MMA-URLS

Sorry, "Bones," but fame doesn't adhere to the unified rules of mixed martial arts (MMA). Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones is finding out the hard way, following his arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) back on May 19, 2012 in Binghamton, NY, what happens when you make a mistake under the scrutiny of the public microscope. Especially when that mistake can have potentially life-threatening consequences. Jones, who admits he "screwed up" and "gave leeway" to the haters, took to his official Facebook page earlier today (May 21) to apologize for "embarrassing" and "letting down" the people who have supported him before, during and after his recent run-in with the law. Those comments (transcribed by Middle Easy) after the jump. "Man I haven't added anyone new to my Facebook page in like three years and right now I'm so glad that I haven't. It has literally been sickening to have so many people try to kick me while I'm down. At the same time, I totally understand, I gave them the leeway to. I screwed up, big time. Just needed to say thank you to all you guys for being amazing friends/supporters. Always having to deal with so many critics, haters and fickle mma fans, I almost forgot how strong of a home base I had (607 and people that knew me before I was a champion fighter). Although the hell that will come with this hasn't even started yet, I want you guys to know how much better you've all made me feel, not only about this situation but about life, everything. It's good to feel that people are there and care. With that being said, I felt I should apologize to you first. I'm truly sorry to those of you that I may have embarrassed in any way, to those of you with kids that I may have let down. I will prove to them as well as to myself, that no matter what is happening in life, we can always work our way back and make things even better than before. Reading you guys uplifting comments was a great reminder for me to not give up on who I am or all the hateful people. I'm not gonna allow this situation to outweigh the positive. I love you guys right back and I promise to make things right. PS sorry about the terrible grammar :)" While Jones had his fair share of haters prior to last weekend's arrest, part of the overwhelming backlash stems from his recent UFC sponsorship, where he told media members his new sponsorship deal was attributed to his squeaky-clean image, because he's not the type of person to get popped for driving while intoxicated (DWI). Whoops. In any event, Jones will have to work his way back into the good graces of the UFC brass and passionate fan base, which he can do starting with the build to his fight against Dan Henderson at the UFC 151 pay-per-view event on Sept. 1 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Well, the champ said he's sorry. Do you accept his apology? More on his DUI arrest right here.

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UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones has released a detailed statement on his recent arrest for suspicion of DUI, shedding some light on his mindset in the wake of his one-car accident from this past weekend instead of leaving things up to interpretation. While the 24-year old champion did not speak about the specifics surrounding the actual crash his tone was certainly apologetic and laced with humility based on the support his fanbase has shown thus far throughout the ordeal. “Man I haven’t added anyone new to my Facebook page in like three years and right now I’m so glad that I haven’t,” wrote Jones on the popular social networking outlet. “It has literally been sickening to have so many people try to kick me while I’m down. At the same time, I totally understand – I gave them the leeway to. I screwed up, big time. Just needed to say thank you to all you guys for being amazing friends/supporters.” “Always having to deal with so many critics, haters and fickle MMA fans, I almost forgot how strong of a home base I had (607 and people that knew me before I was a champion fighter),” he continued. “Although the hell that will come with this hasn’t even started yet, I want you guys to know how much better you’ve all made me feel, not only about this situation but about life, everything. It’s good to feel that people are there and care. With that being said, I felt I should apologize to you first.” “I’m truly sorry to those of you that I may have embarrassed in any way, to those of you with kids that I may have let down. I will prove to them as well as to myself that no matter what is happening in life, we can always work our way back and make things even better than before,” Jones concluded. “Reading you guys’ uplifting comments was a great reminder for me to not give up on who I am or all the hateful people. I’m not gonna allow this situation to outweigh the positive. I love you guys right back and I promise to make things right.” Jones was booked Saturday morning at approximately 5:00 AM EST in an area near his New York home after crashing his Bentley into a utility pole and showing signs of intoxication at the scene. Little is known at this point regarding future punishment from the State or his bosses at the UFC. Currently “Bones” is scheduled to defend his divisional title against Dan Henderson at UFC 151. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, time, guy, jone, people

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Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has broken the relative silence surrounding his arrest this past Saturday for suspicion of driving under the influence. The UFC star was picked up by police near his home in New York after driving his Bentley into a utility pole. He is not believed to have suffered any serious injuries in the wreck. Jones surfaced with a message on Twitter over the weekend praising God before addressing things in more detail today by way of Facebook where he admitted he “screwed up, big time” and expressed appreciation to fans who have offered their support in the wake of his troubles. The 24-year old also apologized to those he’d embarrassed as well as to children who look up to him as a role model. Jones Booked for Driving Under the Influence The full statement from Jones can be found below: “Man I haven’t added anyone new to my Facebook page in like three years and right now I’m so glad that I haven’t. It has literally been sickening to have so many people try to kick me while I’m down. At the same time, I totally understand – I gave them the leeway to. I screwed up, big time. Just needed to say thank you to all you guys for being amazing friends/supporters.” Always having to deal with so many critics, haters and fickle MMA fans, I almost forgot how strong of a home base I had (607 and people that knew me before I was a champion fighter). Although the hell that will come with this hasn’t even started yet, I want you guys to know how much better you’ve all made me feel, not only about this situation but about life, everything. It’s good to feel that people are there and care. With that being said, I felt I should apologize to you first.” I’m truly sorry to those of you that I may have embarrassed in any way, to those of you with kids that I may have let down. I will prove to them as well as to myself that no matter what is happening in life, we can always work our way back and make things even better than before. Reading you guys’ uplifting comments was a great reminder for me to not give up on who I am or all the hateful people. I’m not gonna allow this situation to outweigh the positive. I love you guys right back and I promise to make things right.” PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

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After a weekend full of tweet jokes, photoshopped gifs and caustic hate filled messages there's nothing I can say about this Jon Jones DUI incident that hasn't already been said 1437 times over via twitter, facebook, or any of the multitude of MMA forums on the Interwebz. Until this morning there had been no official word released by the champ regarding his weekend brush with the law and brush with a very dangerous situation. Today at around 9am Jones issued an apology to his friends and fans via his facebook page. Here's the text: "Man I haven't added anyone new to my Facebook page in like three years and right now I'm so glad that I haven't. It has literally been sickening to have so many people try to kick me while I'm down. At the same time, I totally understand, I gave them the leeway to. I screwed up, big time. Just needed to say thank you to all you guys for being amazing friends/supporters. Always having to deal with so many critics, haters and fickle mma fans, I almost forgot how strong of a home base I had (607 and people that knew me before I was a champion fighter). Although the hell that will come with this hasn't even started yet, I want you guys to know how much better you've all made me feel, not only about this situation but about life, everything. It's good to feel that people are there and care. With that being said, I felt I should apologize to you first.I'm truly sorry to those of you that I may have embarrassed in any way, to those of you with kids that I may have let down. I will prove to them as well as to myself, that no matter what is happening in life, we can always work our way back and make things even better than before. Reading you guys uplifting comments was a great reminder for me to not give up on who I am or all the hateful people. I'm not gonna allow this situation to outweigh the positive. I love you guys right back and I promise to make things right. PS sorry about the terrible grammar :)" Whether you love him or hate him-or whether you call it a mistake, a lack of good judgement, or an absolute **** up-this is definitely going to be a huge life lesson for the very young champ and the most important thing to note is thankfully no one was hurt in this accident. Things could have turned out much worse than they did.

Posted in: guy, facebook, people, thing, facebook page

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After a weekend full of tweet jokes, photoshopped gifs and caustic hate filled messages there's nothing I can say about this Jon Jones DUI incident that hasn't already been said 1437 times over via twitter, Facebook, or any of the multitude of MMA forums on the Interwebz. Until this morning there had been no official word released by the champ regarding his weekend brush with the law and brush with a very dangerous situation. Today at around 9am Jones issued an apology to his friends and fans via his Facebook page. Here's the text: "Man I haven't added anyone new to my Facebook page in like three years and right now I'm so glad that I haven't. It has literally been sickening to have so many people try to kick me while I'm down. At the same time, I totally understand, I gave them the leeway to. I screwed up, big time. Just needed to say thank you to all you guys for being amazing friends/supporters. Always having to deal with so many critics, haters and fickle mma fans, I almost forgot how strong of a home base I had (607 and people that knew me before I was a champion fighter). Although the hell that will come with this hasn't even started yet, I want you guys to know how much better you've all made me feel, not only about this situation but about life, everything. It's good to feel that people are there and care. With that being said, I felt I should apologize to you first.I'm truly sorry to those of you that I may have embarrassed in any way, to those of you with kids that I may have let down. I will prove to them as well as to myself, that no matter what is happening in life, we can always work our way back and make things even better than before. Reading you guys uplifting comments was a great reminder for me to not give up on who I am or all the hateful people. I'm not gonna allow this situation to outweigh the positive. I love you guys right back and I promise to make things right. PS sorry about the terrible grammar :)" Whether you love him or hate him-or whether you call it a mistake, a lack of good judgement, or an absolute **** up-this is definitely going to be a huge life lesson for the very young champ and the most important thing to note is thankfully no one was hurt in this accident. Things could have turned out much worse than they did.

Posted in: guy, facebook, people, thing, facebook page

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Jeffrey Earnhardt belongs to auto racing. The grandson of legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, he has been working his way towards the sport's major league circuit for years. At 22 years old, that's a goal he's still chasing. It's in his blood. But he's been infected.Like many young athletes, Earnhardt has fallen in love with mixed martial arts, first as a fan, and now as a practitioner. And on Tuesday, Earnhardt will become a two-sport athlete when he makes his MMA debut at an event called Fight Lab 25 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bantamweight bout, which will be contested under amateur status, came about organically, after Earnhardt decided to pick up MMA as a way to get in optimal shape. In many ways, it is a story similar to many others we've heard before. He had wrestled for a couple years in high school, and after some time off, eased his way into jiu-jitsu classes. That seemed fun enough, and before he knew it, he was adding boxing training to his schedule.That went well, too, to the point that the people around him were quick to let him know that he was good. Perhaps even good enough to take things to the next level and compete."I personally was really enjoying the training until we talked about it, and one thing led to another, and we decided we'd try an amateur fight," he told MMA Fighting. "So here we are today."Like many, Earnhardt first got into MMA as a spectator as the UFC grew its business in the mid-2000s. But by that time, he already knew what he wanted to do for a living, racing on the local scene from the time of his early teenage years. At the time, he had never had a thought about training. It was only when his two roommates -- both college wrestlers -- decided to try it out that he decided to tag along. Ironically, Earnhardt is the one taking it the furthest, as neither of them has yet to fight. Unlike most others who sign up for that first fight, Earnhardt has no illusions about a bigtime MMA career. From the beginning, this has been mostly a side project for him that complements his main job.He is candid about where MMA ranks on his personal hierarchy, and even if the dropoff isn't far from racing, it's still at No. 2. This is mostly about being ready for the big races, with his next being the NASCAR Nationwide Daytona Subway Jalapeno 250 on July 6."I've never been in this kind of shape in my entire life, and that includes back when I was wrestling in high school," he said. "It's real intense, it's a lot of fun. I've really enjoyed it ever since I started. I like being fit and prepared for these races, especially in the summer when it's really hot out. It's definitely going to come in handy."That doesn't mean he's not taking his fight seriously, preparing with his team at Renegade Fighting Systems in Charlotte. He also has a scouting report on his opponent, Chris Faison, as one of his training partners -- David Worrell -- previously fought with and beat him."It's kind of an advantage to have a little insight from working with him," said Earnhardt, whose fight will be available for purchase on his website. "Those things will help me in my fight. These guys are preparing me extremely well for the fight, and I'm going to go out and do the best I can. Whatever I come out with is what I got."Earnhardt doesn't draw many parallels between auto racing and MMA except for the extreme competition level and the mental focus needed to win. Around the track, word of his foray into a second sport has gotten around. So far, the reaction has been mixed. Some think he's crazy to take the risk of fighting; others are impressed at his courage to do so. Because the two sports have similar demographics, he thinks there will be some crossover in terms of interest surrounding his fight, and maybe even some mainstream sports observers watching, and he has a message he'd like to get out."A lot of people don't see race car athletes as true athletes," he said. "They don't think we're capable of doing anything other than sitting in a car and driving in a circle. A lot of people don't understand the reality of it. This is an opportunity to prove to people that race car drivers are athletes. It's a lot harder than people realize. Hopefully this MMA fight will help people realize that, and that we can hold our own as athletes." And if he does help people learn that, and he does so by winning, is there any chance that Earnhardt scraps racing, or makes MMA his primary sport? For now, he's shut the book on that possibility. Like his famous grandfather, he plans to make his name in a car, even if it takes him on an occasional side route from track to cage. "Racing is my priority," he said. "I'm going to keep pushing in that. I love MMA, but it's only going to be in my spare time. They're both a lot of fun, but I'm definitely keeping my day job."

Posted in: fight, mma, people, athlete, earnhardt

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Jon Fitch is doing work. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight number one contender, who meets Aaron Simpson at the upcoming UFC on FUEL TV 4 event on July 11, 2012 in San Jose, California, doesn't expect to have anything handed to him "the easy way" in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career. That's how it's always been. It should come as no surprise then, to learn that a knockout loss to Johnny Hendricks back at UFC 141, just his second in 16 fights under the world's largest fight promotion, sent him tumbling down the 170-pound rankings, a place he had called home over the past couple of years. No matter. As he explains to Heavy MMA, as long as he's got the "respect of his colleagues" and the motivation to "keep pushing forward," then he will continue to keep "grinding." Those comments, after the jump. "It seems as if I can’t have anything come to me easily. It always takes a lot of extra hard work. Throughout my entire life, things have always been that way. I’ve always had to work two or three times harder than everybody else just to be half as good. It’s just one of those things that have shaped the attitude I have. I just keep pushing forward. I think I coined that term 'grinding.' I started using it to describe my style, and it’s something I know is mine. If people think that I’m not beating people up in there, all they have to do is look at my opponent’s face after the fight. If I’m not doing work in there, then how did their face get so f***ed up? Overall, respect means a lot. For what all the fans think they know, the fighters themselves actually know it. When you get respect from your colleagues, it means a lot because those are the guys who are going through the same things you are, making the same sacrifices you make and have dealt with some of the same circumstances and they can empathize with what you are going through. To have respect from those guys is a big deal. I always tell people one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me came years back when I got into a van with Minotauro (Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira). He came up to me and said, ‘Hey I know you – you are that tough guy.’ For him to call me a tough guy was a highlight of my career." Fitch (23-4) is coming off a crushing knockout loss to "Bigg Rigg" last December, significant because it was the second straight performance that failed to net him a win, as the former Purdue University wrestler went to a draw opposite B.J. Penn at UFC 127 last year in Australia. It was, as previously stated, just his second loss inside the Octagon, the first coming at the hands of reigning welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre way back in August of 2008. Would a win over Simpson put him back "in the mix?" Time will tell.

Posted in: ufc, people, thing, jon fitch, respect

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UFC president Dana White was asked to comment on Nick Diaz and his no-show over the weekend at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo. As expected, White offered up a very candid explanation via his Twitter account. @evan1evan no, not shocked and I’m surprised u people are! He no showed a Las Vegas press conf to a [...]

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In a few short years in the UFC, middleweight Tom Lawlor has a well-earned reputation for keeping fight fans entertained in and out of the Octagon. But as he approaches Tuesday’s UFC on FUEL TV matchup against Jason MacDonald, there has been a distinct, almost silence around “Filthy” Tom.“I’m flying under the radar, or at least trying to,” he said, admitting that this course of action wasn’t by accident. “I think I’ve been accused of being not as focused on a fight as I should be. So pretty much I’ve said nothing about the fight except for the fact that I’m fighting. I just want to go out there and let my performance speak for itself.”That’s unfortunate, simply because Lawlor’s pre-fight antics have added a dose of levity to what is a very serious sport once the bell rings. In fact, it’s been these little sidebars on the way to the Octagon, whether it’s entering as Hulk Hogan or weighing in as Dan Severn, that allow Lawlor to have some fun before it’s time to go to work. But a few critics will always shout louder than the legions of fans that enjoy the non-fighting stuff from the New Englander as well.“It’s just a few fans, but they seem to think that you should be training 24 hours a day and you should have no life outside of the workplace,” he said. “I always wonder if those same people live their lives like that. Are these the kind of people that are taking work home every night and sitting on a computer and toiling away and hating their lives? And my guess would be yes. These people probably do hate their lives and they want everyone else to be just as miserable and only focus on working all the time.”Oddly enough, Lawlor’s time living in Florida basically saw him involved in the world of martial arts nearly 24/7. Whether he was helping to run a gym, teaching classes, or just training for his own fights, Lawlor was immersed in the sport. Yet after he moved to Providence, Rhode Island to buy a house, he has seen his life change drastically.“In the past year I’m kind of less involved in the sport and I’m just training and fighting,” he said. “I’m not helping run a gym, and I’m not teaching classes on a regular basis. Where I live now, there are gyms, but I’m used to more of a one-stop shop for all of my MMA needs. Here it’s kind of fragmented. There are boxing gyms and jiu-jitsu places, and there are MMA places, but they’re not on as big of a scale as some of the places I was used to going to in Florida. So it’s a different environment, and I do miss being more involved in the sport in coaching and helping other people train and being a teammate. With all these gyms up here, I’m getting pulled in different directions as well. I have a bunch of guys that I would consider teammates, but they’re not all on the same team.”And then there’s always the weather.“I hated sunshine and the heat and being able to go outside whenever I want so much that I said I’m gonna move to a place that has almost the worst weather in the country,” he deadpans, noting that after New England had some of its best weather in years this past winter and spring, “Any of that suffering and anger that I would have built up over the winter has kind of subsided a bit.”Despite all the changes, it’s clear that Lawlor still has his sense of humor. With that intact and his training situation settled in the Northeast, all he has to focus on is his fight with MacDonald, which gives him the opportunity to break loose of a skid that has seen him lose three of his last four bouts. Yet he insists that this isn’t something he particularly dwells on.“Honestly, the only people that ever bring it up are MMA media people,” he said. “No one ever goes, ‘oh man, you lost three of your last four fights.’ (Laughs) I haven’t had anyone say that to me besides when people do interviews with me. But I really don’t like trying to explain it because then it sounds like I’m making excuses.”If he won’t, then it will have to be pointed out that many people believed he won the three rounder with Aaron Simpson in 2010 that he lost via split decision. Four months later he was doing well against Joe Doerksen before gassing out in the second round and getting submitted. His next bout in October of 2010 was a decision win over Patrick Cote, and after a year off due to injury, he came back in 2011 and got caught and finished early by Chris Weidman. Now going 1-3 in his last four doesn’t sound so bad, but no one looks past the numbers too much these days, and against Canada’s MacDonald, Tuesday may be a must win.“I really don’t think about it that much,” said the 29-year old. “Maybe I should think about it more. The problem with my record is that I have 12 professional fights, and half of them have been in the UFC. So with this fight, more than half of my professional career will have been in the UFC. So I’m fighting guys that are considered to be some of the top guys in the world and it’s a trial by fire in a way. I’ve been with the company, if I count The Ultimate Fighter, for four years. But before that, I was fighting full-time for a year. So it’s a situation where, and I hate this cliché, but it is what it is.”In other words, he’s had to grow up in public, which can be a double-edged sword. Sure, the recognition and money is better in the big leagues, but at the same time, your shortcomings aren’t witnessed by 100 people in a church basement. They’re broadcast to millions. “I don’t think people realize how big of a difference it is between fighting on the local scene and fighting in the UFC,” he said. “If you don’t have that experience, it’s really like a whirlwind when you’re in there fighting.”Tom Lawlor has survived the whirlwind though, and like fellow fighters Amir Sadollah, Matt Mitrione, and Matt Riddle that followed a similar path, he’s made a home for himself in the UFC. Now all he needs to do is to protect that home against MacDonald, a task easier said than done, but one you know he’s ready to tackle. And watching that may just be better than any flashy Octagon entrance.

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UFC on Fox 3 was about the best show that Zuffa could've hoped for. The four fights that made up the FOX broadcast were: first round KO, first round KO, close decision, 2nd round submission. From a personal standpoint, the fighters I was leaning towards didn't do too well, so I'm a bit disappointed there, but from a cold, scrupulous eye of an overall MMA fan, this was a pretty damn good night. The ratings are poor, but quite honestly this was about a perfect storm of bad that you could come up with. This card had the following poor factors going for it: No "stars". Josh Koscheck, Johny Hendricks and Nate Diaz are not on the radars of the casual fan. Cinco de Mayo. It's a big party weekend, and like it or not, a lot of people aren't MMA fans. I went to a party instead of watching the fights live, and I could count on one fist, the number of MMA fans of the ~30 people there. NBA and NHL playoffs, Mayweather card. Quite frankly, there were quite a few other sports happening that day, and while there are a few people who probably watched two or more of them, there are probably just as many who had to make the choice of which one to watch because of other commitments. Speaking of other commitments, it was opening weekend for the Avengers, and it just pulled down over 200 freaking million bucks. This SMASHED the previous record (the last Harry Potter movie) by 30+ million. All in all, I'm completely unsurprised by the bad ratings, and quite honestly felt this would be about right. The bad news out of the way, the people that did tune in who aren't already part of the die-hard crowd (and if you're reading this, you're probably in it) got a really good show. People may bag on the Fox Sports theme music, but as someone who likes traditional sports, I'm pretty OK with it. It's a brand and I identify it with Fox. Curt Menefee and the other folks in the top part of the broadcast did a solid job in their analyst roles, while Rogan and Goldie did pretty decent work covering it live. This isn't to say it was without rough patches - Rogan freaking out over Jim Miller getting caught with his tongue out in the guillotine was kind of uncalled for, but he also did a good job explaining basics and terminology for the neophytes watching. Lavar Johnson has passed the first real gate in his career, as he blasted out Pat Barry after a couple of rough moments early in the fight. Pat continued to show K1-level grappling skills and fight-IQ as he abandoned mount and proceeded to accomplish nothing with side control. Alan Belcher wins the balls of steel award for not being afraid of major knee surgery and dealing with Rousimar Palhares' incredible leglock game. Alan stifled Paul Harris for a solid minute and a half on the ground and ended up blasting him with punishing ground and pound to put a huge feather in his cap. Give him the winner of Boetsch/Bisping. I thought Josh Koscheck did enough to win the fight. He started off strong following the eyepoke that went unnoticed by ref Kevin Mulhall, and while Johny Hendricks did decent the rest of the round, I didn't think it was enough to overcome the strength of what Kos did for the first 2 minutes or so. The second was a Hendricks round, albeit a close one, but I feel pretty safe in guessing that all three judges scored it for Big Rig. The third started out leaning towards Johny - I thought he was getting the edge in the standup, but not in an overwhelming manner. Kos got the takedown and spent the last 90 seconds or so in dominant position landing damaging shots. I thought that should go to him. For the record, I'm not a big fan of Koscheck and I rather like Hendricks for what he did to Fitch, so I'm seeing this as being partially biased the OTHER way. Nate Diaz is for real. There's not much one can say otherwise at this point. He damaged Jim Miller on the feet both at range and in the clinch with knees, he stuffed takedowns from a fairly solid wrestler (given, not a hugely powerful one, such as Maynard) and finished a guy who'd never been finished in 24 previous contests. Nate is on a three-fight win streak that includes two top-10 opponents, all of which got him fight or submission of the night. This now puts him one win bonus away from notorious bounty-hunter Chris Lytle, and he's only 27. I'll assume he gets the title shot from the brass, but him against Pettis would be great, too. Floyd Mayweather is clearly one of the best boxers in the world, but he got pushed and pushed fairly hard by a very game Miguel Cotto. This might have been the best fight Cotto's ever fought, or perhaps it's Floyd showing a bit of aging and ring rust, but that was much more competitive than a lot of people were expecting. This was about the best outcome that the sport could have hoped for, because after Manny Pacquiao's lackluster win over Juan Manuel Marquez, it's made both of the top two fighters in the sport look human and vulnerable to each other. If the damn fight ever happens, these last two matches will serve as good fodder for each camp to talk about with the other side. SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 3

Posted in: fight, round, fox, fan, people

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Listen, and listen good. Top UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen, ahead of his new book "The Voice of Reason," explains how professional wrestling fooled the same people you trust with your...

Posted in: people, contender, chael sonnen, sonnen, chael

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NEW YORK -- In the wake of a public warning from major UFC sponsor Anheuser-Busch regarding athlete behavior, the fight promotion is working to put together a fighter summit that will deal with the topic.The warning came after some advocacy groups criticized select fighter comments as sexist or homophobic. On Thursday, UFC president Dana White acknowledged the incidents and said that as a realist, he knows sometimes athletes will go too far. And now, he said, it's the promotion's job to help fix the problem. "Same stuff that all the organizations go through," he said. "NBA, NFL, they all go through the same thing. It’s no different than what they go through, too. It is absolutely something that needs to be addressed by us."White said the summit was in the works and could happen as soon as one month from now, though he didn't have information on an exact date.He acknowledged that he's slipped up himself at times, and asked the world for a little patience and also a little calm in passing judgment, noting that some of the incidents in question took place over social media sites like Twitter, where things can often be taken out of context due to brevity. In his opinion, the avalanche of backlash has sometimes gone too far. "Stuff is going to happen. Things are going to slip out. It happens," he said. "And I have to deal with it when it happens. I’ve done it. I’m not going to act like Mr. Holier than Thou. I’ve done it myself. You do it. It happens. It’s one of those things you handle after it happens. I’m sure people are going to be offended, but the world needs to calm down a little bit. Everybody takes everything way too serious. Relax."The UFC is often celebrated for the accessibility of its athletes, and White said that's something he will not change because of the importance in keeping a strong tie between the organization and its fans. Instead, he stressed simple common sense."I like being open and honest," he said. "I love having a personal relationship with the fans. I love that our athletes do. That you can actually go on Twitter and talk to people. And I like it to be real. I tell people to f--- off on Twitter all the time. Some people think that’s weird, but if a guy came over to me right now and said, ‘Hey, I think you’re a d------- and I think your organization sucks,' I’m going to go, 'F--- you.' What’s the difference between that and Twitter. If you say stupid s--- to me on Twitter, I’m going to say stupid s--- back to you. Some people have a problem with it and some people don’t. If you have a problem with it, you know what the solution is? Don’t follow me on Twitter. You won’t have to see any of that stuff."As to how his trademark blunt honesty plays with the UFC's blue-chip advertisers like Anheuser-Busch -- maker of Bud Light -- White says they couldn't have expected anything else."Our major sponsors don’t have a problem," he said. "Listen, if you’ve ever watched the sport, you knew what you were getting into with me. It’s not like all of the sudden lost my mind and started saying stupid s---. I’ve been saying it for 11 years, so they knew what they were getting into."

Posted in: ufc, people, twitter, irsquom, fighter summit

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In case you’re among the many who don’t follow WWE’s Yoshi Tatsu on Twitter or trawl through gossip blogs at work, the jovial and underappreciated Japanese cruiserweight has found himself in the distinguished company of Anthony Weiner, Rupert Murdoch, and Chris Brown, all of whom tried to delete scandalous tweets that wouldn’t stay deleted. In a series of carefully worded posts, Tatsu pointed out that Lord Tensai‘s assumed name, Japanese for “natural disaster,” might be a bit insensitive to a country still recovering after 2011′s devastating earthquake and tsunami. Tatsu, who got tossed around by Tensai like a beanbag in a recent squash match, vowed yesterday to defeat Tensai in a rematch. As of today, I am planning to post several tweets regarding my thoughts and feelings toward Lord Tensai. First of all, I have a strong reason why I must defeat Lord Tensai. As in my Japanese lesson, “tensai” means natural disaster. As everyone knows, Japan experienced a major earthquake and tsunami on March 11th of last year. More than 15,000 people lost their lives, over 5,000 people are still missing, and more than 5,000 people were injured. In addition, over 130,000 people lost their homes. Sadly, the recovery has been very slow. Many people are still living in temporary housing, without jobs. Moreover,the Japanese people haven’t been able to recover from the grief of losing family members,including children who lost their parents. Out of respect, I strongly urge Lord Tensai to change his name. As Japanese superstar of WWE, I cannot tolerate him using this name during Japanese appearance. Even though he is tremendously big and very strong, I will defeat him someday. Japan was defeated by natural disasters – “TENSAI”. And I, Yoshi Tatsu is the one who defeats that “TENSAI”. When I beat him, I will make him change his name. This is #YoshiRevolution Episode 1. Sometime between yesterday and today all that vanished from the @yoshitatsuwwe feed. I hope to be wrong about thinking Big Brother came down on Tatsu, who rarely gets on TV for more than a minute or two if ever, but I think it’s pretty safe to assume he didn’t suddenly change his mind on trying to promote himself ahead of an August trip to Tokyo. Just so we’re all clear: Zack Ryder taking to Twitter to get his broskis top call Eve Torres a whore is A-OK, but the only actual Japanese wrestler on the current roster is discouraged from boosting what could be a natural conflict with an ambiguously Japan-themed character who used to be named for a dick joke. That’s a shame; Tatsu laid the seeds for what could have been a unique and interesting underdog storyline that we’re probably not going to have the slightest chance of seeing now. PHOTO CREDIT – WWE Tweet

Posted in: japanese, people, tensai, tatsu, lord tensai

Read the full article at Fighters.com

NEW YORK -- The glare of the spotlight is getting brighter on both the UFC and its fighters. After years of little scrutiny from the major media or activist organizations, newly earned attention has brought consequences to both the promotion and its athletes.Just last week, major sponsor Anheuser-Busch issued a statement warning the UFC it would take action against the promotion if it could not halt offensive statements made by its fighters. The UFC responded with a statement saying they would mandate sensitivity training for its athletes. While that future change is still in the offing, several UFC fighters who spoke with MMA Fighting said that public conduct and language is mainly an issue of common sense, simple respect and personal accountability. "I can't speak for anyone but myself, but the way I think it should be is to carry yourself with the most professional type of attitude and spirit as possible," said middleweight Alan Belcher, who is facing Rousimar Palhares at Saturday's UFC on FOX 3. "I think that there's a lot of people that look up to all these guys. A lot of kids, obviously. At the same time, we've come a long ways. It's the fighters that helped that. If everyone works together, we can have the kind of image we need to have. Or it can go bad real fast. "Personally, it makes me mad when I see people acting dumb," he continued. "If you're a jerk, you don't have to show your true side all the time. If it makes you look bad, it makes all of us look bad. I don't want to meet someone in the grocery store and say I'm a UFC fighter, and have one of these other jerks make that bad impression on them before I ever meet them. It makes me look bad, my family, my business, everything."In Belcher's opinion, it's not necessarily that the sport is dotted by a few jerks here or there, it's that there are simply some fighters trying to gain attention for themselves but going about it the wrong way. It's a slippery slope, he acknowledged, as fighters try to toe the line of staying in touch with fans and building that base without going too far.Several issues have played out over social media, including tweets from Miguel Torres and Forrest Griffin, the first of which led to Torres' brief firing before he was brought back. While some fighters like Belcher use Twitter for personal causes -- in his case, he espouses the charitable organization March of Dimes -- heavyweight Pat Barry says there is overwhelming negativity on outlets like Twitter. "I get negative feedback when I win," Barry said. "I had a one-second knockout. My second MMA fight is a one-second knockout. The ref said, 'fight,' I threw a high kick, knocked the guy out before the clock even came on the screen, and people went on the internet and said I have a stupid haircut. People are going to be negative no matter what, even when I win."Of course, that can be a sensitive area for fighters who pride themselves on their work, only to see it reduced to a 140-or-less word insult. Lightweight Jim Miller notes that because MMA has not been in the mainstream nearly as long as established sports like football and baseball, its athletes may not be as refined across the board. While he personally tries to carry himself in a way that is an example to his children, he realizes there are others out there who grew up with the belief that MMA is a counter-culture sport, making it acceptable for fighters to have extreme views, and sometimes even offensive ones."If guys are still carrying that over, with the mainstream, FOX and all that stuff, this is the time to change it," he said. "We're in the public eye more, in a lot more houses. I personally want to be treated as a world-class athlete. That's what I want. The fact that I get inside a cage and punch somebody in the face, and get punched in the face, bleed and all this stuff? It doesn't matter. That's just my craft. We've had the pressure in the past to be sometimes a little bit absurd just to get attention, but hopefully that shifts. We need some time to make the changes."Heavyweight Lavar Johnson points to the personality types driven to fight professionally as the root cause of some of the issues that led to Anheuser-Busch warning the UFC about fighter behavior."If you hang out around them long enough, you'll see there are some wild characters, some jokers," he said. "To get in the cage is crazy enough as it is. Two grown-ass men fighting in a cage, you have to admit, is a little bit crazy. Some of these guys have screws loose."But the bottom line, all of them agreed, is that each fighter has to be responsible both to himself and the sport. As it spreads and the audience grows, the athletes must mature, too."As a professional, you do have the responsibility to conduct yourself as that, and to be a role model," Johnson said. "Even if different people have different senses of humor or different views on the world, or even if this stuff is meant to be a joke and not to offend someone, they just have to watch what they say."

Posted in: ufc, guy, fighter, sport, people

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Now you see them, now you don't. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight contender Alan Belcher is no stranger to the submission aspect of mixed martial arts (MMA). He is, after all, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and his last two victories have come via tapout. Though "The Talent" has faced some experienced grapplers in his time, it's safe to say he has yet to encounter someone with the submission talents that are on the same level as the man he will go toe-to-toe with this weekend (May, 5, 2012) at UFC on Fox 3 in Rousimar Palhares. Belcher (via MMA Weekly) appreciates the ground game of the Brazilian, but plans to surprise some people with his defensive moves aimed at preventing the submission wizard from claiming yet another victim. Those comments, after the jump. "You can't over train and over think it. The more you train, the more you are going to be prepared for it. Where people make mistakes, it's that they don't believe in the power of leg locks and foot locks and stuff. I mean, I was getting a little bit like that myself, but you know, in the Jiu-Jitsu community, you train everything. Leg locks, for years, a lot of people never figured out how to defend them because they'd be, 'Oh, I can't get caught at the high level.' Lately, the last couple of years, foot locks have made a huge comeback and there are some awesome technicians like Rousimar Palhares has proved. So, I think people going into a fight here just thinking, 'Yeah, well, you can't get me in that. I'll just turn out of it or twist put of it and pull my leg out or I will just punch him in the face or something.' Then they get their knee hurt. I'm aware of what I have to do and how dangerous those situations can be. That is something that will give me an advantage. He will feel it right away when he tries to grapple with me or go for my legs. They just won't be there, I will block and avoid, break him down and really frustrate him. I am going to surprise some people." "Toquinho" has five submission victories during his time with the UFC, including three by heel hook, which just so happen to be his specialty. You can bet that once the Octagon door closes behind them, Palhares will be looking to snatch one of Belcher's legs like a starving rabid dog looking for a bone. What say you, can Belcher stop the relentless submission attempts of Rousimar? Or will the stocky Brazilian black belt be successful in doing what he does best, and make his foes tap? Opinions, please.

Posted in: belcher, submission, leg, people, rousimar

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Former UFC Light Heavyweight champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has been pretty vocal with his frustrations with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Last night he went on HDNet's Inside MMA and took it up a notch, or five. Jackson last fought against Ryan Bader at UFC 144 in Japan, taking a decision loss. He's elected to have knee surgery and is sitting out until he recovers from surgery. Jackson is frustrated with being booked against "boring gameplanners" and "cowards" and wants to be able to put on a show for the fans in his next UFC bout. That bout will also be Jackson's last with the promotion if he lives up to his word. He's already called for UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to be "shot in the face" so you know he's not watching what he says. MMA Mania transcribed Rampage's rant and we've got the quotes after the jump... "After I leave the UFC, I'm done with them! Just like when I left PRIDE. You remember when I left PRIDE? It's over. I was very loyal to PRIDE. I fought for PRIDE, and I fought the way I fought to put butts in seats. I took risks, slammed people and stuff like that. PRIDE did a good job. They built me up. I wasn't that good when I first came out. I fought Sakuraba and they built me up and then threw me in some tough fights. That's the way you're supposed to do it. Now, the UFC, I was a better fighter when I came there. My second fight, they throw me to Chuck Liddell. The fans didn't know who I was. I knocked him out, the fans booed me. That changed me, who I am towards the fans. I used to be the nicest guy towards fans. My first time getting booed. How are you gonna boo somebody for knocking somebody out? But I got a whole other opinion on that. And now, the UFC's just throwing me all these boring fighters, these game planners, these wrestlers. I'm the type of fighter who you should match up with people who want to fight excitingly. You know what I'm saying? Cuz I'm gonna be the type of fighter who puts butts in seats. "I can't even negotiate with anybody. I'm not even negotiating with anybody right now. I got one fight with the UFC. After I do that fight with the UFC, then I can negotiate and figure out what I'm gonna do next. I got so much other stuff going on, I could take a year off from fighting, and I don't even care. There's other things I wanna do. I'm more than a fighter. I'm an entertainer. I like entertaining people. I like making people laugh, I like entertaining people. I like fighting. I like beating people up. But, I still gotta heal up. I'm not jumping right back into fighting, right away. I got my knees to worry about. I've been fighting injured for a while."

Posted in: ufc, fight, fighter, people, im

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

It’s impossible not to like Lavar Johnson. Easygoing in a way no 6-foot-4, 240-pounder is expected to be, the big man from Madera, California is almost unrecognizable from some of the adjectives that describe his fighting style: knockout artist, crushing puncher, relentless.That’s just fine with him. Even when he’s in the Octagon, or previously on the football field, he makes it clear that it’s never a personal thing. He just likes to win.“I’m competitive and I’ve got a little mean streak to me,” he chuckles. “I’ve been in fights before, and I like to compete. I played football and I was real aggressive on the football field as well, so it’s nothing to me. I don’t have to be mad. I just like to play hard.”And with Johnson packing two sticks of dynamite in his fists, when he decides to play hard, it’s usually bad news for anyone sharing the field of battle with him. Case in point, his UFC debut in January against Joey Beltran. There was no bad blood, no trash talking, just two California heavyweights putting the gloves on and trying to get a win. And despite Johnson’s reputation (he had finished each of his 15 previous wins), many assumed that he wasn’t going to do the same thing to “The Mexicutioner.” Sure, he might win, but he wasn’t going to stop a fighter who earned descriptors like “steel chin” and “iron jaw” the hard way.Johnson, even with 20 pro fights under his belt, was jittery before getting called to the Octagon.“I was nervous before I went out there, but after that first punch, everything’s out the window,” he said. “I even threw up before the fight in the locker room and that usually doesn’t happen. So I was a little nervous, but when it’s time to go it’s time to go, and that’s it.”Four minutes and 24 seconds after the opening bell, that was it for Beltran as well, as a series of uppercuts ended his night and gave Johnson his first UFC victory, and a Knockout of the Night bonus. Add in his pre-fight visit to the trash can, and it was a night of firsts for the 34-year old. Maybe it’s an omen for good things in the future.“I got a nice win, so if that’s the key to victory, I don’t mind it,” he laughs.The finish of Beltran was a revelation for fight fans, most of whom had seen Johnson do his thing on the local California scene and in Strikeforce, but who never expected him to deliver the goods with such style in his first time on the big stage. But Johnson has been knocking people out for a long time, ever since his days on the Toughman circuit.“We had 16 ounce gloves and headgear, and I was knocking people out,” he recalled. “I was one of the few people who were actually putting people to sleep. And it went from there.”Turning pro in 2004 with a loss to future WEC champion Doug Marshall, Johnson righted his ship four months later with a TKO of Levi Thornbrue and began building a reputation as a ‘must see’ heavyweight. You were not going to get wrestling clinics or jiu-jitsu matches from Johnson; win or lose, someone wasn’t going to hear the final bell.“When you fight, that’s what I think of, people punching each other in the face,” he said. “Any heavyweight can knock someone out with one punch, so that’s what I go in there thinking. Anything can happen, so I try to get off first and make it happen and be the first to land that big shot.”So when the dust settled from his win over Beltran and a UFC on FOX main card bout with like-minded heavyweight prospect Pat Barry was announced for May 5th, the immediate expectation was bombs away. And Johnson feels no pressure when it comes to keeping his end of the bargain.“I’m under no pressure,” he said. “I’m the underdog, but this is what we do. We fight. And the only way I know how to win is to go in there and beat ‘em up. I don’t feel any pressure. I feel like I have nothing to lose. The greatest thing has already happened and I’m thankful that I made it to the UFC, and I couldn’t be happier. Everything else is just a bonus. I’m just blessed and honored to be able to compete against these guys.”Life has undoubtedly changed for Johnson, who almost didn’t make it to this point after a random 2009 shooting that took him out of the sport for 10 months. So he’s grateful for everything that’s happened and he’s just letting his new celebrity soak in.“I’ve got a pretty big fanbase here, and a lot of people support me,” he said. “I’ll be driving down the street or walking to the gym or store and everybody’s like ‘knock Pat Barry out,’ and this or that. It’s cool, I enjoy it, and that’s why I do it. I do it for the people in Madera, and all my fans and my family. They enjoy it, we’re all big MMA fans, and me being in there competing gives us all something to look forward to.” “I never thought that I’d be boxing or doing UFC,” Johnson continues. “I always thought those guys were crazy (Laughs), and boxing, I’ve been a big fan, and I would mess around with boxing with my friends in the garage and stuff like that, but I never thought I’d make a profession out of it.”It’s almost to the point where you hope for a draw on Saturday night in East Rutherford, New Jersey, considering that Johnson and Barry are two of the most likeable fighters in the organization. And even knowing the hostilities that will break out on fight night, both are equally respectful of each other.“Pat Barry is a funny dude,” said Johnson. “He’s real cool, I’m a big fan of his, and he’s a great athlete. I’ve watched almost all of his fights in the UFC, and he’s a very dangerous opponent. He kicks hard, he hits hard, and he moves well, so I’ve got my hands full.”Johnson doesn’t think “HD” will stand with him for long though.“We all think that he (Barry) is gonna try and take me down,” he said. “As soon as I hit him, he’s gonna feel the power and he’s gonna try to shoot. I don’t see it happening, but if he takes me down, I’m gonna get right back up and he’s gonna tire himself out. He’s not gonna submit me, and I’ve been working on that a lot right now.”So no flying armbars or power double leg takedowns?He laughs.“I’m not looking to submit nobody. My fans and my family, they don’t like to see heavyweights rolling on the ground. They like to see heavyweights out there trying to knock each other out. Even if I have a rear naked or an armbar and I’m in a good position, I’m just gonna swing. I’ll save the submissions for the jiu-jitsu tournaments.”

Posted in: fight, ’t, johnson, people, ’m

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The bad feelings between Quinton Jackson and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) have made frequent mixed martial arts (MMA) headlines the past few months. After stating that he believes UFC matchmaker Joe Silva should be "shot in the face" for what he believed to be an inferior job of putting bouts together between himself and "boring fighters," it was clear that the relationship was beyond repair. "'Rampage" has one fight left on his contract with the UFC, which many believed would be against "Shogun" Mauricio Rua. Unfortunately, that match up never came to fruition because of knee surgery for Jackson that will keep him out of action for a while. After that? He's told HDNet's "Inside MMA" he's done with the UFC for good: "After I leave the UFC, I'm done with them! Just like when I left PRIDE. You remember when I left PRIDE? It's over. I was very loyal to PRIDE. I fought for PRIDE, and I fought the way I fought to put butts in seats. I took risks, slammed people and stuff like that. PRIDE did a good job. They built me up. I wasn't that good when I first came out. I fought Sakuraba and they built me up and then threw me in some tough fights. That's the way you're supposed to do it. Now, the UFC, I was a better fighter when I came there. My second fight, they throw me to Chuck Liddell. The fans didn't know who I was. I knocked him out, the fans booed me. That changed me, who I am towards the fans. I used to be the nicest guy towards fans. My first time getting booed. How are you gonna boo somebody for knocking somebody out? But I got a whole other opinion on that. And now, the UFC's just throwing me all these boring fighters, these game planners, these wrestlers. I'm the type of fighter who you should match up with people who want to fight excitingly. You know what I'm saying? Cuz I'm gonna be the type of fighter who puts butts in seats." In the meantime, Jackson is contractually bound to the UFC and cannot even consider other organizations. He made it clear that he's in no hurry to step back into the cage, as he feels he really needs to take his time and make sure his knees are 100 percent: "I can't even negotiate with anybody. I'm not even negotiating with anybody right now. I got one fight with the UFC. After I do that fight with the UFC, then I can negotiate and figure out what I'm gonna do next. I got so much other stuff going on, I could take a year off from fighting, and I don't even care. There's other things I wanna do. I'm more than a fighter. I'm an entertainer. I like entertaining people. I like making people laugh, I like entertaining people. I like fighting. I like beating people up. But, I still gotta heal up. I'm not jumping right back into fighting, right away. I got my knees to worry about. I've been fighting injured for a while." Jackson further elaborated on his injury, stating that these knee problems are nothing new. In fact, he's dealt with them his whole career: "I might as well say it now. It's something that I've never told anybody. I came into MMA injured. I got injured really bad in college. I went and got surgery and let it heal up naturally, so I've been babying my knee all these years. So, now, when I fought Rashad (Evans) the first time and got injured pretty bad, and after that, I've just been babying it and babying it. It was just a matter of time before I was gonna need surgery on it, before I got injured really bad. In this last fight with (Ryan) Bader, like, a month before the fight, I think one of my ligaments kinda tore a little bit. I was like, 'You know what? I'm still gonna fight because it's Japan. And then, after my fight, I'm gonna get it fixed. I'm not gonna injure it again.'" In his downtime, "Rampage" now has ample opportunity to be a fan and just observe the sport. Though he does have the time, he says the UFC's busy schedule is just too much for him to keep up with: "Yeah, I got one fight left on my contract. I'll watch the UFC. Some of my friends fight there, but there's too many fights for me to keep up. I don't even know who's fighting next. There's too many fights for me to keep up with. They always get new fights coming up. I think it's too much MMA, actually. I liked it better, back in the day, when you wanted it and couldn't wait to see it. Now, it's everywhere! They got The Ultimate Fighter and all this stuff. I can't keep up." "Rampage" wasn't done aiming shots at people. When asked who he'd like to fight in his final Octagon appearance, he had some names in mind, but he was even more vocal about the fighters (or types of fighters) who he doesn't want to fight in his send-off: "I would love to fight somebody like Shogun. Somebody like Forrest. Somebody who beat me before. Somebody who wants to put on a good fight. I'm tired of fighting these guys who are cowards. I call them cowards. They just run around the cage, they game plan and they take you down. It's okay to take people down, but they just hump you and lay down on top of you the whole time. That's what's disgusting to me." Do you Maniacs think we'll ever even see "Rampage" fight in the UFC again? If so, who would you most like to see him fight as he bids us all farewell?

Posted in: ufc, fight, fighter, people, im

Read the full article at MMA Mania

It is no secret that the Super Fight League (SFL) has yet to live up to the owner's lofty expectations. Both the opening shows only sold a handful of tickets and the reaction from the Indian public and media has been muted at best. However, Sanjay Dutt and Raj Khundra, the Bollywood stars who provide the substantial financial muscle behind the SFL, are not ready to give up just yet -- even if it means abandoning all attempts to actually make the business profitable for the time being. SFL 3 is taking place in just under two weeks time at the 25,000 capacity IGI Stadium in Delhi and the organizers have taken the unusual step of making tickets available completely free of charge. This is from the SFL facebook: SFL3 comes to IGI Stadium in New Delhi on May 6! Everyone, collect your free passes from all VLCC and Fitness First centers across Delhi. Hurry, before they run out of passes! PS: Every party/ person can collect as many passes as they like. We've got a capacity of 10,000 people. What're you waiting for!? While I am sure that the SFL would not have envisaged needing to give away tickets when booking such a large venue at least the people behind it are adapting to the challenge and looking at alternative ways to lure people into attending their events. The first two shows sold less than 1,000 tickets between them but Delhi has a population of 16 million and New Delhi, where the IGI Stadium is located, is home to plenty of people with the sort of disposable income to potentially purchase tickets to an MMA event one day. They won't need to make any sort of purchase to see SFL 3 because it will be streamed live on YouTube completely free of charge and the tickets themselves are also being given away. It is a positive move by the SFL but it does make it highly unlikely that the event will generate enough income to cover the cost of the venue, let alone the fighter's purses. Considering that the show is completely free, both to attend and view live, the caliber of the card is surprisingly strong with heavyweights headlining once again. SFL 3 IGI Arena, New Delhi May 6th, 2012 Bobby Lashley vs. James ThompsonTrevor Prangley vs. Baga AgaevDoug Marshall vs. Zelg Galešić Lena Ovchynnikova vs. Joanne CalderwoodGary Mangat vs. Liu Siong As a former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Bobby Lashley cannot come cheap and between them the purse demands of James Thompson, Trevor Prangley and Baga Agaev must also add up. Allowing people to view the event for free is presumably what is known in business circles as a 'loss leader,' spending money with no hope of immediate return on the investment in the hope that it will lead to long term profitability. Dutt and Khundra both have deep pockets and the former is no stranger to adversity having served prison sentences for both drug dealing and possession of illegal firearms. However they probably didn't plan to lose quite as much money staking the SFL as they are at present and even paying Bollywood's brightest stars and international artists like Jennifer Lopez to perform pre event has not translated into decent ticket sales. The SFL also plan to launch their own reality show and will be well aware that without the success of 'The Ultimate Fighter' the UFC would never have become a multi-billion dollar business. This would require significant investment as reality TV is extremely expensive to produce, even in India, and it will be interesting to see where the limit to the largesse of the SFL moneymen lies. With a three month break between the third and fourth events the SFL has time to go away and assess what went wrong and formulate a new strategy, possibly one which involves downsizing the venues at least until MMA catches on in India. The UFC took years to turn a profit and perhaps it will be a similar story for the SFL. Regardless of whether he Indian promotion does stand the test of time the good news for people in the New Delhi area is that they can go and see next month's show for absolutely nothing. www.twitter.com/jamesgoyder

Posted in: event, people, ticket, sfl, delhi

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Posted in: people, thought, city, rmma i, splitting

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UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was cornered by a horde of media members after the UFC 145 open workouts and forced to answer a bunch of questions. Normally these interviews are drab and devoid of substance, but Jones is an engaging figure and eloquently covered everything thrown at him. He talked about his opponent Rashad Evans and what has changed since they were training partners, what he believes will be advantages for him in the fight, and the things he believes that people overlook in regards to his skills. You can catch the full video below, and a selection of quotes after the jump. SBN coverage of UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans On his weightlifting: "It'll help me a lot. You know I think in the past, one of Rashad's main advantages was that he was a lot more seasoned, and he was a lot more strong than I was. When I first joined the UFC I never really cut weight, I came in extremely thin. Walking around at maybe 213, 210. Now I walk around at almost 230 at times. I'm just a lot more mature in my body and my physical strength, so I think that's gonna be a huge, huge difference for him and he'll feel it right away." On areas where Bones feels like he has a leg up on Evans: "My cardio will be a huge advantage. I haven't got tired in any of my fights except the Stephan Bonnar fight. So my cardio will be a big advantage I think, and my speed. With hands especially, and kicks. Very equal in speed. I think wrestling is gonna be awesome to see. I've been working very extensively on my wrestling. I feel good. I think, if there's any advantage he may have, it might be in the grappling department. I don't know, it used to be in the grappling department. We'll have to see how far my improvements have taken me." On the things that people overlook in regards to his talents: "If I watch my fights, I think there's a lot of things I do really well. And there's a lot of things that people look past in my fights. I think the biggest thing is my intelligence, I think that's totally looked past. I totally have speed." Do people ignore his Fight IQ? "Yeah. I think because a lot of people think I'm long, that makes me win. And that's kinda silly."

Posted in: ufc, fight, people, advantage, lot

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Take notice all Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 170-pounders, Siyar Bahadurzada is coming to knock you out early. After making his long-awaited debut in the world's preeminent mixed martial arts (MMA) proving grounds, Siyar proved why he deserves to mix it up with the heavy hitters of the promotions welterweight division by making quick work of dangerous Brazilian Paulo Thiago at UFC on FUEL TV 2 last week in Sweden. Siyar knocked out the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt (BJJ) in only 42 seconds of the opening frame, handing him his third loss in his past four outings. Not only did Siyar Bahadurzada put the rest of the UFC's 170-pound division on notice, he also picked up a cool $50,000 for his efforts as he earned the "Knockout of the Night" bonus. Not bad for an Octagon rookie. After waiting 10 long years to get the call up to the big leagues to showcase his talent, which he honed through the years spent training at UFC Heavyweight Alistair Overeem's former stomping grounds, the famed Golden Glory camp in Holland which is known for its focus on striking, Siyar didn't have the opportunity to display his all around game, given the fact that his last bout didn't make it past the first minute. If you ask the Afghan native, he wouldn't have it any other way, seeing as how people will find a way to criticize your fighting style regardless of the outcome and time spent doing it, anyways. Speaking to Fighters Only, Siyar says that he is going to channel his inner Mike Tyson and look for the knockout as early as possible every time he steps inside the Octagon. Check it out: "Personally I don't think anybody is happy with whatever kind of fight you fight. If you knock people out fast people say ‘well, you should have fought longer we would have seen your skill.' If you fought longer, like Anderson Silva fights, they will be like ‘yeah you should finish people earlier, finish people faster.' I will fight the way I want to fight and I want to fight like Mike Tyson. I want to go in there I want to knock people out as soon as possible and get the win as fast as possible... that's what I am going to continue, as much as possible." And knock them out he can, Siyar has finished six of his last opponents via knockout or technical knockout (TKO) including five in the very first round. Winner of seven straight, Bahadurzada can hope for a quick turnaround to put his striking skills on display yet again, given the fact that he barely broken a sweat and didn’t suffer any damage as originally thought. Though he is now refining his complete MMA game at Reign Training Center which is headed by wrestling guru Mark Munoz in California, he won't look to abandon his head-hunting objectives anytime soon. How about it Maniacs, are you appreciative of Siyar's "knock em' out" attitude that he brings to the table? Who would be a perfect match-up for the dangerous striker his next time out? Opinions, please.

Posted in: fight, people, siyar, knockout, mike tyson

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Many people have compared UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones to Muhammad Ali, but is that a fair comparison?

Posted in: champion, people, muhammad ali, comparison, lefko

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Alexander Gustafsson looked phenomenal taking on Thiago Silva in tonight's UFC On Fuel TV 2 main event and winning a decision. He was simply too fast, too slick and utilized too many weapons for Silva to ever get on track. I feel comfortable saying that Gustafsson is a huge part of the future of the sport of mixed martial arts. It looked like Gustafsson would get the finish in the first round, opening up with big shots that dropped Silva and then kept him pinned against the cage eating big shots. Silva was able to gut through it though, but staying upright didn't mean things got much better. Silva would try to stalk but, other than one right hand, Gustafsson was able to pick him apart with surprisingly quick punching combinations. Silva's leg kicks weren't enough to offset the uppercuts and hooks of Gustafsson. I'm not sure what will be next for Alexander, but he needs to keep moving up the ladder. He is a special talent who is displaying phenomenal growth each time we see him in the cage. He is tightening up his defense and showing increased combination awareness. Even his footwork was on point throughout the bout. I can't wait to see what's next. Before I get to the rest of the fights, Mike Goldberg's constant "just like Jon Jones!" comparisons with Gustafsson were very obnoxious. No fighter can just be something unique anymore with these people. Jones is like Ali, Gustafsson is like Jones, Aldo is like Tyson, Lytle is like Gatti. Just let people establish their own identities. Gustafsson is actually a better combination striker than Jones, that's something neat to focus on. Jones is much better at improvisational striking and changing the dynamics of a fight mid-action. That's stuff that should be the story, not "how much like Jones is Gustafsson." Brian Stann knocked out Alessio Sakara in what I thought was a really weird fight. Sakara kept bending at the waist and basically begging to be kneed in the face until he fell down. Stann tried to follow with big ground and pound but couldn't put Sakara away. It wasn't until he landed a short shot about a minute later in the guard that Sakara went out. I'm sure Stann winning by knockout will have people yelling that I'm wrong that Stann's power is overrated. My point was never "he has no power" it's that people act like his power is better than it is. He didn't get the finish on the opening flurry despite having Sakara (notorious for a weak chin) rocked, he did get the finish shortly thereafter. He has power, but I maintain that he does not have rare power for 185. He does have much more power at 185 than he did at 205. He's also a phenomenal guy and it's really hard to dislike him. My worries about Siyar Bahadurzada were based around how wide and wild he is when striking. As Paulo Thiago came rushing in wildly he forced Siyar to stick to short punches which led to the short right hand that put Thiago to sleep. He was done no favors by the way his face smashed into the mat though. Siyar is a super violent individual but I don't know that I think he's going to run through a whole lot of welterweights. I kind of hope I'm wrong though. SBN coverage of UFC on FUEL TV 2 Brad Pickett looked fantastic against Damacio Page. Page came out aggressive as always and did what he could to make things hard on Pickett and creating a great fight as a result. Pickett's patience and ability to pick his shots allowed him to get inside the wild punches of Page and hurt him with uppercuts and hooks. Pickett was able to drop Page at one point and a short time later get the submission and prove that he belongs in the talk of future title contenders. John Maguire wasn't exactly blowing me away against DaMarques Johnson. Johnson finally got sloppy on the bottom looking for a kimura despite not being in position and it led to Maguire beautifully transitioning to an armbar for the win. Classic Georges St. Pierre armbarring Matt Hughes style. Diego Nunes has to learn that offensive output matters. He's very tricky defensively, he's hard to get momentum against, but he is too patient. He doesn't open up very often and it lets people outpoint him like what happened against Dennis Siver tonight and what almost happens in a lot of his other fights. When he does open up, it's usually with low percentage things like spinning kicks. Dennis Siver isn't going to win any titles at 145, but if he can comfortably make the cut going forward he's going to cause a lot of problems for people in the division. He's very strong and quite capable of hurting anyone with his striking.

Posted in: silva, people, gustafsson, power, he

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CM Punk spent this past Monday on a media tour of Washington, DC, where he got to pal around with the MLB Nationals’ mascots: George, Tom, Abe, Teddy, and Screech the Bald Eagle. Naturally things got rowdy and Teddy got taken down by the WWE Champion. This one’s for the Treaty of Portsmouth, Roosevelt! Screech was the next victim of Punk’s rampage through the nation’s capitol. The two had to be separated after an innocent game of Rock-Paper-Scissors nearly came to blows. A distant second on the list of cool stuff Punk got to do in DC was a interview on FOX 5’s local morning show with host Dave Ross, where he shared some insight into his promo style. “I’ve just always been the guy that says what other people won’t, without fear of reprisal or the consequences or repercussions that come with it,” said Punk, perhaps WWE’s most highly skilled wordsmith. “The microphone’s always been my weapon.” Punk insists the mic has power—“More so than punching people or kicking people.” Check out My FOX DC’s video for Punk’s reaction to the WWE returns of The Rock and Brock Lesnar and his explanation for failing to wear pants to the FOX studio: Tweet

Posted in: punk, wwe, people, washington dc, dc

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STOCKHOLM -- A thesis, if you will, about Brian Stann: the man is too remarkable for his own good. I realize how that sounds. Here we go, the lazy intro to another fawning sports writer piece, but I actually mean it. After sitting down to a weight-cutting dinner (water with lemon) with the Marine war hero and UFC middleweight at the Clarion Hotel on Thursday night, I think his own extraordinariness might be an actual, genuine problem. It’s not a problem for him so much as for us, who in turn make it a problem for him because we can’t understand how any human being could really be like this. Again, I realize how that sounds, but just stay with me for a second. To understand the phenomenon that I’m referring to, first you have to understand how Stann unintentionally people feel bad about themselves. Example: before our gourmet weight-cutting meal, I get a chance to listen on Stann doing a typical pre-fight phone interview. If you’re a sportswriter, I don’t recommend this experience, if only because it reminds you how many times you’ve been on the other end of the line, asking the same inane questions that the interviewer before you just asked. But Stann is a good sport, and at one point he goes off about all the praise he received for his turn as a commentator at the last UFC on FOX event, calling his turn as a talking head one of the easiest jobs he’s ever had, "if you can even call it a job."Does he realize how this sounds, I ask him later. Does he realize what someone who’s currently in broadcasting school or pursuing a career doing just that sort of non-job might feel if they heard him -- a guy who stepped up, grabbed a headset, and nailed out so effortlessly on network television -- talking about it that way?"Well, now I feel bad," he says with a sheepish grin, which in turn only makes me feel bad for having made him feel bad. Later on, in an attempt to explain what it’s like to walk out in front of thousands of screaming fans, he’ll tell me that he sometimes gets moments of "weird perspective, where I think, man, what am I doing with my life? I’m fist-fighting for a living."Which, of course, makes me wonder what I’m doing with my life. I’m writing about guys who fist-fight for a living. I could mention to him here that now he’s made me feel bad, but then he’d just flash that sheepish grin again, at which point I’d feel even worse. You can’t win with this guy.That’s the whole problem. Unless you’re a good-looking heart surgeon reading this article on your way to deliver free toys to orphans before tomorrow’s triathlon, there’s a very good chance that Brian Stann is better than you. He’s a successful UFC fighter and commentator, a Marine officer and Silver Star recipient, a former linebacker for the Naval Academy, and on top of all that he’s not even a jerk. He’s actually a really articulate, warm, nice dude, which paradoxically makes it easier to hate him.I think this has something to do with our concepts of greatness and celebrity. We expect famous people who are really, really good at something to be really, really bad at something else. Whether that something is marriage or sobriety or money management, we like our heroes flawed, perhaps because it makes us feel like the playing field is still somehow even. If you’re good at too many things, we suspect that you must be hiding some terrible secret. And if you aren’t hiding a terrible secret, well, then we just hate you.Stann is used to this, as it turns out. As a captain of his high school football team, he admits, he wasn’t the most popular guy on the team. He took things too seriously. He yelled at guys on the sidelines when he heard them talking about where they wanted to drink beer after the game. It was like having another coach around, but one who could legally hit you if you made him angry.After high school, Stann decided to seek out others who were as serious as he was. He attended the Naval Academy, where he thought everyone would be strictly business, but even there his peers thought he was a little too intense."So I went to the place where intense people who take things very seriously are welcome: the Marine Corps," he says. "I mean, the Army calls us extremists."Being an officer in the Marines, first with seventy people and later with 140 people under his command, was, Stann says, "the coolest job in the world." Now that he’s a full-time fighter, though, people seem to only want to hear about the terrible parts, the bloody parts. They want to hear about the firefight on the bridge in Iraq. They want the same story he’s told to others, but they want him to tell it again, just like he told it before, this time for their website, their newspaper. For a guy who lived it, you can see how this would get old."I don’t know if it cheapens it, but it makes it difficult to talk about," he says. "I’ve told [manager] Robert [Roveta], I’m done going into specifics about it. When people ask me, ‘Hey, tell me about the time on the bridge...’, you know, no. I don’t want to talk about it. Those are painful memories, stuff I lose sleep over. It’s not something I thump my chest about. War sucks. Nobody likes it. No warrior who’s been in real combat wishes that the country would go to war. They don’t. They want to see things end."Still, it was his time in the military and the things he saw while at war that, at least in part, made him who he is today. When he tells a story about when he considered retiring from fighting in order to get started on "whatever’s going to be my long-term career," I mention that he seems to have a level of self-awareness that’s uncommon among fighters, or even people in general."When you’ve been around a lot of death, it gives you that perspective, unfortunately," he says.And here we are again. Me feeling bad. Him seeming like some sort of superior being, sent to earth to teach us all a lesson.He’s not, of course. I know that. The people who hate on him in internet comments sections probably know it too. At least I hope they do. I hope they know that, just because Stann’s remarkable life makes them feel bad about their own, it’s not his fault. He’s just a guy who takes things too seriously sometimes. He’s a guy who, from the outside, seems too perfect. And isn’t that a flaw, if you really need him to have one? Isn’t that enough of a problem to allow you to root for him?

Posted in: guy, people, thing, stann, hersquo

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Debuting UFC lightweight Reza Madadi is quite a nice guy once you get to know him. That is, unless you're his opponent before a fight with him. After the fight? No problem. But in the lead-up to his bout, he doesn't want to shake your hand, he doesn't want to play nice and he certainly won't be praising you. You've signed a contract to go into battle against him and you are his fiercest enemy until that final horn sounds. Remind you of anybody? "Mad Dog" has built quite a reputation in Stockholm,Sweden with his incredibly aggressive wrestling and ground and pound attacking style. He earned his invite to the big show by defeating three former or current UFC fighters in a row. The Swedish-Iranian transplant will be battling fellow UFC newcomer Yoislandy Izquierdo this Saturday (April 14, 2012) on the UFC on Fuel TV 2 preliminary card. Madadi spoke with MMAmania.com about his pre-fight mentality, how he feels his wrestling translates to the UFC and he explains just how much this opportunity means to him in this exclusive interview. Check it out: Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You were set to make your UFC debut in January but you had that injury. Do you feel like this was kind of a blessing in disguise that you had the injury because now you get to make your UFC debut in your native Sweden? Reza Madadi: Ehh, maybe, maybe not because I really believe that everything that is happening is happening for some reason. It's much better to do your debut at your hometown when you have a lot of support and help so yes, maybe. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You've had just about all of your recent fights in Sweden. Many people have their UFC debut and they get the Octagon jitters. Now because you're fighting so close to home, will it be easier for you? Reza Madadi: Actually yes, it does. A lot of people, when they do their debut they travel a long way, go to other countries far away from home and their routine is ruined. For me, it doesn't really matter because I truly love to fight. I fight from my heart but of course, it makes it much easier for me to do my debut here. I get to sleep in my own bed, take my car to the UFC arena and do what I need to do. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): That sounds great. Now before you entered the UFC, you beat three UFC veterans in a row. Do you feel like that was great preparation for you before you got your chance? Reza Madadi: Of course, I think so. I don't want to be rude or disrespect anybody, but a lot of people when they get into the UFC, not everybody, but some guys they don't meet a guy like me. If you look at my opponent [Yoislandy Izquierdo], he has six fights and those guys are not so famous. My road to the UFC was very hard and I had 14 fights. One of them is not on Sherdog but anyways, like you say, I beat three guys that were from the UFC. I beat Junie Browning, Carlo Prater and Rich Clementi and it was really, really, really tough but I made it and now I have a bit of confidence when I step into the Octagon. It will be much better because I know I can beat the guys at a high level so this shouldn't be a problem. I train really hard. I have experience and let's see. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You have terrific wrestling, which is uncommon among most European fighters because most of them just don't have that same level of grappling skill that you do. How do you feel your ability to take a fight to the ground compares to most UFC fighters? Reza Madadi: When I watch UFC fighters, if they are a good wrestler or a good boxer, when they learn new stuff whether it be boxing or wrestling, the wrestlers want to stand up or the boxers want to take the fight to the ground. I work very hard with my stand-up game and my jiu-jitsu and everything but my strongest skill, my background is wrestling. I try to use my wrestling because I can use it well I try to take them down and ground and pound. I go where the fight goes. If I can't take him down and he wants to stand up, I've got no problem. If you want to go down, I'll go down. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Being a native of Iran and coming over to live and train in Sweden with your wrestling, you have a very similar arc to your career as Kamal Shalorus, who came over to the UK from Iran and wrestled there before switching to mixed martial arts. How nice was it for you to have that friendship with Kamal and to train with him in preparation for this upcoming fight? Reza Madadi: Kamal, first of all, he's one of the most wonderful guys I've ever met in my life. He has so much positive energy, he's so nice, it's unbelievable. I'm hugely grateful to have him as my friend. We both came from Iran, we both came to Europe and he later moved to the UK. Last year he wanted me to come help him for his fight against Jim Miller and now it was my turn so I called him and told him if he can come and help me for my fight for my UFC debut. It's so good to get to train with him, have him as a friend and use his experience because he's had a lot of fights with Zuffa and he knows how I should behave. His experience is huge. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): About behaving yourself, one of the things people seem to really like about you is how aggressive you are before a fight in terms of talking to your opponents, getting in their faces at weigh-ins. Do you feel that you do a good job of getting in your opponent's heads, messing with their minds? Reza Madadi: I will be doing that 100 percent before. I'm a really aggressive fighter. People shouldn't misunderstand what I'm like as a person outside the Octagon, outside of the arena and who I am inside before the fight. Before a fight, of course I have respect for everybody, my opponent but I don't like to shake hands. I don't like to be kind. I don't like to be polite. I don't want to be sorry about my language. I want to say to my opponent, "I'm gonna fuck you up!" I don't want to be friends with you. I don't want to talk to you. I'm gonna step into the Octagon to knock you down, kick the shit out of you before you can do it to me. We're gonna fight. After the fight? No problem, man. You're welcome to my home. Ask Rich Clementi and Carlo Prater. One minute after my fight, I took Carlo Prater out and I bought him stuff. He was in Stockholm two days after the fight and he told me hundreds of times, "You are crazy, man. You was like angry dog before the fight and now you are so polite." Hospitality and being polite is my culture, it's in my blood, but unfortunately I cannot show it before the fight. I tell the fans around the world, I can tell you, be expecting for when I weigh in on Friday and be ready for my fight. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You're very popular in Sweden. You've won the People's Price award two years in a row. What does it mean to you that you've built such a strong relationship with the fans? Reza Madadi: It is huge for me because Sweden for a few years ago, MMA wasn't so popular here. They looked at us like barbarians who just stepped into the cage and hit each other. Now, people's minds are changing a lot. They watch UFC and a lot of MMA events and people buy MMA clothes, blah, blah, blah. For me, as an MMA fighter, I have a huge responsibility with the fans and the teenagers and people here so I really try to be kind, to be a good guy. I try to show the people that all my video blog and what I do is that I'm a hard-working athlete who is on a mission to achieve my goal. I don't get drunk and fight people. Any time I see fans, I try to talk to them and if people want my t-shirt, I try to, from my own pocket, send them t-shirts and stuff. I try to be a good guy for my fans and for that reason, I win the prize two times. I will try to keep going and win it in the future hopefully. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Let's talk about your upcoming opponent, Yoislandy Izquierdo. He's got a karate style in the stand-up. Do you feel his striking style is going to have a lot of problems because of your wrestling? Reza Madadi: Ehh, I really don't know much about him. I only heard he's southpaw and he trains karate. My coach told me he has seen some video of this guy and he's training a lot of wrestling. I really don't care about my opponent's style because this is UFC and everyone trains hard and are very good. I really expect more from his side. He's training a lot of wrestling to stop my takedowns, working on his takedown defense. His stand-up shouldn't be any problem for me. If he wants to stand-up, I swear I'm gonna knock him down. If he wants to go to the ground, I'm going to take him to the ground. I've got to make him look great. He took the fight against me. I tell you, I don't want to go inside and do the usual fight. I want to knock him out and he should want to knock me out. That should be the way that the fight should go. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Can you tell me a little bit about your mindset as a fighter heading into this bout? Reza Madadi: I want to just keep going and going and going, really aggressive. I am trying to bring this "Mad Dog" style to the UFC. I train 2-3 times every day. I never drink alcohol. I go out but my parties, I just stand in some corner and watch people (laughs). I'm a healthy guy. I really try hard for my goals because a lot of people just see the goal. They don't see the way to the goal. Do you understand what I mean? I really, really work hard and I hope it pays off. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): When you close your eyes and think about this fight. What do you see? Reza Madadi: When you ask me this question right now, I get tears in my eyes because I come from a very, very bad back home. You know the politics of back there. When I was a kid, we moved from Iran back home and came to Sweden. Sweden is my adopted country. I really love it and I love Swedish people. Europe gave us an opportunity to be who I am. Just like the United States, when I came out there with Kamal, it's the same thing. Your country and European countries give us this opportunity to be something. I'm a poor kid from a poor family. My father was a political guy and I don't want to talk about politics, it's not my expertise. I'm an athlete. I very appreciate what these countries offered me and my family. I train really hard to be who I am. To get to the UFC is not easy and I've worked very hard for this. Every time that I think about it, I think about the referee putting my hands up and I get so happy. Everything I dream about as a kid, I close my eyes and it's so different to explain the feeling but it's a great feeling. Reza would like to thank his head coach Selma Bericha who has always been there for him. He'd also like to thank his conditioning coach Boris, his jiu-jitsu coach Martin Lindquist, Sasha Martinovic and his family, his manager Manos and the UFC crew. Lastly he'd like to thank Kamal Shalorus. You can follow him on twitter @RezaMadDog. So what do you think, Maniacs? Has Madadi won you over with his interview? How do you think "Mad Dog" will fair against fellow UFC-debuter Yoislandy Izquierdo on Saturday? Speak up!

Posted in: ufc, fight, people, dont, madadi

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I'm sure this will come in handy for a few people at least. If not, feel free to downvote into oblivion. Guide submitted by saultymoosepickles [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: addition, people, guide, oblivion guide, saultymoosepickle

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In past situations UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones has shown enormous amounts of respect to his adversaries. However, in the case of rival Rashad Evans the 24-year old hasn’t bitten his tongue regarding his upcoming challenger’s shortcomings. Jones’ demeanor has in large part been influenced by the overwhelming amount of negativity coming out of his former teammate’s mouth pertaining to his own ability as well as that of the coaches at Jackson’s MMA. “Bones” recently blasted Evans in an interview where he made it clear he is hardly concerned with the former title-holder’s ability to take opponents down and control them from above. “We know everything about him. I really don’t think he takes that seriously. I think he thinks him holding me down in practice means a lot when it doesn’t. Holding me down does nothing but kills time on the clock,” explained Jones in a conversation with Prickly Pear Studios. “It’s safe to say he lays and preys. Who has he finished from the top position? I think one fight when he was at heavyweight and then Forrest Griffin. His top game…I’m not afraid of it. He doesn’t go for submissions really.” “When I get on top of people you see blood within the first few seconds. Instantly. He gets on top of people, people get back to their feet and start fighting again,” Jones joked, shrugging off Evans’ signature attack. Jones-Evans Face Off in Heated Interview on Ultimate Insider Fans can see how successful Jones will or won’t be in defending against Evans’ approach when they meet on April 21 at UFC 145 in Atlanta. The bout marks the culmination of almost a yearlong feud between the two talented 205ers. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: jone, ’t, people, doesn ’t, evan

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If you’re a veteran fighter with a decade of professional experience, but one that hasn’t gotten the call to the UFC, it can be cause for alarm. Then alarm leads to a lack of focus, a lack of focus leads to a loss against a lesser opponent, and the Octagon grows even more distant. So how did Siyar Bahadurzada avoid this brutal chain of events as he waited for his opportunity to compete in the world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion?“At one point, I thought, what is this? Why am I not fighting in the UFC?” he said. “But that actually made me even sharper and more hungry.” And when the opportunity came up for him to compete in the United Glory promotion’s eight man World Series tournament in 2010-11, Bahadurzada saw it as his chance to show the UFC brass just what he could do at 170 pounds.“When there was the Glory World Series tournament with eight welterweights, I promised myself that I want to finish all three fights within five minutes,” he said. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish all the fights in five minutes, but I did finish all three fights by knockout, and that was kind of my ticket to the UFC and what got the UFC interested in me.”Two UFC vets, Derrick Noble and John Alessio, both fell in less than two minutes each. Belgium’s Tommy Depret made it to round two, but suffered the same knockout fate, and soon after, Bahadurzada was a UFC fighter.“This is my time,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for this call for years, and finally I get a chance to show my skills in the UFC and I’m very excited about it.”This Saturday in Stockholm, Sweden, Bahadurzada makes his Octagon debut against perennial contender Paulo Thiago, but getting the call was the easy part. Actually getting to the fight has taken him on some detours, as he split with his longtime team, Golden Glory, and also saw his original debut against Erick Silva get scratched when he broke his hand.“My entire world crashed when I broke my hand the first time,” he admits. “But on the other side, everything happens for a reason, and maybe this is supposed to be like this, and it makes me sharper and more hungry. And even if my body’s broken and I’m tired, my heart and my mind is on fire because this has been what I’ve been waiting for for years and this is my dream. How many people have a UFC contract on the planet? It’s like a couple hundred and I’m one of those people; that’s a big honor for me.”As for his current training situation, Bahadurzada has also landed on his feet, joining up with renowned Muay Thai trainer Lucien Carbin to sharpen the skills that have seen him score half of his wins by knockout, including five of his last six.“I’m an independent kind of guy and I’ve still been training with my friends who I was training with when I was with Golden Glory,” he explains. “And my Thai Boxing trainer Lucien Carbin and Golden Glory didn’t have a good bond with each other, so I didn’t get to train with him all these years. But now I’m back with Lucien and his style of fighting is perfect for me. It’s aggressive, there are a lot of knee strikes, kicks, punches, and it’s complete Muay Thai with elbows and everything. That style is perfect for me. We’re working on some cool stuff and I can’t wait to show it.”If you haven’t seen him fight, you’ll be pleasantly surprised on Saturday, as Bahadurzada won’t shy away from a confrontation in the Octagon. And while the Shooto light heavyweight (183 pounds) champion and Sengoku 2008 Grandprix semifinalist may be a mystery to many UFC fans, having competed primarily in Europe and Japan over the course of his 10 year career, his style and his back story are likely to make him one of the organization’s most compelling figures should he be successful.Currently making his home in the Netherlands, where he has lived since he was a teenager, Bahadurzada grew up in vastly different surroundings in his native country of Afghanistan. Born and raised in Kabul, the future fighter saw battles of a different, graver, sort as a child.“Growing up in Afghanistan when I was a kid, like three, four years old, I walked over bodies and body parts, and those things are in me – I can never get it out of me,” he said. “You grow up with those things, but I’m really a changed person. When I see people of my age, 26-27 years old, and see the way they think and the way they see life, that kind of life in Afghanistan formed me and built my character. The person I am today, I think I owe it back to my country and the things that I’ve been through.”And he doesn’t shy away from talking about his country or his culture, despite the turmoil that still reigns in the region. He’s proud to be an Afghan, yet as he explains, what has happened there in the last several years doesn’t always tell the complete story of his nation.“Let’s be honest, after 9/11 everybody’s ashamed of being an Afghan,” said Bahadurzada, who still has aunts and uncles living in the country. “Everybody tries to avoid being an Afghan and change the conversation and avoid talking about their nationality. But people don’t realize that we’ve had a history of 5,000 years, and if you look back in history, you will know what Afghanistan is about. We are hospitable people, we have a great culture, we’re very friendly, and we’ve always been open. And that’s what I’m trying to explain to people. Unfortunately the media has put us in a very dark light, and I hope with all my heart that I can bring a change to that.”Admirably, Bahadurzada accepts the pressure that goes along with being someone trying to change preconceived prejudices, saying “I see that as a dream, and I’m fighting for it. That’s my motivation and that’s what I want to get.” Yet at the same time, he is prepared for what could very well be a hostile reaction once he makes his United States debut.“There are people who are stupid and people who envy you,” he said. “People who are stupid, in a matter of time, if you put on good fights and show your character and what kind of person you are and they see it, they will change their opinion of you. But people who envy you, don’t even waste your energy on them; they will never change and they’ll always be hating. So I’m prepared for that, being booed until they get to know me. I have the confidence in myself that once people really get to know the person that I am and my character and what I stand for, I think they will start loving me, and also because of my fighting style. So I don’t worry about that (a negative reaction) too much, but it is in the back of my head, yes.”That’s not what’s in the front of his head though. That space belongs to Thiago, who broke a two fight losing streak with a decision win over David Mitchell last August. With victories over Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, and Jacob Volkmann, Thiago has the scarier resume, and as a black belt in jiu-jitsu, he will pose problems for the 27-year old, who has suffered two of his four pro losses via submission, but Bahadurzada is unfazed by the challenge, and when you ask him what he sees when he looks at the Brazilian, he smiles.“Right now I see a face all pretty and everything. But I think there will be a change in it after we fight, no disrespect.”So whether you know him or not, or think he’s overmatched against Thiago, Bahadurzada is confident that he has some surprises up his sleeve come Saturday night.“People send me messages and because they’ve never seen me fight or they don’t know me, and they say ‘hey man, you better watch out, Paulo Thiago’s really good.’ I give Paulo Thiago the respect because he is good, and no disrespect to him or his fans, but I will smash Paulo Thiago. I’m just waiting for the moment to come.”It’s just a few days away, and Siyar Bahadurzada can’t contain his excitement.“I hope they (the fans) get to see the heart that I have,” he said. “I hope I can put on a good show because that’s what I’ve been training really, really hard for and I want them to see my fighting spirit and my heart. That’s what I want to show the people.”

Posted in: ufc, ’t, i ’m, people, bahadurzada

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Two years ago Mark Hunt wasn’t even supposed to be in the UFC. Today he’s on the cusp of receiving a title-shot. The strange journey of Hunt began when Zuffa acquired PRIDE where the 38-year old had made a name for himself with a slew of entertaining bouts against the likes of Mirko Filipovic, Wanderlei Silva, and Fedor Emelianenko. Though the company was willing to buy out his contract, letting him walk with salary, the proud New Zealander preferred to honor the deal and made his Octagon debut instead. Though he lost the match-up, he won his next outing with a brutal knockout to set up the three-fight run he’s currently on that was capped off in February with a beautiful finish of Cheick Kongo. With Alistair Overeem likely out of a May 26 title-fight with Junior dos Santos due to a failed drug test, Hunt has now become the unlikely candidate of an underground movement to see him fill the probable vacancy. The push was given even more steam when UFC President Dana White removed Frank Mir from the equation by stating he’d face Cain Velasquez as expected, thus leaving Hunt in a very enviable spot. “I think people like to see an underdog in there,” said Hunt on The MMA Show when asked about the online movement to see him get a crack at Dos Santos’ belt. “I wasn’t even wanted in the UFC, put it that way. And here we are talking about me having a title shot. Two years ago you’d have laughed at the thought. I think people like to see a good Rocky story.” If by some strange stroke of fortune Hunt is given an opportunity to face Dos Santos he’s also confident he can pull off the upset, paying homage the fans who would have potentially helped him get the shot. “I match-up good against anyone, so of course I feel like I match-up good against him,” explained Hunt of the Brazilian champion. “The people that think I don’t have a chance against anybody on this planet, they are certainly mistaken. But it’s good to be underestimated. I like to be the underdog. I don’t have a chance. That’s great, it gives me more drive, more fire.” Hunt is currently scheduled to face Stefan Struve at UFC 146 where Dos Santos-Overeem is still set as the headliner until Overeem’s status is resolved with the NSAC on April 24. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, hunt, do, people, matchup

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Guns don't train people, people train people. Or in this case, older brothers who just so happen to play for the NFL and have nothing better to do than empty a foam clip into you during the Easter holiday, train people. Such is the charmed life of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, who will defend his 205-pound title against former division kingpin and current number one contender Rashad Evans. In less than two weeks. That's right, UFC 145 is just around the corner and will blow up the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, April 21, 2012 LIVE on pay-per-view. Dan Henderson notwithstanding, "Bones" is dangerously close to cleaning out his entire division. Then what? A trip to heavyweight if he has his say, but let's not put the cart before the horse. "Suga" is hoping to sour those plans with a career-defining performance in "The Peach State." Anyone think he gets it done? More on their upcoming tilt right here.

Posted in: ufc, people, train, atlanta georgia, horse suga

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Brock Lesnar dominated Cagewriter's Facebook page this week, as many, many, many people had opinions on the big man's return to professional wrestling. You also shared your thoughts on who Junior dos Santos should face in place of Alistair Overeem, … Continue reading →

Posted in: sport, lesnar, people, brock, rant

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With his perfect record still intact, Bellator's Ben Askren hasn't had a problem winning. But finishing? That's been a bit of an issue. Since putting Ryan Thomas to sleep with a guillotine in his Bellator debut in 2010, he's been to five straight decisions. That's enough to make him the promotion's welterweight champion, but not enough to satisfy his own expectations. In hopes of improving that finishing rate, Askren began working with renowned striking coach Duke Roufus about one year ago. The changes weren't readily apparent in his first two bouts since the change, but Askren -- who faces Douglas Lima on Friday night at Bellator 64 -- says they're coming. "I’m not a person who really cares what other people think," he said on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "At the same time, for myself, for a lot of different reasons, I want to finish. I haven’t done that my last two fights, but I’m excited to give it a shot, and I think I can finish." To do that, it will have to come against challenger in Lima (21-4) who has won nine straight and knocked out three of his last four opponents. That recent run has fueled a growing belief that Lima can win, something that makes the bout more interesting for Askren. "Some people even call him the favorite, so I’m definitely excited to get in there and prove my mettle," he said.Askren said he's not the type to watch much video on his opponent, but he did enough to get a peak at Lima. His biggest takeaway was about Lima's wrestling, which he says is "not very good."Askren should know. He is one of the most decorated collegiate amateur wrestlers to transition to MMA, having won two national championships and earned four All-America selections. He also ended his NCAA career with 87 straight wins before wrestling internationally, including representing the U.S. in the 2008 Olympics.Though he was known for an unorthodox style that often incorporated risk into it, Askren has been accused of being conservative in MMA, falling back on his wrestling roots to control opponents on the ground. That's a charge he dismisses, saying the critics are off-base."I haven’t tried to recklessly go for the finish like some people do," he said. "Some people think going for a finish is more important than winning itself. I’m not totally reckless in my approach. But I feel like I’ve worked towards a finish in every single fight I’ve been in."The problem, he's felt, is he simply didn't have enough weapons to make him dangerous everywhere. He says his striking has improved by "dramatic amounts" and thinks fans will be "pleasantly surprised" with the advancements he's made."I didn’t know what I was doing, period," he said. "So I was doing a lot wrong. I wasn’t putting a lot of force into my punches, I didn’t move on my feet well, I didn’t have good head movement. I can go over and over all the things I did wrong."In the past, he says, he only had one way to win: by taking his foe to the ground and trying to choke him out. But now, there are options aside from that. That fills him with confidence that he may one day soon be known as a finisher. Maybe as soon as Friday, against another finisher in Lima. In all probability, if he does get a stoppage win, it will be on the ground. That is his forte, and it probably always will be. But you never know. He's confident now in what he can do when he's standing up, and maybe, just maybe, he thinks, we could even see an Askren knockout."That would be outstanding," he said.

Posted in: people, lima, askren, he, irsquom

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Eight years ago. 2004. Mac Danzig remembers grabbing some chicken breasts from the freezer, cooking them up and chowing them down. It was a milestone moment, signifying the last time the conscientious consumer would taste any meat or fish. The animal rights advocate had already stopped eating dairy products; he was now full-fledged vegan. No big deal, except Danzig’s diet made him a glaring anomaly in the MMA and society in general, where carnivores are widely presumed to have a huge edge in the all-important strength department. So for years the Cleveland-born, California-based fighter shouldered plenty of criticism and battled misperceptions about his eating habits. But Danzig, winner of season six of The Ultimate Fighter and single father to a three-year-old daughter, has noticed a gradual shift in attitudes over the past few years as the fight game evolved and ever more attention is paid to the cleanest diet possible. Weeks before his UFC 145 showdown with fellow lightweight Efrain Escudero, 32-year-old Danzig opened up about his food philosophies and recently being featured in the acclaimed “Forks Over Knives” documentary that is related to a book of the same name that climbed to No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Once, the fight world virtually scoffed at Danzig’s fringe diet. More and more, however, he is looking like a pioneer who was ahead of the times. Frank Curreri: Some people might think, five or six years ago especially, that your diet is extreme or wacky. That you are a tree-hugging pacifist. So many stereotypes are attached to vegans and vegetarian athletes in “manly” sports. Has that perception of your diet as extreme or radical changed? Mac Danzig: “Yeah! Over the last few years there have been a lot of changes in perception. When people first start realizing that I was Vegan, I was the odd man out. I was the only person in combat sports doing it. You know, there was one other random professional boxer who happened to be vegetarian, but his diet was filled up with cheese and whey protein, so that doesn’t really count. So I was the only guy. It didn’t matter how many fights I won, whenever I’d lose people would always criticize my diet. ‘Oh he doesn’t get enough meat and protein in his diet, that’s why he lost!’ But now you have fighters turning to similar diets for health reasons – guys like Jon Fitch, who use those diets for their training camps but not necessarily for moral or ethical reasons. So people see him doing well and they think, ‘Ok.’ Jake Shields has been a longtime vegetarian and he eliminates dairy and goes Vegan and people go, ‘Oh .’ And more and more people started doing it, so I don’t find myself getting criticized as much. I’ve been getting more and more positive feedback. People do seem more curious about the diet and more accepting.”Curreri: Talk a little more about being a vegan pro athlete and getting enough protein.Danzig: “I used to always get that, ‘Well what do you eat?’ ‘Where do you get your protein?’ I get that all the time. The truth of the matter is that protein requirements are blown all out of proportion. We are led to believe that we need huge of amounts of protein for physical activity. People have been saying that for so long. The fact of the matter is, even if I did eat meat I wouldn’t be so focused on my protein intake. I wouldn’t worry that much about it because you get enough protein if you have a balanced diet. But so much of our society is based on what is printed in magazines and publications. All of that knowledge was handed down, literally, by the Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno days … people who looked at bodybuilding as the ultimate way for Joe Schmoe to get in shape and be five percent closer to looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger. And that’s been going on for a long time. It goes hand in hand with this whole fitness mindset that has been going on for decades. You don’t need one gram of protein per pound of body weight. You don’t need that at all. If you are regularly active and at a good weight, if you get more than 80 grams of protein a day then you are fine. The body can’t even process more than that, your liver can’t process more than that. If you give your body too much protein then it’s either going to turn it into energy or to fat. And your liver has to do all that.”Curreri: Talk about your education as a vegan. What convinced you that this way of eating was ideal for you? What spurred you to go Vegan?Danzig: “I’ve been researching nutrition for years and years, and not just being vegan, but nutrition in general. I’ve asked a lot of questions from knowledgeable people over the years, read books, read medical journals and stuff like that online. So I’ve been educating myself as much as possible for years and then using trial and error. For years I didn’t do the Vegan diet even though personally, morally and ethically I wanted to. But I believed in what everyone else was saying, ‘You need meat! You need some kind of animal product, fish or chicken … to maintain your strength and muscle mass. As an athlete you need that.’ And I believed all of that. Then I saw some examples of athletes that were Vegan and were getting good results and I thought, ‘You know what, I’m going to try it.’  At the very beginning for me it was moral and ethical. In this day and age, buying animal and dairy products causes way more suffering and harm than it does good. Don’t get me wrong, yes, I love animals … but if we were in a different day and age like 100 or 200 years ago then, sure, I would do whatever I had to do to live. If I had to be a hunter-gatherer then I would. I might feel bad about it, but I would respect the animals that I killed and I would eat meat. But things are different. We don’t live in that day and age anymore. Today you have processed meats and a lot of animals suffering unnecessarily for it. Now, some people just blow that off and don’t have a conscience about it or they just don’t care. They wouldn’t eat their dog but they feel that way about other animals. But for me, I just decided to stop eating meat. I didn’t want to contribute to all of that. I’m not trying to change the world or wear that on my sleeve or make a political statement, because that just turns people away. I only have control over one person and that’s myself. And I feel good about it. Curreri: Give us a day in the life of Mac Danzig grubbing. Danzig: “It depends whether I’m in hard training. When I’m in hard training, like right now, I wake up in the morning, get some stuff done and I go train. I skip breakfast and the reason I do that is because if you train before you eat you will burn off the glycogen stores and the immediate fat sources that you have accumulated a lot quicker. So if you eat breakfast before you workout, then you are burning off some of what you just ate. I like to start with a clean slate for weight-cutting purposes. So I go work out. After I work out I have a Vegan protein shake and mix that in a blender with mangoes, banana, coconut for the good fats, and some cashews. Then a little bit later I will have some sort of carbs … usually quinoa, because it has complex carbs and a lot of protein. I’ll add steamed vegetables and some kind of fruit. I snack throughout the day with fresh fruit. I try to only eat organic fruit and that’s where I get my sugar intake from. I stay as far away as possible from refined and processed sugars. I go train and then when I’m done I’ll have a salad, usually with spinach and kale, with beans and legumes as the main source of protein. Sometimes I might eat Tofu or Tempeh. Tempeh is a little better because the processing and fermentation process that the soybean goes through is not as intense. Or I might add lima beans to my salad. Later on at night I eat more fresh fruit, as always.”Curreri: Tell us about the last time you ate meat. Danzig: “The last time I remember eating meat was sometime in 2004. There was a guy who had a journal online and he offered examples of his diet alone. I had a boxing match coming up – this was before I started fighting in the UFC. So before the boxing match I decided to cut out animal products … At that point I had already cut out dairy and the only animals I was eating were chicken and fish. So I just cut them out and I was Vegan. So I ate some chicken breasts in my freezer because I didn’t want to waste it. It wasn’t good or bad. It didn’t make me want to eat any other meat or miss meat. That was just the last time I ate meat.Curreri: Let’s harken back to your childhood days. What kind of diet did you have growing up?Danzig: “Me and my mom didn’t have a whole lot of money. We both cared a lot about animals and hypothetically wanted to go vegetarian but we didn’t know how to do it. This is like the (1980s) and when you grow up in the Midwest or the East there was not a lot of information about it. We just got by on what we could. I think I drank more 2 percent milk than any other liquid because we didn’t know any better and there were so many commercials about milk – like the milk campaigns that they are still doing. I drank so much milk that I ended up with an allergy to it. A typical meal for me was white bread, baked potato, a side of lunch meat and milk. That was what I had a lot. It wasn’t good for me but when you’re a young kid you can process that. But if you go vegetarian or vegan you’re going to be making yourself so much healthier.”Curreri: What is one of your Go-To meals, something that might be appetizing even to a non-vegan. Danzig: “I eat a lot of vegan energy bars from Whole Foods. I’m really into Coconut milk to make curry, so I’ll make a yellow curry powder and mix it with coconut milk, put that over organic brown rice and add some stir fried vegetables with snow peas. If I have 20 minutes to prepare something, that’s something I might make.”Curreri: You are featured in the relatively popular documentary “Forks Over Knives” and the film highlights your diet and profession, seemingly to show viewers that those who exclusively eat plants and fruits can still be tough guys and elite athletes. What was that experience like and what kind of feedback have you received? Danzig: “Yeah, it was a short thing. They followed me for a day and then threw it in there. They don’t mention me too much, but it was good. That documentary was a big eye-opener for a lot of people, so it was good. I didn’t know it would be that successful because there are a lot of documentaries out there, and lots of times when you’re interviewed and videoed it never even gets off the ground so I never hold my breath. So I didn’t realize that documentary would have the impact that it did. I’ve had lots of feedback from different fighters, coaches and training partners that have seen it. All sorts of people hit me up by e-mail or Twitter to tell me they saw me in the film. A lot of times people were just watching and had no idea I was in it until they saw me in it.”

Posted in: ’t, people, lot, diet, vegan

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It takes people a while to give into a fad; and once they do, it’s important that they find ways to make it look like they’ve been into that fad for a long time to avoid running the risk of looking like hipsters. I’m talking about your ‘organic connection with your fixed-gear bike’ and all the suppressed years of creativity articulated by filters on your Instagram account. Pat yourself on the back if your bike has gears and you know how to adjust the aperture on your camera. You’re cooler than the people who are trying to be cool and you should reward yourself with a PBR while I roll you a cigarette. If you failed to catch my sarcasm, you’re a hipster. Sorry if I tricked you. Please don’t lock yourself in your room with an Arcade Fire album, it’s not that serious. At least all of you know what you’re talking about when it comes to MMA. You’re not just getting into it like the folks doing this FOX News Atlanta story. In fact, you’d think that by now FOX would know something about the sport that they signed a seven year broadcasting partnership with. But if you made that assumption, you’re giving too much credit. Here’s Rashad Evans giving the people of Atlanta a crash course about what this whole 'Ultimate Fighting' thing is.

Posted in: fox, people, ’re, atlanta, instagram account

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Matt Wiman could be considered an old-timer given that he's still around after his UFC 60 debut. But he still feels like he can compete with the best fighters in the world, and while the sport has changed for others, it's stayed pretty much the same to him. "I think people try to turn it into a mathematics equation or turn it into another sport," Wiman told MMAjunkie.com Radio. "People in suits who have never fought before talking about their strong opinion."

Posted in: people, wiman, matt wiman, mathematics equation, sport wiman

Read the full article at MMA Junkie

Nice guys finish last. You hear it constantly. Any jerk you run into on the street will tell you they’re that way because nice guys finish last. It’s become a mantra for anyone a little rough around the edges, a way that they can justify rubbing people the wrong way...

Posted in: guy, way, champion, people, jerk

Read the full article at Low Kick

In the discussion of the most highly touted UFC prospects, Stephen Thompson is easily at the very top of that list, and rightfully so. Here are the quick facts: Thompson is the owner of a combined 57-0 record in professional and amateur kickboxing, a 6-0 pro MMA record, he scored a first round “Knockout of the Night” in his UFC debut against Dan Stittgen in February, and UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has said “Wonderboy” is the best striker he’s ever seen. But what separates him from other possible Octagon icons are Thompson’s goals both in and out of the cage, as he wants to be an MMA star and spokesman for the next generation. “What I want to show is not just that I can fight or that I've been training since I was three; I want to show what karate brings to you,” asserts Thompson. “How it can help your lifestyle, how it can help you stay positive, how it can help you show respect to people. As MMA is building, the UFC should want moms and dads to want their kids to watch it, to want to be a part of it, to want to practice it, to want to come into the martial arts. I want to bring positive role modeling to MMA and that's what martial arts is all about.”At 29 years old, the self-professed “dojo rat” from Simpsonville, South Carolina is as concerned with winning his next UFC fight as he is being the head kids’ instructor at his father’s gym, Upstate Karate. The son of the “Toughest Man in South Carolina,” Ray Thompson, he grew up learning Kempo karate, alongside his two brothers and two sisters, from their father. Thompson explains that these lessons were as much about fighting as they were about building character, saying “It's not just about kicking and punching and punching and kicking. It's about courtesy, respect, indomitable spirit, perseverance - it's a good lifestyle.”Just over two months removed from his first Octagon appearance, Thompson is scheduled to bring his talents and ethos to UFC 145 in neighboring state Georgia. “It's pretty cool, especially after my last fight, which was a spectacular knockout, but I think it is good for me to fight close to my hometown because I think I can bring in a lot of people to this fight in Atlanta,” tells Thompson, who alone teaches 650 - 700 students, which should garner quite a thunderous ovation from his cheering section(s) in the Philips Arena. “I want to show people in the world and my hometown that this is what I do. I want to rep this sport. It's the fastest growing sport in the world, but I want more of my hometown people to get involved.”Although Thompson is a famous name in many martial arts circles, most fight fans got their first taste of “Wonderboy” at UFC 143 when he took on the then 7-1 Stittgen. “At first, I felt really nervous about it because there's a lot of hype and everybody has wanted to see me fight and they're expecting big things for me,” admits Thompson, noting that even a seasoned veteran of combat sports like himself experienced some UFC “jitters.” But a few words of encouragement from his father steadied him. “Right before I went out there, my Dad looked at me and said, ‘Just go out there and do your thing, don't worry about anyone else, and just do what you do.’ I took that to heart. I didn't go out there to look for a knockout - I just let it happen.” With all the pressure of being known as a knockout artist (40 KOs in kickboxing), Thompson still delivered a textbook headkick finish in the opening round, as most hoped. “When I throw my hands, I like to finish up with a kick, and when I throw my kicks I like to finish up with my hands and one of those are going to land,” says Thompson, who displayed his technical, methodical, and ultimately fight ending striking power in that one round. “When I threw it, I figured it was going to hit, but I didn't know it was going to do what it did. I've hit people with that combination many times before - it's just a jab, cross, roundhouse - and with that kick coming right behind that right hand a lot of people don't see it and those are the ones that hurt you - the ones you don't see.”Up next for Thompson is a stern test if there ever was one at UFC 145 against The Ultimate Fighter 7 alum Matt “The Immortal” Brown. A seasoned standup fighter with 10 UFC fights under his belt, Brown last fought on the same card as Thompson at UFC 143, scoring an equally impressive second round TKO of TUF 13 alum Chris Cope. The Ohio native is known for his in cage intensity, which is highlighted by his powerful Muay Thai style that includes a dangerous clinch game featuring a bevy of knees and elbows. In the UFC, climbing up any weight class’ ladder means battling the rough and tumble head on, and Brown is the prime example of that. “Matt Brown's tough and he gets on you,” affirms Thompson. “he’s a veteran of the game and he is ready to throw. To be honest, I am excited to fight him. I'm glad that it has happened so quickly and I haven't had any time to rest. That last fight wasn't one of those brawls where you need weeks off. I was back to training in two days, and they said, ‘do you want to fight Matt Brown?’ I was like, ‘okay, let's do it.’ I like the way he strikes. He's a Muay Thai guy, he likes to throw knees and I've heard he's very good on the ground. I think it's good. He's a step-up for me. I'm training hard for him.”In preparation for Brown and a future as a UFC welterweight, Thompson’s training always starts where it all began in Simpsonville with his Kempo. As an Americanized martial art, Kempo does incorporate aspects of wrestling and jiu-jitsu besides striking, which obviously became Thompson’s focus during his dominance in kickboxing. To further train his ground game, he works in Dallas, Texas with 9th degree BJJ red and black belt Carlos Machado, who just happens to be his brother-in-law. If that wasn’t enough, he also trains with stars like Nate Marquardt and Rashad Evans. Like all fighters, Thompson’s greatest weapon is what he’s most comfortable with, and that’s his karate. “From my Kempo karate, I mostly use my movement, my quickness covering distance, and things like that,” reveals Thompson. “With my stance, I'm standing a little more sidewise than most other fighters out there. It helps me use my front leg and helps me change angles better than if I was standing square. The strikes that I'm doing are basic things that boxers are doing and other guys are doing. But I'm applying better movement than those guys. I never go out expecting a knockout. I'm just going out there to do what I do. If he wants to go out there and strike I'll be ready for him. If he wants to try and take me down, I'm working on my wrestling defense and working my way back to my feet. But all around I'm ready for whatever. I know that he's going to bring it. I know he's going to be super tough.”For Thompson, the hype train only accelerated when scored a bonus check in his debut, and a win over Brown will show it wasn’t a fluke. “It was a good shot, but some people are thinking it was a lucky shot,” says Thompson, who is looking to stand and trade with the hard-nosed Brown, who has never lost an MMA bout via KO/TKO. “My first fight was only four minutes and people still are thinking ‘what does this kid have?’ This next one, I'm fighting Matt Brown and he's a really good name in the UFC and he's had a lot of wars with some really good people, so it's a step-up for me. I feel really confident and I think it's a very good fight for me.” On April 21st, the technical Thompson collides with the brawling Brown in a welterweight striker’s duel. “We're bringing karate back,” states Thompson, who will definitely provide a renewed interest in the martial art with each and every win inside the Octagon. “In the early UFC's, people kind of bashed the karate thing. There are some good things you can learn from karate. I'm hoping to show everybody that in the UFC.”

Posted in: ufc, fight, people, im, thompson

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It started harmlessly enough. Brandon Resnick, a teenager from Shanghai who fell in love with jiu-jitsu at the age of eight, had one of those type of ideas kids have. Why wasn't there major mixed martial arts in China, he asked, naively ignoring a governmental stranglehold on organized competition. Someone should start a national promotion, he suggested. And just like that, the seeds were planted. Five years later the government-sanctioned Ranik Ultimate Fighting Federation (RUFF) kicked off it's third full-scale event this past weekend, where a near-capacity crowd spilled into the Congqing Indoor Stadium to see their top national talent compete in a renaissance of ancient Chinese culture. "The crowd went nuts," says Brandon's beaming dad, Joel Resnick, RUFF's co-founder and President. "They were screaming, they really, really got into it. It was what we'd been waiting for. We knew this was going to happen. And it really did." For two former textiles workers from MMA-crazed Toronto, it was a rare moment of vindication to Joel and his partner Saul Rajsky, after a struggle that at times seemed insurmountable. The process was neither easy nor swift. But dealing with the government never is. Prior to RUFF, tight regulation from the communist regime meant staging mixed martial arts events was a tall task in China. Sure, some amateur shows would pop up here and there, but only under the pretense of cultural or promotional exhibition -- a relatively easy request to get a permit for. "We said, you know what, if we're going to do it, we need to do it as a sporting event," Resnick explains. "It has to be a sporting event and we have to be able to give out national championship belts." Because a professional fighting permit was such a rare commodity, it took Resnick and Rajsky nearly half-a-decade to wade through the channels, scratching and clawing to be heard, often to no avail. "We went through all the different levels of the government. All the bureaucracy. We went through everybody, and people couldn't believe that we really wanted to do this. "Everybody else (wanted to quit), but I was okay with it," Joel says with grin. "I think that's why the government finally gave us the permit. They saw we weren't going away. ... We were like a nagging pain in the neck." Hong Kong based Irshaad Sayed (right) stares down Ayideng Jumayi during RUFF 2's 'Fight of the Night.' (Photo via RUFF) Eventually Resnick's team hiked their way to the right people -- China's governing combat sports board, WUSHU -- and celebration soon followed. The Chinese government awarded Resnick the only professional fighting permit in the country, and just like that, RUFF was a national guinea pig, testing the viability of MMA in modern China. With that golden ticket came the government's expansive well of resources, and a gameplan was quickly sketched out. First and foremost, this would be a promotion by China, for China. A roster of seven divisions, flyweight to light heavyweight, would be assembled from the finest national talent available. Foreigners would be allowed to compete, provided they live in China and are employed under a work permit. "You need to have some roots here," Joel says. "You need to be connected here somehow if you're going to be the country's national champion." Their foundation firmly in place, Resnick's team then set out to implement the heart of their vision. The Super Fight. An unprecedented annual mega-event featuring seven title fights, where each winner is crowned national champion and given a life-changing grand prize of 1,000,000 RMB (roughly $170,000). "It's going to be like the Super Bowl," Joel proclaims. "People couldn't believe it at the beginning. The comments we were getting back, ‘why? Why are you doing that? You could give out 50,000 RNB and people will be happy.' Yes, but you know what? We wanted to put our money where our mouth was and show that we are behind this sport. We're behind these athletes." RUFF's vision is simple. Each year will largely work as a season, similar to most sports. Over the course of five to six events, promotion officials will determine the challengers who ultimately compete on the Chinese national stage. "It's not going to be just about who can knock who out and who can choke who out," Joel elaborates. "We're looking for a real country champion. "Obviously your record is going to be one thing, but it won't be the only thing we're looking at for the competitors in the final. We're going to be looking at your community involvement, how you carry yourself, how you handle yourself, your qualities that you have, fighting ability, how many years you've been doing it, and probably when it comes down to the end, we're going to let the country help vote." Along the way, Chinese fans will learn about the top contenders through an upcoming RUFF reality show. The series -- spearheaded by Emmy award-winning production wizards Neil and Michael Mandt, who list Super Bowls, Olympics broadcasts, and ESPN's Jim Rome is Burning among their credits -- will stray from the run-of-the-mill TUF format, instead focusing on storytelling, similar to mini-documentaries. "These kids have major, major stories behind them," Joel exclaims. (Left to right) Joel Resnick, Carlton J. Smith and Saul Rajsky host the press conference for RUFF's debut event, RUFF: Genesis. (Photo via RUFF) "One guy could never figure out why his mother was never around. She was working three jobs to pay for his training. She would leave at 6 o'clock in the morning and come back at midnight, and he didn't find this out until later in life, that's how they had to pay for his wrestling training because they wanted him to be a national wrestler. "We want people to learn who these kids are and really follow them on this journey, because that night we're making seven millionaires here. There's going to seven kids who really, in their wildest dreams, never had this chance." So far Resnick's own dream has been well-received by both the Chinese population and the governing body that oversees the operation. And while building a roster out of such an isolated talent pool is a daunting order, the allure of a potential audience of over 1.3 billion people has über-sponsors like Nike and Ducati scampering to throw their hats into the cage. "The money really legitimizes the sport here," Joel laughs. "We are getting a lot more of the national fighters coming out. They just weren't interested before -- there was never the proper motivation to come out. A wrestler would stick to his wrestling. ... Now there's the motivation for the wrestlers, the boxers to come out. "It'll be a couple years, but in a couple years China's going to be a major, major force in MMA," he promises, grinning once more. There's a very real chance Resnick could be right, but on the off chance he isn't, another venture like this won't be coming back around for a second try. "Before RUFF 2, somebody came up to me and said, ‘I don't want to put extra pressure on you, but martial arts in China is riding on your shoulders right now. If you don't succeed, there won't be MMA in China for 20 years.' So we have a huge responsibility here. We realize that, and we take it so seriously." Ultimately, that is RUFF's burden. As China's lone window to embrace the newest, purest form of an ancient martial arts tradition, if Resnick fails, an entire generation will reap the fallout. But if RUFF does in fact thrive, the sporting culture of the world's most-populous country will be forever changed. "There's a TV show here called China's Got Talent," Resnick confidently finishes. "That show has no stars. It really showed us, that's what we're doing here. We're finding the new stars. We're finding the future stars of China. "We need to grow it internally. We need to find the Yao Ming of MMA. And that's what we're working on doing."

Posted in: people, china, ruff, resnick, joel

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With less than 24 hours remaining before his featured fight at ONE FC: War of the Lions, rising lightweight star Eddie Ng (4-1) is pumped to once again be competing under the Asian promotion’s banner. On top of getting to fight in an ascending organization with the added buzz of PRIDE-like rules, Ng has a chance to fight an opponent he w thought to have a personal problem with – Jian Kai Chee. However, it turns out that may not be the case after all. Five Ounces of Pain was able to catch up with the 26-year old in Singapore where the event takes place, getting some thoughts on the bout and his adversary in general. 5 OZ: How did your weight cut go? Eddie Ng: Cutting weight is never fun, it’s the worse part about being a fighter but I have rehydrated and I feel fine and am going to be ready to go tomorrow night. I can’t wait! You are becoming one of the superstars of Asian MMA. How do you feel about having so much attention? EN: It’s pretty crazy really, seeing my photo on posters and billboards all over Singapore, it still doesn’t seem totally real to be honest. I’m so grateful to Chatri Sityodtong who is the Evolve MMA owner because he was the one that brought me to Singapore and believed in me as a fighter and that really made all of this possible. My life has changed beyond all recognition and I am training with world champions every single day. Evolve MMA is the best possible environment for any fighter to be in. If I can’t fulfill my potential here then I won’t be able to fulfill it anywhere. You called Jian Kai Chee a ‘fake’ in a video interview. Why was that? I never said that! It was edited to make it look like I had but I respect anyone who gets in the cage with me and he is no exception. He has very good Muay Thai and his losses have been to tough fighters. He’s a Muay Thai champion so you have to respect that. He has vey good stand up and he is a lot taller than me. I don’t view this as an easy fight in any way and I have been training very hard. Do you have any predictions for this fight? I’m going to win by Flying Triangle! No seriously I just want to win and hopefully put on a good show for the fans. A spectacular submission would be great but I am not going to go looking for it. You won your last fight by KO with a punch from the guard, do you feel like your power is increasing? I was probably the most surprised person in the stadium when I knocked him out. I just wanted to be aggressive and to land some punches but the last thing I was expecting was to knock him out with a punch from that position. The only time you hit someone hard with one of the small gloves on is when you are in an actual fight so you never really know what you are capable until you get in the cage. No one wants to fight for longer than they have to so if I can finish a fight with a big punch like that I am definitely going to try and do it. The event is being streamed for free on YouTube. Will your family and friends in Hong Know be watching? My family in Hong Kong will definitely be watching and I grew up in the North East of England and my parents are still there and I have lots of friends there and it will be about 2:00 on a Saturday afternoon so I think a lot of people will watch. The fights are also repeated on ESPN Star Sports all the time. I never thought so many people would see me fight and the idea that a million people all over the world could be watching me tomorrow is kind of scary. Once the fight starts you shut all that out though and you don’t think about the crowd or how many people are watching or anything like that.  All I will be focused on is my opponent and I have had the best training camp possible at Evolve MMA and I know I am ready. ===================================================================================== ONE Fighting Championship ‘War of the Lions’ is being streamed completely free of charge on the ONE FC YouTube channel. MMA fans from anywhere in the world* can catch the action featuring Tatsuya Kawajiri and Melvin Manhoef, as well as others, via: http://www.youtube.com/ONEFCmma. Live streaming commences: 8:00 PM – Kuala Lumpur 1:00 PM – London 8:00 AM – New York City 5:00 AM – San Francisco (Free live streaming is geo-blocked in Singapore and Japan) PHOTO CREDIT – ONE FC

Posted in: fight, mma, people, punch, ng

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Was it the greatest MMA fight of all time? There are plenty of people in that camp. But even if it isn't No. 1, there's no denying last year's five-round war between Dan Henderson and Mauricio...

Posted in: henderson, dan henderson, dan, people, mma fight

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If the technology in Quantum Leap existed and you randomly found yourself inside the body of David Salas on the night of March 24th 2012 opposite of California prospect Jason Miknuk, be sure to not go for a premature take down at the six-second mark of the first round. Otherwise, you may be passed around YouTube the following week and people will claim that wrestling is dead in mixed martial arts. Other people will point and laugh at these people, calling them TUF noobs. Watch this video of Jason Miknuk's six-second knee KO of David Salas at Xplode Fight Series' third event and decide when this new 2012 knee KO trend will finally come to an end. It's just like -- the hottest thing right now. Thanks to ULTMMA for the find.

Posted in: ko, people, knee, knee ko,  david salas

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"I was in Calgary, 1300 people showed up for the press conference. They were cheering like there was a fight going on. I'm so excited for this Calgary event. I know this thing's gonna be crazy. I'm already thinking we're gonna move the stage back for the weigh ins, because if 1300 people showed up for the press conference, imagine how many people are going to show up for the weigh ins. It's probably gonna be crazy up there." Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hit Calgary, Alberta, Canada, late last week to officially announce it will bring an event to the Scotiabank Saddledome on July 21, 2012. UFC President Dana White (via Bobby Cavian), who is "excited" for the projected turnout at UFC 149 based on the sheer number of fans who stormed the presser, also confirmed the show will be headlined by Jose Aldo defending his featherweight championship against an opponent to be named later. Let's hear from our Canadian Maniacs ... what kind of controlled chaos are you expecting when the UFC hits Calgary this summer?

Posted in: ufc, press conference, event, people, calgary

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We've already seen footage of Ronda Rousey training with Nick Diaz, but now it's official: she'll be spending a few weeks down at Cesar Gracie's training with the gang: Yeah, I’m going up there from the 3rd to the 16th (of April) and it’s going to be the first time ever since I started doing MMA that I’m going to be training for an actual extended period of time away from my core camp, who I’ve always been with. When I did judo I used to go around all the time, like every month or so I would go away for a week or two weeks to go train somewhere else. For some reason, it’s something I never did in MMA, so they invited me to come train up there. Training isn't the only area she's been branching out in. She's also been working hard on her media persona: SN.ca: You seem to understand the difference between sports and sports/entertainment. When did you develop the understanding that you can’t just be an athlete, that you also have to promote yourself?RR: That’s why you never heard of me when I did judo. I was just competing and I never really did much to put out my name, or wear makeup or get dressed up or went out of my way to do extra interviews. That’s why no one ever heard of me and why I was pretty broke. Now I had to switch careers and turn my (personality) on and I’m doing pretty well. I had to bring more of an energy aspect to it sooner or later, but I wasn’t always that way. It was a progression from my first amateur fight until now. I knew when I started doing MMA, I would have to think more about how people see me instead of just going out there and fighting. As time went on and I had more spare time and money to pay attention to that kind of stuff, I started working on it more and more. We’ll see how it goes because I have a lot of opportunities coming up and I have a lot of people working with me and helping me. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next couple months.SN.ca: Is Chael Sonnen one of those people helping you?RR: (LAUGHS) He gave me some advice the other day that I needed to hear. He’s not one of the main people I work with, but I’ve talked to him before and he had some very interesting and smart things to say. Ronda was recently seen canoodling with Chael Sonnen in a coffee shop, so maybe that's where he gave her that advice. Did they talk about overexposure? Was that something they touched on? Because I love Ronda Rousey and even I'm getting sick of posts about her every day.

Posted in: time, i ’m, people, chael sonnen, judo i

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John Cena and The Rock may have a handful of things in common but it is their differences that are most prevalent, specifically regarding the grip with which they embrace life as a professional wrestler. While The Rock rocketed to stardom and has blazed a successful Hollywood career in the process, Cena’s popularity afforded him similar opportunities he hasn’t necessarily capitalized on. Cena recently revealed his decision to remain focused on his work in WWE rather than attempting to establish himself as a movie star stems from his love for both his job and the people he’s surrounded by, implying he has no plans to ever leave the squared-circle no matter who might come calling. “I think the day of reckoning for me is when somebody says, ‘Alright, that was your last match.’ And they’re gonna have to say that, you know? Because I don’t ever want to go,” said Cena in an interview set to be featured Monday night on a special documenting the road to Wrestlemania for both stars. “I love the people I work for, I love the company, I love seeing new guys be successful, I love great stories and there so many stories here all the time.” “April 1 is truly a clash of two different people, but I think that’s the attention grabber for (Wrestlemania),” he continued. “It’s because you have someone who exemplifies about this type of person and someone who exemplifies everything about that type of person.” Footage from Cena-Rock Facing Off on RAW Watch the full interview below: PHOTO CREDIT – WWE Tweet

Posted in: cena, i love, people, love, ‘ alright

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Once hailed as a top contender for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight crown, Karo Parisyan has seen better days in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career. With a 9-4-1 record during his tenure with the UFC, Parisyan has gone toe-to-toe with some of today's best such as 170-pound champion Georges St. Pierre, Nick Diaz and Diego Sanchez, among others. Even though Parisyan never fought for the chance to capture UFC gold, his fights, to say the least, were always entertaining. With his black belt in Judo, to complement his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), when the fiery Armenian stepped into the Octagon, you knew you were in store for some spectacular throws and sweeps from the accomplished Judoka. His career, unfortunately, was also clouded with controversy. At UFC 88, Parisyan was forced to bow out of his scheduled bout with Yoshiyuki Yoshida right before the weigh-ins because of a back injury. He was then pitted against the up and coming Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 94, who he defeated via split decision. After the bout, "The Heat" tested positive for painkillers and was subsequently suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for nine months and his win was turned into a "No Contest." Scheduled to take on Dustin Hazelett at UFC 106, Parisyan, yet again, pulled out of the bout a few days before fight night because of anxiety issues, causing UFC President Dana White to say he would never fight with the promotion again. A year later, White had a change of heart and allowed Parisyan back into the promotion, but fell to Dennis Hallman in the first round at UFC 123 in a less than inspiring performance. Now, losing his last three fights, Parisyan looks to make another run in the world of MMA, specifically to shut up a lot of "crap-talking" people, by getting rid of a lot of old bad habits, as he stated recently in an in-depth interview on The MMA Hour. Check it out: "What I was doing before is, when I would come to practice I would bullshit. I would just bull crap, not do anything really, you know, just try to kill the time and leave. These days in training, I have my training partners. I used to do a lot of strength and conditioning before for my last few fights, which I didn't put any time in the cage, ring or that mats. I was strong as far as grappling went and sparring went. I had to put fight proportion training into my circuit and I didn't. I just put like circuit training and strength and conditioning into my training. Then, when fight time would come, first of all, I would be too small for my weight and second of all, I couldn't throw my hands and I couldn't do my throws, I couldn't do any of that stuff because I hadn't really done that in practice as much as I was supposed to, so that's one of the big differences I have changed." "The Heat" also made it clear that he was never addicted to pain medications when asked if he was clean from all painkillers: "Yes, yes. Let me explain something boss. You see, if I got popped for pain medication, it's very easy for people to say, 'Whoa, he got popped for pain meds, that means he's taking pain medications, you know, he's hooked on pain meds.' I even gave a legitimate prescription from my doctor for my torn hamstring and all that stuff, and I got suspended after. People started saying again, 'Oh, the reason why he is not the same is because he is taking pain medications.' Listen, for the record, I was never addicted on pain meds. I abused pain medications without knowing it would hurt me, it was too late already. I had done too much damage to myself mentally and physically. I know it sounds like I was addicted, but no, I wasn't. I didn't let it control me or any of that stuff. I can't believe you actually had the balls bro, to say, 'Hey Karo, are you clean?' Like I was a drug addict and I'm clean now. Which it's fine, it's great, no one has ever said that to me, but, just to let you know, clean wise, I don't even want to say that word clean, because it comes out as if I am taking the responsibility as if I was taking pain medications because I was addicted no I just abused it. But, no I haven't touched any of that stuff. I realized it was kicking my butt, giving me anxiety and panic attacks." Karo went on to explain one of the biggest reasons he hopes to have a successful return: "Now, you're going to say this is a stupid reason, but one of the reasons I want to come back is to shut people up. Shut a lot of freaking people up, I will tell you that right now. Because there is a lot of people that talk crap. It's good it's great, it motivates me. It puts that edge on me that I want to put on my opponents and into this sport. I use everything to my advantage, whatever I can to put me to the part where I am supposed to be the best. So there is a lot of reasons why I can't hang up the gloves, I don't want to lose the fight yet. It is what it is, but for the time being it is a slow process for me. I'm climbing that ladder." Karo's first test back to the top will be against Thomas Denny at next weekend's (March 31, 2012) Worldwide Mixed Martial Arts Alliance (WMMA) event in El Paso, Texas, from The Don Haskins Center. Anyone think that the 30-year-old veteran can resurrect his once promising career? Opinions, please.

Posted in: ufc, pain, people, parisyan, pain medications

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Most fight fans know that former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Mo Lawal has been battling a serious staph infection since undergoing knee surgery in January. What they probably don’t know -- and what Lawal kept from many his closest friends in the fight game -- was just how close he came to giving up entirely.As Lawal told me when I spoke to him for a Sports Illustrated story this week, at one point it all got to be too much even for him. The endless nights of high fevers and no sleep, the battery of antibiotics and knee flushes -- finally he’d had enough, he said."I got to the point where I was like, [expletive] it. I just felt like, hey, I'm going to quit taking this medicine, and if I die then I die. I'm tired of this stuff." He didn’t give up, in part because, just as he was at his breaking point, his doctor called to say that the course of treatment they were on seemed as if it was finally working. But even now, according to his manager, Mike Kogan, he’s still not completely in the clear just yet."The concern was, and still is, that the infection keeps coming back," Kogan said. "It happened at least four times. We were starting to see some improvement, things were getting better, then bam, it starts going the other way again. The latest one was just last week. His temperature went up again and his knee started filling up with fluid."The bright spot, as much as there is one in a situation like this, has been the response from his teammates at AKA. The outpouring of support has been overwhelming, Lawal said, with everyone from close friends to coaches to occasional training partners coming to visit him in the hospital in an effort to lift his spirits."It was tough, man. I broke down when my people came and saw me," Lawal said. "I’m emotional, but I try to hold it back. You know, I’m still kind of a newbie to AKA. But they took the time to come and see me and comfort me."Head coach Javier Mendez even brought him a book on boxing, Lawal said. It drove him slightly crazy, since it was all about an activity that he desperately wanted to get out of bed and do himself, but he appreciated the gesture even though he said he "hate[s] reading."As Lawal’s long-time friend and former Oklahoma State wrestling teammate Daniel Cormier explained: "You cannot believe how strong the support system is in our gym. We’re not just sitting there training together. We really care about one another, and it was good to see everybody on the team basically going to see him. People he said he’s barely spoken to went and sat with him a little while. Muhammad Lawal, I know him. The people at AKA have a lifelong friend in him now. He won’t forget something like that."But even though Lawal was touched by the efforts of his teammates, he kept the extent of his suffering and his depression hidden from them. Even Cormier couldn’t get him to talk much about it, though he said he knew it was bad when all his efforts to get a laugh out of his old friend didn’t even elicit a smile."He wouldn't tell me how bad it was. You know how it is. Your buddy isn't going to tell you all that, that he's thinking about just saying forget it and giving up, because then you become just another person telling him to do the right thing for himself. He tried to keep it positive in front of me and the other guys, because that's Mo. He's actually worried that it will distract guys from fights they have coming up. Like that's his big concern."Lawal’s troubles aren’t over yet, however. His battle with the infection is still ongoing, and he’s lost about 30 pounds in the last two months, he said. On top of that, he has his hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission next Tuesday, where Kogan has said they will offer an "answer" to the positive steroid test stemming from his last fight against Lorenz Larkin. Lawal still maintains that the Drostanolone in his urine sample came from an over-the-counter supplement, and he’s had no difficulty being open and upfront about that, he pointed out, even if he’s been less eager to talk about his health struggles."I tried not to get depressed about [the positive drug test], because I know I'm not a cheater," he said. "I tried not to get too upset about the drug-testing thing, because there's nothing I can do until the hearing with the commission. I've been transparent, and I've been open with everybody. Everybody knows what happened. I put it all out there. You know, some people test positive, and they just go quiet. They don't say anything. I've been out there, vocal, telling people what happened."After the battle with staph that, at one point, seemed like it could claim his career or even his leg, the NSAC has been the least of his concerns lately. But now that his health is finally starting to improve, Lawal looks forward to a time when he can finally return to the gym and put the hard lessons he learned in a hospital bed to use in the rest of his life."I know what it’s like to be bed-ridden now, and that’s a tough thing to swallow," he said. "Seeing my friends, my family, it makes me appreciate them all so much more. I appreciate my fans more. I used to be focused on my haters too much, but now I feel like, [expletive] them. Why am I giving them all this attention, talking back to them, smashing them, when I could be focusing on the people who are giving me positive energy to do good things? It opened my eyes to a lot of things."

Posted in: people, thing, friend, lawal, hersquo

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Subtitle: A Look at What Crazy Means and How We Can Define It in Mixed Martial Arts. As a big league sport, mixed martial arts is still in its infancy in comparison to the Big Five of Soccer/Football, Football/Hand Egg, Basketball, Baseball and Really Fast Car Racing. The money involved in each of the Big Five intensifies and makes more operatic the stakes, emotions, and most importantly, the attention given to the athletes themselves. Almost everybody has an opinion on Cristiano Ronaldo - they either hate him or love him. Most people have an opinion about Mike Tyson too - but it's more universal: the man was crazy good and legitimately crazy too. The superstar athlete who is completely bonkers is something that every single one of the Big Five has, covets and exploits as much as possible. Have we gotten that kind of athlete in MMA yet? How do we define "crazy" in MMA - a sport where athletes engage in controlled violence against each other to win money and fame? In one of my favorite columns of the year, Brian Phillips over at Grantland gives us 31 Notes on Crazy Athletes. The whole column is very much worth reading, but select portions of it can be chopped out and used to look at MMA athletes. 3. The defining sports caricature of the moment is probably the "crazy" athlete - the athlete who's so wild, unpredictable, unfiltered, and potentially destructive that he seems to be literally insane. This isn't the only sports caricature of our era - and there are some caricatures, e.g., the Inspirational Pocket Passer, that seem to be essentially timeless - but it's the one that's most distinctively ours. [...] 9. The "crazy" athlete is the athlete who does or says whatever comes into his mind, for whatever reason, without regard for either consequences or social norms, whether that means dressing up as Santa Claus and driving around an English city handing out money (Balotelli), wearing a wedding dress (Rodman), or biting someone's ear off (Tyson). His actions are the diary of his id. He's so utterly absorbed in his own weirdness that if he shocks you, it's a coincidence. [...] 4. Examples of the "crazy" athlete include Ron Artest/Metta World Peace, Mario Balotelli, Dennis Rodman, Mike Tyson, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Milton Bradley, Randy Moss. Emmanuel Frimpong, the 20-year-old Arsenal midfielder, has excellent potential as a "crazy" athlete, but was recently set back by the revelation that his "Dench" clothing label was inspired by a slang term pioneered by the Ghanaian-British rapper Lethal Bizzle, and not by Academy Award-winning actress Dame Judi Dench. As a sport, MMA is surprisingly universal. We have Brazilians on almost every major card anywhere. The Japanese have kept the sport alive for almost 25 years in a culture of fads and trends. The former Soviet client nations and the Europeans have always been gaga for combat sports and we are starting to see the sport spread elsewhere. However, I genuinely think we have no more than two or three people in the sport that are the same kind of bonkers as Balotelli or Metta World Peace. Hit the jump for more notes, thoughts and to yell at me for overlooking this fighter or that nutcase. Phillips elaborates on the concept of the "crazy athlete" more, while also defining the tendency of online communities to declare something the Best Thing Ever, when that thing is demonstrably not and will be forgotten within days (the term he chooses is "whaff"). 5. For an athlete to qualify as "crazy," it has to be plausible that he would attack someone for no reason. But violence by itself doesn't make an athlete "crazy." Ndamukong Suh isn't "crazy." Joey Barton wasn't "crazy" back when all he did was beat people senseless in the taxi queues outside nightclubs. But he has since become "crazy" on the basis of his mournful spirit-quest posturing, his constantly quoting Nietzsche, and his Twitter advocacy of a fat tax. 6. Other athletes who aren't "crazy": Ricky Williams (too bashful, too dreamy), Andrey Arshavin (not dangerous enough), 95 percent of jabbery wide receivers who are ultimately just looking for attention. [...] You can't be "crazy" if you're just cannily exploiting a business opportunity. "Crazy" is not a tactic. Unfortunately, that last line eliminates Chael Sonnen from contention. The violence issue is a tricky one here. To begin with, I exclude the career criminals. Crime isn't cool and to lessen the seriousness of their illegal actions and hopefully, their subsequent punishment by calling them "crazy" is not what I am after. Furthermore, most of them committed the crimes with full knowledge of the illegality and wrongness of such conduct. That knocks out Lee Murray, Mike Whitehead and all too many others. Next up is the street fighters. Practically every boxer or MMA fighter out there has a story about street or bar fights and some tell them extremely well, so we are laughing instead of horrified that people go out and do such dumb things. Plus there is the whole "that is their actual job - to go out and hurt someone until they quit or the referee steps in". I submit that we have to see or hear about the violence in such an unusual setting, instigated by such a strange reason, or implemented by odd method in order for it to be memorable enough to call a fighter "crazy". Who is left then? Nick Diaz? War Machine? Maiquel Falcao? To declare Maiquel Falcao a member of this selective club is a difficult call. His fights have seen their share of controversy, yet I think there is a certain level of logic and background to the most controversial of them all - the utter demolition of Leandro Gordo at Desafio: Fight Show in 2007. Falcao said: "Before the fight, he went on different radio shows to badmouth me and my family," Falcao said. "He does this to intimidate his opponents, and with me he did it way more than usual. Before the fight, he scaled the wall of my home, stole my fight shorts and showed up wearing them on fight day. On top of that, he sent people to my home to threaten me. This made me lose my head." Source: http://mmajunkie.com/news/25182/brazilian-beat-maquiel-falcao-fights-at-amazon-forest-combat-seeks-return-to-u-s-.mma Given that bit of provocation, does the savagery Falcao displayed in beating Gordo as unconscious as humanly possible on fight night eliminate him from the MMA Crazy Club? I think so. The impulsiveness of words and deed is a key feature. We have to be able to accept that this bit of lunacy-that-might-actually-make-sense or that piece of "I have no idea what that means, but I'm laughing/horrified" actually happened and that fighter did it. As Kevin Garnett screamed, anything is possible and that is why we pay attention. In a way, these very public figures working through their problems on the public stage allows a discussion flashpoint that can be very helpful to us regular people. The attention given to people who experience differing degrees of normality and possibly deal with disorders and complexes that are not given the public attention and spotlight they deserve can generate great talks, increased awareness and the courage to deal with similar things ourselves. Or we can just flip out in better style. With all of these criteria in place, I can now make my first pick for the group of fighters I call the MMA Crazy Club. Nick Diaz is a highly functioning human being with incredible dedication towards his chosen pursuits. He is very intelligent, quite articulate and at times differing and concurrently, a generous and savage human being. He is also my inaugural member of the MMA Crazy Club. I leave the deliberations on other MMA athletes to you. Some of them will shade towards the darker side of human nature and others will lean towards the more benign, goofier side. Hash them out as you may, but stick as closely to the truth as possible. All should be as fair as possible in love and war.

Posted in: fight, mma, sport, people, athlete

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As the UFC continues to bang the drum for law-raping their fans who watch illegal streams, sites outside the MMA blogosphere are starting to pay attention. TorrentFreak talks to first amendment attorney Marc Randazza to get a non-Zuffa lawyer's thoughts on the situation: “I have a very hard time finding a theory of liability for someone who merely watched an illegal broadcast. That’s like saying if a bar was illegally publicly presenting a movie or an NFL game, that everyone in the bar would be liable,” Randazza told TorrentFreak.“My guess is that the UFC’s attorneys will not really go after people who merely watched the fights. They may, however, use the data they gather in order to find out if any of those people were re-distributing it,” Randazza adds.Although it seems unlikely that the UFC will carry through with their threat to sue stream viewers, if they do they can expect opposition.“If they’re really going after people for merely watching an illegal stream, I’d defend that case free of charge,” Randazza told TorrentFreak. “That’s not the right thing to do.” I don't know how it 'seems unlikely' that the UFC is moving ahead on this. They're sending out press releases and making their legal counsel available for interviews on the subject. While it's clear they're trying to send a message to the community to stop streaming goddamnit, following all this up without actually suing someone isn't really going to make that point. And if you know anything about the UFC, you'd know they love whipping out their massive legal dong and smacking people with it whenever the opportunity arises. It's also interesting that Randazza thinks suing people who watch illegal streams is 'not the right thing to do', considering his involvement in suing people who download gay porn over bittorrent: CorbinFisher.com, the gay porn studio threatening to sue illegal file sharers, doesn’t seem too concerned that its lawsuits against some 40,000 so-far-anonymous BitTorrent users might out closeted gay teens who live in violent homophobic households. In response to one person’s email to the company expressing disdain, CorbinFisher’s counsel Marc Randazza, a First Amendment attorney, writes, “Liberty Media produces straight content too. So any thieving little sh*t who gets caught can very easily lie to his parents that he was looking at straight porn.” Randazza could teach the UFC a few things about how to turn this whole legal gangbang into a profitable endeavor: find proof of infringement, send a demand to 'settle' the issue for a couple thousand dollars, and use their unlimited legal resources to annihilate the poor bastards who don't pay up.

Posted in: ufc, stream, people, right thing, randazza

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If people that illegally stream UFC events are considered pirates, then why hasn't the demand for eye patches skyrocketed in the past decade? That's my only argument against the emergence of internet pirates. The web is filled with lackluster pirates that don't even feel the need to get dressed in their classic regalia. Man, Somali pirates would own internet pirates. Those dudes have guns. They even have guns that look like giant NES adapters. If you consider yourself an internet pirate, then go all out. Get a scimitar and learn how write limericks on the fly while drowning your problems in rum. TorrentFreak caught wind of UFC obtaining the names, emails and IPs of people that used GreenFeedz.com to illegally stream UFC PPV events, and the site decided to contact First Amendment attorney, Marc Randazza, to get his take on the ordeal. Here's what Randazza told TorrentFreak regarding the UFC going after illegal streamers. “I have a very hard time finding a theory of liability for someone who merely watched an illegal broadcast. That’s like saying if a bar was illegally publicly presenting a movie or an NFL game, that everyone in the bar would be liable,” “My guess is that the UFC’s attorneys will not really go after people who merely watched the fights. They may, however, use the data they gather in order to find out if any of those people were re-distributing it.” “If they’re really going after people for merely watching an illegal stream, I’d defend that case free of charge,” Randazza told TorrentFreak. “That’s not the right thing to do.” Not a lot in this life comes free, but according to Marc Randazza, he will offer his legal services free of charge if the UFC comes after you because you couldn't shell out $54.99 for a legal UFC PPV. Hopefully that won't entice people out there to purposefully get in trouble with ZUFFA just so they can take him up on his offer. [Source]

Posted in: ufc, stream, people, internet pirates, pirate

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After compiling a fourth consecutive loss by tapping out to Chris Lytle last August it seemed UFC welterweight Dan Hardy’s days of being part of the organization’s roster were at an end. Though ultimately the brash Brit received a stay of execution from boss Lorenzo Fertitta and is now scheduled to face Duane Ludwig at UFC 146, as far as “The Outlaw” is concerned fans have indeed seen the last of that particular version of “Dan Hardy” inside the Octagon. Hardy recently elaborated on his growth in a telling interview with MMAWeekly where, in addition to revealing he’s had his love for MMA rekindled based on how little he has to lose right now, he credited his newfound friendship with Frank Mir as playing a major role in development since last taking to the cage. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Frank. My first real encounter with Frank is when he fought Ian Freeman in London, and I know he came out with a loss in that fight, but he showed so much heart in that fight. At the time Ian Freeman was a beast, he was one of the best fighters in Europe, and I trained with him. I knew how good Ian Freeman was. So my respect for Frank shot up massively after that fight,” began Hardy on his unlikely association with the former UFC heavyweight champ. “Now I’m around him all the time. He’s just such a genuine, honest guy. He really cares about helping people, and that’s something that’s very rare in this sport. There are a lot of people, a lot of pretenders, a lot of people who say things and mean something else. Frank’s as genuine as they come.” Based on what he’s picked up from Mir both as a trainer and mentor, Hardy’s passion has returned and with it, he feels, will be his winning ways. “I was in the gym this morning and I was hitting pads and I feel like I’m being studious again. I feel like I’m learning again,” the appreciative 29-year old explained. “I’m exploring my potential as far as a striker goes, and then sparring. I’m already excited, I can’t wait to get back in the gym and get working. That’s not something I’ve felt for a long time.” “I’m excited to show people what I can do now. I’m excited to show that I have been working,” he continued. “All those guys that Tweet ‘Oh you’ve got to work on your ground game, you’ve got to work on your wrestling,’ these guys don’t know what I’m doing every day. This is my opportunity to prove that I’m a whole new fighter.” Hardy-Ludwig appears destined to cap off the FX/Fuel TV portion of the preliminary card. UFC 146 is set for May 26 in Las Vegas and headlined by Alistair Overeem attempting to dethrone heavyweight title-holder Junior dos Santos with four other heavyweight match-ups scheduled for the PPV including Mir mixing it up with Cain Velasquez for top contendership.

Posted in: i ’m, people, ’m, ’ve, ian freeman

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Posted in: ufc, stream, people, blueboybob, blueboybob link

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MMA Junkie has more information on the UFC's ongoing plans to sue individuals who streamed pay per views off the website Greenfeedz.com: [T]he number of customer records is "voluminous," according to Julie Cohen Lonstein, a lawyer with an anti-piracy firm representing the UFC. She said the information is currently being sifted to "extract certain data and make determinations internally.""We just got these files, so I am prioritizing them, but I don't have the answer (of how long it will take to deliver the lawsuits)," she later added. "It will be in the very near future."...Epstein said he hasn't set guidelines for who gets sued and who doesn't."Other than we need to have the requisite proof that they actually took it," he said. "I think through this seizure, I think we're going to be able to find lots of names, emails, telephone numbers and sometimes even addresses to identify those people that are watching illegally." It's going to be interesting to see if the UFC actually has the information they need to connect the dots here. While they certainly have a big pile of usernames and emails, trying to tie those to real people could prove difficult. Then they'd have to establish who watched what, which means they'd need IP logs tied to specific pay per views. It's a possibility that this information may be laid out in sue-friendly server logs, but there's also dozens of potential ways that data could be rendered inconclusive because of how the technology works.One thing is for sure though: the UFC is coming after streamers, and they have no moral qualms about it because these people aren't real fans of the sport. "If you're a huge [Georges St-Pierre] fan, would you steal from him? I don't think so. So we love our fans, we respect our fans, but people who steal from us, frankly, aren't our fans." What about the fans that pay most of the time but pirate sometimes? AKA 90% of MMA fans out there? It's going to be very interesting seeing who gets pinched for pirating and what the specifics of their cases will be. That'll probably determine if the UFC manages to create a new revenue stream strong-arming people into settling expensive copyright suits or if this whole endeavor blows up in their face like it did with the music industry.

Posted in: ufc, fan, people, information, i dont

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Posted in: ufc, people, theyre, counsel, counsel people

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Just over one week ago, Roy Nelson made it public that he made an intriguing wager. The bet was that if he were to add 100,000 "likes" to his Facebook page within two weeks time, he would attempt to make the weight cut down to 205 pounds. Based on wall posts following his announcement, many fans (myself included) wanted to see "Big Country" make the drop. It's always interesting to see a fighter make an attempt to compete in a new weight class and with Roy's unique physique for a professional athlete, it was even more so. With thousands of people "liking" his page daily, it was clear that fans wanted to see Roy make the cut. However, there has been some recent confusion. Roy now has over 100,000 "likes" on his Facebook page. This means that over 100,000 Facebook users are following him through Facebook. Starting at somewhere in the realm of 32,000 followers, it only took a few short days for Roy to reach this number which is impressive to say the least. However, the pace has slowed significantly and I feel that it is due to a few factors. The biggest problem causing confusion is that many people do not realize that the bet was to ADD 100,000 "likes" rather than REACHING 100,000 "likes." Once Roy's page reached 100,000 "likes," people began to comment as if the goal had been reached and stated that Roy needed to begin cutting. However, the bet hasn't been won just yet. We still need about 30,000 more people to follow his Facebook page. Another thing confusing fans is the fact that Roy just took a fight against Antonio Silva at UFC 146. They might now assume that this was a publicity stunt and that Nelson never had any intentions of making the weight cut to 205 pounds. I can't speak for Roy personally, but I don't see how taking one more fight at heavyweight stops him from making the cut to light heavyweight afterward, especially when the bet hasn't even been won yet. If the fans continue to help by getting his page up to 132,000 "likes," I think that he will stick by his words. Or, at the very least, we can force "Big Country" to show his hand. Anyone still behind the movement, click here to like his Facebook page. More on his weight-cutting wager right here and all the details on his "Bigfoot" fight right here. FanPost edited and promoted by MMAmania.com.

Posted in: facebook, people, page, roy, facebook page

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On Tuesday, the NASCAR appeals panel will hear the case from Hendrick Motorsports about the 25-point penalty levied against Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus for issues with the C-posts on the No. 48 before Daytona 500 practice. If upheld, Knaus and car chief Ron Malec will each be suspended for six races and Knaus will be fined $100,000. The suspensions would take place before Sunday's race at Bristol — the two have worked at Phoenix and Las Vegas while waiting for the appeal to be heard. NASCAR says that in 145 appeals heard since 1999 , 101 penalties have been upheld, 31 were reduced, 11 have been overturned and, believe it or not, two have been increased. The last driver in the Sprint Cup Series to have a points penalty rescinded was Robby Gordon in 2008. And in that case , the monetary fine was actually increased from $100,000 to $150,000. To say that former driver and current SPEED analyst Kyle Petty feels the appeals process isn't fair may be an understatement. "You want to talk about a crapshoot," Petty said Sunday on SPEED, "This appeals process is a crapshoot.  There are 45 members on this board. If you go the NASCAR rule book, you'll see these people's names.  Some of them may have passed away since their names were put in here.  That's how old these people are. These people shouldn't be judging Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus and some of this stuff. I challenge anybody out there to find me more than eight or 10 out of this 45 who have been to the race track in the last 12 to 24 months. "These people don't go to the race track, they don't understand the process. They don't understand sometimes where this sport is. They're great business people. They're past drivers, champions, past sports car racers, past engine builders. Doesn't make any difference. I think they should be judged by their peers. In this environment, in this environment we race in today, if you commit a crime or you do something, you should be judged by people who understand the sport and what is going on. And I don't think the appeals process is a good process, but at the same time, I don't think the fine or what they've done to Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus is anywhere near legit. It's total BS. They never should have fined them because the car never made it onto the race track." To note, the Michael Waltrip Racing teams of Martin Truex Jr. and David Reutimann and the JTG Daugherty team of Bobby Labonte were all docked 25 points for unapproved windshields at Talladega last fall. Those windshields were never on track. The teams' crew chiefs were also suspended for the final four races of the season. "How can [the appeals panel] override it? They don't even understand the sport — look at the names on this list.  The 'Room of Doom,' the way these templates fit and everything that goes on [in inspection] — it's a complicated process. I'm not even sure I could judge Chad on it because I don't go down there and watch them put those templates on that car. I don't know what the sport is sometimes and how it changes. I think [Mike] Helton is a better judge of it.  I think [John] Darby is a better judge of it.  I think Robin [Pemberton] is a better judge of it because they're right in there, but to take [the appeals hearing] out of this context and take it somewhere else, I don't appreciate that. I don't like it." While the Hendrick camp feels — publicly, anyway — that they have a good chance at a winning appeal, the chances of the No. 48's appeal resulting in an overturned penalty are less than 10 percent according to the statistics above. If Johnson's points penalty is overturned and he gets the 25 points back, he would immediately be 13th in the standings with 86 points. Johnson is currently 24th.

Posted in: people, dont, process, appeal, race

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Former UFC fighter Brian Foster has a spot in Bellator's Season 6 welterweight tournament and says that he plans on letting people know he isn't going anwywhere.

Posted in: bellator, bellator debut, people, brian, ‘ i

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Recent happenings in the worlds of sambo, judo, Brazilian jiu jitsu, submission grappling and/or collegiate/freestyle wrestling. If it takes place on the ground and it's interesting, it should be here. [Professor Farnsworth voice] GOOD NEWS EVERYONE - Matwork! is back! The recent hiatus was due to the accumulation of real world demands that combined to overwhelm even my fiery passion and set-aside time for combat sports. Hopefully, the faithful readers of Bloody Elbow have been satisfied with the other content produced on this here site. Now, we can jump back into the happenings of the ground-based combat sports of the world and revel in the daily awesomeness that people can and do bring to others. First, we start with a dose of mega-cuteness: On February 6th 2012 Joshua Smith asks Heidi McCreery to marry him at the beginning of their Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class. If you have any links of your own, questions or comments, leave them below or get word to me at DefGrappler on Twitter. Please let me know if I missed anything major and I will fix this, that and the other thing. A list of official crew Twitter accounts is right here for your pickings:Oh, and these guys are probably worth following as well: BloodyElbow Official Twitter, Luke Thomas, Kid Nate, Brent Brookhouse,Leland Roling, Richard Wade, Chris Barton, Damon O, Scott Broussard,Tim Burke, Matt Bishop, Fraser Coffeen, Dallas Winston, KJ Gould, Matt Roth, Anton Tabuena, Josh Nason. Hit the jump for wrestling, judo, sambo/catch wrestling and Brazilian jiu jitsu news, blogs and videos. Wrestling News: Early in February, Jordan Burroughs continued his march towards the Olympic qualifications with a win in the Dave Schultz Memorial. This tournament regularly features the best freestyle wrestlers in the U.S. and winning or placing usually means a spot in the Qualification tournament that will be held soon. Burroughs has been vocal about his appreciation for MMA and has talked about switching careers after he achieves the goals set out for him in the wrestling world. The Fila 2012 Pan Am championships were held on February 23rd. The Freestyle results, the Greco results and the women's freestyle are all out and ready for you to take a look. The Cubans had a disappointing tournament, but again, all eyes are really on London for the 2012 Olympics games. A ton of matches are available on YouTubethrough USA Wrestling's channel and there are some doozies for wrestling purists to geek out over. The NCAA championships are almost upon us. The competitors list is being released in 30 minute installments and we shall have our brackets soon enough. T.R. Foley has a brief look into the minds and anxiety of those on the selection bubble. Instead of entire college basketball teams sitting and watching for text updates on the NCAA big cheeses making the decisions, it's a young kid unsure of his immediate future. Go read the piece. Foley also has another piece on a back-up wrestler at Penn State who has managed to make his mark, despite being behind two elite wrestlers at 174 and 184 pounds. Foley calls Matt Brown wrestling's "Jeremy Lin", but the comparison is not quite that accurate. Still worth a read though. The InterMat college rankings are here. Judo News: Unfortunately, this is the section that gets left behind this week. I promise to comb through the judo highlights and matches for the best moments next week. Until then, enjoy the official Judo channel on YouTube. The Oberwart results Day 1 and Day 2 recaps of the Dusseldorf Open. Day 1 and Day 2 of the Paris Grand Slam. Submission Grappling/Brazilian Jiu Jitsu News: The development of a specific style in grappling is a long process marked by failure after failure made while hunting the tiny bits of success. It can be influence by coaching, by teammates, by old injuries or even by the specific personality of the person grappling. This is not limited to BJJ alone, as wrestlers or judoka talk about the European style or the Cuban style all the time. I'm not sure I've seen that many people talk about the specific characteristics of the styles that general groups of people from this region or that region seem to have, but the diversity makes for a truly interesting clash when on the mats. Leah, a brown belt living and training in Hong Kong, has a great three part series on her development of style, her perceptions of the style of others and how that gets imprinted in people. Check out Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 when you can. In no-gi news, the Ultimate Absolute 2 tournament was held with a stellar cast of lightweight grapplers. Fan favorites Ryan Hall, Justin Rader and Mike Fowler were three of the sixteen competitors. Celso Vinicius (commonly called Celsinho) won in slightly controversial fashion over Justin Rader in the finals and took the $10,000 cash prize. The matches were broadcast online at Splitdraw.com (where you can get a replay if you like) and the overall tournament was generally well worth the 10 dollar charge. I'll include the following photo of Rader and Samuel Braga simultaneously armbarring and calfslicing each other. It's nuts. via Christian Buitron, Gracie Mag More Gracie Mag photos can be seen here. Tom over at the Jiu Jitsu Lab blog has a truly fantastic breakdown of how the Mendes brothers train. This is immensely valuable stuff for grapplers looking to get in better shape, to drill better and to start thinking about competition in a way that professionals or elite competitors do. Our own T.P. Grant attended the IBJJF Chicago Winter Open. Here is his brief write-up: The IBJJF Chicago was this past weekend, which drew grapplers from all over the midwest for an all gi jiu jitsu event. Former WEC Champion and current UFC fighter Eddie Wineland competed at the event as and spoke to me [Bloody Elbow] about the experience. Zach Lennon took the lightweight crown for the second year straight, defeating a new face to the black belt divisions, Brick Welch of Gracie Barra. Brick just received his black belt in December at the age of twenty-two. He has a very aggressive, kill or be killed style, which served him well in the early matches but in the final, Lennon caught him in a toe hold as he went for a sweep. Lennon defeated Brick again in the opening round of the Open Class, but despite the losses it was an impressive showing for the young black belt and he is certainly one to watch going into the heart of the competitive grappling season. Rodrigo "Comprido" Mederios won the Masters Ultra Heavyweight and Open Weight classes, and was an extremly active coach for Brasa during the event. And it was Brasa that took home the team award, with Carlson Gracie and Gracie Barra coming in second and third. Medeiros even had a funny moment where he gently pressured a couple white belts arms into doing absolutes. "You're doing absolutes." "No, Comprido, I'm going to get food." "Wasn't a question. Put on gi." The Chicago Winter Open results can be examined at your convenience. Sambo/Catch Wrestling: KJ Gould had this to say about the North American Throwdown tournament that happened a few weeks ago: The tourney was a Freestyle Sambo and Catch wrestling double tournament meet hosted by Stephen Koepfer and the American Sambo Association, as well as Kris Iatskevitch (no relation to the Judo guy) of the International Submission Wrestling Alliance. It was an open tournament so skillsets of participants varied, but it's the first of its kind so worth reporting on. The video highlights were done by the same guy who obviously enjoys noisy, screachy, euro-metally whatever music. Not my cuppa tea, but you can always forewarn readers and tell them to hit mute. If you want, you can see the Full Catch Wrestling match for the Light Heavyweight tournament final, at the North American Throwdown. Odds and Ends: George Dorhmann over at Sports Illustrated might have published the finest piece in recent mainstream sports journalism with his absolute demolition of Ben Howland's handling of the UCLA basketball program over the past few years. The long feature has everything - vivid descriptions of the people involved, sources giving up the full dirty on all parties involved and an expose of the darker side of collegiate athletics/academics. It's a truly amazing read and that Dorhmann was allowed to publish it at SI is a bit surprising in today's world of journalistic coddling. Of late, the AV Club (spin-off of The Onion that deals with TV, movies, music, books, games and so on) has been on fire. The recent interviews with Bill Lawrence of Cougar Town and Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim of Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! are maybe the best interviews in a pop culture e-magazine about the creation of television and stories combined with the need for ratings and a firm creative voice. This is kind of strange on its face since Cougar Town is essentially a hang-out show with middle aged, good looking people and Tim & Eric are completely immersed in absurdist comedy, but trust me, the interviews are great reads for long commutes and so on. Todd VanDerWerff has a decent think piece over on AV Club on piracy and how it relates to television content. There's not a ton that is applicable to the usual MMA/BJJ model, but it may be a harbinger of the future for the regular stuff we watch. Kevin Kelly, one of the better philosophers/technology tinkerers out there, has an installment of pithy/funny quotes. To close this edition off, I leave you with a Gibbon vs. Dog grappling contest in which the gibbon exhibits the finest guardwork I have ever seen from any non-human being. It is so good, I am wondering if three hundred years from now, our grapplers will have gibbon DNA chimerically blended into them for better performance. People, I always need more awesome Odds & Ends. Videos, gifs, links, whatever. Do not hesitate to send them my way in the comments or on Twitter. Def Grappler out!

Posted in: tournament, people, judo, style, jiu

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He’s been the driving force that brought some of mixed martial arts’ top talents into the sport, even going as far as to buy up several houses on the same block in Northern California so the members of his Team Alpha Male squad have a place to live near the gym. So who better to start coaching the next generation of UFC hopefuls than Urijah Faber, the former WEC featherweight champ and current UFC bantamweight contender who is embracing his role on the 15th season of The Ultimate Fighter, which premieres this Friday on FX.“I think it’s kinda like that in life,” says Faber, noting that his search for talent goes beyond what a person can do with four ounce gloves on. “I’m always looking to recruit guys. I don’t know what it is. I’ve always been kind of a leader when it comes to that stuff and kinda visionary also. So when I see guys with talent, I believe in them and figure hey, you might as well go for it. And it turns out that a lot of different guys that you think would be good at something, all they really need is a nudge in the right direction and a little encouragement, and things happen.”You would be surprised how many fighters in the game today have gotten that nudge from Faber. There are the obvious ones, like Team Alpha Male standouts like Joseph Benavidez, Chad Mendes, and Danny Castillo. But Faber has also been the guy who suggested to Mark Munoz and Scott Jorgensen that they should follow up their college wrestling careers with a move to MMA. You would think that takes a pretty substantial lack of ego to do something like that, to bring in other talented people that could possibly take some of your spotlight away, but Faber disagrees.“I think it’s kind of the opposite of being humble,” admits the 32-year old Faber. “I feel like I am a humble guy, but it’s more confidence that no matter who comes in here, I’m still gonna be okay. It’s not like I’m intimidated of other guys’ talents. I’ve got a book coming out May 22nd (“The Laws of the Ring: How Passion Runs the World”), and one of the themes is called “Building a Who’s Who Network.” It’s basically looking for potential in people and helping them reach big things. And when you do that, you’re basically creating a bunch of people that are Who’s Who people, instead of looking at someone and saying ‘I want to meet that guy because he’s famous or because he’s done this or done that.’ I try to find people with talent, and we all try to help each other get there, and then it means something when you have a network of people like that that accomplish something. I’ve got a bunch of friends in this sport that have basically been there from the beginning with me. You see me, Mark Munoz, Joseph Benavidez, Chad Mendes, Scotty Jorgensen, and all these guys, and people are like ‘oh, you know him,’ and I say ‘yeah, we helped each other get to where we are today,’ and that’s my network of people and it’s a real network.”For the next three months, Faber has a chance to build that network from 32 fighters that will be whittled down to 16 this Friday night, and then to eight as he and his opposing coach, UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz, select teams. “I have taken a look at the guys so far and I feel like there are some favorites in there, but you’re not really ever gonna know until they’re right there in front of you and they’re fighting each other,” said Faber of the initial 32. “So I’m gonna keep an open mind, but I’ve definitely taken a look at them to see who I think are the better guys.”To help Faber pick the right guys will be a full cast of assistant coaches and guests that, not surprisingly, call Sacramento their home base.“Master Thong, Fabio Prado, Dustin Akbari, Justin Buchholz, Lance Palmer,” said “The California Kid” when asked about his TUF coaching staff. “And then my guys, Chad Mendes and Joseph (Benavidez) and Danny Castillo and TJ Dillashaw, they’ll be coming out to help out as well, and I’ll probably have some guests coming in, different specialists that will come in and add their two cents and give these guys some cool techniques and stuff like that.”It’s the chance of a lifetime for the eight competitors who eventually end up on Team Faber, especially considering that the show has launched the careers of several UFC stars, including former champions Rashad Evans and Forrest Griffin. But what does Faber, an already established star, get out of being on the show?“For me, I get a lot of exposure for myself, my team, my guys,” he said. “Three months is a long time, and every week you have a bunch of viewers watching us and seeing how we interact and who we are and stuff like that. But it’s also an opportunity to help out another group of guys. I’ve been a guy who’s been able to scout talent since I got in this game before it was even really popular, and I think I’m gonna be able to help out here as well, so I’m excited about that. It’s gonna be fun to help another group of guys reach their goals and do big things.”The most interesting twist though, is that as Faber coaches, at the same time he will also be training for and getting a chance to get up close and personal with his old rival Cruz in preparation for their July rubber match. Now that’s something out of the ordinary for the nine year pro, but not surprisingly, he’s sure he’ll find a way to make it work for him.“I’m not sure how that’s gonna be, and I can’t say that I’m excited about it necessarily, but it’s our reality for the time being and it should be interesting,” he said. “I’ve never been a guy that’s shaken by being in contact with someone I’m gonna fight, and it should be an opportunity to get in each other’s heads a little bit and see who can get a mental edge. And I think if anyone’s gonna have the edge in that category, it’s definitely me.”

Posted in: guy, i ’m, people, ’m, faber

Read the full article at UFC

Phenom, unbeatable, the "Michael Jordan" of mixed martial arts (MMA). Those are but a few words of many that have often been used to describe Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Champion, Jon Jones. Arrogant, cocky, fake -- those are also a few words that have been used to describe "Bones," by fans across Internet forums and even his colleagues, specifically, his former training partner who will also be his next opponent at UFC 145 on April 21, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia, Rashad Evans. At the age of just 24, Jones has accomplished in the world of MMA in four years what many cannot accomplish in an entire career, and may not even come close to. In 2011, "Bones" had one of the, if not the most impressive runs in MMA history, by literally running through one of he hottest MMA prospects and three of the best to ever don UFC gloves. The fact that he won four consecutive fights in 10 months, three of which were championship bouts, is not as near as impressive as in the manner in which he did it. He emphatically took the UFC's 205-pound title away from Mauricio Rua, one of the most respected strikers in the game, and then proceeded to defend his title against two of the most dangerous fighters in the sport today in Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida. Not only did he defeat them, he did it rather convincingly. What's scary to think, for his opponents at least, is that Jones may not even be in his prime. It's kind of hard not to be a little arrogant, having those accomplishments under your belt in such a short time, after dropping out of college and struggling to find work and going from borrowing his girlfriend's car just to get to practice, to driving a $170,000 Bentley. With a background like that, who wouldn't be cocky and overly sure of themselves? Not Jon Jones. He is far from it, actually. In fact, as he tells Mens Journal, Jones, one of the most dangerous fighters in the world, is actually sometimes an insecure person that is only perceived to be cocky. See for yourself: "My road wasn't easy, by any means. That's why when people call me cocky, it's, like, the biggest blow I can get. It's like, ‘It's not me! I'm sorry I'm coming across that way.' I don't think I'm better than anyone. I want to change our sport with something positive, to brighten up people's lives and get them to look more on the positive side about every little thing." Jones, a well spoken athlete who doesn't curse in post-fight interviews and doesn't flip off a hostile and booing crowd, is definitely the new generation of fighter that will carry this sport for years to come. He is young, has the looks and charisma that publicists can only dream of, and to top it all off, he has the skills to defeat the best fighters in the world. Yet, he is one of the most hated and booed fighters in the sport today. Jones, however, says he tries his best just to phase out the boos and hate. "I don't hear them, to tell you the truth. I can't please everyone. Some people are going to love you, and some are going to hate you, no matter what you do." As confident as Jones may carry himself, he lives with the fear of getting knocked out in front of such a wide audience. Something that undoubtedly would make all of his naysayers happy. Jones, however, doesn't live with hatred in his heart, nor does he have a vendetta toward the people who wish to see him fail. "Sometimes I look back, and I want to be rude to people who didn't believe in me. But that's not what I do. I try to treat everybody with love. But when I go home now, to the people who treated me like a loser, I'm, like, the hero of our whole town." It's funny, in a way, that a fighter can stand on top of the cage after victory, do a back flip in front of his downed opponent, and fans dare not label him cocky or arrogant, but rather, he's simply embracing his moment to shine. Jones on the other hand, does neither of those things. But, can you imagine the backlash if he did? When he dropped Machida's lifeless body to the mat at UFC 140 after choking him unconscious, he simply walked away, with a calm look on his face, without a care in the world. After he submitted "Rampage" at UFC 135, "Bones" sat in the center of the Octagon, embracing a moment to himself, celebrating his first successful title defense. Even when he claimed the title from "Shogun" at UFC 128, Jones didn't jump up and down in elation and do back flips off the cage, he simply sat there, quietly, reflecting on doing what he expects himself to do. "I heard this story once of this football player who, whenever he scored, just handed the ball to the ref. And I thought that was really cool, like, ‘This is what I do. I score touchdowns.' I wasn't trying to be cocky or anything, but that's what I was thinking: ‘This is what I do. I defend my title.' " Being the champion of such a prestigious weight class in the biggest platform of them all, Jon Jones now has a huge target on his back with the rest of the 205-pound field looking to be the one to conquer the seemingly untouchable fighter. The target is not exclusive to fighters, though, but from fans as well, who wish to see him defeated, if not for anything else than to just see him eat a slice of humble pie. A piece of pie that Jones himself declares, he does not need. For more on his upcoming UFC 145 main event title fight against Rashad Evans, click here.

Posted in: ufc, jone, fighter, jon jones, people

Read the full article at MMA Mania

For what seems like forever now, people have been telling Joseph Benavidez that he was essentially the champion of a division that didn’t yet exist. At 5’4" and with a frame that hardly had to break a sweat to make 135 pounds, he was already one of the best bantamweights in the world, with only a pair of decision losses to 135-pound champ Dominick Cruz marring his otherwise perfect record. If Zuffa would just add a flyweight class, people said, he’d be the king of it in no time.A part of him agreed with that assessment, but another part didn’t want to give himself that sort of out."[A] 125[-pound division] had been mentioned so many times and it just never came around. It seemed like a waste of time and stressful to think and talk about it," Benavidez told MMA Fighting this week. "I think after the first time it was mentioned and then it didn’t happen, I just kind of accepted that it might not ever happen. But I thought, hey, I’m a pretty dang good bantamweight anyway. I’ve beaten everybody except the champion of the world, so maybe I need to forget about the flyweight thing." But when he heard that this time it was really happening, and he was really one of the four fighters selected to compete in the mini-tournament designed to crown the first ever UFC flyweight champion, Benavidez finally let himself feel what he’d been holding back."It is a relief. I was in such a purgatory in the [bantamweight] division. Not only with me and Cruz, since I’d lost to him twice, but my teammate [Urijah Faber] was the next guy in line. So no matter who was going to be champion, I wasn’t going to be able to fight either of them. It was a weird division for me."When the UFC’s flyweight tourney kicks off from Sydney, Australia tonight, Benavidez will finally get the chance to find out if he’s as good at 125 pounds as people expect him to be. That puts an awful lot of pressure on his shoulders, but it’s also helped to land him on a main UFC card on cable TV for a change, which is already a step in the right direction, as far as he’s concerned."I was stuck on the undercard, the number two-ranked bantamweight, and I hadn’t even really got a chance to benefit from the [UFC-WEC] merger. The people who watch Facebook [prelim bouts], those are the same people who watched the WEC before, so it wasn’t a new audience. But now, getting on a UFC main card, I get a whole new legion of fans to showcase myself to. I feel like I’m finally getting a real UFC fight."According to oddsmakers, Benavidez also has the easiest draw in the four-man field. He’s as high as a 10-1 favorite over UFC newcomer Yasuhiro Urushitani, while fellow former bantamweight title contender Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson is favored to emerge from the other side of the bracket. That’s no accident, the way Benavidez sees it, which is why he’ll be keeping an eye on the division’s other bout tonight."I expect to fight ‘Mighty Mouse’ [in the finals]. I think that’s why [the UFC] set it up like that and I think that’s what people are expecting. Especially since we both lost to Cruz, I think it was obvious that we were both a little small for [bantamweight]. That’s what I expect and what I’m looking forward to, but I’m giving McCall a better chance than a lot of other people. He’s a tough guy and he’s hungry. I think ‘Mighty Mouse’ has an edge on him, but it’s going to be a tough fight either way."Dropping down in weight may have been a bit of an adjustment after getting used to eating whatever he wanted at bantamweight, Benavidez admitted, but he noted that, all things considered, "it hasn’t been bad at all." If anything, dieting and cutting weight has made him feel "like a real professional."Now he just has to make the most of the chance he’s waited so long for. The fact that he’s finally getting it means a lot, Benavidez said, but it’s only the beginning."It builds confidence in me knowing that the UFC wants to do this. They believe in me, believe in the weight class, and if they believe, that’s a huge sign. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of. When I started fighting, I didn’t want to just fight a few times on a local show. I wanted to be here, in the big time, in the spotlight, and I’m finally getting the chance now. I feel like it’s what I deserve, and I’m going to take full advantage of it."

Posted in: ufc, bantamweight, people, hersquo, benavidez

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Call it a Napoleon Complex if you must but UFC flyweights Demetrious Johnson, Ian McCall, and Joseph Benavidez have always enjoyed upsetting their detractors. The adversity the 125ers faced throughout their lives has in part led them to tonight’s UFC tournament in Australia where they’ll compete for the right to land a spot in the organization’s first flyweight title-fight. All three spoke some about their backgrounds, as well as the road they’ve travelled to arrive at UFC on FX 2, in a recent video from the UFC profiling the trio. “A lot of people would tell me that (I) was too small to do certain things. People would be like, ‘You’re too small! Give it up!’ I was like, ‘Whatever…,’ said Johnson, while opponent McCall explained, “I was a tiny little kid. I always wanted to fight, I love fighting. I love beating people up. I love beating up everyone who is bigger than me.” While Benavidez may not have directly been told he was too small to be a professional athlete, he’d never realized it was an avenue he could pursue and actually gave up wrestling during his first year in college. After taking a regular job back home, Benavidez soon discovered Mixed Martial Arts and the rest is history. “I saw people doing this sport around my city of Las Cruces and I was like, ‘I can beat these guys up. Why are these guys fighting?’ Took up MMA and I just love this sport, it became a passion of mine. I was doing it at as a hobby, doing a regular job and doing that after work,” revealed the Team Alpha Male fighter. Before long Benavidez decided he’d found his calling, packed his bags, and headed out West where a chance encounter with Urijah Faber changed his life. UFC on FX 2 starts tonight at 9:00 PM EST and features a main event between welterweights Martin Kampmann-Thiago Alves. Prelims begin at approximately 5:00 PM EST on Facebook/Fuel TV. Check out the full video below featuring the aforementioned flyweights as well as bantamweight stand-outs Faber and Dominick Cruz: PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, i love, people, love, benavidez

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

For the first year or so of her introduction into mixed martial arts, former Strikeforce 135-pound champion Sarah Kaufman trained once a week, and, by her own estimation, "very poorly." For a lot of people, that’s how it might have stayed. Just a hobby. Something to do and somewhere to go. But not for Kaufman, whose mad obsession with perfecting every little detail made it impossible to do anything just a little bit.It had been that way since she started dancing at age two, Kaufman said. By the time she was a high school senior in 2002, living on her own and splitting time between school and a job as a tutor, she was searching for a new physical pursuit to throw herself into. She found it, a little bit at a time, at Victoria, B.C.’s Zuma fight gym."I guess my competitive side took over and I wanted to perfect everything," Kaufman said. "Pretty soon pad work wasn’t good enough, so I wanted to spar. Then that wasn’t good enough and I wanted to spar with people I didn’t know." You see where this is going. As Kaufman got more and more immersed in the martial arts world, she started doing grappling and kickboxing tournaments, gradually getting to know the few other female fighters in the area until a fellow competitor named Liz Posener suggested her name to a local fight promoter who was looking for female mixed martial artists."I’d competed with Liz in grappling tournaments, and I guess she put my name out there and said I might be willing to fight," Kaufman recalled. It didn’t seem unusual at the time. Since there were so few female fighters in the area, they almost had to set up their own fights and compete against the same small circle of opponents. Kaufman had no objections, and so she and Posener agreed to meet at the North American Challenge 23 on June 3, 2006."It was such a different experience getting into that kind of training," Kaufman said. "We really got serious. We did sparring with the small gloves, which meant I always had black eyes from then on. But come the fight, I still didn’t know what to expect. People tell you what you’re going to feel, but you don’t know until you’re out there."While warming up in the locker room, Kaufman felt the usual mix of excitement and nerves, but that was to be expected. What really surprised her was when she looked over at her coach, Adam Zugec, and realized he was going through his own interior struggle."I was nervous, but my coach was absolutely petrified. I remember being in the back room and I had to massage his shoulders. He was so tense and so nervous."The fight was at a small venue on a reserve in Vancouver, and as Kaufman made her out to the ring in front of a crowd of maybe 1,000 people, she started to feel more relaxed. "I remember I walked out and was really having a good time, really enjoying it. Then Liz walked out and she looked so serious. She was doing the bounce back and forth thing, this serious, mean look on her face, trying to stare me down. It made me laugh. I couldn’t help it."The way Kaufman remembers it now, the fight was a back and forth affair, with both fighters collecting their share of bruises. Even in the midst of the action she realized how much she still had to learn about this MMA stuff, and the lessons were painful."In the second round I got kneed in the head and I remember thinking, hey, maybe get your head away from her knees so that doesn’t happen. That’d be a pretty good idea."In general though, Kaufman felt like she was getting the better of the striking. Then in the third and final round, Posener made a costly mistake. With Kaufman advancing, Posener backed into a corner and threw a pawing jab. Kaufman came over the top with an overhand right that settled the matter beyond all doubt."It’s the first and only time I’ve knocked anyone out clean cold. It didn’t even feel like I’d connected. She just fell over. Just straight down."It took a moment for her to realize that the fight was really over. One moment, she’d been in the midst of an all-out war. The next, her opponent was splayed out on the canvas, unconscious, and her MMA debut was officially done."It was kind of a feeling of elation, because I did it. It was relief and excitement all at once. It was just a lot of fun."It was also a memorable night for other reasons. For instance, as Kaufman and Zugec were leaving, a fight broke out in the parking lot and one of the participants threw a rock through the back window of Zugec’s car. All that chaos aside, Kaufman knew right away that she’d found a home in the crazy world of MMA, and all she could think about was when she’d get another chance at it."As soon as I fought, I knew I wanted to fight more. I had been following the girls who were fighting, like Tara LaRosa and Shayna Baszler and Roxanne Modafferi and Julie Kedzie -- even Marloes Coenen -- so I knew there were quite a few girls who had been around and who were around my size, so that was really exciting to think I could work up to fighting them one day."When she woke up the morning after her first fight, however, she realized there were consequences to this brand of fun. "I actually had knuckle marks all the way across my forehead, like very clear knuckle marks. It was amazing. You could count them."For a man, it might have been more socially acceptable to walk around with an imprint of someone’s fist on his face. But Kaufman soon learned that people react very differently when they see the same bruises on a woman. It’s one thing that hasn’t changed over the course of her six-year fighting career, though she has learned how to have fun with it."You definitely get those looks from people. I find it hilarious, but Adam, not so much. Especially coming back from fights, walking through the airport, people always look. They don’t want to make it too obvious, but you can see them thinking, ‘Oh, that poor girl. She must have gotten a terrible beating.’ I don’t blame them for that reaction; it would probably be my reaction too. But that’s why I like to make sure I walk next to Adam through the airport. When he turns to look at me, I flinch. Then he gets the rude looks, not me."

Posted in: fight, time, people, kaufman, knuckle marks

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Video highlights from the Strikeforce “Tate vs. Rousey” pre-fight press conference via MMA Fighting. Also, quotes from the press conference below via Strikeforce. MIESHA TATE: “I don’t care for Ronda’s personality. I’ve fought people I haven’t liked before but not to this extent. But I’m careful not to be overzealous and let tempers change my game plan. “I don’t really care what the odds are. Betting odds are just opinions. I’d love to see the statistics on how often they’re right. I’ll let the fight talk for itself. “Ronda and I are feminine women and when you add on the fact that we’re fighters, it makes for an intriguing package. For whatever reason, we’re gaining viewers and it’s our job to perform Saturday. We want people to walk away from the fight with a positive outlook because of the way we fought and not if we’re gorgeous or not. “Ronda is a self-righteous person. She cares more about herself than the sport. She talked her way into a title fight. Clearly, she doesn’t deserve it. She’s not the No. 1 contender. She hasn’t even fought at this weight before. I mean, she’s 4-0 and has been moderately impressive but she hasn’t faced anyone like me.” RONDA ROUSEY: “The less everyone knows about my game, the better for me. There is very little footage on me. People can’t study my full arsenal. “Miesha will probably try to keep me on my feet because there’s not much tape of me doing that so people think it’s a weakness. But everyone else I’ve fought has tried to do keep me on my feet and that didn’t go very well for them. “I wasn’t looking to make friends in this sport. I just wanted to make a living so I didn’t have to catch coins. But it doesn’t matter if people don’t like me because it’s mostly current or former champs who think everyone should throw petals at their feet. Honestly, I don’t care if a bunch of girls I don’t know don’t like me. I’m doing this to support myself and not work night shifts at the gym. “I don’t have respect for Miesha’s inconsistency. One minute it’s about the sport, the next she is wearing booty shorts on her website and it’s the entertainment business.” JOSH THOMSON: “I’m going to get the best KJ Noons anyone has ever seen. He has improved his kickboxing and other parts of his game. No one else has fought the KJ I’ll be fighting on Saturday. It’s a huge matchup. If I win, I should get a title shot. “Am I worried about cage rust? I’ve been through this before. You saw I was in good shape after 15 months off against Melendez. The problem isn’t conditioning, it’s technique. So I’ve trained pretty hard with that in mind.” KJ NOONS: “I’m not worried about being in the Fight of the Night because I KNOW it will be. All of my fights are Fight of the Night. “I’ve changed my fight game. I used to just want to get out there and see who the toughest man was. But other guys would try to take me down, lean on me and put rounds in the bank. So I’ve adjusted all parts of my game – knees, kicks, ground, everything – because I want to win and not just show I’m tough. I can do both.”

Posted in: fight, people, game, ronda, “ ronda

Read the full article at MMA Convert

Honestly, what can be said about Ronda Rousey that hasn’t already been said by her in any one of the million articles written about presumably the new face of women’s MMA in the past two months? For good or for bad, everyone wants a piece of her and she is ready to boldly answer every call, question, doubt or potential Strikeforce title fight that is offered. As each day draws closer to this near mythical showdown with current champion Miesha “Takedown” Tate on Saturday, regardless of all of Rousey’s talk, people are still as befuddled as ever about why she’s so brash, where she came from, when did judo become this devastating, and how is it even possible for someone who has spent less than two minutes inside a Strikeforce cage to win one of their most coveted belts? Although, “Rowdy” has been shouting this from the rooftops since Day One, it has not sunk in yet: Rousey is an Olympic athlete. Twice! At 17 years old, she was the youngest judo player at the 2004 Games in Athens, and four years later represented the USA again in Beijing, China. If that wasn’t enough, Rousey actually won a bronze at the 2008 Games, making her the first American to ever medal in women’s judo. Before all of that, she had been wreaking havoc at top international judo competitions dating as far back as 2001. For Rousey, it is crystal clear tgat being an elite level judoka for the past decade has prepared her more than enough to tangle with the 12-2 bantamweight champ Tate. “I'm an Olympic caliber athlete and she's a high school wrestler,” states Rousey. “To assume that that cancels each other out, it's wrong. To say she has a few more years experience of fighting MMA and has fought 10 more girls during that period of time, meanwhile I was fighting hundreds and hundreds of matches against Olympic caliber opponents. The girls I was competing with, it was their full-time job to train every single day, and their government was putting money into flying them around the world for training camps at the best facilities possible and to have the best coaching possible. It was professional. For her to beat a couple girls who train at a gym on the weekends and decided to pick up MMA and then having these long drawn out fights with them, she's had a hard time with them. It's not like she's dominating them. For her to think that experience is equal is ignorant.”The 25-year old, alliteratively named, Californian with Venezuelan roots, movie star looks, athletic genetics, and a penchant for breaking people’s arms sounds as much like a Stan Lee comic book heroine as the number one contender for the women’s 135 pound division’s belt. To say Rousey is an alluring character is as much an understatement as saying her rise to prominence in MMA last year was meteoric. In her first and only four professional fights, Rousey has debuted in a sport new to her, took it by storm, has gained wild popularity, and is actually the betting odds’ favorite to defeat the champion, Tate, who will be defending her title for the first time since winning the belt last July from Marloes Coenen via arm-triangle choke. Galvanizing this much widespread support in such a short time is almost unheard of.“It is surprising,” admits Rousey. “Most people don't realize in my judo career, I was an American fighting internationally and you don't realize how unpopular you are until you start traveling the world. I got booed and was cheered against in almost every single major tournament in my life. Even when I was in the US, I wasn't getting cheered on that much. I kind of always thought that I was going to be labeled as the ‘bad guy’, but to have so many people in my corner supporting me is really encouraging and I feel more motivated than ever. All throughout judo, I felt like I had a chip on my shoulder and I had all these people to prove wrong. I still have people to prove wrong, but it is really encouraging to have people who believe in me as well.”From the very beginning, Rousey and her myriad of highly regarded coaches believed she was capable of such dominance in women’s MMA, but there was someone very special she had to convince first: her mother. “When I first decided to commit myself 100% to MMA, I was talking to my manager, my conditioning coach, and my wrestling coach, and I told them we have to sit down with my mom because she really doesn't like me doing this and we need to get her on board and have her support and that was before my first pro fight,” tells Rousey of her 1984 World Judo Championship winning mom, Dr. Ann Maria Rousey DeMars, who wouldn’t send her daughter to judo tournaments unless she thought she was prepared to win them. “I remember my coach telling my mom, ‘this girl is something different, she is something special, and we think a year after she turns pro she is going to win the world championship title.’ They believed that in me since the very beginning and I believed that in me since the very beginning and I needed to believe that.”With everyone on board, the S.S. Rousey set sail into the dangerous waters of women’s mixed martial arts in search of more athletic glory, but, most of all, a financially viable career. In plainer terms, “Rowdy” needed money and fast. After years of competing against the best in the world in front of thousands of riotous fans from Brazil to France, Rousey’s bank account was next to nothing and she was in desperate need for an immediate future where she could showcase her abilities with tangible rewards at the end of it.“At the time, I was working three jobs: graveyard shift at 24 hour fitness, physical therapy on dogs, teaching judo,” remembers Rousey. “I was trying to train full-time, the air-conditioning was broken in my car and only one window worked, I was living in a one bedroom apartment I was sharing with a friend of mine, I had a huge dog, everything was broken all the time, we had no water pressure, we were living off pretty much bomb shelter food, we had to use coins to pay rent, and I could barely feed my dog. People are like ‘why is she pushing for all this so hard?’ I had to push to get all of this as soon as possible! Do you think I wanted to waste my time waiting another two and a half years winning some fights so that everyone will think that I'm 'worthy of my talents'? I am worthy of my talents! I need to win and I need to do this quick because I'm tired of living with the cockroaches and eating frozen vegetables!”This is when the 4th dan black belt in judo’s story becomes even more ridiculous, as she beat a war path to Tate’s Strikeforce title. In her first pro bout last March, “Rowdy” won by armbar in 25 seconds. In her second scrap three months later, “Rowdy” won by armbar, again, in 49 seconds, which is, currently, Rousey’s longest professional fight. On August 12th, Rousey made her Strikeforce debut with, shockingly enough, an armbar submission at 25 seconds into the opening round against Sarah D’Alelio. A minor controversy stemming from the win over D’Alelio was that she claimed her shout of pain was not a verbal tap. That left an indelible impression on Rousey entering her fourth fight in November, which was unfortunate for Julia Budd (who had her arm broken in 39 seconds) and any of Rousey’s future opponents.“I felt like I really had to validate myself because with Sarah D'Alelio I thought I had done the coolest flying armbar that everyone had ever seen in women's MMA and she really stained that for me,” says Rousey. “I tried to save that poor girl's arm from snapping to pieces and she said she didn't tap. I felt so angry that that fight got cheapened that I really had to prove a point and validate myself with Julia Budd and I did exactly that. I went in there with the idea that I had to dominate and make it as one-sided as possible. I literally wasn't going to stop cranking on her arm for anything. If anything, I'm even more motivated for this fight. A lot of people are saying, ‘don't you think you've talked yourself into a corner and are under a lot of pressure from everything you said?’ I want to feel like I'm put into a corner, I want to feel like there is no other option, and I don't want to have an exit strategy if I lose. I don't want to entertain the possibility that I could lose. I’m motivated and I'm very positive it is going to be one of the best performances of my career.”In the hotly anticipated main event this Saturday, Rousey will challenge Tate, and while much of the focus of this tussle is on the newcomer Rousey, Tate has earned her place at the top of the mountain, riding a four fight win streak inside of the Strikeforce cage. Tate’s most inspiring victory was her last, with a fourth round arm-triangle choke over vaunted submission artist Coenen. In her own right, Tate is an accomplished amateur wrestler and submission grappler, but Rousey is unilaterally unimpressed with the champion’s physical abilities.“I think her advantages are she doesn't get frustrated when she gets hit and she has good conditioning,” discloses Rousey. “Even when she is behind she keeps a cool head. You can tell she has experience in that she doesn't panic. Her disadvantages are that she's extremely slow, she's not very explosive with any of her takedowns, her striking has a lot to be desired, and her submission game isn't exciting either. I don't think she has any real finishing power that I have to worry about. The main theme of this fight is about positioning on the ground and making sure I don't get stuck in side-control or the mount and making it look like she's controlling the action. I don't have to worry about any submissions or knockouts or TKOs from her; I have to worry about her trying to eek out a decision victory.”To prepare for the throwdown with “Takedown”, Rousey has decided to continue to work with the same disturbingly decorated cast of coaches that helped her get thus far. For her standup, Rousey trains at the Glendale Fighting Club with fellow pro fighters like UFC vet Manny Gamburyan. For her ground game, Rousey has Rickson Gracie BJJ black belt Henry Akins at Dynamix MMA, judo icon Gene LeBell, and multiple international wrestling champion Leo Frincu, who also doubles as Rousey’s strength and conditioning coach. With this type of quality coaching, plus Rousey’s storied athletic history, it’s mystifying that there are plenty of critics, including Tate, that question what the challenger will do if the fight goes 60 seconds. “I think that's a huge advantage actually,” explains Rousey. “They have no video of me and if I'm completely dominating everyone within a minute I think the only way they can convince themselves that they have a chance is that outside of the minute I'm useless. It's kind of funny to me that they think after a minute I'm going to spontaneously combust. Them thinking that after a minute I'm useless is just a horrible strategy for them. I am an Olympic athlete. Before I did judo I was a swimmer and conditioning was always my biggest asset in judo. I'm happy for people to doubt me because that's what helps create debate about this fight. It makes people want to see each one of my fights to see what happens after a minute. I'm not mad people are doubting me, but they'll be surprised.”As mentioned time and time again, Rousey is entering the Strikeforce cage to win 10 pounds of gold, but, whether she accomplishes that or not, what she has done already is a valuable lesson. “If you put in the time and the energy, and believe in yourself, then you are capable of everything and I want to be able to inspire people with that,” reveals Rousey, who talked and fought her way to a title shot with less than a year’s worth of professional experience and, clearly, has a promising career ahead of her. “I want people to see that you should set high goals for yourself even if it is scary, and it is scary to put yourself on the line. I've been talking a whole lot about it, I'm putting my pride on the line, I'm putting my safety on the line, but what I want people to learn is that being courageous pays off some times.”On March 3rd at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, all eyes will be fixed on the clash for the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight championship between Tate and Rousey. “This girl, Miesha, is going to trip out when she sees me at weigh-ins,” adds Rousey, who has been training for this fight just as hard as she has been selling it from the very beginning. “I have no injuries, we've been training perfectly, my body is just completely transformed, and I feel lighter, quicker, and more agile. And I'm just cut up! Oh my God, she's going to be scared when she sees me.”Finally, if all the hype, the title, and the trash talk haven’t gotten fight fans excited enough for this matchup then “Rowdy” has one more thing to add about herself and Tate: “These girls are gorgeous and then they're going to get into unarmed combat - for real.” Sold.

Posted in: fight, people, judo, im, rousey

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Child molesters are apparently everywhere, from schools to churches to the Boy Scouts. You'd imagine they'd think twice about trying to molest the tough as nails girls who populate the US judo scene, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. For decades USA Judo kept someone on the executive board that had been accused multiple times of drugging and sexually abusing female competitors. Enter Ronda Rousey, who wasn't about to stay silent about that sh*t: In 2008, when Rousey had already made the U.S. Olympic judo team, she wrote a post on her blog that shined a light on a judo official. Rousey wrote about accusations made against Fletcher Thornton. In sworn affidavits, then-teenaged judo players said Thornton had drugged and molested them.The complaints against Fletcher didn't keep him from holding high offices within the judo community until Rousey spoke up. He resigned two weeks before the 2008 Games started."I felt it was the right thing to do, and I had already made the Olympic team, so there was nothing anyone could do to me," Rousey told Cagewriter during our January interview."Someone had to speak up against this pervert. I thought, if I'm the only one who has the balls to do anything about it, then I'll deal with the consequences. I got a hold of all the affidavits, I spread it all around, and we got the New York Times to write an article about it. Now, he's never going to be around judo or any young women ever. I felt obligated as a woman to do that." You can read that New York Times article here, or the initial forum post Rousey made here, or the post Ronda's outspoken and badass mother wrote here calling USA Judo out for never investigating the claims properly. People who sexually assault kids are pretty much the worst people on the planet, but I hope there is a special sub-level in Mormon hell for those who stand idly by and do nothing when these kinds of allegations surface. Ronda's mom summed up USA Judo's position thusly: "Yes, there have been multiple complaints from multiple states over a thirty year period. Yes, people keep bringing this up and refusing to accept our statement that we investigated it, especially when new people come forward with complaints they know they have never talked to us about before. However, we are going to keep sending him along with junior teams until he gets indicted." She also opened up on the USJI's 'investigation' into the case and what a total sham it was: (More after the jump) read more

Posted in: people, judo, ronda rousey, rousey, ronda

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Things were going just fine for Mackens Semerzier on November 12, 2011. He was in a close and competitive bout with Robbie Peralta, and as the third and final round progressed, “Mack Da Menace” had seen his opening and he was ready to make his move.“I remember us fighting and him switching to southpaw,” said Semerzier. “But he’s not a southpaw. He turned southpaw because he has some bad mechanics and bad habits. He overshoots his right hand, so he steps forward with his right foot and he ends up in a southpaw stance. He kinda fakes it like he’s gonna do something, and then he steps back, so it’s a great opportunity to throw strikes at him because that’s not his natural stance, and he’s not gonna be as fast defending on that side. I pulled back, pulled back and kinda baited him to come in, and I was gonna throw a left and then a really hard right.” Semerzier threw the left. The next thing he knew, he was on the mat and grabbing Peralta’s right leg and talking to himself, saying, “Hang on to the leg, get back to your feet, take him down. Hang on to the leg, get back to your feet, take him down.” All the while, Peralta fired away on his downed opponent, eventually prompting referee John McCarthy to halt the fight at the 1:54 mark. Semerzier had been knocked out for the first time in his career.Or did he? Replays showed that the knockdown Peralta scored wasn’t with a fist, but with an inadvertent headbutt that looks more and more painful with each viewing. The California State Athletic Commission eventually ruled the bout a no contest, and Semerzier got the type of experience fighters usually have to take a loss to get. Not that it’s any real consolation for the United States Marine Corps veteran. But he does find some positives in his 12th pro fight.“I was proud of myself that in a moment when I was completely out of a fight, I had the natural instinct to continue to fight, which was really cool,” he said. “I didn’t lay down because my head hurt. My subconscious took over, which means I’ve done the work and I was mentally and physically prepared, and subconsciously, I continued to fight and try to complete my mission. So I take that from it and I’m proud of that.”He is critical of what happened before the final sequence though, blaming over aggression for leaving himself open.“Instead of staying and letting the fight come to me, I tried to force the action and make something happen instead of letting it happen,” he said. “I tried to speed up the process of winning, and I paid for it. That part frustrates me personally.”But like any good athlete, you take a disappointing result, wring out a lesson or two from it, and move on. The way Semerzier sees it, fights like the one against Peralta are the price you pay for growing up on the big stage, something he’s done since he debuted in the WEC in October of 2009 with a stunning submission win over Wagnney Fabiano. Since then, it’s been one test after another, and while he’s had his ups and downs, going 1-3 in the WEC and 1-0, 1 NC in the UFC, he’s still standing heading into Friday’s bout in Sydney against Daniel Pineda, a late replacement for Peralta, who was injured and had to pull out of the rematch.“I got to taste a little bit of everything,” said Semerzier, 8-3, 1 NC, of life in Zuffa. “I got the taste of my phone ringing off the hook with people wanting to talk to me, I got the taste of my phone not going off and no one wanting to talk to me (Laughs), I’ve been excited about training, I’ve been bitter about training, I’ve seen the bright, I’ve faced the hatchet, I fought my heart out, I’ve earned post-fight bonuses, and I’ve done a lot in a good amount of time.”And the biggest lesson he learned is that he can hang with the big dogs in the featherweight division.“I trust my training,” he said. “I feel like I’m training with the right people, the best people available to me, and I just have to trust my training and go out and not get caught up in the name or the numbers of the people that I’m fighting. I don’t think there’s anyone I would be put in front of in a cage that I would not fight. I wouldn’t cower or shy away and I’m just not too scared of people.”That doesn’t mean he’s dismissive of anyone though, and in the veteran Pineda, he knows he will be in for a fight.“He’s a scrapper and he goes out there and finishes,” said Semerzier, 31, of his foe, who comes into the bout with a six fight winning streak and a 97 second submission win over Pat Schilling in his UFC debut in January. “He’s also been finished a couple times, so that tells you he’s going for the gusto. He doesn’t hold back and he’s not there to play a point game. He’s aggressive and he’s trying to win, so I’ll be ready for that.”He’ll also be ready to pull out his submission game against the Texan, who has been forced to tap out in six of his seven losses. That’s right up Semerzier’s alley, and when asked about his 2012 plans, his goals are simple: three fights, three wins, and three post-fight bonuses. That’s not too much to ask, is it?“I just want to really show people how I’ve matured in the sport,” he said. “I’m happy to have grown up in the Zuffa organization fighting the best guys available. I think it’s made me tougher and I’m just ready to unleash on some people and make some people pay for the way I had to learn. I had to learn the hard way and now people have to pay.”

Posted in: fight, people, ’ve, i ’ve, semerzier

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MMA fighter Dakota Cochrane's past as a gay pornstar wasn't exactly a secret before, but it had certainly never been advertised to as many people as it was over the past 48 hours when he was tapped to appear on the upcoming edition of The Ultimate Fighter. Dakota is set to become the Chaz Bono of the season, and we're likely to learn some interesting insights about our scene if he makes it through the March 9th elimination round and into the TUF house. Cochrane has been doing some media interviews since the news broke, appearing on Mauro Ranallo's radio show and also sitting down with the guys at MMA Fighting to explain how he ended up on the ass end of a lucrative porno career: "It's definitely a decision I regret," he told MMA Fighting. "If I would have known what would happen I definitely wouldn't have done it. But I had money issues and I needed help. I went there to do pictures, and they started throwing pretty high numbers in front of me. I didn't really think. It was a big mistake."But no matter the size of the mistake, it was one he made no effort to escape on the eve of his biggest opportunity. On his audition tape for TUF, he included an introduction that mentioned all about his past. Everything."I think it's a little bit courageous for both of us," he said of the UFC's decision to include him on the show. "I could just hide in a hole and no one would know except for the people close to me. And to them, I was up front. I let them know right away so it wasn’t anything that could come back and bite them in the butt. I think maybe they respected that a little bit. I think some people judge against it, some people will be OK with it. Some people will want me to get my butt kicked, and hopefully others will respect what I'm trying to do." The interview also confirms that Cochrane isn't actually gay, just gay-for-pay. While he says 'hated' all that gay pornstarring, the $80,000 he made from the 17 vids he did was enough to keep him going back until his girlfriend / mother of his child / future wife asked him to stop. Which is kinda crazy because gay porn certainly seems to pay much better than the amateur mixed martial arts circuit. And isn't all that different in the end: The trauma is just more centralized in gay porn. It's pretty cool to hear that the UFC and FX were cool with Dakota's seedy past and aren't going to let it get in the way of a potential career in the UFC. While the Baldfather has gone on the record several times to say he's okay with gay fighters in the UFC, a straight up gay pornstar is several levels of controversy up the ladder. I'm sure the Culinary Union that tried to nail the UFC on being anti-gay will now try to nail them for allowing such filth flarn filth onto the airwaves.

Posted in: ufc, mma, people, cochrane, dakota

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Yesterday we touched on the history of Dakota Cochrane, a contestant on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. Cochrane had participated in gay pornography in his younger days and as more sites picked up the story, it became clear that the situation was going to have to be addressed by Dakota and the UFC. MMA Fighting caught up with him and got clarification on a few points. First of all, he touches on the decision he made in his younger days: "It's definitely a decision I regret," he told MMA Fighting. "If I would have known what would happen I definitely wouldn't have done it. But I had money issues and I needed help. I went there to do pictures, and they started throwing pretty high numbers in front of me. I didn't really think. It was a big mistake." ... The 25-year-old Cochrane, who is not gay, says he earned around $80,000 overall from taping the videos, which he made while a college student at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, where he was an all-league track athlete as a pole vaulter and 4x100 meter relay runner...Finally, when he admitted to his girlfriend Lacey Sechtem what he was doing, she asked him to stop, and the short-lived career was over. More after the jump... Cochrane also made it clear that the UFC was made fully aware of the situation on his Ultimate Fighter audition tape: But no matter the size of the mistake, it was one he made no effort to escape on the eve of his biggest opportunity. On his audition tape for TUF, he included an introduction that mentioned all about his past. Everything. "I think it's a little bit courageous for both of us," he said of the UFC's decision to include him on the show. "I could just hide in a hole and no one would know except for the people close to me. And to them, I was up front. I let them know right away so it wasn't anything that could come back and bite them in the butt. I think maybe they respected that a little bit. I think some people judge against it, some people will be OK with it. Some people will want me to get my butt kicked, and hopefully others will respect what I'm trying to do." Cochrane is a legit fighter, one with a very good shot at winning this season of TUF. While I don't think that his having done gay porn is, in itself, a huge story. I do think we're going to learn a lot about the UFC as an organization if he is kept around after the season. It is almost a certainty that a future opponent attempt to use this against him during the build up to a fight. How the UFC responds to a fighter taking shots at him for "being a fag" (even though he isn't gay) or something along those lines is going to be very interesting. The different possibilities where we're going to see the maturity of the organization is what makes this a truly compelling situation.

Posted in: ufc, fighter, people, cochrane, dakota

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Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 15 contestant Dakota Cochrane, who made headlines earlier this week for his previous role as "Danny" in gay porn, has a message for people who have a hard time accepting his past. Say what you need to say, then move on. Cochrane (11-2) is perhaps best known in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) for his lopsided unanimous decision win over Jamie Varner at Titan Fighting Championship 20 last September. That win, along with his overall record, was enough to earn him a spot on the FX Channel reality show. Now he's ready to give fight fans something new to talk about when he debuts as part of the 32-man cast a week from Friday (March 9, 2012) as part of the "new" version of TUF, which includes weekly live elimination fights. More on Cochrane's past, present and future (via MMA Fighting) after the jump. "It's definitely a decision I regret. If I would have known what would happen I definitely wouldn't have done it. But I had money issues and I needed help. I went there to do pictures, and they started throwing pretty high numbers in front of me. I didn't really think. It was a big mistake. I think it's a little bit courageous for both of us. I could just hide in a hole and no one would know except for the people close to me. And to [the UFC], I was up front. I let them know right away so it wasn’t anything that could come back and bite them in the butt. I think maybe they respected that a little bit. I think some people judge against it, some people will be OK with it. Some people will want me to get my butt kicked, and hopefully others will respect what I'm trying to do. I'm looking forward to getting it done and over with. People can be shocked, and people can say whatever they need to say, and then we can move on." Cochrane insists he is not gay, rather suffered from a "temporary lapse in judgment" stemming from financial struggles in college. He reportedly made upwards of $80,000 for his participation in the videos. He was also upfront with the UFC brass prior to being selected as a candidate for the show. The big question now is how the other contestants will react should he earn a spot in the TUF house. Stay tuned. Find out who Cochrane will compete against on The Ultimate Fighter 15 (assuming he makes it past the opening elimination rounds) when it premieres a week from Friday by checking out the complete roster right here. More news and notes on TUF 15 here.

Posted in: tuf, people, cochrane, im, contestant

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Pat Healy has had some bad years over the course of his last decade as a mixed martial artist. 2011 wasn’t one of them. In fact, you could argue that it was the best of his career, as he went 3-0 in Strikeforce, defeating Lyle Beerbohm, Eric Wisely, and Maximo Blanco. But knowing how hard it was to get to this point, the lightweight contender wasn’t about to throw it all away with a wild final three months of the year.So he went to China. Really.“Man, it was incredible,” said the 28-year old of his trip to Asia to give seminars and train members of various MMA teams. “I really loved China. I fell in love with it. It was not at all what I expected. I had all these people warning me about this and that, and it was people who had never been there. There’s this great misconception that the government’s watching your every step and that it’s super restricted, but that’s really not the case. They may have the communist party in charge, but capitalism is alive and well over there, and it’s even more capitalistic than the United States, I’d say, and it’s a booming economy. You can live an incredible lifestyle out there for a lot cheaper and it’s an easy lifestyle to fall in love with.”If that doesn’t cap off your year in style, what does? It was another reminder of how far Healy has come in the space of 43 pro fights, and it’s good to see the rest of the world catching up and realizing that despite 15 losses, he’s a legit contender and someone who has turned the corner. And you can hear it in his voice that he couldn’t be happier to show fighters halfway around the world just how he does what he does.“It was really cool,” he said. “The guys were so excited and so focused that when you were teaching it was weird to have a group of 80 people and everybody is paying such close attention. There’s the language barrier, so I had a translator, but a lot was off sight, so I’d really have to show my hand positions or my leg positions and stuff. It was a lot more visual learning, but the focus a lot of the athletes had, they were so ready for instruction and excited to get some good techniques.”And once Healy was back stateside, he had a new energy and focus from the experience, something that bodes well for his return to action this Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio against rising star Caros Fodor.“Although I was teaching out there (in China), I really learned a lot from those guys,” said Healy. “They have an interesting style of standup. It’s pretty heavily influenced by Muay Thai, obviously because they’re so close to Thailand and a lot of the athletes have been over there. But they did a lot of little, different things. They threw a lot of sidekicks, and man, when you first experience that, it’s a really slick style that they have. I hope I was able to add some of the slickness into my game and I really got some things from them about how they were training that I’ve been able to add into my training that I think is going to help my game a lot.”He’s even given up his recreation pastime of mud sliding in his native Oregon.“I’m missing some good times right now,” he laughs. “It would be the perfect time to do some mud sliding, but with the fight coming up, I’ve been trying to lay off. As the fights get more important and as I get older, yeah, you gotta make sure you make the right decisions.”Needless to say, it’s a good time to be Pat Healy. He’s beaten everyone put in front of him over the last year, and if he gets his 2012 campaign off to a similar start, he’s got to be in the title picture because four fight winning streaks are hard to come by wherever you fight, let alone in a premier organization like Strikeforce. But he’s not screaming for a title shot or any particular names. He’s just happy to have finally earned the respect he fought so hard for.“I kinda feel like it’s a lot of weight lifted off my shoulders,” he said. “I always believed in myself, but I felt like every fight I was going in trying to convince people. Every interview I gave, everyone I talked to, I was trying to convince them that I had a chance to win or that I was gonna be a contender. Now I feel like people are taking me seriously, and that’s one less thing I have to worry about.”Now the only thing on his plate is dealing with Fodor, a fighter who had his own coming out party last December when he knocked out Justin Wilcox in just 13 seconds. “He’s a guy who fights really similar to the way I do,” said Healy of his opponent. “He’s a grinder, he’s super tough, he’s hard-nosed, and he’s got a lot of momentum going with him right now. He’s coming off that big win over Wilcox, where I think a lot of people kinda wrote him off, and that’s probably what’s gonna make him most dangerous. He definitely has the belief in himself and a lot of confidence going into this fight.”Healy shares that attitude, and as the MMA world turns, guys like him are starting to be seen for what they’re doing now, and not what they did ten years ago, when the sport’s landscape was a lot different than it is today.“In the early days of MMA, there wasn’t so much care as there is now about the boxing style of needing to build your record and take smart fights,” said Healy, whose 28-15 record still includes wins over Paul Daley, Dan Hardy, and current interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit. “A lot of us who started young and got into the game early would take anything that was thrown in front of us, and I feel like it has paid off for me fighting like that, and it’s really gonna make a difference in the experience I have, and I definitely feel like I’m one of the guys who need to continue winning and show everybody that you gotta look past those records a lot of the time.”So can 2012 possibly match 2011?“I gotta put together another good streak of winning fights, obviously, and everything that comes to me, I’ve got to be prepared, and the fights that I’m expected to win or do well in, I’ve really got to have good performances in.”That may be tough, because with his current streak, people may expect Pat Healy to win them all.“It’s a lot better than them expecting you to lose,” he laughs. “You get on those websites and they have the pre-fight picks and they’ll be like ‘this guy’s gonna be tough, but he’s gonna lose.’ It’s a little nicer to see them considering you for some wins.”

Posted in: fight, people, i ’ve, lot, healy

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To the people that know him best, Dakota Cochrane's secret wasn't a secret at all. It's not something he kept from prospective business relationships, either. As his mixed martial arts career took off, his friend Kirk Schuster, who was looking after his career, would often receive phone calls from other management companies about representing Cochrane. They would try to woo Schuster with promises of a UFC contract for Cochrane.Do me one favor, Schuster would tell them, Google his name and call me back if you're still interested. A return call never came. Not once.Everyone has a past. But in the testosterone-filled sports world, Cochrane's past proved impossible to outrun. What he describes as a temporary lapse in judgment from his college days continues to revisit him. It did again this week, shortly after FX announced that he had been chosen as one of the 32 finalists that will compete for a chance to be on that network's first season of The Ultimate Fighter. Within 24 hours, the news was all over the MMA blogosphere: while in college, he had participated in gay pornography. "It's definitely a decision I regret," he told MMA Fighting. "If I would have known what would happen I definitely wouldn't have done it. But I had money issues and I needed help. I went there to do pictures, and they started throwing pretty high numbers in front of me. I didn't really think. It was a big mistake." But no matter the size of the mistake, it was one he made no effort to escape on the eve of his biggest opportunity. On his audition tape for TUF, he included an introduction that mentioned all about his past. Everything. "I think it's a little bit courageous for both of us," he said of the UFC's decision to include him on the show. "I could just hide in a hole and no one would know except for the people close to me. And to them, I was up front. I let them know right away so it wasn’t anything that could come back and bite them in the butt. I think maybe they respected that a little bit. I think some people judge against it, some people will be OK with it. Some people will want me to get my butt kicked, and hopefully others will respect what I'm trying to do."The 25-year-old Cochrane, who is not gay, says he earned around $80,000 overall from taping the videos, which he made while a college student at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, where he was an all-league track athlete as a pole vaulter and 4x100 meter relay runner."Every time I was down there, I hated it," he said.Finally, when he admitted to his girlfriend Lacey Sechtem what he was doing, she asked him to stop, and the short-lived career was over. At the time, Cochrane had no idea he would one day become a professional athlete and that the decision would follow him and possibly cause some detours to his path.Schuster, who is now his manager, told MMA Fighting that Cochrane has had several opponents back out of fights after learning of his history, as well as promoters withdraw offers to him. None of it, however, served to dissuade Cochrane from chasing his goal of fighting in the UFC."This kid honestly is a role model," said Schuster, who housed Cochrane for a year earlier in his career. "The reason I say that is because he made a mistake, he recognized his mistake. He paid at the time and he continues to pay for it every day, but he remains mentally strong. I think it fuels him and drives him to prove to people that he can overcome this. He's always told me, 'We'll keep fighting in shows until they either have no choice but to want me, or I can't fight anymore.'"Cochrane actually missed his first shot at the UFC. Schuster said that the promotion's matchmaker Joe Silva had once called about the possibility of signing Cochrane for a short-notice fight as a replacement, but by the time he returned the call, the spot had already been filled. But even then, Cochrane and Schuster had been candid about his background, embracing honesty as the best course of action. Aside from the obvious back story, Cochrane's rise is interesting due to his history as a track star, a fairly novel background in MMA. He first tried the sport during some time off when he was bored. He trained for six months, scored a knockout in his first amateur fight and was quickly hooked."Beating someone up, it's pretty exciting," he said with a laugh.But making a career out of it wasn't an early thought. At first it was a fun side interest, but as he improved and his competitive instinct kicked in, the sport's pull intensified. He won his first four pro fights. By the time he defeated former WEC champion Jamie Varner last September to improve to 11-1, it was obvious that he was nearing the big leagues. But by then, he'd already had the experience of his past resurfacing, albeit on much smaller scales.Even when he was back in college running track, the news popped up. Then, when he moved to Omaha and started training MMA there, it popped up again. But this time is a little different, his past being exposed on a national scope. "I'm looking forward to getting it done and over with," he said. "People can be shocked, and people can say whatever they need to say, and then we can move on.""They're saying the same things they've been saying for seven years," Schuster added. "They're not coming up with anything new."Cochrane says he's a far different person than he was then. He's now a father of two, and Lacey, his girlfriend at the time he was making the videos, stuck by him and is soon to become his wife. The decision he made years ago was a selfish one, made for money, but this opportunity to be on TUF isn't just about him; it's a chance to enrich his family. On Thursday, he'll get on an airplane and fly to Las Vegas, filled with the same dream as 31 other fighters. They'll all have pasts, too, just not ones that everyone else knows about. That's OK with Cochrane. It's his mistake, and he's owning it. "All I can ask," he said, "is that people respect that I've overcome something like that and tried to make a negative into a positive."

Posted in: mma, time, people, cochrane, schuster

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Yoshihiro Akiyama talks to the press at the UFC 144 Pre-Fight Press Conference. He feels that he and other athletes need to cheer up the people of Japan and win for them.

Posted in: people, yoshihiro, akiyama, yoshihiro akiyama, athletes need

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Posted in: rampage, people, shot, combination, rampage whines

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They called it a major upset. Why? That’s a mystery, considering that Joe Lauzon had gone 7-3 in his previous 10 UFC bouts, ending five of them via the ground game that was opponent Melvin Guillard’s Achilles heel in the Octagon. But when October 8, 2011 rolled around in Houston, Texas, many fans and pundits feared for Lauzon’s health against the Louisiana knockout artist dubbed “The Young Assassin.” New England’s “J-Lau” wasn’t shaking though. “I knew that Melvin was most dangerous when people are scared, so I wasn’t gonna be scared,” said Lauzon. “I might have gotten knocked out because of it, and he might have beat me, but I wasn’t gonna make it easy. I was gonna come forward and fight hard, and if I lost, I lost. At least I didn’t make the mistake I knew beforehand, which was if I came out tentative, then he would eat me up.”Lauzon did a complete 180 from tentative, dropping Guillard early and then finishing him off with a textbook rear naked choke. The whole fight took just 47 seconds. And while the fans screamed upset, Lauzon didn’t take the lack of pre-fight faith in his abilities personally.“I think a lot of people were surprised by it, but I wasn’t surprised at all,” he said. “I didn’t think it was gonna end exactly like that, but I one hundred percent expected to beat Melvin. And I wasn’t insulted. What I may see as a clear cut advantage on my side, other people might think that I’m way outmatched, or vice versa. They might think I have a clear cut advantage on something, but it’s a lot closer than they think. So I don’t really get too upset on things like that. It was definitely an upset in a lot of people’s eyes, but I was really confident.”More than four months later, Lauzon’s days of creeping up on unsuspecting opponents appear to be a thing of the past. On Saturday night, he faces dynamic rising star Anthony Pettis in a UFC 144 main card bout at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and the talk isn’t of Lauzon upsetting “Showtime,” but of him being in the lightweight title picture with a victory. That’s heady stuff for the 27-year old from Bridgewater, Massachusetts, one of many things on his proverbial table at the moment, including the fact that he’s fighting in one of most fighters’ bucket list destinations – Japan.“I’ve always wanted to fight in Japan,” said the eight year pro. “Before MMA was real big here, Japan was always the place to go. It’s turned around now, but before, when the UFC was just getting going and gaining all that momentum, Japan was the place to fight, so it’s pretty cool to go back there and be part of such a big card. The quiet fans are going to be a trip. I always hear my corner very clear and I’m very accustomed to their voices, so I can pick them up, but listening to the other corner and all that kinda stuff is all gonna be pretty cool. I think we’ll hear (commentators) Joe (Rogan) and Goldie (Mike Goldberg), and I’m looking forward to all of that. I started training before I started watching the UFC, and honestly, I think I watched a little bit more PRIDE in the very beginning than I did the UFC. There were the entrances with the drums and there were so many people there and the whole entire thing is just a surreal experience.”And in a place where the fighting culture celebrates not just the winners, but those who deliver compelling fights, Lauzon and Pettis are a perfect fit. Plus, Lauzon believes that though he has been painted as the groundfighter going up against a striker in Pettis, things may stray from that perceived script on fight night, not surprising considering that Lauzon’s standup has looked extremely sharp in his last three bouts against Gillard, Curt Warburton, and George Sotiropoulos, and that Pettis’ wrestling was solid in his recent win over Jeremy Stephens.“I think Pettis is good everywhere,” said Lauzon. “Everyone knows him as the kid that jumped off the cage, and he’s obviously got good kickboxing, but he’s good on the ground too. I think people forget that part about him. Also, I don’t think he’s got a clear-cut advantage on the feet, like a lot of people are thinking. Everyone looks at me as ‘oh, he’s got so many submissions,’ and this and that, but I think people forget that I’ve been hurting people with my punches and that’s been setting up my submissions. The last couple fights, I smashed guys on the feet, and then I took a submission once it hit the ground. So I don’t see it as this clear-cut striker vs. grappler match that a lot of people are seeing. I favor the ground over standup and I think Pettis favors standup over ground, but I think we’re both pretty even in a lot of areas, and I’m expecting a tough fight and an exciting fight. Most likely, the fight’s gonna end somewhere absolutely crazy, so I’m excited.”Yet despite Lauzon’s penchant for highlight reel finishes, the way he sees it, none of that is possible without having a firm grounding in the fundamentals – both standing and on the ground – that he works on with guys like boxing coach Steve Maze and grappling guru Ricky Lundell.“The fundamentals are the most important thing,” he said. “I learned early on, doing jiu-jitsu and grappling and things like that, rather than being really, really good at a couple moves, I wanted to just know 50 moves and be able to impress people and do things like that. But as I got better, those 50 moves weren’t working on people. I had maybe a couple moves that would work on someone that was good. So instead of me trying to learn all those different moves, I just try to focus on the fundamental stuff. That’s all I really care about. You’ll never see me do anything super fancy in a fight, boxing or wrestling wise. I want to be really, really good at the fundamentals. Grappling, I could do a little bit more because I’ve been doing it for so long and I’m so confident and things like that. But if I’m in camp, I’m not trying to go ‘oh, this is a new, cool move;’ I’m trying to do all the things that I already know and tighten things up and get better. One of the things BJ (Penn) said to me on The Ultimate Fighter was that it’s just advanced basics. You have to know the basics inside and out. Whereas someone might know a couple details on it, you’ve got to know all the details on it. You have to know it better than the other guy, and that’s how you’re gonna win. You’ll shut down his basic movements, which are the building blocks for everything else they do.”In other words, you have to know the rules before you can break them. And now that Lauzon has put in endless hours in the gym and has compiled close to 30 pro fights, he has earned the right to mix things up a bit and add his own particular flair to the basics.“People think I do a lot of crazy stuff now,” he said. “I used to do so much crazier stuff before. I toned it down, but because I’ve got nine years of doing off the wall stuff, it works out for me. If you’ve got really good fundamentals, then it’s easy to figure out some of the crazier stuff and go outside the box a little bit. But if you don’t know those very basic building blocks, it’s really, really tough to start doing more advanced stuff.”It’s around this time that it’s safe to start getting excited about this fight, not just because it’s a meeting of two of the top 155-pounders in the game, but two of the most exciting. Yet after nabbing post-fight bonuses in nine of 11 UFC fights, does Lauzon start expecting them?“I don’t start counting the money, but it’s gonna be sad when I have a fight and I don’t get a bonus,” he laughs. “But I’m more focused on putting a good fight and winning than I am about saying ‘oh, I’m definitely gonna try and get a bonus.’ And the way I fight brings lots of bonuses my way, so I don’t think about it too much.”

Posted in: fight, ’t, people, thing, lauzon

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Strikeforce light heavyweight Muhammed Lawal has faced some stiff opposition in his career as both a Mixed Martial Artist and collegiate wrestler but none of those fights compare to the one he fought a few weeks ago inside a hospital. Lawal, who intentionally kept his situation on the down-low, found himself in the midst of a serious medical situation due to a staph infection. While the 31-year old former champion had dealt with staph infection before, this particular case involved a knee he had recently undergone an operation on. “I had an ACL replacement again, but that wasn’t a big deal. I think what got me was the micro-fracture surgery. The micro-fractures got infected with staph, and I ended up in the hospital for about twelve days,” said Lawal in an interview with CagePotato. “I didn’t want people to know I was in the hospital, so if people texted me, I didn’t tell them. I was in pain and damned near dying. They gave me morphine. It was crazy. I was trying to keep it normal, and get back to the people that were texting me, telling them that I was okay, so that it wouldn’t get out that I was in the hospital.” Lawal Responds to Allegations of Steroid Use He said he first noticed things were wrong during the UFC on FOX 2 weekend when his leg felt “hot” and he had developed a number of lumps in his knee. Lawal spoke to his doctor who drained the knee, tested the “Ghostbusters ectoplasm” out, and discovered the infection. Lawal was then rushed to the hospital where he underwent five separate procedures before things were finally resolved. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: people, lawal, hospital, staph infection, staph

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Strikeforce light heavyweight Muhammed Lawal has faced some stiff opposition in his career as both a Mixed Martial Artist and collegiate wrestler but none of those fights compare to the one he fought a few weeks ago inside a hospital. Lawal, who intentionally kept his situation on the down-low, found himself in the midst of a serious medical situation due to a staph infection. While the 31-year old former champion had dealt with staph infection before, this particular case involved a knee he had recently undergone an operation on. “I had an ACL replacement again, but that wasn’t a big deal. I think what got me was the micro-fracture surgery. The micro-fractures got infected with staph, and I ended up in the hospital for about twelve days,” said Lawal in an interview with CagePotato. “I didn’t want people to know I was in the hospital, so if people texted me, I didn’t tell them. I was in pain and damn near dying. They gave me morphine. It was crazy. I was trying to keep it normal, and get back to the people that were texting me, telling them that I was okay, so that it wouldn’t get out that I was in the hospital.” Lawal Responds to Allegations of Steroid Use He said he first noticed things were wrong during the UFC on FOX 2 weekend when his leg felt “hot” and he had developed a number of lumps in his knee. Lawal spoke to his doctor who drained the knee, tested the “Ghostbusters ectoplasm” out, and discovered the infection. Lawal was then rushed to the hospital where he underwent five separate procedures before things were finally resolved. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE Tweet

Posted in: people, lawal, hospital, staph infection, staph

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The stereotype that black people enjoy fried chicken is marginal at best. Most people I know, regardless of race, enjoy fried chicken. They also enjoy fried seafood, potatoes, Oreos, and Dana White even takes it as far as enjoying Fried Butter at the Wisconsin State Fair. It’s hard to blame people for enjoying fried food. In fact, if I wasn’t on a diet at this very moment, I’d be battering everything in my refrigerator to throw it into hot oil, just for fun. Earlier this week, Rampage had some choice words for Joe Rogan in reference to criticism over his fighting style, but today, Joe Rogan has issued a response by reminding the world that he’s a Rampage Jackson fan, and even goes as far as to recall sharing some Popeye's fried chicken with him. Good choice, Joe. It's undoubtedly the most consistently tasty chicken in existence. There's never been a moment in my life in which I was disappointed in the quality of any item on the Popeye's menu.

Posted in: joe, people, joe rogan, rogan, chicken

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Joe Rogan may be friends with a lot of fighters, but apparently Rampage Jackson isn’t one of them. At least not if you ask Rampage. He basically blasts Rogan in this interview with Fighters Only for being “fake” and having “biased” commentary. Here’s just an sample of what he said in response to how a fight would go down between him and Rogan. I think would beat the sh-t out of Joe Rogan – as long as he don’t get me to the ground, because his jiu jitsu is really good. I know he’s got good jiu jitsu guy because he’s so biased towards jiu jitsu guys. Every time a guy is a jiu jitsu fighter Rogan might as well be playing the rusty trombone like, ‘oh a jiu jitsu guy’. I don’t give a f— man, I am sick of people putting their [opinions]… if everyone was a jiu jitsu fighter it would be a boring-ass sport. Everyone is not the same. Some people like to stand and bang some people like jiu jitsu. I don’t knock people who like jiu jitsu. Sometimes its boring when they are wrestling but sometimes its boring when people are standing too. Rampage went on to say that he was a much bigger fan of how Stephen Quadros and Bas Rutten called fights in PRIDE than Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan because even though he was friends with them, they were still unbiased when they called his fights. Harsh words, but Joe Rogan didn’t take it too personally. He says he still loves Rampage. For the record I love @Rampage4real, regardless of what he said. He's a sensitive guy with the toughest job in the world.about 9 hours ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite@joeroganJoe Rogan

Posted in: rampage, people, jitsu, rogan, jiu

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UFC light heavyweight contender Quinton "Rampage" Jackson returns to Japan on Saturday to face Ryan Bader at UFC 144. Rampage, a long-time fan favorite in the Land of the Rising Sun, did an interview with Fighter's Only and pulled no punches in his thoughts on the commentary of UFC announcer Joe Rogan. I think would beat the sh-t out of Joe Rogan - as long as he don't get me to the ground, because his jiu jitsu is really good. I know he's got good jiu jitsu guy because he's so biased towards jiu jitsu guys. Every time a guy is a jiu jitsu fighter Rogan might as well be playing the rusty trombone like, ‘oh a jiu jitsu guy' [mimes bl0wj0b action]. I don't give a f--k man, I am sick of people putting their [opinions]... if everyone was a jiu jitsu fighter it would be a boring-ass sport. Everyone is not the same. Some people like to stand and bang some people like jiu jitsu. I don't knock people who like jiu jitsu. Sometimes its boring when they are wrestling but sometimes its boring when people are standing too. Rampage also shares his thoughts on Bader, cold weather, fighting in Japan and much more. SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson

Posted in: ufc, people, jitsu, rogan, jiu

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It was 1992 and I was sin 3rd grade art class which took place in my school's dimmed cafeteria between lunch hours. I want to say it was November, but it could've been earlier, maybe even later in the year. Regardless, the conversation of what me and my tiny friends wanted for Christmas came up. In retrospect, discussing with other kids what you wanted for Christmas or your birthday was the kid equivalent of small talk about the weather or whatever the local sports team is doing in town. Then Ryan Letszeizer, a spitting image for the kid in A Christmas Story, nonchalantly walked up to our table and matter-of-factly stated 'Santa's not real fellas'. Then pushed up his glasses and walked away. That moment really sucked. UFC Undisputed may make us feel otherwise, but Pride is dead. Dead as Whitney Houston, and all of our hopes and dreams of something 'special' happening at next week's UFC 144 event at the Saitama Super Arena have officially been Ryan Letszeizer'd by Dana White. Here's the proof from MMAJunkie: "Do I think this is going to be a PRIDE event and 100,000 people are going to show up, and it's going to be like that?" UFC President Dana White asked. "No, I don't think that. But I think that there is a fanbase there for the UFC. "People keep asking me, 'Oh, will you play the PRIDE music? Will you do?' No, this isn't PRIDE. It's the UFC. The UFC is coming to Japan, and what the people in Japan are going to see is what they see on television, if they're UFC fans." "We're going to slowly try to build that market back up, and we'll see what happens. There's no pro wrestlers, and you're not going to see some 400-pound dude fighting a 100-pound dude. None of that stuff's going to happen. The UFC is going to go in there, and we have fans there already. Those fans are going to show up." "The one thing I know is that whether we put on a FUEL TV fight on Omaha, Neb., in front of 7,000 people or we do a 56,000-seat arena in Toronto, we put on one of the best live shows there is in sports. We're going to go in and hit that market like we do every other market, and people are going to leave that arena that night, and they're going to have seen a great show." All I wanted was Lenne Hardt and Bruce Buffer (I'm not greedy, both!), maybe a white cage, a ramp, fireworks and Sakuraba in the crowd smiling at me with half an ear falling off. Oh well, 144 is still going to be awesome, just not Pride Santa soccer kicking awesome. [Source]

Posted in: ufc, pride, people, kid, kid equivalent

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With welterweight contenders like Jake Ellenberger and Johny Hendricks itching to make their case for a shot at UFC gold, interim welterweight champ Carlos Condit could be looking at some tough decisions in the coming months. After winning a unanimous decision over Nick Diaz at UFC 143, the newly-minted interim title-holder seems to have won the right to challenge Georges St-Pierre for the undisputed 170-pound strap. But as he told me when I spoke to him for this SI.com story this week, whether he'll opt to risk another fight in the meantime will likely depend on how long he’ll have to wait. "Honestly, it depends on the recovery timeline for Georges St-Pierre," Condit said. "If he’s going to be out until November [or] December, then I might consider taking another fight in the meantime just because the timing would work out. I’d have three or four months to train for something mid-year, and then three or four months to train for Georges St-Pierre at the end of the year. If he’s going to be back a little sooner, I’d probably just wait."Recent projections from St-Pierre and the UFC seem to be targeting a fall 2012 return to action, though it’s far from a sure thing at this point. With Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez squaring off on FUEL tonight, and Hendricks slated to meet Josh Koscheck in May, there could easily be more than one welterweight with a strong case for a fight against Condit, assuming the interim champ could be talked into it.One factor in his decision-making could be the public’s response to his win over Diaz. Many fans were critical of Condit’s approach in that fight, which might very well encourage him to fight again sooner rather than later in order to answer those critics. Condit admitted to being surprised by the level of vitriol from some fans, but insisted that by demonstrating his ability to stick to a game plan, he’d only made it tougher for future opponents to prepare for him."I employed a strategy to fight my fight, and I guess people don’t really understand that for whatever reason," he said. "And that’s fine, everybody has their own opinion. But honestly? I’m there to win fights. I’ve shown that I’m dangerous, that I can knock people out, that I can finish people, and now I’ve shown that I can stick to a strategy and execute a game plan. I’m a dynamic fighter. In the next fight, you might see something completely different than what you saw in the last fight. I think that’s where I’m going to have a lot of success and where I’m going to be very dangerous to other guys in the division."Against Diaz, Condit said, he expected to have to adjust his approach as the fight wore on, but Diaz "had one gear" from start to finish. If anything, he said, he simply had to keep reminding himself not to be drawn in by Diaz’s mid-fight trash-talk, as tempting as it might have been."There were a couple times where I just wanted to get in there and brawl with the kid. But I knew that that wasn’t the smartest thing to do. My instincts told me to shut his mouth, but I’ve been training to stick to my game plan and do what I did. He did kind of suck me into that briefly, but I snapped right back out of it."As for GSP, who made it known before the fight that he wanted Diaz to win in order to set up a future grudge match, Condit doesn’t have any hard feelings. In fact, he understands perfectly why the champ would rather fight Diaz than him, he said, and he doesn't blame him one bit."Georges has a legitimate personal beef with Nick. Nick disrespected him on live TV in front of millions of people, and Georges is pissed off about that. Honestly, it doesn’t have a lot to do with me."

Posted in: fight, diaz, people, condit, irsquom

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"People (have) the misconception that they're just a bunch of 'brawler dudes' out there that are just barbarians." - Walel Watson

Posted in: people, watson, walel, love, brawler dudes

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When John Albert steps into the Octagon toight against Ivan Menjivar as the first fight on the main card at UFC on Fuel 1 it will be the culmination of a road paved with successes, adversity, and even a few injuries along the way. Seattle-area native Albert was a 6-1 veteran of the Pacific Northwest fight scene when he fought his way into the Ultimate Fighter Season 14 house.  After losing a close decision to eventual winner John Dodson in the quarterfinals, underdog Albert entered the finale against Dustin Pague where he silenced his critics by winning in under 90 seconds. In an interview with Fighters.com, Albert recalled how the Dodson fight helped him prepare for adversity as well as spoke out on a few other subjects. “For those who saw the show, I was pretty tentative.” Albert admitted in the conversation.  “It must have been nerves or something.  I knew who Dodson was beforehand, and I might have psyched myself out.  I might’ve been a bit too cautious, and then it went to a decision, and I thought (and he thought) it would have gone a third round.  But I lost the fight, and it is what it is.” “It helped me grow as a fighter, and what I needed to do,” Albert continued. “I did that with Pague.  I knew not to be tentative, and I knew just to leave it all on the line and give it 100% effort, and that’s what I did.  The fight lasted 60 seconds because of it.” The Dennis Hallman-trained Albert, who got his start in MMA almost by accident (he helped a friend prepare for an amateur fight which led him to attending Victory Athletics and start training) is one of the Pacific Northwest region’s up and coming wrestling prodigies.  In Menjivar, he faces a thirty-fight veteran who has touched gloves with some of MMA’s elite, including Georges St. Pierre and Urijah Faber.  Albert looks at this fight as a huge opportunity. “It’s probably the biggest opportunity they can give me right now, outside of a Top 10 contender, realistically.  He’s 2 and 0 in the UFC with over 30 pro fights, and has fought and won against some of the who’s who (of MMA).” Albert enthusiastically elaborated, “This is a win/win situation for me if I put on a great show and win.  Nothing bad can really come out of this.  People should expect an explosive fight.  I’m going to be smart and come at Ivan whenever I can.” Originally the last fight of the prelim card, Albert received good news last Thursday in that the fight had been moved to the main card, and he couldn’t be happier. “Man, you’d think it would make someone more nervous, but it gave me more fuel,” Albert revealed. ” You know, cutting weight’s hard, and your energy level gets low, but since (I found out,) it’s just skyrocketed.  I feel like I could go run a marathon.  Like I couldn’t believe they wanted to put me on the main card, and it’s just such an opportunity to for people to see me.  I mean, Facebook’s a big stream, and plenty of people can watch me there, but to be on a national network, it’s just amazing.  Such a great opportunity and I couldn’t be more excited.” Albert was so excited that he took to his Twitter account (@UFCPrinceAlbert) to give his complimentary tickets away to fans wishing to come see him, which didn’t quite go to plan. “I told people they had to private message me, but I didn’t realize that if I didn’t follow you, you couldn’t do it,” Albert recalled with a laugh.  “I’m still new to Twitter, so I goofed a bit there.  I do try to follow up everybody that follows me, but I wasn’t getting to it quick enough.  I’ll do it better next time.  Sorry guys!” On Monday afternoon, two of the takers had backed out unable to attend, and Albert quickly held a Twitter trivia contest to gift the tickets to lucky fans again. Make sure to catch Albert-Menjivar when the main card fires up tonight at 8:00 PM EST.  The event will be broadcast on Fuel TV in the United States, the Rogers Sportsnet Network in Canada, and internationally.  Check your local listings for event showtimes. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: fight, card, people, fuel, albert

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If you've ever experienced "The Joe Rogan Experience," you know the UFC analyst, professional comic and TV host is likely to riff on any number of topics. So when Rogan stopped by Monday's edition of The MMA Hour, it was worth exploring many of the headlines making news in mixed martial arts.Among the biggest stories over the past week is Nick Diaz, his positive drug test and marijuana issues. Rogan discussed that, the UFC's support of the controversial SOPA bill, and more.The following are some of select sound bytes on the topics. On marijuana"I think it is a performance-enhancing drug. If it wasn’t, a huge majority of jiu-jitsu guys wouldn't be using it before they train. A lot of Brazilian guys use marijuana before they train. A lot of American jiu-jitsu guys use it before they train. And they don’t do it because it hurts them; they do it because it helps them."On Nick Diaz's marijuana use"I think he likes smoking weed. I think it’s that simple. I think he’s doing it whether or not he’s fighting, whether he’s training or running marathons."On how to handle Diaz"He needs like a Cus D’Amato-type character, who’s there watching everything he does and making things easy for him. All that nonsense where he couldn’t get on the plane... look, you’re not dealing with your average dude. Someone should’ve been taking care of him. They should’ve had someone pick him up at the house. Don't make him drive to the airport. Pick him up. Test him on your own. It’s not expensive. Test him in advance and make sure he’s clean. Make sure he doesn’t have issues."On exemptions for testosterone replacement therapy vs. marijuana "I think if testosterone is legal, you can easily make the argument that marijuana should be legal under a doctor’s prescription. I do believe that they’re both performance-enhancing substances. I think that testosterone is in fact, more of a performance-enhancer."On Diaz's possible retirement"Especially during his time in Strikeforce, he improved dramatically. I think he hasn’t even hit his full potential yet. He’s not even in his prime as an athlete … I think that Nick has a massive amount of potential. As a fan, I really hope he doesn’t retire, and as someone who loves to do commentary on his fights, because he’s a really exceptional athlete. He's really a one-of-a-kind guy, a complete, total original not just in his style of fighting, which is very original, but in his style and demeanor. He's a very unique guy." On Diaz's penaltyThe Nevada state athletic commission has pretty set guidelines and precedents that have already been set. I think in the situation you're dealing with, the real question is, whether or not it makes sense that some things are legal and others are not. Which ones make sense and which ones don't. The way it is now, he tested positive. You could argue that marijuana should be legal, but the bottom line is it's illegal, he tested positive, and it's up to the Nevada state athletic commission to make a judgment. On UFC's support of the controversial SOPA anti-piracy bill"The UFC wants to make sure people stop stealing pay-per-view, streaming them and collecting ad revenue. A lot of people don’t realize that a lot of these people are using Google ads and other various online ads and they’ll stream a website, take a UFC live feed and stream it, and then make money off of it on ads. It’s not as simple as they’re stopping people from downloading the UFC for free. It’s people who are actually making money off the UFC by streaming it online. It’s a criminal act. It’s not so simple as someone coming along who is a fan and doesn’t have the money and just wants to watch it.On problems with SOPA"… You get into situations where you got this bill like SOPA, and the real fear is that it will give the government sweeping legislation, sweeping power that would enable them to decide what they can go in and shut down. The real fear is that the government would have any power to censor the internet."On Dana White's view on SOPA"He’s not a guy who’s trying to go after the casual fan. The guy doesn't want to get ripped off. The company feels like they’re getting ripped off by people that are criminal. They’re trying to profit off the fact that they’re streaming illegally. That’s where the UFC stands. It’s not that they want to censor people. Dana White is the last person in the world to want censorship. If you listen to the way he talks, he would get in a lot of trouble working for almost any other major sports organization. Ninety-nine percent of sports organizations would have a big problem with a guy like that being president ... He’s just a guy that doesn’t want to get ripped off."On his first trip to Japan, for February 26's UFC 144"To me, this is an amazing opportunity to go to a place where modern martial arts, the most respected martial arts were cultivated. That’s japan. This is the birthplace of the samurai."On his long tenure with the UFC"I first worked for the UFC more than a decade ago. I still love it. I still look forward to it. It’s still one of the most exciting parts of my life."

Posted in: ufc, guy, people, hersquo, itrsquo

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submitted by Drastic [link] [9 comments]

Posted in: people, griffin, dont, people dont, humoragain

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On Feb. 4, 2012, something happened in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) that had not occurred in more than four years: A new Welterweight champion was crowned. And he wasn't named Georges St. Pierre. Granted, it has an interim tag attached to it, but the fact still remains, Carlos Condit is the new 170-pound interim champion, which, oddly enough, has kind of flown under the radar. All of the drama that followed UFC 143 may have something to do with that. Specifically, the highly debated decision in the main event that saw judges award Condit a unanimous win over Nick Diaz, after "The Natural Born Killer" and his camp imposed a not-so fan-friendly gameplan to earn the nod. And then the news shortly thereafter that Diaz had tested positive for marijuana in his mandated drug test, ending all hopes of an immediate rematch, which was unofficially announced before the weed fiasco. Everyone from fans, media and even a hall of fame mixed martial artist (MMA) legend in Royce Gracie, voiced their opinions on the strategy Condit used during the UFC 143 main event, which many felt robbed them of what should have been (and very well could have been) a very exciting fight. Condit himself has not really commented on the backlash he received post UFC 143; however, appearing on "The MMA Hour" today (Feb 12, 2012) he took the time to address all of the post-event drama, detailing how it has all overshadowed his time to shine. Check it out: "There's been a lot of criticism, a lot of people talking trash and some are just disappointed at the fight and that's fine. Then, you have a lot of people giving me praise and respect, so it's all even. Most of the people don't care if I win or get knocked out; they just want to see an entertaining fight. Ultimately they don't care if I get beat down or knocked out. I got to fight the way that I need to in order to win. I am proud of the way I fought. It was very close fight and a lot of the rounds were super close and could have gone either way. People connect with Nick. He is real, he goes out there and throws down, so I think a lot of people they love Nick, win or lose and I think that's great. On the other hand, I think I have caught a lot of undeserved flack because of that. It has taken the joy out of it (winning my first UFC title). There have been a lot of ups and down that last couple of days. That's the name of the game, I'm a pro fighter. Along with all the benefits, there is a lot of shit that comes on the negative side too, so it just comes with it." On how he reacted when he found out Diaz tested positive for pot: "I was disappointed because, honestly, I felt right after the fight, I felt like I won and dominated. Going back and watching it, I saw how close it was and I understand how people thought that nick got robbed. So I was looking forward to getting back in there and doing it again. I talked to Dana Tuesday Morning. We talked about the rematch, and he said it is a fight a lot of people want to see and I agreed with him. I was motivated to get in there and shut people up. So I told him we would discuss the details when he got back into the Country, (from Brazil) and I was up for it. Then Tuesday night, I got the news from Dana that he had failed the drug test. We have to wait to see what disciplinary action he gets, but I would love to give him a rematch." On fighting training partner Diego Sanchez or Jake Ellenberger should Georges St. Pierre be out for an extended period of time because of rehab: "I would not have any problems fighting Diego; he is one of the best in the world. Since coming back to Albuquerque he has gotten back to the old Diego Sanchez. If that's who they want me to fight then we can do it for sure. The dude (Ellenberger) has been on a run, he is definitely one of the best welterweights, we had a hell of a fight a couple of years ago, but we will see how the fight goes on Wednesday and the picture as far as who I'm fighting and the title contention might be cleared up after the fight." With Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger set to headline UFC on Fuel TV this Wednesday (Feb. 15, 2012) in Omaha, Neb., and Josh Koscheck set to do battle with Johnny Hendricks at UFC on Fox 3 on May 5, 2012, in N.J., a possible contender to Condit's title may arise in the next few days and months to follow. Of course, there is a certain French Canadian who still reigns supreme over the promotion's welterweight division, but having a few back ups in case his rehabilitation from knee surgery takes longer than expected, is not a bad thing. For now, Condit can stake his claim as the top dog at 170 pounds and is willing and ready to take on all comers, including Diaz, depending on how hard the Nevada State Athletic Commission's (NSAC) hammer comes down on the Stockton slugger. But, don't hold your breath.

Posted in: ufc, fight, people, condit, lot

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Mark Hill, the prominent West Coast mega-church minister at the helm of Mars Hill Church is getting some tough publicity for his approach to disciplining his members. But its an ill wind that blows no good as the hype brought his interesting take on MMA to my attention. Hill is not only an outspoken advocate of MMA, he's also very well informed. Check this ~10,000 word piece he wrote in November. Not only does he make a case for combat sports as part of a Christian's life, he also outlines the rules, history and ethic of the sport: Today, there remains much controversy around the sport due to what I believe are two primary reasons. One, many people simply do not understand the rules in place to help make MMA safer for the athletes. Two, it's a new sport and will take some time and the kind of exposure that main events on FOX will provide to quiet some critics....Some Christians will vocally declare that we must reject MMA. Sometimes it's because they simply do not understand the nature of the sport and misperceive it, and other times it's because they are pacifists theologically who don't condone violence in any form. Their picture of Jesus is basically a guy in a dress with fabulous long hair, drinking decaf and in touch with his feelings, who would never hurt anyone. The problem is that Jesus probably had short hair (1 Corinthians 11 says it was a disgrace in that day for a man to have long hair), was in good shape from a labor job and lots of walking across rugged terrain, and upon his return will come again not in humility but rather in glory. Of course he's also got some concerns that strike me, as a non-Christian, as rather eccentric if not deeply ignorant: Additionally, some argue that we should reject MMA because some aspects of the sport stem from Eastern religions and philosophy. Indeed, this was some of the pushback on my recent post on yoga, "Christian Yoga? It's a Stretch." To this I would agree on a certain level. I would not encourage anyone to study under a teacher who, in addition to combat techniques, was also pushing non-Christian philosophies and Eastern spirituality. As stated earlier, MMA involves a host of various combat traditions, including disciplines such as wrestling and boxing that do not have roots in Eastern religion. Further, as I stated in the yoga post, it's wholly acceptable for Christians to engage in the physical aspects of stretching, including yoga-type stretches, without engaging in the practice of yoga itself as it's been understood and practiced for thousands of years. My further caution was to not use the word yoga since it has such religious and cultural background that is antithetical to Christianity. Similarly, one can practice combat sports and learn various techniques without immersing oneself in the philosophy and culture of such activities. He also quotes from several MMA fighters who are practicing Christians including UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, legendary veterans Ken Shamrock and Matt Lindland and Ben Henderson. Here's some quotes he runs from Henderson, who fights for the UFC lightweight title at UFC 144: "Through music, that's one way I like to proclaim my faith. I try not to be overly pushy, but let people know. . .I'm not the best at converting people, but what I can do is live my life a certain way. . . I don't do the club scene, I don't go to bars. By people seeing that, that affects them in a bigger way than me talking about it. "Before all my fights, the only thing I pray for is strength and honor. . .I'm not one of those guys who is about the violence and. . .idolizing the lifestyle of money and fame. A lot people, when they fight, they're afraid of losing. I realize there's something more important in my life. So I don't fight to not to lose, I fight to win." But rest easy, he's not saying that a good Christian HAS to cage fight: Not everyone should participate in MMA, watch it, or even enjoy it. The Bible doesn't command us to, and God's people are free to operate according to conscience on this matter. Now I'm not bringing this up so we can hate on Mr. Hill or his faith, I just found it to be an interesting perspective on MMA. Tread lightly in the comments. We'll have the ban hammer ready and we're not very forgiving. The discussion should be limited to the context of the piece, ie how people of faith reconcile their fondness for MMA with their beliefs. Any attempt to steer the discussion into one of the actual or relative merits of any particular faith or lack of faith will result in a swift banning.

Posted in: fight, mma, sport, people, christian

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This is a guest editorial by Jamie Kilstein. Mr. Kilstein is a professional comedian who's been seen on Conan, The Joe Rogan Podcast and Showtime. He hosts Citizen Radio. In a sport where competitors are routinely elbowed in the face and choked unconscious (sometimes with their own limbs), the UFC's fans sure are a bunch of babies when it comes to weed. This week Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer stated in an email that "...[Nick] Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites," after his fight at UFC 143. UFC overlord Dana White said he was "beyond disappointed" in Diaz, and to paraphrase the hellish abyss we know as internet comments, "F**K DIAZ, YO SHULD FIRE HIS DICK 4 BEING STOOPID! NO HOMO!" More On Nick Diaz Nick Diaz Is to Blame, But So Are Meaningless Commission Marijuana Tests | Nick Diaz Should Be Released By The UFC | Nick Diaz' UFC 143 Drug Test Failure Was Inevitable |Dana White: 'I Am Beyond Disappointed | Nick Diaz Tests Positive For Marijuana | Fighters React to Nick Diaz's Positive Drug Test The thing is: there is no physical advantage to smoking pot in the fight game. Maybe you will come up with a new arm bar variation, but you will immediately forget it once another Walking Dead marathon comes on. In the U.S no one has ever overdosed on marijuana, while alcohol kills more people than crack, cocaine, and heroin, combined. But what do we see when we turn on the UFC's reality show The Ultimate Fighter? A house stacked with angry juice, and it always ends badly: people pissing on each other, fist fights, property destruction, etc. I've never gotten high and thrown a chair through a wall...mostly because I am sitting in that chair. I get it. Rules are rules, even when they are shitty rules. But Nick needs marijuana to treat a legit medical condition. Shit, he even has a prescription. It's hard for the general population to accept that weed has legitimate medical effects, since the general population doesn't take their insulin in Target parking lots, or on beanbag chairs listening to Bob Marley or Tool (depending on the mood). But ADHD and Anxiety can be crippling to some people. Have you seen Nick interviewed? The dude is not acting. He hates it and can barely maintain eye contact. And leading up to this main event with three Primetime specials airing on FX -- on top of the regular press grind -- it was the most pressure that he had ever faced. Diaz, although known as the bad boy, is one of the healthiest fighters the UFC has on it's roster. He is a vegan, leaning towards a mostly raw, whole food, plant based diet. In his down time, what does he do? Get into bar fights? Take steroids? Rip people off in shady real estate deals? No. He competes in fucking triathlons! He doesn't put anything into his body unless it will make him healthier. Not long ago, light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was disqualified for using an illegal elbow against Matt Hamill. That is also a stupid rule, and people called it a stupid rule. The 12-6 elbow is banned like it's some sort of Dim Mak death touch, even though it's the same as other elbows. But back then people weren't screaming, "Jon Jones knows the rules! Fire him!" No. They were furious he was disqualified and had his back. But Nick Diaz is not Jon Jones. Nick Diaz will never be on the tonight show, he won't be in a commercial, and if he did do a commercial, it would be the most awkward commercial of all time. Nick Diaz fights. It's what he is good at. It's what we love watching him do. Nick Diaz needs help and support, not to have what he is brilliant at taken away from him. Follow Jamie on Twitter at @jamiekilstein.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, nick, people, rule

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this is purely theoretical, but say there were only two options available for mma judging, either the traditional judging, or fightmetric. would you want to use fightmetric? I ask because so many people seem to hate the judges, but also think fightmetric is inappropriate for scoring fights. submitted by fancyrandy [link] [3 comments]

Posted in: judge, people, use, fightmetric, option

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submitted by Like_Wild_Potato [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: people, cecil, likewildpotato, scorecard, mystery

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There are two types of people in this world: People that could open up their eyes underwater when they were a kid, and people that couldn't. There's no need for sociologists to create complicated formulas in order to determine cultural demographics. Just break up the population on that simple statement, and I guarantee you will extract all the necessary data available. We're assuming people that roleplay massive multi-player games while rocking era-appropriate regalia falls into the category of people that couldn't open their eyes underwater when they were a kid. It's not that they were physically incapable of doing so. Not at all. It's just that throughout their childhood, they successfully roleplayed a dweeb that was picked on and made fun of in school. See MiddleEasy readers, I got your back. Now check out this video from an upcoming MMO entitled 'Tera' which depicts a group of cosplayers getting absolutely owned by a highly informative Bas Rutten. Props to Ray for the find.

Posted in: people, i guarantee, cosplay geeks, world people, multiplayer games

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Say what you will about Nick Diaz, but few people know the brash welterweight very well, but is the UFC Primetime series helping him turn a corner with how people understand him?

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, nick, people, primetime

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“People try to say, ‘Oh, Nick Diaz, you know, he’s crazy,’ or ‘He’s crazy’ or ‘He’s not crazy’ or ‘He’s fake crazy’ or whatever. I’m like, hey bro, what you see is what you get. I’m not out here trying to put on an act like I’m crazy. When you see me, what you see is what you get. And you get real martial arts; you get real fighting; you get a real warrior mentality. I’m sorry if people can’t handle it. Some people aren’t mature enough to handle it… In my opinion, everybody else is crazy out of their mind. They’re the ones putting on an act for you, doing what they’re told in front of the camera. The camera gives them a line and they say it 10 times over again, and then whoever goes back in the back and picks that out. They turn these guys into these robots. I’m just not going to be that guy. So don’t tell me I’m acting crazy. I’m out here acting natural. I’m the only one being realistic about this sort of thing.” — Nick Diaz, via MMA Mania, telling reporters everyone else is crazy, not him I don’t even bother trying to make sense of the things that Nick Diaz says anymore. He sees the world from a different lens than most of us and I’ve come to the conclusion that you just have to accept it and love/hate it for what it is. What I love about it though is how Nick manages to draw people in much like Chael Sonnen, but unlike Sonnen’s schtick, it’s actually real. Sonnen has to constantly come up with new material to keep people’s attention whereas Nick just has to show up and be himself. As much as I enjoy watching Sonnen do his thing, there’s no replacement for genuine insanity. That’s my take on it at least. Georges St. Pierre, on the hand, doesn’t buy that the Nick Diaz we see on camera is the real Nick Diaz. “Nick is not crazy. Nick is a very, very smart guy. People are like, “Oh Nick is crazy,” that’s a persona he has to intimidate people. He’s like a bully at school who tries to make you believe he’s ready to kill people. That’s not true, he’s a very, very clever guy. He’s a very smart guy. He’s very smart at what he does. And one of the reasons he is where he is in life, why he’s successful, is because he’s very smart. So I don’t buy this thing that “Oh, he’s crazy,” I don’t buy it. He’s a very smart guy. The way he portrays himself sometimes isn’t the way he truly is.” What do you think? Is Nick Diaz really “crazy” or a manipulative genius who has everyone fooled? Image via Esther Lin for Strikeforce/Showtime

Posted in: diaz, nick diaz, guy, nick, people

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We fear what we don't know and/or understand. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight contender Nick Diaz may be living proof of this theorem, as he is both feared and misunderstood, possibly more than any other athlete in mixed martial arts (MMA) today. On Sat., Feb. 4, 2012, Diaz will throw hands (among other things) with Carlos Condit at UFC 143 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a 170-pound bout to determine who will become the promotion's interim welterweight champion. Originally, the Stockton, Calif., slugger was supposed to fight current champion Georges St. Pierre, before a knee injury sidelined "Rush" until later this year. Meanwhile, Condit was previously set to take on Josh Koscheck on the same card, but was more than willing to be bumped up to the main event opposite Diaz. It's a big fight, perhaps career-defining, with much on the line. Therefore, one would assume that Diaz would appreciate the magnitude of the moment. Today (Wed., Feb. 1, 2012), at the UFC 143 open workouts, Diaz talked about the gravity of his upcoming fight against "The Natural Born Killer:" "It's a little weird. It just feels like the next fight, really. For me, from one fight to the next, I don't (see) a big difference. I felt a lot more energy for this fight, but it wasn't nervous energy, so it was good. It was just healthy." He just doesn't see it the same as the media and some other fighters do, unsurprisingly. That's because he doesn't see many things the same way as the general public. "Different," he's okay with. It's when people start using the "C-word" (not the one you're thinking of) that he gets upset: "People try to say, 'Oh, Nick Diaz, you know, he's crazy,' or 'He's crazy' or 'He's not crazy' or 'He's fake crazy' or whatever. I'm like, hey bro, what you see is what you get. I'm not out here trying to put on an act like I'm crazy. When you see me, what you see is what you get. And you get real martial arts; you get real fighting; you get a real warrior mentality. I'm sorry if people can't handle it. Some people aren't mature enough to handle it." That's not all he had to say on the matter. If you ask Diaz, it's the other guys who have it wrong. He's just being natural. What you see is what you get: "In my opinion, everybody else is crazy out of their mind. They're the ones putting on an act for you, doing what they're told in front of the camera. The camera gives them a line and they say it 10 times over again, and then whoever goes back in the back and picks that out. They turn these guys into these robots. I'm just not going to be that guy. So don't tell me I'm acting crazy. I'm out here acting natural. I'm the only one being realistic about this sort of thing." Even though he's not out to kiss babies and win "Employee of the Month" awards, his public perception is more important than Diaz may let on. He just doesn't lose sleep over it: "Sometimes, I don't care. A lot of times I'm not paying attention; I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about my performance and my day-to-day athleticism and my training. But, when I start to think about it and I start to get into that sort of thing, yeah. But I don't try to take a lot of time out of my day or out of my week to start to sound right or get right or explain to people. If I get a chance to say something for myself, like right now, then I'll do my best to try to straighten things out a little bit. But that's all I got." Maybe he's crazy. Maybe he's the only sane one. Whatever the case may be, it's hard to debate that when Diaz has his mind right, he's a formidable and dangerous opponent. A natural born killer in the cage.

Posted in: fight, diaz, people, he, im

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I've got to come off like that just to get a fight. You're going to point the finger, make me the bad guy. I'm the bad guy. Now I get a fight. The only reason why I'm getting this fight is because everybody wants to see me take an a**-whipping right about now. - Nick Diaz People like stories. We always have and our attention generally gravitates towards the better storytellers among us - musicians, long-running television shows, hit movies, teenage angst novelists and so on. However, in the midst of all this story-consuming, we forget sometimes that each of these storytellers is attempting to assemble some kind of narrative that the public at large can jump on and devour. These people are not necessarily trying to tell us the most accurate story or the best story possible; they want to put out the story that makes the most money for the storytellers. This motive is the entire raison d'etre for having anything besides public access television on our screens at all: having a compelling narrative means people pay attention and when people pay attention, allowing advertisers to sell stuff equals money pouring in. The prevalence of this "compelling story = money" mode of thought has gotten so embedded into our culture that it is hard to prevent ourselves from the risky behavior of constantly constructing stories around certain facts - what I call the creation of a narrative or storyline- and then cherry-picking facts and signs to fit within that narrative. We run the risk of ignoring reality and the possible presence of facts that do not fit the narrative and yet the audience and the media keep building stories like how Sports Player X is "clutch" or that Steve Jobs was the next thing to a god on Earth. For whatever reasons, the stories we flip out over are rooted in conflict - which meshes well with live sports and mixed martial arts in particular. It is hard to get a more direct conflict than to have two people in a cage trying to beat each other up for pride, fame and fortune. That may very well be the essential appeal of the sport. The format of mixed martial arts at the highest levels lends itself readily to any storyline that the quartet of promoters, fighters, media and fans can make sticky - or memorable to the largest audience possible. So how do you sell Nick Diaz? Or Carlos Condit? Are they easily reduced to straightforward protagonist/antagonist roles and readily served up in bite-sized promo videos? Is doing the Countdown trash-talking and mean-mugging the best way to sell fights or can we shift to the Primetimes and independent serial videos like The Reem (despite their associated problems)? SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit From a lifetime of observing and consuming these narratives in all forms, I can tell you that what really gets the gears going is when we see a hero fight a villain. The problem is that in elite mixed martial arts, there are no real heroes or villains. Everybody at the highest levels is already a somewhat similar combination of unusual talent and relentless dedication to self-improvement with plenty of ruthless dispatching of skilled opponents already in their past. Nobody stepping into the cage these days is a fat, grizzled felon who savaged their way to the top. We do not have the avatar of a monolithic Cold War side like Alexander Karelin to root against. The differences between fighters is more subtle these days and that makes marketing a bit more difficult. At this point, The Reem might be the most loved video serial in MMA. It does a brilliant job of marketing Alistair Overeem too. Eldar Gross and Fabrice Deters have nearly unrivaled access to a prominent fighter and their videos impart a sense of urgency and impending superstardom to the recent happenings in Overeem's career. But what happens if the upcoming title bout against Junior dos Santos fizzles as a PPV or if Alistair loses? Is the narrative wrecked? Or do they gloss over and/or ignore those inconvenient facts like they did with the Golden Glory split, the Strikeforce non-fighting, or the various nightclub incidents that Overeem has been in over the years? I see the appeal of The Reem, but I do not trust it fully and the words of Bas Rutten, who has been critical at times, and others only serve to reinforce that attitude. Plus, I suspect that the videos could be done better. From a videography point of view, the decision to make The Reem almost entirely in black and white is a curious one. This is not the mid-90's. Gross and Deters are not using film stock. The lighting seems to be relatively controlled despite the wide variance in conditions and locations. Perhaps what really drives the choice is the desire to appear "historic" - which is exactly what the narrative of The Reem is trying to sell: Alistair Overeem's historic rise to the top of the various combat sports he participates in. While I enjoy most of the music choices within The Reem, the soundtrack would never survive a first look at the potential copyright clearance budget. This video series is never going to be pieced together and released in a longer form that is as that we experience it now. What's more is that despite the Reem team's attempt to not use too much UFC footage (see the multiple jumps between video sources for the Brock Lesnar fight), Zuffa might have some qualms about such commercial usage of their product. All of that combines to drop The Reem down my list of favored combat sports narratives. At the same time, it opens the door for lesser knowns like Stuart Cooper and for random self-released videos like those of Jon Fitch and Pat Barry. Cooper, the British videographer, recently released The Rise of Toquinho, which was in full color, showed rare glimpses of training footage and had extended interviews with newsworthy figures in the life of Rousimar Palhares - all without music copyright violations or going all greyscale on us. Unfortunately, Cooper's last two videos - the Evolution of BJJ for Braulio Estima, the reigning ADCC Superfight champion, and Jeff Monson's Time for a Change - have gone greyscale (perhaps in response to The Reem). Given Cooper's access and connections, I would not be surprised if Cooper works with more fighters like Rafael dos Anjos to make more "Road to [Fight[" serials. How many of you saw the Pat Barry/Cro Cop singalong video? Jon Fitch chopping down the tree with his shin? These two fighters are perhaps the best at showing the randomity of life beyond the training and the cage. However, the audience has responded much more viscerally to Barry for whatever reasons - perhaps for his back and forth fights - and the sly humor of Fitch goes almost unnoticed. Seriously, why isn't Fitch and Dave Camarillo playing Skyrim and interacting with fans in a surprisingly honest way a bigger deal? My point is that the fighters themselves, with their Twitter accounts, video cameras and easy access to fans, have the power to build their own narratives and Overeem and Barry seem to be connecting well with people despite using very different approaches. Very few people lead simple enough lives to be fully encapsulated by a 30 second promo video. Nick Diaz certainly is not one of them, but his aggressive and insolent fight style lends itself well to snap judgments that go against his perceived character. His in-fight trash talking and unorthodox style fit the role of an antagonist better than anyone in recent MMA history. The promotional videos have made full use of this heel bonanza and the media frustrations with getting Nick to open up or to turn down his ornerniness level have led to a self-perpetuating cycle in which Nick believes everyone is making him out to be the bad guy and he is made out to be the bad guy because he rarely ever lets people see his good side or his interests outside of fighting and repping the difficulties of life in Stockton or Lodi, California. The missed press conference appearances, the unwillingness to talk to anyone outside his group of trusted friends and family and the occasional cuss word directed at a nameless or faceless audience that hates him or wants to see him lose all perpetuate this cycle. When other fighters jump on the "Nick Diaz is a bad guy" bandwagon, as GSP did, the resulting media attention probably drives Diaz nuts. This is where the Primetime series comes in - those videos are the single best chances for Nick to show that he is a multifaceted person who deserves to be spoken of with the same respect a "true" mixed martial arts athlete gets. Unfortunately, Nick doesn't care. The lack of give from Nick means that the people behind the Primetime series are having trouble constructing an easy-to-latch-onto narrative for Nick, so they try to split the difference and hope something sticks. Thus we get contradictions like Cesar Gracie telling us with those cold blue eyes that "Nick does not enjoy hurting people" while earlier, the narrator extolls Nick's brutal fight-winning patterns. What Cesar is telling us may be the truth, but it doesn't fit the narrative well and probably would have been left on the cutting room floor by a more unscrupulous editor. At least we have Nick as the bad boy to fall back on. The same thing is happening with Carlos Condit. His career has been primarily one of knocking people out or submitting them, often after a slow start and putting his all into highly entertaining bouts. Yet, he is not a mega-star within the promotion and his personal life is as diverse and unreducable as Nick's is. The Primetime folks have yet to figure out how to reduce Condit to something easily digestible. The nickname has never fit and seeing Condit do grown-up things like renovate a house and keep strong ties with his extended family only serves to diffuse the narrative into a nearly incoherent mush. Perhaps the approach of GSP is better: show nobody any hint of a personal life and focus all public attention on the incessant pursuit of mixed martial arts like some sort of real world Ivan Drago. The only problem with that is that the storyline is completely manufactured and the audience can turn on those Potemkin narratives as they do all the time in pro wrestling and other sports. The careers of both Condit and Diaz are littered with Fight of the Year contenders and nearly every performance both have put on in the last three years has been stellar, savage and hopefully star-making because both fight in a way that MMA fans seem to gravitate towards (primarily stand-up, but gets a high number of finishes on the ground or standing). The problem with these two is that to reach the next level of visibility and stardom, they themselves have to get involved in and comfortable with creating narratives that the masses can understand - or become Brock Lesnar. I suspect that shift in attitude will never happen with Diaz and the jury is still out on Condit waking up in that respect. Lest I seem facetious, I admit that creating a narrative with true stickiness is tough and the competing narratives put out by the aforementioned quartet can clash or blend to become a babble few pay attention to. Some narratives are more successful than others and short taglines and videos seem to dominate the format of the most effective pitches. Thus it is understandable that the biggest MMA promotions in the world try so very hard to attach some set of easily recognizable storylines to each event and record hype videos. Remember those taglines attached to the early numbered UFCs1? The tagline for UFC 143 should be "Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit". However, it is coming off more and more like "The next guy to fight GSP". 1UFC 26: Ultimate Field of Dreams is my favorite, as it conjures up the bizarre mental image of some kind of event held in a cornfield where the bloody spikes of Ty Cobb would have been perfectly at home.

Posted in: fight, nick, video, people, narrative

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

I know, I know. It’s silly to ask a fight promoter not to fight. Let’s be clear here up front: I understand why Dana White and Zuffa would support legal action like SOPA & PIPA, and were I in their place I’d be concerned about piracy too. They have a company whose foundation is built upon their customers paying to see events live, so anything that undermines that business is clearly going to have an impact on profits. That being said, SOPA is not the way to stop piracy. In fact I’d be very surprised if our government was able to introduce any kind of legislation that effectively stamps out piracy in all its forms. Fighting a war on piracy is similar to fighting wars on drugs and terrorism; they may be noble causes but ultimately they will prove to be futile. Religious and social divides will always cause cultures to hate each other, some people will always look for a way to alter their consciousness, and there will always be people on the internet with more free time than money. Another thing that won’t help fight piracy is angering the hacker community. After taunting hackers on Thursday,the UFC President  had his site hacked again in addition to having his personal information compromised. I have no desire to know what Dana’s social security number is, but the fact that it’s now available for viewing on the internet should be a clear sign that mistakes have been made. Maybe Dana can shrug off this invasion of privacy and claim it’s no big deal. After all, he can change his phone numbers, hire private security for his home, and pursue legal action against anyone taking advantage of his personal information. His customers, however, may not be so lucky. On Friday another member of the hacker group Anonymous (the very group White provoked on Twitter on Thursday) announced that he had hacked both UFC.com as well as the company’s live streaming site UFC.tv. This hacker also claims to have retrieved data from customer’s who have used UFC.tv to purchase PPVs. Anonymous made headlines this past Christmas when they used stolen credit card data to make donations to charity, and they have vowed to release the data acquired from the UFC if Dana provokes them again. I know Dana has taken a carefree attitude towards this hacking situation, and at the start he wasn’t really out of line to do so. The initial attack just took down UFC.com for a few hours, which is roughly equivalent to taking down some advertisements. Had he left it at that things may not have gone any further. By provoking the hackers (and specifically Anonymous) and equating their actions to terrorism, Dana brought unnecessary grief upon himself, his family, and his business. Anonymous doesn’t deal in the business of pirating PPVs, they are hackers acting as social activists. Whether or not you agree with their methods and their message is up to you, but there’s no reason to invite action from them against you and your business, particularly when your website is storing credit card information from your customers. It’s also worth noting that Anonymous is (by their very nature) a decentralized organization, with no control over their individual members’ actions. There’s been no action yet with any stolen information (at least that we know of) but this entire chain of events could lead to serious ramifications for the UFC and their online businesses. They have essentially broken the trust necessary in a capitalist society, wherein the consumer willingly supplies his financial information to a corporation with the implied understanding that it will be used in a responsible manner and not abused in any way. Obviously the UFC will be working with law enforcement agencies to find those responsible for this intrusion, but by inviting the attacks White may have implicated himself in any civil action that takes place in the future. It’s certainly too early to know exactly what will happen as a result of these hacks, but for now we can’t rule out the worst scenarios coming to pass. So if the UFC and White are unable to completely stamp out piracy and stop the actions of hackers, what’s the solution? One way to solve the problem is to give people a reason to buy your product online. Those who watch pirated streams are obviously willing to sit in front of their computer to watch a UFC event, so Dana White and Zuffa should be working to convert those people into paying customers. The easiest way to do this is to make PPVs less expensive. It seems like such an easy thing to do coming from somebody like me (you know, a consumer) but it really does make sense. Whenever the price of his product is brought up, Dana dismisses the issue by stating that people can buy the program in groups, go to their local bar or restaurant, or if all else fails, just don’t watch it. What about those UFC fans like myself who usually watch the events alone? Not everyone has friends that watch the UFC and would be willing to pitch in for buying a PPV every single month. What about people under the age of 21, or those members of society who don’t drink? It’s hard to justify spending $45-55 for something that’s just for me, especially when that money could be used for food or clothing for my family. Dana would say that that’s too bad and I’ll just have to deal with not watching the UFC events, but is that any way to grow your business? If the UFC really wants to get more people to purchase their streams online (especially in the wake of a possible violation on consumers’ private information), lower the price for the streaming version of the event. Since the UFC doesn’t have to share that $45 or $55 with cable and satellite providers for their online stream, perhaps they could pass some of those savings on to their consumer. Cut the price for a streaming event to $25 or $30 and I can practically guarantee that you’ll have a lot more people buying a reliable, quality stream over a sketchy pirated one. This doesn’t have to be a permanent price change either; they could offer it on some of their events and reserve the higher price point for bigger cards. Flexible pricing is one idea that could be implemented for the streams as well as the regular PPV broadcast, and it allows the UFC to be more aggressive with cards that lack a blockbuster main event. As the sport’s biggest stars start heading towards the end of their career (and some are already there, see Lesnar, Brock and Liddell, Chuck) the UFC is going to be putting more and more fresh faces at the top of their cards, and having a lower price point for shows not anchored by proven draws allows these events to be seen by more people; which in turn gives these newer fighters a better chance to gain fans. Let’s also consider the first time buyer. The whole point of getting their product on broadcast television with Fox is to create new fans who will in turn purchase the PPVs, right? If you had your first MMA experience this past Saturday night would you want to put down $45-55 to watch this weekend’s event? Make the first PPV after a Fox show lower priced and you’ll assure yourself a better chance of hooking those new fans. The UFC will never be able to wipe out piracy completely. As their own employee Joe Rogan likes to state, “you can’t stop the internet.” Provide a product that’s both affordable as well as attractive, and back it up with great customer service, and you’ll please the customers you have while adding new ones all the time. It’s worked wonders for online businesses like Amazon.com, iTunes, and Steam, and there’s no reason why it can’t work for the UFC as well. They can continue their anti-piracy efforts by working with law enforcement to take down sites illegally streaming their shows, but at the same time they can be proactive and offer a more appealing product that people want to pay for. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, ’t, event, dana, people

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Please excuse Rashad Evans if he doesn’t have the ebullient demeanor one would expect of a man who just won a major MMA bout in front of millions of people on network television.

Posted in: people, doesn ’t, evan, mma bout, fox victory

Read the full article at Sherdog

I went into last August's UFC 133 a little disappointed. You see, I've been a fan of Rich Franklin for years and the opportunity to cover one of his fights in person was something I was really looking forward to. When he dropped off the card, I was bummed but quickly shifted focus to Tito Ortiz as the improbable story that was his career resurgence was a lot of fun. But what I came away with was a new-found appreciation for his opponent that night in Rashad Evans. I was impressed with his presence, how people reacted when he entered the arena, how he took care of business against Ortiz and how he carried himself in general. The 32-year-old isn't just a star, but he's a big star and should be recognized as such. That's why I can't understand why people boo him relentlessly and how he attracts so much vitriol. This Saturday, Evans main events UFC On Fox 2 against Phil Davis and will be on display in front of potentially the largest audience that has ever seen him perform. Why should they and you appreciate him? He doesn't fight slouches: His last eight opponents in a four-year stretch where he went 6-1-1: Ortiz, Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Lyoto Machida, Thiago Silva, Quinton Jackson and Ortiz again. When I look at some of the top fighters in the world, I'm intrigued by the level of competition they go in there against. Are they continually testing themselves against the best? When you look at this list and think about the point those opponents were at when Evans fought them, what other current top light heavyweight has had a stretch like this in their last few years? He comes off like a star: Evans has the presence of an NFL quarterback, dressing in nice suits and carrying himself with an "I'm the man" swagger. Quite simply, he acts like a star and he should. In today's fight game, that is hugely important as the UFC needs more guys that people will pay to see. If MMA was bigger with mainstream media outlets like ESPN, Evans would be seen and covered in a different light and perhaps Saturday on Fox will be his big breakout to the masses. He's got a big rivalry: One of the UFC's few big money matches is Evans vs. current light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones and like an old-school pro wrestling storyline, the build to this inevitable clash has been tremendous. This a story made for Warrior 2: two teammates and friends split down the middle due to one winning a title and saying he'd fight the other, breaking a pact they had. Their camps split, the fighters split and it's all they can do to not bring each other up when they're fighting other people. Bird had Magic, Williams had DiMaggio, Liddell had Ortiz and perhaps Evans vs. Jones can be a great rivalry for the next few years. Evans is just one injury-free win away from finally getting his shot at reclaiming the title he violently lost to Machida in May 2009. To do so, he would have to go through his former friend and now mortal enemy. That's a story that's impossible to ignore. When Evans steps on the scale Friday, he'll likely get booed again because apparently that's the thing to do. Like it or not, he is one of the biggest stars in MMA and in front of a big network TV audience, a big win will finally get him the respect that he deserves and has earned. SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 2

Posted in: ufc, ortiz, star, people, evan

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Joe Rogan is a talented guy. He turned a stand-up career into several successful TV series with residuals that pay the bills, introduced a podcast/videocast that is one of the most downloaded of its kind and continued his high-profile comedy career, all while being one of the most recognizable voices and figures to UFC fans. In all, life is pretty awesome for Joe Rogan. This Saturday, he gets another shot at national exposure for something other than Fear Factor with UFC On Fox 2. This won't be like last November where he gets just a few minutes to introduce and then call a fight that is over in an instant. With two solid hours and three fights guaranteed to make air, there's plenty of time for Rogan and lead announcer Mike Goldberg to make their impressions on people that have never seen the UFC before. That's why Saturday marks an extremely important event for Rogan, the UFC and Fox Sports in general. They need to bust out of the MMA bubble and figure out how Rogan can step his game up and deeper explain what's happening in the Octagon to the casual or new fan tuning in, especially when it comes to Brazilian jiujitsu. If you were relatively new to the sport like me when you first started watching, you had no idea what 'guard' was. When things went to the ground, you assumed the guy on top had an advantage. Cage grappling looked like resting, not working. Knockouts are easy to understand, everything else isn't. Seven years after I first decided to invest myself into MMA and after enrolling in several martial arts programs, I get it. New viewers don't have that luxury. One could argue that the UFC and Rogan have been doing a great job at this for years and I agree to an extent. I always think there's an opportunity to educate those who aren't reading sites like Bloody Elbow and simply are dropping into watch a fight or those who want to learn more but feel dumb asking. I used to be one of those people and this Saturday, millions more like 2005 me will be tuning in. What fight could Rogan have the most impact on? Join me after the jump. Where Rogan can really shine is in the broadcast's opening bout between Chris Weidman and Demian Maia, a fight that will quite surely spend an extended period of time on the mat. Rogan has to assume he's talking to new people without dumbing it down for the hardcore fans. If done right, it will have an impact. It's a delicate balance but if anyone can do it, it's him. I'm positive there are those who roll their eyes at the notion about more explaining and descriptions and will claim it potentially would disrupt the natural flow of watching a match. However, this is why the UFC is on Fox. They need to bring more people in and can't assume the attention span is going to be there for people to self-educate like there was when the boom period began in 2005. When Rogan is talking with that Fox Sports microphone in front of his face, he is to be judged alongside his peers in football, baseball, NASCAR and every sport that Fox airs. His role is that of an educator for what's happening so everyone from the rookie to the novice understands what's going on. Rogan has done a good job in the past. Now, it's his time to be great. SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 2

Posted in: ufc, fox, people, joe rogan, rogan

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submitted by bobman15 [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: people, twitter, ufccom, bobman, tuf twitter

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Before everyone starts their 'Dude, WTF' threads across MMA message boards, let me give you a brief rundown of what I believe Lorenzo Fertitta was thinking when he wrote this letter to Congressman Lamar Smith in support of the SOPA act that we at MiddleEasy are vehemently against. Over the last decade, we witnessed online piracy literally dismantle the music industry. With the advent of Napster, college kids choked the bandwidth of their dorms downloading overrated albums from artists like 'Ben Folds Five.' Admit it, we all did. Granted, it's tough to consider it 'stealing' when the items we took weren't even tangible. The music industry knew sales were in a massive decline, so they did what any industry would do if they had a seemingly endless amount of money and K-1 level lawyers -- attack the people that were engaging in peer-to-peer sharing. Little old ladies were being detained by the FBI, kids across America were being arrested after school for 'stealing' -- it was just a giant mess. However, the detainment of citizens across the country only inspired more people to illegally download content and sparked a surge in new P2P technologies. The 'iron fist' approach backfired for the music industry, and they realized their approach must change. Production companies begin working with internet-based companies to deliver their product to the people that would normally just jack it from the internet. Those people were now presented with a method to digitally download music legally (and at a higher quality), and we saw entities like the 'iTune store' become a common staple in Western culture. In the past, ZUFFA has attacked (and continues to attack) websites established for the sole purpose of broadcasting live UFC events which undeniably undercuts revenue that could have been earned during the show. No one should be surprised by this. UFC operates on primarily a PPV business model with most of their undisclosed income coming from cable/satellite providers at a moderately priced rate. Without revenue accumulated from this model, the UFC would be a local Las Vegas promotion with an extreme obsession with geometrical shapes. A multitude of unnamed websites have been established across the net to give viewers free and illegal access to live UFC events while having the audacity to spam their sites with ads -- essentially making money off a product they stole. That's screwed up. Pretend like you don't have an annoying girlfriend and the lock on your car door works. Put yourself in Lorenzo Fertitta's shoes, a guy that literally resurrected a company on life support, burned through an unimaginable amount of money and finally made the company into what you see today. Now imagine a few rouge sites dipping in your pockets and removing potential money that could have been created from a live UFC event. Sure it affects you (remember, you're Lorenzo Fertitta in this example), but what about the entire underlying structure of the UFC? Fighter payouts (and bonuses) are lower. With less money, the overall production of UFC events are marginal at best. People will lose interest in a declining product and the sport we love will lose relevancy in the US. There would be no FOX deals. MMA fans would go through a steady bout of depression and eventually focus their energy in appreciating the fine aspects of rodeo as a sport. By embracing Xbox 360 (and UFC.com) as a medium to deliver their product, the UFC has accepted that most people prefer to watch live events through digital means. That option is now present for potential consumers, and as we've seen with the music industry, it's a smart move. However, Mr. Lorenzo Fertitta, please stop supporting SOPA/PIPA or any variation of it from now until the sun kills the earth. We understood you're against piracy, and it makes complete sense that you are. But SOPA being the solution to stop piracy is like performing brain surgery with a medieval flail. It puts the fear of Dana White into rouge sites that stream UFC events, but it simultaneously robs the American people of our constitutional rights. SOPA is censorship. It's a freedom suppressor with the ability to completely remove entire domains from being accessed by everyone in the United States -- communist China style. You know all of those slick YouTube highlight films created by phenomenal editors across the world which are aimed at increasing interest in the UFC product? Under SOPA, any site that posts these highlight videos (including MiddleEasy, The Underground, CagePotato and every other MMA message board you could think of) would be completely removed from the internet. We're not talking about a few pages being deleted from the site. Not at all. SOPA would have the power to censor an entire domain name. I can only assume what was going through Lorenzo Fertitta's mind when he wrote this letter. He wanted to protect the interest of the UFC, but I'm assuming he wasn't aware of the severe ramifications that SOPA could have instituted on the American people (and the world). Based on that logic, Lorenzo Fertitta should get a pass on this one -- however, I could be completely wrong. Perhaps you should call me up, Lorenzo. Give MiddleEasy an exclusive interview on your stance on SOPA. I'm sure you can get my number from ZUFFA and I'm absolutely certain MMA fans that have supported the UFC for years would love to hear your stance. Now check out Lorenzo Fertitta's letter that was sent to Lamar Smith, the chief sponsor of SOPA, which expressed the UFC's support of SOPA/PIPA. Oh, and to the readers out there -- you're not Lorenzo Fertitta anymore. That ended a few paragraphs ago. Now stop putting a down payment on the new Bugatti Grand Sport with money you no longer have. Sorry.

Posted in: ufc, people, fertitta, sopa, lorenzo

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Filed under: UFCIt took a little over a half-hour for Rashad Evans and Phil Davis to stop being polite and start being real on Friday's UFC on FOX 2 media call. But once it happened, there was no going back. The catalyst, innocently enough, was a straightforward question for Davis about the odds of him being the very next challenger for UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones if he gets past Evans in Chicago. Not surprisingly, Davis likes his chances. "After I beat Rashad on the 28th, they won't really have anything else to do with me other than to have me fight [Jones]," Davis said. "Rashad is the true number one contender, and after he loses, who else do I fight? The champion." A few awkward silences later, Evans decided to cut out the middle man and address his foe directly. "You ain't beating me, dog," said the former 205-pound champ. "And you know what? It can't get here fast enough, because I'm going to smash you, dude." And away we went. "It's about time," quipped UFC middleweight Michael Bisping, who was also on the call, but keeping things relatively tame with his new opponent, Chael Sonnen. "I was falling asleep here." The hard part about arguing on a media conference call is that you never know for sure when the other guy is finished, and when it's your turn to retort. This results in a lot of talking over one another, with clever threats and unsubtle predictions lost in the static of two men trying to drown one another out. Imagine those political roundtable shows if no one could see each other. But for a few brief moments on Friday, Evans and Davis actually managed to have something resembling a conversation. It went a little something like this: Evans: "He ain't ready. He know he ain't ready. I look in his eyes and see he ain't ready. Just a boy." Davis: "It's a shame. I was kind of thinking, you really shouldn't be too concerned about that title shot. That's just one of those things. It's not going to be for a little while. You've got a little while until you've got to worry about a title shot." Evans: "We're going to see what happens when those lights hit you, when you walk out and that crowd is roaring. We're going to see. We're going to see what kind of man you are. We're going to see what kind of fighter you are, because I know you ain't no fighter." Here the trash-talk beams were once again crossed, and neither could hear over the sound of his own voice. But when pressed on his claim that Davis was not a fighter, despite the 9-0 record as a professional that would seem to argue otherwise, things calmed down enough for Evans to explain. "Look, there's some people that would fight if they weren't getting paid to fight, and I'm one of those people. Phil is not one of those people." If he was expecting Davis to protest this characterization, he was quickly disappointed. The former NCAA champion wrestler told Evans he was "absolutely right," saying that if he wasn't doing this for a living, "I'd be pushing a pen." "But since I get paid to fight, looks like you next," he added. More loud noises, more talking over one another, more missed sound bytes. According to Evans, however, there is a difference between the people who will fight only for money and the people for whom the money is just a bonus. "There's a difference in mindset," he said over and over again. Was Davis convinced by this argument? He was not. "Right now, you can say what you want to over the phone, but when we get in that cage and you can't get out, we're going to see how you feel then," Evans added. Which is, of course, what pre-fight trash-talk battles always boil down to. One guy predicts victory for himself and crushing defeat for the other guy, while his opponent offers his reasons for disagreeing. Sooner or later, it always comes back to, 'We'll find out on fight night.' And we will. That's the great part about this sport. But as long as we're waiting, you can't blame these two for wanting to give us all -- not to mention one another -- something to think about. According to Davis, these pre-fight exchanges will not be forgotten when the cage door closes. "I'm going to remind you with every shot," he told Evans. "When I'm on top of you, I'm going to remind you with every shot what you said." As if Evans is in any danger of forgetting this conversation by next Saturday night. As if any of us are.  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, people, evan, davi, aint

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U Mazz? Veteran mixed martial arts (MMA) referee Steve Mazzagatti has been asked to step up and officiate the UFC 143 main event fight between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, set to go down on Feb. 4, 2012, from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Joining him will be the oft-maligned Cecil Peoples, who will assume the position of judge alongside Patricia Morse-Jarman and Junichiro Kamijo. Sherdog compiled some recent stats: Mazzagatti has refereed more than 250 fights in the UFC, Strikeforce, WEC and EliteXC, according to FightMetric.com. Most recently, he oversaw the Robbie Lawler-Adlan Amagov and Tarec Saffiedine-Tyler Stinson bouts at Strikeforce "Rockhold vs. Jardine" on Jan. 7. Peoples, who judged 19 events in 2011, last worked the Strikeforce "Melendez vs. Masvidal" card on Dec. 17, producing a 50-45 scorecard in favor of Melendez in the main event as well as a 29-28 card for K.J. Noons over Billy Evangelista in a lightweight affair. Anyone rolling their eyes at the addition of MMA's dynamic duo? Or is all well that ends well? More on the UFC 143: "Diaz vs. Condit" pay-per-view (PPV) event here.

Posted in: ufc, strikeforce, vs, event, people

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Filed under: UFC, NewsVitor Belfort's first UFC fight came at what may have been the promotion's lowest moment. So he takes particular joy in seeing how far the UFC has come. Belfort, who has been in the UFC longer than any other active fighter, is preparing to fight back home in Brazil on Saturday at UFC 142. But as he discussed the upcoming fight on Thursday, he also remembered his very first fight in the UFC, which came at a time when the entire sport of MMA was on the verge of collapse. That would be UFC 12 on Feb. 7, 1997. At the age of 19, Belfort was an entrant in the four-man heavyweight tournament originally scheduled to take place that night in New York. But as politicians began to speak out against what they viewed as a savage bloodsport, the New York government told the UFC it was no longer welcome in its state, and the UFC had to scramble to move the event to Alabama at the last minute. "My first fight, we had to travel all night to Alabama," Belfort said. "We could only fight in Alabama. It was my first UFC. And then after so much investment they were able to remove that stigma in the U.S. and we slowly won over different countries." Winning over different countries included Brazil, where Belfort said it hasn't always been easy. Although MMA traces its origins to Brazil, the sport has also faced some of the same opposition there that it has faced in the United States. Belfort, who beat Wanderlei Silva at UFC Brazil in 1998 but hasn't fought back home since then, said it's been a struggle to get people back home to accept that mixed martial arts is a legitimate sporting competition, not a violent spectacle. More Coverage: UFC 142 Fight Card | UFC 142 Results "We really had to be pioneers, here in Brazil especially," Belfort said. Belfort said it used to frustrate him when people thought that because he fights professionally for a living, that meant he must also be a thug who gets involved in street fights. He said that in the early days of the UFC, people would ask him if anyone who ran into him in the street should fear him, not understanding that for him, fighting is just a job. "I remember my first interview they asked me, 'If someone crashes into your car, what would you do?' I stopped and thought, 'If they crash into Pavarotti's car, does he have to sing an opera?' So people have prejudice against fighting," Belfort said. Now the UFC has reached the point where it can sell thousands of tickets for a major event in Brazil, and Belfort says he believes Brazilians have come to understand what MMA is all about. "The sport was born in this country and it's been difficult to gain acceptance, but we actually overcame this hurdle," Belfort said. "The sport has a lot to teach people. Martial arts is about physical and moral respect. . . . In martial arts we have this balance. So if someone crashes into my car I will come out of the car, get their license plate and talk about the damage and who has to pay. People relate our sport to aggression and it's not that at all. It's a contact sport but we respect each other greatly and we don't use it outside of the sport." Belfort said that he's thrilled to see how many people across his home country are enjoying the UFC. "Children, the elderly, families, women can understand our sport," Belfort said. "There's a lot for our sport to offer." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, sport, people, belfort

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Just wondered what other people thought, with people like Anthony Jonson moving up a division and could potentially do very well there, and Nate Diaz moving back down to lightweight and being very successful. I think Going back to Lightweight for BJ would be a good idea, any others?? submitted by the_scouse_bomb [link] [4 comments]

Posted in: division, people, nate diaz, weight division, anthony jonson

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So professional fighters are like normal people right? Besides the fact they fight people for a living they have the same interests as your average Joe. From music, to games and movies you will be surprised they share some of the same common human interests like the rest of us. UFC welterweight Dan Hardy is [...]

Posted in: people, fight people, interest, people right, question “

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So professional fighters are like normal people right? Besides the fact they fight people for a living they have the same interests as your average Joe. From music, to games and movies you will be surprised they share some of the same common human interests like the rest of us. UFC welterweight Dan Hardy is [...]

Posted in: people, fight people, interest, people right, question “

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"As a goal for me, I want to go back to the UFC. I feel like that’s where the best fighters are, and I feel like I’ve groomed my skills to compete against the best guys. What’s happening right now, I’m beating people and it’s like people are saying you’re beating cans, which is not true. But the fans act that way, if you’re not in the UFC automatically you’re a can, that’s just how people see you. I want people to recognize when I beat people, I’m not beating cans." The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season eight runner-up Vinny Magalhaes (via MMA Weekly) has his eyes on the prize, specifically another shot in the UFC. "Pezao" was bounced from the world's largest fight promotion after posting back-to-back losses to Ryan Bader and Eliot Marshall back in 2008. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard contends he's improved all aspects of his offense and moved away from the grappling mentality inside the cage. After five straight wins in International competition, are you ready to give Magalhaes another look?

Posted in: ufc, people, ryan bader, backtoback losses, guys whatrsquos

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Posted in: rory macdonald, macdonald, people, rory, mentalmidgetgsp

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Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS -- Miguel Torres has paid his price, served his penance, and his sins are now forgiven. Just 20 days after being fired from the UFC for an offensive tweet, UFC president Dana White appeared alongside Torres following Wednesday's UFC 141 pre-fight press conference to announce that the former WEC bantamweight champ is officially back in the organization. "I was on vacation the last ten days, and his manager texted me and asked if they could come meet with me today," White told reporters. "So I said yes -- none of this was planned or anything -- I said yes, and he came in this morning and sat me down and basically said, since the incident happened, he's gone and reached out to every rape crisis center in Chicago and met with the people who run it and sat down and talked to them. He's donated money to all the rape crisis centers. He's been taking rape sensitivity classes, etcetera, etcetera." A soft-spoken Torres said he visited five different rape crisis centers in the Chicago area, donating money and talking with the people there about the power his words have, even in an off-hand attempt at humor on Twitter, he said. "I got educated, basically," said Torres. "I got put to school." White said that Torres undertook that endeavor entirely on his own, and with no prompting or promises from the UFC. "He wasn't told to do it," White said. "He wasn't told, if you do this, we'll think about bringing you back or if you do this, you'll come back. He wasn't told anything, because we never talked." Torres again apologized to the people he'd offended with his tweet about a "rape van," and thanked the supporters who stood behind him. As for what he would have done had the UFC not taken him back, he said, there was no back-up plan. "When I got cut, it showed me that what I say on Twitter, what I say on social media is very powerful. I took a lot of heat for what I said. I manned up and I took it on the chin. I realized that words are very powerful, and I'm very sorry. I know what I say can hurt people." If anyone could sympathize with a man tormented by the swift retribution for controversial public remarks, it's White. He made repeated reference to a video blog he put out in 2009 where he used homosexual epithets to describe anonymous sources in an article by reporter Loretta Hunt, and said that experience still lingers with him long after he issued a public apology. "It's hard to explain what you go through when something like this happens," said White. "I've been there and done it. And then you get labeled. I'm labeled as a homophobe. They still come after for that. It's the furthest thing from the truth. And if I was, I'd tell you, trust me." But now that Torres has made peace with the UFC and gotten himself back on the roster, what is White planning to ensure these incidents don't happen again? Not much, as it turns out. At least, not officially. If seeing one of their own get cut for such a questionable use of social media didn't make enough of an impact, fighters might have to find out for themselves on a case-by-case basis, White suggested. When fighters are trying to figure out what will and won't get them in trouble, he said, "It's common sense. And listen, sometimes we've got to go through stuff like this to realize it." In other words, no formal policy for UFC fighters on matters like these is in the works. And why not? "Because I don't want to," White said. "I was criticized for cutting him. Now I'll be criticized for bringing him back," said the UFC president. "The bottom line is I don't give a [expletive] what anybody thinks or what anybody says. I don't give a [expletive] what your opinion is, I'm going to do this the way I want to do it." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, people, torre, i dont, rape

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Last post: http://www.reddit.com/r/MMA/comments/n4fek/paper_view_ufc_betting_talk_ii_who_you_got_who/ My last parlay was: Patrick/Jones/Lil Nog/Mir. No payout since Patrick was robbed, but I still picked him. I also put straight money on Zombie and doubled my money. I put straight money on Machida as well because I thought he had a shot and obviously lost. This card I'm thinking my parlay will be: Overeem - People are doing their best to sell Brock here, but I think he is done and a shadow of the man who walked through a weak HW division a few years ago. People are saying the 'Reem looked bad against Wedum, and he did, but you have to remember it was his first grappling match in over a year. The guy needed time to adapt. I think he will land the knee that Mir couldn't land. Reem by Knee knockout. Pearson - I think he's got decent wrestling, and better striking. Should be a lock unless he gets caught in something weird. I see a lot of decisions from Assuncao against lower level guys. Pearson by Decision. Gamburyan - I think Manny is a live dog here. Still waiting for this division to shake out, but I think he has a good chance to win this one. People think Nunes has something, but he looked pretty bad against Florian, who also looked pretty bad. Manny by KO/Sub. Fitch - Safe bet to increase my odds. Decision. I'm also thinking a few straight line money bets but I haven't decided. submitted by automatedresponse [link] [comment]

Posted in: decision, money, people, i havent, card im

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If you spend time at MMA forums for any length of time you'll see people challenging others to get together and spar or even looking for people to spar with just "for practice." While most of these are just guys spouting nonsense because that's half of the reason the internet exists, there are times where the people involved are serious and it can lead to dangerous situations. From OregonLive.com: Investigators are looking into the death of a Chicago man who died after a two-day series of sparring matches with a Vancouver man he met in an online chat room. Salvador Flamenco, 38, came to Vancouver on Dec. 15 after arranging the fights with the unidentified Vancouver resident through a website, www.allfighters.com, said Sgt. Scott Creager of the Vancouver Police Department. The pair decided to spar at the Vancouver man's home. The two men fought that day and the next, but after the second day of boxing, Flamenco started complaining of dizziness and nausea, Creager said. The symptoms became more severe and by the time paramedics arrived, Flamenco had begun losing consciousness. ... After an autopsy, the Clark County Medical Examiner's Office said Flamenco died of blunt-force injuries and ruled the death a homicide, prompting an investigation by police. There are obvious issues with a situation like this. For one, they pretty clearly were going far too hard, far too long. Rather than going 60% in a 20 minute session it sounds like they were going 100% for long sessions on consecutive days. I'm not really sure anything can be done to prevent people on the internet from being dumb, but hopefully enough people hear about this situation that it keeps a few from engaging in such dangerous behavior.

Posted in: time, people, vancouver, flamenco, days im

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Brock Lesnar cleared a potential road block by finally settling that hunting issue he's been charged with in Canada. His attorney pleaded guilty for him on violating a hunting law in Canada for "failure to immediately affix a tag to an animal". He paid a fine of $1,725, and will have a 6-month hunting suspension, although the former UFC champion still insists he did nothing wrong. Lesnar talked to MMA Fighting about it: "As far as I'm concerned, I didn't disobey the law," Lesnar said. "I guess in other people's judgment, they saw it differently. At the end of the day, if they saw fit that I did something wrong, I'm a grown-up and I'll take my fine and go on with my life." "I'm an excellent hunter. I've been hunting since I was five years old, and at the end of the day, for God's sakes, I don't waste any meat. If you ever looked at my dinner plate when I was done eating you'd know that." Two other charges of leaving meat to rot, and illegal possession of wildlife, stemming from the incident were dropped after this. On other news related to the popular fighter, Lesnar also addressed concerns and criticisms he's been getting about not being able to take a good shot after his performances against Cain Velasquez and Shane Carwin. He talked to Ben Fowlkes about it and called BS on the issue: "I think it's a bunch of bulls---," Lesnar said. "The fights that I've gotten hit, I've stood and banged with Heath Herring, Randy Couture, Frank Mir -- I've taken a lot of shots. I mean, Shane Carwin. And I've yet to be knocked out. I had refs stop a fight for a submission and a TKO, which is a referee stoppage. I've never been knocked out cold." "Any time you're on top, whatever it is, and I don't care if it's the business world or it's in farming or fighting -- and those are all things that I'm in -- there's people out to get you," he said. "There's criticism. I don't know if it's just that people don't like to see other people succeed, or just if they want to see them fail." "in the heavyweight division, if guys are putting leather in the right spots, it's hard to come back from that." Naturally, people will bring up the fact that Lesnar doesn't have to be "out cold" for them to conclude that he doesn't react well to being hit... but let's play devil's advocate for a second -- unlike Lesnar, Alistair Overeem has been "out cold" before, so is it fair to worry on his "chin issues" as well?

Posted in: lesnar, people, im, ive, hunting

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“I think it’s a bunch of bulls—. The fights that I’ve gotten hit, I’ve stood and banged with Heath Herring, Randy Couture, Frank Mir — I’ve taken a lot of shots. I mean, Shane Carwin. And I’ve yet to be knocked out. I had refs stop a fight for a submission and a TKO, which is a referee stoppage. I’ve never been knocked out cold… In the heavyweight division, if guys are putting leather in the right spots, it’s hard to come back from that… Any time you’re on top, whatever it is, and I don’t care if it’s the business world or it’s in farming or fighting — and those are all things that I’m in — there’s people out to get you. There’s criticism. I don’t know if it’s just that people don’t like to see other people succeed, or just if they want to see them fail.” — Brock Lesnar, via MMA Fighting, responding to criticism that he can’t take a punch Well, as far as I’m concerned, actions speak louder than words. If Alistair Overeem blasts him next Friday night and Lesnar doesn’t go rumbling and tumbling across the Octagon, then I might start believing him. But until I see him take a few good shots, stand his ground and keep on fighting kind of like Shogun Rua did when Dan Henderson blasted him repeatedly for three rounds, I just can’t buy it. Lesnar may have never been knocked out cold, but I don’t necessarily think it’s a chin issue. It’s more of a not liking getting punched in the face issue. The thing is I’m not sure the natural tendency to stay in the pocket after being hit in the face by someone’s fist is necessarily an acquired taste. Maybe I’m wrong, but isn’t that an instinct you’re either born with or you’re not? Image via Tracy Lee for Yahoo! Sports

Posted in: lesnar, people, face issue, shots i, rounds i

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Sure, we all like to make ourselves feel better by comparing ourselves to midgets, and we all have a good laugh every now and then because they can’t drive cars before strapping on those cute little stilt thingies. And we especially love the ability to avoid that annoying “pedophile” label every now and then. But let’s make one thing perfectly clear: midget jokes are not to be made lightly. When you make fun of midgets, you disrespect and offend an entire class of people who have no advantages in life except when it comes to horse jockeying, fitting into small spaces, and penis-to-body-size ratio. So it comes as a surprise that Dana White, with all of his newfound sensitivity about rape and gayness, would viciously crush the self-esteem of 20,000-175,000 people worldwide. He actually had the nerve to tweet that Matt Serra is only 30 inches tall and weighs 325 lbs. So not only is he calling Matt Serra a midget, he’s saying that Serra has a severe case of this terrible disability. Serra may be a little fat nowadays, but he’s clearly at least three feet tall. Get your facts straight, Dana. Now the Little People of America organization is bound to join with the Culinary Union in protesting the UFC, and the LPA is not to be messed with. We all saw the uproar caused when Oompa Loompas were duplicated via photoshop in the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie, preventing many aspiring midget actors from getting work. It should now be a matter of minutes before a throng of level 80 dwarven shadow priests from World of Warcraft show up at UFC headquarters carrying torches and curse the shit out of the rest of our beloved MMA cards from now until eternity. Good going, Dana, you midget-hating asshole. Serra's response after the jump read more

Posted in: people, serra, midget, matt serra, america organization

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Slow it down there, Winky, those are some mighty big shoes to fill. Striking coach Mike Winkeljohn has high praise for UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who is fresh off another dominant win inside the Octagon, this time over former division kingpin Lyoto Machida back at UFC 140 on Dec. 10 in Toronto. The win for "Bones," the fourth of his 2011 fight campaign, further evolved the young champion's striking game, which may soon "be at the highest K-1 kickboxing level" with a jab that "will be comparable to a Muhammad Ali jab" in future fights. Hear Wink's assessment, courtesy of Sherdog's "Savage Dog Show," after the jump. "The sky’s the limit for the kid. People don’t understand. He does have knockout power in both hands, and his feet are getting to the point where people don’t want to be taking those kicks. They will be at the highest K-1 kickboxing level here soon. It’s just a matter of time through repetition and confidence to get there. People haven’t seen how explosive his knees are. We’ve seen him drop elbows on people, but he can do that standing up as well. I know one buzzed by Machida early in the fight. He’s capable of becoming so much better than he is right now. He’s just scary. I don’t know what people are going to do with him. Really. He’s getting faster. I think he’s going to have a jab that’s going to be comparable to a Muhammad Ali jab as far as dominating his opponent when he wants to use it." Jones overcame a rocky start against "The Dragon" in the second round of their UFC 140 title fight, taking him down and splitting him open with a nasty elbow from the top. Machida eventually made it back to his feet, where he was subsequently trapped against the cage and choked unconscious with a standing guillotine. Anyone see anything from Jones in that fight -- or fights past -- that would indicate his jab will eventually be on par with "The Greatest?" Or is Winkeljohn simply enamored with his prize pupil? Thoughts?

Posted in: fight, jone, people, hersquo, jab

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Filed under: UFCAs isolated as Brock Lesnar is in his Minnesota training camp, and as successfully as he manages to avoid the internet most of the time, some criticisms still find their way out of the petry dish of MMA and into the former UFC champ's world. But as he told me when I spoke to him for a Sports Illustrated story this week, the key is not so much in avoiding those criticisms entirely, but rather in knowing what to make of them once they get there. For instance, take the oft-repeated claim that Lesnar can't take a punch. "I think it's a bunch of bulls---," Lesnar said. "The fights that I've gotten hit, I've stood and banged with Heath Herring, Randy Couture, Frank Mir -- I've taken a lot of shots. I mean, Shane Carwin. And I've yet to be knocked out. I had refs stop a fight for a submission and a TKO, which is a referee stoppage. I've never been knocked out cold." In fact, the 'it's a bunch of bulls---' response turns out to be Lesnar's go-to move when confronted with MMA fans and media criticisms. It's not that he doesn't hear them -- trust me, if you were around for the reception he got at the UFC on FOX event in Anaheim, you'd know there's no way around it sometimes -- it's that he dismisses it as just another instance of haters hating. Not in those words, of course. "Any time you're on top, whatever it is, and I don't care if it's the business world or it's in farming or fighting -- and those are all things that I'm in -- there's people out to get you," he said. "There's criticism. I don't know if it's just that people don't like to see other people succeed, or just if they want to see them fail." Which is, according to Lesnar, exactly what's happening with Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow right now. "There's a stand-up guy who's doing a lot of good things, a stand-up role model for kids, and this guy is taking a lot of criticism," Lesnar said. "I guess it comes with the territory. When you're in the spotlight and you're one of the best people in your division, you better have some heavy armor." People can say his chin was exposed in the Cain Velasquez fight, Lesnar said, but as he pointed out, "in the heavyweight division, if guys are putting leather in the right spots, it's hard to come back from that." As for Alistair Overeem, who has vowed to take Lesnar apart "piece by piece" at UFC 141, there's no ill will there, according to the former WWE star. "I don't hardly even know him," said Lesnar. "...He's an opponent. He's a guy I'm facing next Friday night, who I will have no remorse for, and who I will show no mercy to. I don't have any emotions when I fight, for myself or anyone else." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: lesnar, people, criticism, ive, dont

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If you’re a fan of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu there’s a good chance you’re familiar with Hannette Staack, a multi-time BJJ World Champion and ADCC gold medalist. If not, you should be. Staack is one of the most decorated women to have ever strapped on a gi but more importantly she’s also an excellent human being. Her latest projects involves helping out people in the slums of Rio de Janeiro by providing them with a community training center equipped with mats and every other necessity. The 32-year old recently spoke about why it’s important to her to give back to her people, as well as offered up some thoughts on what else she has on tap in the future. “I believe that the biggest prodigies in the sport have come from the impoverished communities. I am an example of that, when I started BJJ I did not have means to pay the monthly fee. My coach sponsored my training and in exchange I dedicated all my time and effort to practice. Today I reap the benefits of this opportunity that was given to me 14 years ago,” Staack began in an interview with BJJHeroes. “I am thankful every day for having had the opportunity to learn Jiu-Jitsu and through it having become the person I am today. The difference between myself and many other people that were given the same opportunity (even here in my academy) is that I followed through, I believed in my dream and was not discouraged in front of adversity, but I have seen many that were handed the same opportunities that I had yet stayed behind because they did not have the same determination. Our biggest objective with this project is that people value their opportunities and that we can lead by example.” In terms of her continued career in BJJ, Staack is not looking to hang it up just yet even if she acknowledges the end will eventually comes. “If I could I would never stop,” Staack joked. “But the truth is, we need to know the right time to stop and give rest to our bodies. After all these years competing in all different weight categories and against so many different people, the time comes to put your body at ease.” “I hope I can be like Helio Gracie and get to 90 years of age still training,” she continued while referencing the BJJ icon. “Competition demands a lot from your body, when you are young you don’t feel it that much, the recovery is faster and so is the metabolism, but time is unforgiving and it gets to us all. If you don’t stop at the right time, your body will stop for you. I believe I will stick around for a couple more years and after that I will pass my knowledge to my son or daughter, if they want to learn, of course!” With a mother like Staack it seems her son/daughter will learn quite a bit and not just how to become a submission-specialist but rather a good person too. PHOTO CREDIT – BJJHEROES Tweet

Posted in: time, year, people, bjj, staack

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When the news broke that TUF's craziest crazy person Junie Browning had gotten into a bar / hospital brawl in Thailand with the mob, we all had some yucks while saying "Oh that Junie." We then went about the rest of our day, which for me involves eating pickles and trolling Sherdog.net. But Junie is still neck deep in the shit, and he's sharing his story with MMA Weekly in the hopes that it will help him secure aid from his government. Here's his take on the fight that started it all: “It was no longer a man on man ‘bar brawl’ but a fight for my survival. I was trying to defend myself in the street when at some point I fell back to the ground. They drug me back into the bar where they pummeled me with punches and kicks. It was me against everyone. For a second time I received a mass blow over the head with a thick glass mug that split my head open and made me fall to the floor. I curled up in the fetal position, submissive, and I continued to be kicked and hit. My arms up covering my face I felt a slice to my forearm and another stab to my neck,” Browning told MMAWeekly.com. This is slightly different from the original version told by Junie where he 'managed to break a few orbital bones, at least a couple jaws.' But I get it. This is a serious plea for potentially life-saving help, not your Facebook wall. I also have my doubts about Junie's "We have no idea why these people attacked me!" line. This is a guy who once used his post-fight victory speech in enemy territory to declare "LADIES, AFTER THIS I WANT TWO LINES, ONE FOR SUCKING, AND ONE FOR FUCKING."But whatever stupid crap comes out of your mouth, it doesn't make it okay for a dozen people to gang bang you with glass bottles. As for what went down in the hospital: “They began to assess my wounds and stitch up the three large gashes on my head. Without any consideration to my safety or the events that had just occurred, they placed both Menzies, accompanied by MJ Castro, and the man who had attacked me with a mug, in the beds right beside me. Needless to say, I became furious and again words were exchanged. As it escalated a second time into a physical fight… Security and Patong Police arrived and restrained all parties. I was taken into the waiting lobby on a stretcher in handcuffs in front of numerous people to finish giving me medical attention,” recounted Browning.“At no point was I rude or uncooperative with either the medical staff or the police. Taken into consideration the severity of my wounds and my demeanor and my girlfriend’s statement, the police officer removed my handcuffs. We were told by the officer that we should stay the night in the hospital to have my head monitored and would be able to go home with no charges the next morning. It was obvious to him that I was the victim.” There's way more info in the MMA Weekly article regarding the Thai mob coming after Junie and his escape into hiding. He's out of Thailand, but still somewhere in that sketchy pacific rim and apparently still all messed up from the ass kicking he received. “All we are asking for is help from people we can trust which brings us here now. We are victims of a viscous assault and attempt on our lives. We are seeking the assistance of the U.S. Embassy and want to clear my name of the wrong-doing I was accused of.” Good luck Junie! I hope your government gives a shit about your plight!

Posted in: people, head, police, bar, junie

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After tonight, we can make the accurate claim that being filmed by MiddleEasy in 3-D will enable you to successfully defend your championship strap. According to statistics, every fighter filmed by MiddleEasy in 3-D has enjoyed a 100% success rate in their future fights. It's been scientifically proven. There's no arguing about it. Your debating abilities hold no weight here at MiddleEasy. We operate on science -- and Twizzlers. In the candy game, Twizzlers stand alone. It has no clone. Alright, Twizzlers has Red Vines -- but let's pretend they don't exist for the sake of this upcoming segue. In MMA, Gilbert Melendez is authentic. There is no imitation. He's not enriched with vitamins and minerals. Gilbert Melendez is not infused with electrolytes nor does he come contained in a trendy plastic bottle. El Nino stands alone, and tonight he proved it by defeating Jorge Masvidal in a 50-45, 50-45, 49-46 unanimous decision. 49-46? Yes, Cecil Peoples was a judge, but the jokes on you -- it was Big John McCarthy that gave the third round to Jorge Masvidal. At the end of the day, Cecil Peoples is right. Leg kicks don't win fights, but outstriking your opponent by 131 total strikes will. So realistically, what's next for Gilbert Melendez? Dana White insisted that El Nino would remain in Strikeforce even if he did defeat Jorge Masvidal tonight. Some people believed Justin Wilcox would be next in line, but after Caros Fodor decimated him tonight on the prelims in just thirteen seconds, the Strikeforce lightweight picture looks pretty hazy to say the least. During the event, a lot of people were talking about KJ Noons possibly being Gilbert's next opponent at lightweight, but after what some considered a lackluster fight against Billy Evangelista, even that match-up looks awkward. Regardless, massive congratulations to Gilbert Melendez on another successful title defense and hopefully we'll get some more 3-D video with El Nino later tonight.

Posted in: people, gilbert melendez, el nino, melendez, gilbert

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"People have accused me of using steroids since I was 17. I remember my first fight, my girlfriend was in the audience, and she told me people, jealous guys, were whispering I was taking steroids. That was when I was 17. I was a middleweight back then. All I can say is my side of the story. When I was 20, I was already a natural heavyweight. I weighed 222 pounds. Cutting the weight to light heavyweight worked out in the beginning, but I couldn't do a strength and conditioning program and I was dieting all the time. When I made the decision to move to heavyweight, I went on a food program, [and] strength and conditioning program, and I gradually gained weight. Eleven years ago, I was 222 pounds. Now I'm 265. That's 40 pounds added in 11 years. I firmly believe everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. We have free speech. If people want to talk that way, let them talk that way. I can't control what people say. If they want to insinuate things, that's fine. I'm too occupied with my own career to bother with it." -- Think musclebound former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem is using steroids? Big deal. "The Reem" tells ESPN.com he's been dealing with accusations since all the way back when he was just a 17-year-old kid trying to impress his girlfriend. His message for the haters? He's "too occupied with my own career" to even bother with all that noise. It's a good thing, too, because he's got a 265-pound beast ready to bumrush him inside the Octagon at UFC 141 on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the form of a motivated Brock Lesnar. Motivated because he wants to get his world title back and prove to the world that the 12 inches of intestines he had ripped out of his guts won't hold him back. Overeem is also eager to send a message to the nonbelievers that he truly belongs in the UFC and he's no secondary champion. So you see? Steroids are small potatoes. The Brockness Monster is not. Priorities, Maniacs.

Posted in: pound, heavyweight, people, steroid, he

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It's that time of the year. Glowing blue lights, blow-up lawn ornaments, boatloads of wrapping and cheerful people around the world are doing their very best to ring in Christmas.

Posted in: light, people, gift, christma, lawn

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In a follow-up to the Junie Browning Thailand manhunt story, Junie has posted an update on his Facebook page claiming that the Thai mafia is after him, not the police. (The post isn’t showing on Facebook for me probably cause I’m not FB friends with him, so here’s the transcript via BE) Im officially the biggest American patriot there is now. These other primitive countries are all about money, mafia and corrupt law enforcement. Regardless what you believe I never touched a female in theses events that occurred and my girlfriend was there from start to finish to vouch. Hitting Thai women was an excuse for them to demonize me and get some baht out of me. You all don’t understand with my name, people will use it against me. I acted like an idiot on a reality show for publicity so they are using that against me. Im sorry and I care about people more than you thank and I appreciate all the support from the intelligent people that understand that these primitive countries are trying to kill me ( Literally ) . I need help BAD! please call the US Embassy in my regards. Thank you very much everyone. Apparently in the news story I fled the scene in the hospital before the police got there. It’s obvious by this picture that the police were already there. It wasn’t until hours later my girlfriends and my phone were flooded with phone calls saying that the Thai mafia were headed to the hospital to kill me did we leave. We understood that it is a very corrupt place so we had to flee and get in contact with the US Embassy. Funny how cropping a photo changes the whole story. Geez, kinda sounds like the plot of a bad Van Damme movie or something, doesn’t it? I’ve always found it difficult to have any sympathy for Browning, but if his version of the story is true, I sure hope he’s able to find refuge with the embassy and get the heck out of town before someone with bad intentions gets a hold of him.

Posted in: people, story, thai, mafia, thai mafia

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Back on Dec. 13, we brought word of an International manhunt that was underway for exiled UFC fighter Junie Browning, who was being sought by Phuket police in Thailand for his participation in a bar-room brawl that carried over to a local hospital. Well, it seems the fuzz isn't the only one chasing "The Lunatik." The former Ultimate Drinker Fighter took to his Facebook account today (via Bloody Elbow) to beg the U.S. Embassy for help in extracting him from Phuket before the "Mafia" can discover his whereabouts and "kill him." Im officially the biggest American patriot there is now. These other primitive countries are all about money, mafia and corrupt law enforcement. Regardless what you believe I never touched a female in theses events that occurred and my girlfriend was there from start to finish to vouch. Hitting Thai women was an excuse for them to demonize me and get some baht out of me. You all don't understand with my name, people will use it against me. I acted like an idiot on a reality show for publicity so they are using that against me. Im sorry and I care about people more than you thank and I appreciate all the support from the intelligent people that understand that these primitive countries are trying to kill me ( Literally ) . I need help BAD! please call the US Embassy in my regards. Thank you very much everyone. Apparently in the news story I fled the scene in the hospital before the police got there. It's obvious by this picture that the police were already there. It wasn't until hours later my girlfriends and my phone were flooded with phone calls saying that the Thai mafia were headed to the hospital to kill me did we leave. We understood that it is a very corrupt place so we had to flee and get in contact with the US Embassy. Funny how cropping a photo changes the whole story. Seal Team Six, where you at? It should be noted that following the initial brawl, Browning was bragging about how many orbital bones he shattered, jaws he broke and bodies he left on the streets of Phuket. Now? Not so much. Could it be "The Lunatik" is not as gangster as we originally thought? And who's in favor of a covert ops mission to retrieve him? Coin the Browning rescue: "Operation: __________"

Posted in: people, police, phuket, embassy, mafia

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"The expectations are great. The main idea is to show how is the life and the trainings of a fighter, make them focus and don’t get disturbed by the cameras or anything else, stay focused on the training. All athletes there I believe have a certain experience, so they don’t let it get to them. I wanna show the good side of the martial arts, show the positive aspects of practicing martial arts and make it popular to people who has never watched MMA in their lives, and maybe help people

Posted in: show, wanderlei silva, people, art, arts show

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"There are many things they do on the American show that I particularly don’t think is nice. I believe we gotta sell the sport as it is. Martial arts are about respect, discipline, posture. And that’s what they’ll see happening here, but it’s not going to be messy. Not in my side, at least. But people will have to sign a deal on which they say that if they mess up with me, it’ll get ugly. I wanna show the good side of the martial arts, show the positive aspects of practicing martial arts and make it popular to people who has never watched MMA in their lives, and maybe help people who do many things wrong, like doing crack and other drugs. Sometimes it happens because the guy doesn’t have anything to do, his friend starts doing it and he goes and does it. I guess we gotta bring these guys from the bad side and show them some things that are good, that’s my mission." Put the pipe down and get your ass in the gym. That's the message from mixed martial arts megastar Wanderlei Silva (via Tatame.com), who travels back to his native homeland to coach an upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Brazil opposite fellow countryman and longtime rival Vitor Belfort. "The Axe Murderer," who rose to prominence in PRIDE and then again in the UFC, is ready to give back to the sport that made him financially secure by taking on a team of up-and-coming fighters from the mean streets of Brazil. Anyone think Wandy is being melodramatic? Or can he go all "Band of the Hand" and shape career criminals into championship fighters?

Posted in: show, people, brazil, thing, art

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Filed under: UFCUFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo appeared in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, where he'll defend his title against Chad Mendes at UFC 142 next month. That fight will take place at the HSBC Arena, where the UFC played before a capacity crowd in August. But Aldo is hoping to fight in a much bigger Brazilian venue in the future. "I hope one day to be able to fight in a football stadium," Aldo said. That opportunity may come soon: UFC President Dana White said that while he's in Brazil this week he'll be looking at stadiums, and there are indications that ticket demand remains very strong in Brazil. One Brazilian reporter pressed White on Tuesday about why so many fans were left disappointed in August when they couldn't get tickets. (White's advice: Get online immediately tickets go on sale Wednesday.) Aldo, who will be fighting back home in Brazil for the first time since he signed with Zuffa in 2008, said there will be some distractions associated with having family and friends around, but he said that won't make a difference come fight time. "I have to put all that out of my mind," Aldo said. Some other notes on the UFC 142 press conference. Mendes thinks he has one key advantage in preparing for Aldo: He trains every day with Urijah Faber, who has faced Aldo before. "Having a teammate in Urijah Faber who's already fought Jose is an advantage for me," Mendes said. "We were able to sit down and put together a great game plan for this camp based on that. Urijah trains with me every day." Don't get your hopes up for Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones: White has said he views Silva and Jones as the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but when a Brazilian reporter asked if that meant the two of them would fight each other, White said he doesn't see either man taking on an opponent outside his own weight class any time soon. "Jon Jones has a couple of obligations. He has to fight the winner of Rashad Evans and Phil Davis," White said. "Anderson Silva has been very reluctant to move up to 205 pounds. We'll see. We always try to make the fights that people want to see. If people want it, we'll try to make it." Anthony Johnson isn't expecting to go back down to welterweight: Johnson, who is moving up to middleweight to face Vitor Belfort in the co-main event at UFC 142, said he's putting all his focus on his new weight class. "Right now 170 isn't in my mind at all," Johnson said. "My mission is to conquer 185." Belfort thinks MMA can be bigger than soccer: "I remember when Dana White said UFC was going to become the No. 1 sport in the world," Belfort said. "He wasn't crazy when he said that." Brazilian fans want to see some non-Brazilian stars: Multiple members of the Brazilian media questioned White about why none of the promotion's top North American stars are on this card. White said he has a lot of Brazilian fighters on the UFC roster who requested to fight in Brazil, and that didn't leave much room for non-Brazilian fighters. "This is our second fight here and you have people who it's always been their dream to fight here," White said. "But yes, we will bring in talent from around the world. Georgest St. Pierre or whoever else it might be. We do realize people here want to see them too." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, people, brazilian, aldo

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Filed under: UFCThe UFC's streak of stellar fight cards continued in Toronto on Saturday night, and the Canadian fans showed all the intelligent appreciation we've come to expect of our MMA-crazed neighbors to the north. That's good news for guys like Mark Bocek, who would have been booed out of the building in Las Vegas, but got treated like a conquering hero of technical grappling in the T-dot. But now that UFC 140 is in the books, it's time again to sift through the rubble to find the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between. Biggest Winner: Jon Jones Here's a scary thought: what if Jones' chin is as good as the rest of him? What if he can take a shot as well as he can give one, and still come back to slice you up with those killer elbows and smack you upside the head with kicks that he flicks out like jabs? Then who beats this guy? Probably nobody, if we're being honest. The more confidence and experience he gains, the more of a nightmare he becomes for anyone in the light heavyweight division. Just as we've been saying for months, the biggest threat to his dominance is still, paradoxically, that very same dominance. When you're beating people this easily, it would be almost natural to get complacent and over-confident and let hubris get the better of you. There are a thousand different ways for that to happen to a wealthy young pro fighter who seems to be headed for super-stardom, and so few ways for him to avoid it. Will Jones prove to be the exception rather than the rule? Maybe. If there's one thing we know about the guy at this point, it's that he's exceptional. More Coverage: UFC 140 Results | UFC 140 Post-Fight Press Conference Video Biggest Loser: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Nothing about Big Nog suggests that he's the type to tap to a kimura even when he realizes that you've got it locked up. We all probably suspected as much before this fight. Now we know it. We also know that he's willing to pay the price for his own stubbornness, and he did. Considering all the surgeries and lingering injuries he's dealt with in the past few years, he seems like the last person who needs a broken arm right now. But really, maybe this is a good thing for him. Maybe it will sideline him long enough to make him think about why he's still doing this when it's clearly taking a terrible toll on his body. After having surgery on both hips, Nogueira told us before the fight, he went two months with being able to put his foot on the floor without searing pain. That's two months per hip, and since he had the surgeries a couple months apart, it means he spent nearly half a year off his feet, then came back as soon as possible to fight professionally again because...well, that part's still unclear. He's a legend of the sport, and as he showed in those early moments against Mir, dude can still scrap. But how much trauma can you put your skeleton through before it's just not worth it anymore? I don't know, but I fear Nogueira might be determined to find out. Too Reasonable For His Own Good: Chan Sung Jung Not only did he apologize to the Canadian crowd for knocking out one of their own in seven seconds, he later attributed his own victory to more good luck than skill. That's true in the sense that it was lucky for him to have faced an overly reckless version of the usually patient Hominick, but give yourself some credit. You don't hear Duane Ludwig or Todd Duffee saying they were lucky to score their blitzkrieg knockouts, though sure, there had to be a little luck involved. You almost get the sense that even Jung didn't expect himself to win that fight -- certainly not that quickly, anyway. A win's a win, even if it's a result of your opponent screwing up. Take 'em however you can get em, Zombie. Blackest Pot to Accuse Kettle of Same: Nik Lentz According to the quotes sent out by the UFC, "The Carny" has suddenly come to the conclusion that holding an opponent down without doing any damage to him is a pretty cheap way to win. That he came to that conclusion right after Mark Bocek Lentz'd him, and not after he did more or less the same thing to Andre Winner, well, that's probably no accident. "He did zero damage. That's what fights are based on and he didn't hurt me," Lentz told the UFC, citing the Nick Diaz version of MMA scoring. "He did absolutely nothing to me except hold me down. That's not what a fight is supposed to be. So what if he was on top, he did nothing." Somewhere in England, Winner is sipping a cup of Earl Grey and having himself a good laugh. Best Career-Saving Victory: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira This is the problem with fighting a guy like Tito Ortiz. If you lose, it's disastrous -- especially if you're already riding a two-fight losing streak, like Little Nog was. If you win, as he did, then people shrug and say, so what? All you did was beat Tito, and everybody's done that lately. At least Nogueira did it in brutal fashion, and in a hurry. In the process he showed that he can still hurt people when he manages to stay upright. If he improves his wrestling enough to stay there against some of the better takedown artists in the division, he might string together a few wins that fans have no choice but to be impressed by. Most Knockouts Per Round: Constantinos Philippou He only fought the brilliantly-mustachioed Jared Hamman for about three minutes, but Philippou must have knocked him out at least three times in that span. Hamman showed incredible toughness and resiliency by continuing to rise and rise again, but Philippou had no trouble locating Hamman's skull with his fist each time. Philippou is a frightening enough striker when your legs are firmly underneath you and your guard is up. The last place you want to be is wobbling around like a newborn fawn in front of a slugger like that. Least Impressive in Victory: Brian Ebersole He played it safe and did enough to win, but just barely. It was his least entertaining performance in the UFC so far, and one of the few fights to draw the ire of the uncommonly patient Toronto crowd. These people seemed to actually find some enjoyment in the Bocek-Lentz fight, but Ebersole and Claude Patrick pushed them just a little too far. As long as Ebersole doesn't make a habit of it, we'll let this one slide. %VIRTUAL-Gallery-141546% Most Impressive in Defeat: Walel Watson He dropped a split decision to Yves Jabouin on the prelims, but it could have easily gone the other way. Watson's height and reach could prove to be serious weapons if he learns how to maximize their effectiveness. He's not quite there yet, but he made some strides in the right direction against Jabouin, even if the judges didn't see it his way. While it's a bummer to go home with an L on your record, he shouldn't get too down over this one. He'll be back soon, and I'll be eager to see it. Least Convincing New Nickname: Tito Ortiz He's now calling himself "The People's Champ," supposedly because he's tired of associating himself with the negativity represented by "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy." That's fine, but in order to be anybody's champ you still have to win some fights. Ortiz has won just one of his last eight, and he wants to be the people's champ? I guess, but only in the same way that the public pool is always a little sadder than the private pool at the health club. He still remains a popular, or at least well-known figure, and he deserves a place in the UFC's insular little Hall of Fame for all he did to help build the sport and the brand. But if Dana White does decide to grant his wish and let him have one last fight in May just so he can call himself a 15-year veteran, it will be more an act of generous pity than anything else. No other fighter gets to lose this much and still stick around. But then, no other fighter is Tito Ortiz. For the sake of White's sanity, that's probably a good thing. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, people, he, that

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People are in town this week for The Ultimate Fighter for the tryouts so people are hanging out at Couture’s and checking out the gym and wanting to hit pads and train with the guys there. They know we have some of the best fighters in the world so they want to spar with them to give themselves an idea of what level they’re out. Ulysses Gomez, one of my star students, definitely had me on the edge of my seat during his fight at Taichi Palace Fights where he tested himself as a bantamweight instead of fighting as a flyweight like he normally does. I could see the size and strength difference since he moved up to 135. He pretty much walks around at that weight so with his opponent coming down and rehydrating, Ulysses was probably giving away 15 pounds on fight night. The first round was pretty bad for us but the second round he started to even things up. We told him in the corner that Cody Gibson isn’t good moving backwards so we needed to push him. Ulysses listened, moved forward, landed some good shots, got the takedown, and caught him in a guillotine during a scramble. It was definitely a big relief and was great to be in the corner for his victory. Even though he won, we’re probably going to bring him back down to 125 because 135 is a little too big for him. UFC doesn’t have a flyweight division right now but hopefully in the future they add it, until then he’ll just compete on other shows. We could put some weight and muscle on him to get him to 135 but that’s going to take like a year or a year and a half if we do it the right way and I don’t want him sitting out that long. I caught the TUF 14 Finale and there were some great fights. Diego Brandao showed a lot of heart in his fight. You could see how bad he wants to win. I remember him talking about that he fights for his family and wanting to get a better life for them. He looked out in the fight and he was in trouble but out of nowhere he locked on the armbar. It was one of the most impressive armbars I’ve seen in a while besides maybe Ronda Rousey, who is amazing. I’d like to see her fight Cris Santos even though she’s smaller. She’s slick enough and good enough to where I think she could beat her. I know that Jason Miller isn’t the best technical striker and early he was doing the right thing by getting in Michael Bisping’s chest and trying to take him down and he got some good positions but after that first round he looked pretty dead and Bisping pretty much had his way with him after that. I know Miller is a showman but you can’t just let a guy hit you in the chin when you’re trapped against the cage like he did. Even if it didn’t hurt, it had to take something out of his gas tank. I wanted Miller to but so it was unfortunate. I heard Bisping will fight Demian Maia next, which should be a good fight. I’m obviously picking Maia and I hope he kicks the hell out of him. I don’t think it’s an act with Bisping. I didn’t see the weigh-ins but I heard what he did and he’s just a disrespectful guy. When people boo him, instead of rolling with it, he lets it get to him and he fights back with words, which just makes people hate him even more. I was really impressed with John Dodson. I saw him at the awards and he has really quick reflexes, good power, and his speed his incredible. He gets away with a lot of stuff with his speed. I think he surprised a lot of people by stopping TJ Dillashaw since he trains with Team Alpha Male since the gym has a lot of good small fighters. Dodson just came out and picked him apart though. I thought TJ would try a takedown and out-wrestle him but I don’t think he had the speed to catch him. As far as this weekend’s show at UFC 140, it depends on which Frank Mir shows up in terms of who I see winning his fight against “Minotauro” Nogueira. I think Mir has all the tools and skills to beat him but sometimes he just tries to beat his opponent at their game or he just has off nights, so it’ll depend on how he shows up. I’m leaning towards Frank though. Likewise, I’m going with Tito Ortiz in his bout against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. I think he’s feeling confident and he’ll be able to take him down and use his ground and pound. The only thing I don’t like about Tito is that when he blocks punches, he brings his elbows too high, which leaves his body open for punches. But I think he’ll take the fight. The Nogueira brothers are tough guys but I think they’re going to be just a little behind on Saturday. In terms of the main event, I think Jon Jones will be too much for Lyoto Machida. Too fast, athletic, and younger. He’s going to have a reach advantage and it’s going to be hard for anyone to deal with that. I’m not sure if anybody can beat him, he’s a monster. When he’s fighting, you can see his brain working and anticipating his opponent’s next move and then he beats you there. He’s not afraid to strike with anybody and if he wants to take down Machida, I think he’ll be able to. I think Jones will have an easy time with Machida. That’s it for this week. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving yourself. Until next time, as always, make sure to keep up with me on Twitter (@mastermitter). Tweet

Posted in: fight, ’t, i ’m, people, ’ll

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As usual, Dana White spoke to reporters following today’s UFC 140 press conference about a variety of topics including Strikeforce’s future, Rashad Evan’s Penn State comments, fighters faking injuries, TUF 15, the GSP-Diaz-Condit situation, Mayhem Miller, the flyweight division and of course UFC 140. We have a rundown below along with Ariel Helwani’s interview with Dana White above. — Dana White confirmed today that Strikeforce is here to stay. He expects a new deal with Showtime to be wrapped up any day now and says just “watch and see” what he does with it. “It’s staying,” White said of the organization, adding that he hoped to have more information to release on it next week, hinting that big changes might be in the works. “Just sit and wait and watch what I do. Trust me, it’s going to be just fine. Like I said last time I talked to you guys about this, I’m getting into this and I’m going to handle it. Watch and see.” “We’ll see what happens,” White said. “I know I keep saying this every week, but that deal should be wrapped up any day now, and then I’ll make the decisions on who goes where and what’s going to happen. So we should know hopefully by Monday.” Dana’s plans with the organization remain a mystery, but it’s good news for women’s MMA if nothing else. — Dana White was not a fan of the controversial Jerry Sandusky reference Rashad Evans included in his pre-fight trash talk with Phil Davis at yesterday’s UFC on FOX 2 press conference, but he’s not going to reprimand him for it either. Instead, they just had a talk. “We talked.” said White, who called Evans’ remark “one of the dumbest things you could say,” in light of the child abuse allegations against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. According to White, he didn’t have to convince Evans that he’d made a mistake in using the story as a topical reference point at the UFC on FOX presser in Chicago yesterday. “It’s not like I’m dealing with stupid people here,” White said. “It’s one thing when you’re dealing with dummies. When you’re dealing with people who are really stupid, it’s tough to talk to them. But when you call a guy who’s an intelligent guy, he gets it. He knows.” “The whole thing with me is people are looking to me, and I saw a couple of stupid stories that were written, people who want attention — you know who those people are,” White said. “What do you want me to do? You want me to have our lawyers draw something up and I’ll come out and read it to you guys? You know, he said something stupid. It’s probably one of the dumbest things you could say. He gets it, and he knows it was a stupid thing to say, and we’ll see what happens.” In his interview with Ariel Helwani, Dana said he was actually more upset with a tweet Miguel Torres sent out yesterday about a “rape van.” I’m not 100% sure what tweet he’s referring to but I think it’s this one and this one. Jokes on racism, pedifiles, terrorism, & other fucked up things is ok, but some are off limits. What a sensitive world we live in. If a windowless van was called a surprise van more people wouldn’t mind going for rides in them. Everyone likes surprises. Here’s an idea: If you’re a person with a public presence, how about using a little common sense about what society deems appropriate and steer clear of what isn’t whether you agree or not. It’s really not that difficult. — Dana White has weighed on the topic of fighters faking injuries following Dan Henderson’s comments about Anderson Silva earlier this week. He says it’s “impossible” to fake an injury in the UFC. “First of all, just to clear this up, and these guys – Dan Henderson knows it, Chael knows it, and every other fighter that fights in the UFC knows it – you can’t fake an injury,” White today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) following a UFC 140 pre-event press conference in Toronto. “It’s impossible to do. You can’t do it. “When you say you are injured, we bring you to our doctors, and they check you out, and we find out if you’re injured or not injured.” Fighters may not be able to “fake” an injury per se, but what’s stopping them from milking one? It seems that’s more of what Hendo was insinuating with Silva. — Living in the TUF house is going to suck twice as much from now on since cast members will now be required to live in the house for 12 weeks instead of 6. “It’s bad for six weeks,” he said. “Six weeks is crazy. I can’t even imagine what’s going to happen with 12.” — Dana White explained their thought process in booking Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit for an interim title after they found out GSP blew out his ACL. “I know [Georges] is going to be out for 10 months, and it’s been however many months since he fought,” White said. “That thing’s been tied up. What happened to Carlos Condit is unfair. Diaz was the Strikeforce champion. It just made sense.” “I think what happened with Georges, first of all, was that he was diagnosed wrong,” White said. “If we knew that that was a blown ACL from the beginning, he could have already had the surgery and been recovering this whole time.” “It’s a big layoff, but what are you going to do?” White asked. “It is what it is. When a guy goes out there and blows his ACL, there’s nothing you can do about it. “I think that whoever wins that fight (between Condit and Diaz), the belt will be defended at least once before GSP is back.” — Dana blasted Mayhem Miller’s striking in the TUF 14 Finale at yesterday’s UFC on FOX 2 press conference. “It was bad. To be honest, and my Twitter’s been blowing up with Mayhem fans blasting me, but facts are facts: It was the worst standup I’ve ever seen in my life. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen standup that bad.” “I don’t even know what to call it – I’ve seen guys with some ring rust,” White said. “Some of the punches that were thrown by Mayhem Miller in this fight, you can go to a girls Tae Bo class and see better form in standup. It was embarrassing.” It seems the “Mayhem Monkeys” have come to Miller’s rescue though. Dana told Ariel Helwani that they have been terrorizing him on Twitter ever since he criticized Mayhem’s performance, and while he didn’t say Mayhem will definitely be back, he’s received the message loud and clear that people still want to see Mayhem fight in the UFC. Considering how much Dana prides himself on giving the fans what they want, chances are Mayhem will get another chance. — Dana confirmed that they are implementing a flyweight division and plans to make a more formal announcement this weekend. He’s not going to force any bantamweights to move down to help build the division, but they are free to make the move themselves if they wish.

Posted in: ufc, guy, dana, people, mayhem

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is now on the FOX network with increased exposure and the chance to blow up the mainstream sports world. There has never been a more sensitive time in the promotion's history. Hey, I know, let's tell rape jokes! Most of the mixed martial arts community has their panties up in a bunch over the comments Rashad Evans made at the UFC on FOX 2 pre-fight press conference back on Dec. 7 in Chicago, Illinois. "Suga" told his main event opponent and former Nittany Lion, Phil Davis, that he was going to treat him worse than Jerry Sandusky treated the children he allegedly (cough) molested at Penn State. Doh! While Evans was getting into a verbal back-and-forth with "Mr. Wonderful," much to the approval of the giggling sheeple in attendance, he tried to hit a home run -- but instead struck out swinging. Premeditated? No. Malicious? Hardly. Tasteless? Absolutely. Or, as UFC President Dana White told media members at the UFC 140 presser earlier today (via MMA Fighting), it was simply a "stupid" thing to say. "We talked. It's not like I'm dealing with stupid people here. It's one thing when you're dealing with dummies. When you're dealing with people who are really stupid, it's tough to talk to them. But when you call a guy who's an intelligent guy, he gets it. He knows. The whole thing with me is people are looking to me, and I saw a couple of stupid stories that were written, people who want attention -- you know who those people are. What do you want me to do? You want me to have our lawyers draw something up and I'll come out and read it to you guys? You know, he said something stupid. It's probably one of the dumbest things you could say. He gets it, and he knows it was a stupid thing to say, and we'll see what happens." Like the man said, we'll see. "Evans vs. Davis," emanating from Chicago's United Center, will headline the Jan. 28, 2012, broadcast, which kicks off the promotion's seven year, $100 million agreement with the network television powerhouse. Chael Sonnen vs. Mark Munoz and Michael Bisping vs. Demian Maia are also featured on the "Windy City" fight card. To hear how it all went down at the UFC on FOX 2 press conference click here.

Posted in: ufc, people, thing, evan, jerry sandusky

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TORONTO - It's unfortunate when otherwise intelligent people say really stupid things. But to get out the pitchfork and punish, that's another matter. So said UFC president Dana White today when asked by MMAjunkie.com for a reaction on the comments made by former light-heavyweight champ Rashad Evans, who's off-color comments on the recent Penn State scandal ended a pre-event press conference promoting UFC on FOX 2 on a bad note. "It's not like I'm dealing with stupid people here," White said.

Posted in: ufc, people, penn, evan, state

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Filed under: UFCTORONTO -- UFC president Dana White is well aware that Rashad Evans stepped over the line with his pre-fight trash-talk when he referenced the Penn State sex abuse scandal while taking a verbal jab at former Nittany Lions wrestler Phil Davis on Wednesday. As White told reporters following Thursday's UFC 140 press conference, he made sure Evans knew it too. "We talked." said White, who called Evans' remark "one of the dumbest things you could say," in light of the child abuse allegations against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. According to White, he didn't have to convince Evans that he'd made a mistake in using the story as a topical reference point at the UFC on FOX presser in Chicago yesterday. "It's not like I'm dealing with stupid people here," White said. "It's one thing when you're dealing with dummies. When you're dealing with people who are really stupid, it's tough to talk to them. But when you call a guy who's an intelligent guy, he gets it. He knows." Evans brought the heat on himself when exchanging words with Davis at the press conference, telling the former NCAA Division I wrestling champ: "I guarantee you'll be the first one to take a shot cause I'm going to put my hands on you worse than that dude did them other kids at Penn State." Evans, who wrestled at Michigan State, later told MMA Fighting that he has nothing against Davis, but was merely trying to play up a rivalry for entertainment value. "I have plenty of respect for him as a fighter and as a person," said Evans. "But when it comes to competing with me, I gotta let my mouth go a little bit." He let it go too far this time, White said, but the UFC president sounded hesitant to take any official punitive action over the remark. "The whole thing with me is people are looking to me, and I saw a couple of stupid stories that were written, people who want attention -- you know who those people are," White said. "What do you want me to do? You want me to have our lawyers draw something up and I'll come out and read it to you guys? You know, he said something stupid. It's probably one of the dumbest things you could say. He gets it, and he knows it was a stupid thing to say, and we'll see what happens." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: people, penn, thing, evan, state

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Jon Jones has been compared to a lot of people during his rise to the top of the UFC light heavyweight division. The two most comparisons are Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali. I must say, the similarities between the two are pretty outstanding. Jones and Jordan are both winners and they’re both black while Jones and Ali are both cocky (although you’re crazy if you think Jones is anywhere near as cocky and brash as Ali), they’re both winners, and they’re both black. Yup, I totally see where people are coming from when they say that Jones is like Jordan and Ali. Fact is, they have very little in common. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted, and still want, Jones to act more like Ali and embrace his cocky side, but I’m not naive enough to believe that they’re on the same level of importance. Ali and Jordan took their sports to new heights. People tuned in every single time they fought or played, everyone in the world knew who they were, and everyone in the world had an opinion about them. Jones hasn’t taken his sport to a new level (in fact, while it’s not the fault of Jones, PPV numbers are down compared to previous years) and he’s not nearly as popular or talked about as Ali and Jordan. Will he get there one day? Maybe. But lets hold off on putting him on the same pedestal of those two until he does. You know who Jones reminds me of? Tim Tebow. Now I know that it’s like an unwritten rule of journalism that you can’t cross races when comparing athletes but hear me out. Young, very open about his religion, unorthodox with his style, is a winner, inspires the people around him, everyone in his sport has an opinion about him, and saves elderly women and little babies, ran the previous alpha dog out of town, hasn’t taken their sport to a new level. That sounds like both Jones and Tebow to me. People either want to put Jones and Tebow on a pedestal or they want to tear them down. The truth is, neither should be compared to the greats of all-time in any sport (yet) but there’s also no reason to tear them down. Tebow isn’t a natural quarterback who can stay in the pocket and read the defense, but he gets the job done by making timely throws and extending the play with his legs. Jones isn’t a technically sound fighter but he gets the job done with his creativity, strength, and athletic ability. Both men are very open about their religion and often times mocked for it by people who believe that God doesn’t play favorites. Both men inspire their teammates and take them to new levels. The Broncos have the same team they had when Kyle Orton was the QB and yet they were 1-4. With Tebow, they’re 6-1. You know who won TUF 14 this year? Two Greg Jackson fighters who happen to train with Jones. Prior to the arrival of Tebow, Orton was the man at the helm in Denver, but due to the fan backlash and Orton’s poor play, Tebow took over and now Orton is no long in the Mile High City. And we all know about the whole saga between Jones and Rashad Evans, who was the top dog at Jackson’s before Jones. Tebow and Jones haven’t taken their sports to new levels, especially to the level that Jordan and Ali did. I don’t think people who link Jones to those two really understand the cultural and worldly impact that Jordan had on basketball and Ali had on boxing. Tebow and Jones, at least for right now, are interesting stories who are captivity today’s fans. They’re not transcending generations because they haven’t been around long enough to do so and they’re definitely not well-known outside of the sports realm. Here is my overall point in case you actually think I’m 100% serious with this comparison: stop comparing Jon Jones and current MMA fighters and fights to some of the all-time greats in the respective sports. Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua was not even close to Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier 3. If you think that, then I advise you to read Ghosts of Manila or watch the HBO documentary on the fight to see what kind of impact the Thrilla in Manila had on boxing, the two fighters, and the world. Just because guys like Jones, Georges St. Pierre, and Anderson Silva are three of the best fighters in the world, doesn’t mean they should be linked to Ali, Wayne Gretzky, and Pele. It’s a lazy comparison done by people who either don’t understand what those players meant to their sport and beyond or it’s a lazy comparison done by people who are just trying to get attention. As dumb as the comparison might be, Jones is a lot more like Tebow than he is Ali or Jordan, but don’t tell that to MMA personalities with an inferiority complex. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC/NFL

Posted in: jone, ’t, people, ali, tebow

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When an actor plays a character to perfection for years he or she can often get “typecast” in the role, only being viewed as capable of performing in a certain way rather than accepted at face value. UFC icon Tito Ortiz found himself in a similar position a year ago after wearing a black halt for the bulk of his career. His public persona permeated his every action to the point he even chose a nickname representative of fans’ perception – “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy”. “People wanted to see the bad guy and I was the bad guy all the time,” explained Ortiz in a recent interview on the UFC 140 Countdown special. However, things changed for the 36-year old during the lead up to his bout with Ryan Bader at UFC 132 where he not only had the crowd’s support but came away with a huge upset win. Now named “The People’s Champ”, Ortiz explained his change in behavior and overwhelmingly positive outlook on life. “I thought in my mind, ‘Why be so negative about things now? Let’s change it to the people’s champ,’ because I’m here fighting for the people,” said Ortiz. “I’ve made my money. I’ve won my world titles. Now I want to show each and every person in the world that he can achieve anything in life.” Ortiz Wants One Last Go at Forrest Griffin Check out the full Countdown video below where Ortiz talks about life, as well as Antonio Rogerio Nogueira who he faces at this Saturday night’s event… PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, ortiz, year, life, people

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If you're an MMA fan that's been enraged by a decision, chances are you've used Twitter to commiserate and argue with fellow fans. iJudgeFights.com, a website currently in development, hopes to give would-be judges a place not only to vent, but to score fights and measure them against those who do it for a living. "I wouldn't say people are outraged, but there are periods where people are disappointed with the outcome of fights, and we feel that not only are we going to be able to help, but create interaction that hasn't existed before," iJudgeFights co-founder Jonathan Wakrat today told MMAjunkie.com.

Posted in: i wouldnt, score fights, fan, people, decision chances

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Jon Jones is the most talked about fighter of 2011, and with good reason. 3-0 thus far, with  submissions of Ryan Bader and Rampage Jackson and a knockout of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, the youngest champion in UFC history will defend his light heavyweight crown for the second time on December 10th when he takes on Lyoto Machida in the main event of UFC 140.For a look at his unprecedented rise, why not read the words of the man himself?ON HIS UFC DEBUT AGAINST ANDRE GUSMAO (2009)“I definitely wasn’t nervous. The only time I had the jitters was backstage. I couldn’t really get a warmup like I wanted to. Usually I’m screaming backstage, I’ve got a crazy sweat going, I’m pumped up, I’m amped up, (Laughs) and now I’m sharing a locker room with guys like Matt Serra and the Gracies and so many big stars, guys that I looked up to, and I kinda felt out of my zone and I wasn’t really able to warm up like I was used to. I was trying to stay low-key and composed. But once I hit the arena and they locked that gate, there were no jitters. Gusmao was my first fight that went the distance. He definitely had a chin on him and he wasn’t going down, but I don’t believe in standing around and waiting. I think when you step into the cage, you’ve got to take the cage and make it your zone.”ON FIGHTING STEPHAN BONNAR (2009)“I think fighting Stephan Bonnar is a win-win situation for me. I’m a young fighter and everyone knows that I’ve only been fighting for one year. It was just one year ago that I didn’t know how to throw a proper kick and no clue how to throw a punch, and now I’m fighting one of the bigger names in the sport. I really have nothing to lose in this situation – I feel ultra-confident and I’m really hungry. I’m on fire, and I plan on shocking the UFC organization and letting those guys know that I’m ready to be here for a long time.”ON YOUTUBE (2009)“All the crazy spinning back fists and back kicks, spinning elbows and all that crazy stuff that I do while competing have strictly come from moves that I’ve seen on youtube. It’s been working for me and I guess it’s what’s separated me from the rest of my teammates. Those guys never know what to expect when they see me fighting. The move where you drop down, touch the leg and try to do a spinning back elbow, I actually learned that from a (action movie star) Tony Jaa youtube video. I said ‘That looks like it could work, and I just went for it.’”DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE (2009)“People say I’m the future of the sport and the next champion, and I never asked for any of that stuff. But people are saying it for a reason, I guess, and it motivates me to work harder and live up to those expectations. Those are big expectations. I’m only 22 and I haven’t even been training for three years, and to get that type of recognition definitely adds a lot of pressure. I just try to train hard and do that extra pushup or go train one more time when I have no strength left, and hopefully I can make myself happy and provide for my family. Ultimately that’s the only reason I’m doing this.”ON TRAINING AT JACKSON’S (2009) “I literally get my butt kicked every single day, which is new for me. I come from a school where I wouldn’t even get hit. I would never get a black eye, a bruise, a bump, or a nick, and now, I’m icing every night because these guys are kicking the snot out of me. I’m getting tapped out, taken down, punched in the face, and it’s just a reality check. There’s so much work to be done. In a sport like mixed martial arts, a real black belt doesn’t think he knows everything; he pays attention to how much he doesn’t know. I’m really not anything. I’m a young guy who’s had some impressive fights, and when it comes to proving myself, I really haven’t done anything. There’s a lot more talent out there besides me, a lot of other guys that are looking great, way more well-rounded, and until I get to that level where you can find no holes or weaknesses in my game, I’m gonna continue to be a grinder and continue to work hard, improve, and keep my head on straight. I’m not resting until I’m officially Anderson Silva status.”ON HIS LONE LOSS TO MATT HAMILL (2010)“Outside of the Octagon I’m a pretty relaxed and mellow guy and I’m pretty level-headed. So once the fight was over and the decision was made, I wasn’t gonna cry over spilled milk. There was nothing I could do about it, so I took it in stride. Things happen for a reason and I just continued to move forward and continued to work on my game. I’m not worried about a win or a loss. I think all this stuff is just experience, and ultimately I’m looking at the big picture, so you’re gonna have to take your bumps, keep on moving forward, and worry about that big picture.”ON CLASS IN DEFEAT (2010) “It was just the way I was brought up. My wrestling coach in high school, Mr. Jack Stanbro, he always taught us to act with class no matter what happens. I’ve taken losses before in my wrestling career, and he was the type of coach where every time we showed up at a meet we had to dress up in a suit and a tie and if we lost he would never want to see bad sportsmanship shown. It’s who I am, it’s embedded deep within me, and it’s what I’ve been raised around.”MORE ON THE HAMILL AFTERMATH (2011)“I got a lot of mail from parents, and even today, a lot of people say ‘the reason I became a Jon Jones fan is because I saw the way you handled that fight and the way you conducted yourself after the fight. In every way, shape, and form, it was a blessing in disguise. I don’t want to be that perfect fighter because I’m not perfect at all. It’s good for me to have a blemish in my career because it shows that I can make mistakes. There’s a kid out there who’s looking at us fighters as being perfect people, like their perfect super hero, and it’s good for me to show that I can make mistakes and still bounce back.”STUDY JONES AT YOUR OWN PERIL (2010)“Guys who study my fights, I try to give them an evolution, and they’ll see a totally different style in every fight. So it’s kinda hard right now to predict what I’ll do in my next fight because every fight is very different and I’ll come back a completely different fighter for a completely different opponent.”ON LIFE IN THE SPOTLIGHT (2010)“Everything is exactly the same to be honest with you. I try to keep myself grounded and keep myself around the same friends, and life is the same, it really is. There’s a little bit more publicity, but that’s something I expected when I got into the sport and my goal is to make it towards the top, so I realized that being towards the top more of it’s gonna come, so I try to just appreciate it, realize that it’s God’s blessing, and just keep it moving and keep things the same.”MMA’S ALI? (2011)“Hearing things like that just motivate me to do better in interviews, in training, with the fans, and do everything to make things like that accurate. It’s just motivation and I’m honored that he (Bruce Buffer) gave me that kind of compliment because that’s what I’m looking for – I’m looking to be remembered and I’m looking to be great at something. Compliments like that reassure me that my hard work is paying off and that people are noticing, so I tell myself don’t worry, just keep working.”ON BEING REMEMBERED (2011)“I think being remembered for standing for something is a lot more important than just for a cool move that you did. Right now I’m standing up for Christ, and if I find something that I’m passionate about as I learn more about myself and the world, I definitely want to step up and help. Being great is one thing, but being remembered is another thing. To be great, magnificent and remembered, you have to stand for something and change the world in a way. I want to change the world. Ali stood up for the Muslims and for not going to war and he made an impact. People don’t remember Bruce Lee as “that Asian guy.” No one cares that Bruce Lee was Asian, they love him all over the world, and I want to have that same impact. I don’t want me being African-American to ever play a difference in anyone’s mind. I don’t want anyone saying ‘I like that black fighter.’ I want people to love me because of me. I’d rather be known as that Christian fighter or that peaceful fighter or that fighter that’s spreading positivity and kindness and confidence and way more than tactics. It’s important.”BUT WHAT ABOUT HIS CHIN? (2011)“My answer to that is that I’ve earned the privilege of not showing that to anyone. For everyone who says I’ve never been hit and is wondering how I’ll react to it, the reason why I haven’t been hit is because I’m literally obsessed with what I’m doing and I’m in the gym every day, three times a day, six hours a day. And when you dedicate your life to it, hopefully you guys will never see me do the chicken dance. That’s the way it works. But for people who are wondering how I’ll react, I’ve been hit several times throughout practice and I react just fine. I’ve been dazed in wrestling – I remember a few times in high school I would throw people and land on my own head and almost knock myself out, but I kept wrestling through it. So I’ve seen those white flashes before and I’ve always fought through it. If it happens in this fight, I’m definitely prepared to fight through it and I know I can fight through it.” ON “THE COOL” (2011)“I think it came from my father. I grew up in the church, and my dad would call me up on Sundays to sing in front of complete strangers. And there’s something about singing that leaves you very vulnerable. Singing is such a pure thing – it’s your inner emotion, your feelings, coming out in your voice - and after you’re done, people can judge you in any way possible. I had to sing as a 12 year old boy going through adolescence, my voice was changing, I would squeak a lot, and I’m not the best singer, but the fact that my father forced me to leave myself so vulnerable at such a young age, now that I’m older and I’m just speaking and fighting, I just got used to putting myself out there. Subconsciously it taught me to be myself and speak my mind and not be afraid of a crowd.”JON JONES, CRIMEFIGHTER (2011)“I feel as if I have an obligation to do the right thing. I knew my coaches were with me, and I’m surprised that I got so many accolades for doing it, but when you say that 90 percent of the people wouldn’t do it, I just hope that’s not true. And a big part of me feels that I did what most people would have done. I’m from the ghetto in Rochester, and there were times when I wouldn’t protect myself that I regret because I didn’t know how to protect myself at the time,” he said. “I’ve been jumped before and beat up before and it’s kinda like how Mike Tyson said in his documentary, he never wanted to be taken advantage of again once he learned how to fight. I feel the same way. I got jumped when I was a kid, I got beat up, I got made fun of because I was always kind of a good kid, and now that I can protect myself and I have the wisdom to talk myself out of situations and I have the physical power to get myself out of most situations, I feel like I’m obligated to help other people. I feel crappy when I see people who are vulnerable in danger, so I just took action and I’m glad I did.”ON WINNING THE TITLE (2011)“It hasn’t really sunk in. In a lot of ways I felt as if I was a champion just because of the way I carry myself as a person and the way I look at life. And even before I got the belt I felt like I was an elite fighter in the world. Anyone ranked in the top ten in the world is automatically considered a champion in my opinion and now I feel as if I’m a champion of champions, and life is pretty much the same.”ON BEING A ROLE MODEL (2011)“My outlook is to never do anything that will disappoint kids across the country, never getting caught in a Tiger Woods scandal or anything crazy like that, and just staying where I’m at as an athlete, continuing to win fights decisively. I want to continue to do the things that got me to where I am – I want to continue being a champion in the way I treat people and continue to be a champion with decisive wins, and that’s important to me. (teammate and UFC welterweight champion) Georges (St-Pierre) always says he’s not fighting as a champion; he’s fighting for his legacy. And I’m very young and I guess I don’t have the right to mention a legacy at this point, but in a way I am fighting for my legacy already, and me being aware of that keeps me on the prowl.” 

Posted in: way, ’t, i ’m, people, ’m

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I understand I am in the minority on this subreddit when I say I am fan of Michael Bisping, but I will make that clear first and foremost: I like the guy. So I feel I must defend him. That said, I would like to attempt to clear some things up. There are a lot of comments about Miller and how he gassed. Yes, he gassed. However, Bisping said it best. I will paraphrase him- when you are getting your face beaten, your gut punched, and your ribs kneed, your ability to recover (get your breath) will be tremendously affected. I know it's folly to cite personal experience on the Internet due to credibility issues, but I train and spar with fighters (I do not compete) and I have been punched, kicked, and kneed. Believe me or not, I don't care. When you get hit with a clean shot in the right area, it can take everything you have. Just one kick or punch can stop you from ever recovering during a fight. So, if there are any other fighters or guys who have been punched incredibly hard in the face or dropped by a vicious body shot, please back me up.. you know how it feels. Okay, now on Bisping as a fighter. I love reddit. This is my favorite subreddit. There are so many knowledgeable, courteous, and funny people in this forum. However, I feel a lot of people have accepted this attitude of hating on guys purely on their personality- Bisping as the clear favorite. How is it fair to fighters when we judge them on what they say, not what they do. Bisping made Miller look like a little boy in there. There's no sugar coating it. Miller's strikes were awful to look at, his shots were set up very sloppy, and his taunting during the round made him look even worse. Bisping was calm and technical. After giving up one take-down, he stuffed all the others and picked him apart the rest of the fight. He outclassed him. Now on Bisping as a person. He's brash, arrogant, and has an accent that pisses off a lot of Americans. Don't deny it, many people don't like guys they can't understand a lot of the time. Northern English are a great example. You only have to look at the media and movies/television. Northern Brits don't make it in America. Their accents are too thick and alien to American's "perception" of how English people talk. Anyway, I guess my point is- can we be more like Redditors and less like meat head douches when we talk about fighters? Talking shit is for youtube. Go do it there. Judge men - particularly fighters - on their ability to back up what they say. Remember folks, I'm not trying to call out a bunch of people here. I'm just drawing attention to an issue. If everyone could be civil that would be much appreciated. submitted by SneekyMAN [link] [8 comments]

Posted in: guy, fighter, bisping, people, dont

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Posted in: ortiz, people, canada, peoples champ, monkey

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Welcome to part 2 of my explosive interview with Karo Parisyan. In part one we discussed his judo credentials as well as training with Gene LeBell. Karo also broke down his thoughts on Ronda Rousey and why he chose to pursue the UFC instead of the Athens Olympic games. As previously stated, Karo may be his own worst enemy. He's brutally honest about everything and many may see his honesty as a negative character trait. I for one appreciated how straight forward and forthcoming he was to my questions. If you haven't yet read part 1 please do. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - We kind of started to talk about it but I want to get more in depth. You started judo as a kid and you've been fighting professionally since 1999... Karo Parisyan - No, 1996. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - '96? That was your first professional fight? Karo Parisyan - I was 14 years old an fought in Mexico. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - Alright so since 1996 and you've kept an incredibly active schedule for close to two decades. What kind of toll does that take on the body? Do you wake up in the morning and it's hard to get up out of bed? Are there lingering issues from those 15 years of MMA and probably another 10 of just judo? Karo Parisyan - You know, I'm fortunate to say that the only serious injury that I've had is when I tore my hamstring when I was supposed to fight for the title. To be a judo guy as long as I have and fighting, I haven't had that many serious injuries but overall your body eventually starts to crumble. I will be in the best shape of my life and at practice we'll just have some crazy training randomly and the next day, the next morning when I wake up to get out of bed, I will still be sore. People don't understand that when I had these anxiety panic attacks and this big fall out of my career, people didn't want to understand. Can you imagine fighting and training for two decades, 20 years, that's a long time. 21 years training and competing your entire life. I had a childhood, I did what I had to do but we didn't have these video games and all this stuff all the time. Today, kids get anything they want. We didn't have that stuff. I mean we did to a point but it was training. We couldn't run and do stupid stuff at practice. We had discipline. As crazy as I am and as stupid of stuff as I've done, I still have some sort of discipline not to cross that line. That's how it was. Eventually it takes a toll on your body and you know what? Body, fine. I can deal with the physical pain. It's the emotional part that kicks your ass a lot where you're terrified to stand up. You're knees are shaking to walk in the cage because you're having panic attacks. People have to understand that. I don't know. I don't know. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - Sticking with the same subject...this past week the big story was Chris Leben. I don't know if you know what I'm talking about... Karo Parisyan - I know and I've got a lot of stuff to say about that so come on and give me the question. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - So I guess the first question is that you found yourself in a similar situation. When you had your issues with the UFC, did they try and help you out? They've offered Chris help emotionally and also trying to find him rehab for his pain medication. Karo Parisyan - I know, are you done with the question? It was surprising to me. My friend from Cage Potato Mike, he called me and told me this stuff. When I got popped for it for two pain medications with a prescription. Everybody turned on me. "Oh my god why did he get popped?" I understand why Dana got hurt because of my situation with him. I had a legitimate reason. I had a legitimate script. And I got suspended for 9 months, $32,000 fine, are you f*cking kidding me? I heard Leben got suspended with no fine. Leben's been suspended for a year. Are you kidding me? Who am I? Am I the red headed stepchild here? What the f*ck happened to me? Apparently commissions are different. Well it should be the same f*cking punishment for everything. That's the way I see it. Come on, are you kidding me? I didn't take an enhancement drug to help me beat Dong Hung Kim. On the contrary, I was f*cking drooling in the second round. I didn't even know where I was because I was on pain medications for my leg. I still won the fight and they took $32,000 from me and at the same time I got a 9 month suspension for that? It doesn't make anything sense. You should put two and two together and it doesn't make any sense. And if someone tells me it makes sense let them come tell it to me and maybe I can put it in better terms. I feel that it is really unfair for what I went through. I'm not saying that Chris didn't go through the same thing. I know somewhat what Chris might be going through. I wish him the best. But I'm just saying that I'm a fighter too. I paid my dues too. I put this sport on the map too in certain ways. I shouldn't have been treated any differently than Chris or any other fighter. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - Staying on topic, do you think it's just the nature of the business and sport... Karo Parisyan - It's the politics. It's what I mean when I say the soap opera and the politics behind it. That's the politics. That's the bullsh*t that goes on in the sport of mixed martial arts. Whether people want to accept it or not, that's what it is. I'm never afraid to say it or do it. I'll say whatever I want whenever I want and if anybody has got something to say, they can say it to me. Listen, my biggest problem has always been that I've been too honest in my interviews and it always bit me in the ass. But I'm being honest. It's not fair. There should be a certain thing. If you do this, this is what you get. No. It's not fair. If I didn't get that. If I got this then why didn't he get the same thing? And it didn't even make sense. The rules don't even make f*cking sense. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - I guess my question isn't so much about the politic end but just as a pure sport. Do you believe that the longer somebody competes in this sport that there will be a greater need for pain killers? Karo Parisyan - Of course. It's common sense buddy. Think of it this way. Listen, I never wanted to take the pain medication. I didn't even know what the f*ck a vicodin was. My friends would talk about it. I was like "who the hell takes a pill? Isn't a pill like if you're sick you take a pill?" And they're like "Yeah". Like if you talk about drugs, cocaine yeah that's a drug. But like when they would talk about vicodin and pills, what are you guys even talking about? Who takes pills? I didn't know anything about it. I tore my hamstring and I got the pain medications and I still didn't know what the hell vicodins were. But eventually when you're body starts to crumble and you can't get out of bed in the morning because your body hurts so much that you can't even bend down bro. You can't even bend down to pick something up because everything hurts. Because you got your ass pounded yesterday by 10 friggin guys at the gym. I came out wrong what I just said but you know what I'm talking about. You got beat up. Eventually your body is gonna want something to recover. Yeah there's other stuff. Yeah let's be healthy. Let's do this. Yeah that's fine. But eventually, if you break something. I have a big knot in the back of my hamstring that was killing me. I didn't do anything for it. I took a pain medication here and there. I didn't have to but I did. It's an addictive thing that's why people take it and sometimes they start getting addicted to it because it's a narcotic. But the longer you're in the sport, the more odds there is that you're gonna touch that stuff. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - I guess the final question is, looking back on everything. You're career in the UFC and in judo, do you have any regrets or where you go "I really wish I could have done this differently"? Karo Parisyan - Yeah I mean I wish I didn't take those pain medications before that fight. Listen, there's a lot of things in my life that I can kind of look back and say "I wish I didn't do this" and "I wish I didn't do that". I've always said in interviews with people that I dug my own grave. I man up to it. I never blame people. I blame people when people try and step over and walk away. That didn't give me a hand to pick me up. People that claimed they were friends and family and etcetera. But there's always going to be things. I can't pinpoint something. Yeah I wish had trained more for the fight. I wish I hadn't taken the pain medication to get popped for it. I wish say that a chick that she left me god knows how long ago. I wish I didn't do all this stuff. But then again, you've done it. You've gotta look ahead and go on. I'm very pissed at myself man. I'm so upset at myself that I can't even look at myself in the mirror sometimes for what I've done. But when you look at your career and your life, it's not about the career man. I've been fighting all my life, fine. I've been doing all this stuff but I have a personal life too. And everything that happens in your career, whether you want to bring it home or not. It automatically comes home. It happens. I don't know man. My life is a soap opera. If they put a camera on me as a reality show, it would be a unbelievable, I can tell you that much. Matthew Roth (Bloody Elbow) - Karo I appreciate your time, this has been great. Is there anything else you want to add? Karo Parisyan - No man, I always say after every interview to the fans, I have a lot of true fans man. I have a lot of true fans and they know who they are. I love each and every one of them with all my heart. If there were no fans out there then no body wants to watch me fight. No body wants to say hi or whatever. There is no Karo "the Heat" Parisyan, it's all bullsh*t, you have to have people like you and want to watch you fight. And I hope that I can still bring that. I'm only 29 years old, I'm not 30 yet. And I hope I can still bring it in the next six or seven years. It's like my second era of my life. I had a good run for about seven or eight years when I got in the UFC and I had a little bit of fall out. I want to make that run one more time. It's such a small part of my life and I don't want to screw it up. I'll make that run one more time and I'll drop jaws.

Posted in: people, im, didnt, parisyan, karo

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Mark Hominick knows the storyline that will accompany his first trip to the octagon since his unsuccessful bid for Jose Aldo's featherweight crown. People will wonder whether his head is still in the game after the loss to Aldo followed by the bigger loss of his longtime coach and mentor Shawn Tompkins. "There's a lot of what-ifs, and I'm looking to silence any critics that are out there and make a performance that people look back and say in my division, 'I don't want to fight that guy,'" Hominick today told MMAjunkie.com Radio.

Posted in: hominick, loss, coach, people, coach hominick

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The standard formula may say a 35-year old Mixed Martial Artist with nearly sixty professional fights is past his prime or “over the hill” as it were. However, UFC lightweight Yves Edwards has never fit into any mold other than those of a well-rounded fighter. Fresh off an October knockout of Rafaello Oliveira, Edwards’ next challenge comes this weekend against Ultimate Fighter 13 winner Tony Ferguson who impressed the world a few months back by breaking Aaron Riley’s jaw at UFC 135. It’s one the native Texan greets with open arms and a gas tank with more fuel left in it than people with half of his experience would have. “A few years ago, that might have made me feel old, but I’ve heard it so much lately,” explained Edwards in an interview with the UFC’s website. “I work out with so many guys that were in high school when I was fighting, and that’s the way it is now. But I don’t feel old. I still feel like I did in my first UFC fight and I keep plugging away. But when people say ‘man, I used to watch this guy when I was in high school,’ I think at this point, I guess I take it as a compliment that I’m still around.” Edwards credits the secret of longevity to a number of factors including lifestyle choices and the modern age in general. “They say 40 is the new 30, or something like that, and I don’t necessarily agree with that – I think 40 is 40,” said Edwards with a laugh. “But I think the way the world is now, people are competitive longer, people are healthy longer, and with better food, better medicine, and better things like that, guys are able to compete at a higher level for a longer amount of time. You get guys like Junior Seau, who just recently retired, and they say you can’t play 14-15 years in the NFL, but he did. And it has to do with how well you take care of yourself, the people you surround yourself with, and the way you train. You have to find that middle ground where you’re pushing yourself constantly and constantly improving, but at the same time, you’re not breaking your body down and putting yourself in harm’s way.” And, like Ferguson or any other fighter still in his twenties, Edwards has the same end-goal in mind with no timetable on giving up in terms of achieving it. “I’m trying to get to the top,” the 41-17-1 journeyman revealed. “There’s no other reason to do it. It’s like a tournament with a million guys in it, so it’s not likely that everybody’s gonna get a shot to get to the top, but I’m gonna shoot for as high as I can possibly get, and a title shot is the ultimate goal. If I fall short of that, it’s to get as high as I can possibly get before I’m all done.” Edwards and Ferguson fight on the Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale main card this Saturday night at 8:00 PM EST on Spike TV. The show is headlined by Jason Miller and Michael Bisping settling their personal differences and attempting to move into the upper-echelon of title contendership. Bisping Wants to Send Miller to the Hospital PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, guy, i ’m, people, edward

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Reggie Warren is back with another edition of his new MiddleEasy feature: '11 Questions with Reggie Warren Jr.' this time featuring the legendary, Pat Miletich, a guy that pulled an April Fool's prank on us two days after April Fool's Day. For those not familiar with Reggie Warren, he's notorious for wearing pajamas and interviewing fighters. That's not a gimmick, it's routine behavior for Reggie. Now check out 11 Questions with Reggie Warren Jr.: Featuring Pat Miletich' and be sure to follow Reggie Warren Jr. on Twitter. You can also check out more interviews from Reggie Warren Jr. here. Thanks to Esther Lin for the wizard-like photography.   I’m willing to let our differences go for this interview. But even you have to admit that the Mitelish Militia was pretty damn cocky back in 2007 and maybe a few of your fighters deserved the beatings I gave them. Right?Keep dreaming, Reggie. You can't bust a grape. Go outside and practice falling down, I'll be right out.   Why do MMA guys tend to spar so much more then boxers? It seems that boxers work technique and cardio for a few months and only do a few weeks of hard sparring before a fight, but a lot of MMA fighters spar year round. Do you think too much hard sparring over the years can result in brain damage?I think MMA guys need to spar two times a week based on the fact, most have to catch up in the striking aspect of fighting. Boxers do a lot of sparring when they are younger and know how to box. They simply need to get in shape and get sharp again for fights. From the looks of it, a lot of MMA guys aren't sparring enough. Lots of sloppy striking in MMA.   Most people these days recognize you as a coach or commentator, but who were your coaches back in the day when you were whoopin’ UFC fighter’s asses? I learned BJJ from Sergio Monteiro, boxing from Alvino Pena and Muay-Thai from Long Longly.   Do you have any famous friends who aren’t fighters?Of course. Who the hell do you think you're talking to? Lol.   I feel a good team is like having a great rock band. If John Bonham were to leave Zeppelin, it wouldn’t be the same group. Why do so many fighters think they can leave a great team and find the same success doing things on their own?I think their mentality is a lot like college wrestling in my mind and not so much like a rock band. Great college wrestlers have come out of Iowa for years and then gone out on their own and created great programs at other colleges. What I think the MMA athletes forget, is the amount of time that needs to be dedicated as a coach. Throwing a famous name on a building will attract people, but the knowledge, passion and dedication of that famous person, needs to be put to work inside the building. Tom and Terry Brands are running the Iowa wrestling program now. Both of them wrestled under the great Dan Gable and were both national champions. How successful would the Iowa wrestling program be right now if neither showed up to run practice? I think you get the idea.   Do you ever get tired of looking at corn fields? Ever think about switching it up with some mountains or a beautiful sandy beach?No, I never get tired of looking at corn. There is very little crime, traffic, etc., here in Iowa and the people are incredibly proud and almost everyone has great work ethic. The education in eastern Iowa is also very good, so I am happy to raise my kids here. My job allows me to travel all over the world and enjoy a lot of different places, including mountains and beaches. The nice thing is, I get to go back home to peace and quiet in Iowa. I love people, but not enough to live around millions of them on a constant basis. If I lived somewhere else, it would probably be the Flathead Valley in Montana.   Is it true that you wrassle and sometimes spar while keeping a fresh dip in the entire time? What happens if you get punched in the mouth?I used to chew tobacco, but I ended up stopping a while back. Never wrestled or sparred with a chew in though.   What sports or fighting movie brings a tear to your eye every time you watch?'Cinderella Man' was an incredible movie. Reminded me of what my uncle went through when he was a pro boxer during the depression. I recommend that movie to anyone who thinks they are tough since it's a true story.   Be honest with me Pat…when someone doesn’t share the same political beliefs as you, how often do you contemplate punching them in the face and ripping a limb off?No, never think about punching them. I do love political debates though. I have an old school way of thinking, which is basically, "You deserve in life, only what you work for." I know that is a unique and radical way of thinking in the current times we live in. The "entitlement" mentality so many have today is very disturbing to me.   Do you think there are any new rules or guidelines that should be implemented in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts that will only help to make the fights more exciting or safer?I think the athletes will always decide the excitement level of any fight no matter what the rules are. I think the rules and guidelines for judges and refs are what need changing. I cringe when I think about the lack of knowledge and common sense that is apparent in many of the athletic commissions. Not all are bad, but many are a circus of clueless people who have somehow acquired absolute power. See answer to question above regarding entitlement.   What do you see yourself doing in the year 2017? (And no, the world is not ending in 2012 like all the crazy’s say. You hear that Spencer Fisher? The world ain’t ending!)I see myself enjoying my wife and daughters, in pursuit of new goals and dreams and simply enjoying life. All this while Spencer is in a bunker somewhere with a lot of canned goods, guns and ammo─ha ha─ I love Spencer. If the end does come, you know that boy will be ready! I will add one side note to this though, if you are planning for a collapse of society and you have stored up a lot of food, you might want to get some guns and ammo so people like Spencer don't steal it from you.

Posted in: people, warren, lot, reggie, iowa

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A while a go it seemed a fighter could sneeze the wrong way and get cut, but I realized that I'm not hearing as much about people getting cut these days. Is the UFC looking to keep more fighters on their roster to be able to fill up more cards? Does anybody know anything about total # of ufc fighters and how that has changed over time? submitted by disco1stu [link] [5 comments]

Posted in: ufc, fighter, way, people, ufc fighters

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Fedor's largely meaningless fight with Jeff Monson is a few days behind us and already disappearing in the rear view mirror of MMA history. But there's still an interesting buzz floating around from something that happened at the event: defacto Russian dictator Vladamir Putin getting booed during the event. Here's an interesting article from the Moscow Times on it: Within hours, Putin’s spin doctors announced that there had been no catcalls or hissing. Then they backtracked, saying they were catcalls, but they had really been directed at the losing fighter, American Jeff Monson. Then they said the sounds were not catcalls, but actually cheers for Putin. And last, we heard that the fans were shouting only because they were blocked from using the restrooms for more than an hour by Putin’s security forces. I like what one of the readers on the site suggested: They weren't booing. They were yelling 'Boo-tin! Boo-tin!' But lest this newspaper straight out suggest that as the head of the Russian system for the past 12 years their fair leader is responsible for how corrupt and sucky Russia can be, the Moscow Times then instead points to how corrupt and sucky Russia can be and says that's what people are really booing, not Putin: But there is one problem that Putin — and everyone who will ride his coattails to certain victory in the Dec. 4 State Duma elections — has created. For 12 years, United Russia has said all power comes from Putin, that the party and Putin are the only real authority in the country and that everything else is a lie.But for most Russians, the government or state is not Putin, the Duma or the presidential administration. The government is the countless bureaucrats they encounter every day at schools, courts, hospitals and police stations. They leave their marks with poor communal services, long lines at state hospitals and traffic cops who try to extort bribes.For the people, the government they know all too well is several million indifferent state employees with lifeless eyes. They are, for example, cops who will put innocent people behind bars for years simply because their bosses must fulfill quotas for crimes that their precincts supposedly solved. Or it is an obtuse doctor who refuses to save a dying child because he was registered in a different district.Putin did not create these bureaucrats, and even if he leaves office tomorrow these state employees will remain the dull and incompetent robots that they always have been. And they are the ones who form the grassroots of the power vertical.That is why, even if fans at the Olimpiisky stadium were booing Putin for a simple reason only — that they really had to use the toilet — they were still protesting against Putin’s system as a whole, a system that allows security guards for no reason at all to arbitrarily stop people from using the bathroom. OCCUPY MOSCOW TOILETS!

Posted in: people, state, putin, sucky russia, state employees

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Catch Wrestling. Once a prominent sport in North America and Europe just a century ago, today it is an art that is flirting with extinction. A revival of sorts has been occurring stateside over the last few years helped by the explosion in popularity of Mixed Martial Arts and the UFC, as well as the demonstrable effectiveness of grappling styles like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Folkstyle and Freestyle Wrestling. Generally speaking the UK is not known for its wrestling talent, with MMA fighters often being exposed for their weakness in this area; the notion of grappling initially foreign to those who might originally come from Boxing or Kickboxing. With newer generation fighters learning more pieces of the puzzle with the increase of BJJ coaching within the British Isles, gyms are often looking abroad for coaches from places such as the USA or Iran to help fill in the Wrestling gap in their knowledge. Little do they know a wealth of knowledge is available on their very own doorstep, but it has been lost to many for decades. The Northern County of Lancashire is the spiritual home of Catch-As-Catch-Can Wrestling, notable also for its role in the Industrial Revolution with industries such as Wool and Cotton production, mining, fishing on the coast and shipbuilding. Within the Greater Manchester area a town called Wigan was once world famous in its ability to produce talent in the world of Professional Wrestling. Riley's Gym in particular produced wrestlers as Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson who took their talents and spread their knowledge in Japan, directly impacting the creation of Pro Wrestling Strong Style, which eventually lead to promotions such as Shooto, Rings, Pancrase and Pride. Arguably Billy Riley and Riley's Gym is as important to the history of Catch Wrestling as Kano and Maeda are to the history of Jiu Jitsu. I had the opportunity to interview Andrea Wood -- daughter of wrestler and coach Roy Wood, who was one of Billy Riley's last students -- about Catch Wrestling, Billy Riley, MMA, Freestyle Wrestling and the Olympics, the reopening of The Snake Pit and the revival of Lancashire Style Catch As Catch Can Wrestling. KJ Gould: Hello Andrea, thank you for taking the time to do this interview. For those who might be unfamiliar with Lancashire Catch-As-Catch-Can and Catch Wrestling, briefly tell us a little about it and how you are involved in it. What parts of Lancashire were hotbeds for Wrestling, and why is Wrestling such an important part of culture there? Andrea Wood: I know for a lot of Wigan it was popular in general, and Riley's gym was based in an area called Whelley where I still live. My father's house is also in Whelley and so we haven't moved very far! Catch wrestling is a very old sport historically and many people would say that Wigan is one of most recognised hotspots for Catch worldwide due to many of the great wrestlers that came out of the Wigan area and the gyms here. It is a very technical sport and I love to both hear and watch my father talk about the sequence of techniques and how in the original Catch days wrestlers would be thinking, not about the move they are doing but more about the counters to the counters that would be following. The speed of the sport also meant that the wrestlers' minds must be very quick as there was little if any time to steal a breath and so the level of intellect attached to the speed, agility and toughness of the sport fascinates me. The more I see of it -- now my dad is back on the mat -- the more I am in awe of what a great sport it is. I would challenge anyone to not be amazed by what a fantastic sport it is. As I have been around the Freestyle so long, I have a passion for wrestling in general but for me I enjoy the submission element that Catch brings in addition to the pin! I also like the fact that there is nowhere to hide when doing Catch, no way to cut corners, steal or bide for time and nowhere to escape. It is an incredible sport and I hope we raise awareness of the merits of Catch and raise appreciation for it in general. KJ Gould: At one point Riley's Gym was known for its wrestling and wrestlers throughout Britain, but also in parts of the USA, Canada and Japan. Who was Billy Riley and who were some of the notable wrestlers that got on the mat there? What was it about Riley's Gym at its peak that made training there highly sought after? Andrea Wood: Billy Riley was the founder of Riley's Gym and my father's (Roy Wood's) coach. I have spoken at length with him about his roots in wrestling and love to hear about the "olden days". My father speaks extremely highly and with the greatest respect for his coach Billy Riley. Billy himself was a great wrestler who competed locally and internationally. He won the British Empire belt in Johannesburg during his time wrestling. There were many great wrestlers from that era. Many people are already aware of Karl Gotch, and Billy Robinson but there were also great wrestlers who were less well known as they chose to remain in Wigan with their families and not travel abroad. The one that stands out most and for me the best in the club was Bob Robinson, AKA Billy Joyce. I remember Bob from being a little girl and he was an absolute gentleman through and through. He was one of the kindest men I have ever met and a real family man. I love to hear Dad talk the most about him as he will explain how Bob would just 'play' with people. Dad will smile as he reminisces about Bob giving someone his leg as he already had every counter you could think of lined up ready for what he would do next. My father always explains that Catch was a very clever sport and often says "It is like a game of chess, you always need to be a move ahead". It would seem that Bob was the master of this. There were also other great wrestlers such as Tommy Moore AKA Jack Dempsey, Harold Winstanley AKA Melvyn Rhys, Alan Wood (Cousin of Roy), John Foley, Len Wetherby, Brian Burke to name but a few. Riley's at its peak had the greatest standard of wrestling. People would travel from everywhere to live in Wigan and invest years of their life training daily. It would take years to get to the standard of the other wrestlers in the gym. Once you have such a high standard in a club and you have the best opponents to train with on a daily basis this is a breeding ground for talent and becoming an athlete at your sport. Any athlete knows that you are only as good as your training partners and so to walk into Riley's gym you could take your pick. KJ Gould: For many fans of the UFC and Mixed Martial Arts, their familiarity with grappling mostly lies with American Folkstyle and Freestyle Wrestlers as well as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu players as traditionally they have had the most success in MMA thus far. From your perspective how is Catch Wrestling different and similar to these styles, as well as other arts such as Greco-Roman Wrestling, Judo and Sambo? Historically, has Catch Wrestling influenced these styles or have grapplers from these styles sought out coaching at The Snake Pit or from Lancashire wrestlers? Andrea Wood: Catch is a sport in its own right and differs from all other sports. There is always overlap between sports, for example Freestyle skills are a great foundation for Catch wrestlers and varying sport styles often compliment each other. I think it is dangerous ground when people start to comment on other people's disciplines as no one can speak with authority on every sport and there needs to be a level of respect for each sport in it's own right. The Snake Pit is specifically Catch. We understand that people may be able to adapt this to help in other areas of training but we do not claim to teach outside of our own field of expertise. KJ Gould: Riley's Gym had a reputation of being tough to endure, with tales of wrestlers losing some teeth, cracking their ribs and tearing their knees when they first got on the mat there. What was the philosophy behind this almost sink-or-swim initiation for would-be wrestlers? Is this how the gym garnered the nickname of The Snake Pit? As a building, what was Riley's gym like? Andrea Wood: Riley's was a very tough gym but there was almost an unspoken gentleman's code where in the club training sessions, limbs were not broken as many of the men had to go down the pit or into their own hard working environment the next day. The wrestlers would put on submissions and it couldn't be denied that a great level of pain was often endured but as soon as someone submitted it was stopped. It is also true to say that many people would be one time only visitors as the club was too rough for them. I had to ask my Dad for more detail about this before answering it as I did not want to be inaccurate. My father explained that Billy would teach all the men in the gym that when someone walked through the doors that they should treat everyone like they were world class when stepping on the mat with them. Once it was clearly established that they were new and if they had the right attitude people may take it a bit easier on them. It also perhaps had a tough reputation as often other wrestlers wouldn't show you anything and you had to learn by your own mistakes and picking up what you could as you went along. That is why it would take years to become a good wrestler at Riley's and you would take a lot of beatings before you worked something out. The Snake Pit nickname came from Japan when my father went over there in the 90's. Prior to that it has only ever been known as Rileys gym. The building was very basic and rough. There have been suggestions from others that there was no shower or such basic facilities but this is untrue. In fact Billy was always adamant that everyone must shower after training. This was a compulsory rule of the club. As you have asked me to answer this question from my perspective I think I have a slightly different insight into the question. I see the lads that we train today and those we have worked with for the last 15 years. Some of the groups of young people I work with are from particularly tough background and so it could be argued that they are tougher than the average kid on the street. I also remember the first team generation of wrestlers that my father taught. When I watch my Dad coach and see his expectations of pain endurance, fitness, strength, and training requirements it is abundantly clear that he is from an era of men that was totally different. My father's idea of a hard training session is very different to anyone else I know. It is very hard to appreciate what he is trying to say as this unwritten code could mislead people into thinking that the gym was not as tough as it has been made out to be and therefore such hyped up tales of broken limbs, missing teeth etc may be people trying to get across the scale of how hard it was. However, when I speak to my dad he will say things like "People miss training because they are aching or they have got an injury. If we missed for that at Riley's we would never be there". I also put into the equation that now sessions are done on good quality wrestling mats; back then it was done on what can only be described as a concrete floor with some creased up material over the top of it. So no skin on knees and burns that go with facilities like this in my father's mind are no big deal. It was just part and parcel of the session. If someone went near to a wall and moved away from the mat it was totally acceptable to ram them into it and if someone crawled away the result would be someone dropping their shoulder into your back from an almost stood position. When my Dad explains these things to me it puts a new light on things perhaps, although there was no doubt a gentleman's code as there was no punching, kicking, or choking and that submissions were put on in a way to ensure time was allowed for the man to tap. KJ Gould: In the last century Competitive Catch Wrestling in both North America and Europe gradually transitioned into the worked, exhibition form we know as Professional Wrestling today. Many wrestlers from Riley's Gym knew how to both wrestle legitimately as well as how to put on a show, but what we see today barely resembles the mat-work of the past. What are your views on how Pro Wrestling developed, and has it helped or hindered keeping the competitive sport aspect of Catch alive? Andrea Wood: I have watched my father wrestle professionally and sometimes this was the source of income that put food on the table. I know particularly when my Dad was young it was definitely the bread and butter of his mother's household as my father's wage would be the household income at the time. Although he is better known for Catch and the Freestyle coaching he does, my father has taught other guys the professional aspects of wrestling as well. Wrestlers from Riley's gym could wrestle all styles of wrestling. Many of the wrestlers would wrestle both Catch and Pro. My father personally knows how much Show-wrestlers took hard bangs and when I was growing up, my father wrestled on many occasions with injuries; for example he once did a show with a broken collar bone. In those days the rings were very hard and so no matter how well wrestlers learned to fall they would still be taking a lot of knocks. This was how people made their money to live from wrestling. My father would say that he got more injuries as a Pro wrestler than he did as a Catch wrestler in those days. Again, it is unfair to compare Catch to Pro as they are very different sports. I have myself worked with promoters of professional wrestling to organize summer activity programmes for children in the holidays and as a result of the kids watching the Pro I have had a class full of new beginners in my Freestyle class the week later, some of whom have gone on to become great in the Freestyle world. In my opinion, it is easy to criticise other sports but it is often unfair. You can look at something with an open mind and a different perspective and see the positive and negatives in anything. If the sport is not for you then it is a simple choice to steer away from it and focus on the sport you are best suited to but no good comes from being disrespectful to other people's chosen fields. KJ Gould: Your father, Roy Wood, officially took over The Snake Pit from Billy Riley in the 1970's. When did Roy begin wrestling under Billy Riley? Was he one of the last generation to learn under Riley and how did he become the one to take over coaching at the gym? Andrea Wood: MY father was approximately 16 years of age when he went to Riley's gym. He was the youngest in the club and other guys there were in their ‘20's. He was the last generation to learn under Billy Riley and Billy closed the gym eventually. My father reopened the club as a result of my brother, Darren as he wanted to learn wrestling and so the club was reopened. My father also coached Billy Riley's grandsons Mark and Paul at the same time and Billy's nephew, Patrick Burns. Billy would come into the club and watch my father coach from the sidelines and they would spend many a time discussing the wrestling during the session, techniques etc. KJ Gould: The original building that was Riley's gym was condemned and demolished by I believe the Wigan town council. Roy Wood continued to coach by setting up a gym in nearby Aspull and the teaching eventually changed from traditional Catch As Catch Can Wrestling to that of the international Freestyle Wrestling recognised by FILA and the Olympics. What prompted the change in direction of coaching? Was interest in the Catch style dieing out? Andrea Wood: A decision was made by the Riley family to allow houses to be built on the land and so the gym was closed. This led to my father buying Aspull Boys club and reopening the club which became better known as Aspull Wrestling Club. It was at this point that the name of the club changed. The reason for the change from Catch to Freestyle was two fold. Firstly, the gym was working predominantly with children now and Riley's had always been geared towards seniors. Secondly, the only governing body at the time was for Freestyle and they were very clear that they would not accept the Riley style of wrestling. No submissions were allowed in the amateurs. My father recognised the need for competitiveness and a way to test the skills you practice in the gym and so gradually the club moved from Catch to Freestyle to allow competition outside of the club itself. KJ Gould: In recent years Roy Wood has focused more on the coaching at the Aspull Olympic Wrestling Club while you have taken over the day-to-day operations and running of the gym. Was working with your father and within the sport of Wrestling always on the agenda? What does Wrestling mean to you socially and culturally? Andrea Wood: My father has always said that he only wants to do the side of sport which he loves which is getting on the mat. As all club owners know, there is also another side to building a successful club which involves fund raising, writing grants, grassroots development, accessing international training partners and camps, regular competition and sourcing suitable competitions dependent on wrestlers' levels. In addition, there is a strive to excellence to achieve kitemark club status such as Club Mark and Aspull was one of the first clubs to be awarded this status which led the way in setting this standard of excellence. Aspull is still a voluntary organization which it has always been and so we depend on a great team of volunteers which we are fortunate to have. Volunteers whether they be the ones who organize kit, clean the mats, organize tournaments or whatever role they play are all essential to the success of the club. We have also led the way in mentoring younger generations to coach and have had many wrestlers go on to become coaches and give back to the club what they received as a child.If you had asked me when I was a little girl whether I would be so involved in the club I would have confidently said 'absolutely not!' The reason being that when I was young, Riley's gym was very much a lads club and it was unheard of for girls to go into the gym. On the rare occasion that myself or my Mum would need to get hold of my Dad when he was coaching at the club, it went without saying that I would go up the path and knock and wait patiently for him to come outside. It was just a no-no of the day. Then as Aspull opened and we developed schools programmes and changed to Freestyle, my father was one of the driving forces behind getting females onto the mat and accepted in the world of amateur wrestling. Although I had spent my entire life as a child living, eating and breathing wrestling it was only from the sidelines. I would go to all the tournaments and cheer on my Dad's team, I would watch my Mum make bucket loads of sandwiches and breakfasts, I would listen to conversations between my Dad and his wrestlers about how they could improve their performance, I would watch him put his hand in his own pocket and buy the lads wrestling boots and buy their dinner and make sure they didn't go without. My experience in my younger years however never involved me being on a mat. My involvement came later as I finished my law degree and returned home and I started to see some injustice with the people running wrestling and so I began to fight for the team at this level. As time progressed I just seemed to become more and more involved in the wrestling and my passion grew deeper and so I began to train myself and get on the mat. Very quickly it became apparent that there were very few if any competition opportunities for females and so I decided to go into coaching. I had already been shadowing my father around some schools in the region and as time went by I became more and more involved. This led to me getting a coaching qualification and gradually I began to expand the school coaching programme. Eventually I knocked my hours I worked as a solicitor down to 3 days to allow me to coach 2 full days per week and then years on I left the legal profession completely to set up Heartlift which involves coaches working full time delivering a range of sports including wrestling to get young people into positive activities and give them alternatives in life. For me, as much as I love wrestling it is about much greater, wider issues that surround people's lives. It is about giving people a place where they are welcome, have a family, a reason to get up each day, a pride in themselves, a choice that is different to everything that they may see around them, a team of people who can guide and mentor them, a place where people will encourage and empower them. People underestimate the power of sport!  It is funny how things happen for a reason and although there was no planning from day one it is like things have just developed organically. When people say that things happen for a reason it is so true in my experience and it is incredible to see how blessed we have been in all that we have done and for that I am really grateful. KJ Gould: The Summer Olympics are being hosted in London next year. Is the A.O.W.C. involved in the Freestyle Wrestling events and if so to what extent? Andrea Wood: Yes, Aspull is involved in Freestyle wrestling events and we have had a great track record of success. We attend tournaments throughout the year and have done so for decades. Last week we held our annual international tournament which has been running for over 30 years and attracted approximately 200 competitors. We had wrestlers from numerous countries and were delighted to yet again win the best club in the tournament based on points accumulated throughout the day. We have had numerous wrestlers on the Great Britain team and we are currently working with Maria Dunne from Guam who has been sent to ourselves for her pre-Olympic training. Maria wrestled at the Beijing Olympics and felt that if she was to stand the best chance of medaling in London she needed to find the best club, coach and training partners to work with. As a result she chose to train with ourselves and now trains 2 - 3 times per day with us. She has also been involved in the Catch seminars and Maria explained that prior to coming to Wigan, she has trained and competed in many venues across the world and had reached a stage where similar techniques were being practiced everywhere. That was until she came to Wigan. She then discovered Catch and feels that it could really improve her performance as she is seeing techniques that could be suitable for Freestyle, but that are not known outside of our club. KJ Gould: Work is underway to 'reopen' The Snake Pit as a place to learn Catch Wrestling again at the Aspull club. How long has this been in the works, and what prompted your father to start coaching it again? Andrea Wood: This has been a work in progress in the sense that I have been asking my Dad for about 15 years to teach Catch again. It was only really this year that he agreed on the basis that he coaches and I deal with all the other side of things. He finally agreed to coach again as I had done research and established that there genuinely are people out there who want to learn Catch as a sport in its own right and it is my job to ensure that we access the right people and clubs to work alongside. My Dad will comment to me how he is teaching techniques in the seminars that took him years to learn as that was how Riley's gym worked and he just hoped that people appreciate what he is passing onto them. I take my role very seriously in all honesty, as I want to ensure that there is a genuine Revival of Catch as it is a great sport and it would be criminal for it to be lost in the pages of history. Another aspect we are keen to promote is to give credit to many of the old wrestlers from Riley's who are often unmentioned like Tommy Moore AKA Jack Dempsey and Bob Robinson as they deserve to be recognised for the great wrestlers of their day. We are trying to build an archiving system of all the old photographs, magazines which we have dating back over 100 years ago to provide a reference point for people with a genuine interest in Lancashire Catch, Riley's gym and the wrestlers it produced. Finally, and this is the part I am most excited about, is the scholarship scheme. This is a scheme that I am really passionate about as it allows referrals of people who deserve a chance in life but need someone to give them a helping hand. Anyone who has trained regularly in what I would call a "real" club will know that there are those people who you look at and think "What a natural", there have been world champions in gyms that go amiss all because they could not afford to travel, to buy the kit, the insurance, the subs. This scholarship scheme is there to give people like that a chance in life and to remove boundaries that may be in the way of them becoming all that they can be. KJ Gould: MMA fans who read the articles and interviews here at Bloody Elbow have begun to see and appreciate what Catch Wrestling has to offer through fighters like Kazushi Sakuraba, Josh Barnett and even Randy Couture towards the end of his career. What are your thoughts on Mixed Martial Arts, and has interest in this and the fighters I've mentioned lead more people inquiring into Catch Wrestling your end? Andrea Wood: Definitely! I am so thankful for fighters like Kazushi Sakuraba, Josh Barnett and Randy Couture as they have put Catch on the map! Over the last 10 years the interest in MMA and the rate of growth is exceptional and so to have fighters giving such huge exposure to Catch can only be a great thing! We have had many enquiries from MMA fighters, in fact we have a guy flying over from Guatemala this weekend to come and train with us and we welcome this interest. As the Snake Pit however, we have made it clear from the outset that we are what we are and we do not pretend to know or talk about things in which we have no expertise. There seems to be a lot of people who have a qualification in sport and I am not sure how this is possible as you could spend your life learning only one. My opinion is that for fighters at the top of their game, I would think that the best way is to go to each coach specific to that field. So for example, if you want to develop your boxing you find the best boxing coach you can find. If you want to work on takedowns you find a Freestyle coach, if you want to work on hooking-in and Catch specific submissions you find a Catch coach and so on. This makes sense to me. As a lawyer I specialized in criminal work, if you came to me to ask me about selling a house I would refer you to a conveyancing lawyer, if you had staffing issues in your employment I would refer you to an employment lawyer. That doesn't mean to say I have no knowledge on the other subjects as they were part of my degree but I am certainly no expert in that field. Part of the reason my father was reluctant to coach was because guys would come in the gym and he would be trying to teach them Catch. They would say that they couldn't work those techniques for example, standing up with a person to do a standing double-elbows or they would open themselves up to a choke. My father would be frustrated as choking is not permitted in Catch and they would be equally frustrated as they were trying to learn Catch purely for the purposes of MMA. It is for this reason that we have chosen to have a seminar application procedure to ensure that there is clarity on what the sessions entail and prevent disappointment on either part. My father has a wealth of knowledge and I have seen some of the recent MMA lads in the classes astounded by some of the techniques he is showing. They are adamant about the benefits of Catch for their sport and those benefits are reflected by the fighters we have mentioned but my dad is a Catch coach and the sessions will only cover what he feels he has authority to speak about. KJ Gould: Interest in Catch Wrestling in North America seems to be gradually growing thanks to enthusiasts who have been fortunate enough to spend varying amounts of time with the older generation Catch Wrestlers such as Billy Robinson, the late Karl Gotch & Edouard Carpentier, Dick Cardinal, Billy Wicks and 'Judo' Gene LeBell, to name a few. There is also interest from coaches and enthusiasts to see competition Catch Wrestling make a return with matches and tournaments based on the traditional rules that allowed both pins and submission holds. Is this something you'd also like to see again in England and the rest of the British Isles? What can you tell us about what might be on the horizon for competitive Catch Wrestling in Wigan, Bolton and the rest of Lancashire and beyond? Andrea Wood: One of our main goals is to see tournaments in Catch. We already have some provisional plans for 2012 and we think that competition is imperative for the success and growth of Catch. Formulating the details of the rules is however proving more difficult as in Lancashire and the Billy Riley era rules were agreed on individual bouts and there was huge variation. Competitive rules also varied from club rules. We have been working hard on this and ensuring that it is something not rushed, but instead tried and tested. We appreciate that other people have also formulated rules that work for them and so the rules we finalise will be for the Snake Pit wrestlers and clubs. Whilst we are willing for others to adopt them we by no way claim to be the authority on what others should do, we are simply trying to adhere as closely as possible to the Lancashire original rules that my father was coached under. KJ Gould: For those wanting to find out more about The Snake Pit and Lancashire style Catch Wrestling, how can they get in touch? (I'll make sure to list the website and facebook, but please add anything else you'd like promoted or pugged). Andrea Wood: Thank you for taking the time to read about us. We would love to hear your feedback or any enquiries you may have. For those wanting to find out more please visit www.snakepitwigan.com Or you can email me at andrea@snakepitwigan.com There is also a Facebook fan page the Snake Pit (For those interested in Heartlift please visit www.heartlift.co.uk andrea@heartlift.co.uk ) (there is also a Facebook fan page for Heartlift) Can I also recommend Normit Media who have done a fantastic job with our website and the media support they have offered from the outset. Fortunately for us we have found someone who loves Catch and so has offered to significantly reduce his rates but still provide a top class service and standard of excellence.

Posted in: people, riley, club, gym, wrestler

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

BALCO founder and Barry Bonds reputation destroyer Victor Conte recently did an interview with Shitdog radio in which he explains that he is totally anti-steroids and wants to eliminate them from athletic competition, and indeed, the entire universe. Because if he can’t supply them, then NO ONE WILL. Specifically, he advocates the use of Carbon Isotope Ratio testing to see whether the testosterone in an athlete’s system is artificial or not. The traditional method of seeing whether someone’s testosterone was or wasn’t produced by his own balls is to measure the T/E ratio, or that between testosterone and epitestosterone. Human sweetmeats naturally produce equal amounts of T and E, but people who inject their jawbreakers with artificial testosterone can have ratios much higher. The T/E ratio limit under the World Anti-Doping Agency is 4:1, and the T/E ratio issue was enough throw fighters like Chael Sonnen into WWE theatrics at athletic commission hearings. But the T/E ratio is a rough measure, because normal family jewels can vary in the amounts of each they produce, and people can still rub a little bit of artificial testosterone into their loins every now and then and not get caught. For the average person, about 75% of the testosterone in his clackers can be artificial, and he can still pass the 4:1 ratio test. But if the carbon in your testosterone has different isotopes from other compounds inside your system, you can be proven guilty even if your T/E ratio has equilibrated. His advocacy of Carbon Isotope Ratio testing means that Conte is so anti-steroids that he wants to count your neutrons to make sure that you’re clean. He’s so against people using “fast-acting gels and creams and water-based testosterone” (which of course he knows nothing about and would never tell anyone to use) that he’s literally going nuclear about it. Although the irony of the founder of BALCO trying to make steroid use MORE detectable is lost on no one, I suppose that there is no one better to clue us into the ins and outs of a typical performance enhancing drug regimen and advise us on how to catch people. But we have to think that he is either holding some things in reserve for his new clients or trying to bring everyone else down to his new clients’ level. After spending four months in prison, he’s probably migrated to the realm of the less-quasi-illegal supplements, and to keep everyone else even with his new client, Kyle Kingsbury, he’s taking no prisoners. In the spirit of disclosure, even though I used to poke fun at and make funny pictures of Kingsbury’s last opponent, Stephan Bonnar, because he used horse steroids, I myself have taken MusclePharm’s “Battle Fuel”. I ordered it after finding out that the stuff contains 20x strength suma root, which contains B-ecdysterone, a legal, natural steroid whose primary metabolite is 20-Hydroxyecdysone. (Yes, MusclePharm is the official steroid supplier of the UFC.) 20-Hydroxyecdysone controls molting and metamorphosis in animals with exoskeletons. I figured that insect hormones must be the way to go. I could sprout myself a human-sized crab shell and could become impervious to all damage; my kicks would be so much better if I had six legs; and if I went into a cocoon and sprouted wings, I would have a huge advantage. After I popped the first daily dose of six pills I indeed started to feel a little different... and then I did nothing but jack off for the next seven hours. So I found out first-hand that LEGAL supplements do not enhance the right type of performance. But testosterone, on the other hand, enhances one’s ability to compete in sports. If that enhancement makes one better able to smash someone else’s face in, problems arise. So we’d be well advised to buy what Conte’s selling, even if he probably also sells about 20 ways to circumvent those tests.

Posted in: te, people, testosterone, ratio, te ratio

Read the full article at Fightlinker

God knows if there is anyone who thinks there is no need for some sort of pointless "MMA vs. boxing" rivalry, it's me. I love both sports deeply for their various charms, but it is interesting to me to hear the thoughts of fighters from both sports on the other. Even if it's only out of a strange sense of curiosity. So when our friends at FightHub caught up with Zab Judah and asked for his thoughts on MMA, I checked out the video: Zab's quote: "MMA? I mean hey, it is what it is. It's..some people like to see. You know? I think the difference between MMA and boxing is anybody can be a MMA fighter it just takes...uh...you know, just brutality. You know what I'm sayin'? It's not a skill level thing. For me to get in and get your arm in a lock and try to pop it off, you know, as fast as I could? Anybody could do that. But when it comes to boxing, boxing is a skill, you know what I'm saying? It's an acquired entree. It's not for everybody." The point of this isn't "let's all get angry at Zab for what he said." Obviously he's speaking from a place of ignorance when it comes to MMA. The proper application of an armbar, kimura or any other arm lock is more than "grab arm and twist" we all know that. Hell, Zab probably knows that himself. I find the "acquired entree" thing to be the interesting part because it's something that I hear from MMA and boxing fans/participants alike when defending their sport. Both sports are very easy to understand and appreciate when you're watching James Kirkland vs. Alfredo Angulo, Micky Ward vs. Arturo Gatti, Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson or Stephan Bonnar vs. Forrest Griffin. Those are bouts which are, at their very core, what people expect a fight to look like. But watching an MMA fight which is a struggle for takedowns and positional control against submission attacks is something that does take a certain level of understanding and willingness to appreciate. To many people struggles against the cage or ground battles will never be appealing and they'll never understand what is going on because they simply don't care to. Similarly, many people watch a boxing match between two fighters with different styles and see clinching and hate that the guys keep "hugging" and the ref has to separate them. Boxing fans understand that in many cases it's a matter of dictating the space and distance at which the fight takes place or to break up the rhythm of the other fighter. There are a myriad of reasons why a clinch takes place or any other number of more subtle things in boxing. But many people won't care either way because they, again, simply don't care to. Both sports are acquired tastes and I don't think either is free from misunderstanding or falls gracefully into "everyone wants to see a fight" given that the definition of fight for most people falls well outside of anything a strategic fighter engages in. Of course, anyone can appreciate this: Too mean?

Posted in: mma, fighter, sport, boxing, people

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

One of the first questions Dana White was asked at last night's UFC 139 post fight press conference -- outside of an opportunity to gush over the simply amazing main event between Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua -- was whether a war like Shogun vs Hendo is the sort of fight he'd like to see on Fox considering how short Cain Velasquez vs Junior Dos Santos was and how people were wanting more than what the UFC delivered. Dana White maintains if he could go back in time he wouldn't have changed a thing and that the hardcore fans need to shut up about it. Transcription by me: Reporter: Obviously a war, I mean those guys were bloodied and hurt in battle ... is that the type of fight you'd like to see on Fox? I mean people were complaining last week, 'we didn't get enough', is this too much for Fox? Dana White: Let me tell you guys what ... I said it before and I'll say it again, if I could go back in a time machine and do the Fox fight over again, it would have been done the same exact way. Exactly the same way. The hardcores can bitch about that fight, I could care less what they think about that fight. I don't care, y'know? And people are like "Oh, you don't care what your fans think!?"  - No! I do not care what you think. That fight had to go the way that it went because none of you guys understand what goes on behind the scenes. If that fight that happened tonight went on Fox for the first time ever ... let me tell you what, I would not be having a good time these last 5 or 6 days. Believe me. We got to ease our way (in), we live in this bubble, gang, we live in this bubble that the rest of the world doesn't live in or understand and we're still in an education process and educating the masses about what this sport is and what it's all about. Those of us who are in this room, and people who have been watching this for a long time are blown away and just incredibly appreciate what those two did tonight in there, and you can understand what they went through and what was going on and, y'know, the rest of the world will go "Oh my god, what was that!?" ... you just don't understand. You guys might, I'm not talking to you; those of you that think we didn't do the right thing on the first Fox fight do not understand what it takes to build this sport and to be on national television. So 'shut up again'. Later on in the post fight press conference media scrum, Dana White re-iterates the potential hurdles he believes UFC have to avoid: Dana White: If you could have like a Shogun type fight, you know a Shogun / Henderson type fight on TV - I mean imagine what that (viewing) number would get to ... but that's not the fight you want for your first time on network television. It (the Fox Show) couldn't have gone any better, it worked out perfect for us, so yeah I'm pretty happy. The big thing is to go on network television and not have Fox getting flooded the next day with "Get this s**t off the television", you know what I mean? And I mean really if you watch that show, I don't care if you're the biggest freak - I mean these do, these freaks they come out of nowhere, right? I call them the 'nothing better to do with their lives' people - get a job, have some kids - do something! These people come out of nowhere and start attacking this sport, literally saying that it should go away; that we should shut down the UFC and this thing should go away - yeah OK, that's 'realistic'. But those are the kind of people that come after you, y'know? And it's just crazy. So there was none of that. To have the event on and have none of that is incredible. The UFC under the Zuffa umbrella have for a number of years been extremely image conscious and have an almost irrational fear of being perceived the wrong way publicly, which is perhaps why they are so particular about the media they're willing to credential to cover their events live and in person and why Dana White gets super defensive and often labels MMA writers with a critical opinion of the UFC as 'Internet idiots'. There was a point in time where perhaps this was the right attitude to have, when the UFC was truly fighting for its own survival and with it the hopes of a sport that was otherwise an underground spectacle with a cult following. I myself believe the UFC has achieved so much in both commercial success and its state regulation lobbying efforts that this fear of the sky falling over the slightest misstep has been completely unwarranted for several years. I also believe trying to micromanage its image to the point of delivering a more sports-like but ultimately sanitary product as a way of 'easing' its way into broader demographics is missing the whole point of going into business with a network like Fox. As TV networks go, Fox is known for being the ones at the cutting edge of television and willing to push the envelope, and the UFC trying to 'blunt its edge' to make themselves more palatable for the masses just seems at odds with Fox's ability to blaze trails. Fox has thrived on television products that have sparked controversy for years. Just look at Big Fox's schedule - Family Guy, American Dad and one of the most successful shows of all time, The Simpsons. The Simpsons has been protested against and criticized even by a US President about having a bad effect on children and for sending a bad message to the people of America. But it's still here, and it's still on network television some 20 years after its inception. If these shows were merely controversial or in some cases shocking and offensive without some kind of inherent quality to back themselves up with, they wouldn't be on TV anymore. Even with Family Guy which has been canceled a number of times, DVD sales prompted Fox to pick the show back up and stick with it. Fox should already know that the UFC's PPV numbers and sponsor attraction from the likes of Bud Lite and Harley Davidson, as well as its general presentation and ability to showcase exceptional fights speaks volumes about its quality. Even a fear of certain fights possibly being too graphic to watch pales when compared with the simulated gore that can often be seen in a medical show like 'House' where some episodes have shown eyeballs bursting, orifices bleeding and eviscerations. All of these shows can be dismissed as fictional while the UFC's product is real, but hysterical outrage isn't going to be so discerning and for the other shows this public attention has actually been of benefit. What's so interesting about Dana White's concerns and describing the 'freaks' he believes would bombard Fox with complaints, is it's almost a perfect match to the type of character Marge Simpson is and even the stance the character took in the Mixed Martial Arts themed episode "The Great Wife Hope" (Season 21, Episode 3). The episode satirizes the outrage these sorts of people have with an entity like MMA while spoofing the stereotypes associated with the sport, and gives Marge Simpson such gems of dialogue as "Call me a killjoy, but I think that because this is not to my taste - no one else should be able to enjoy it", and then a little later when addressing the episode's MMA promoter "Chet, I'm here to ask you one simple thing - please go out of business and donate all your profits to charity". The Simpsons' writers were able to succinctly display the flawed mentality of the types of people Dana White is wanting to avoid, but by trying his utmost to deliver a product that will fly under their radar just to prevent a few early headaches, the UFC might not actually be putting its best foot forward in showcasing the best the sport has to offer. Featuring fighters that are known to be loose cannons in and out of the cage understandably should be avoided, but the contrast of the visceral nature of the sport coupled with the often great sporting prowess and conduct by the fighters involved is something the UFC should not shy away from when it comes to their presence on national television. The benefit of this dual layer to MMA is of capturing the interest and imagination of the public which can lead to growth, and it far outweighs the drawback of having to contend with the Marge Simpsons of the world.

Posted in: ufc, fight, fox, dana, people

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Rua sounded like his jaw was broken. does anyone know if this is true or what his suspension was? total tangent: is anyone else pissed off that Evans is the de facto top contender? IMO he must beat at least two people before he's ready. ring rust is real, and he has never faced either of these badasses in his career. submitted by PeteFord [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: suspension, people, anyone, ring rust, contender imo

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Let me preface this article by clearly stating that I have not watched this fight yet, but judging from your reactions on Twitter, the Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler bout may be fight of the year. The Bellator lightweight champion title was on the line and the fight ended in a finish. Those two nuggets of information is all you're getting from me. I want my conscious to be 'spoiler free' tonight. Props to Zombie Prophet for the clips. Now excuse me while I watch Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles live in San Jose. I'm so close that I can see Arianny Celeste's disgust when random people in the crowd ask to marry her.  

Posted in: fight, vs, people, zombie prophet, champion title

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Former UFC heavyweight champion and three-time King of Pancrase, Bas Rutten, has a new show coming to Fuel TV called "Punk Payback." The message is simple: Give people what they've got coming to them. Perhaps that's why "El Guapo" is in such a tizzy over the current feud between PRIDE, K-1, Strikeforce and now UFC fighter Alistair Overeem and his former training camp, Golden Glory. "Demolition Man" recently split from his Netherlands-based management team citing a "breach of trust," which in financial terms equates to allegedly being owed $151,000 in earnings, including a signing bonus he was reportedly promised when he signed with Zuffa. Rutten disputes that claim in an interview with Paul Lazenby and slams "The Reem" for not wanting to "pay the people who made him." Take a look. "It's a money thing. He simply doesn't want to pay the people who made him ... It's funny how fighters think. When it goes bad with them, their team is everything to them, and they love their team. In interviews after they win a fight, they say: 'I owe everything to my team.' Then when the management starts to put great fights together for them, directing their careers and the fighter gets better and better, some of them simply can't handle it, and it gets to their head. I had a bad feeling already when he called himself, after he won the K-1 Grand Prix, a 'legend.' He actually said in an interview right after he won: 'I am a legend now.' I don't think a fighter can ever make that comment about himself. Also, a few months ago, when they started to get close to a good deal with the UFC, he realized that he could make a lot of money. The first thing he did was go to Cor Hemmers, his striking coach, and tried to renegotiate the 10% trainer's fee ... Yeah, he tries to let the rest of the world think that the coaches and other fighters are on his side, and that it's only the management he has problems with. But that is absolutely NOT the case. I mean, go to Cor Hemmers' gym and look at the posters with pictures of Alistair on there, see what his fellow fighters did to them ... And you know what he said to Martijn? I know this because I talked with Martijn personally three days ago. When he told Martijn he didn't want to pay the 10% trainer's fee--and remember, Cor and Martijn SPLIT the 10%, so it's not 20% in total--Martijn told him that he was there with him for TWELVE YEARS, and that they trained him for so long and went through the ups and downs, especially the downs. And on top of that, he said that he was Alistair's friend this whole time, and made a big contribution to Alistair's success. But Alistair said: 'Yeah, if we have to talk about people who contributed to my success, then I also have to mention my cleaning lady who cleans my house for eleven and a half Euros an hour.' Trouble had been brewing for some time, dating back to when Dana White had a well-publicized spat with Golden Glory that resulted in the release of all its fighters from every Zuffa-owned promotion. Shortly thereafter, Overeem announced his split from his longtime fight camp, eventually relocating to Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas to help prepare for his upcoming Octagon debut. But it was far from a clean break. Overeem, who will be fighting Brock Lesnar at UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem" on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas, filed suit against Knock Out Investments (KOI) and Golden Glory and they, in turn, are preparing to sue him back. At least we know which side "El Guapo" is on. How about you? Too soon to know all the facts? Or have you already passed judgment? And will this be too much of a distraction for Overeem on fight night? Opinions, please.

Posted in: overeem, fighter, las vegas, alistair, people

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Bas has done everything you could possibly imagine in MMA, including things that you once imagined, but forgot when you realized that you should focus on your school work instead of living vicariously through what you believe someone's life consists of. That's an incredibly long sentence. Some people's attention span will turn off mid-way through, but you must persevere through the rest of the sentence. It's a complete thought, you must believe. Believe in the English language. Also, don't forget to believe that Bas Rutten absolutely went off on Alistair Overeem in Paul Lazenby's blog including saying that Overeem won the K-1 World GP due to a string of incredible luck. It's a money thing. He simply doesn't want to pay the people who made him. When he lost three fights in a row...well, like pretty much 5, I mean, he lost, won, lost three times in a row, won, and lost again...and nobody wanted to have him. But his management kept pushing and using the power that they have because they have other great fighters. Like, for example [they would say]: "If you want Semmy Schilt to fight, then you have to take Alistair as well." It's funny how fighters think. When it goes bad with them, their team is everything to them, and they love their team. In interviews after they win a fight, they say: "I owe everything to my team". Then when the management starts to put great fights together for them, directing their careers and the fighter gets better and better, some of them simply can't handle it, and it gets to their head. I had a bad feeling already when he called himself, after he won the K-1 Grand Prix, a "legend". He actually said in an interview right after he won: "I am a legend now". I don't think a fighter can ever make that comment about himself. And talking about the Grand Prix, let's face it, he had a great deal of luck as well there. He fought Peter Aerts who had a WAR with Semmy Schilt [previously that night] and was completely banged up, and then he fought [Gokhan] Saki, who had a broken arm AND hand, in the finals! At that moment when you win, you should say: "I'm very happy with the result, the stars were in line for me tonight, I also got a little bit of luck". Because everybody is going to say that about you anyway, you might as well simply say it yourself to keep the people respecting you, but NOT: "I'm a legend". I KNOW what Golden Glory did for him. He couldn't punch or kick when he came to them, and I mean, HE COULDN'T PUNCH OR KICK! Some fighters get big and then forget who was fighting for them when they were losing. Two months ago, he wanted to make a belt for the Golden Glory team with "FOR CHAMPION MANAGEMENT" engraved on it. Those were HIS words after they made this huge contract for him, and now he says they are morons? He used them to negotiate the best deal and when they did it, now suddenly they are morons? Explain that to me. It's unreal. Also, a few months ago, when they started to get close to a good deal with the UFC, he realized that he could make a lot of money. The first thing he did was go to Cor Hemmers, his striking coach, and tried to renegotiate the 10% trainer's fee. You have to understand, [a deal like Alistair's UFC contract] is a dream for trainers, because there is a possibility that they create, with the help from management of course, a fighter who can make some REAL money for them. Because let's face it, most trainers don't live in a huge house, don't drive a big car, they do it for the love of the fighter they train. They put their whole heart and soul in there. When a fighter's lost three in a row, and there is no hope for him, the trainer is always there for him, helping him again and again, and the management is trying to find fights for him. Understand as well that trainers like Cor Hemmers and Martijn de Jong are busy with the fighter 24 hours a day. I talked to Cor in the past and he told me he couldn't sleep from all the tension, and about thinking: "What's the best game plan for Alistair?" Also know that when Alistair [first] came to Cor, when he would get hit, he would turn his back to his opponent and didn't want to fight! You saw that when he fought his first K-1 fight in Holland, it was very bad. And when he was losing, [his trainers] were the ones who convinced him to go heavyweight since he was cutting way too much [to make light-heavyweight]. And you know what he said to Martijn? I know this because I talked with Martijn personally three days ago. When he told Martijn he didn't want to pay the 10% trainer's fee--and remember, Cor and Martijn SPLIT the 10%, so it's not 20% in total--Martijn told him that he was there with him for TWELVE YEARS, and that they trained him for so long and went through the ups and downs, especially the downs. And on top of that, he said that he was Alistair's friend this whole time, and made a big contribution to Alistair's success. But Alistair said: "Yeah, if we have to talk about people who contributed to my success, then I also have to mention my cleaning lady who cleans my house for eleven and a half Euros an hour." People, that's not even half of what Bas Rutten had to say about Alistair Overeem. I suggest all of you read the rest of the interview at Paul Lazenby's blog. No, in fact I insist that you do. [Source]

Posted in: fight, fighter, alistair, people, trainer

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Not necessarily what you think the "best" fight ever is, although it may be. Just curious as to what people think? Mine is Diet Nog vs. Shogun Rua from Pride Critical Countdown 2005 with a honorable mention going to GSP vs. Penn I from UFC 58. submitted by ladt420 [link] [16 comments]

Posted in: fight, vs, people, nog, mine

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Middleweight "murderer" Wanderlei Silva trains his ass off for his co-main event against Cung Le at  UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson" from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on Nov. 19, 2011. Says Wandy: "I think that for you to reach your potential, for you to be the best you can be, for you to excel in your career, you must surround yourself with good people, because in this world, it's much harder to succeed on your own. You should surround yourself with competent people who are willing to help you. Many people have to work on their own and succeed. But it will be much harder to do it than with good people who motivate you." Silva has surrounded himself with the best possible people -- but will it make a difference on fight night? For the latest news and notes on the upcoming scrap between Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le check out our comprehensive fight archive right here.

Posted in: silva, fight night, people, comain event, wandy i

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Ok so I watched the event last night and yeah it wasn't as great for the sport as it could've been but it wasn't too bad either. So anyway I come on here today and read the HOLY S*IT UFC on FOX thread and am blown away by the amount of people saying they were suprised at how weak Cains chin is and I think I read someone say he got KTFO. NO. Ok firstly Cain didn't get hit in the chin or KO he couldn't recover his equilibrium. For people who don't know about where the balance we have in everyday life is managed the KO might seem like what happened but it didn't; he wasn't out and here is why. The human balance opperater is called the maculae and is located in the inner ear. Click through the flash picture on the left it can explain it better than I can. http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/factfiles/balance/balance_animation.shtml What happens when you get an impact on or near your ear especially with the force Cain did is that you get really, really dizzy. When this happens you will fall over and I swear it is very hard to know which way the ground is. It is sort of like being super drunk when seeing and walking straight are very hard, your vision keeps waving side to side up and down and your balance is swaying like a pendulum on 3 axis. This is what happened after that first blow hit Cain he was never unconsious, look at this I think he gives up and knows he can't recover but I don't think he is out: http://babyshowerforguys.com/home/content/article?id=37 Here is another angel funny enough the artical is questioning if Cain was starting to tap as the fight was stopped probably because that arm is not limp. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/938888-ufc-on-fox-results-video-did-cain-velasquez-tap-out-to-strikes Am I saying I taught it was a bad decision; No I am not. The recovery from a shot like this is generaly pretty quick but when you have a JDS swarming on you like a vulture on a carcass you stand little chance of surviving. The main reason I made this post is no matter who Cain fights next I know there will be those people say stuff like his chin is super weak and all that racket and maybe it is but that was not proved through this fight which they will point to as evidence. Maybe I'm being an asshat, anyone with better views or a different opinion show/rant away I know I have! submitted by villagejester [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: fight, people, wasnt, chin, balance

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez is a proud Mexican fighter, not a Latin gang member. Velasquez will fight to retain his belt when he squares off against the heavy-handed Junior dos Santos at UFC on FOX from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., which he won with a first round destruction of Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 in Oct. 2010. Fighting is nothing new to Velasquez, whose family has a rich tradition of fighting to survive. In honor of his father and his deep respect for his Mexican heritage, Velasquez had his chest tattooed with the phrase, "Brown Pride." Velasquez has received some heat, in the past, for his tattoo. Critics have called it racist, divisive and have even associated it with gang crime in Southern California. He wants people to know that his tattoo isn't about superiority. It's a tribute to where he's come from and what he's had to overcome:  "I got this tattoo for two reasons. One, for everything my parents did to come over to this country, all the hardships they had crossing the border. ‘Brown pride' when we were growing up meant ‘Mexican pride.' That's how we would say it. It's something to say if we're proud about where we came from. What my Dad did, my Mom did to get over to this country to me means a lot. I'm proud of where I came from. I'm proud of what Mexican people stand for. We're known as hard working people. We're known as fighters. We're known to have a lot of heart. We're known to never give up in the gym and have a lot of cardio. To always work hard. The work ethic that my Dad, all the Mexican people bring out in the fields and stuff, we bring to the gym and whatever else we do. Another reason why I got is because when I was growing up I didn't have anybody to look up to. There's nobody that was my size that was Mexican that looked like me that I could see in the media. I pretty much didn't have those dreams of ‘Hey, I can do that stuff. I can be in the media, I can play professional sports.' I didn't have that. I didn't have anybody to look up to so now that I'm in that position, I put ‘Brown Pride' on my chest to let people know ‘Hey, I'm Mexican. I'm proud to be Mexican. I'm doing good things.' For those people that just don't know the story behind it, that's all I can say. The only thing I can do is clear it up by doing interviews like this." After winning the belt from Lesnar, Velasquez was heralded by many as being the first ever Mexican heavyweight champion. It's a claim that isn't completely true, as Ricco Rodriguez is also of Mexican descent and was a UFC heavyweight champion as well (he is also part Puerto Rican). Regardless of the validity of the claim, there's never been a mixed martial artist who has been embraced by the Mexican (and Mexican-American) community as Velasquez has been. Fittingly, Velasquez will return to the place where it all got started when he defends his title for the first time later this evening against "Cigano" in Anaheim. Velasquez is certain to have an army of supporters behind him as he takes on dos Santos in Southern California, which has a large population of Mexican-Americans. Brown pride, united. To honor Velasquez, his heritage and his journey to the top, FOX Deportes has been running a series based on the champion, appropriately titled: "Cain Velasquez: Brown Pride." The third and final volume of the series ran on FOX Deportes yesterday (Nov. 11) at 7 p.m. ET. For fans who missed it, FOX Deportes will show all three episodes (consecutively) today at 3 p.m. ET.

Posted in: velasquez, pride, people, im, mexican

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Filed under: UFC, UFC on FOXANAHEIM -- UFC president Dana White showed up to the post-fight press conference after his organization's network debut on FOX looking more relieved than elated. "I feel great," he insisted almost defensively, before the question was even finished. "It's behind me. I've been waiting for this." In fairness, this was the end of an incredibly stressful period in White's life. The Cain Velasquez-Junior dos Santos bout he'd hyped as "the biggest fight in UFC history" had ended in just one minute and four seconds after a hard right hand from dos Santos sent Velasquez on the path toward defeat. As many viewers of the post-fight show on FOX noted, White's commentary about Velasquez's performance didn't make him sound terribly pleased about the effort he'd gotten from his champion on the big night. But as White told reporters inside the Honda Center on Saturday night, he knew the risks of putting two heavyweights in the cage from the very beginning. "I said it in the first press conference: this thing could go 30 seconds or this thing could go 25 minutes. We'll see. Either way it'll be a great fight and it was. That's what happens when you put two heavyweights in there who bang. Anything can happen. ...As soon as those fights start, whatever happens happens. There's nothing you can do about that. We can't control the fights." As for his remarks about Velasquez's game plan, questioning why he didn't try harder to use his wrestling skills and get dos Santos to the mat, White painted himself as just another observer with his own take on the proceedings. "I wouldn't say that I was critical," said White. "I had an opinion. When we went back to the post[-fight] show, I said, you know, I don't understand why Cain wouldn't have shot, gone in for the shot, try to work, pressure him, and not stay in his range and try to bang with Junior in the early rounds. But what the hell am I? I'm not anybody's coach or trainer. It was just my impression about the fight." A soft-spoken Velasquez admitted he'd strayed from his own strategy, brief though the fight was, saying his original goal had been to establish his striking game and "if the takedown is there, take it." "It was my fault," said the former champion. "I didn't pressure him enough. The game plan was to go in there and pressure." Even though the fight ended with a definitive TKO, White didn't seem particularly thrilled with how quickly it was over, and with good reason. A 64-second fight leaves little opportunity for ratings to build from the pre-fight show, and might make a poor impression on first-time viewers who haven't seen the sport before. Meanwhile, the undercard bout between lightweights Ben Henderson and Clay Guida was a three-round thriller that streamed on Facebook and FoxSports.com rather than airing on the network broadcast. Had FOX opted to air that fight as well, it might have helped ratings reach a greater peak for the main event, though don't tell that to White, who pointed out that this was a special introduction show -- not a part of the UFC-FOX deal. "For anybody to bitch about this fight and how they didn't get to see that fight -- shut up," he said. "You should have bought tickets if you wanted to see all the fights and you don't like to watch it on Facebook. Seriously, shut up. I don't even want to hear it." Regardless of what the ratings turn out to be in the U.S., White claimed that dos Santos' home country tuned in to the fast and furious fight en masse, with an estimated viewing audience of 60 million. "60 million people," White repeated. "There's 200 million people in the country. That's pretty crazy." Upon hearing this, a grin spread across dos Santos' face. "I'm famous," said the new UFC heavyweight champion. And regardless of how longtime MMA fans might criticize the UFC's presentation in its network debut, White termed it "the perfect night" from a production standpoint, and cautioned that broadcasting on FOX isn't as simple as some might think. "What you guys have to understand is tonight we were talking to people who had never seen the UFC before. We weren't talking to the hardcore fans. We weren't talking to the people who'd been watching for years. We were talking to and trying to educate people who'd never seen it before. Now that we're on a mainstream platform, many of you don't realize all the battles we fight behind the scenes. It's crazy. Every freaking weirdo comes out from everywhere. You know, 'fighting is on TV!' We've been on TV for six years, coalition of 'I have nothing better to do.' We have to ease into this thing." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, fox, do, people

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Gina Carano is giving new meaning to those little infographics that pop up as UFC fighters are walking into the cage, saying things like “well-versed at submission”, “good ground and pound”, and “likes to bang”. She recently did an interview with Bullett Media in which she says that when she is fighting, she feels like she’s really “sticking it to” her opponent: Q: You once said, “Fighting is like sex in its intensity, as an exchange of energy between two people.” When you’re in the ring, do you feel as if you and your opponent are connecting in a way that only the two of you can understand? A: I think that fighting is similar to sex in that people have to let their guards down—well, some people do and some people don’t. The secret is chemistry. When two people are attacking each other, that chemistry is definitely going to come out in an interesting way. When you fight someone, you share the experience with that one person, and you’re never going to have that experience with someone else—even in another fight. I always have this weird connection with them. It really is like we had sex. I’ll always know how many people I fought. Q: Do you do much research into those against whom you’re fighting? A: Yes, if I’m going to fight her, I want to know who she is: Does she drink? Does she have a boyfriend? Is she secure? Does she love attention? Does she love being sexy? Does she wish she were a straight male? Q: Those characteristics manifest themselves in the ring? A: Yeah, totally. If you’re feeling good about yourself and you’re feeling sexy, then the last thing you want to do is fight. It’s my job to figure out their weaknesses. So, those who were saddened when they found out that Kit Cope doesn't actually have a Gina Carano sex tape to release can take heart... if they’re into lesbian porn. It’s interesting to see that Gina is evidently one of those crazy stalker chicks who does a full background check on you before she sleeps with you and keeps a tally of all her “conquests”. Based on this, it’s not surprising that Gina found her string of “one-fight stands” unsatisfying enough to quit. I mean, who could handle the emotional roller coaster of having a “connection” and “chemistry”, but not being wined and dined? Evidently she was so disheartened by this that she did poorly at her last “performance” after forgetting whether she was coming to bang or simply banging to come.

Posted in: fight, people, sex, ’re, gina

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How JDS got the nick name "Cigano" (gypsy) By people in his academy making fun of him claiming he looked like a character in a popular Brazilian Soap Opera. "When I had hair (laughs), I used to tie it back. So the guys would say I would look like the "gypsy". I used to hate that, but the less you like it the more it sticks, it wasn’t any different here" Junior reminisces.

Posted in: people, wasn ’t, gypsy, gypsy i, cigano

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There’s no denying it. Gina Carano brings a certain amount of sex appeal to the cage that no one else in the sport does. So much so, most of the men watching her fight probably aren’t thinking about just fighting when she’s on camera if you know what I mean. Remember Mauro Ranallo’s infamous “25 cm pole” line he let rip when Gina fought Tonya Evinger? Yeah, exactly. Well, Gina isn’t exactly thinking about sex too when she’s knocking some poor girl’s teeth in, but this little comment she dropped in an interview with Bullett probably isn’t going to help anybody get their mind out of the gutter the next time she steps in the cage. I think that fighting is similar to sex in that people have to let their guards down—well, some people do and some people don’t. The secret is chemistry. When two people are attacking each other, that chemistry is definitely going to come out in an interesting way. When you fight someone, you share the experience with that one person, and you’re never going to have that experience with someone else—even in another fight. I always have this weird connection with them. It really is like we had sex. I’ll always know how many people I fought. Um, so when does Gina fight again? HT: CagePotato

Posted in: fight, people, gina carano, sex, gina

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submitted by neggbird [link] [5 comments]

Posted in: people, ariel helwani, ariel, dont, neggbird

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Hey now. Former female Strikeforce star and one of Esquire's "sexiest women alive," Gina Carano, is dishing some dirt on her approach to the fight game. "Conviction" hasn't seen action since a first round beatdown at the hands of Brazilian "Cyborg" Cristiane Santos back in Aug. 2009. She was supposed to return to action earlier this year against Sarah D'Alelio; however, she was forced off the card for vague medical reasons. Despite her absence, the one time "face of women's MMA" still has a "weird connection" to her past opponents, almost like they "had sex." That's according to her recent interview in Bullett Magazine: "I think that fighting is similar to sex in that people have to let their guards down—well, some people do and some people don’t. The secret is chemistry. When two people are attacking each other, that chemistry is definitely going to come out in an interesting way. When you fight someone, you share the experience with that one person, and you’re never going to have that experience with someone else—even in another fight. I always have this weird connection with them. It really is like we had sex. I’ll always know how many people I fought." It would be interesting to hear if any of the male fighters in our audience share this same perspective. During her more than two-year long mixed martial arts (MMA) hiatus, Carano has kept herself busy thanks to a high-profile acting role in the upcoming "Haywire" movie from director Steven Soderbergh. "Haywire" is scheduled for release in Jan. 2012. No timetable has been set for her return to MMA. MMAmania.com will deliver the latest news on Carano and her fight future as more information emerges. In the meantime, feel free to check out her most recent work on the set of "Haywire" here, here and here. Enjoy.

Posted in: fight, people, gina carano, sex, carano

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Former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin recently won $5000 for having one of the "most creative" tweets as judged by the promotion's new Twitter contest. The rules are fairly simple: Dazzle your followers with humor and innovative tweets, score some cash. On the heels of his winning performance, maybe Griffin felt it was time to up the ante. Or perhaps he had an error in judgement. Then again, maybe he just tried to be witty and bombed. Whatever the case, his Nov. 8 tweet that read "Rape is the new missionary" went over like the proverbial lead balloon. Probably not the best way to connect with your fans as the promotion gears up for its first-ever network television debut with UFC on FOX: "Velasquez vs. Dos Santos" on Nov. 12 in Anaheim, California. And the timing couldn't have been worse, now that most of the sports media is focused on the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal. Griffin, who promptly deleted the tweet when he was "unfollowed" by a fan, continues to receive a public spanking. Yahoo Sports called for a donation to a rape-victim charity, while Huffington Post got huffy and questioned the "Ultimate Fighter's" view on women. Then there was this article by ESPN, which sparked a heated reaction from its readers: It's doubtful there will be any major repercussions, even though he is a professional athlete representing the UFC. The rule of "don't go around saying dumb s---" is loosely interpreted. If it were the NFL, say, a slip up like that might banish him from the league. Remember when Kansas City running back Larry Johnson tweeted a homophobic slur towards a fan? It cost him $213,000 and not just his spot on the roster, but ultimately his standing in the NFL. He's blowing on the house of cards he helped build, and historically he's been allowed to. But it'd be better if he just didn't. The bottom line is that Dana White refuses to muzzle himself when he wants to get something off his chest, and he won't muzzle his fighters. This is usually refreshing, particularly when rote answers are a plague in other sports. And yet, there are times when that sort of leeway is disastrous. If we were five years down the line, to the projected heights that White and Lorenzo Fertitta are taking the sport, tweets like that will carry too many associations. The kind that may hurt the brand image, and burn sponsorship bridges, and steal away control over careers. In short, a tweet like that could bring upon Griffin a profound feeling of the very verb that he treated so lightly. Chuck Mindenhall's comments (above), from his article "Forrest Griffin leaves bad taste with Tweet," left an even worse taste with his readers. Here's a sample of his feedback. This is the dumbest story i've read on here Ghost_702 borrrrrriiinnnngggg. did a girl write this?mowens2404 well, i thought it was funny...MFootballFan hahahah i've notice a decline in intelligent articles on ESPN recently.RBJ_05 A poor statement from a poor fighter.bluedevil24255 So he can tweet.....as long as his opinion is the same as the majority??? No Mindenhall, you dipsh*t! That's what's wrong with sports and American in general! You have freedom of speech, as long as it makes the majority happy!jachmar15 WAAA WAAA WAA, stop being so $@% pc. Forrest is the man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!turdferguson1113 society today is above and beyond ridiculously sensitive. there's a thing called FREEDOM OF SPEECH people! Get a clue MindenhallTHERAKE_1124 Griffen sucks anyway, who cares. The guys is a middle of the pack fighter who gets paraded around by Dana like he's a top talent...except he's not.azcards480 Chuck Mindenhall exhibits the "bad taste" with that hideous hat he's wearingtaylorburke28 WOW! This article was pointless. If you don't like what he says then don't follow him. He doesn't have to be or say what you want him to say. Seriously people there are better things to do then to $@%!$ about one guy post up. Like if Anderson Silva and Brock Lesner and even Jon Jones can get away with crap in the octagon than what ever Forrest Griffin says doesn't even matter. steelarrowhead His comments were inappropriate and stupid but dont expect ANYONE here to believe that an NFL player would get kicked from the league for tweeting the same thing, that was a stupid comment Mindenhall, how about when Adrian Peterson likened being an NFL player to being a slave!? he didnt even get hit with fineFu_Matchu Why don't people just relax!? This is the problem with social media. It just gets you in trouble whenever you open your mouth and voice your opinion on anything, no matter how right or wrong you are in the light of the media and fans. It's ruining society. You can't do or say anything anymore because someone is always watching and listening. I'm sure he doesn't beat his wife and doesn't think rape is cool. The jokes were in bad taste but it doesn't make him a bad guy.Fu_Matchu I think people (women especially) can be just a little too sensitive, way to often. Obviously he doesn't actually believe in any of the crazy or random things that he says...its just for a giggle. So to get offended just shows how poor of a sense of humor people (women) have. I love Forrest...he's a goofy dude, and these comments won't set him back any more than an $@%! whoopin by Anderson Silva did.Lambois42 This is not about women, or people being too sensitive in these times, this is about common sense and understanding the environment in which you choose to provide a position. I'm all about free speech, but you have to understand that there are going to be other opinions out there that may counter your own. I appreciate Forrest for being himself and sharing his views, but in the end sometimes those views may not be popular.HebrewBaron Forrest Griffin is generally one of the classier fighters in the UFC. I agree with thedarkwingduck2k50.. too many blows to the head.. Those Bonnar fights probably cost them both many, many brain cells.thedarkwingduck2k50 The general consensus among the media is that Forrest put his foot in his mouth, and should do more than just put himself on "Twitter restriction" for a week. The consensus among fans? Let him say what he wants and stop crucifying him for speaking his mind. As with any debate, the pendulum swings both ways. Not every media outlet has condemned him, just like there are plenty of fans who don't support him. Without turning this into mud-slinging contest, I'm wondering, which side of the argument do you fall on?

Posted in: fan, people, griffin, tweet, forrest

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Though the MMA world may be focused on two other heavyweights at the moment, as soon as Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos scrap this weekend at UFC on FOX 1 the community’s collective attention will turn towards December 30 and UFC 141 when former champion Brock Lesnar returns to the ring against polished Dutchman Alistair Overeem. Lesnar hasn’t been seen much since his most recent bout with diverticulitis, though he’s not one to seek publicity when healthy either. However, the 34-year old recently updated fans on his health and how he’s approaching his headlining bout with Overeem while promoting his involvement in WWE’s newest video game. “I’m approaching this fight hungrier than I’ve ever been,” replied Lesnar when asked about his mindset relating to Overeem. “The things that I accomplished with the sickness that I had (are) very remarkable and nobody will know that except for me and the people I surrounded myself (with), that saw me do the things that I did under the circumstances I was given.” “I’m a healthy Brock Lesnar again and that’s bad for a lot of people,” Lesnar continued, assuring people he was training at full speed. “I will prove on that night I am once again and will always be the baddest dude on the planet.” Other topics included how his training/diet have changed in the wake of his medical condition and, of course, some WWE-related topics like his personal problem with Steve Austin. Check out the entire video below (MMA stuff starts about 3:30): PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, brock lesnar, lesnar, people, brock

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To start it off, if you missed it, here's what happened. Mr. Griffin tweeted the following: @ForrestGriffinForrest Griffin Rape is the new missionaryNov 08 via Twitter for iPhone  Favorite  Retweet  Reply Oops. Listen. Rape jokes are a high risk, low reward concept. You really have to nail it (very punny, I know) in order for even some people to get a laugh out of it, and quite frankly, that was about as humorous as oatmeal. Even them some people will get pissed because of the subject matter, so it's really hard to get ahead (again) in this situation. Forrest was either unaware, forgot or didn't give a damn about this and went ahead and made a bit of a fool of himself to anyone with a computer. That's the problem with the internet, social media and specifically communicating on them. Your words reach everyone and are there for all of posterity's sake. I've definitely had some instances of foot-in-mouth disease before and I probably will again, but one thing I've gotten better at is trying to limit my damage. Don't put stuff somewhere where it can be used against you. Ever want to run for office? Seriously, mind your Ps and Qs your entire life, or you might find yourself Anthony Weiner'd (yay, another phallic image!). Naturally, this snafu has made everyone involved look bad (everyone being Forrest), but some people want to take it to the next level. Brent Brookhouse over at Bloody Elbow thinks he should be punished in some way by the UFC for his transgression. I don't necessarily agree with this, but it isn't without some merit. I just think it should be a slap on the wrist. Look, it was a bad joke. It was poor taste and shouldn't have been said outside the comfort of his living room amongst people that would laugh it off and forget it within 10 minutes. That isn't what Twitter is. So he screwed up. Is it any worse than Rampage dry humping Heather Nichols a couple years ago? Or motorboating Karyn Bryant just earlier this year? He wasn't punished for either of those by the way, outside of his own apologizing and what have you, and those were actual physical acts, as opposed to just some rambling on the interwebs. Were Nick Diaz and Joe Riggs ever punished for their fight in the hospital? Did the UFC ever fine Rampage (seems to be a recurring name here) for his energy-drink-fueled romp in his monster truck? I'll save you the trouble of Googling it, the answer is no. Personally, if I'm Dana White, and I'm asked about this, my polite response would be "No. He apologized, and he has to make whatever amends he feels he should make. Who knows, maybe a sponsor will drop him? When you say stuff, you get a reaction, and you have to live with it. Sometimes, like myself, you just blab it out there and you have to deal with the repercussions. That's what I do and that's what Forrest will have to do. He won't be paying any fine to the UFC." This is mostly how I feel as well, but that's pretty much exactly what I can picture coming out of Dana's mouth if he gets asked about this. He's candid and quite frankly, an idiot sometimes as well. But he deals with the consequences of his words on his own. Perhaps Forrest will use this as an opportunity to make a donation to a shelter for rape victims? That'd really be the best possible outcome here - some good coming from an otherwise nonsensical situation.

Posted in: people, everyone, griffin, forrest, that

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Link Translation: After parting from the UFC's loss to Roy Nelson, Mirko Filipovic is exclusively featured on video chat site GOL.hr. Legend free fight could not be stopped in his farewell address to the fans. Mirko is honestly answered the questions that he did not stgli not ask, he knew that interested in the Croatian public. He said, among other things, he finally decided to say goodbye to the UFC, and active competition. Cro Cop's head right at the beginning of our video chat Sasha Lugonjić revealed his thoughts after the final defeat of Nelson in Las Vegas, after which he decided to retire. "I feel good, I'm happy because it was nevertheless passed a difficult period for me, v ažno is that everything is finished and I am a happy man today, I'm sorry that I lost and I admit, it will take me a long chase. Athlete I hate failures, but such were the circumstances, ten days before the fight I had problems with injuries, I fought injured but I do not want to look for excuses, nor be sissy. " First I have to repair the hand that does not remain disabled, then we will see in a year or two Mirko explained what those problems are. "I was hurt during a sparring, Sam Barry struck, while the injured hand, namely the muscle, I went to the examination and did not want to go to NY. The doctor told me I needed surgery, but I refused because I did not want to give up the fight. I was preparing myself for it for six months. Here are just now coming out of the hospital, I need urgently to surgery, we separated the tendon from the bone, threatening me to stay on the disabled hand, really it was a severe injury. I think it was good fight, but I felt the hand of the problems, I simply could not be true, but I do not want to draw it now. " Cro Cop answered the burning question, which is a continuation of your career? "I have forgiven, it has nothing to do with the defeat, despite the victory would certainly be forgiven by the UFC. I'm not planning to renew his contract, he asked me to kill this routine and training. I was a pro, I was an athlete in every sense of the words, I never saw the people did not match that I neglected to urlam in the ring, to act unfairly or that I come to fight a full hall which can be seen in other fighters. I think I gave a lot to this sport, I had a long, rich career, which lasted 20 years and I really have to complain so of course it could be better, but it could have been much worse. Anyone can beat anyone in this sport and this is the biggest problem. " As Mirko says the UFC which is considered to have a lot more? "Frankly, we never UFC did not lay down, I've never fought there with gusto, as was the case in Japan. Although I was a pro, I was never the same as in Pride. Old self died with PRIDE-infection. Lived I am Spartan, I renounced it all, not for me any dates or drinking alcohol, and recently started to bother me a routine, so I decided to forgive. " UFC I never lie, old self died with PRIDE-om UFC to him, never fair 'sit'. "The Pride was a brutal knee to the head on the floor, really cruel policies in Japan than in America, but here I was bothered by very different things. I do not want to say anything against the UFC, but I like the cage We are animals. That was the biggest shock and disturb me, and relationships within the organization. In the end, frankly, in my decision, ruled the money. I would have never forgiven that I have said a lot of 33's, if I knew that can still earn at least something, "said Mirko, and discovered that it was actually the most hurt in the UFC. "I only wanted to get money for what I did. I understand that people do their job, but it bothered me. The hardest thing in the whole story I sit weighing. It was terrible. It was such pomp and spectacle about it, we bring the two and a half hours earlier, killing me, people screaming, I really never liked it, it suits some people but not me. The day before the fight that really irritated me. " Can we look forward to a match against Fjdorora? "Now you do not, now only want to repair the arm, today or tomorrow, maybe, but not under the UFC. My racing career is over, but maybe in two years if it vanishes the fire in me, I do some matches in Japan or elsewhere. But Now, however injury, which is currently the most I think. " We can divide my career in the competitive and the financial Complaining to the making of her career and whether they could forgive and earlier? "On the eve of battle with Pat Barry I said a lot, but I told God, give me that beat Barry and that the fight takes place without injury. So far I've had six surgeries and of course I kalkurirao, if I hurt your knee, muscle or something. On the way back I said at the airport as it was my last fight and I'm really so decided. But the call was followed by the UFC and you can jump in for the match in peace. I was hesitant at the end of the pier and the next morning end up in hospital. " "Certainly I'm not complaining of anything, I did a lot in this sport and this fight when the injury occurred before the match against Nelson, I asked the Lord, why is this happening, but I did, it cost me head, but I'm not complaining. " Mirko also revealed that the decision in that it does not forgive the 33 years on the back. "Frankly, after the Grand Prix 2006th year they asked me why I withdrew before. I did not earn enough that I could say that I am secure livelihoods. Life writes weird stories and I could probably live five or ten years with the money. But I have decided to otherwise, can someone tell me what they want. Not that I now will no longer work, I have some investments that we should start to return, but then did not provide a definite existence. At such moments there offer the UFC. " I did not know that Pat Barry filmed our singing in the car. He is a great guy Can we expect a farewell fight? "I do not want to do farewell parties, not like some sort of fanfare and I never liked it. The United States has always annoyed me that the promotion and everything in Japan I had a different status, and I had to go to press conferences and odrađivati ​​these tasks, it is my all annoyed, "he complained Mirko. Are there friends in this sport? "The closest I have with Pat Barry, this is the only fighter who has been in my house. But with anyone in particular, be a friend to me for a special category." Who do you say the best heavyweight in the world? "It's hard to say. Dos Santos and Velasquez are now in the spotlight, there is Overeem, and ultimately there is the Congo, Barry, everyone everyone can win in this sport, with our bare hands." I have my own room in the house, which is open to all people who think they can help. Let me report You fought with Pat Barry, how did the recording to sing along in the car? "Oh, just, I did not even know how to record, after I saw it was only when he put me to put on Youtube, but I still never got to see." Why do not you try going to a known training camp abroad? "I'd gone mad, as they profited so much to lose. He could not leave children or friends. Just could not. Do not be pleased no matter how it's a good thing to go into these camps, personally I could not and did not like nothing before the end of a career change. " Might have to do in Croatia such a camp? "Unfortunately, it's hard. I have my own room in the house, which is open to all people who think they can help. Let me come forward, repeat. All they know for my bar in the Spanish, where they can leave their contact or slip past me. There is no general the problem. " Thanks to everyone who rejoiced with me, and I apologize if I hurt anyone. Maybe I was a language faster than the mind, but I never thought anything bad There have been other inquiries ... "I must say that I have received invitations to seminars. People have asked me for it, but do not realize that it is not easy and inexpensive. If you are trying to work honestly for me to take two and a half at least, and even to this and I want to work with each to show them how it looks in the ring. I asked for $ 1000 per hour. So when you take a psychiatrist to him for treatment. They refused me, explaining that people came to $ 100 for a seminar, Stefan Leko. I do not belittle anyone but for all that we now have and what I know, I got my sweat, with six of its operations and travel. " Have you watched the fight Stipe Miocic and would you help him in his career? "No, but I would certainly help. My door is open to everyone." Does it bother him that no athlete status in Croatia? "The problem with the acceptance is very high. Many of these are not considered sports, although there is a clear system of competition and strict rules, but for many it will be marginal. But many fighters to potentiate themselves. When you see these tattoos, say death on his back, to the anti propaganda for the sport and it is clear why it creates antagonism. Such relations in Croatia does not bother me, but I've gotten over it. " Favorite win? "There are many, but not to any particular stood out. Grand Prix was certainly special, and I've never been happier after that. And when I fight with Bob Sapp, it was also very special, I was very happy when I seen on the floor. He is now Sprdačina, and when he won twice Hoost nobody but me wanted to go with him into the ring. " The heaviest defeat? "Of course the last one." Mirko at the end of video chat and emotional address to supporters addressed the public: "Thanks to everyone who rejoiced with me, and I apologize if I hurt anyone. Maybe I was a language faster than the mind, but I never thought anything bad," he concluded Mirko Filipovic. submitted by FormlessD [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: ufc, fight, sport, people, mirko

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Filed under: UFCChris Leben knows that, as far as some people are concerned, he'll always be the person he was in 2004. He knows because they tell him, even if it's not in so many words. "It's tough," Leben said. "When I go do an appearance or something, everybody wants to see 'The Cat Smasher.' They want to see the dyed red hair." If he arrives without it -- in other words, if he shows up looking like a normal human being sporting his natural color -- they act shocked, as if he's tricked them somehow. As if he's obligated to be the wild man they remember from TV more than half a decade ago. As if he has no right to turn down their offer of a free drink, even if they only want to buy him one so they can see him go crazy. It's not that Leben doesn't know why this reputation still follows him around. His antics on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter made him one of the show's most dynamic personalities, for better or worse. It turns out that when you drink too much and put your fist through inanimate objects, people tend to remember. Shaking that image hasn't been easy for Leben, and he has, in his estimation, been his own worst enemy for much of his career ever since. "It's not so much what I do in the practice room, it's what I do outside of the practice room. It's what I choose to put in my body, whether I choose to drink or I choose to eat pizza, whether I choose to stay up too late. I think I've had to learn a lot of stuff the hard way," said Leben. The difference is, Leben has learned a lot of that stuff in the public eye, beginning with his stint on TUF when he was a reckless 24-year-old, still exercising some of the demons of his past. "I grew up a little different than most people and that might be hard for some people to understand, but at the time I thought my behavior was fine," he said. "I thought it was normal. Since then I've worked a lot, done a lot of counseling, and I've realized that there's some things I need to change. I've worked hard at changing them, and obviously I haven't been perfect, but life is about progression. It's not about perfection. I'm still working, still pursuing my goals and trying to be the kind of man I want to be." For a fighter, certain career goals are relatively simple. You want to win and keep winning, climbing up the ranks until you look down one day and see a shiny belt around your waist. And even though Leben's fighting style is anything but safe, he harbors those same championship dreams. If he beats Mark Munoz in Birmingham, England at UFC 138 this Saturday, he said, he can't help but think he'll be right on the edge of making those dreams come true. "Honestly, in my mind this is for number one contender. He's won three straight, I've won four of my last five, just knocked out Wanderlei Silva. I think me and Munoz, if I go out there and defeat him and dominate him that should say that, hey, Chris deserves a crack at the title." One potential roadblock is the fact that he's already lost once to current UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva, who TKO'd Leben in his UFC debut just before becoming champion in 2006. Though the UFC has been historically reluctant to give challengers a rematch against a title-holder who owns a win over them, Leben hopes that putting Munoz away might force the organization's hand, he said. "I think they'd have to take a look at me. They've had reasons, obviously, why they think I shouldn't get a title shot, but if I win this one I think I'm glaring, I'm staring at that number one contender position." Of course, that assumes he can get past Munoz, whose amateur wrestling pedigree and improved striking game has made him a considerable favorite in the eyes of oddsmakers. That's because, as Leben sees it, people still assume he's little more than a brawler. "Sometimes I'll read Sherdog[.com] forums and it's, 'Oh, Chris Leben lands another lucky punch,'" he said. "How many times can a guy land a [expletive] lucky punch before you think he must be doing something right?" Even though he may seem at times like the same slugger he's always been, haphazardly flinging leather and inviting his opponents to do the same, it's not because he's the same reckless kid he used to be. It's not because he hasn't learned anything from those early years, or because he's incapable of doing anything else. "In my case, it's a calculated risk," he said. "I'll take two to give one. I've got a huge head and I hit hard. But also, my style of fighting, I'm not a fancy guy. You're not going to see me jumping off the cage or throwing a spinning back kick. I throw my left hand. Why? Because it works. And if it ain't broke...you know." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: people, leben, he, ive, practice room

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A while ago people seemed keen to revert or redesign the scheme as a community. It remains awful, however. submitted by Fleep [link] [9 comments]

Posted in: people, style, community, everybody, subreddit

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Recently, Culinary Union Local 226 accused the UFC of being anti-gay in an attempt to get the UFC's sponsors to renounce the sport like Elton John renounced pussy. Most people expected Dana White to reply with yet another "This is the fight business, you dumb fucking bitch!" comment. But on Thursday, he took the opposite tack, going out of his way to welcome gay fighters into the UFC’s soft, supple folds with a “UFC <3 teh homosquelchuals” rant: "I'll tell you right now, if there's a gay fighter in the UFC, I wish he would come out. I could care less if there's a gay fighter in the UFC. There probably is, and there's probably more than one. It's 2012. Give me a break." About the idea that the UFC should be stopping people from saying that they don't want to train with gays, calling people gay for putting their sisters in headlocks, and teaching Japanese people to say "I am a faggot" on video, White had this to say: "You're dealing with human beings. Everybody makes mistakes and everybody does things that are wrong sometimes. ... We do the best we can do. How do you really think that we could possibly police 375 fighters and try to control everything they say?" "I do what I can do for these guys. You're dealing with human beings. I love when you get these organizations that try to ... I guess I call it the holier-than-thou approach. Really? So when these guys make mistakes and things happen, bad things happen, you want to point the finger and say the whole organization is bad and these are bad people because these are things they've done? F--- you. Guess what? Everybody makes mistakes and everybody does things that are wrong sometimes. Everybody. I don't care who you are, I don't care what you do for a living and what you've done. I don't deal with the holier-than-thou b-------. We do the best we can do." This statement was pretty mindblowing, if only for its relative abandonment of his previous “bristly old bear” attitude. In order to soften the blow and avoid making our heads literally explode because of the apparent contradiction with how he normally acts, Dana evidently deputized Anderson Silva to prance around with Justin Bieber to set the stage for this announcement. 100 points to the first fighter who makes Dana reverse his new liberal attitude by dancing around in a speedo to entertain the UFC’s “new target audience”, which rumor has it is even more awash in disposable income than the regular 18-49 breeder demographic. If Dana White believes that “there’s probably more than one” gay fighter in the UFC already, this begs the question, to whom is he referring? Donald Cerrone and Leonard Garcia have been cohabiting like Ernie and Bert for quite some time, and Cerrone recently made the Achilles-vs.-Hector-like move of challenging the man who defeated his “best friend”. It’s common knowledge at this point that Achilles was gay, and so 2+2 being 4, these two are definitely under investigation. Okay, maybe we just like imagining Cowboy saying "I wish I could quit you!" Other than that ... uuuuuh. Hmmm. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Anderson Silva were caught in a bit of a "compromising position", on camera no less. And Nick Ring... well, let's actually not discuss Nick Ring.

Posted in: ufc, fighter, people, thing, everybody

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The UFC's commentary team just gained a member. Enter Jon Anik, former host of ESPN's MMA Live. He'll be the second string Goldberg for the UFC's FX and Fuel programming. "One of the guys that I have been aggressively been going after came from ESPN. I have a lot of respect for him, what he's done, not only there, but as far as mixed martial arts goes. I finall got this deal done and I'm proud to announce here today we've come to a deal with Jon Anik," White said at today's UFC 137 pre-fight press conference. "Jon Anik will start with the UFC in January as soon as we launch on Fox."Anik also appeared at the presser and expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity, as well as excitement to join a staff with which he is supremely impressed."I believe the UFC is as strong a brand as there is in professional sports, but what really drew me to this organization were the people behind it," Anik said today. "I think as strong as this organization is, it's the people behind it. This is a machine, it's a well-oiled machine. I just hope that I don't get in the way. I'm very excited to get started. My first day is Saturday, I'll be there at UFC 137. This is where I wanted to be. If I was leaving ESPN there was one destination, it was the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It's a dream come true and I'm happy to be here." It seems like a dream come true for many MMA fans as well, who seem pretty happy with the choice. Sure, any announcement like this that doesn't involve Gus Johnson or Stephan Bonnar is cause for celebration. But people genuinely like Anik and respect the fact that he actually knows what the fuck he's talking about - always a plus but for some reason not always a requirement in this sport. Just ask Mike Goldberg, who coasted on an impressively limited amount of MMA knowledge for over a decade. He's better now, but back in the day every move and technique was like a newly discovered toy. Do you remember how bad it was after he learned what a teep was? Dude wouldn't shut up about that shit for like six months. And don't get me started on his broken record routine. Every event ... is virtually i-dentical!

Posted in: ufc, espn, people, jon anik, anik

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Jens Pulver has been a busy man since leaving the WEC in 2010. Not only has he gone 3-2 in regional cage fights, but he's also the star of a documentary called Driven and a part of the new mixed martial arts video game, Supremacy MMA. While the UFC and EA MMA series of games attempt to give users as real of an ultimate fighting experience as possible, Supremacy takes things in another direction. Here's Jens telling us in an exclusive interview about the vibe of the game and what he's playing right now."It’s pretty much an arcade game. We’re showing the MMA fans that you got your simulated games like Madden and you play with your favorite players that you see on TV and then you got your arcade game." he said. "Graphics and gameplay can be improved with any game but with this we’re trying to tell stories and I like that. The story mode is awesome. I’m proud to be a part of it. When you do a simulated game, you have to follow guidelines but with an arcade game you can implode bodies and stuff."Is he concerned that people might get the wrong idea about MMA if they play the often violent and over the top Supremacy MMA? Not really. "If you think this is what MMA is all about and you’ve missed the UFC, then what can you do? It’s like people who think 'this is what football is all about' and it’s 3 on 3 with zombies. Or when you get on fire in NBA Jam. So what do you tell people like that?"Many people know that Jens is a hardcore gamer, so we asked him about his roots and how he got started."As a kid I used to go to town but once I got a Nintendo, things changed. Me and Mario, I was hooked. Me and my brothers used to battle to see who got the controller. I’ve never been much of an arcade fanatic and especially now with all these systems. Pretty soon I expect to be in my big hubble chair and just being inside and part of the game.""My first game was on Atari 2600, River Raid. You had to get through different puzzles and get fuel and I think they just stopped giving you fuel so you lose. My mom was the best at that one."As for what Jens is playing now, a bad guess wouldn't be World of Warcraft. Pulver used to play it so much some joked he was a full time gamer with a fighting hobby. But he's actually been branching out lately: The rest after the jump! read more

Posted in: mma, people, game, jen, arcade game

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It’s been a crazy ride for Nick Diaz these past couple of months. Originally scheduled to face Georges St. Pierre for the UFC welterweight title in the main event of UFC 137, Diaz was removed from the card entirely after missing a couple of media appearances. After releasing a YouTube video, filmed in his car, that is more famous for his comments towards another drivers mother than it is for his remorse. UFC president Dana White was so upset at Diaz for his actions that he added the former Strikeforce champion back to the UFC 137 card to face B.J. Penn in the co-main event. A few weeks later, St. Pierre had to pull out of his new fight against Carlos Condit, bumping Diaz vs. Penn into the main event slot. The next day, Diaz was late to a media call, which apparently was the fault of the UFC staff and not Nick’s, and when he finally got on the line he was very candid with his responses to questions. In every situation, “Nick Diaz” was a trending topic on twitter, leading certain members of the MMA media to believe that this would be a good sign for UFC 137. I beg to differ. What’s trending on twitter means absolutely nothing. Every time WWE runs a PPV, the wrestlers/matches currently going on end up trending on twitter. These PPVs barely do 150,000 domestic buys. You know what was trending on Twitter the same time as Diaz the other week? “Lindsey Lohan” For those that don’t see why that’s a big deal, the correct spelling of Ms. Lohan’s first name is “Lindsay” not “Lindsey”. I love Twitter, but I also acknowledge that it’s a very flawed media device and shouldn’t be used to gauge interest in a product. Here’s the thing people don’t seem to realize about twitter: it’s used by young, tech savvy people, who are also sheep. You may think everyone on twitter is a moron, and there are a lot of them out there, but there does take a certain level of internet smarts to send out a tweet. The young and tech savvy people that use twitter and help certain topics reach a level to where their trending are the same young people who don’t have enough money to actually buy the products that are trending and are the same tech savy people who can get these products through illegal means. Diaz has always been a polarizing character, sometimes controversial, figure. There’s a saying that “controversy creates cash” but so far in his MMA career, thanks in large part to being part of the Strikeforce organization, Diaz hasn’t drawn a ton of cash. He’s drawn ratings for the organization but when you really look at, he’s been the face of two organizations with the other being EliteXC. One went out of business and the other is on the verge of doing so. Also, just because you’re able to draw TV ratings, doesn’t mean you’ll draw PPV buys. The biggest problem there is that once fans see you on TV, they don’t feel like paying for your fight. The best example of this is Kimbo Slice. He was a huge TV draw. Every time he fought on television, he set a new record. Then, when he was finally put on PPV at UFC 113, he added almost nothing to the buyrate. Don’t get me wrong, if the UFC 137 buyrate does bad, I won’t put the blame on Diaz and I’m not saying that he doesn’t have the potential to draw, but to say that his “controversial” actions, the fact that he trended on twitter, and the fact that he brought viewership to Strikeforce means he’s this superstar in MMA or that the UFC 137 buyrate is going to be huge is just wrong. There are very few superstars in MMA. St. Pierre and Brock Lesnar are about the only superstars in the sport. There are guys who are on the verge of stardom and guys who can draw with the right opponents, but Diaz has never proven that he can sell a PPV. However, Penn, Diaz’ opponent this Saturday, has proven to be a consistent draw in the sport and whatever the UFC 137 buyrate ends up being, the credit (or blame) will likely fall on the shoulders of Penn and not Diaz. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, diaz, ’t, people, twitter

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Brandon Vera knows what it feels like, even briefly to be unemployed from the UFC. And it sucks. The former top ranked prospect had received his walking papers after three consecutive losses in the UFC light heavyweight division but received a saving grace when his last opponent, Thiago Silva, submitted inhuman urine during his drug screening. He was instantly invited back into the world's top MMA promotion. But the sting of those losses still resonates with "The Truth." The Alliance Training Center product spoke with MMAmania.com about special changes he's made for his upcoming UFC 137 fight with Eliot Marshall, getting back to his old "killer" self and what he'd do to Thiago Silva if he saw him again. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): This is basically a second chance for you and I know you've talked about how you're not even writing a new chapter, you're trying to write a whole new book for your career. Can you talk about making the most of this opportunity you've been given? Brandon Vera: Making the most of it, I can't even describe it man. Training three times a day and enjoying training again, understanding that this is my life. It was not natural to me for a while, I lost it. I lost my life even if was for 3-5 days, I don't know how long I was cut from the UFC, I really honestly don't remember how long I was cut for the UFC before I got the call back but from losing to getting it back, I understand that I don't want to be out of the UFC. I am doing every, everything, everything in my power, traveling, training, paying attention, watching tapes, listening to my coaches just to make sure that I am getting back on my path of getting that title belt. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You mentioned the traveling part. You've talked about how you didn't feel like you had the right mindset for a while and during this most recent 8500 mile road trip where you were doing seminars, I heard you found yourself while on that trip. Can you talk about that? Brandon Vera: Yeah, you know it was just interacting with the students and other people and watching people smile, talking to me and being out with the public again I guess. It helped me grow, seeing how much people want me to win, people asking me what happened, what went wrong? I didn't really have an answer for them until it just dawned on me one day that MMA wasn't important, it stopped being important for a while. I don't know why. I don't know when. I'm pretty sure there was a time frame but I don't know why and all of a sudden it went to number three on the list instead of number one and it needs to be number one. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I even saw something about a specific instant where you saw a kid just absorbing everything you were teaching and applying it better than the adults. Can you tell me about seeing that and the impact it had on you? Brandon Vera: I think he was 11 years old and every time I showed something, he got it before all the adults. There was maybe a couple times where some of the pro fighters got it before he did but the rest of the time he was on point, he was just enjoying the seminar so much and just watching him training and watching him learn like that made me smile so big and bright. I was like, "Man, that's what I missed! I missed learning stuff and the reason why I stopped learning stuff was because I stopped traveling." If you want to be the greatest chef in the world, you can't stay in one kitchen. You have to travel. You always have your home, you always have your stable but if you want to learn other stuff and you want to grow, you have to travel and bring it back home and show the rest of the team, figure it out and tweak it. That's what I wasn't doing so I was being a detriment to myself and to Alliance MMA. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Obviously you are still a member of Alliance, that's your home but you've branched out for this camp. I saw you moved out to Maryland to work with Lloyd Irvin again. Can you tell me about hooking up with your original Muay Thai coach, the one that you were working with when you were laying waste to people? Brandon Vera: My very, very, very, very first Muay Thai coach, Brad, I got to work with him and just tweak a couple of things and talk to him about my style and try to change some things up. He's got some new fighters at his gym and I was getting to work with them and move around and I got to try some new stuff, add some new things and fix some old stuff. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): That's not the only thing you've been doing that's new, I saw you were working with your Alma Mater, the Old Dominion wrestling team. That's got to be a nice benefit as well, right? Brandon Vera: That was amazing. Wrestling with the OD guys? Yeah. Coach Steve Martin over there and those guys are amazing. The whole OD wrestling team, those guys aren't getting paid. They're just trying to go to school for free you know? They're just trying to make the team, they just want to get a spot on the team, the starting position so those guys were all hungry and they brought it back. They helped put stuff back in perspective for me as well. I got to hang out with them, I got to watch a UFC fight with them and it was awesome. They're a great group of guys and they also work super hard.  Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I lastly saw some of the work you've been putting in with boxing coach Troy Fox. It looked like you were, at least from the video I saw, it looked like you were really working those body shots. Is that something you want to really add to your game or is it just one of the little things that you've been working to complete the puzzle? Brandon Vera: It was one of the little things, but I definitely for sure want to hit people in the body more. If they want to shoot in on me or be close to me, I want to make them pay so I'm gonna start tearing up people's bodies hard. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): That's what people have been trying to do to you in your last three fights. You had Randy Couture clinching you against the cage, there was Jon Jones taking you down and most recently Thiago Silva was on top of you for three rounds. Is that a focus of yours now to punish the guys that want to try to take away your striking weapons? Brandon Vera: Yeah nobody wants to stay with me on the feet no more. (laughs) I laugh about it every time I say it. Nobody wants to fight me on the feet. All these people are supposed to be murderers on the feet. What happened? What happened? I want to find out what it's like on the feet first but I get it now. I'm gonna have to stuff their takedown attempts and get them off me so that's for sure what we've been working back into my gameplan. Make people stand with you. If you want to stand with people, I can't let them do it for me, I've got to make them stand with me so that's what we're doing. I'm gonna make people stand with me. I'm gonna give them no hope for taking me down and if they do take me down, I want to go right back up, piss them off so bad like, "Oh my god, now I have to stand with this guy?" Yes, yes you do. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Have you looked to any fighters that use that style, to keep a fight standing because they're so good at striking as an example for you? Brandon Vera: You know, honestly? Old school Chuck [Liddell]. Old school Chuck, if you took him down, he'd pop right back to his feet or if you moved while you were on top of Chuck he was for sure going to get right back to his feet. That was his whole goal, to get back to his feet and he was one of the best at it when he was in his prime, that's what he would do. Chuck was gonna beat you up on the feet and if you didn't want to stand with him, you'd take him down and before you knew it he was right back to his feet and punching you in the face. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Going back to the last three opponents trying to take you down or put you in the clinch, Eliot Marshall is in a similar vein. He's a type of fighter that may stand for a little bit but he wants to get up close and personal just like those guys. Do you feel like all this extra work you've put in is gearing you up nearly perfectly for a fighter like Marshall? Brandon Vera: Yeah, I geared this whole camp towards the last three fighters. Everyone's gonna try to take me down now so, Eliot's gameplan is gonna be exactly like the rest of the guys and that's what we trained for. I need to get in my thick-ass head, I think it finally went through that this is the gameplan that we've been working on and this is the plan we need to stick with for a while. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Can you talk about being on the undercard for this fight? They've promoted a couple fights from the undercard to the main card but they didn't pick yours. Do you feel less pressure, does it almost feel good that the spotlight isn't on you for this fight? Brandon Vera: Maybe, I haven't really even thought about that. I look at it like, I'm on the undercard because I put myself there. The UFC's not punishing me, this is just exactly where I ended up because I haven't been doing my job. I need to get back on the main card. That's how I look at it. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Can you talk about what motivates you a bit? I know you wanted to be one of the best in the world. Brandon Vera: I do. I want to be the best in the world again. Every time I see Jon Jones fight, I see the top 10 guys fight, it eats at me. I'm glad it's eating at me again. Before, it didn't bother me for a while. Now it does because I want to be one of the best in the world, one of the greatest ever and I for sure have been doing my job to get there.  Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Is there also motivation like, almost negative motivation, like you don't want to be that cautionary tale, the guy that had it all, was a top prospect and people would one day tell a prospect, "Don't be a Brandon Vera." Is that motivation to you as well? Brandon Vera: Yeah, I don't want to be that guy at all. That story would suck ass. (laughs) I for sure don't want to be that guy. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I saw you did this exercise presentation with TRX at the UFC expo in Houston earlier this month. Is that something you've added to your training as well recently? Brandon Vera: For sure. I've been on my TRX every day, about 5-10 minutes every day and my body just feels different. I've been able to keep all my muscle, I haven't been losing my muscle with my weight cut and I feel good too. My coaches are super-excited with the results as well. Usually my coaches tell me, "Don't do this, don't do that," but they actually adjusted my workouts so I could use TRX every day. It works out all my major muscle groups and I still get my training in. It's nice man. It was nice to be able to use that this whole camp. You'll see at the weigh-ins. I'm for sure not going to be skinny. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I think that's something people noticed at 205, you were almost drawn out a bit, like really skinny. Brandon Vera: Yeah, I was able to add some good carbohydrates to my diet this camp too. White rice, I was able to eat white rice again. All these nutritionists can kiss my ass because I'm eating white rice this camp. (laughs) Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Do you harbor any resentment towards Thiago Silva for the way he acted in the fight and of course for the steroids? Brandon Vera: If I saw him right now I would kick him in the nuts for sure. I don't like that guy. I don't care for him.  Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): (laughs) That's the line of the interview right there. Okay, when you originally came to the UFC, you were just destroying people in a minute and you've talked about how you went to that mindset where winning was more important than just beating people up and finishing them. I know you mentioned you wanted to change that mindset, you wanted to get back to being a killer again. Can you tell me about that? Brandon Vera: I want to go in there and fight. I've gotten to watch enough fights in the UFC where people are just trying to win and they're so boring, man. I just don't want to be that guy anymore. Plus, watching and learning, I've learned that I don't want to be that guy. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I know you've talked about how you have a post-fight speech prepared for when you're done with Eliot Marshall, but before that you've got to have the fight. How would you like to have the fight play out against Marshall on Saturday night? Brandon Vera: I want him to quit. I want him to stop. I either want to knock him out or make him stop fighting me either by tapping out or not answering the bell or just quitting. Brandon would like to thank TRX, the ODU wrestling team, coach Steve Martin, Team Lloyd Irvin, Alliance Training Center, Hybrid Academy in Virginia Beach and everybody else who's helped him along the way and helped him find himself for this fight. So what do you think Maniacs? Will the changes he's making help Vera find himself again? Or is it too little, too late for the former top heavyweight and light heavyweight prospect? Sound off!

Posted in: guy, people, brian, hemmingernbspmmamaniacom, brandon

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Before WEC 36, Paulo Filho was regarded as one of the absolute top MW's in the sport. He was that very rare jiu jitsu ace with an imposing physique, and a talent for wrestling. He was undefeated before losing to Chael Sonnen, who he had already beaten in the familiar way that Chael Sonnen is often beaten. WEC 36 is well documented. Filho, in the middle of the bout, began talking to no one in particular. It was as if he was distracted by being present on an episode of the X-Files, except Cancer Man and the Little Green Men were real. Filho was anywhere else but in the cage that night. But why?  Just to be clear, this isn't some serious attempt to diagnose Filho. I'm just looking to take the experiences of one particular fighter, and use it as a springboard to discuss a scientifically relevant topic.  Filho is clearly a disturbed individual. But this doesn't make him unique. What is unique, are the varying theories that seek to try to explain mental illness. This has been the challenge of the industry over essentially its lifetime. When the lead editor of the DSM calls the Bible of Psychiatry "bullshit", you know something's up. And so it's been. What is the difference between a behavioral quirk and a chemical imbalance? Where do the causal links between personality and physiology meet? And where do they end? People can be harsh on Nick Diaz (and I include myself with a modicum of guilt), but should we so readily dismiss his problems as a mere "attitude disorder"? Even in cases where mental illness is identifiable, its causes elude us. Autism, for example, has been linked with all sorts of interesting, but inconclusive evidence. Some say antibodies from the mother attack proteins in the fetus' brain, thereby inhibiting neural development. Some say, to explain why boys are four times more likely to be autistic than girls, that testosterone comes too fast, too soon, giving rise to "hyper male" characteristics. Others, to explain why autistic children tend to have gastrointestinal problems, think gut bacteria might be the source. And yet another theory is that a virus hitches a ride on the sperm cell. In some ways this theory shares a similarity with a current theory on schizophrenia: that said mental illness is viral in nature. For a long time, scientists have sought to explain why people born in the winter (and early spring) are more likely to suffer from schizophrenia. In 250 studies, the increase is 5 to 8 percent, which while small, is relatively telling. In the case of schizophrenia, mental health appears to be but one part of the whole. As Douglas Fox explains in a recent issue of Discover, "schizophrenics suffered from more than just mental disturbances. They often had trouble doing standard inebriation tests, like walking a straight line heel to toe. If Torrey simulatenously touched their face and hand while their eyes were closed, they often did not register being touched in two places....Many schizophrenics show chronic inflammation and lose brain tissue over time, and these changes correlate with the severity of their symptoms." What could explain seemingly physiological symptoms? A virus. But not just any virus, which typically kill cells upon infection. But a retrovirus...a retrovirus embedded at the deepest level of our DNA. As Fox explains, "If our DNA were an airplane carry-on bag (and essentially it is), it would be bursting at the seams. We lug some 100, 000 retrovirus sequences inside us; all told, genetics parasites related to viruses account for more than 40 percent of all human DNA. Our body works hard to silence its viral stowaways by trying up those stretches of DNA in tight stacks of proteins, but sometimes they slip out. Now and then endogenous retroviruses - viruses bound into our genome - switch on and start manufacturing proteins. They assemble themselves like Lego blocks into bulbous retroviral particles, which ooze from the cells producing them. Endogenous retroviruses were long considered genetic fossils, incapable of doing anything interesting. But since Perron's (Herve Perron) revelation, at least a dozen studies have found that HERV-W (human endogenous retrovirus W) is active in people with MS." This is also true of people with schizophrenia: one study found that the HERV-W virus was present in the blood of 49% of those suffering from schizophrenia as compared to 4% of those considered normal, healthy people. The theory is that such viruses contain proteins that "enrage the immune system" as the baby develops. Our infant years are the most critical when it comes to neural development (on the positive side, it's why we're able to learn languages better the younger we are: any given neuron can connect to 15,000 different neurons compared to 10,000 in the adult brain), so anything that might stunt neural growth will be critical. What research such as the above is doing, is highlighting where psychology and physiology are meeting. The intersection is murky, and ripe for further debate, but one step at a time we understand more. I don't know what's wrong with Paulo Filho, and it's unfortunate such a truly talented fighter (it really is impossible to understate his potential) has seen such a downward spiral and is considering retirement (at age 33 no less), but I suspect his problems could be written with the letters A, T, C and G.

Posted in: people, filho, virus, theory, retrovirus

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No one can say undefeated Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren wasn't opinionated. But when you're as talented and dominant of a wrestler as he is, you've more than earned the right to speak your mind on a wide range of issues. Askren was a four-time NCAA Division I All-American and two-time national champion freestyle wrestler at the University of Missouri and represented the United States at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Just six months after the Olympics, Askren was making his professional debut in mixed martial arts and just 20 months later, he used his "funky" wrestling style to defeat Lyman Good and become Bellator's welterweight champion. Still undefeated, Askren will look to defend his title for the first time against UFC, IFL and Strikeforce veteran Jay Hieron this Saturday night (October 29, 2011) at Bellator 56 in Kansas City. The Roufusport fighter spoke with Matt Bishop and myself during an appearance on Bloody Elbow Radio last Thursday and he discussed a wide range of topics from Jay Hieron's credentials, wrestling in MMA and why he feels his bout with "The Thoroughbred" will be a "drubbing." Matt Bishop: How excited are you for this fight? Like you said, you last fought in April so are you itching and ready to go? Ben Askren: Definitely, I'm very excited. I'm at Roufusport now, I started a whole new camp, a whole new group of guys to work with and it's been great up here so I'm really excited to get back in there. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I've talked to a lot of the guys from the Roufusport gym and they've been heaping tons of praise on you for all the help that you've been able to give them in their wrestling. Is that a hand-in-hand thing where you're helping all of them in the wrestling and those guys are helping you with all the other facets of your game? Ben Askren: Well it definitely helps. That was one of the things that they really lacked, kind of when I got here was they didn't have a strong wrestling base at all. Most of them were pretty good at jiu-jitsu and obviously they have really, really, really strong stand-up but they're lacking in wrestling. I kinda think it was something I was able to help with and you saw Anthony Pettis, he improved in his fight against Jeremy Stephens and then Erik Koch was able to keep it standing the entire time against Jonathan Brookins and then Alan was able to, when Jason MacDonald was trying to take him down, he was able to land on top and finish with ground and pound there so yeah it's been great. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Yeah, you've done a terrific job with that and it almost seems like bringing up your name with any of the welterweight contenders it sparks a huge debate. They talk about how great you are at wrestling and then they complain about the fighting style. I appreciate it. Do you feel like you're misunderstood as the champion? Ben Askren: Not at all. I mean, people expect me, just because I can win, they expect me to be exciting. You can debate that all my wins have been decisive. I haven't lost a round I think ever and I don't finish people but I've wrestled my whole life and I only started jiu-jitsu two and a half, three years ago. I started striking two years ago so how good would I really be able to get in the short periods of time? I'm fighting good people. It's not like I'm fighting "Joe Schmos," starting off my first day fighting. My fourth fight, I was in Bellator fighting very good people. In my mind I'm a work in progress and I will start finishing more people, it's just a matter of time. Matt Bishop: Ben, do you kind of feel like nobody is giving you a reason to go away from your wrestling right now? Nobody is really challenging you and making you do something else. Ben Askren: Why would I? I'm that good at it and no one's stopping me. Why would I change it? It's like saying Anderson Silva should learn takedowns in order to go to the ground. If someone said that, you'd say, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" That's really what people are saying to me. It sounds ridiculous when you phrase it that way but at the same time, I know I'm not a complete mixed martial artist. I'm a work in progress. That's why I moved to Roufusport to get more complete but I will never go away from my wrestling roots and Duke knows that. Duke's been training kickboxing and boxing for 30 years. If I started teaching him wrestling, how long would it be until he was a high level wrestler? A long, long time and I feel the same way about myself. I'm gonna try to get better striking but how long is it gonna take for me to be an elite level striker? It's gonna be a long time. Matt Bishop: You bring up Anderson Silva. Do you feel that there's a double standard against wrestlers? I've felt this way for a long time. It's like, Anderson Silva sprawls and tries to keep it on the feet and nobody criticizes him for that but when you want to take the fight to the ground where you're at your best advantage and everybody is getting on your back for it. Ben Askren: That's fine, that's people's nature. They want to see those standing brawls. I love seeing Anderson Silva kick people in the face too. I'm not saying he should take anyone to the ground. I love seeing him do what he's best at but at the same time, when people expect me to go away from what I'm best at, I just think that's kind of silly. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Going off of that, though. With all this work that you've done with Roufusport, where do you really feel that you've been able to improve the most so far? Is is the submission? Is it the transitions? Is it your striking? Ben Askren: Well I feel like I was a pretty good grappler when I came to Duke's place. I was already a brown belt. I'm still a brown belt. I think I've got a little better. We've got a pretty good coach up here, Joao Zeferino and I've actually gotten a lot better at leglocks on the ground but besides that, I had a really good base coming in here and then most of my work has been standing. Most of my improvements have been in the stand-up department. We've got such good coaches up here, good training partners obviously with Anthony and you just had Danny on your show and Alan and Erik Koch. Working with those guys all the time, it's good. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Yeah and you've worked around with a lot of other guys too. I've seen videos of you getting brought in to work with Jake Shields before his title fight with Georges St. Pierre. I've seen you work with Marcelo Garcia, do you travel around the country and work other people often? Ben Askren: Well, that was more a byproduct of me traveling. I travel a lot for wrestling clinics and stuff and I like to workout also so I try to not miss many workouts so I always look someone up wherever I'm going and try to get it in. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Are you expecting that Jay Hieron's wrestling is going to get overwhelmed in this fight? He was a pretty competent wrestler, I think a national champion in junior college. Ben Askren: Yeah he was a national champion in junior college but Jay is significantly overrating his wrestling ability. What you have to realize is that people who win national junior college tournaments, I pin them in 30 seconds. That's no big deal. I mean, even at the highest, highest level at the NCAA tournament my senior year, in five matches I probably got 40 takedowns and that's against the best of the best of the best guys in the Unites States in wrestling and Jay was never on that level and if you think in five matches I probably got close to 40 takedowns, someone below that level, how easy it would be for me to take them down. That's how I think about it. Matt Bishop: Ben, do you feel like there is kind of a disconnect in terms of public perception, you say, Jay Hieron was a national champion in junior college, but you're an NCAA champion Division I. Do you think people just don't get the gap in the level there?  Ben Askren: I think the highly educated people get it. When you've got people like me or Daniel Cormier who was an amazing wrestler also or Mo Lawal, when you've got people on that really, really high level, it's a totally different level than say a state champ or even a junior college national champ or anything like that.  Matt Bishop: To me, this is the biggest fight in the history of Bellator. Would you agree with that? Ben Askren: I'd have to think about it for a while, but sure, why not? Matt Bishop: You and Jay have kind of had a war of words going on ever since he won the welterweight tournament back in May. What exactly started that and can you kind of take us through the feud for lack of better words that you two have had? Ben Askren: I think it started at the press conference. We fought on the same day in Oklahoma when I fought Nick Thompson, he won against Brent Weedman that day and he was just kind of abrasive. That's just his personality which I can defend. I'm not too much different than that but he kinda rubbed me the wrong way in the press conference. Matt Bishop: It's kinda played out on twitter since then and you two have been going back and forth. Do you really feel disrespected by Jay Hieron? Ben Askren: I don't personally feel disrespected at all. I just think he's one of those kinds of people who thinks their shit doesn't stink and those kind of people really bother me. Hopefully I'll take him down a few pegs next week. Matt Bishop: What are some of your goals for after the Jay Hieron fight? Who would you like to fight in superfights, perhaps a move to the UFC, et cetera? Ben Askren: Well I don't care who I fight at all. Obviously my next fight will be the winner of the Douglas Lima / Ben Saunders fight but my number one goal and my only goal when I came into fighting was to see if I could be the best in the world  at it and once I determine the answer to that, I'd be done fighting. That still remains as my goal. Matt Bishop: Let's play a hypothetical game here. Let's say you move on, you go to the UFC and you win the UFC welterweight title. That would mean, in most people's minds, winning the UFC title means you're the best in the world. Would you just then quit? Your done?  Ben Askren: I might defend it once or twice just to prove it. Everyone can get lucky every once in a while, you could say Matt Serra (laughs) and win the belt but you've got to defend it a couple times just to show people that it wasn't luck. But yeah, say I won the belt and defended it a few times and I was consensus number one, I really feel like I've got nothing else left to prove and it's my time to move on. Matt Bishop: Jay Hieron next weekend, MTV2 next Saturday at 9 p.m. eastern time, you defend your welterweight title. What type of fight should the fans tuning in to watch that night expect? Ben Askren: I think it's gonna be a drubbing. I'm gonna take him down. I'm gonna beat him up. I'm gonna maul him. I'm gonna do pretty much whatever I want. That's really how I feel it's gonna go. You can follow Ben on twitter @BenAskren and you can check out his website www.AskrenBros.com. So what do you think, Maniacs? Will Askren back up his talk and maul Jay Hieron this Saturday night at Bellator 56? Do you think he has a point about the flack he receives for his fighting style? Sound off!

Posted in: fight, time, ben, people, im

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I have really high self esteem, and it stems from the fact that when I was little, my mommy taught me that the only reason why anyone would ever make fun of me is because they’re paid to. Really, everything I say is so far above criticism that disagreeing with me is like calling this an awesome haircut on a wonderful person. Former MMAgents owner and current Zuffa lawsuit co-defendant Ken Pavia evidently feels the same way, accusing people who post disparaging comments about him in a thread on the Underground forum of being on Zuffa’s payroll: Zuffa compensates people per event to have multiple screen names and advance agendas. They have been asked to actually start debates with themselves, and steam roll one side, or to made points ad nause[am]. An old PR director used to phone all hours of the night when he saw something he didnt like and have it squashed. I have been approached by more [than[ one of these people and I actually employed a former Zuffa paid poster who had like 10 screen names and did exactly this. It is a manipulation of public opinion. The Big Brother of MMA. This thread is just another example of that practice... And so the word comes from Zuffa to advance an agenda[,] and out come the paid posters[,] again. Pavia is evidently not worried about Zuffa’s lawsuit because all of the Zuffa documents he is accused of transmitting to Bellator are googlable. So obviously, Zuffa is retaliating against Pavia’s impending court victory by bribing people to be mean to him on the Internets. But as ludicrous as it sounds that Zuffa could actually be using its financial resources to hire people to troll Pavia, it might not be completely outside the realm of possibility, based on other goings-on in the business world, that Zuffa could have paid people to advocate certain points of view on the web at some point in time. It is actually very well established that astroturfing takes place in many industries, and in certain instances where astroturfing has been verified, it does take a form strongly resembling that described by Pavia. So, is Ken Pavia simply a paranoid whiner who is just below Eddie Goldman in terms of bitterness against the UFC and overall crackpottedness? Or does he have a point? The answer remains to be seen, but the next time threads like “OMG FEDOR MONSON IS BETTAR THAN JDS CAIN” are posted and then methodically destroyed by arguments from UFC fans, we will at least have an explanation for what’s going on that doesn’t involve the entire human race degenerating into a sludge of retardedness.

Posted in: pavia, people, zuffa, point, ken

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Posted in: guy, interview, people, palhare, fartingtomato

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I witnessed Ben Askren's first Bellator match from the comfort of a cageside photo gig at Bellator 14, little did I know on that surprisingly cold April day that we would be seeing the birth of a Frate Trane. After plowing through the season two welterweight tournament against the likes of Dan Hornbuckle and dominating the champ Lyman Good, Ben Askren has gone on to retire Nick 'The Goat' Thompson and is set to face his next challenge in Jay Hieron at Bellator 55. I was able to talk to the Bellator welterweight champ and ask him a bunch of questions that have been laying around the MiddleEasy offices for a while now, mostly about Disc Golf. Enjoy. So how is training with Duke Roufus working out for you? Good I was just there this morning everything is going really good.   How is the evolution of your stand up? It's going really well, I'm not a stand up superstar yet, but things are coming along.   Will there ever come a time where you will feel the need to prove you improving standup by saying you're going to knock someone out, or will you always stick to your bread and butter: wrestling? I will go with the second one, I will stick to my wrestling for sure, I want my stand up to be good obviously, if the guy is good on the ground at sucks on his feet I will keep it on the feet now and you know, take him out. But for the most part I will stick with my wrestling because it's so far advanced and I think it will be really hard to get my kickboxing to that level.   So this has been your first camp with Roufus, in previous years you've coached wrestling at high levels and been doing a bunch of different things, how is it now that you have one dedicated fight camp? I just think this camp is at such a high level, there are tons and tons of great training partners every day and that's something I never had before was the great training partners on a day in and day out basis.   How do you feel when people call you 'another boring wrestler'? It's America they are entitled to it, give me time and I will be proving them wrong. Yep.   Is it true that you lost to Jon Jones in College wrestling? No that's not true.   Does Jay Hieron bring anything that you haven't seen before? Is there anything special you are game planning for? No he's a solid veteran and he's well rounded but I don't think he's a standout in any one category. I mean his best game is probably wrestling and he probably thinks it's going to nullify mine.   It seems like some trash talk has started, is this fight starting to get personal with you? I never really liked him to begin with, I mean since the day I met him haha so I wouldn't say it's just starting, you could say I have a personal distaste for him.   What is it that you don't like about him? Personality clash? Yeah I guess you could say that. We fought the same night in Oklahoma and he was just walking around like his shit didn't stink and it really just rubbed me the wrong way.   So there's this picture of you completely naked with the Bellator belt covering your bits. Oh God   Did Beau Taylor take that picture? No I took it and sent it to him because he has one of him sitting on the toilet with his belt.   What's you relationship like with the infamous OMA? Oh it's good I just saw him at the Battle of the Bayou UFC show in Louisiana and he was being hilarious as usual. I met him back in 2006 and he didn't even know me but he let me borrow his apartment for a week which was really helpful to me and we've been friends ever since.   Your threshold for caring about other welterweights emotions is at 0% haha   People appreciate you being ruthless in the way you call people out, especially on Twitter, you think you can beat any welterweight don't you? Yeah that's my opinion, some people appreciate it and some people don't appreciate it that kind of depends on...their perspective.   You're on MiddleEasy.com's Frate Trane list, are you aware of this? No I was not, that's awesome.   You met N.O.R.E at Bellator 33, what was that like? He was supposed to do a rap as I walked out or whatever but the people we were with at the time, I think Fox Sports said it wasn't going to fly.   Zeus, the creator of MiddleEasy has argued before publicly with Joe Rogan that you are a modern day Sakuraba, do you agree? Hahaha In what sense? Grappling?   Yeah I mean my combination of wrestling and Jiu Jitsu, no one has really put it together the way I am. Now my Jiu Jitsu, obviously I'm not at the level of Marcelo Garcia but he takes it to a whole different plane. But in MMA my combination of wrestling and Jiu Jitsu, no one has put those together like I have yet and if I'm going to continue to get better and better at it.   Have you ever been in trouble in any of your fights? I've never felt that way, some people said I got upkicked by Lyman Good and that it hurt me but I didn't think it did.   Would you ever move up to 185? If someday I am the best fighter in the world at 170 pounds I have beaten every single person worth beating at welterweight and beaten everyone in the top ten maybe. That's the only way.   You are on Twitter a lot, and you have the ability to almost instantaneously call anyone out that is available at welterweight, it's pretty impressive. Is your finger on the pulse of the MMA Twitterverse? Oh well I'm a huge fan of the sport of MMA as well as a competitor. I'm also an opportunist. If someone as big as Nate Marquardt gets cut by the UFC, oh well where else can he go because he can't go to Strikeforce. Well maybe we can get him to Bellator and make the fight happen, so that's what I'm trying to do.   Switching gears now to Disc Golf, we hear you are quite the competitor, what brand do you prefer? Discraft! I'm a Discraft player all the way!   What is your favorite course? Oh man...That's a tough one...Wow there are too many I really love. One of my hobbies is traveling and playing so I've played a hundred some courses. My home course is Indian Hills in Columbia, Missouri and that one is awesome. I've probably played that one more than anything. I would say that one is my favorite because of familiarity.   How far can you throw back hand and how far side arm? Side arm not very far, I'm not very good side arm...Back hand my longest recorded throw was, um i threw 487 feet in a distance competition. I throw almost all back hand.   How many holes in one do you have? Thirteen? I had two this fall...Thirteen or fourteen.   Do you have any tips for Disc Golf novices? Go out and just play a ton, that's the only way. Play a ton and you will get better.   How long have you been playing Disc Golf for? I played a few times in high school, and then it was my second year in college when I got my car that I started playing a lot. So that was 2004 and I did my first tournament in 2005 and i have been playing heavily since then.   Can you clarify why you called GSP boring? It was spur of the moment and they did a name association thing and boring was the first thing that popped into my head. I mean he does play it safe, there were some of his old fights when he was very exciting, but more recently he has been playing it so safe.   Would you say you are the best wrestler in MMA? In my opinion..Well there was a guy who recently came in with better credentials he was a world champion, Yoel Romero, but I don't have that on my resume, besides him I would say yes.   Do you think Joe Warren is going to make it through the Olympic trials this year? Not if he doesn't start training a lot harder than he is.

Posted in: bellator, way, people, im, that

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Because the guy that gets paid "100 grand" to tell him what to do wasn't standing around telling him "hey, you can't miss this press conference." Sounds like money well spent. Poor kid got robbed, I would have done it for 10. Diaz elaborates (via MMA Weekly): "Of course I have regret. I have people that are supposed to take care of stuff, like I got a lawyer or something right, that’s supposed to get paid 100 grand, a ridiculous amount of money. I’ve been living the same since I started since I was 17. I lived down the street from my parents, who I used to live in the same house with, now I live with my brother. I’ve got all these people, business people, and big money people around me trying to make deals. I don’t know anything about that. All I know, somebody’s getting paid over 100 grand just to tell me what I’m supposed to do and what I’m not supposed to do. I think for that much money I think I could have had somebody standing around telling me ‘hey, you can’t miss this press conference.’" Diaz will square off against B.J. Penn in the main event of UFC 137 on Oct. 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada. His headlining bout with the Hawaiian "Prodigy" was announced in the wake of Georges St. Pierre's knee injury, which prompted a quick re-shuffling of the "Sin City" fight card. Because the guy that gets paid "100 grand" to tell him what to do wasn't standing around telling him "hey, you can't miss this press conference." Sounds like money well spent. Poor kid got robbed, I would have done it for 10. Diaz elaborates (via MMA Weekly): "Of course I have regret. I have people that are supposed to take care of stuff, like I got a lawyer or something right, that’s supposed to get paid 100 grand, a ridiculous amount of money. I’ve been living the same since I started since I was 17. I lived down the street from my parents, who I used to live in the same house with, now I live with my brother. I’ve got all these people, business people, and big money people around me trying to make deals. I don’t know anything about that. All I know, somebody’s getting paid over 100 grand just to tell me what I’m supposed to do and what I’m not supposed to do. I think for that much money I think I could have had somebody standing around telling me ‘hey, you can’t miss this press conference.’" Diaz will square off against B.J. Penn in the main event of UFC 137 on Oct. 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada. His headlining bout with the Hawaiian "Prodigy" was announced in the wake of Georges St. Pierre's knee injury, which prompted a quick re-shuffling of the "Sin City" fight card. The Stockton slugger's press conference snafu made headlines because it got him booted from his title fight against the Canadian earlier this month. Carlos Condit took his place against "Rush" but fate being what it is, Diaz has returned to the main event. And based on his past behavior, which can be described as erratic at best, it could be his last one if he's defeated by Penn at the Mandalay Bay Events Center a week from Saturday. Anyone think he's a victim of poor management? Or is it time for him to put his checkbook away and take responsibility for his own career? Any fight fans support Diaz through this ordeal? Why or why not? Opinions, please.

Posted in: diaz, money, press, people, brother irsquove

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So as I'm sure most of you are aware there has been a small kerfluffel about FOTD recently and people just submitting them without checking to see if others have already been submitted etc. In order to keep FOTD going strong, and cut back on multiple posts a seperate subreddit has been creating. r/MMAfights is for posting MMA fight videos exclusively and people can also post all their submissions for FOTD there. Everyday xKrazExMNUx will take the top submission for FOTD and post it here, and we will also be taking the highest voted piece of content every week from MMAfights and posting it here. Please do not post FOTD videos here, as all non-xKrazExMNUx FOTD videos will be removed. There is also a link to the new subreddit over in the sidebar ----> Hopefully this will help streamline the FOTD process and cut back on videos spamming the new queue here at r/MMA so that the focus can be on contemporary events/news/discussions that has allowed this community to grow and prosper. *edit - if you downvote this post so people don't see it you are just hurting your fellow community members who won't be informed of the new status quo. submitted by ladt420 [link] [3 comments]

Posted in: video, people, fotd, post, fotd process

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Tito Ortiz may be 1-5-1 in his last seven bouts, but his shocking win over Ryan Bader at UFC 132 was enough to keep Tito in the UFC and just relevant enough. Tito is now set to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 140 and, somewhat shockingly, is only a slight underdog (+130 to +145). It opened even closer with Ortiz only a +110 underdog. Maybe this was based on Tito's one win in five years, or maybe it's his new status as "The People's Champion." Via ESPN: Jon Robinson: I was at your fight against Ryan Bader and the look on your face after you won was one of such pure joy, I can't remember seeing you that happy before. What did that moment mean to you? Tito Ortiz: It meant that everything had paid off. My whole legacy, my whole career depended on that fight. I trained really hard and had some great guys around me training with me. It was almost like winning my world title. A lot of people didn't believe in me. A lot of people couldn't believe that I was still here. I had neck surgery, lower back surgery and a lot of athletes don't compete after that. I showed that I'm able to compete against the best guys in the world, and I think that will help show people that if they believe in themselves, if they believe in their dream, they can accomplish anything. That's why I changed my name to The People's Champ. I want everyone to know that I'm here for the fans. I want them to know that they can bounce back from anything. You've got to admit, naming yourself "The People's Champ" is pretty funny.

Posted in: ortiz, tito, champ, people, ryan bader

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"A lot of people didn't believe in me. A lot of people couldn't believe that I was still here. I had neck surgery, lower back surgery and a lot of athletes don't compete after that. I showed that I'm able to compete against the best guys in the world, and I think that will help show people that if they believe in themselves, if they believe in their dream, they can accomplish anything. That's why I changed my name to The People's Champ. I want everyone to know that I'm here for the fans. I want them to know that they can bounce back from anything." -- Tito Ortiz (via ESPN) remembers his victory over Ryan Bader at UFC 132: "Cruz vs. Faber 2" on July 2 in Las Vegas, and how he overcame so much adversity to get there. With the victory, the former champion became somewhat of an inspirational figure for fans around the world, proving anything can be overcome as long as you have faith and believe in yourself. It's for that reason that Ortiz no longer wants to be known as "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" and has changed his name to "The People's Champ." Just don't tell The Rock. Ortiz will return to action on Dec. 10 at UFC 140 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. A loss might mean the end of his run inside the Octagon but even if that's the case, he will have already accomplished his goal of providing inspiration to fans across the world. And that's a damn good thing.

Posted in: ufc, ortiz, people, peoples champ, anything thats

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For over a decade, few have captured the imagination of fight fans quite like the pride of Hilo, Hawaii, BJ Penn. One of only two fighters in UFC history to win titles in two weight classes, he has built a loyal fanbase due not only to his fighting skill and willingness to take on anyone in a fight, but also his no holds barred approach to life, where he will always say what’s on his mind and then worry about the consequences later. Subsequently, he’s the most quotable MMA fighter this side of Chael Sonnen, and here’s just a taste of some of the things Penn has revealed over the years as we get ready for another round of “The Prodigy” in the lead up to his UFC 137 bout against Nick Diaz on October 29th.On fighting in different weight classes“It’s been talked to death, me fighting at different weights and doing other things, but right now, I guess I’m just going to be the best I can be right now. Who knows how many fights I’ve got left in me, so right now I’m just gonna do my thing and be happy with who I am.”On living up to expectations“At first it was real tough, but now I just want to prove all those people right. If they’re gonna go out on a limb and say I can do all these things, then I’m happy they say that stuff and I want to go out and do it for them. If they went out and told their friends I’m the best, then I want to make sure they can go back and say ‘I told you so.’”Fighter vs Athlete“I gotta not like the person that’s standing on the other side of the ring and that’s why I consider myself in different aspects as not just an athlete, but a fighter. When people fight in the normal, everyday world, it’s not because of being an athlete, it’s because something pissed them off. When man raises his fists, he has run out of ideas, and that’s what ends up happening. Those are the natural instincts I have, and if I want someone to fight with me, I better piss them off. So he gets pissed off, and then he pisses me off, and then we can fight. I kinda look for that sometimes.”On his fighting styleMaybe because I’m not on the mainland and not cross training with everybody all the time, my style is kinda different. It’s not like I’m going to a gym with 50 other mixed martial arts fighters who are all trading techniques and sharing stuff. I have a few people come down here and there and I work with people, but in a gym you kinda all become the same in certain ways because you’re training with each other every day. I’m out in Hawaii, and even better than that, I’m not even on the main island, where there are a bunch of other fighters, so I’m not mixing with anybody. So maybe when I do something it comes out looking a bit different.On training“I’m training a lot harder. Back in the day I used to pride myself on how little I could do and get away with it; now I try to pride myself on how much I do. I try to work real hard, train as much as I can, eat healthy food, and I want to see how far I can take it.”The wakeup call“I guess the wakeup call was December 13, 2006, when I turned 28. I said ‘what am I doing, why am I messing around? This is the biggest sport in the world, it’s gonna overtake everything, I’m at the forefront. Why am I playing games?’”In a league of his own“You want to be categorized in a league of your own, like Randy (Couture) is,” he said. “You don’t want to be in the mix with everybody else. When they talk about you, you want them to say something special, like a Joe Frazier or (Muhammad) Ali, those kinds of people. You want to be extraordinary. You want to shoot for greatness and I think every fighter should.”On pressure“When it comes to the pressure, I used to hate it and that’s what used to burn me out. I used to hate fighting for everybody else, answering to everybody else. I just wanted to do it for myself. Now, I think that’s another thing that changed in me. Now I love doing it for everybody. I love when the people come up to me around town and say something to me. I love it – come, come support me, come believe I can do all these things, and I will do all these things. I think that was the biggest thing that changed. I never used to be happy with the idea of all these people putting all this pressure on me, but now I know why they do it, and I love it.”A new start“Something just awoke inside of me where I said ‘what are you doing? You can beat every one of these people. You’ve been doing it half-assed all this time and it’s time to finally step up and let’s see it.’ If you can’t, you can’t, but at least you know you tried. Words can’t explain how pumped I am about fighting right now. It’s what I am, it’s who I am, and it’s what I want to be.”Early days“The Din Thomas fight and the Caol Uno fight, those were probably two of the best things for my career, to blow me up and to get me a bigger fanbase, but they were also the worst things for my career as far as getting me experience to get ready for that title fight. And I was scared going out there and being the main event. I think I was more afraid of everything else – I was afraid to have that lightweight title, I was afraid to be the main event – but don’t do something great if you can’t take the congratulations, and I wasn’t ready to get congratulated. I was just a kid.”Money Player“I never took it serious. But I started taking it serious right before the finals of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu world championships. I was in the finals, and I remember me and Charuto (Verissimo) were going to eat lunch, and I just sat there and thought to myself ‘I’ll never be in this position ever again. Go out there and do whatever it takes.  Whether your arm gets broken, you get choked unconscious, anything that happens, win this match, do it now, no matter what.’ And that’s why I think I’m good when the pressure’s on. I’m a clutch player when the pressure’s on and that’s when I perform at my best. That’s who I am.”On his cardio“I think people will always bring up my cardio. Everybody wants an idea of ‘how can we beat him?’ And they’re not thinking, ‘oh, I‘m gonna submit him’ or ‘I’m gonna knock him out.’ They’re looking for anything they can, so they bring up the cardio issue. These guys got to remember that I fought Sean Sherk and he’s supposed to be a cardio machine. I fought Kenny Florian and he doesn’t get tired. I fought Caol Uno and he doesn’t get tired. I fought so many people over the years, but they just pick that one thing. Nobody wants anybody to be perfect and they want to look for something to talk about. I’m in great shape, but even after this fight, I’m sure the next guy who fights me, that will be his way to beat me too.”On the mental game“You see these great guys come out and then they try something for one or two minutes, they find out their technique’s not working and then they give up. The mental side is everything. The techniques have to be flawless, but the mind has to be tough. It has to be more flawless and you can never give up. I would even sit here and say that I’m in the entertainment business and the fight game business, but I’m also in the making you quit business. That’s what it’s all about.”Lightweight champion of the world“Just talking to you right now, thinking about how it was a 21-year old kid’s dream to be the lightweight champion of the world, that just got me pumped up. I just remembered how I used to sit and think about how I wanted to be the lightweight champ. But then sometimes you get there and you take it for granted.”All about the fight“When I first got into the game of fighting, it was all about the fight. Then came promoting the fight and trying to get the fight bigger, but I’m back to the mindset that it’s just about fighting again.”On success“Over time you realize that you can’t judge success by championships. One day you’re at the top of the world and the next day you’re at the bottom, and you’ve got to keep pushing through and keep moving forward no matter happens. And I’m kinda in that mindset. I’ve got a lot of wins and I’ve got a few losses, and I realize that anything can happen when you step in the ring and give it your all against someone else who’s giving their all. So I’m in the mindset that I’m just trying to go out and do my best and let the cards fall where they may, and we’ll see what happens at the end of the night. It definitely took a long time to get that point though. Before I was always about ‘I gotta win, I gotta win, I gotta win,’ and a lot of times when you have that attitude, you end up doing less than your best. Now all I gotta do is go out there and do my best and everything will happen the way it should.”On legacy“Before I used to sit there and think about all these things all the time, but now I’m just trying to stay around. It’s amazing and it’s the kinda thing where I don’t want to talk too soon. I’d rather talk about all this when I’m fat, I’m hanging out, and not fighting anymore, and then I’ll tell everybody how great I was.”Legacy vs. Burnout“I’m constantly stuck between the two. I’ve seen a lot of Rampage’s interviews lately, and that’s exactly where he is. I guess people do get burned out over time. When you first start this whole journey of being a mixed martial artist, you’re here to beat everybody up, and I guess after a while it does turn into a job. Some people get burned out, some people don’t, and it’s a strange thing. I come out here and destroy Matt Hughes on the 20th and maybe you’ll hear the same things coming out of my mouth again – that I’m going back for my legacy and all that stuff.” Life after retirement?“I’ve asked myself that question a thousand times, and I look at everything else there is in the world to do, besides retirement, and I looked at all my other options, and I like this one a lot more.”On leaving the Octagon immediately after the third Hughes bout“I’ve been trying to do a fight like the (first) Uno fight for the last nine years and it just never came out that way. So when this fight (with Hughes) ended up ending very quick with a knockout, I was pumped up, I started screaming in the ring for a little bit and I was like ‘here it is, here’s my chance. I’m gonna get out there and I’m gonna do it – Elvis is gonna leave the building.’”On the loyalty of his fans“I think they buy the Pay-Per-View when I fight and I think they’re constantly looking for that same kid that got them excited about the sport, who came out and said all these things, and maybe it didn’t go his way every time, but he tried as hard as he could to back up what he said. They see they guy who knocked out Din Thomas and knocked out Caol Uno and that’s their guy, that’s their favorite fighter, and maybe they see some of him in their lives or maybe he’s someone that inspires them. I’ve just been so blessed with these fans that always have my back. When I’ve lost and I’ve come back, I think they know my story so well and they relate to it in their lives. Nobody’s on top always. We’re up one day, we’re down one day, and that’s just the nature of life. And when they see me, they can really relate. People like to follow that storyline and sometimes they like to see people fall but climb back up again.”On his relationships with past opponents“I could see it surprising a lot of people, but honestly, I consider myself a people person. (Laughs) One minute I could be pissing you off, the next minute you could be hugging me, and that’s me and part of why people love me or hate me. I’m just blessed to get to run into these people later on and really get to apologize for some of the things that I’ve done. And I’m lucky that these people have welcomed me with open arms.”On being “The Target”“If I’m not in that position, I’ll be bummed out. If someone says ‘you know what, I don’t care about fighting BJ Penn,’ that would hurt my feelings.”On BJ Penn“There’s just something about BJ Penn that gets people amped up. You don’t know what’s gonna happen, but something’s gonna happen though. He might disappoint you, he might make you happy, he might make you cry, he might make you jump out of your chair, but he’ll do something to you.”

Posted in: fight, i ’m, people, thing, ’m

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Posted in: blog, people, john dodson, philll, tuf blog

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As December 21, 2012 fast approaches many people around the world are expecting doom! As they believe a cataclysmic event will strike the earth. Scenarios being discussed by these certain peoples are comets or asteroids coming from the heavens and crashing into the earth, E.T.’s finally make first contact with us or the spread of [...]

Posted in: event, people, december, earth scenarios, earth

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Chael Sonnen is nothing if not interesting. I've never been receptive to the so called pro wrestling antics of promotion. Yea, I understand the need for promotion, and like everyone else, I'm excited at the prospect of a rematch with Anderson Silva. At UFC 136 even I was impressed with his quick and precise "loser leaves town" speech. But it's not something I find especially compelling. The words of a promoter are fleeting, superficial, and when the cage door shuts, their echoes disappear into the spectacle of prizefighting where they no longer have purpose except to demand the attention of our expectations. I'm gonna digress for a second, and for as self serving as it may seem, I believe there's a connection worth making.  You may have heard of the Occupy Wall Street protests, and you may have heard of the reactions by politicians. Paul Krugman took that reaction to task in a recent article in the New York Times, stating (of the Wall Street denizens) "They’re people who got rich by peddling complex financial schemes that, far from delivering clear benefits to the American people, helped push us into a crisis whose aftereffects continue to blight the lives of tens of millions of their fellow citizens". San Antonio, where I'm from, had their own protest downtown. I'm not sure the people, many of whom were young, understood what had really gone down on Wall Street. And there's hypocrisy within the outrage itself. As Michael J. Sandel writes in Justice, "The public was outraged when, in 2008, Wall Street firms (some on tax payer-subsidized life support) handed out $16 billion in bonuses. But this figure was less than half the amounts paid out in 2006 ($34 billion) and 2007 ($33 billion). If greed is the reason they don't deserve the money now, on what basis can it be said that they deserved the money then?" It's unfortunate awareness is present when it has the least impact (after the fall). But I guess there's value in and of itself in the attempts to make that awareness a staple of American behavior it so desperately needs. In a similar vein, perhaps fans would think of Chael differently if his crime had been more easily understood.  It was early this very year when Chael pled guilty to money laundering for mortgage fraud. As the wiki link notes, the maximum sentence for such a crime is 20 years in prison, and a carries with it a $500 thousand dollar fine. But because it's a white collar crime, which tends to be less well understood, the image of Sonnen isn't drawn as easily for the public as if he kicked down the doors of a Seven Eleven and pulled money out of a cash register. Yet the criminal principles are the same.  I'm not interested in moral protest here. Tangentially, I think the TRT issue, as with everything else on the topic of steroids, is overblown nonsense. It's not moral outrage I look for, so much as a reflection on our perceptions. Sonnen continues to be viewed as a symbol for what's proper about MMA when entertainment aligns with sport. About how to promote yourself the right way. Nate Wilcox asks the question, "can sport without spectacle sell?" That depends on what kind of spectacle, just as it depends on to what degree of sport. Has Sonnen really promoted himself the right way? For some, that may seem a stupid question, but Sonnen is a convicted felon, who was probably worth more to the UFC as an active fighter than as man taking a year long layoff to deal with very serious legal issues (the kind of legal issues that can outright kill a career). The MMA Media seems to relish Sonnen's behavior in a way that suggests Sonnen's legal past is unimportant. Or worse, that they simply don't understand that character is still worth something in sports because the viewers are not simply adults, but children who seem to understand moral virtue better than the adults. Do you think AT&T, Gillette, and Tag Heuer valued Tiger Woods the same because more people were talking about him because he told some escort he wanted to treat her "like a dirty whore"? I'm not condemning the MMA Media though. I just think they're unaccustomed to what happens to an athlete when their flaws are laid bare on a larger stage, and not even their own boss is interested in holding them accountable. How would Chael's crimes have been handled if the UFC were already on FOX, and that that was the time and place Sonnen used to display his corruption? Sonnen flaunts his thinly veiled racism, half truths, and past transgressions. And worst of all, like the plutocrats Krugman speaks of, he's unapologetic. His official crime harkens back to the current architects of our collective woes. It's not the direct comparison I'm trying to make. It's the moral curtain these people hide behind: a curtain colored with theory, and virtue, but behind it sits a man smug in his assumption you're too dumb to smell his odor of moral decay. But who cares because it's "Chael being Chael", and what a "brilliant promoter!". But sports history, real history, is ultimately written in the words of performance, not polemic. If Sonnen loses to Silva, what will people talk about five years from now? Frankie Edgar's unbelievable comeback in an already storied trilogy with Gray Maynard, or Sonnen's pro wrestling rhetoric, and lines about pygmy tribes? Personally I'll take my Frankie Edgars, and Jose Aldos, and leave the entertainment to the professionals, like Armando Iannucci and Bill Hicks. The media wants you to think Chael Sonnen is a big green wizard from Oregan holding the keys to the UFC's Oz. But he's not. He's Frank Morgan with a criminal record. Unfortunately for humorless stiffs like me, he's Frank Morgan with brilliant prizefighting abilities too. Poll Who is Chael Sonnen? Symbol of Spectacle Charlatan of Spectacle   2 votes | Results

Posted in: people, chael sonnen, sonnen, chael, spectacle

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Filed under: Bellator, NewsBen Askren walked around the city of Joplin, Mo., in late May and could hardly believe what he was seeing. The Bellator welterweight champion had been in the nearby town of Neosho to help at a wrestling clinic not long after a massive EF5 tornado devastated Joplin, ravaging everything in its path. It was one of the deadliest tornados in world history, killing 162 people. Askren went to view the damage with friends from his days wrestling for the University of Missouri. Looking at the destruction, he knew there had to be a way to give something back - some how, some way. "We went to one guy's house, and it wasn't even a house," Askren told MMA Fighting on Thursday, recalling the devastation. "It was just two walls, the roof was all gone, and you just look at that and think, 'I can't imagine this being my house. There's nothing left here.' Everything they owned is just gone, and they're staying with family and friends. You feel for people at times like that." As Askren continued to look around, seeing buildings destroyed, cars thrown around like toys, trees uprooted and houses of his friends' friends ripped apart, he decided to ask his boss, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, if the promotion could find a way to do something to help. "It just blows your mind," Askren said. "You see it on TV, but you could never really imagine until you actually go there. So I texted Bjorn and said, 'Hey, it would be nice if we could do something for all these people.'" Rebney, though, didn't have any quick answers. "He said, 'What can we do? Can I do something?' Rebney said. "He was just reaching out asking what could be done. And I said, 'I don't know, buddy. I don't know what we can do.'" Admittedly, Rebney said, coming up with a plan for the people of Joplin "fell off the radar screen" over the summer. But earlier this fall, when the promotion finalized the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Okla., a short drive from Joplin, for Saturday's Bellator 53, a plan finally got put into place - when Askren again reached out and was adamant in his desire to try to make a contribution. Friday night, Bellator and Buffalo Run Casino will give away 300 tickets to Saturday's show to Joplin residents at Joplin High School's homecoming football game. For those still trying to rebuild the lives they knew before May 22, it won't change anything. But a temporary reprieve might help, even for just one night. "I just hope the people that were affected can have some enjoyment for one night of fighting that Bellator's going to put on," Askren said. "It's not a huge gesture. It's not like we're rebuilding their houses. But every small thing helps." "It's a great thing to do," Rebney said. "It's not going to change the dynamic of anybody's life in Joplin, but the people have been through a lot here. It's an opportunity to kind of kick back and forget about your issues for four or five hours." Rebney said it was Askren's perseverance in wanting to find a way to give something to the people of Joplin that ultimately got the plan rolling, and started Bellator down the community service path, really for the first time. "Thank God we haven't been in communities where something as tragic as what happened here happened before," Rebney said. "But this was more about Ben Askren reaching out. He was the guy really pushing it. He called me, I didn't have an answer, and he just stayed on it." Rebney said Askren, who defends his welterweight title later this month at Bellator 56 against Jay Hieron, proved to him he has talents that extend beyond the cage, and that his strength of character is typical of many MMA athletes. "It gives me a sense of pride that we're lucky enough to have a guy like Ben on our roster who isn't thinking of himself, who isn't doing it for any kind of sponsorship angle," Rebney said. "He was just calling me, saying, 'Dude, what can we do? How can we help? Can I do something? Can we do something? Big or small, it doesn't matter.' There's more of that in the MMA industry than people realize. It's a real good feeling, and I'm proud we have Ben on the roster - he's an amazing talent, and I think he's the best wrestler in mixed martial arts. But he's also a very good dude, and that counts for a lot." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: bellator, people, rebney, askren, joplin

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Akira Corassani is blogging at MMA Nation and shared his perspective on being on the cast of the 14th season of The Ultimate Fighter: Bisping vs. Miller. There are a lot of choice nuggets, but this was the most interesting to me: It started out with some sparring and me putting the fear into people. You could hear them in the beginning saying 60% power, technical sparring. That's what Bisping said. You have to remember Marcus just lost his fight. Imagine losing and being eliminated from the tournament. Maybe Diego hit him first and it escalated? Maybe it was just one of those days everyone was pissed off. Everyone had 12 week camps before they fought to even get into the house. Then you have to fight again and diet. People are always talking crap and the sparring situation was all a result of stress. You could see me going 60%. You could catch my kicks. Maybe when I said I like to put fear in people it was out of context. It wasn't even the same day.My thinking behind the intimidation to put fear into my teammates was that it was a small house. Everyone wants to win and you have these eight guys who are going to be your friends for the season who you trust with your life. I don't think so. People are talking and spreading information so when I punch my people hard in the stomach I want them to go tell the other guys I'm dangerous. The whole thing with the show is how you want to see it. Do you see the subliminal messages and what's really going on? That's what I like about TUF fighter blogs, the rare instances when they venture into meta-commentary of the editing of the show. It's like hearing from your goldfish about what goes on in the tank when no one is home. More SBN Coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale

Posted in: fighter, people, fear, akira corassani, choice nuggets

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Josh Neer (32-10-1 MMA, 5-6 UFC) has fought in front of 500 people and in front of 5,000 people.

Posted in: ufc, people, josh, front, neer

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If you're like me, you probably think you know a good deal about this sport. You watch it all the time, you understand on some level what Joe Rogan and Pat Miletich are expounding on and barring the unexpected, you kind of know how the fight is going to play out. The unexpected is, of course, the great equalizer in this sport, but to a bettor, what you need to look for is the law of averages. A quick intro to the novice bettor. Successful sports betting is not about merely picking who you think will win. In fact, sometimes the correct bet is not on the person you think will win, simply because the odds are such that it makes more sense investment-wise to put your money on the guy you think will lose, simply because of how much you stand to win if he does the unexpected (which happens so often in this sport). You are looking for odds in your favor. Odds that make you want to look at them a second time to make sure you didn't misread it. If I told you that Rashad Evans would give you $20 dollars for every $3 you bet on him, you'd almost certainly bet something on that, despite most people thinking that 'Shad is merely the next victim. I know I would. As such, UFC Live 6 is not about picking the winners and the losers, it's looking for an angle to see if there's a good spot to lay money on. Before I completely delve into the card, I want to bring up a few terms that don't generally come up when most people think of betting. Sabermetrics is a fairly new term used to encapsulate a new wave of statistics in baseball. Simply put, a few people thought that the traditional measuring sticks used to quantify a players' worth were inadequate to paint an accurate picture. Combine that with the reliance on inaccurate things like "feel" and "gut" and "instinct", and they attempted (and are still refining) better formulas to try and figure out how good someone is. Some of these stats also attempted to account for things that the player had no control over. Maybe a batter is just having an unlucky streak, but in reality he's doing all the right things at the plate, but just getting unlucky in the end result. Batting average doesn't really account for hitting 5 line drives that just all happen to get caught. It doesn't care if you strike out 5 times, meekly ground out to the pitcher or smoke it 390 feet (but the wall is 395). So they created a stat to measure the batting average on balls in play (BABIP) to take things like that into account. There's one for pitchers, too. Imagine you're a decent pitcher, but don't have a great strikeout pitch. You do, however, manage to produce a lot of ground balls (which often turn into outs). However, the other people on your team are poor fielders. They're some combination of slow, uncoordinated or other version of bad. Instead of producing a bunch of outs, you get a bunch of base runners, because the people behind you aren't all that good at their job. Your ERA (earned run average, for those that don't know baseball at all) suffers, but it isn't really your fault. Now there's a better measuring stick to see if it really is your fault or perhaps someone elses. Or maybe just bad luck. What a lot of this translates into is also basic poker skills. Poker at its most basic is a game of math. The human element allows for tells and other things to get involved, but at the simplest form, you are playing numbers. The best poker players make the correct play over and over regardless of the outcome. Why? because making the right play over and over will more often than not lead to the outcome you want. Sometimes it won't, but more often it will. This is called Good Process. Really, what you're looking to do is make the right choice, regardless of outcome. This is called being process oriented, rather than results oriented. Make the right choice, and regardless of outcome, you will eventually have the weight of success tilt towards you. With all this said, let's look at this card and see if there are advantages to be taken. All odds are from Bodog for simplicity's sake.And for the love of Peter, Paul & Mary, this is my own thoughts on the matter. Don't take this as gospel and go betting the house "because I told you to". Make your own informed decision. Dominick Cruz -525 vs Demetrious Johnson +325This is not a great fight to bet on. Personally, I think Cruz has the footwork to outhustle Mighty Mouse all day, erry day, and has the ability to stand up when taken down. As such, I'd want to bet on Cruz, but if I put down a hundred on him and he won, I'd only get back $119.05. 20% Return on Investment is still better than the stock market, but this isn't quite the lock I would want for those odds. Conversely, Johnson isn't enough of a dog that I'd be willing to risk him pulling off something I don't think he'll do. Matt Wiman -215 vs Mac Danzig +175This is a little better. I still feel confident that Wiman will win, simply because Mac Danzig is not that good. Not as confident as I am about Cruz, but neither are the bookies, so the odds are better. This is not a terrible fight to put a bet on, assuming you think as I do and Wiman takes it. Pat Barry -200 vs Stefan Struve +160There are so many possible ways I can see this fight ending. I can see Barry getting Kongo'd again. I can see Struve getting Browne'd again. I can see Barry getting Hague'd again. When I don't really know how the fight is going to end, I don't want to bet on it, aside from perhaps a small parlay bet. Anthony Johnson -205 vs Charlie Brenneman +165Again, I'm not terribly sure how this is going to play out. Josh Koschek tooled Johnson with his wrestling (and on the feet, to be honest), but Brenneman is (probably) no Koschek. Personally I think there's enough value on Brenneman to make a small wager, but I wouldn't go bonkers here. Shane Roller -200 vs T.J. Grant +160Grant has good value here, as I can easily see him winning the fight, underdog or no. Roller is the "better" wrestler, but his best win is... Njokuani? Tavares? His losses aren't bad, but shrug. Grant and Brenneman make a very tasty looking parlay if you ask me. A $20 parlay on them would mean you'd have $137.80 if you pull it off. That's not a bad profit if these two can swing it. I don't really have much to say about any of the other fights, other than I think that Paul Sass is a good live dog against the third Johnson on this card. And people say that MMA is gay. Can never have too many Johnsons apparently.

Posted in: fight, johnson, odd, people, bet

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

We’ve all messed with a Rubik’s Cube in our lifetime. Some people, like myself, spend days trying to match up all the colors on each side. Some people, like my 1st grade self, take off all the stickers and then arrange them to make it look like we completed the puzzle. And some people can solve the cube in 10 moves. I want to punch those people in the face. In MMA, there’s a human Rubik’s Cube who gets punched in the face by his opponent as they try to solve him. His name is Dominick Cruz, or as I like to call him, “The Cruzik’s Cube”. Ever since Cruz dropped to bantamweight in 2008, he hasn’t lost in eight bantamweight bouts and he’s developed a style that has made him extremely tough to figure out. He’s not the biggest guy in his weight class, he’s not the fastest, and he doesn’t have an abnormally long reach. He just puts everything together so well that even when you have one side figured out, there are still more sides to figure out. The way Cruz bounces around on his feet and moves his shoulders and head is something that can’t be replicated in training camp. No other fighter moves the way Cruz does and puts everything together the way he does. He’s the most active fighter on his feet, even when he’s not throwing strikes because with the way he moves, it always looks like he’s throwing a feint or just setting up an attack and that throws off his opponents. Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez, who are teammates, both had success against Cruz when they pressed the action. Faber, who didn’t land much at UFC 132, made it count when he landed and hurt the champ on more than one occasion. Faber didn’t quite press the action enough though and was on the wrong side of the decision. Benavidez didn’t really hurt Faber, but he was constantly moving forward and we’ve all learned that aggression can steal a decision, and Benavidez ended up doing enough in one judges eyes (or eye) to earn a split decision loss. Unfortunately Benavidez lacked the power and Faber lacked the aggression. Even if you can figure out the striking of Cruz, you still have to deal with his wrestling and grappling. His takedown defense is top-notch and if he does get put on his back, he can pop back up or pull off a sweep to turn things into his favor. He uses his offensive wrestling to steal or solidify rounds. At the end of every frame, he loves to go for the knee tap takedown, and even though fighters know it’s coming, they still have trouble stopping it. Faber had success staying on his feet but “The California Kid” is also a fighter who has always been known for his scramble ability and is one of the few fighters who can match the size of Cruz in the division. Fighters like Benavidez, who is a good scrambler but undersized for the division, and Scott Jorgensen, who is a good wrestler as well and very strong for the division, didn’t quite have the same success. Tonight, Demetrious Johnson tries to solve the Cruzik’s Cube. He’s one of the few fighters who can match the speed of Cruz, but he, like Benavidez, is undersized for 135 and isn’t really a great striker, at least not on the level of Cruz’ past few opponents. Is “Mighty Mouse” the person to solve Cruz? I don’t believe so. The champion has a distinct advantage on the feet, and even thought Johnson is very fast, he’s going to have a tough time getting Cruz down due to his size. To beat Cruz, opponents can’t be mesmerized by the movements. They have to realize that all the movements are just to set up his offense attack, and that defensively, he is hittable and he’s not really a counter striker. Solving a Rubik’s Cube isn’t really that hard, neither is solving the Cruzik’s Cube. People trick themselves into doubt though. With the toy, people get frustrated when they have one side figured out, only to realize that they completely screwed up what they were working on on a different side. With the fighter, opponents get frustrated when they see Cruz moving in odd angles and mixing things up better than many fighters in the sport. Of course all of this is easier said than done. I can figure out the Rubik’s Cube in my mind, but once the thing gets in my hand, I twist it for a few minutes before realizing that it’s better off being used as a chew toy for my dog. People can figure out the Cruzik’s Cube on paper, but unless they have the skillset and mentality to get the job done, they’re just going to become another frustrated victim. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: fighter, ’t, people, cruz, cube

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Most people are waiting to proclaim this "The Jon Jones Era." Most people would be wrong, because nobody in the UFC will defeat Jones for his title.

Posted in: ufc, jone, nobody, jon jones, people

Read the full article at Heavy MMA

UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones will enter tonight’s title-defense against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 135 with the trappings of tremendous hype brought on by his meteoric rise in Mixed Martial Arts. Only 24-years old, and essentially undefeated fourteen fights into his career including a number of dominant wins against highly-respected opponents, Jones’ status as the top competitor in one of MMA’s deepest divisions has earned him as much anger from fans as adulation. Whether his personality rubs certain people the wrong way or they simply don’t like to see others’ overwhelming success, “Bones” has become anything but a consensus fan-favorite since bursting on the scene nearly three years ago. Jones is aware of the negativity, as he made clear in a recent interview on the UFC website where he spoke about how it has affected him. “I did feel the hate. Me being a young guy and a guy who wanted to be liked, at first it hurt me a lot,” Jones admitted. “But what I learned very fast is that I need to take my emotions out of my work sometimes, especially when it comes to other people’s opinions. I’m a positive being, that’s my nature…I’m not a person who ever Tweets swear words or ever tries to purposely try to put someone down or hurt them. I’m not a person of ill will. I genuinely try to share knowledge on self-confidence and religion and treating your neighbor right and believing in yourself and working hard and loving your family. And I know in my heart that I’m not doing the wrong thing, so if I’m just trying to help, and people are misconstruing it, I’ve learned not to worry about what I can’t control anymore.” “I was talking to Brian Stann,” Jones continued while referencing his teammate at Greg Jackson’s camp in New Mexico. “And he said ‘Hey man, you think you get hate messages? I get called a murderer. People think I’m an advocate of war, and I get a lot of hate. And the thing is, the people who actually love you Jon, they’re probably gonna read your interview or watch your YouTube video, and think ‘Wow, what a great guy.’ Most of the people who write those messages, they’re people with nothing else to do but to bring somebody else down. Only people that are below you can pull you down.’” “That stuck with me,” Jones concluded. “So I learned that as long as I know that I have good intentions, I don’t allow people to misconstrue my words and pull me down.” However, that doesn’t mean the champion is all smiles and butterflies. “I know I’m a good person, but, as an athlete, I do have a chip on my shoulder, I do have a big ego as an athlete, and I do believe that I’m the best…I do want to be the best. That’s something I can’t control, and I really can’t hide my pride in the Octagon because I work my butt off to be the best. I’m not ashamed of it anymore.” Fans can find out whether or not that hard work will pay off when Jones and “Rampage” lock horns later this evening on PPV with the broadcast starting at 9:00 PM EST. UFC 135 preliminary fights will also be available in the hours leading up to the main card with a handful streaming through Facebook (6:00 PM EST) and a pair on Spike TV (8:00 PM EST). PHOTO CREDIT – UFCSimilar Posts: Dana White: ‘[Rampage] giving up literally millions of dollars to play Mr. T’ My Plea To Jon Jones: Be Ali Rashad Evans leaves Jackson’s MMA for good Quinton “Rampage” Jackson speaks Jackson viewed upset UFC 86 loss to Griffin for first time day prior to arrest Tweetgovernment,politics news,politics news,politics

Posted in: jone, ’t, i ’m, people, ’m

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submitted by JesusHadALittleLamb [link] [comment]

Posted in: people, jesushadalittlelamb, cecil people, wonder, cecil

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I'm looking to fight around February and know a few people here have fought before. Thought it would be cool to see how many people have been in the cage. submitted by HTP5 [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: fight, people, )?. i, february, ammy

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It was July of 1997. While some of us were were eagerly anticipating the August release of Goldeneye 64 and September's Final Fantasy VII, Aaron Riley was anticipating his first professional fight. At the tender age of 16, Aaron Riley stepped into the ring at Hook n Shoot: When Worlds Collide, winning once by heel hook and then fighting later in the night only to lose via kneebar. Martial arts had always been the focal point of Aaron's life and now he was living it, coming up through the ranks old school MMA style, eventually hitting up Pride and knocking out Omigawa in between UFC visits and an IFL stint. To put it into terms set in my opening sentence: Aaron Riley was a busy dude: he was on his 17th fight by the time Perfect Dark came out. Now almost fourteen years later Aaron Riley and I sat down to discuss his time at the Jackson camp, his opponent for UFC 135 Tony Ferguson and what it was like growing up in MMA.   So I was looking through your Twitter, can you explain this "Van Damme kick" you showed Jon Bones Jones? Haha I always horse around with Jon in the gym and it was just a kick playing around but I told him if he used it in the fight he has to give me props. There is a really, really small percentage chance of that but hahaha if he does I'm going to be all over him.   Can you describe it? Haha it's an old school like hook kick and it knocks your opponent down then you stomp him again. It was so funny because we were goofing off with it in the gym and he got real serious trying to do it and all of a sudden it became this big challenge to him and he was all like "no, no, I can do this" and it was really funny so it was more of a joke than anything.   How is the Jackson camp doing right now collectively? It seems busier than ever and I know Tim Kennedy is heading out there soon... Oh it's awesome yeah Tim is awesome. He's a funny dude man, unfortunately I will be shipping out as soon as he ships in to work with Brian (Stann). We have a lot of superstars here right now. We have everyone, it's a full house. It seems like everyone on the roster is here right now. Clay and Cub are back around, Melvin, Carlos is getting ready, me and Jon are getting ready for Denver. Everything is going down.   Who are your sparring partners right now in preparation for Tony Ferguson? You know I work with a lot of guys, from the up and comers to the stars. Of course I work with a lot of 55'rs like Melvin or Clay. Isaac Vallie-Flagg is a buddy of mine who I stay with when I'm out here and he recently just got signed to Strikeforce. He was an up and comer but now he's breaking through and he's a real solid competitor, but I'm working with all kinds of guys that may have been in the gym for a long time but just aren't that well known yet but you will know pretty soon.   So you were 17 when you started pro fighting... Actually 16   Sixteen! That's insane! What was it like as a sixteen year old back in 1996-97 with the sport coming up tying to have to explain to your parents and the people around you what you were doing? Well the cool thing was that my parents always knew because I was always crazy about martial arts anyways, and so this tournament comes out, the UFC tournament and I had these visions of it being Bloodsport. So I just saw what happened and I wanted to be the striker that comes in and beats all these grapples. The funny thing is that I was doing Judo at the time and I borrowed a tape from my Judo coach and he said "Oh the Judo guy won the tournament". So I thought awesome, my style won. But then I turn it on to see that no Judo but Jiu Jitsu won and it was the Gracies who I had read an article about six or eight months prior to the UFC starting and I thought "man, these guys are really arrogant and I don't like how they come off". Now I was like twelve at the time, so you know they were all saying their style was the best and back when I was young I was all into the style thing. So I'm thinking, oh I can beat those guys. So from that moment on I was just knew I wanted to get in that tournament one day. Basically I was trying to educate everybody around me because everybody just thought it was a fight and I was saying no, it's the ultimate proving ground for martial arts. It started out as the ultimate proving ground but now it has evolved into a huge chance for an individual athlete.   Yeah that's the best part about watching the old shows, the true style vs style matchup was so pure. Yeah haha, now everybody is just a mixed martial artist they kind of do everything or they should be able to.   What is that like for someone like you, you have been in this sport for so many years and have truly grown up in it, what is it like to witness this evolution? Sometimes it's tough because I have to make sure I'm keeping up. The game has changed a lot and there are a lot of new techniques. I've also just learned a lot overall about the athleticism part of it. Lots of innovations and innovating people out there with new school training techniques. Everybody out there now has strength and conditioning coaches and they have dietitians at the UFC level. Some of the other B level shows are definitely getting a hold of that stuff too. The athleticism has shot through the roof and with more money involved that will attract more athletes and more people which will make it a tougher talent pool. But it's great because the popularity and exposure has been through the roof.   You can see the generation gaps now with the difference between the guys who start at 13 or 14 and go pro at 18 now as opposed to back 10-15 years ago. You can see the difference of training MMA through their respective careers rather than 1 art then the next and so on. Yeah exactly, the funny thing is, Greg Jackson and I were just talking about this. It's funny because those guys get to see the mistakes that the old school guys made and they get to learn from that and so the old school vets were kind of the guinea pigs and now people look at it like 'well this was a bad idea here and there so I'm gonna do this and that' so yeah, the new guys really have an opportunity to build off of us.   That's interesting and I say it a lot: the sport is so young still. Coming from someone like you who has fought in the gymnasiums in Texas against Yves Edwards with open fists to Pride rules and all over the country no holds barred to now the unified rules, how do you like how the sport as evolved? Do you think the rules are moving in the correct direction? Eh, I think they are. The only thing I wish they allowed that would alleviate a lot of stalling is knees to the head on the ground. Now I don't think that will ever be allowed in the UFC again but that would really cut down on a lot of stalling and all this jazz about someone getting caught in a front headlock and then they put their hand on the ground now their opponent can't knee them.It would get rid of a lot of stalling. That's the one rule I wish we would change but at the same time people see other people getting kneed in the head and I'm not even talking soccer kicks...but people will see that and politicians will get in an uproar again so it probably won't happen.   Coming from the Jackson's camp, it seems like you guys were getting a bad rap, even though it isn't deserved when you look at the solid numbers, for laying and praying and stalling. Do you see that as a normal gameplan or is that the uneducated fans spouting their mouths off? It's just people looking for something to complain about. Off the top of my head, Melvin has a bunch of knockouts, Stann just KO'd Jorge Santiago, Carlos had the flying knee and that's just recent. Jon Jones always does...Sometimes whenever it dies down and it gets quiet and the fans need something to jump on, I don't know. Sometimes too, Dana says something and the people gravitate towards that, because he did say something before and Dana is opinionated and maybe he felt like that at the moment and a bunch of people rallied behind it. Of course we are all trying to win fights and do you really think that we aren't going out there trying to win fight of the night, knockout of the night or submission of the night? No. They key is to win and win impressively. Coach doesn't have classes on how to be boring and stall out the fight.   You have fought TUF vets before and you are facing another in Tony Ferguson, what are your thoughts on The Ultimate Fighter as someone who had 38 fights before you got to the UFC? Well the thing is they get through the show and then when they actually get to the UFC, since those fights are considered exhibitions, if they make it to the show and beat two or three fighters then OK they belong. But if they don't they get weeded out. I think it's a faster track than it used to be with the show but you have to prove to people you belong or you won't be sticking around.   How amazing is it to see the UFC on Fox promos during football games? Man it's great to see the sport grow in such a relatively short amount of time. It's going to mean bigger things and more money for everyone allowed. I'm so proud to be part of the fastest growing sport in the world. I remember when I was younger thinking about the fights and if they were ever on TV I would watch it 24 hours a day. Now there are so many fights there is no way. I've seen enough MMA at this stage anyway, but man MMA was so hard to find trying to get bootleg videos and stuff. You know fights from Brazil. Watching UFC was like waiting for Christmas because it only came around every three or four months. I used to just wait for it to come around. So funny.   Yeah I still have my crappy Pancrase bootlegs that have been dubbed about ten times. Those tapes were so terrible.   You have fought with just about everyone, Pride, IFL, Hook n Shoot-who do you look back on most fondly? They were all great and so much fun in Texas. Hook n Shoot, that's where I grew up so that was awesome. Fighting in Japan and Pride was really a rush because that was something I had always wanted to do and somehow all of the pieces fell together and in typical Japanese style they called me two weeks before the fight and asked me if I would come over. I was like "uh OK, I'm twenty pounds overweight but I will start cutting now haha" then to go over there and get the knockout over a Japanese opponent (Omigawa), that was such a rush. All of the fights in all of the different shows it was so much fun I loved all of it.   You've spoken a lot about the Nick Diaz debacle, how do you feel about him still getting to fight and it being BJ Penn? It's really unfortunate how that worked out because I was excited to see that, I really wanted to see that fight, Diaz and GSP. But I hate it when the UFC rewards unprofessional behavior so I thought it was cool to see them finally take a stand. Yeah maybe you could say they still backed down a little because he still got a fight but at any rate it's a tough situation. It wasn't that big of a deal to me but I liked how they finally took a stand against people being unprofessional. On TUF for example, it's always about oh the guy who is the most outlandish and ridiculous gets the most TV time and gets the biggest fight after the show is over. It's unfortunate.   As a teammate of Jon Jones what do you think about Rampage's accusation that Jon sent spies into his camp? Completely fabricated to create more buzz around the fight. Jon the other day was just saying about how (Rampage) was crazy and he didn't understand where he got that information from. Yeah Jon isn't doing it. Said to create buzz.   You guys are together under the same roof once again: Yves Edwards vs Aaron Riley III. Will it happen? Hahaha Joe Silva knows the history there so it's up to him. It just is if our career happens to cross paths again.   Would you be down? Possibly. It could be built up really well if they used footage from the past.There is a way it could be approached and I'm not saying main event or anything but they could use old footage and it could be something people would be interested in.   Those fights are great, and there is that old documentary... Throwdown! Yeah!   Yeah, that's impossible to find. That would be so cool. Yeah it's rare and pretty old, Jeff Osbourne made it and I could try my best to hook you up with a copy. It's a pretty cool documentary and it's a great look at that time. That's its charm though haha.  

Posted in: ufc, fight, guy, people, lot

Read the full article at Middle Easy

In rather surprising news, Alistair Overeem announced today that he has split from his longtime management and fight team Golden Glory, citing “differences that led to a breach of trust.” I would like to make a statement regarding the recent news of the separation from my long-time management Golden Glory. As with any relationship, there are good times and bad times – you have your common ground and your differences. As with any relationship, you have trust. When differences lead to a breach of trust, there’s no turning back and no way to continue a positive, working relationship. I don’t air my dirty laundry. I would appreciate the respect regarding my privacy to not disclose any further details on this matter. Again, I would like to thank team Golden Glory for all the years we worked together and wish them success for the future. As Overeem stated, he wants to keep the details private, however in a conversation with MMA Junkie, Overeem’s (former) manager, Bas Boon, insinuated that disagreements over money caused the split. He also hinted that legal action would be necessary to settle the dispute. “I wasn’t really surprised, actually, after the last three months because he already had a lot of different ideas on how he would divide certain percentages which were normal in the past, and apparently, are not now,” he said. “I think the judge will decide on this issue that we have, and when that is decided, we will see who was right and who was not.” Boon also speculated that Overeem may be blaming them for not securing his purse money yet for winning the 2010 K-1 WGP. “Maybe that has to do with it, as well,” Boon said. “Everybody has problems with this, and I’m trying to do my best to solve this matter in Japan. It’s not easy, and of course, people are getting restless, and some people need to point the finger at certain people when things go wrong, but the only thing we can do is our best. It looks good, but these things take time.” Whatever the issue(s) may be, Boon says he’s disappointed that it’s come to this after working with Overeem for over a decade. “I’ve been together with Alistair for 12 years,” he said. “He slept in my house; I treated him like real friends. It’s kind of sad that maybe other influences by other people made him decide to go away, especially on the deal of a lifetime. That’s very disappointing.” Overeem’s (former) trainer, Martijn de Jong, also expressed his disappointment in Overeem’s decision. He doesn’t think Overeem’s qualms with Golden Glory have anything to do with his training and believes he just happens to be “stuck in the middle” of an unfortunate situation. It’s unclear where Overeem is going to train now, but he is planning to relocate to the US soon. Alistair told MiddleEasy recently that Hollywood, New York and Miami are all possibilities. Image via SiamFightMag.com  

Posted in: overeem, alistair overeem, glory, alistair, people

Read the full article at MMA Convert