all that into consideration, I'd be a fool to believe it won't have long-term affects on my body and my brain." Read the whole thing. While I don't think Chiappetta has identified a true trend that will seriously impact the sport, the loss of top athletes like Konrad at the prime of their athletic years should be of concern to anyone who supports MMA. Latest From Our Partners MMA Fighters on the Hot Seat (BR) Most Indestructible UFC Fighters (BR) Top UFC Moments From Past Februarys(BR) Top 10 Weakest Punchers From MMA (BR) Best Knockouts of the Year so Far (BR) Top Moments From Matt Hughes' Career (BR)

Posted in: mma, fighter, sport, part, br

For many young fighters, retirement calls early

For Mark Hominick, the pinnacle of a well-worn career came in April 2011. Before 55,724 fans at the Rogers Centre in his home province of Ontario, just 90 minutes east of where he grew up, Hominick walked into the UFC Octagon to challenge featherweight champion Jose Aldo. The match at first was one-sided, but as it wore into the championship rounds, the drama ramped up. Bloodied and with a massive hematoma on the right side of his forehead, Hominick summoned the energy to take over and dominate the final round. While Aldo ultimately held on until the closing bell and won a decision, it was the culmination of everything Hominick had worked for. He was fiercely competing for the belt, and at the same moment, his wife Ashley was in her ninth month of pregnancy with the couple's first child, Raeya. Without knowing it, though, the seeds for his exit from MMA had been planted. He had been so close to being world champion, but within less than 20 months, he was out of mixed martial arts and on to retirement at the age of 30."I look at my life now and where I'm going and I know I can't make the same sacrifices that I could before," he told MMA Fighting. "I know what I was doing when I was on a winning streak and what I was doing now. I can't leave for two months at a time to go train for a bout. I don't want to be a fighter who is just competing to be in the UFC. I think I belong fighting against Aldo and those top guys. And if I'm not competing and winning at that level, I'm not in it." Hominick is part of a surprising trend in the upper echelons of MMA of fighters who are retiring or contemplating the decision to walk away at a young age.Among those who have called it quits since the start of 2011 include Hominick (30 years old at the time of his announcement), Nick Thompson (29), Nick Denis (29), and Cole Konrad (28). Other young fighters like Jason "Mayhem" Miller (31), Kyle Kingsbury (30) and Jonathan Brookins (27) are currently in limbo, deciding their futures. Tom DeBlass has been there. The UFC veteran was 30 when he decided he'd had enough, announcing his retirement just days after his second career loss. For DeBlass, the reason for quitting was simple: burnout. After dedicating most of his early adult life to jiu-jitsu, he began his pro MMA career in June 2010, and in less than 20 months, he was 7-0. That led him to his UFC debut, a short-notice opportunity as a replacement. Despite the fact that he was injured and out-of-shape ("I was eating Fruity Pebbles when Joe Silva called me," he said), DeBlass took the fight. And lost. Then seven months later, he fought again. This time, he had a good camp. And lost. After less than three years of competing as a pro, he decided he was done."I got back into the locker room and I was like, 'I don't want to do this anymore," he said. "It's too much time away from the family. It's too much time away from my academy. I had to pick up and leave everything that was important to me. I had to spend money to travel. In looking at the pros and cons, I didn't feel it was worth it anymore."DeBlass said the feeling had started creeping in even before his last fight. During his final camp, he went through a phase where he was "miserable" while training. It got so bad that he told his family a few times that he was ready to move on.For some, like DeBlass, the decision to retire is like a slow-moving wave, which builds momentum before finally crashing on to the shore. For others, it's a completely different phenomenon; an unexpected bolt of lighting.Of all the retirements in 2012, none was more surprising than that of Konrad. The 6-foot-5 powerhouse had been the reigning Bellator heavyweight champion when he quietly called it quits, releasing the information to a local newspaper.In Konrad's case, the end came when he was recruited for a promising employment opportunity as an agricultural commodities trader. Though he had become publicly known for his power and brawn, Konrad had earned a masters degree while in college, and yearned to put it to use. His situation was complicated by a few factors. He had just gotten married and hoped to start a family, and Bellator's heavyweight division wasn't deep enough to rapidly generate contenders for him to fight. From the start of 2011 until the date of his retirement in September 2012, he competed only twice. That meant only two paychecks.Even though Bellator was readying a major move to Spike -- a change which promised more exposure and eventually, more money -- it wasn't enough to keep Konrad in the fold. "When I was weighing the opportunity I was given vs. fighting, I had to face the reality that fighting is a pretty dead-end job," he said. "Am I going to be 35 or 40 and still fighting? Then where do I go when I'm done, when I've never had a real job? Was I going to make as much money where I would be able to retire at that age? It's possible. But the reality is, given my physique, I didn't see that happening. However you want to look at it, that definitely plays a part. You have to look the part, act the part, be the part to cash big checks. I was pretty successful fighting, but in other aspects I wasn't exactly what was being sought for a high-profile fighter."Konrad said that Bellator's CEO Bjorn Rebney made a play to keep him, but by then, his mind had been made up. The decision isn't quite so easy for everyone. Take Kingsbury, for instance. The 30-year-old came on the major MMA scene in 2008 as part of season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter. Almost five years later, Kingsbury is still on his original UFC contract. In his last fight, he made $12,000. To ease the financial burden, he's had to work full-time jobs during each of his last two camps, but that's taken away from his training as well as robbed him of valuable rest and recovery time. It's become something of a vicious cycle.To make matter worse, in his last fight against Jimi Manuwa, he took a pounding. According to FightMetric, Manuwa landed 53 significant strikes against Kingsbury, who was the victim of a TKO loss after the cageside doctor stopped the bout, fearing for the health of his swollen-shut left eye. At the time, Kingsbury wanted to fight on, but as he later learned, it was the right decision; his orbital bone was fractured in two places.But it was really his fight with Glover Teixeira that first set career doubt into his mind. Here he'd had the best camp of his life. He'd never sparred better or felt better. And yet Teixeira mopped the floor with him, stopping him in less than two minutes."It's really easy to get caught up in the moment when you're on a win streak," he said. "You think this is great. You start buying into the hype. You start believing the money is going to keep coming. But when you get cut back to size, it's a lot harder to deal with."It wasn't just the losing. In the gym, Kingsbury had been alarmed by what he'd seen from teammates and others in the fight game. He'd heard some slurring words. There were others who drooled sometimes without realizing it. With his proclivity for wars, was that where he was headed?"I've had my face broken twice in my last four fights," he said. "This last fight it was broken in two different places. Taken all that into consideration, I’d be a fool to believe it won't have long-term affects on my body and my brain."At the money he was making, it just didn't seem worth it. Yet Kingsbury hasn't officially shut the door on his career. For now, he is straddling the line between two worlds. In the gym, he continues to train but refuses to spar and take more blows to the head. He's working towards his jiu-jitsu brown belt -- which would catch him up to his father, Rick -- and he still does mitt work, trying to improve upon his head movement and make himself a less available target. But he's also chasing his goal of becoming a firefighter. He plans to apply and test with several departments but doesn't know how things will turn out. That's why he's not necessarily ready to say he won't fight again. He might have to. Contrast that with the situation of Denis, who like Kingsbury, had second-thoughts about the future effects he might suffer. Denis, who was working towards a Ph.D. in biochemistry when he began chasing his UFC dreams, could not help but analyze the situation critically. At first, he simply accepted as true the talking points about MMA's safety, but as he looked deeper into studies on concussive and sub-concussive trauma, he began to truly understand the potential dangers he was facing. In his mind, as long as he continued to fight, he was making an implicit trade, dealing his own long-term health for a paycheck and some temporary glory. "It was sad but when I made the decision, it had to be done," he said. "I wasn't going to second-guess myself, and say, 'These things aren't going to happen to me.' If I didn't have an education to fall back on or any other interests, that might lead to me thinking this is all I have. But I came to the realization this isn't the healthiest thing for me." Denis has now almost completely divorced himself from the sport. He says that while he tries not to think about any future brain issues, there are little moments, like forgetting the name of a famous actor, for instance, that make him wonder how much damage was already done. He's also haunted by the thoughts of the damage he might have caused his opponents and sparring partners. Denis said at one time he was obsessed with the sport, but the love affair has burned out. Asked when was the last time he watched a fight, he pauses for several seconds. Ultimately, he can't remember. "Part of me doesn't want to support it," he says. But he also believes that people have the right to do what they want with their own bodies. They just need to understand the risks. Some, like Kingsbury, know the risks, but still consider fighting on anyway. After a two-month retirement, DeBlass decided he'd come back. He signed with Bellator, where he's scheduled to fight on their April 4 show. He says the changes he's made in his camp will allow him to spread out his time between his training, his two-year-old daughter Isabelle, and the gym he owns, Ocean County Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. That, he hopes, will alleviate the feeling of the unending grind that overtook him the first time. Family was among the reasons most cited by those who walked away from the sport young. For others, it was the unrelenting pace of training multiple disciplines day after day, even through injuries. For yet more, it was fear about future unknowns, whether regarding health or finances or self-identity. Even for the youngest and fittest athletes in MMA, the lure of walking away is sometimes more magnetic than the attraction of fame and the possibility of fortune. Nearly to a man, though, they all say they can take positives from the experience. Kingsbury said after facing the pressure of a fight, common life problems don't seem quite as big. Hominick made some of his best friends through the sport. And even Denis, who voiced the most fear over what the sport did to him, admits that it was a "great part" of his life. But at some point, for all of them, what fighting brought to the table was no longer enough. And even at a young age, they walked away from something they once loved. "In MMA, you train year-round, every day," Denis said. "You put in tons of hours. Your job evaluation -- what your boss sees -- is only 15 minutes, maybe every 4-6 months. And your boss and everyone else judges you on that. They don't see everything else that you do. They don't see the grueling training. On top of that, at any time, you could lose your job. If you have a family and bills, you probably wouldn't want to stay there too long. There are people out there who think this is the best job in the world. But when you have intelligent fighters leaving young, what does that say?"

Posted in: fight, mma, time, part, kingsbury

Read the full article at AOL Fanhouse

Savage Diaries Documentary - Part 3 "Meet the Team"

submitted by Commandant1 [link] [comment]

Posted in: team, part, diary, documentary, commandant

Worst part about events on cable...

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Posted in: event, part, cable, batmansmyname

Social scene: Managing Marketing Director Elie Deshe interview exclusive with MMAmania.com (Part two)

While sponsors are a very important part of a fighter's income, you can't beat publicity. Whether it's a key feature in a newspaper, a magazine or a blog, perhaps even a cameo on a TV series, keeping a fighter visible when they aren't fighting is incredibly important. After all, these men only step into the Octagon at most four times per year. If you want to keep fans invested in yourself as a commodity, you've got to stay active everywhere from interviews to social media. There's where Elie Deshe, the marketing managing director of VFD Sports come in. He's in charge of sponsors, marketing and social media for all sorts of athletes ranging from Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Travis Browne, Clay Guida, Erik Perez and even coach Mike Winkeljohn. Deshe discussed MMA sponsors in part one of our interview posted yesterday. Today he talks with MMAmania.com about the importance of making a fighter visible in pop culture, the social media aspect of MMA and working with Nick Diaz in part two of this exclusive interview. Check it out: Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): How much work does it take and how much time does it take to invest in your fighters in terms of marketing to give these guys the exposure they need. Fighting by itself can only get them so far. Elie Deshe: You said it best. That right there is the crux of what we do. The fighting part is almost irrelevant as their manager. They're gonna fight whether they've got one sponsor or no sponsors or 10 sponsors but it's the work that you do in between fights that dictates a guy's career, not just wins and losses. An example of that is Cowboy Cerrone. He's a talented fighter in his own right, but this is a guy that needs to have his story told. He's fun to be around. He can do so many things well at an elite level whether it's snowboarding, wakeboarding, rock climbing, bullriding, you name it. The guy can be a pro at anything. We worked and got him a cameo appearance on the FX show Justified and he literally played a cowboy who does backyard MMA fights. It wasn't much of a stretch of a role to play but it was a start of getting these guys from being inside the Octagon to getting out and being a part of pop culture. What people understand is that these guys are educated, moreso than most sports out there. They can give talks to kids, do tons of work with charities and they're easily the most approachable athletes on the planets especially considering these guys beat people up for a living. That's really our job right there. How do we get Clay Guida and Travis Browne more exposure? We linked them up with the people from Famous, Travis Barker's company and I think that's what a guy's agent and marketing manager should be doing. It's not just getting these guys from point A to point B. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): One of my favorite things about being an MMA reporter is just how approachable these fighters are. Why is that? Why are MMA fighters the most down to Earth people that you can just walk up to? Is it just because the sport is newer and they have more to prove? Elie Deshe: I think that's part of it. You don't have all these guys who are multi-millionaires walking around. Lots of these guys are struggling so if you're offering to give them exposure and give them more publicity, they don't look at it as a burden, they look at it as an opportunity. If anything, these guys were fans of the sport before anyone. If the UFC never existed and it wasn't as possible as it was today, these guys were all about it and if they meet other enthusiastic fans of the sport or knowledgeable reporters, they can relate to them in a way that you don't see in other sports. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Another big thing you do with fighters is the social media aspect, building up a fanbase, followers on twitter, personal websites. Can you talk a bit about the importance of that for fighters on the way up? Elie Deshe: Obviously, the UFC does a great job of promoting social media. Just the fact that guys are walking to the Octagon with their twitter handles on the screen, just now other sports are picking up on that. They're not fighting every week. They don't have an 82 game schedule. If you want to keep in contact with everybody and let everybody know what's going on, that's probably the best way to do it. At best you're fighting 3-4 times per year and if an injury happens or you have a cancellation or whatever, you might only fight once or twice. That right there is the importance of social media, keeping your name out there. Twitter makes it as easy as sending a text message. You really don't have an excuse if you aren't on it or doing it right, reaching out and keeping your fans happy. It's simply enough to do. It doesn't even have to affect fans, it can be important for friends and family too. Posting an update about your training or whatever's going on in your life on twitter is a lot easier than sending 200 individual messages to people who are wondering how you're doing. Social media is natural, it's not forced. Even though the UFC is compensating you for doing a good job, it's one of the things where they were ahead of the curve to begin with.

Posted in: guy, fighter, sport, media, part

Young: Koscheck's late-career face-turn

We haven't heard much trash-talking out of Josh Koscheck ahead of his fight vs. Robbie Lawler, and perhaps that's intentional on his part.

Posted in: josh koscheck, koscheck, part, robbie, faceturn

International Olympic Committee Drops Wrestling from 2020 Games

Wrestling will most likely not be part of the 2020 Olympic Games.

Posted in: part, game, olympic, committee, olympic committee

Read the full article at Sherdog

Dana White Two Part Post UFC 156 Interview

In this first part, Dana White explains his feelings about UFC 156. Dana seems very excited to have Bobby Green under The UFC Banner. The biggest news to come out this part of the interview concerns Dana saying he likes a potential fight between Anthony Pettis and Jose Aldo. Dana White then elaborates on the [...]

Posted in: ufc, dana, part, ufc banner, part dana

Jose Aldo Prepares For UFC 156 (Part 2)

In the second part of the mini-series, Aldo takes us further into his fight camp.

Posted in: part, jose, jose aldo, aldo, miniseries aldo

Jose Aldo: Preparing For A Superfight (Part 2)

MMAFrenzy.com

Posted in: part, jose, superfight, jose aldo, aldo

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

UFC 156: Dana White video blog, part 1

Posted in: ufc, blog, part, video, dana

Uriah Hall: Q & A with the TUF 17 Standout, Part 2

Over the course of nearly 20 seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, things have gotten a little stale. I mean, what are we going to see now that we haven’t already seen three or four times already? Enter: TUF 17, whose opening episode was a breath of fresh air. It was shot differently, giving it a new look and feel, and it had emotional resonance thanks to the addition of family watching the competitors fight their way into the TUF House. It also had Uriah Hall, who kicked so much ass, Dana White, Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones practically tripped over themselves heaping on the praise. The day after the first episode, Fighters.com caught up with the New York native and Tiger Schulmann’s MMA product to get a little insight into this promising TUFer. How did he like living in the TUF House? Did he forge any lasting friendships? What does he think of Chael Sonnen, Jon Jones and Dana White after meeting them? Read on. A lot of people say being cooped up in the TUF House is a living hell. How was it for you? “It was different. It was right where I needed to be. I think I’d recommend it to a lot of people – not the fighting part, but the part where you stay in one place and only have your thoughts. You know, you’re locked in a house and there’s no TV, there’s no outlet but your thoughts. Sometimes you can’t just talk with someone else because that’s the person you might be fighting. So it was good for me to kind of have my thoughts. I had to talk to myself more, and it made me have a little more depth to myself. I understand things a lot better. In the end, I only had myself to rely on, so I had to be positive, I had to be confident, to give one hundred percent. Going to train every day was the best feeling. Going back to the house, I was like, ‘Oh shit.’ When I trained it was a release.” Did you make any friends? “I made friends on the show, I think. But in the back of everybody’s mind they’re like, ‘Oh, I’m going to have to fight this guy.’ I actually made friends with a guy from the other team – Dylan Andrews – who taught me to kind of control my emotions. He said, ‘If stuff is bothering you, anything you’re thinking about, just write it down.’ I started writing stuff down and it made me feel a lot better. It’s almost like having a therapist.” “Him and Clint Hester, they were cool. And Bubba McDaniel, he was cool, too.” What was the worst part of the experience? “I don’t think there was really a ‘worst’ part of the experience. I think everything happened the way it should have, and I got a lot from it. I feel like I grew more as an individual. Same thing about the ‘best’ part of it. It was right where I needed to be, it was perfect. I needed that distraction from the world. I needed it to focus on that one thing… I can’t really say anything bad about it.” From what we’ve heard from fighters who took part in past seasons, you can eat almost anything you want there. What was the best thing you ate? “The best thing I ate over there… man, I had a lot of stuff, to tell you the truth. The chicken fingers were awesome. Maybe it was because I was hungry and I had to eat healthy for a while, and junk food tastes so good, but I liked the chicken fingers.” You got to spend a lot of time with Sonnen, Jones and White. What did you learn about them that you didn’t know before? “I definitely didn’t know that Chael Sonnen was such a good guy off-camera. I’d seen stuff that he says on-camera, but maybe that’s his way of building up a fight or whatever. But the Chael that I met was the complete opposite. The guy, just the way he spoke, the way he motivated us, it kind of showed he wasn’t there for himself. He was there for us. That really came across in how he taught us and how he motivated us, and tried to bring us to the next level.” So you were glad to be on his team? “In the beginning I said I wished I had been on Jon Jones’ team, and a lot of people at home said, ‘Man, you should’ve been on Jone’s team, you have the same fighting style.’ But Jones couldn’t have taught me what Chael did. Jones would’ve probably taught me physical stuff, but Chael got in my head, and I think that was exactly what I needed. I needed someone to get into my head and take me to the next level, and that’s what happened. Jones, he’s a cool guy – the coolest guy I’ve ever met. Just talking to him, I feel like I’ve known him forever. I wasn’t there to just hate anybody, I was there to learn and grow as a fighter.” And what did you learn about Dana White? “I definitely know that when you hang out with Dana White, you’ve got a walk around with a clicker for how many times he says the ‘F’ word… But other than that, he seems like a really cool guy. I think Dana could tell you a simple story and make it exciting. Like, ‘Wow, that’s the best story I ever heard.’ But he’s very passionate about what he does. Tune in to SpikeTV tonight for a new episode of The Ultimate Fighter 17. The post Uriah Hall: Q & A with the TUF 17 Standout, Part 2 appeared first on Fighters.com.

Posted in: guy, jone, ’t, part, lot

UFC on FX 7: Dana White video blog, part 2

Posted in: ufc, fx, video, part, blog

UFC on FX 7: Dana White video blog, part 1

Posted in: ufc, fx, video, part, blog

Overeem, Sapp, Sakuraba, Hunt and others compete in tug of war Part 1

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Posted in: hunt, overeem, part, other, bloodymma

UFC 155: Dana White video blog, part 2

Posted in: ufc, video, dana, part, blog

UFC CENTRAL: Best of 2012- Part I

Showdown Joe Ferraro takes a look at the Top 10 fights of 2012.

Posted in: ufc, fight, showdown, part, ferraro

UFC On Fox 5 Flashback: Part 2

Fuel TV has put together a look at behind-the-scenes action from UFC on Fox 5 earlier this month. Below is part two of the series, featuring Benson Henderson and Nate Diaz:

Posted in: ufc, fox, part, benson henderson, behindthescenes action

UFC On Fox 5 Flashback: Part 1

Fuel TV has put together a behind-the-scenes look at UFC on Fox 5, which aired earlier this month. Below is part one of the series, which features BJ Penn, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Rory MacDonald and Alexander Gustafsson:

Posted in: ufc, fox, part, month, series

UFC On FOX 5 Fight Flashback

The UFC and Fuel TV have to put together a 2 part video of the behind the scenes action at UFC On FOX 5 in Seattle, Washington. Get an inside look at video and footage you didn’t get to see on fight night. Cameras were in the locker rooms of all the main card fighters leading all night, and now you can take a look at what went on behind the scenes with Benson Henderson, Nate Diaz, Alxeander Gustafddon, Mauricio Rua, BJ Penn and Rory MacDonald. Courtesy of FuelTV: Part 1: Part 2: The post UFC On FOX 5 Fight Flashback appeared first on Fighters.com.

Posted in: ufc, fight, fox, part, post ufc

Rashad Evans video documentary, Part I

UFC light heavyweight superstar, Rashad Evans, gets personal in part I of this documentary series, shot by Alexandra Robinson

Posted in: part, rashad, evan, documentary, part i

Georges St-Pierre vs Carlos Condit Part I fight video part 2 in the comments

submitted by joey6957 [link] [5 comments]

Posted in: fight, video, vs, part, stpierre

UFC 154: St.Pierre Vs. Condit - Part 3

submitted by zombie_butler [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: ufc, vs, part, stpierre, zombiebutler

FUEL TV debuts 'UFC Roundtable: Welterweights' tonight with GSP, Serra, Penn, Gracie

FUEL TV returns with a welterweights-only edition of "UFC Roundtable" tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT). UFC-FUEL TV broadcaster Jay Glazer hosts the series, which includes the first part tonight and a second part on Thursday. UFC veterans Georges St-Pierre, Matt Serra, B.J. Penn and Renzo Gracie are part of the roundtable discussion.

Posted in: ufc, part, tv, fuel tv, welterweightsonly edition

Canadians at UFC 154: What's at stake? (Part 2)

In Part 2 of our three-part weekly series, we look at three more Canadians on the UFC 154 card and break down what's on the line for them.

Posted in: ufc, part, series, canadian, what

WSOF tries to make something out of MMA's spare parts

When I first heard about the World Series of Fighting, I told myself I'd have to wait and see it in action before I'd know what to make of it. Now I've seen it, and I still have no clue what to think. It feels like we've been here before, like there's very little that's truly new in the world of MMA. Even the WSOF, which is a brand new organization, seems like it was cobbled together from the spare parts of MMA's past.

Posted in: world, mma, part, world series, wsof

Bonnar on fighting Silva: Part of me is 'in awe' of him

submitted by vikhound [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: silva, part, vikhound, bonnar, silva part

Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen? 'Bones' says 'a part of him wants to do it for the fans'

A part of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones wants to fight former middleweight number one contender Chael Sonnen because a majority of mixed martial arts (MMA) fans want to see it. But what about the other part? Not so much. "Bones" doesn't want to give the "American Gangster" a crack at the crown until he earns it. That is, go out there and beat a few 205 pounders first to make sure you're worthy of a championship fight. That didn't stop him from fighting Vitor Belfort at UFC 152, who also moved up from middleweight, but short notice and injuries and yadda-yadda-yadda. From the champ's Twitter: "The more I realize how bad the fans want to see me fight Sonnen the more I am beginning to disregard whether he deserves it or not. A part of me wants to do it for the fans the other part of me feels as if it delegitimizes the importance of championship." Sonnen is moving up to light heavyweight to fight Forrest Griffin at the UFC 155 year-end extravaganza on Dec. 29, 2012 in Las Vegas. And after that? That largely depends on whether or not he wins, and perhaps just as important, how he wins. If he can avenge his loss from 2003 (see it here) in devastating fashion, it's hard to imagine that performance -- coupled with Sonnen's unique ability to sell a fight -- won't get him a 205-pound title shot. Deserving or not, he does have a few things going for him. Aside from a few promising up-and-comers like Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira, Jones has pretty much cleaned out the division. Dan Henderson is somewhere "in the mix," but none of the aforementioned fighters can promote a fight like Sonnen can. Which is how this entire thing got started. Anyone think this fight is a foregone conclusion? Or are they called "fantasy fights" for a reason?

Posted in: ufc, fight, part, fan, sonnen

Video: Bristol Marunde admits to mental strain as part of life in the 'TUF 16' house

Bristol Marunde survived "The Ultimate Fighter" house. We know that now because this season was taped, and Marunde is alive and well, talking about the episodes that already have aired. But part of that discussion includes talking about parts of being on TUF 16 that drove him a little nuts - including the FX production crew needing to give some orders to him and other fighters in the house as part of their jobs.

Posted in: part, tuf, fighter house, house, marunde

UFC Quick Quote: Dana White declined 'Boom' part in Kevin James movie because he's not an actor

"Kevin James asked me to be in the movie. He sent me over a script, and I said, 'Bro. I appreciate you thinking of me. I don't know if you've ever seen my Bud Light commercial, but if you have, you would understand why I do not want to be in the movie.' I'm not an actor, and the part that [Joe] Rogan plays was supposed to be mine. The last thing I need to do is to be leading by example that our guys should all be running towards the movies. There's only a couple of guys in the history of MMA that have actually done a great job in a movie, you know what I mean?" -- During an interview with "Inside MMA's" Ron Kruck, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White revealed that he was originally offered a part in Kevin James' upcoming movie "Here Comes the Boom." However, the Zuffa boss had to respectfully decline, due largely in part to his believed failure as an actor in a recent UFC-fueled Bud Light commercial. The advertisement also featured current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Looks like we won't be seeing "Uncle Dana" doing any on-screen fiction any time soon (other than when we get to see him telling us that Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153 is going to be a competitive fight). What say you, Maniacs? Are you planning on seeing "Here Comes the Boom?" And do you see the UFC-propped-up feature film being a box office hit or a colossal dud? Sound off!

Posted in: ufc, part, movie, kevin james, actor

UFC Adds “Dangerous Activities” Clause to New Bout Agreements

While training injuries are just part of the sport, the UFC is doing their part to curb the 'dangerous activities' that sometimes take place after a fighter has signed a bout agreement.

Posted in: ufc, part, bout agreements, agreement, training injuries

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Glover Teixeira’s Growth as a Fighter a Result of Working with Chuck Liddell

UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell has been an important part of Glover Teixeira’s career since the beginning and is in part responsible for the Brazilian’s emergence as one of the top 205ers in MMA.

Posted in: part, chuck, liddell, teixeira, glover

This Is What Travis Browne Calls A Workday

Video: Workday: Travis Browne – Part 1 Travis Browne shows us his daily routine.

Posted in: part, browne, travis browne, travi, workday

Mark Munoz is damn proud to be part of the middleweight class

Mark Munoz is damn proud to be part of the middleweight class. He thinks no division puts on more exciting fights, and let's not look past the fact, as Munoz points out, that it was all middleweights who stepped up to fight Bones Jones after the 152 fiasco. Me? I'm damn proud to be part of the MiddleEasy class, which kind of sounds like it may be part of a caste system of some sort where we are chosen for reasons beyond our own understanding to create opening paragraphs that have little to nothing to do with much of anything, and yet everything at the same time... LayzieTheSavage met up with the injured but always welcoming Mark Munoz, and they discussed the finer points of the UFC's middleweight division from the perspective of a middleweight. Biased? Maybe. But perhaps there is still a ring of truth to The Filipino Wrecking Machine's words.

Posted in: part, middleweight, mark munoz, munoz, opening paragraphs

Pride Decade - Part 1

submitted by surgeon591 [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: part, pride, decade, surgeon

GIF Overload: The Submissions (Part 3)

Here it is, folks, the final part of the submission GIF feature. Masakazu Imanari opens up the action at Cage Rage 25. His opponent Jean Silva tried an appeal to the gods of irony when he attempted a leglock on a man known for little else. Imanari countered with a sacrifice to the gods of "What were you thinking?" On top of that we've got a ton of action coming out of Japan from Dream and Sengoku, as well as Bellator and Shooto. Jacare shows us why it's never a good idea to play with alligators. Shinya Aoki doesn't care if you tuck your chin Siyar Bahadurzada can't knock you out while defending a heel hook. Takanori Gomi will wait patiently for you to finish a leg lock. There's a ton of great action after the jump brought to you by Zombie Prophet. T.P. Grant helps out with commentary on the GIF's, too. And in case you missed the first two parts: Part 1 Part 2 Masakazu Imanari vs. Jean Silva - Cage Rage 25 (March 8, 2008) SURGON GENERAL WARNING: Attempting a leglock on Imanari may result in damaged or torn ACL and is a terrible idea. Ronaldo Souza vs. Ian Murphy - Dream 2 (April 29, 2008) Want me to show you why they call me Jacare? Zelg Galesic vs. Magomed Sultanakhmedov - Dream 2 (April 29, 2008) My armbar is better than your armbar. Michael William Costa vs. Rafael Lima - Shooto: Brazil 7 (June 6, 2008) Triangle? No? Oh armbar, that works too Joachim Hansen vs. Kultar Gill - Dream 5 (July 21, 2008) Joachim has nice flow Shinya Aoki vs. Todd Moore - Dream 6: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round (Sept 23, 2008) Tucking your chin won't save you! Jorge Santiago vs. Siyar Bahadurzada - Sengoku 6 (Nov. 1, 2008) And you thought Amoussou's heel hook was cool. Satoru Kitaoka vs. Eiji Mitsuoka - Sengoku 6 (Nov. 1, 2008) Try and scramble! I double dog dare you! Satoru Kitaoka vs. Takanori Gomi - Sengoku: No Ran 2009 (Jan. 1, 2009) I'm fine. I'm fine... I'm fine? Nick Gonzalez vs. Yahir Reyes - Bellator 1 (April 3, 2009) Hooks are overrated. Toby Imada vs. Alonzo Martinez - Bellator 1 (April 3, 2009) If not for Toby Imada submissions Bellator wouldn't never have made it to Season #2 Gegard Mousasi vs. Mark Hunt - Dream 9 (May 27, 2009) K-1 Level Grappling Nick Ring vs. Isidro Gonzalez - Bellator IX (May 29, 2009) If pulling guard doesn't work, you can always stick your head right into a guillotine. Bibiano Fernandez vs. Joe Warren - Dream 11: Featherweight Grand Prix 2009 Final Round (Oct. 6, 2009) Warren does literally everything wrong in this sequence

Posted in: bellator, vs, dream, part, april

Asian MMA: Exclusive ONE FC 5 Event Photo Gallery - Part 3

This is the third and final installment of Bloody Elbow's ONE Fighting Championship 5: Pride of a Nation photo gallery. This portion features the 2 headlining bouts which saw Eduard Folayang dominate a tough and gritty fighter in Felipe Enomoto, and a fun ground battle between two high level BJJ guys in Bibiano Fernandes and Gustavo Falciroli. Pictured above are headliners Fernandes and Falciroli who are the bantamweight champs of DREAM and CFC Australia respectively. As a fun tidbit about the bout, Gustavo complained that Bibiano was biting him at one point during their fight. A few minutes later, Bibiano complained about the same exact thing. Check out the entire gallery after the jump. ONE FC 5 Gallery Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena I was on the worst position cageside and had these stairs/steps right in front of me, hence the weird "frame" blocking the edges. I had to make do with that giant obstruction for the entire night making it tough to take photos. Both men, after the fight. Bibiano Fernandes vs. Gustavo Falciroli: Yup. More of those steps ruining a perfectly good photo. After losing the earlier portions of the fight, Falciroli was able to rebound and land good strikes and standing elbows as the fight progressed. Some of the more casual fans in the audience may not have enjoyed it, but the fight had lots of very fun and highly technical grappling Bibiano Fernandes looking like he got stuck in a pretzel after a lengthy ground battle the former 2-division DREAM champion took a well earned decision victory MISC: ONE FC Ring Girl Kim Ha Yul Back at the Hotel, Phil Baroni downs the famous Filipino strong beer, Red Horse to celebrate his huge win. All photos were taken by Anton Tabuena ONE FC 5 Gallery Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 For the full report, results, and other coverage of the event, you can find it here: ONE FC 5 Post-Fight Results, Analysis And Notes From The Arena | Video: ONE FC 5: Pride Of A Nation Event Highlights | ONE FC 5 Open Workout Photo Gallery And Highlights

Posted in: part, photo, gallery, fc, bibiano

Asian MMA: Exclusive ONE FC 5 Event Photo Gallery - Part 2

This is the second installment of Bloody Elbow's ONE Fighting Championship 5: Pride of a Nation photo gallery. This edition features three key fights including Rolles Gracie dominating Tony Bonello, Eric Kelly recovering from an early knockdown to stop Jens Pulver, and Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia ending in a soccer kick controversy. For the full report, results, and other coverage of the event, you can find it here: ONE FC 5 Post-Fight Results, Analysis And Notes From The Arena | Video: ONE FC 5: Pride Of A Nation Event Highlights | ONE FC 5 Open Workout Photo Gallery And Highlights Pictured above is the former UFC champion in Pulver trying to take down Eric Kelly during their featherweight bout. Check out the entire gallery after the jump. ONE FC 5 Gallery Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena Rolles Gracie vs. Tony Bonello: 2 legendary Gracie's walking over after Rolles dominated his opponent Eric Kelly vs. Jens Pulver: Eric Kelly kneels down and says a quick prayer before facing the UFC legend Jens dropped Kelly and tried to sink in a choke on the Filipino Kelly pounces after he landed a liver kick that dropped Pulver Jens Pulver, still smiling after putting on a good fight and getting a nice response from the crowd. He called Eric Kelly the "Manny Pacquiao of MMA" Andrei Arlovski vs. Tim Sylvia IV: After Arlovski landed 2 illegal soccer kicks, the fight was turned into a no-contest ONE FC 5 Gallery Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 All photos were taken by Anton Tabuena

Posted in: part, kelly, gallery, fc, pulver

Asian MMA: Exclusive ONE FC 5 Event Photo Gallery - Part 1

ONE Fighting Championship 5: Pride Of A Nation was held this past weekend and BloodyElbow.com was on deck at the Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines to cover all the action. This will be Part 1 of our exclusive photo gallery from the event so check out the shots I took from the lead up of the event up to the first 5 fights on the card. For the full report, results, and other coverage of the event, you can find it here: ONE FC 5 Post-Fight Results, Analysis And Notes From The Arena | Video: ONE FC 5: Pride Of A Nation Event Highlights | ONE FC 5 Open Workout Photo Gallery And Highlights Pictured above is the New York Bad Ass, Phil Baroni celebrating after winning big and delivering a soccer kick beat down. Check out the entire gallery after the jump. ONE FC 5 Gallery Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena Phil Baroni during the fighter introductions URCC Champion, Nicholas Mann The ONE FC Cage during the rehearsals before the event The ONE FC Ring Announcer Honorio Banario vs. Andrew Benibe: Mitch Chilson vs. Shannon Wiratchai, which they eventually changed from a TKO win by Wiratchai to a No Contest due to an illegal soccer kick and early stoppage: Rodrigo Ribeiro vs. Phil Baroni which turned into a crazy soccer kick beatdown: Nicholas Mann vs. Gregor Gracie: Nicholas Mann was doing well until he stayed to long in the clinch, leading to a takedown and a finish from Gracie Following a slick armbar finish, Gregor celebrates with Renzo and Roger Gracie Gregor Gracie standing on top of the cage, celebrating his win over the URCC champ Soo Chul Kim vs. Kevin Belingon: Kevin Belingon was able to land the most notable strikes standing up, but he couldn't fend off takedown attempts For most of the first 2 rounds, Kim was able to control Belingon on the ground Soo Chul Kim took a few hard shots, but he's smiling knowing he was able to control Belingon and win the early rounds Belingon was able to reverse and get on top wearing Kim out during the 3rd, but it wasn't enough to get the judges nod. An exhausted Soo Chul Kim celebrating a win over such a highly regarded fighter. Jung Hwan Cha vs. Igor Gracie: Jung walked out to the crazy popular "Gangnam Style" song, and the Ring Girls decided to dance to it. Roger Gracie cornering Igor Gracie Jung surprisingly won a lot of the exchanges on the ground, even getting Gracie in a crucifix twice Jung scored the upset as he eventually stopped Igor Gracie ONE FC 5 was a big night for the Koreans BONUS: More Ring Girls ONE FC 5 Gallery Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 All photos were taken by Anton Tabuena

Posted in: vs, event, part, fc, gracie

Asian MMA: Exclusive Legend FC 10 Photo Gallery - Part 2

BloodyElbow.com was on deck this past weekend at the Asia World Expo in Hong Kong, for Legend Fighting Championship 10, and this is Part 2 of our exclusive photo gallery from the event. The fights featured on this gallery are from the main card which includes 2 title fights, some top prospects from the region, and as pictured above, a bout that ended up with a blood bath. For the full report, results, and analysis from there, you can find it here: Asian MMA: Legend FC 10 Recap - Kawanago, Wenbo Win Title Bouts On A Crazy Night Of Fights Check out the entire gallery after the jump. Legend FC 10 Gallery Part 1 | Part 2 Follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena Ji Xian vs. Ruel Catalan: Ji Xian with Legend FC Commentator (and pro-fighter) Vaughn 'Blud' Anderson Rob Hill vs. Koji Oishi: Rob Hill in a Ryu outfit, and Koji Oishi, the former King of Pancrase Rob Hill spitting a lot of blood after sustaining cuts to his head and nose. Rob Hill created a puddle of blood after briefly being in this position A devastated Rob Hill reacts after his fight gets stopped by the doctors Cole Davids vs. Brandon Ropati: Yusuke Kawanago vs. Rob Lisita, Legend Featherweight Championship One of the many flying knees that Kawanago connected with every time Lisita shot for the takedown 'Hungry' Yang Hae Jun vs. Liu Wenbo, Legend FC Middleweight Championship: Wenbo lands an upkick as Yang tries to come down with a punch. The fight was competitive, but Wenbo's reach made the difference Yup, Liu Wenbo was literally steaming after the fight. Misc: The Japanese contingent posing with some fans. All photos were taken by Anton Tabuena. Legend FC 10 Gallery Part 1 | Part 2

Posted in: fight, legend, part, gallery, fc

It's all in the hips: lower body warm-ups

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on DstryrSG, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] We all know that warming up is an essential part of exercise and martial arts, but all to often fighters and athletes neglect this important aspect of training. Think of warming up as the foreplay to your grappling game or the tater skins to your burger - life's essentials! As of right now you, might be able to get away with a limited or non-existant warmup, but, soon enough, those joints and ligaments are gonna get angry and demand you do so. So, since our hips, core and legs are such an essential part of grappling, why not concentrate on a Lower Body Warm-up that's dynamic and mimics the movements that you'll be doing in a few minutes (hopefully.? Check out DieslSC and their Amped Warm up system that will undoubtedly get you all limbered up for your fancy guard. Watch The Video...

Posted in: part, dstryrsg part, middleeasy networkdiv, warmup, hips core

A beautiful part of mma people dont usually get to see. (post-fight, starts around 1:15)

submitted by carlog234 [link] [5 comments]

Posted in: part, people, postfight, dont, carlog

All Access: Ronda Rousey Part Two (Full Episode)

Showtime’s All Access series returns for the second part of their two part series (part one can be seen here) on Strikeforce Women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. Showtime cameras take a look inside the fight camp and life of the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist. Rousey will face former champion Sarah Kaufman this Saturday night on Showtime. MMAFrenzy.com

Posted in: saturday night, showtime, part, rousey, fight camp

Read the full article at MMA Frenzy

Bas Rutten entire career with commentary by BAS!!

Great quality as well, highly entertaining! Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybKGB4kaA_U Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrOHKRPXsxs Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14QoPyMVruA submitted by evilf23 [link] [4 comments]

Posted in: part, career, ba, bas rutten, rutten

Mike Dolce Sets The Record Straight: Part I

With the athletes of this era in MMA doing everything they can to get a leg up on the competition, the road to success can be littered with misconceptions. The diet and nutritional aspect of a good training regimen is the cornerstone, and should be approached as though it were part of a scientific equation. 1 part talent + 1 part diet/nutrition + 1 part good training camp + 1 part rest/recovery = Fighting machine. I'm sure many of you have your own criteria for what the components are, but at the most basic level, diet and nutrition are absolutely integral to the continued success of a fighter. When so much attention is being paid to what goes into our bodies, it's easy to make mistakes. Everyone and their mother have a system, and they always think it's the best one out there. With things like electrolyte levels, alkalinity and acidity and water manipulation, there is a lot of room for error. Enter Mike Dolce, the man who is revolutionizing fighter training camps. Through experience and a ton of personal research, he seems to have the right combination to not only getting fighters on weight, but also to doing it safely. With a successful program always comes scrutiny and misconceptions. In a recent TapouT Radio interview, Mike discusses some common misconceptions of both fighters and fans alike. He also allowed me to do a food Q&A with him which gives guidleines to shopping for quality, healthy food on a budget. This interview will be a two part series. Part II will be available tomorrow. Stephie Daniels: Can you lay out the basic dynamics of The Dolce Diet? Mike Dolce: First off, a lot of people call me a dietician or a nutritionist, and I am neither of those. I want to get that out there because I approach diet as a lifestyle looking for longevity. That's really what I'm after and that's what I talk about. The things that I find to be helpful, I spread the word. I don't try to position myself as having created anything newfangled, because it's not. I think it's the most common sense thing out there. It's about eating whole foods, earth grown nutrients in great moderation, multiple times a day, based on what you just did and what you're about to do. If we all take that approach, then everything falls into line from there. Any naysayers and those people that kind of point the finger, I don't know what they're talking about. They're not talking about me, per se, I think they're talking about themselves. They have some sort of insecurity or issue with themselves. I'm just trying to say eat whole foods. Eat healthy foods. I can't imagine there's anything wrong with saying that. Stephie Daniels: There are some misconceptions out about your plan that seem to think you promote eating red meat two days out from the fight. Explain your diet plan's time frame for the consumption of red meat leading up to a fight. Mike Dolce: I saw your article with Luke Rockhold, and when I read Luke's comment, I was shocked, because he actually mentions Dolce Diet, but then he talks about a program that has nothing to do with what I do. He stated that my athletes eat red meat two days before the weigh-ins, which is so far from the truth. Under my system, my philosophy, and if you read my book, Living Lean, I don't even mention red meat. It's not included on my grocery list, it's not in my meal plan. Me, personally, I consider red meat an earned meal, for my lifestyle. Athletes like Thiago Alves and Vitor Belfort, culturally, they love red meat, so it's in greater abundance in their diet than it is in my own personal diet, but before a fight, 10 days out is the last possible meal I would ever recommend or suggest having red meat, because you're in the weight cut process. Luke also said something along the lines of my athletes cutting so much weight, it could affect their cardio. That's categorically untrue, because my athletes don't cut that much weight. They're really healthy. They're really hydrated, and the weight just falls off naturally as it should because they're so clean burning, probably like Luke is, also. I'm not trying to take any shots at Luke, I just want to clear up the misconceptions. My guys are cardio machines. My athletes eat real food, they stay hydrated, they don't sauna and they don't suffer. It's just simple science. Stephie Daniels: I recently interviewed Randy Couture, and he discussed alkalinity and acidity. He mentions that there is definitely something valuable in your program, and that these were key factors. Can you give some insight to it? Mike Dolce: Randy is the industry standard when it comes to health and fitness and longevity and really taking care of your body. I learned a lot, and still continue to learn a lot from Randy. His leadership, his example and his application, he walks the walk. He lives it. I was hired by Team Quest in 2004 at Randy's gym. I was the head strength coach with Randy, Matt and Dan and all those great guys up there. I'm a white or blue belt compared to Randy, especially at that time, and he's out there beating Chuck and beating Tito. This is when the alkaline diet really came into prominence, and it was because of Randy. He was the first guy to say, 'It's ok to not eat steak and potatoes anymore. It's ok to eat green vegetables. It's ok to drink water in high amounts instead of Gatorade.' He was really the first guy to usher that in. With the alkalinity and acidity, we want to stay as alkaline as possible. Alkaline is really just a vibrant state of health. With acidity, you can just picture it. Acid, burning holes. That acidity has an effect on the human body. The further we get away from that, the more alkaline we become. That is largely determined by your lifestyle. The healthier you are, the cleaner your lifestyle is, being hydrated and eating naturally occurring raw foods, the more alkaline you will be, and Randy is a great example of that. Stephie Daniels: I've interviewed several athletes that have mentioned foul body odors when dieting hard. Are there certain foods that produce this effect, or could it be something in their particular body chemistry? Mike Dolce: It sounds to me that there might be some digestive distress happening. An unpleasant odor is indicative of an issue. It's a signal. Maybe they're using supplements. A lot of times, when you're taking supplements to do the things that whole foods can do, the reaction is different. Supplements aren't as efficiently absorbed and recognized by the body. They're not assimilated as easily and seamlessly as whole foods are. Guys will take these powders after a workout and then they feel kind of clogged and sluggish. On the inside, it really takes some time to roll through your digestive system. The way it can come out is through the skin and sweating or possibly through their breath or flatulence. That's not too pleasant. Stephie Daniels: Many people live and breathe for a cheat meal when they're dieting. What should a cheat food encompass? Is making a run for a burger joint an acceptable cheat? Mike Dolce: I don't use the term "cheat food." I say "earned meal." You've earned it, and now you can go and have it, guilt free. Cheat food has a negative connotation and negative association. There's no reason to feel negative about something that you've earned. How often you can have that is determined by your goals. How close are you to your goals and how hard have you been working? Have you earned it? We all know the real answer. You can't lie to yourself. McDonalds, never. In-N-Out, maybe. Actually, for In-N-Out, I'd have to say no on that too. It's an earned meal, so you can really go do what you want. You could go to Taco Bell if you wanted, but I could give 1000 reasons why you shouldn't. Go get a gourmet steak and potato. Go get a real meal of hearty ingredients. Don't get that processed garbage. Follow Mike via his Twitter, @TheDolceDiet Part II of this interview will be up tomorrow. Latest From Our Partners Latest From Our Partners Most Entertaining Fights Ever (BR) Grappler vs. Striker Masterpieces (BR) Biggest Choke Artists (BR) David Haye Delivers Knockout (SI) Silly Things Fan Scream at Events (BR) Latest MMA Rumors (SI)

Posted in: part, mike, food, theyre, diet

One On One With Randy Couture: Part I

When you think of Randy Couture, a couple things typically come to mind, MMA and movies. The legendary fighter might be retired from fighting, but his other career endeavors keep him extraordinarily busy. With two movie releases over the next 60 days, UFC fight analysis duties and successful gyms (soon to be popping up in many locations), Couture's plate is pretty full. Despite this ridiculously active schedule, Randy was very generous with his time when I interviewed him for TapouT Radio. We talked about several topics which will span over a two part series. This is part one, and focuses more on his movie career. Part two focuses on all things MMA, and will be posted tomorrow. I wanted to make a small personal note here on what a nice guy Randy is. This wasn't my first time getting an interview with him, so it came as no surprise. I was originally allotted a 15-20 minute time frame to get this interview done, but I received a lot of fan questions, and when I told him that, he gave me a 35 minute interview. I just feel that it was worth a mention. Stephie Daniels: Can we first talk a little bit about your movies that are coming out? Randy Couture: You can find Hijacked at the end of July. It hits DVD, Redbox and such on the 30th. I got to play the lead character in a CIA action thriller. There are a lot of firsts for me with this movie. Obviously, it's the first time I'm playing the lead guy in a movie and carry the ball, which was a lot of fun. I also had my first on-screen kiss [laughs], which was interesting and kind of fun. It wasn't what I expected, but it went very well. Stephie Daniels: What was it like working with Vinnie Jones? Randy Couture: Vinnie is a great guy. He's one of those guys with a great smile and he's fun to be around. I was really excited about getting the chance to work with him, Dominic Purcell and Holt McCallany. All three of those guys were great to be on set with and to be in scenes with. Vinnie lived up to everything I expected him to. Stephie Daniels: When you're doing these movies, do the directors and producers sort of look to you to help with the fight choreography? Randy Couture: James Lew was our stunt coordinator, and I've actually worked with him before, a couple of times. Most of the guys I've run across are fans of MMA and kind of know what the fans are going to want to see, and have an idea of what my abilities are. There's definitely a collaboration between what I'm comfortable doing, and what it is they're trying to capture for the essence of the scene. It works well, and I enjoy that part of the acting, the physical part is obviously the easy part for me. Stephie Daniels: How much of your own stunts are you doing? Randy Couture: As much as they'll let me do. When it comes to the hand to hand and close quarters combat, we do all that stuff ourselves. There's some stuff, especially when talking about The Expendables, where we're blowing a ton of stuff up, crashing airplanes, jumping out of helicopters, being shot at and such, well, there's only so much that the insurance company is going to allow the main actors to do, because if one of us gets injured, we can't finish the film. That's just kind of the way it is. Sly is one of those guys that wants everybody to kind of step up and do as much as they're physically capable of doing. I think all the guys in the cast were certainly excited about that. We got a little more latitude in being able to do the things that we wanted to do, and that's the fun part. Stephie Daniels: Who did you enjoy working with most on The Expendables? Randy Couture: All the guys were great. Jason has got a pretty gregarious personality. Sly has a very unique intensity, and I think all of us learned a ton from being around Sly. It was electric on the set when all of The Expendables came together. I remember one particular day where we were doing this big airport scene, and all of us were in one big tent, kind of gearing up, putting on all our stuff to go out and shoot this big scene. It was kind of a surreal moment, to have everybody in the same spot, loading weapons and putting on armor. I think the guys that I hung out with the most were Terry Crewes and Dolph Lundgren. Us three are kind of the backbone of the movie. We're kind of the "get the job done" crew of The Expendables. We're not really the big, marquee guys like Norris, Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Willis, so they have their big moments, and we're sprinkled throughout the whole film. It was a lot of fun. Stephie Daniels: Your doing more and more movie roles. I recently saw you in a movie called Setup with 50 Cent, and now you have these movies coming out back to back. Are you taking extra steps with your film career, like acting classes, to sort of boost the range of roles you can choose from? Randy Couture: That was actually a really fun character, to get to be kind of a jackass and goof around with the weapons. I enjoyed working with Curtis, and that was also my first opportunity to work with Bruce Willis. I got to play a guy named Petey. He was kind of a jerk, really. He was a knucklehead thug for a mobster, so I kind of liked Petey's demise in the film [laughs]. My first movie experience was Cradle To The Grave, which was with Jet Li and DMX. Me, Tito and Chuck were in that film in the underground fight scenes. I had one line in the movie, and that was my first opportunity to see the process, to be on a set. I was immediately intrigued by it, and I went out and started taking acting classes and got a real agent in the Gersh Agency and Brett Norensberg. From then, the jobs got better and I started learning more. Now, I have a coach. He's a great guy that has worked with some of the top people in the business. We get along great. He makes me do a lot of improv stuff and really helps me find characters that I'm trying to play. Stephie Daniels: You're currently doing action roles, and doing well in them. Will we get to see you in a more serious role in the future? Randy Couture: I hope so. I love the action genre, but I think a romantic comedy would be fun. I've always wanted to be in a Western, and think that would be a hoot. I'm up for anything. I want to keep broadening my horizons and learning more and developing more skills in this industry. Stephie Daniels: Are there plans for a third installment of The Expendables? Randy Couture: There is a lot of talk about starting the shooting for The Expendables 3 at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. You can follow Randy via his Twitter, @Randy_Couture Part II of this interview will be available tomorrow. Here are the trailers for Randy's upcoming films: The Expendables 2 Official Trailer #2 (2012) Sylvester Stallone Movie HD (via movieclipsTRAILERS) Hijacked Official Trailer #1 (2012) - Starring Randy Couture (via WorldCinemaNews) Latest From Our Partners Latest From Our Partners Most Entertaining Fights Ever (BR) Grappler vs. Striker Masterpieces (BR) Biggest Choke Artists (BR) Silly Things Fan Scream at Events (BR)

Posted in: guy, kind, part, randy, movie

2012's Unofficial Half-Year Awards: The Submissions

For the most part, trying to determine the best submissions of the first half of 2012 comes down to individual preferences. Do you like technical wizardry, pulling off a move with a high degree of difficulty, tapping out a highly-regarded foe, or just finishing a fight in dramatic fashion? Well, hopefully we covered all bases here, and if your favorite isn’t here, six months from now that may change when the list goes from five to ten.5 – Rousimar Palhares-Mike Massenzio All you really need to know about Rousimar Palhares’ submission game is the look of panic on the face of his opponents when he gets his hands on a leg. Like the old Green Bay Packers’ sweep, you know it’s coming, but it’s executed so well that you can’t stop it. And despite his May loss to Alan Belcher, a look back to his January win at UFC 142 (watch sub) (watch fight) over Mike Massenzio shows that when Palhares catches you, you’re not going anywhere. Add in the fact that Massenzio is a jiu-jitsu black belt, and it makes his submission win via heel hook even more impressive.4 – Charles Oliveira-Eric WiselyWhen I spoke to Eric Wisely after his January loss to Charles Oliveira, he said of the aftermath of the calf slicer submission that finished the bout, “Now that I think about it, I don’t even remember it hurting.” It sure looked like it hurt during the fight though, to the point where you cringed and begged for Wisely to tap out. He eventually did, and in the process, Oliveira pulled off the first calf slicer submission win in UFC history at UFC on FOX in Chicago (watch fight). Last year it was Chan Sung Jung’s Twister, and now it’s Oliveira’s calf slicer, showing that the sport still holds some surprises.3 – Nate Diaz-Jim MillerNate and Nick Diaz have received plenty of attention for their standup games, but at heart, both are devoted jiu-jitsu players. Awarded his black belt from Cesar Gracie in April, Nate spoke of the role of the gentle art in his fight game before his May fight with Jim Miller: “Jiu-Jitsu’s a big part of my game, and it’s a big part of everybody’s game because if you don’t know it, you’re gonna sink in this,” said Diaz. “You’ve got to cover every angle as much as you can, so it’s definitely a big part. I do jiu-jitsu every day and as soon as the fight gets a little closer, I don’t put on my gi as much, but as soon as the fight’s over, I’m usually right back in my gi. I gotta learn the best I can and be the best martial artist I can be.” In the main event of UFC on FOX 3, Diaz proved his worth on the mat by tapping out fellow black belt Miller with a guillotine choke in the second round (watch event). Jiu-Jitsu a big part of his game? Oh yeah.2 – Martin Kampmann-Thiago AlvesOne of the welterweight division’s longtime stalwarts, Martin Kampmann hasn’t had the best of luck when it came to the judges’ scorecards. In March, “The Hitman” was on his way to another disappointing decision defeat against Thiago Alves when he took matters into his own hands, pouring it on and finally catching the Brazilian bomber in a fight ending guillotine choke that finished the bout with just 48 seconds left in the bout. Now that’s taking it out of the judges’ hands (watch event). 1 – Chan Sung Jung-Dustin PoirierThis time last year, we were celebrating Chan Sung Jung for his Twister submission win against Leonard Garcia. This year, “The Korean Zombie” didn’t finish off an opponent in historic fashion, but the excitement level was just as high, if not higher, as he and Dustin Poirier waged war for over three rounds in their May bout (watch event). But just when it looked like Poirier had turned the tables on the fast-starting Jung, the South Korean roared back, and caught the Louisiana native in a fight ending D’arce choke 1:07 into the fourth round. It was a spectacular ending to a spectacular fight.Honorable Mention – Stefan Struve-Lavar Johnson, Paul Sass-Jacob Volkmann, Dustin Poirier-Max Holloway, Ivan Menjivar-John Albert, Vaughan Lee-Kid Yamamoto, Jim Miller-Melvin Guillard, Louis Gaudinot-John Lineker, Dan Miller-Ricardo Funch, John Maguire-DaMarques Johnson

Posted in: fight, submission, ’t, part, game

Chad Mendes: “If I win I’m supposed to beat him and if I lose then people are going to ask what happened.”

UFC featherweight Chad Mendes will enter his clash tonight against Cody McKenzie with mixed emotions. On one hand the 11-1 Mendes is part of an epic event featuring the retirement of legendary light heavyweight Tito Ortiz in addition to the much-anticipated rematch between Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen. On the other, he’s facing an opponent who is 1-2 in his last three fights. Mendes spoke some about the card as well as McKenzie in a recent interview with MMAConvert where he offered up his mindset entering UFC 148. “I am super excited to be part of such a great card. Whether I’m fighting on the television portion or the undercard it’s something that is going to be super cool to be part of,” explained Mendes. “I was actually lucky enough to be part of the one and only WEC PPV that took place in Sacramento and that was a lot of fun and something I am so proud of. Everyone is obviously looking forward to the main event and watching Tito’s last fight. It’s going to go down in UFC history and I feel very lucky to be part of it.” The 27-year old’s disposition changed some, however, when the topic of his own bout came up. “To be honest this is a fight that kind of sucks,” said a frank Mendes. “I don’t have a lot to gain, but there’s a lot for me to lose in this fight. If I win I’m supposed to beat him and if I lose then people are going to ask what happened.” Then again, just because Mendes isn’t necessarily excited about the match-up doesn’t mean he’s underestimating McKenzie. “I’m training for this fight the same way I did for Aldo,” stated Mendes. “I’m taking this very serious and I know I really need the win. I will never underestimate anyone; I learned that lesson a long time ago. I’m gonna go in there and do what I do best.” Fans can catch their fight on tonight’s preliminary portion of the card set to be broadcast on FX starting at 7:00 PM EST. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: fight, i ’m, part, ’m, mende

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Holy shit! Anderson just rammed his shoulder into Sonnen at the weigh in!

That seems pretty unprofessional on his part... submitted by wbrooks88 [link] [25 comments]

Posted in: part, anderson, shoulder, wbrook, shit anderson

Best of the Best: MMAmania.com's UFC/MMA week in review (7/1/12)

Welcome, Maniacs, to the third edition of "This Week in MMAmania.com." MMAmania is a gigantic and glorious place and we pump out a ridiculous amount of content. If you don't refresh this site every 60 minutes, you might just miss something amazing. Have no fears, that's what this weekly article is all about! We'll recap the best of all things MMAmania, whether it be a great comment, a Fan Post, an article, video or something else. - Comment of the Week: UFC veteran Vinny Magalhaes lashes out at his one of his critics in his interview article: As a matter of fact, If I cared about your opinion I'd stay away from the internet, because a lot of people will criticize like you. But I actually enjoy the criticism, after all, even though I will only be known as the guy who knocked out by Ryan Bader, you'll still know me by something, even if negatively. As for you, who are you? I mean, you could be a doctor, so I might even sound dumb for asking you this... But then I think: A successful Doctor, would probably be doing something else in his life, instead of worry about being negative towards other people's career. I'm just like you a fan of the sport, but You don't see me saying that this or that fighter sucks. You know why? Because I actually know how hard this sport is, and me posting shit about fighter from behind a keyboard, would make me nothing other than a big pussy... like you... - Vinny Magalhães - If you haven't listened to this past week's episode of the Mania Martial Arts podcast, you should check it out. It seems that Geno and Sergio have really gotten into their MMA talking groove as they previewed UFC 148 (with a cameo appearance from Shivan Tiger and yours truly).. - Article of the week: This one is going to the entire Legacy of a Legend series from our very own Sergio Hernandez detailing some of the best moments of Anderson Silva's UFC career. Here's part one, part two and part three. Statistic of the week: It might be UFC 148 tomorrow night and the biggest fight of 2012 between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen, but you crazy bastards just want drama! Our most popular articles of the week featured the feud between Frank Shamrock and Dana White calling each other "douchebag" and "irrelevant." Way to go! There's plenty more where that came from after the jump: - Fanpost of the Week: This one goes to Shotokanman for his Belated Recon UFC 137 article which is lengthy, in depth and full of a boatload of solid content. Seriously check it out. - Honorable mention fanposts: Wisetoad's Top 3 Cringeworthy Moments article had some very interesting content (and comments) and you've got to give props to unambig for the insane amount of work and time he put in for his UFC 148 prognostications article. Lastly, props to Lesnar's Striking Coach for the Sig Bets post. - Honorable mention comment of the week: Fuck you, I'm tooting my own horn because this was funny Geno's voice sounds like it's raining cocks outside his window - Brian Hemminger - Mania drama of the week: Motmaire, notably absent. Some love it, a couple hate it. - Interview of the Week: Part one with elite BJJ practitioner Vinny Magalhaes as he discusses his training with Chael Sonnen in advance of tomorrow night's UFC 148 middleweight title bout. Stay tuned for part two later today!. If that interview isn't enough for you, we've also got a two-part interview with UFC 148's Ivan Menjivar, an interview with Strikeforce lightweight contender Pat Healy and James Goyder also spoke with OneFC's Babalu Sobral and Ole Laursen. - Video of the Week: Love him or hate him, this Chael "American Gangster" video is pretty damn funny (or stupid if you're a Chael hater). We don't just have great content on MMAmania, our writers also are very active on Twitter, most notably our beloved Geno Mrosko. If you know anything about Geno, he is quick to anger and is not afraid to call anyone out on their BS. Here's our honorary #GenoTime Tweet of the Week: Perhaps I'm getting old and even grumpier than usual but fireworks are annoying and extremely overrated. - Honorable mention goes to Geno again because the dude just downright brings it on twitter: Buccigross complimenting Chael Sonnen's hair was totally gay. I know so because he didn't say "no homo" before or after. If you want to catch any good tweets from your Mania writers, here are our accounts: Thomas Myers, Geno Mrosko, Jesse Holland, Sergio Hernandez, Kevin Haggerty and Brian Hemminger. - Obligatory TNA of the Week: Lastly, there was a serious outcry for some Maniac debate. I thought you guys brought it last week with the MMA judging. Great job! This week's debate topic is in honor of Roger Huerta getting soccer kick KTFO'd at OneFC. What changes would you like to make to the unified rules of mixed martial arts? That's it for this week. If you've got an extra suggestions for content, or nominations for articles, comments or discussion topics, please feel free to e-mail me at (and I made this e-mail especially for this): HemmingerMMA@gmail.com

Posted in: ufc, week, part, article, geno

It's Showtime Live Stream Results And Discussion Post

Today is It's Showtime 57 & 58, live from Belgium and featuring a stacked, two part card. Throughout the show, we hope you'll join us here at Bloody Elbow for our live discussion post. The show starts at 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT for part 1, with part 2 starting at 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT. You can watch it through It's Showtime official online live stream, live on The Fight Network in Canada, or live on HDNet. Sorry HDNet customers - only part 2 will be airing live today. The show is headlined by K-1 legend Peter Aerts vs. Tyrone Spong in one of the last fights in the hall of fame career of the great Aerts. Also on the card are Daniel Ghita, Robin van Roosmalen, and an exciting It's Showtime world title clash between Andy Souwer and Chris Ngimbi, among many other fights. Be sure to check out my complete preview for a more in-depth look at the highlights. The full, two part fight card, is as follows: Part 2: Peter Aerts vs. Tyrone Spong (HW)Dzevad Poturak vs. Daniel Ghita (HW)Robin van Roosmalen vs. Hafid El Boustati (70 kg)Filip Verlinden vs. Danyo Ilunga (95 kg Title Fight)Fatih Ozkan vs. Sonny Dagraed (73 kg)Samir Djabba vs. Andy Ristie (70 kg) Part 1 (not on HDNet):Andy Souwer vs. Chris Ngimbi (70 kg Title Fight)Mourad Bouzidi vs. Rustemi Kreshnik (HW)Rico Verhoeven vs. Hesdy Gerges (HW)Aziz Kallah vs. Marat Grigorian (73 kg)Mandela Antone vs. Robbie Hageman (70 kg)Vahap Ozdemir vs. Duoli Chen (77 kg) Related: It's Showtime In-Depth Preview | Peter Aerts vs. Mike Bernardo K-1 Classic Fight Video We'll see you here this afternoon for a big day of kickboxing action! Latest From Our Partners Latest From Our Partners Most Underrated Fighters (BR) Top 10 Title Contenders (BR) Ranking the Gracies (BR) 75 Best Knockouts (BR) Lesnar's Possible Foes (BR)

Posted in: fight, vs, showtime, part, br

It's Showtime Preview: Peter Aerts Vs. Tyrone Spong, Daniel Ghita, More

Saturday brings us a great day of high quality kickboxing action as It's Showtime airs a huge card from Belgium. It's actually such a stacked card that It's Showtime is breaking into two parts and officially calling it It's Showtime 57 & 58. The whole thing begins at 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT and is available in a live stream, on The Fight Network in Canada, and on HDNet (part 2 only on HDNet). Join us here on Saturday for a live discussion post. With such a huge show and a total of 12 fights, we'll take a look at the highlights here and hopefully get you excited to check out some of the best in the world. And since the show is in two parts, we'll break our preview into parts as well. Part 2 The main event of the evening is a huge fight as 3 time K-1 Grand Prix champion Peter Aerts faces Tyrone Spong in what is being billed as the Benelux Farewell Fight for Aerts (Benelux is the geographic region that includes Belgium and The Netherlands). Originally, this was just billed as his retirement fight, but the change probably means he has another fight or two planned for areas outside this region. For those unfamiliar with kickboxing, it doesn't get much better than Peter Aerts. He's the greatest legend of the sport today, a K-1 champion who has been active and relevant in the sport's upper most levels for close to 20 years. But he's far from a faded legend, as in 2010 he made the Grand Prix finals, taking out Semmy Schilt along the way. The Dutch Lumberjack could have easily taken an easier fight here, but he chose to go out against one of the sport's toughest new generation names. Tyrone Spong is a 10 year pro who has won world titles in steadily increasing weight classes over the years before finally arriving at Heavyweight a few years ago. That transition to Heavyweight was a bit rocky, but he's found his footing and is on a 3 fight win streak. He's long been held up as one of the best in the business, and a big win here is his chance to prove it. Of note for MMA fans - Spong trains with the Blackzillians at Imperial Athletics, and will have none other than UFC fighter Rashad Evans in his corner for this fight. Also on part 2 is another huge new generation Heavyweight, as It's Showtime Heavyweight champion Daniel Ghita takes on Dzevad Poturak. Ghita has steadily climbed the ranks to become, in my eyes, the #2 Heavyweight in the world (behind Semmy Schilt - sorry Badr Hari fans!). He's won 6 straight, all via nasty KO. In short, he's an absolute beast, and he keeps showing it every time out. Poturak actually holds a 2008 win over Ghita, though Ghita has already avenged that loss and is far above Poturak at this point, so a rubber match is not really needed. Still, Poturak is an entertaining fighter and will make this a good one. Part 2 also includes Robin van Roosmalen in action. Van Roosmalen is one of the top in the world at 70kg, and looks to be on a collision course with Giorgio Petrosyan in Glory later this year. He's also the only person out there that I think can actually challenge Petrosyan at the moment. He takes on Hafid El Boustati. Related: It's Showtime: How To Watch, Fight Card, Live Stream Details | Peter Aerts vs. Mike Bernardo K-1 Classic Fight Video Remy Bonjasky student Danyo Ilunga defends his It's Showtime 95 kg title against Filip Verlinden, and rounding out part 2 are Fatih Ozkaan vs. Sonny Dagraed and Samir Djabba vs. Andy Ristie. Part 1 preview in the full entry. Part 1 The main event of part 1 is an It's Showtime 70kg title fight, as champion Chris Ngimbi faces K-1 MAX legend Andy Souwer. Ngimbi won the belt from Murat Direkci in 2010 and has defended it once since then. He's a good fighter with a beautiful quick flying knee, but he's struggled a bit lately, going 1-3 in his last 4. Andy Souwer is a 2 time K-1 MAX champion and one of the most decorated 70kg kickboxers of all time. He's only 29, but also slowing a bit - over 150 pro fights will do that to you. He remains one of the best tactical fighters active today, and is always a pleasure to watch. At one point, Ngimbi said this would be the final fight of his career, so we'll see how that plays out. Part 1 also features 2 solid Heavyweight fights: Mourad Bouzidi vs. Rustemi Kreshnik and Hesdy Gerges vs. Rico Verhoeven. Both are good fights, though I'm more excited by Gerges vs. Verhoeven. Those are two fighters who have shown great promise at times, but struggle to find consistency. Last year, these two met in a Super Kombat fight, with Verhoeven winning what was a bit of an upset. It will be interesting to see if he has Gerges's number, or if the former It's Showtime champion comes back strong. Opening part 1 are Marat Grigorian vs. Aziz Kallah; Mandela Antone vs. Robbie Hageman; and Vahap Ozdemir vs. Duoli Chen. Remember to join us here at Bloody Elbow during the show for our live discussion post. This should be a great day of action, and we hope to see you here. Latest From Our Partners Latest From Our Partners Most Underrated Fighters (BR) Top 10 Title Contenders (BR) Ranking the Gracies (BR) 75 Best Knockouts (BR) Lesnar's Possible Foes (BR)

Posted in: fight, vs, showtime, part, he

Analyzing Igor Vovchanchyn – Part 1: Striking GIF Highlights

submitted by Terryjb [link] [comment]

Posted in: part, igor, gif, vovchanchyn, terryjb link

UFC on FX 3 Fight Camp: MMAmania interview exclusive with Seth Baczynksi (Part 1)

Coming off an impressive victory over the tough as nails Matt Brown at UFC 139 back on Nov. 19, 2011, Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight contender Seth Baczynski has now reeled of two straight wins inside the Octagon since being called back up to the big show eight months ago. Taking the fight on short notice, Baczynzki defeated "The Immortal" via second round submission, climbing the ranks of the UFC's 170-pound division in the process and proving once again that taking a chance and accepting a fight on short notice can pay big dividends. Now looking for his fifth straight win in a row, Seth will take on the undefeated (6-0) Lance Benoist on June 8, 2012 at UFC on FX 3 from the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. So what exactly does "The Polish Pistola" go through in a training camp to prepare for his upcoming opponents? How stressful is fight week leading all the way up to fight night? In this three part MMAmania.com exclusive series, we will dive in and see just what exactly a mixed martial artist goes through in preparation for an upcoming bout , the rigors of a training camp such as the dedication and strictness of weight cutting and the mental aspect of getting prepared to step inside the Octagon on fight night. Check it out: "It was a really tough fight against a very tough opponent. I took the (Brown) fight on short notice, but I knew I couldn't pass it up. Once it was over, it was a relief and it was a good victory for me, not only for my career, buy it was good for my mental standpoint. He is very good at making you fight his game, and to be able to finish a guy like Matt is always a good thing." Though Seth's upcoming fight will have been seven months from his previous one, he says his training never really stops. "I'm constantly training. My beliefs are that fighting is a very physical sport and I don't believe you should take time off unless you're really hurt, because you're going to get hurt. You're going to break a hand, you're going to break a rib, so you gotta seize that time when you're healthy. I'm always trying to get better, whether it's with my boxing or kickboxing. As the fight gets closer, I do a lot more privates with my coaches and just go over all the scenarios that can happen and work on them." Repetitiveness in the gym, say Baczynski, is the key to his success and the current grove he is in. "There a little formula that I found for me that has been successful so far, so we just keep using that same formula for the last four fights. I finally understand what's going on. Growing up, as anyone can relate to, you always think you're doing the right thing until you figure out its wrong. I had been training the wrong way and things just were not working out. I changed my approach and things in my life that have changed me as a person and a fighter." Start of a training camp: Where's the ice cream? Nowhere near Seth, who says he walks around at around 195 to 205 pounds and ice cream is one of his weaknesses. "Man giving up ice cream is the hardest part for me. I sure love some ice cream so that is always tough. But, as I have been getting older and the more camps you do, it gets easier. You have to be a bit healthier, so you have to learn to be stricter and just cut things out of your diet." Pound-packing snacks aside, Seth says apart from fighting off temptations to keep your weight down, there are many more sacrifices and changes one must make during a training camp. "I get a bit distant from family and friends. I still hang out with them, of course, but there are times when I just want to be alone for a bit and focus on training and on winning. My wife is good at understanding that. You at times have to seclude yourself, but for the most part, I can find that balance to still hang out with friends." Then you have the media obligations. Promoting a fight and getting your name out there is just as much of a part of the whole fight game and sometimes that interferes with your training camp. According to Seth, he has grown to understand it's all part of the game. "When I was younger, it did bother me a bit. I just wanted to train. But as I got older, I know it is part of our job and I do not mind the interviews. All I know is that when that cage closes, it will just be me and Lance in there. There will be no media members in there, no training partners ... just me and him." When it's time to get down to the training itself, "The Polish Pistola" says dealing with all the "monsters" at Power MMA down in Arizona is the hard part. "Dealing with all the monsters in the gym is the hardest part. Once I get done sparring with Aaron Simpson, then a fresh C.B. Dollaway gets in there, then they throw Ryan Bader at you, and then Tim Means. They all have different styles and it's hard to stay competitive in that gym because everyone is so good. But it keeps you motivated and makes you better. I feel like I haven't even my ceiling yet. I am always striving to get better." In part two, we will get a little deeper into what a training camp for Bazcynski encompasses as well as the homestretch and touch on the stresses of fight week as he prepares to take on Lance Benoist at UFC on FX 3. We will also discuss the rigors that accompany cutting the final pounds to make sure he's on point when he steps on the scale leading all the way up to fight night right before he steps inside the Octagon. Seth would like to thank American Junkie, Law Office of Benjamin Taylor, Jaco, Dirtball Customs, Mental Champ, Just Do This, Lexani, and manager Jason Karpel with Elite Management Group.

Posted in: fight, part, training, camp, seth

VIDEO: Jon Jones – On the Brink, Part 2

Go behind the scenes of UFC 145 with light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in the second part of this exclusive look from "UFC Ultimate Insider" on Fuel TV.

Posted in: ufc, jon, jone, champion, part

Junior dos Santos: The Road to the UFC Heavyweight Title, Part 2

Go behind the scenes with Junior dos Santos in the days leading up to his UFC on Fox heavyweight title win over Cain Velasquez in Part 2 of this unique video.

Posted in: ufc, title, heavyweight, do, part

Don Frye Exclusive Interview Part 1

submitted by ManCaveMMA [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: part, interview, frye, mancavemma

Johny Hendricks - A Contender Rises

Part 1 and Part 2 submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: part, contender, mattyblayze, johny hendricks, johny

The Greatest Fights That Never Happened - Part 3. And #1 is...

submitted by RockyBullwinkle [link] [comment]

Posted in: fight, part, rockybullwinkle link, rockybullwinkle

Alistair Overeem Suspended 9 Months By The NSAC

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

The Greatest Fights That Never Happened - Part 2

submitted by greatsantini [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: fight, part, greatsantini

Video: 'UFC 145 Primetime' part two

Part two of the three-part "UFC 145 Primetime" series debuts this past Friday, and the full episode can now be watched online in its entirety. The April 13 show aired on FX following a new episode of "The Ultimate Fighter: Live." The half-hour show again previews this weekend's UFC 145 headliner between UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones and challenger Rashad Evans.

Posted in: ufc, show, part, primetime, halfhour show

Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans 'Counterpunch' video from UFC Ultimate Insider (Part 2)

Remember when Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones got into a heated argument with Rashad Evans on UFC "Ultimate Insider" with Jon Anik? They were just getting warmed up. UFC and FUEL TV have released part two of their mad squabbles and as expected, the former friends and training partners, who will collide in the main event of UFC 145 this Saturday night (April 21, 2012) at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, weren't pulling any punches. Said "Bones" (transcribed by Bloody Elbow): "I have no sympathies for Rashad whatsoever. I remember you leaving Greg Jackson's and said that "I need a team that focuses on me. I need something based around me". And now you created the Blackzilians. I say it all the time. There's no I in team, there's no I in Jackson's, but there's I in Blackzilians. So I really look at you as fake. I look at you as arrogant. I look at you as selfish. I look at you as self-centered. And I think your biggest thing is to try and reflect it off me, and make it seem like I'm everything you're feeling inside your heart... The proof is in your lifestyle Rashad. You're loyal to no one but yourself." "Suga" responds: "That's the funny thing about it, and that's the part that you're immature and young. I would never have fought you. In a million years I would never have fought you. I was going to fight at 185. I would only do 'dream match ups.' I was only going to help you become a champion ... I would never ever have fought you! When you got offered that title shot, and I told you to take it, Jon, I knew you were going to win. I wanted you to win, and I would never, ever, ever have fought you." See the rest of their verbal warfare after the jump. To see part one of the Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans 'Counterpunch' video from UFC Ultimate Insider click here. For more on UFC 145 click here.

Posted in: ufc, jon, jone, part, rashad

Video: UFC's Dana White On MMA Being Cooler Than Football, Fighter Pay, Steroids

UFC president Dana White recently did a three part interview series with Swedish MMA journalist Marcus Kowal, the first part of which we aired here several weeks ago. However, it's the final two installments that are the most quotable, giving insight into White's views on his fighters being paid enough and why he thinks more guys should go into MMA than football. Some highlights from Part 2: - White talks about going to Sweden for the first time and how they're planning to go back based on the quick sellout. - He talks about the Brazil soccer stadium show being "one of biggest sporting events of the year" and that Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II is something his entire fanbase across the world will want to see. - His opinion on fighters not tapping out, specifically with Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey. This transitions into his thoughts on women's MMA post-Rousey/Tate and how the two "changed his mind". But it's Part 3 that is the most interesting. See the quotes and the video after the jump. A few highlights from Part 3: - White went into detail about how athletes can be "huge superstars" in MMA and make "tons of money", adding that the the sport is safer, "way cooler" and there's more longevity than in football. "Let's be honest here. "Do you want to be a (expletive) football player throwing a football around or do you want to be the heavyweight champion of the (expletive) world? Seriously, is there any debate?," he said. - White talks about a discussion with Fox in which they asked about what fighters make and how they asked why he didn't promote that more heavily. He brings up his reasons why, citing examples from Mike Tyson and baseball player Prince Fielder.- White said over the next five years, money is going to get bigger for fighters. A quote. "They're making plenty of (expletive) money."- He blames media and people "buzzing around" about all the talk about pay. He says that in 11 years and more than 1700 fights, he's never seen a worse beating than Lorenzo Fertitta's talk with "that guy from ESPN". "If that doesn't tell the story, nothing does," he said. - He goes into helping fighters out, what the yearly Fighter Summit is supposed to be about and his frustrations when people come to him after a fighter gets busted for steroids. "I have 375 guys under contract. I have this huge business to run. I told you what the next two years of my life were going to be like and I'm supposed to be babysitting these guys? They're grown (expletive) men," he said.

Posted in: mma, fighter, part, football, expletive

ONE FC 3: War Of The Lions Behind The Scenes And Event Photo Gallery - Part 3

Here's the third and final part of BloodyElbow.com's ONE FC 3: War of the Lions Photo Gallery. If you missed the first two parts, you can check them out here. [Part 1 -- Part 2]. This last iteration of the series will feature photos from the last two fights, the co-headlining bout between DREAM star, Tatsuya Kawajiri and KOTC Champ Donald Sanchez, and the main event bout between BJJ World Champion, Zorobabel Moreira and Felipe Enomoto. Check after the jump for more photos. -- Follow me on twitter. Related: ONE FC 3 Gallery PART 1 -- ONE FC 3 Gallery Part 2 Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Donald Sanchez It's a bit awkward how the angle makes it look like he's trying to bite something..... Kawajiri finished the fight with a triangle in the first round. Yes, it is... Zorobabel Moreira vs. Felipe Enomoto Felipe Enomoto with his brother Yasubey in-between rounds. Evolve MMA founder Chatri Sityodtong and Rodrigo Ribeiro cornering Zoro. Zoro showcased his much improved stand up skills for majority of the fight His teammates at Evolve MMA celebrating as the BJJ world champ improved his MMA record to 6-1 Korean Ring Girl, Kim Ha Yul All photos by Anton Tabuena ONE FC 3: War of the Lions Photo GalleryPART 1 -- PART 2 -- PART 3

Posted in: part, event bout, photo, gallery, fc

ONE FC 3: War Of The Lions Behind The Scenes And Event Photo Gallery - Part 2

Here's the 2nd part of our exclusive photo gallery from ONE FC 3: War of the Lions. If you missed Part 1, don't forget to check them out here. Pictured above is Eduard Folayang on his trademark red shorts, taking on Ole Laursen in what became an instant classic that won them Fight of the Night honors. Much more photos after the jump. Don't forget to follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena Related: ONE FC 3: War Of The Lions Behind The Scenes And Event Photo Gallery - Part 1 | ONE FC 3 Videos And Analysis: Folayang And Laursen Go To War, Zoro Deserves Title Shot Eddie Ng, addressing the crowd after his dominant performance over Jiang Kai Chee Melvin Manhoef, throwing the kick that caused bad cuts for both fighters Yoshiyuki Nakanishi sustained a cut on his knee, which prompted the referee to call the doctors in, not knowing that Melvin's cut was even worse. Manhoef's gruesome cut on his shin. Both guys still wanted to get it on, but the fight was waived and it was turned into a no-contest Evolve MMA's Fabricio Monteiro vs. DEEP Champion Yuya Shirai Heath Sims and Rodrigo Ribeiro of Evolve MMA on the corner of Monteiro Monteiro's cornermen shouting out instructions. Monteiro eventually won a unanimous decision Eduard Folayang vs. Ole Laursen: Eduard Folayang throwing one of those unorthodox Wushu side kicks. Folayang, about to throw a knee to Laursen's head. One of the things I love about this ruleset in Asia A disappointed Eduard Folayang, after it was announced that he had lost a very close split decision. Ole Laursen speaking with Jason Chambers after his exciting victory The Ring Girls Kim Ha Yul and Park Si Hyun strutting their stuff in-between rounds. Click the images to view the full size... All photos taken by Anton Tabuena Click Here for Part 1 of our ONE FC 3 Gallery, and stay tuned for third (and last) part coming soon..

Posted in: part, folayang, photo, fc, laursen

Video: Strikeforce middleweight Tim Kennedy performs 'Part of Me' by Katy Perry

Strikeforce Middleweight and all around affable guy, Tim Kennedy, shows fans a lighter side to his downtime when it doesn't include getting sweaty inside a mixed martial arts (MMA) gym or being shot at by insurgents. His latest offering, a performance of Katy Perry's hit "Part of Me," thankfully doesn't include any singing on Kennedy's part. Is this latest Ranger Up video designed to get inside Luke Rockhold's head? It's certainly in mine (shudders) ...

Posted in: part, kennedy, katy, kennedys part, katy perrys

We need someone to tell us if this Barack Obama MMA parody is funny

The rule of thumb is that we have two of them. Actually, this article should be entitled 'We need someone to tell us if this Barack Obama MMA parody is funny because we're too immature to take responsibility of our own decisions.' That title wouldn't fit on the page. It wouldn't even fit in your short-term memory. You would read the first part of the title, then get to the second part and completely forget why you're even reading in the first place. Title amnesia. It's safe to say President Barack Obama has never visited MiddleEasy.com. That statement is based on a complete lack of evidence, however if the leader of the free world is watching installments of Street MMA, then he would be neglecting the vital things in society -- like making San Francisco less of a depressing place. The President is now part of an elaborate MMA prank that involves MMA, so watch it and stop thinking for a few minutes. [Source] {iframe}http://d.yimg.com/nl/vyc/site/player.html#lang=en-US&browseCarouselUI=hide&repeat=0&startScreenCarouselUI=hide&vid=28788744&shareUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fscreen.yahoo.com%2Fobamma-28788744.html{/iframe}

Posted in: mma, title, part, need someone, barack

ULTMMA podcast: Out of the spotlight, into the center of the action an interview with Mestre Jair Lourenco of Kimura-Nova Uniao

Podcast Powered By Podbean by D.J. San MarcoThis the second in our two part series about the coach you don't know who has been essential to the success of the coach you do know. Part 2, most of you know Nova Uniao, Jose Aldo, and his very successful coach Andre Pederneiras, but do you know his associate coach and student Jair Lourenco who from the north of Brasil has produced fighters like Renan Barao, Ronny Markes, and Jussier da Silva?A profile of the man who has two UFC fighters in his camp, one Bellator, and one flyweight ranked either number one or two in the world for years, but few Americans know who he is. He speaks of his life, partnership with Nova Uniao, and his successful string of some 21 academies worldwide. Part one with Coach Chris Luttrell of Jackson's MMA and Mean 1

Posted in: coach, part, uniao, ultmma podcast, life partnership

Read the full article at UltMMA

UFC President Dana White: Soccer Is 'The Least Talented Sport On Earth'

Yesterday, while in Calgary for the UFC press conference, Dana White took part in a fan question and answer session that covered a wide range of topics. Everything from walk-out music to Floyd Mayweather was covered in the Q&A, but maybe the most interesting answer from White came when he was asked about fighting in hockey. The Calgary Sun has the transcript: Q: As you know, we love our hockey here. And it remains the only other pro sport that allows fighting. Curious as to your thoughts on fighting in hockey? A: I'm not a big hockey fan. But I respect how talented you have to be to play hockey. Soccer? That's a whole other ball. Can't stand soccer. It's the least-talented sport on Earth. There's a reason three-year-olds can play soccer. When you're playing a game when the net is that big and the score is 3-1 (and that's a blowout) are you kidding me? You know how untalented you have to be to score three times when the net is that big? Now back to hockey. You have guys on skates with crooked sticks and you have to hit a puck into a net that's the same size as the goalie. And at any time someone could take your head right off your shoulders and it's perfectly legal. That's a real sport that takes real talent, speed and all the things you need to be a real athlete. Now fighting is a part of hockey and has been since Day 1. It's part of the game. It is what it is. I think we live in a world now where everything has been so pussy-fied. When I grew up we didn't wear helmets when we rode our bikes. We didn't have car seats. We didn't have all this stuff. Now things are safer and we should be safer but let's not go overboard. Fighting's a part of hockey. Period. They should play this on a loop in the soccer stadium in Rio before the Anderson Silva/Chael Sonnen rematch. I'm not a big fan of soccer. Quite honestly, I find it horribly boring. But that being said, the idea that there is no talent involved because the net is big but the score is low is profoundly ignorant. I'm not suggesting that MMA isn't a sport that requires immense talent at the highest level, but let's be honest about how much talent is on display in a fight like Kimbo Slice vs. Houston Alexander or whatever the hell it was Matt Riddle was trying to do against Sean Pierson. I also don't really understand the point of the "pussy-fied" comment. Car seats? Really? Fighting is absolutely a part of "the culture" of hockey. But maybe a continued effort to clean up the game and reduce any possibility, however slim, of additional blows to the head and concussions from fighting in a sport that has a concussion crisis wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Posted in: sport, part, soccer, hockey, car seats

"Nerves Are Part of the Sport"

Posted in: sport, part, nerve

UFC unveils cast for TUF Brasil

After the American version’s successsful debut this past Friday night the UFC has revealed the sixteen featherweights and sixteen middleweights comprising the first international season of the Ultimate Fighter. Titled TUF Brasil, the show will feature coaches Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort and will start taping later this month. Among the handful of familiar names are Strikeforce veteran Rodrigo Damm and IFL stand-out Delson Heleno. The show will stream live opposite it airing in Brazil on the UFC’s website, while U.S. viewers will be able to see it on Fuel TV. No official dates have been announced for the program to start airing. Silva and Belfort, along with the championship fights in both weight classes, will be part of a live event in Brazil this summer. It will mark the first time the finals have been featured on a PPV, though it is unknown if the fights will be part of the prelims or the main card. Below is the complete list of the 32 fighters selected to take part in the show: - Featherweights - Alexandre Ramos (5-0) Rodrigo Damm (9-5) Rony Mariano Bezerra (10-3) Godofredo Pepey (8-0) Marcos Vinicius Borges Pancini (19-3-1) Medeiros Anistavio (12-7) Johnny Goncalves (4-0) Medeiros Anistavio (5-0) Fernando Duarte Guerra (10-1) John Teixeira (13-0-1) Rafael Bueno (7-1) Wagner Campos (11-3) Pedro Nobre (10-0-1) Fabricio de Assis Costa da Silva (14-1) Dileno Lopes (8-0) Giovanni da Silva Santos Jr. (10-1) - Middleweights - Sergio Moraes (6-1) Cezar Ferreira (4-2) Leonardo Mafra Teixeira (5-0) Daniel Sarafian (7-2) Gustavo Sampaio (5-1) Richardson Moreira (3-0) Fabio Luiz Vital da Costa (9-0-1) Renee Forte (7-1) Joao Paulo de Souza (8-4) Francisco Drinaldo (10-1) Thiago Rela (3-1) Charles Maicon (8-1) Gilberto Galvao (19-4-1) Thiago de Oliveira Perpetuo (8-1-1) Samuel Trindade (6-1) Delson Heleno (23-6)

Posted in: silva, part, weight classes, tuf brasil, championship fights

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

The Fighting Life: Joseph Benavidez (Part I)

HeavyMMA’s Duane Finley talks with former UFC bantamweight title challenger Joseph Benavidez about his MMA career, building toward the start of this weekend's flyweight tournament, in Part I of The...

Posted in: part, heavymma, joseph, benavidez, part i

Just found out that Ben Henderson auditioned to be part of TUF 9 - Here is his audition tape

submitted by rippedin4weeks [link] [4 comments]

Posted in: part, rippedin, audition tape, auditioned, audition

Title Writing: Numbers For Nerds 8 "Age Demographics In The UFC", Part 1 of 3

I have been focusing on current affairs recently and I've not put out any Title Writing pieces in awhile. I have been working on some stuff though and this is the first one I've finished. This part one is going to kind of explain where I was coming from when I started the research, while parts two and three will contain the hard data and my observations. What can age demographics tell us about prize fighting? Change has always been a part of the young and fast growing Ultimate Fighting Championships, but it seems to me that it's really been at the forefront for the past year. Since they purchased Strikeforce (a big change in and of itself) there have been a number of immediate and developing changes, both inside the ring and outside of it: Jon Jones emerged as a dominant champion. They brought over significant Strikeforce champions Alistair Overeem and Nick Diaz. They signed a TV deal with FOX while at the same time ending their deal with Spike, significantly changing the television aspect of their shows. Brock Lesnar, the biggest draw in company history, retired. Georges St. Pierre suffered a minor, then a major knee injury, pulling out of two title fights and forcing Dana White to install an interim belt, which Carlos Condit beat Diaz to earn. Story continues after the jump Jon Jones, Brock Lesnar and Georges St. Pierre were the most interesting stories to me, in that they inspired me to take a good look at the age of the fighters currently signed to the organization. Jones has constantly been referred to as the "new breed of fighter" ever since he started to have success and sure enough, he already has the title and two defenses under his belt, at 24. He was the face of 2011. Brock was the face of the company from 2008 to 2010 until illness, his one dimensional fighting abilities, and yes, age caught up to him. He retired at 34. St. Pierre finds himself in the middle of Lesnar and Jones. He is a long time champion, having first won the title in 2006 before losing it in 2007, then winning it directly back from Matt Serra in 2008. When GSP first won the title, the other champions were: Tim Sylvia, Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Sean Sherk, Urijah Faber & Eddie Wineland (Faber and Wineland were the WEC champs). Sylvia is long gone and begging to come back, Liddell is retired, Anderson is still the champion of the middleweight division, an incredible feat to be sure, and while Sherk is still in the organization, he hasn't fought since September of 2010. Faber is about to have his last crack at a title (in the 135 division) while Wineland has lost his last two (and first two) in the UFC. At 30 years old, it seems St. Pierre is closer to the end than the beginning. Anderson has remained dominant well into his 30s, so it's not out of the question that Georges could win another 10 titles before he falls but it's pretty unlikely, especially now that he's suffered a major knee injury which could rob him of his trademark athleticism. While we're on the subject of Anderson, he too is surely not long for the pasture. Who is going to take their place? It's easy to say that as stars get older, younger ones will be waiting to take their place. In the case of Lesnar, this is indeed what happened. Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos have the heavyweight division in good hands for the next few years and there are enough guys to trot out for them until a new crop of young contenders rise. In the case of a dominant champion though, could there be a real risk that the division grows old with him, leaving a lack of real contenders when the champion finally does step aside? Take the light heavyweight division, for example. Chuck Liddell monopolized the title for a three year period from 2005 to 2007. The division was thought of as the strongest division in MMA (occupying the position that the welterweight and lightweight divisions are battling over right now). Yet as Liddell won five straight titles, the other contenders were left to fight amongst themselves, all the while growing older and when Liddell lost his championship, no one was able to hold on to it for very long, having spent so much in getting to the top in the first place. And because of the hot potato nature of the belt, there was little room for younger fighters to break through. In fact, the only one who really did was the otherworldly Jones. We now see him as the dominant force atop a division with precious few challengers either currently or on the horizon. It's undeniable that the UFC will have a big competitive problem in feeding Jones' legend if he beats Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson. Is something similar going to take place over the next few years in the welterweight and middleweight divisions? What about the lightweight division, or the two newest additions to the roster, the featherweight and bantamweight divisions? All three have a champion with at least three defenses. Are these men set up to be dominant for years to come? Just how old are the top fighters in the world? Are we about to see a dramatic changing of the guard, or will new stars emerge gradually? I set out to answer these questions by looking at the age demographics of the entire UFC roster. Some of the findings I will be presenting in parts two and three include: The average age for the UFC as a whole and for each division. The Top 25 UFC fighters under 25 as well as the top 25 under 25 outside the UFC (using the Bloody Elbow World Scouting Report as a reference.) A champions forecasts, based on the age of each champion and the age of the top contenders in their division. Room to grow: A look at UFC fighters with less than 3 fights in the organization and less than 10 fights overall. I'll be putting out part two first thing tomorrow morning and will be putting out part three a few hours after that. I look forward to hearing what you guys think of my findings.

Posted in: ufc, title, champion, division, part

Talking To Tucker: I Get Him To Tell The Inside Story On Jeremie Myers. Part Five of Five

After reading a Forbes.com profile of Tucker Max, a controversial Internet star who'd turned into an absurdly successful book author, I noticed that a very brief quote about the good qualities of MMA was almost buried into the piece. I reached out to Tucker in hopes of getting a few quick blurbs about the positive mention of MMA in a mainstream media publication and then mashing the whole thing together as a short post here on Bloody Elbow. Tucker ruined those hopes by bouncing back and forth with me in a nearly 4500 word Q&A session, which is now the five part interview being featured here on Bloody Elbow. The back and forths that we went through showed that Max views MMA as a source of physical betterment, complex and useful techniques, great friends and astonishing personal growth - which should be surprisingly universal to combat sports followers and participants reading this. The first part of this interview dealt with Tucker Max's discovery of Brazilian jiu jitsu, subsequent humbling and the transition into training MMA. The second gave us the surprisingly good methodology of his training with MMA hillbilly Reggie Warren and moved us to Max's present day training in Austin, Texas. The third part essentially asked Tucker why he does all of this and why he is willing to stand up on this platform and talk about MMA. In the fourth, I'm tossing him as many questions as I possibly can and he's fielding them with ease. In this last part, I surprise him a bit with a question about Jeremie "Kamikaze" Myers and he launches into a great story before we close things out with a few last questions. This interview is done partly in support of his latest books, Hilarity Ensues and Sloppy Seconds, yet the interview is 100% Tucker, 100% relevant to MMA and there is no advertising or review thing going on here. Max was genuinely surprised by me reaching out and by my questions and welcomed the chance to talk about something other than his debauchery. I present his answers exactly as written (minus the bleeping out of a few cuss words). The books hit stores earlier this week and can be ordered online as well. Hit the jump for Part Five. Part One: Discovery of BJJ, The Jump to MMA, Training at Legend's in Hollywood, CA. Part Two: How Reggie Warren Built a Passable Sparring Dummy and Present Day Training in Austin, TX Part Three: Swimming in Deep Waters and Coming Out Alive Part Four: The Exact Space MMA Occupies in his Life Ben Thapa: You're 35 years old. What do you want from your endeavors within MMA at this point? Tucker Max: I never had an "end" goal with MMA; I want the same things in the future that its given me in the past, which I kinda talked about above. MMA is not a thing I'm doing for a period of my life. To me, it's now a part of who I am. At this point, I couldn't imagine not training anymore. The only other thing I want from MMA is actually not something I want, but something I want to give back: I'd love to expose more people to the sport, men and women. MMA has given so much to me, I'd love to figure out a way to share it. Plus, I think fighting is something very deep in the human psyche, and MMA is a way to safely, productively express that urge. Beyond that, I think MMA teaches so many positive things to so many people that could benefit, but don't realize it. I don't see myself as being any strong voice for it or anything, just another person who does it and loves it and helps others start. BT: Have you been successful at converting friends and family to active participants or casual fans? TM: Oh yes. So many of my friend have seen the amazing changes in both my body and my life as a result of MMA, and they took it up. I've gotten two girls seriously into muay thai, and both are now really good at it, like competition level good. And I would say at least three of my male friends are serious enough at now that they're maybe better than me at gi jiu-jitsu. One competes a lot and wins grappling tournaments and s**t, I think he's a f***ing purple belt with some major tournament wins. BT: What was the story with the sparring match with Jeremie Myers in Ohio? TM: How did you know about that? I don't think I've ever written about that. That's a funny story: So right before the book tour, this random guy from Ohio emails me, explains that he's like 10-1 as an amateur at MMA, is about to turn pro, and was wondering if I would sponsor him. I normally ignore email where people ask me for things, but since I love MMA, I made this guy a deal: I would sponsor him for $200, but he had to beat me in an MMA fight. Not a full fight, but sparring. He immediately took the deal. Here's the funny thing: I didn't tell him that I had ever trained any sort of martial art, in fact, I think I lied and told him I didn't. I actually did this because I wanted to see what kind of guy he was; I knew he was a more skilled fighter than me of course, but I figured if I went in there, and he thought I had no idea what I was doing, I'd have about a 30 second window to throw a submission on him before he was expecting it. I wanted to see how he handled this, how mentally tough he was--if I was going to let him put my name on his ass, he'd better not just be a good fighter, but I wanted to make sure he wasn't a quitter or anything like that. During the book tour for Assholes Finish First, I met him at a gym in Ohio, and I let him take me down, and then I threw probably the greatest omoplata of my life on him. I could tell he was in shock, but the dude kept his head, patiently worked his escape, and I blew my one shot at subbing him. I was able to stay with him for about 5 or 10 minutes, but the only advantage I had was surprise and once that was gone, it was only a matter of time, and he got me. Jeremie actually lives in Austin now, and trains out of the Relson Gracie affiliate. He just won his last pro fight in Dallas, I think he's 4-3 overall. He has all the tools to become a really good fighter, he just has to dedicate himself to putting in the work. To ruin the mystery of how I knew, the answer to Max's question is that Jeremie appeared on The Verbal Submission, a radio show that I co-host with Brian Hemminger of MMA Mania and Gerry Rodriguez. He was on our 23rd episode last year and we are now coming up on our 72nd next Sunday at 6:30 pm ET. Our 71st episode featured interviews with Diego Sanchez, Sheldon Westcott and Dave Camarillo. BT: Did you tour facilities around the country during the previous book tours or have plans for doing that? TM: No, I'm too busy on book tours to train, but I travel a lot and train at different places sometimes. For example, this past week in NYC, I rolled at Marcelo Garcia's place for the first time. It was incredible. I've never rolled with a group of guys who - top to bottom - had more amazing open guards. I rolled for an hour with like nine different guys, and I don't think I f***ing passed one person. Cool guys though; they put an a**-whipping on me, but they did it in the nicest, most instructive way possible. If I lived in NYC, I would definitely train there full time. Note: This is not the first time Tucker has spoken about MMA the positive effects he perceives as being associated with or derived from the sport. At the 2011 Ancestral Health Symposium, he spoke for about twenty minutes, using a Powerpoint slideshow to illustrate his ideas of fighting occupying a necessary societal function. The video is embedded below - although be warned that it was recorded with something like a webcam and frameskips a bunch. The audio is clear and you can sort of riffle through to see the slides and the general points. "From cave to cage: Mixed martial arts in ancestral health" by Tucker Max from Ancestry. BT: How would you characterize the immediate response and the eventual after effects at the Ancestral Health Symposium to your presentation on the positive effects of controlled violence through MMA and MMA-like activities? TM: The response was overwhelmingly positive. The people at that thing are mostly academics and people who, let's say aren't super athletic or anything like that. But I think they understood exactly what I was saying, because my message is one that is very primal and resonates at a deep level with people: Fighting is part of our ancestry. Better to recognize that, understand it, and then express that part of ourselves in a safe, productive way, than suppress it and have it come out in other destructive ways. Since that speech, I've had a ton of people say they've started training some for of martial arts. If the type of people who were at the conference start training and understanding MMA/BJJ, the world is going to be a better place, and more people will understand how amazing martial arts are for humans. End of Part Five Thanks for sticking with us the whole time. It was a novel experience and I hope it was worth the read. Part One: Discovery of BJJ, The Jump to MMA, Training at Legend's in Hollywood, CA. Part Two: How Reggie Warren Built a Passable Sparring Dummy and Present Day Training in Austin, TX Part Three: Swimming in Deep Waters and Coming Out Alive Part Four: The Exact Space MMA Occupies in his Life

Posted in: mma, part, training, thing, tucker

Talking To Tucker Max: The Exact Space MMA Occupies In His Life. Part Four Of Five

After reading a Forbes.com profile of Tucker Max, a controversial Internet star who'd turned into an absurdly successful book author, I noticed that a very brief quote about the good qualities of MMA was almost buried into the piece. I reached out to Tucker in hopes of getting a few quick blurbs about the positive mention of MMA in a mainstream media publication and then mashing the whole thing together as a short post here on Bloody Elbow. Tucker ruined those hopes by bouncing back and forth with me in a nearly 4500 word Q&A session, which is now the five part interview being featured here on Bloody Elbow. The back and forths that we went through showed that Max views MMA as a source of physical betterment, complex and useful techniques, great friends and astonishing personal growth - which should be surprisingly universal to combat sports followers and participants reading this. The first part of this interview dealt with Tucker Max's discovery of Brazilian jiu jitsu, subsequent humbling and the transition into training MMA. The second gave us the surprisingly good methodology of his training with MMA hillbilly Reggie Warren and moved us to Max's present day training in Austin, Texas. The third part essentially asked Tucker why he does all of this and why he is willing to stand up on this platform and talk about MMA. At this point, I'm tossing him as many questions as I possibly can and he's fielding them with ease. This interview is done partly in support of his latest books, Hilarity Ensues and Sloppy Seconds, yet the interview is 100% Tucker, 100% relevant to MMA and there is no advertising or review thing going on here. Max was genuinely surprised by me reaching out and by my questions and welcomed the chance to talk about something other than his debauchery. I present his answers exactly as written (minus the bleeping out of a few cuss words). The books hit stores today and can be ordered online as well. Hit the jump for Part Four. Part One: Discovery of BJJ, The Jump to MMA, Training at Legend's in Hollywood, CA. Part Two: How Reggie Warren Built a Passable Sparring Dummy and Present Day Training in Austin, TX Part Three: Swimming in Deep Waters and Coming Out Alive Ben Thapa: The average person who has heard of you probably read your stories about partying, sex and coming up with solid jokes or maybe saw the movie. Were you also brawling in the streets too? Why didn't that part make it into the books or movie? Tucker Max: Not really. I mean, if you go to bars and parties to get into fights, you're just an idiot. I drink to have fun, not to get into fights, and I go out to meet girls, not punch dudes. I've never understood guys that go out looking for random bar fights, that's never been me. I like girls, and fighting in bars doesn't help me get girls to like me, so I don't do it. BT: Why do you not Tweet or Facebook about it? A section of your old messageboard was once entirely devoted to MMA and spun off into its own site. TM: Pretty simple reason: I try to keep my public writing limited to things that I think are funny and entertaining to other people. I don't write about everything in my life, in fact, I write about very little in my life that isn't related to my books. I am an entertainer, not an autobiographer, and though I love MMA, I doubt many of my fans really care that much that I train or what I think about MMA. BT: How much do you follow MMA, boxing, submission grappling, Muay Thai or kickboxing? Are you staying up until the late hours of the night watching Japanese Shooto or the ADCCs? Regional shows? Bellator? Strikeforce? Or UFC only? TM: No, dude. I love MMA and BJJ and all that stuff, but it doesn't occupy that much of an obsessional place in my life. I probably buy like half of the UFC pay per views, and I'll watch most of the Fight Nights and Ultimate Fighters. I do go to a lot of regional shows, because watching MMA in person is fun. I train with and know a lot of guys who are local MMA fighters, so I go watch their fights. But that's it. BT: Is the sport in general headed towards a place that you like or would you change certain rules or attitudes if you could? TM: Overall, I think you have to love the way MMA is headed. The skill level of the sport has evolved so f***ing rapidly, its amazing. The one thing I'd love is to see knees to a grounded opponent allowed like in Pride. At the very least this should be allowed at the top levels of the sport. I think that would make the sport not only more realistic, but more exciting. BT: At this point, you have an insider's understanding of how movies are put together. What'd you think of Warrior, Redbelt or any of the other movies and TV shows dealing with elements of MMA that you've seen? Does Hollywood understand this sport like it occasionally gets boxing? TM: I haven't seen Warrior, but I saw Redbelt and a few other MMA movies, and of course they're awful. Hollywood doesn't care about what we care about as MMA fans. We want it to be real. They want to sell tickets. BT: How did you get Mac Danzig and Forrest Griffin in your movie? TM: Because Mac and Forrest are my buddies, I asked them if they wanted to be in it, they said yes, so I got them in. Pretty simple. BT: Mac took the photo that's on the cover of your book Assholes Finish First, right? TM: Yeah, actually he did. If you look at the photo credit on the jacket cover, it's his name. Do you still predict or bet on MMA fights? TM: I don't bet much on fights, but of course I try to predict them. I wouldn't say my record is that great though. I make the same mistakes that most people make; overestimating hot fighters, underestimating long terms trends, etc. BT: What's your standpoint on the "sex before a fight" debate? TM: I don't know, I've never had a sanctioned fight, so I don't really feel qualified to speak on that. I train with guys who get in the cage, but that is a fundamentally different thing than actually getting in the cage. I don't even call myself an MMA fighter, because I'm not. I train MMA. I f***ing hate when people who don't actually get in a cage and put themselves on the line in a real fight, talk about an MMA fight like they know what the f*** they're talking about. That's bulls***, so I won't do it. End of Part Four Part One: Discovery of BJJ, The Jump to MMA, Training at Legend's in Hollywood, CA. Part Two: How Reggie Warren Built a Passable Sparring Dummy and Present Day Training in Austin, TX Part Three: Swimming in Deep Waters and Coming Out Alive Stay tuned tomorrow as the conclusory Part Five appears.

Posted in: fight, mma, part, tucker, tm

Talking To Tucker Max: Swimming In Deep Waters And Coming Out Alive. Part Three of Five

After reading a Forbes.com profile of Tucker Max, a controversial Internet star who'd turned into an absurdly successful book author, I noticed that a very brief quote about the good qualities of MMA was almost buried into the piece. I reached out to Tucker in hopes of getting a few quick blurbs about the positive mention of MMA in a mainstream media publication and then mashing the whole thing together as a short post here on Bloody Elbow. Tucker ruined those hopes by bouncing back and forth with me in a nearly 4500 word Q&A session, which is now the five part interview being featured here on Bloody Elbow. The back and forths that we went through showed that Max views MMA as a source of physical betterment, complex and useful techniques, great friends and astonishing personal growth - which should be surprisingly universal to combat sports followers and participants reading this. The first part of this interview dealt with Tucker Max's discovery of Brazilian jiu jitsu, subsequent humbling and the transition into training MMA. The second gave us the surprisingly good methodology of his training with MMA hillbilly Reggie Warren and moved us to Max's present day training in Austin, Texas. This third part essentially asks Tucker why he does all of this and why he is willing to stand up on this platform and talk about MMA. His answer is surprisingly eloquent. This interview is done partly in support of his latest books, Hilarity Ensues and Sloppy Seconds, yet the interview is 100% Tucker, 100% relevant to MMA and there is no advertising or review thing going on here. Max was genuinely surprised by me reaching out and by my questions and welcomed the chance to talk about something other than his debauchery. I present his answers exactly as written (minus the bleeping out of a few cuss words). The books hit stores today and can be ordered online as well. Hit the jump for Part Three. Part One: Discovery of BJJ, The Jump to MMA, Training at Legend's in Hollywood, CA. Part Two: How Reggie Warren Built a Passable Sparring Dummy and Present Day Training in Austin, TX Ben Thapa: How deeply embedded into your life is MMA? What does the sport mean to you personally? Tucker Max: My closet is full of Affliction shirts, my car has six Tap-Out bumper stickers and I even wear my mouth guard to bars! I'm hardcore!!! HAHAHA--just kidding. I love MMA/BJJ and its a huge part of my life, but I don't think you'd know it looking at me or even walking around my apartment. You might see my signed Bas Rutten Street Fighting DVD (the outtake reel from that is still the funniest viral video in internet history), or maybe I'll have a rash-guard or something laying on the washer, but that's it as far as looking at me from the outside. That being said, MMA is a huge part of my personal, inner life. The sport changed my life in such substantive ways, ways that are integral to who I am today. First off, MMA indirectly got me into paleo eating, which has been amazing [Max says you can read more about that at http://www.adultswim.com/blog/interviews/celeb-nerdy-tucker-max.html]. But more importantly, MMA changed the way I looked at myself and at the world. I don't want to sound like a weirdo about this, but I bet that since most Bloody Elbow readers train martial arts, they will understand what I'm talking about: MMA has taught me so much about myself. The first thing I learned was deep humility, but in a good way, a safe, productive manner that nothing else ever did. You tap or you break your arm. You accept defeat every day, but you learn from it, you get better, and you move on. You come to understand that it's OK to fail, as long as you use it to learn how to succeed. It gives you a resilience along with your humility. MMA also helped me figure out who I was. You know the Fight Club quote, "How much can you know about yourself if you've never been in a fight?" It's f***ing true. When you train, you can either be a quitter, or you can stay calm under stress, fight through it, and maybe escape the position. You can either brave the chaos, face your fear and come out the other side, or you can succumb to that fear and run and hide. These are questions every man has about himself, and MMA helps you answer them more than anything else I have ever been a part of. That's what's so awesome about MMA/BJJ--fighting is truth. Everything in life is bulls**t, but not fighting. You can't hide on the mat, the truth finds you, because violence is so pure, so elemental that it strips away all artifice and reduces us down to our core. Life or death. Win or loss. No grey area, no bulls**t. What else in life is like that? Nothing. It's the ultimate way to see who you are as a person. True deeply held inner confidence comes from repeated, demonstrated performance, and training in MMA gives you that chance to show to yourself and others that you can do it. Because I've done it, because I've trained hard and swam in deep waters, made a good account of myself, and come out alive--I know who I am. That sort of self-knowledge creates an amazing confidence and calm in a person. I have demonstrated--to myself--that I can handle myself in a fight, that I can stand in the ring. And I know if I can do that, I know I am going to be OK in almost anything else I have to face in life. And the cool thing is you don't have to be the best, you don't even have to be all that good, to get the psychological benefits of MMA/BJJ--god knows I am not very good at all when compared to most people who train with me. Because I mostly train with people better than me, I doubt I've "won" even 25% of my sparring sessions. But so what? Unless you're doing it as a pro, for money, then it's not about winning. It's about going in, working your a** off, testing yourself as much as you can, and proving to yourself that I you are who you think you are. That you can stand on that mat and face that man across from you. If you do that, the result doesn't really matter. BT: Why does the athletic struggle with an opponent in this specific context make you answer more self-posed questions than team sports like basketball or football or individual sports like wrestling? Wouldn't they pose the same questions? TM: No they don't. It's not that other sports don't provide a ton of value; they do, and I am glad I played all of them, but that aren't the same, and I just can't look at them the same way after I tried fighting. Fighting is the purest, most primal thing a human can do (other than have sex). Any sport is going to have artifice built into it and be a few steps removed from fighting--it has to be, it's only a sport. I could write 10,000 words about this, but here's a simple explanation that think everyone will understand: You ever played an intense basketball game or football game or whatever, one where your team hates the other team, where everyone is playing hard and intense and you win? If the other team has a guy who a very sore loser, what does he do? Start a fight. You know why? Because winning a basketball game only means you won a basketball game. It hasn't really proven anything. But when you lose a fight, what can you do then? Fight again? You just lost--it's over. Winning a basketball game and winning a fight are fundamentally different, because playing basketball never puts your life in danger. When you train MMA/BJJ, you are putting your life in the hands of the guy you are training with. That makes it the ultimate proving ground. By playing basketball, you answers questions about how well you play basketball, but by fighting, a man can answer questions not about a sport, but about himself. End of Part Three Part One: Discovery of BJJ, The Jump to MMA, Training at Legend's in Hollywood, CA. Part Two: How Reggie Warren Built a Passable Sparring Dummy and Present Day Training in Austin, TX Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow as Parts Four and Five will appear daily until the end of the week (2/10/12)

Posted in: mma, sport, life, part, training

Talking To Tucker Max, Controversial New York Times Bestselling Author, About MMA Part 2 of 5

After reading a Forbes.com profile of Tucker Max, a controversial Internet star who'd turned into an absurdly successful physical book author, I noticed that a very brief quote about the good qualities of MMA was almost buried into the piece. I reached out to Tucker in hopes of getting a few quick blurbs about the positive mention of MMA in a mainstream media publication and then mashing the whole thing together as a short post here on Bloody Elbow. Tucker ruined those hopes by bouncing back and forth with me in a Q&A session that ranges from describing his discovery of the sport, the move to direct participation and the many connections he made with professionals and friends. The five-part interview is nearly 4500 words long and is interspersed with many highly passionate and profound thoughts at the positive experiences and values combat sports have for him and their applicability to others. The first part of the interview dealt with his discovery of Brazilian jiu jitsu, subsequent humbling and the transition into training MMA at the original incarnation of Legend's in Hollywood, California. This second part looks a bit deeper into his actual training and moves us to Tucker's present, while I start to ask questions about what he gets from the sport. This interview is done partly in support of his latest books, Hilarity Ensues and Sloppy Seconds, yet the interview is 100% Tucker, 100% relevant to MMA and there is no advertising or review thing going on here. Max was genuinely surprised by me reaching out and by my questions and welcomed the chance to talk about something other than his debauchery. I present his answers exactly as written (minus the bleeping out of a few cuss words). The books hit stores today and can be ordered online as well. Hit the jump for the second of five parts encompassing Tucker's experiences and views on mixed martial arts, as told in his unique voice and featuring brief glimpses of some very prominent MMA fighters and figures. Ben Thapa: How is it that Reggie Warren was able to get you to a competence point inside a year in which you could spar relatively well and we see MMA fighters who never pick up striking well? Tucker Max: First off, he didn't make me a great boxer or anything, that obviously takes years, he basically just made into a mediocre MMA striking partner. That's not remotely the same thing. But that being said, I did learn very fast, much faster than most I think, and it was for two reasons: 1. Reggie has a very good understanding of technique, and from the beginning I specifically asked Reggie to focus on this with me and correct EVERY mistake I made, even if that meant he corrected me every five seconds. This is for a reason; the way the human brain learns, if you really take the time at the beginning and focus on perfecting your technique, it takes longer, but you form the correct neural pathways first. This provides two benefits: You don't have to unlearn wrong habits, and your technique holds up under high stress situations because you imprinted the right habits. And yes, I read way too much neuroscience, but its cool when you apply it in real life. I think that's a big problem with fighters--they learned wrong striking techniques early or somehow developed bad habits, and either can't or won't unlearn them and relearn the correct way, because that's very difficult, and they don't have anyone in their camp that forces them to do that. It's not that they can't be good strikers; it's that they won't put in the right type of work. 2. Reggie would constantly keep my training at the edge of my competency, which accelerated my learning. In the literature, this is called "deliberate practice" and what it means in practice is that as I got better, Reggie increased his technique load or work load or his responses in sparring with me, so I was never just doing what I was good at; instead he was constantly pushing me just a little further to the edge of what I was able to do. It's the same concept behind progressive load weight training--you get better by adding weight. It takes a good teacher to do this right, and he is really f***ing good. I guess there was one other thing that helped: I was only doing striking at the time, because I had a partially torn ACL from MMA and couldn't roll (which I later fully tore while having sex, that story is actually in Hilarity Ensues), so I was able to focus just on striking and train with him 3-4 times a week. That helps, of course. BT: Where do you train now? TM: I live in Austin, Texas now, and I split my time training between two places: a Relson Gracie affiliate run by Christy Thomas (and Phil Cardella, though he just left to open a place in Florida), and a new place that just started, a Gracie Humiata affiliate run by Donald Park. Both Christy and Donald are friends of mine and both their academies are great places to train, and I would recommend either to anyone interested. The only thing that sucks now is that its tough to get true MMA specific instruction here, the way that I had it in LA. There just aren't many people who have enough experience in MMA to be effective teachers of it at this point, so in Austin, I kinda have to do everything separate; gi, no-gi, boxing, muay thai, and wrestling are pretty much all from different instructors or even different gyms. There are good teachers here for each specific thing, but I didn't realize how lucky I was in LA to have the MMA teachers who were full time MMA fighters and could put it all together the way that Mac did. Austin has some amazing MMA fighters that train out of here. I've either seen at the gym or trained with Tim Kennedy, Kamal Shalorus, Yves Edwards and Roger Huerta in Austin. But none of them teach; MMA has gotten to the point where the big guys like this are getting paid enough they don't have to teach people like me anymore. That's cool for them, but kinda sucks for me. But whatever, its not like I'm training for a fight, it's not a big deal, there are still world class teachers here, I can't complain. Even though I guess I just did. BT: Have you competed as an amateur or professional in any MMA? If so, did you do well or draw a positive experience from that? TM: No man, no Mickey Rourke/Jose Canseco s**t for me. Tons of sparring of course, but never a real MMA fight. You know whats funny is, even when I was training 4-5 days a week at Legends, it never really occurred to me to actually take a full-on fight. I guess because I was training with so many guys who were all so good, and I was clearly not at their level, it never occurred to me to do it as well. I just had fun training with them, and that was enough for me. I love MMA as a hobby, but thats very different than doing it seriously enough to take sanctioned fights. I'm not foolish enough to think I can train casually and then be ready to do a serious fight. That's ridiculous. Serious MMA competition--even at low levels--is a full time job, and a very hard one. One of the things I love about the way I train MMA is that I don't have to be totally serious about it, that I can take a day or even a week off, and it doesn't matter. It's my hobby, I love it as a hobby; I don't want to make it my job. You know the saying, "Marry your mistress, and you create a vacancy." I never wanted to do that. End of Part Two Part 1 - Discovery of MMA - can be read by clicking on this link. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow as Parts Three to Five will appear daily until the end of the week (2/10/12).

Posted in: mma, part, training, thing, tucker

Notes On The Concussion Crisis: CTEM And The New Lou Gehrig Connection

If you haven't read Jonah Lehrer's article on concussions, and the teenage brain over at Grantland, I suggest you do so. It's a fascinating scientific exploration of why brain trauma is so critical in teenagers: the teenage brain is itself experiencing a critical period. It's like throwing a banana peel underneath the foot of a runner in the 100 meter dash. In the context of neural development, your brain (particularly the frontal cortex, which is important for judgment and impulse control) is scrambling to get near the finish line while you're a teenager. The statistics reveal this growing reality, as the Journal of Pediatrics show that 144 thousand individuals under the age of 18 are treated for concussions in the emergency room every year. It's actually kind of shocking to think MMA has yet to truly confront this problem, but then we have no amateur system to truly chronicle. However, that's not to say the problem doesn't exist. Recently, Satoshi Ishii, an Olympic Judoka who was once the ‘talk of the town', suffered a brain injury in his Fedor bout, in this case cerebral edema, that will likely end his career (Ryo Chonan is denying the report, however, explaining that Ishii is fine). When it comes to the ‘concussion crisis', there always seems to be a new angle to explore. We hear whispers about concussions being associated with depression, and perhaps addiction. We hear whispers about concussions and their associations with Parkinson's. The latest angle connects concussions with Lou Gehrig's disease (or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). It's a connection that has given birth to an actual disorder: as a riff on CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), this new worry has been dubbed chronic traumatic encephalomyelopathy (CTEM). As Jeffrey Bartholet reports in the February issue of Scientific American, Ann McKee of Boston University, one of the foremost experts on CTE, notes how the brains of deceased athletes are beginning to show signs of more than just the abnormal deposits of the tau protein that characterize CTE. "In about 13 percent of CTE cases studied, the deceased had also been diagnosed with ALS - a very high percentage", Bartholet explains. However, what makes this number unique is that abnormal deposits of a protein called TDP-43, which shows up in patients with ALS, are also showing up in patients with CTE, but the proteins exist in their own distinct pattern (and on different parts of the brain), suggesting we are dealing with a distinct disorder, and a disorder that indicates a direct cause, just as CTE does: repeated blows to the head. However, if there's one thing Bartholet deserves credit for, it's in making sure the skeptics get a voice. "There are many nuances to data even when they are clear cut", Armon (Carmel Armon, a Professor of Neurology at Tufts University) says. For instance, tau and TDP-43 could be causal agents of brain disease, or they could be part of a response mechanism in the brain to fight the disease. Even if they are causal, they could be contributing to two different diseases. "The data don't support that CTE and CTEM are part of one continuum," Armon asserts. Questions are vital to the discourse on the so called ‘concussion crisis' precisely because CTE itself is not completely understood. Why do some players and not others experience dementia? Where do we draw the line between correlation and causation? If I disagree anywhere with Lehrer it's this idea that contact sports are ready to have their tombstones engraved when there are clearly a lot of unanswered questions. Hopefully MMA can begin to take part in this discussion before real tragedy strikes, as it has in other sports.

Posted in: part, brain, concussion, cte, disease

Check out a breakdown of this weekend's It's Showtime, Saki vs. Hari card

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] Before the main Part 2 portion of the card headlined by Badr Hari vs. Gokhan Saki kicks off, a stacked undercard, Part 1, will be taking place. Featuring six fights, including a title fight at 73kg and a match-up between two of kickboxing's most popular fighters, Tyrone Spong and Melvin Manhoef, the Part 1 portion of the card could be its own event. We'll preview all six fights on Part 1 of the card. The fights will be broken down and an outcome will be predicted. Click "Read More" to see the previews and predictions of all six fights. Read More...

Posted in: fight, part, card, liverkickcom part, middleeasy networkdiv

UFC Primetime: Diaz vs Condit Part 1

submitted by lukeh15 [link] [4 comments]

Posted in: ufc, vs, part, primetime, lukeh

Angles in Striking Part 3: From Above

This is the concluding segment of a three part series. The other parts can be found below: Part 1: Footwork Part 2: From Below In the second part of this series we studied the blind angle and the advantages of attacking one's opponent through this. It is a common tactic among master strikers and there is a lot more to be said on it still (for instance it is the reason that Muhammad Ali and Anderson Silva fight with their hands low - not because they are arrogant, but because it makes their punches difficult to see). In this article, however, we are going to focus on the least used blind angle, techniques which come from above. These are far less common than techniques from below, partly because there is a very limited amount of legal techniques to throw downward onto the top of an opponent's skull (particularly with the banning of downward elbows in mainstream kickboxing and MMA), and partly because most strikers who choose to vary their attack do so by throwing uppercuts and attacking from below exclusively. Take a look at this photo of Joshua Clottey covering up against Manny Pacquiao. This was basically the story of the fight, Clottey could not compete with Pacquiao's footwork, speed or power so he chose to survive and he did so excellently - coming out of the fight largely unmarked and in much better shape than most of Pacquiao's victims. You will notice that Clottey has braced his gloves against the sides of his forehead and is keeping his chin down, elbows in, hips thrust forward so that his abdominals are tensed for body shots but his is upright enough to effectively nullify Pacquiao's uppercut. So Pacquiao set to work with his famous combinations, landing in double digit bursts, but did little damage. You will notice that the one place vulnerable in Clottey's excellent guard is the top of his head and that he has obscured most of his own vision. Boxers (and Nick Diaz) are less opposed to taking punches on the forehead as it is the hardest area of the skull, but the top of head is less dense, and less prone to taking damage. Additionally one cannot see punches to the top of the head coming, I'm sure most readers can think of time their shower or some other household item fell on their head with no warning. If even an excellent guard such as Joshua Clottey's has a hole in the top of it, it stands to reason that much lesser strikers in MMA are going to be susceptible to attack from above. The most notable example of this in MMA is Chuck Liddell's legendary overhand. A few weeks back I wrote an article on the Cross Counter, in which I belittled the modern overhand as a direct attack, asserting it was wide, predictable and one of the main reasons boxing elitists look down on striking in the sport of MMA. Liddell's overhand is genius however, for he doesn't throw a leaning hook that attempts to come around the side of an opponent's guard (which is all too often difficult to achieve) but instead brings his right hand over the top and down the middle of an opponent's guard. Here he is, in his bout with Alistair Overeem in PRIDE - through which he has been on the end of a fairly one sided striking clinic, partly due to Alistair's good defence: Notice how Alistair's hands are in a good traditional covering up position; if Liddell had thrown the usual glorified right hook that we are used to seeing in MMA, it would have been blocked on Alistai's left forearm, but instead it comes in almost vertically, bisecting Alistair's guard and putting him out on his feet. Here is Chuck explaining the same technique: Chuck Liddell Teaches His Overhand Right... (via johnniekombat) Another brilliant example of exploiting downward strikes is Andy Hug's legendary axe kick. For those unfamiliar with Andy Hug he was a Swiss Kyokushin Karateka who became so respected in Japan for his accomplishments as a relatively small heavyweight kickboxer in the early days of K-1 that he was referred to as the "Blue Eyed Samurai" (despite having brown eyes). Hug fought his last 4 fights, arguably his best streak, with undiagnosed Leukaemia which eventually took his life, but his accomplishments and phenomenal style see him fondly remembered in the kickboxing community. Here he is demonstrating one of his several signature techniques: the axe kick. The axe kick or Kakato Geri is typically demonstrated in traditional karate as a technique used to bring your heel down on the head or body of a downed opponent. Andy Hug however preferred to bring his heel down on the head or collar bone of a standing opponent. Notice how he is attempting to come down between the hands of his opponent in this photo. Hug's powerful roundhouse kicks ensured that opponents always kept their arms in this traditional form of guard, then he would attempt his axe kicks. Here is a highlight of Hug's early career with axe kicks in full form: K1 - Best Of Andy Hug - Part 1 by mart (via depeche1972) Hug's war with Mirko Cro Cop saw both participants trading axe kicks and was a real crowd pleaser. Cro Cop eventually pulled out the axe kick in his MMA career against Mark Hunt and most recently in the UFC against Pat Barry, though it lacks the venom of Andy Hug's, it is still a nice tribute and caught Barry completely off guard. Attacks from above are still pretty rare in MMA and Kickboxing, especially compared to attacks from below, but their value is certainly clear; they're tough to see, hard to train for and difficult to counter. Jon Jones has begun to land spinning elbows to the top of the head, but I most athletes in combat sports today don't consider it a valid target. While axe kicks may be difficult to pull off, it would certainly be interesting to see more fighters attempt Liddell's overhand, even if only against a stunned opponent whom they are struggling to land on. Jack Slack maintains a blog at http://fightsgoneby.blogspot.com/ where he analyses striking technique in MMA, Boxing and Kickboxing.

Posted in: mma, part, opponent, axe, hug

MMAFighting.com's 2011 Year In Video Part 1 (Part 2 in comments)

submitted by NewUploader1 [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: video, year, part, newuploader, mmafightingcom

A Very Judo Chop Christmas - Part 3

It has been a huge year for mixed martial arts and Bloody Elbow has broken down the year's action with seventy Judo Chops thus far in 2011. As is becoming a Christmas tradition in these parts, we bring you a multi-part list of the year's breakdowns. Here's part 3: Anderson Silva, Muhammad Ali, and the Anchor Punch Minotauro Nogueira Knocks Out Brendan Schaub Roger Gracie's Jiu Jitsu Basics For MMA King Mo Lawal Knocked Out by Feijao Josh Barnett and Unorthodox Submissions Healy Busts Out A Kadowaki Special on Blanco Luke Rockhold Jump Kick to Spin Kick Luke Rockhold Does a Cage Crawling Clinic Against Jacare T.J. Waldburger Chains Submissions Together Rampage Jackson and the Hook Punch The Redneck Judo Chop of Tim Boetsch The Footwork of Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson The Striking of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard The Grappling of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II Steve Cantwell Hits a Fake Push Kick to Head Kick Uppercuts in Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 3 Nick Diaz's Ground Game B.J. Penn's Back Control Breaking Down the Ground Work of Maia/Munoz at UFC 131 Cung Le and the Sanshou Spinning Back Kick Chris Weidman Puts Tom Lawlor to Sleep with a D'Arce Choke Martin Kampmann Foot-Sweeps Rick Story With a Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi Shogun Rua's Fight-Saving Leglock on Dan Henderson Darren Uyenoyama's Back Control and What Kid Yamamoto Did Wrong Matt Brown's Scissors Sweep of Seth Baczynski Diego Brandao and the Armbar from the Guard Shogun Rua's Half Guard Game and How Jon Jones Shut It Down Frank Mir Uses a Kimura to Break Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's Arm Jon Jones Front Chancery Chokes Lyoto Machida Happy holidays to you and yours from Bloody Elbow!

Posted in: vs, part, tim boetsch, kick, judo

A Very Judo Chop Christmas - Part 2

Here's part 2, more to come later today. Jason MacDonald Uses a Nifty Arm Trap to Set Up a Triangle Ivan Menjivar's Short Elbow From Clinch Rory MacDonald's Triple Belly-to-Back Slams The Footwork of Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson and Matt Hamill Rick Story Capitalizes on Thiago Alves' Footwork Anthony Pettis and Ben Henderson Put on a Classic George Roop's Front Push Kick Flattens Josh Grispi at UFC's TUF Finale Breaking Down the Striking Aspect of Mark Munoz vs. Demian Maia Jorge Masvidal Beats K.J. Noons to the Punch Josh Barnett's Invisible Grappling Joe Lauzon's 'Trimura' on Curt Warburton Charles Oliveira and Nik Lentz Put on a Marred Classic Striking to Take Downs With Rashad Evans Chaining Takedowns with Rani Yahya Anderson Silva's Masterful Clinch Work Part 1 Anderson Silva and the Muay Thai Clinch Part 2 Bellator's Pat Curran Lands a Peruvian Necktie Ed Herman Heel Hooks Kyle Noke via 50/50 Guard at UFC on Versus 5 Anderson Silva Puts on a Show Against Forrest Griffin Yushin Okami and Attacking Anderson Silva's Guard Happy holidays to you and yours from Bloody Elbow!

Posted in: part, ben henderson, anderson, nik lentz, arm trap

A Very Judo Chop Christmas - Part 1

It has been a huge year for mixed martial arts and Bloody Elbow has broken down the year's action with seventy Judo Chops thus far in 2011. As is becoming a Christmas tradition in these parts, we bring you a multi-part list of the year's breakdowns. Here's part 1, more to come later today. The UFC's Nick Pace and the No Arm Triangle or 'Pace Choke' Nick Diaz Gogoplatas Takanori Gomi Anderson Silva Lands a Muay Boran Back Elbow Carlo Prater Uses a Novel Finish to the Anaconda Choke The Old-School Guard Passing of George Sotiropolous Dan Henderson and Rick Hawn Win the Trip Take Down Battles The Flaws of Jon Jones Edson Barboza's Spinning Hook Kick 'Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung Lands Eddie Bravo's Twister at UFC Fight Night 24 UFC's Amir Sadollah Combines Twisting Arm Control With Elbows Michael McDonald, Edwin Figueroa And The Bro Hug Phil Davis Adjusts His Approach to Take Downs The Boxing and Jiu Jitsu of Nick Diaz Shinya Aoki and the Rear Face Lock John Makdessi Brings Taekwondo Kicks to the UFC Georges St Pierre's Chain Take Downs Georges St. Pierre's Superman Punch Georges St Pierre and the Spinning Back Kick Jake Shields' American Jiu Jitsu Part 1 Jake Shields' American Jiu Jitsu Part 2 Jake Shields' American Jiu Jitsu Part 3 Happy holidays to you and yours from Bloody Elbow!

Posted in: ufc, part, elbow, george, jiu

Vitor Belfort’s Road To UFC 142: Part One

Part one of Vitor Belfort’s road to UFC 142, plus an interview with Vitor via Heavy.com.

Posted in: ufc, part, vitor, belfort, road

UFC 140: The Complete Jon Jones Career Part 2

submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [comment]

Posted in: ufc, part, career, mattyblayze, mattyblayze link

Full UFC 140 'Countdown' video for 'Jones vs Machida'

UFC 140: "Jones vs. Machida" is set to pop off from the Air Canada Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Sat., Dec. 10, 2011, airing live on pay-per-view (PPV) with a 9.p.m. start time. Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida will serve as the main event of the evening with "Bones" defending his 205-pound title against the elusive "Dragon," himself a former division kingpin. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir -- a rematch between former heavyweight champions -- will serve as the co-featured fight of the night, while Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Tito Ortiz will collide in another intriguing light heavyweight clash. UFC 140 "Countdown," which debuted on FUEL TV late last week, dives deep into these main card match ups, going behind the scenes and into their respective training camps as they prepare to step inside the Octagon this upcomong weekend. Enjoy. We've embedded back up videos for UFC 140 "Countdown" after the jump in case the one above does not work/display properly on your system. Be sure to check out our complete UFC 140 event archive right here. To view the latest UFC 140 fight card and rumors click here. Part one Part two Part three Part four

Posted in: ufc, vs, part, machida, rumors click

UFC 140: The Complete Jon Jones Career Part 1

submitted by MattyBlayze [link] [comment]

Posted in: ufc, part, career, mattyblayze, mattyblayze link

Like the Zaromskis somersault kick? Check out the Rolling Thunder

[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] Part of the fun of running a site dedicated to the art of Kickboxing is that sometimes in Mixed Martial Arts there will be moments where a fighter will go for something that seems so out-of-nowhere and unique, but it has been done before in Kickboxing. Part of the fun is pointing these classics out to fans, which either means introducing them to a part of fight history or giving a gentle reminder of just how awesome Kickboxing can be. The buzz today is focused on Marius Zaromskis landing a somersault kick, leading to a big KO at Rumble of the Kings. You can check that out here and see it for yourself. A truly spectacular move, but it did not connect flush and needed a lot of follow-up to finish the fight. Immediately upon seeing that, I was reminded of Peter Graham's crowning moment in K-1 history, which took place in 2006 against none other than Badr Hari. Hari was still young, skinny and not yet able to truly harness his potential (you could make an argument that he has yet to do this, but that is for another post) yet, and Graham had a lot to prove on the K-1 circuit. Read More and Watch the Video...

Posted in: part, kickboxing, somersault kick, kickboxing part, buzz today

The Fighting Life: Joe Lauzon (Part 2)

Joe Lauzon discusses his tough loss to Kenny Florian, the epic win over Melvin Guillard and his use of social media in part 2 of our in-depth interview.

Posted in: joe, part, melvin guillard, lauzon, kenny florian

The Fighting Life: Joe Lauzon (Part 1)

In part 1 of his latest edition of The Fighting Life, Duane Finley talks to UFC lightweight contender Joe Lauzon about his beginnings in the sport and being a perpetual underdog.

Posted in: joe, life, part, lauzon, duane

MacDonald hurt, removed from UFC 140

Rory MacDonald suffered an undisclosed injury and will not take part in UFC 140 in Toronto.

Posted in: ufc, toronto, part, macdonald, rory

K-1 Classics: Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto vs. Masato

This weekend, Kid Yamamoto will take the stage against Darren Uyenoyama for the UFC on FOX. And MMA fans will likely wonder "what happened to Kid?" It's a fair question. Yamamoto just might be the most hyped up Japanese prospect to ever live. A lot of fans mock Kid's hype, but for a time, it was well deserved. For one, he had all the chops to be considered a prospect. With his father having represented Japan in the 72' Olympics, Kid would look to duplicate his father's efforts when he took part in the 2007 Emperor's Cup to qualify for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. An arm injury against a former Bronze Medalist forced him out of the tournament, and essentially back into MMA. But before Kid tried his hand at Olympic level wrestling, he tried his hand at K-1 level kickboxing. That last sentence reads like a punchline now. But it would be unfair to mock K-1 in the context Kid competed in. The MAX tournaments contained the world's elite, and unlike at HW, there was no room for the neophytes. Certainly not against the K-1 star, and legend, Masato. I'm not the right person to make proper comparisons, or help you understand what a big deal Masato was. But if I were to make any kind of approximation, I would compare him to De La Hoya. Imagine B.J. Penn against Oscar with only one professional boxing match to his name, and that's what you had when Kid fought Masato in 2004 at K-1 Premium Dynamite. It should have been a massacre, right? The fight started out interestingly enough. Kid wasn't reluctant and got right in Masato's face. In fact, he scored a knockdown early in the first round off a brilliant straight left between Masato's guard.The crowd went nuts. Speaking of nuts, when the action resumed, Yamamoto took one of the hardest kicks to the balls you'll ever see. To give you an idea, when Kid Yamamoto dislocated his elbow at the Emperor's Cup, he merely grimaced. This was the same injury that had Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua crying in agony when Mark Coleman toppled over him. But when Masato kicked him in his spermatic wheelhouse, destroying hundreds of tadpole shaped future Einsteins, 'Kid' was reduced to tears. Fanboys of the Sherdog and Underground forums, of which Kid had many at the time, would argue the kick altered the fight. It's a stretch, and Kid's K-1 record of 1-3 would reveal as much, but to say it didn't have an effect on Kid would be mistaken. Yamamoto fought valiantly. But the fight would also reveal Kid's underrated chin, as he took a hard right high kick directly to the kisser, and merely crumpled to the canvas instead of violently flatlining like a normal person (he would make up for this against Zambidis). Time hasn't been kind to Yamamoto. Now a symbol of what's wrong with Japanese MMA, it's difficult to understand who Kid was. Most fans know K-1 as a dying organization, and therefore can't imagine a time when K-1 level meant K-1 level. Nor can they imagine a time when Kid was considered one of the world's best. For my part, I never considered Kid a part of any P4P list. His competition was lacking even back then. People make a big deal of his Hero's tournament win, and while the tournament was respectable, it was a far cry from the brilliance of Pride's Bushido series. However, it's unfortunate that Kid is on the wrong side of 34 (still fighting above his weight class no less). He was never the best, no matter what his fans tell you, no matter what context they're speaking in. But his performances were savage, and at times magical. It would be unfair to think of him as a failed Japanese import when time has simply passed him by. People will use the narrative, but Kid is not a symbol for the death of JMMA. He's a symbol for the death of youth, and the inability to adapt to the ever evolving landscape of MMA. Watch the three part video of his K-1 match with Masato after the jump... K-1 Premium DYNAMITE! 2004 - Masato 魔裟斗 vs. Norifumi 'KID' Yamamoto 山本 KID 徳郁 - Part 1 (via YouCantKillMrGOATSE) K-1 Premium DYNAMITE! 2004 - Masato 魔裟斗 vs. Norifumi 'KID' Yamamoto 山本 KID 徳郁 - Part 2 (via YouCantKillMrGOATSE) K-1 Premium DYNAMITE! 2004 - Masato 魔裟斗 vs. Norifumi 'KID' Yamamoto 山本 KID 徳郁 - Part 3 (via YouCantKillMrGOATSE)

Posted in: time, part, kid, yamamoto, masato

Dana White’s UFC 137 Video Blog: Part Two

Part two of Dana White’s UFC 137 video blog.

Posted in: ufc, video, dana, part, blog

UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Countdown Video

For those of you that missed it Monday night, here's the full and complete video(s) for the Countdown to UFC 137 show. It's only 30 minutes long this time due to all the hoopla surrounding the removal of the Georges St. Pierre vs. Carlos Condit fight. The first part covers the main event fight between friends B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz, and part two covers the two heavyweight bouts on the main card, Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione and Roy Nelson vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. It comes off as a bit rushed, but that is to be expected in this case. Part one is below, and part two is after the jump. More SBN coverage of UFC 137 Main CardNick Diaz vs. B.J. PennCheick Kongo vs. Matt MitrioneMirko Filipovic vs. Roy NelsonHatsu Hioki vs. George RoopJeff Curran vs. Scott JorgensenSpike TV CardDonald Cerrone vs. Dennis SiverTyson Griffin vs. Bart PalaszewskiPreliminary CardEliot Marshall vs. Brandon VeraDanny Downes vs. Ramsey NijemChris Camozzi vs. Francis CarmontDustin Jacoby vs. Clifford Starks

Posted in: ufc, diaz, vs, part, case part

BJ Penn’s Road To UFC 137: Part Two

Here’s the part two of BJ Penn’s Road to UFC 137 where Penn returned to Hawaii to finish his training for Nick Diaz. You can check out part one here if you missed it.

Posted in: ufc, nick diaz, part, penn, bj

The Business of MMA: MMA Inc, Part Two

In Part Two, the conversation shifts to the companies two UFC middleweight contenders, Mark Munoz and Chael Sonnen.

Posted in: ufc, mma, part, chael, conversation shifts

Anthony Johnson: “The mental game is the most important part of fighting…”

If you asked a group of MMA fans about what it takes to be successful in the ring and you’re likely to end up with as many different answers as people surveyed – great striking, a solid wrestling base, world-class submissions, never-ending cardio, etc. However, question a collection of actual fighters and you’re likely to see a bit more uniformity in their responses with a singular emphasis on the importance one’s state of mind plays in terms of winning/losing. One such competitor who subscribes to that belief is Anthony Johnson, a 27-year old welterweight in the UFC who faces Charlie Brenneman this Saturday night at UFC Live 6 on the Versus network. “Rumble” recently elaborated on his viewpoint in a conversation with UFC.com while also citing a prime example of how psychology can affect a fight’s outcome. “The mental game is the most important part of fighting in my opinion,” explained Johnson. “If you have that mental edge and mental toughness, you’ll be able to be successful in fighting, no matter what skill level you’re at. It plays a big part, and fighting against Dan Hardy, it definitely worked to my advantage.” Johnson fought the British brawler earlier this year and drew criticism from some for promising to engage Hardy while standing only to wrestle his way to a one-sided decision victory once showtime rolled around. Johnson Responds to Hardy Blaming him for Boring Fight “I pretty much knew what I was gonna do,” said Johnson on the subject of Hardy. “I just wanted to mess with him a little bit because I knew he was really wanting somebody to stand and bang with him. But why would I take a 50-50 chance? Even though I know I’m a better striker than him – nothing against his striking or anything – why take a chance of getting caught when I know I’m better than him on the ground?” “The true fans and true MMA analysts that understand fighting and know MMA, it shocked them, but they also respected what I did,” he continued. “People who don’t know fighting and that just want to see people go in there and try to knock each other’s head off, they didn’t like it at all. They just want to see a bloodsport, and that’s not what MMA is all about. To me, this is my career, it’s my body, it’s my fight, and I’m gonna do what I’ve got to do to win. And if I have to play that psychological game with somebody, I’ll do that.” One of the biggest 170 pounders in the UFC, Johnson is 9-3 in his career with six TKOs and past triumphs over Luigi Fioravanti and Yoshiyuki Yoshida. His bout with Brenneman will be part of the UFC Live 6 main card alongside headlining bantamweights Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, i ’m, anthony johnson, johnson, part

Rampage Jackson Vs. Jon Jones

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 You can thank this guy for uploading the video. FightMetric: Jones Vs. Rampage submitted by raisedinva [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: jone, jon jones, vs, part, jones vs

UFC 135 Video: Rampage Jackson and Jon Jones on Jimmy Kimmel Live

The UFC 135 press push is in full swing. The main event of the card sees former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson take on current champ Jon Jones. Both men made an appearance last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live to hype up the card. Sitting alongside Dr. Phil, Jackson and Jones exchanged the usual and expected barbs with the UFC championship sitting on Kimmel's desk. Here's part 1, part two is after the jump: I couldn't help but get hung up on Jones while watching the video. He continues to strike me as incredibly phony. Now, before someone yells at me about "being a journalist" and how I'm not supposed to have opinions; I'm a blogger, not a journalist and my job is to speak honestly. Jonathan Snowden has a theory on why many fans are rejecting Jones: Mixed martial arts has always been different than traditional sports. We're told the fighters are just like us. Regular folk, college graduates, achievers who just happen to work harder and have scary levels of dedication and pain tolerance. Jones is a departure from that. He's so obviously gifted that the standing narrative doesn't fit. Jones' isn't a story of hard work and dedication. It's a tale of physical gifts. He's not just like the rest of us - he's been in the spotlight since he was barely out of his teens. In short, Jones is MMA's first mainstream athlete in the worst sense of the word. But that isn't it for me. I've been a huge sports fan for my entire life, growing up in the era of Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, LeBron James and a host of others whose athletic gifts seemed so far beyond what we'd seen in their sport as to transform the way the game was played. I'm also a lifelong boxing fan and spent years worshiping Roy Jones Jr. Like "Bones," Jones ran through the competition until he lost by DQ. Jones was close to stopping Montell Griffin, before Griffin took a knee but the ref's slowness jumping in and Roy's aggressiveness led to him landing two late, illegal blows and being disqualified. Gifted athletes are something I generally embrace so it's not a matter of that he breaks through expectations with his gifts. With Jones there is just something "off." I can't quite put my finger on exactly what it is yet, but there is just a sense of overwhelming phoniness every time I watch him in a situation like this. Follow after the jump for part 2 of the video. SBN coverage of UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage Part 2:

Posted in: ufc, jone, jimmy kimmel, part, something i